Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rickets in Rift Valley: A Review of Manifestation and Links with Flouride Contents of Drinking Water Supplies

The study is to determine the prevalence of rickets among children under five years and links with flouride contents in drinking water. Food sources and recommended adequate daily intake for vitamin D. Naivasha hospital Rift Valley Province, confounding correlations between the disease rickets in relation to flouride contents of water supplies and food. Case study design was used by comparing data from Yemen, Ethiopia, India, Ausralia and Kenya. Data in Kenya was extracted from Katolo in Kano, a part of the Great Rift Valley, showing bowlegged children and domestic animals from volcamic areas within and outside the Great Rift Valley showing evidence of rickets. Review of reports on incidences and distribution of rickets in East Africa, India, Ethiopia and Australia. Correlatons between rickets and fluoride contents of water supplies was reviewd in the report. The incidence of rickets is becoming worrisome in the Rift Valley, it is important to note that through empirical evidence flouride concentrates can enter public water systems from natural sources. The rise in cases of rickets observed in Rift Valley may be due to three causes ;Decrease in the calcium content of water and increased concentration of fluoride in water due to global warming, decreased exposure to natural sunlight. They are ever dressed like Eskimos by mothers who leave for work very early in the morning while it is extremely cold in Naivasha and these children are kept indoors most of the time hence their bodies may never manufacture vitamin D from nutrients derived from food and water sources. It is recommended that urgent research is needed on links between drinking water and foods consumed in the Rift Valley basin to determine wheather their contents of flouride comply with the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 0.51. 5 ppm.
Suppressed oxytocin neuron responses to immune challenge in late pregnant rats: a role for endogenous opioids

Cytokine challenge (mimicking infection) with systemic interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) stimulates oxytocin neurons via a noradrenergic brainstem pathway similar to that involved in parturition. As the responses of oxytocin neurons to several stimuli are reduced in late pregnancy, we have investigated whether responses to IL‐1β are also suppressed. In virgin Sprague–Dawley rats, IL‐1β (500 ng/kg i.v.) rapidly increased oxytocin secretion (3.2‐fold), via a central action as the firing rate of oxytocin neurons in the supraoptic nucleus was increased. In contrast, IL‐1β had no significant effect on the electrical or secretory activity of oxytocin neurons in late pregnant rats. In pregnancy activation of a central inhibitory opioid mechanism restrains oxytocin neuron responses to various stimuli. Accordingly, we tested the effects of the opioid antagonist, naloxone, on oxytocin neuron responses to IL‐1β in pregnancy. Naloxone (5 mg/kg i.v.) did not affect the oxytocin secretory response to IL‐1β in virgin rats, whereas in late pregnant rats naloxone revealed a greater oxytocin secretory response to IL‐1β (3.5‐fold) than in virgin rats. In virgin rats, naloxone decreased oxytocin neuron firing rate after IL‐1β, however, in pregnant rats naloxone increased the firing rate response to IL‐1β to the level seen in virgin rats. Thus, systemic IL‐1β acts centrally to increase oxytocin secretion. In pregnancy this response is suppressed by endogenous opioids, thus preserving neurohypophysial oxytocin stores for parturition and minimizing the risk of preterm labour. The exaggerated oxytocin secretory response to IL‐1β in pregnancy after naloxone reflects increased oxytocin stores and/or increased efficiency of excitation‐secretion coupling at the posterior pituitary.
Study of AgNOR counts in cytological smears of breast lesions

Introduction: Fine needle aspiration cytology is a routine outpatient procedure. The advantage of FNAC over biopsy is its simple technique and less time consuming. There has been a growing interest in the state of nucleus, DNA and proliferation markers. Nucleolar organizer regions are loops of DNA projecting into the nucleoli of interphase nuclei. Some of the NOR associated proteins are argyrophilic and can be demonstrated as black dots (AgNOR’s) by silver staining technique . The aim of this study is to determine the efficiency of AgNOR technique in differentiating benign and malignant lesions in breast cytology,to find change in AgNOR count depending on the size of malignant lesion. Methods: The present study is conducted in the department of pathology, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam over a period of 1 year. Total 70 female patients with breast lump are aspirated and smears stained with H&Eand with AgNOR staining. Only 11 surgical specimens are available for histopathology. Observation and Results: The mean AgNOR count in benign breast lesions is 2.45 ± 0.05 and 4.76 ± 0.17 in malignant lesions. The mean AgNOR count in malignant breast lesions measuring 5cm or less is 4.52 ± 0.38 and 5.16 ± 0.93 in those measuring more than 5cm. Conclusion: The mean AgNOR count in breast carcinoma is significantly raised in comparision with that of benign breast lesion . There is also significant difference in mean AgNOR count between malignant breast lesions measuring more than 5cm and those measuring 5cm orless.
Cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

The aim of this study was to determine if there are differences in cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Fifty-three patients with an eating disorder (34 with anorexia nervosa and 19 with bulimia nervosa) and 35 healthy controls participated in the study. A battery of neuropsychological tests for cognitive flexibility was used, including Trail Making B, the Brixton Test, Verbal Fluency, the Haptic Illusion Test, a cognitive shifting task (CatBat) and a picture set test. Using exploratory factor analysis, four factors were obtained: 1: Simple Alternation; 2: Mental Flexibility; 3: Perseveration; and 4: Perceptual Shift. Patients with anorexia nervosa had abnormal scores on Factors 1 and 4. Patients with bulimia nervosa showed a different pattern, with significant impairments in Factors 2 and 4. These findings suggest that differential neuropsychological disturbance in the domain of mental flexibility/rigidity may underlie the spectrum of eating disorders. (JINS, 2004, 10, 513–520.)
An oral history of Japanese nursing: Voices of five senior nurses who have experienced nursing since the 1950s

Abstract The history of nursing cannot be considered separately from the history of women. In this study the public history of nursing and women was re-explored via the lived voices of five senior nurses in Japan. An oral history method using in-depth interviewing for data collection was used. Contemporary Japanese women’s social position was constantly influenced by government policies from an historically androcentric society. Nursing, as a predominately female occupation, has also struggled with its position in society and in the hospital system. Data were categorised into five themes through the nurses’ stories and analysed using feminist liberal theory. Findings from the current study showed that various elements of unequal opportunity to participate in society were an outcome of this history. Nursing in Japan appears to have been socialised without a relationship to feminism. Experiences of the participants in this study indicate a demand for the liberation of nurses as women. These participants wished nurses in Japan to focus on professionalism with an attitude which is independent of past androcentric policies and historical social inequities. With such an autonomous attitude, directions for nursing in Japan become constructive.
Strategies for promoting judicious use of antibiotics by doctors and patients

Recent antibiotic use is a well documented risk factor for infection or colonisation with resistant pathogens.1–7 Despite this recognition, unnecessary antibiotic prescribing remains common. In the United States more than a fifth of all antibiotic prescriptions for children and adults are written for upper respiratory tract infections or bronchitis, conditions that are almost always viral. 8 9 Similar rates of unnecessary antibiotic use have been described in Britain.10 These findings are consistent with results from focus groups among doctors, in which participants have estimated that 10% to 50% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary.11 Only limited data are available to evaluate whether reducing antibiotic prescribing will reduce the spread of resistance. In Finland the proportion of group A streptococcal infections resistant to macrolides was nearly halved after a successful campaign to reduce the use of macrolide antibiotics.12 A cross sectional survey in Iceland found that carriage of penicillin resistant pneumococci was strongly associated with both individual and community-wide levels of antimicrobial use,13 and there is some evidence that an intervention programme has decreased the proportion of pneumococcal infections caused by penicillin resistantstrains.14 #### Summary points Unnecessary antibiotic use for viral illness is common and has led to increasing rates of antibiotic resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae and other community acquired pathogens Factors that contribute to antibiotic overuse include lack of education, patients' expectations, past experience, and economic incentives Multifaceted interventions are needed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use; peer education and feedback on doctors' use of antibiotics can promote behaviour change Educational interventions for the public should include a public relations campaign with simple messages, clinic based patient education, and community outreach activities Health organisations should develop policies to support judicious antibiotic use and evaluate whether existing policies may unintentionally promote overuse of antibiotics Achieving more judicious …
Multi-dimensional poverty analysis for Tanzania: First order dominance approach with discrete indicators

As in much of sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania has attained rapid economic growth accompanied by only marginal reductions in poverty. Is this mismatch between high economic growth and less significant poverty reduction due to how growth and poverty are measured and reconciled, or more substantial underlying factors? Applying the first order dominance approach to multi-dimensional welfare comparisons, this paper seeks to gain a greater understanding of the evolution of poverty in Tanzania over time and space. Analysis of welfare indicators among four population groups in the regions, zones, and urban/rural areas of Tanzania reveal broad-based improvements in well-being between 1990 and 2010.
Do mature shade leaves of tropical tree seedlings acclimate to high sunlight and UV radiation?

Seedlings of neotropical forest trees grown in low light were exposed to 0.5-9 h d-1 direct sunlight, for up to 3 months, to test the capability of mature shade leaves to acclimate to full solar visible and UV radiation. Photosynthetic pigments and the antioxidant, ascorbate, were analysed in leaves of two pioneer and two late-succession species. Seedlings of one or two of these species were used to assess further acclimative responses. Sun-exposure for 0.5 or 1 h d-1 resulted in strongly decreased α-carotene and increased β-carotene and lutein levels. The pool size of xanthophyll-cycle pigments (sum of viola-, anthera- and zeaxanthin) was increased and their turnover was enhanced. These changes were associated with an increase in the capacity of non-photochemical fluorescence quenching and its 'energy-dependent' component, qE, and with reduced susceptibility to photoinhibition of PSII. Prolonged exposure to full direct sunlight (approximately 4 or 9 h d-1) resulted in a marked decrease of chlorophyll a + b content and increase in chlorophyll a / b ratios and the pool of xanthophyll-cycle pigments (based on chlorophyll), leading to extremely high zeaxanthin levels during high-light periods. Contents of ascorbate and UV-B-absorbing substances were substantially increased. PSI activity exhibited a response to full sunlight that is characteristic of sun leaves. Rates of net photosynthetic CO2 assimilation under saturating light were increased. The data show that mature shade leaves of seedlings of both early- and late-succession tree species can substantially acclimate to full-sunlight conditions by employing similar physiological mechanisms.
Resolving arthropod relationships: Present and future insights from evo-devo studies

In the past two centuries, the field of arthropod phylogeny has been the subject of intense discussion. Traditionally, relationships based on morphology and fossil evidence of the four major arthropod lineages have suggested a closer relationship between myriapods and insects to the exclusion of crustaceans. It was also generally recognized that the chelicerates branched off as a basal group. However, recent molecular studies analyzing sequence data strongly contradict these groupings, and instead suggest the following relationships: (i) [insects + crustaceans], and (ii) [chelicerates + myriapods]. As is evident from this lack of congruence, future resolution of arthropod relationships must rely upon a re-evaluation of traditionally assigned morphological homologies. The field of evolutionary developmental biology (evodevo) has the potential to accomplish this by emphasizing the developmental mechanisms governing formation of particular morphological features. For example, previous studies of gene expression patterns have revealed that all arthropod mandibles are gnathobasic. As a result of these analyses, this feature (mandibular composition) can no longer be used to group myriapods and insects. Future investigations should shift the focus to delineating the genetic mechanisms of structural development down to their most specific events, encompassing regulatory mechanisms to the level of individual target genes. These detailed genetic networks can then be used to establish true homologies of complex morphological traits such as tracheal systems and Malpighian tubules.
Microsatellite instability in canine mammary gland tumors.

BACKGROUND Genomic instability is a hallmark of cancer and may be required for the accumulation of cancer-causing mutations within cells. One form of genomic instability occurs in tandem nucleotide repeats and is known as microsatellite instability (MSI). HYPOTHESIS We hypothesized that MSI can be observed in canine mammary gland tumors (MGT) and represents a potential carcinogenic mechanism in dogs. ANIMALS Thirty-five dogs with MGTs and 9 dogs with other tumors were recruited from the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center and referring veterinary clinics. METHODS A panel of 21 canine microsatellite (MS) markers was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from deoxyribonucleic acid obtained from blood and from fresh or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. PCR products were evaluated by using capillary electrophoresis, and the chromatograms were analyzed by using genotyping software. MS genotypes obtained from fresh and formalin-fixed tumor tissues were compared, as were MS genotypes from normal tissue and tumor tissue. RESULTS Genotypes obtained from formalin-fixed and fresh tissues were identical for all MS in 9 tumors evaluated, suggesting excellent concordance between the 2 sample types. For the 35 canine mammary tumors evaluated, 13 (37%) had stable genotypes; 22 (63%) exhibited aberrations in 1 or 2 MS; and 4 tumors (11%) demonstrated high-level instability, with aberrations in 29 to 61% of MS. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Although some low-level MSI often is observed, high-level MSI is an infrequent finding in canine mammary tumors. Further evaluations are required to better characterize this phenomenon and to determine its relevance to canine carcinogenesis.
Risk factors for colorectal cancer: an epidemiologic descriptive study of a series of 333 patients.

AIM The purpose of the research was to evaluate several risk factors for colonic neoplasia and to institute a specialized colorectal cancer (CRC) registry in the 3rd Medical and Surgical Clinics Cluj-Napoca. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study comprised 333 patients,155 women, mean age 61.32 +/- 12.42 years and 178 men, mean age 64.31 +/- 10.39 years, admitted to the 3rd Medical Clinic and 3rd Surgical Clinic Cluj-Napoca and diagnosed with CRC between January 2001 - September 2003. The diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical, endoscopical and histopathological findings. Age, geographical patterns, tumor location, family history, personal history and several lifestyle factors: dietary habits (intake of fat and red meat), long term smoking (more than 20 years), heavy alcohol consumption were analyzed. Evaluation was made using family history and epidemiologic lifestyle questionnaires. RESULTS CRC occurred more frequently in the 7th decade. There was a strong correlation between age and CRC development. In the 5th decade, females developed CRC more frequently than males. The median age for developing right-sided tumors was significantly higher in males. Patients living in an urban area were dominant (69%). Family history was present in 1/3 of females and 1/4 of males. Personal history of colon polyps was more common in men, particularly among smokers for more than 20 years and among those with an excessive intake of fat. The cholecystectomized women had an increased frequency of sigmoidian tumors. All the patient's information was included in a specialized colon cancer registry. CONCLUSION High fat intake and cigarette smoking favour colon polyp development. CRC development and location of the tumor are associated with an older age (in men) and personal history of cholecystectomy (in women). Inheritance was significant in our study group.
Does central nitric oxide chronically modulate the acute hypoxic ventilatory response in conscious rats?

Aim: Hypoxia initiates an increase in ventilation (VE) through a cascade of events of which central nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated as an important neuromodulator. There have not been any reports describing the consequences of long‐term imbalances in the central NO pathways on the modulation of the acute hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR). Chronic hypoxia (CH) can potentially modify the HVR, and so we hypothesized that central NO may be involved. In this study we describe the long‐term role of central NO in the modulation of HVR before and after CH.
Shear stress-induced volume decrease in C11-MDCK cells by BK- / 4

Holtzclaw JD, Liu L, Grimm PR, Sansom SC. Shear stressinduced volume decrease in C11-MDCK cells by BK/ 4. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 299: F507–F516, 2010. First published June 24, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00222. 2010. —Large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channels (BK) are expressed in principal cells (PC) and intercalated cells (IC) in mammalian nephrons as BK/ 1 and BK/ 4, respectively. IC, which protrude into the lumens of tubules, express substantially more BK than PC despite lacking sufficient Na-K-ATPase to support K secretion. We previously showed in mice that IC exhibit size reduction when experiencing high distal flows induced by a high-K diet. We therefore tested the hypothesis that BK/ 4 are regulators of IC volume via a shear stress ( )-induced, calcium-dependent mechanism, resulting in a reduction in intracellular K content. We determined by Western blot and immunocytochemical analysis that C11-Madin-Darby canine kidney cells contained a predominance of BK/ 4. To determine the role of BK/ 4 in -induced volume reduction, we exposed C11 cells to and measured K efflux by flame photometry and cell volume by calcein staining, which changes inversely to cell volume. With 10 dynes/cm, calcein intensity significantly increased 39% and monovalent cationic content decreased significantly by 37% compared with static conditions. Furthermore, the shear-induced K loss from C11 was abolished by the reduction of extracellular calcium, addition of 5 mM TEA, or BK4 small interfering (si) RNA, but not by addition of nontarget siRNA. These results show that BK/ 4 plays a role in shear-induced K loss from IC, suggesting that BK/ 4 regulate IC volume during high-flow conditions. Furthermore, these results support the use of C11 cells as in vitro models for studying BK-related functions in IC of the kidney.
An Exploratory Study of the Impulse Buying Behaviour of Urban Consumers in Peshawar

Marketers and researchers have always had interest in the phenomenon of impulse buying since several decades but most of the studies have focused on examining it in the developed countries. This study attempted to investigate the relationship of demographic factors with impulse buying tendency of consumers in the urban areas of Pakistan, a developing country. Results indicate that only age has a significant negative relationship with the impulse buying tendency whereas gender and income are not significantly related to it. The low R2 value suggests that demographic variables only have an indirect effect on impulse buying tendency. Keywordsimpulse buying; Pakistan; demographics; developing; point-of-purchase
PATHOGENICITY OF LASIODIPLODIA THEOBROMAE AND FUSARIUM SOLANI ON MANGO

Mango plantations in different areas of Sindh were found to suffer from a decline disease showing symptoms of drying of branches from the tip accompanied with a heavy exudation of yellowish-brown gum from stem and its branches and browning of vascular tissues. Under severe conditions, the disease results in death of the plant. There was an invariable association of Lasiodiplodia theobromae with aerial as well as underground parts. Fusarium solani was mostly isolated from root but very rarely from the stem. Inoculation of healthy plants with L. theobromae either alone or in combination with F. solani produced typical symptoms whereas F. solani failed to produce these symptoms.
Membrane lipid composition of obligately and facultatively alkalophilic strains of Bacillus spp

The membrane lipids from two obligately and two facultatively alkalophilic strains of Bacillus spp. were characterized in a comparative study that included B. subtilis. Preparations of membrane lipids were made from pH 10.5-grown cells of all of the alkalophiles and from pH 7.5- or 7.0-grown cells of the two facultative strains and B. subtilis. The two obligate alkalophiles contained high ratios of membrane lipid to membrane protein, and the lipid fraction contained a high proportion of neutral lipid. These characteristics are probably not prerequisites for growth at very high pH since one or another of the facultative strains failed to show these properties at high pH. All of the alkalophiles contained appreciable amounts of squalene and C40 isoprenoids. Among the polar lipids, the alkalophiles all contained high concentrations of anionic phospholipids, including phosphatidylglycerol and especially large amounts of cardiolipin; phosphatidylethanolamine was the other major phospholipid. Small amounts of bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate were found in most, but not all, of the alkalophile preparations. Glycolipids and phosphoglycolipids were absent. The fatty acid composition of the total phospholipid and individual fractions revealed two features that distinguished between the obligate and facultative strains. Membranes from the obligately alkalophilic species contained a high concentration of branched-chain fatty acids, comparable to that in membranes from B. subtilis, as well as a relatively high content of unsaturated fatty acids. By contrast, the facultatively alkalophilic strains contained almost no unsaturated fatty acids and a lower concentration of branched-chain fatty acids than either the obligate alkalophiles or B. subtilis.