Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES IN RESPIRATORY MECHANICS IN THE NEONATAL RAT

The rat lung undergoes rapid changes during the first several weeks of life. Respiratory function on neonatal rats was performed to determine if physiologic alterations coincides with classically described lung growth, and morphologic and morphometric changes. The authors examined respiratory mechanics during normal postnatal lung development in the rat utilizing both a forced oscillation technique, which partitions the mechanical properties of the lung tissue from the airways, as well as pressure-volume (PV) curves to assess lung elasticity. Respiratory function testing was performed on each postnatal days of life 10 to 20. The PV curves were characterized by a leftward shift over days 10 to 16, followed by a shift back to the right over days 17 to 20. Both tissue damping (G) and elastance (H) decreased from days of life 10 to 15, and then equilibrated from days 15 to 21. Hysteresivity (=G/H) at positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) = 1 and 3 cm H2O declined significantly with age. The effect of PEEP was significantly greater in the younger animals than in the older animals. The respiratory function assessments coincide well with the classically described periods of lung growth. These studies provide a normal baseline for correlating changes in structural with respiratory function.
Randomized controlled trial of a teacher‐led asthma education program

Our objective was to determine whether an asthma education program in schools would have 1) a direct impact on student knowledge and attitudes to asthma and quality of life of the students with asthma, 2) an indirect impact on teacher knowledge and attitudes to asthma and on school policies about asthma, and 3) a sustainable program after the resources to implement the research were withdrawn. Seventeen intervention and 15 control schools participated in a controlled trial. Baseline knowledge and attitudes were measured in year 8 students (ages 13–14 years) and their teachers together with quality of life in the students with asthma. A three‐lesson package about asthma was delivered by teachers as part of the Personal Development/Health/Physical Education (PD/H/PE) curriculum. Follow‐up questionnaires were administered to students and staff. Efforts to change school policies were documented. Five years after the intervention, PD/H/PE teachers were contacted to determine whether the program was still operating. Main outcome measures included asthma knowledge, attitudes, and quality of life. Questionnaires were returned by 4,161/4,475 of the year 8 students at baseline and by 3,443 at follow‐up. In intervention schools, compared with control schools, students showed improved asthma knowledge (P < 0.0001), improvement in tolerance to asthma (P = 0.02), internal control (P = 0.03), and less tendency to believe in the role of chance in asthma control (P = 0.04). Students from intervention but not control schools showed significant improvements in overall quality of life (P = 0.003 vs. P = 0.82, respectively). Teachers from intervention schools showed significant increases in knowledge compared to control schools (P < 0.0001). Intervention schools were more likely to seek further health education about asthma (P < 0.01). Five years after the 35 schools involved in the development of the materials or the trial had been offered the Living With Asthma package, 25 (71%) were still teaching the program to most or all of their students. Fifty‐nine of the 61 (97%) high schools in the Hunter Region now have the program. Management and distribution of the Living With Asthma program have been taken over by the Asthma Foundation of New South Wales. The package has been updated and is being offered to all high schools throughout New South Wales as part of the National Asthma‐Friendly Schools Project. In conclusion, a teacher‐led asthma education program in secondary school had direct and indirect beneficial outcomes and was sustained at a high level for 5 years in most schools in the Hunter Region, despite minimal ongoing maintenance and support from health workers. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Induced Gamma-Band Activity and Human Brain Function

Oscillatory activity in the gamma-band range has been related both to gestalt perception and to cognitive functions such as attention, learning, and memory. After giving a brief account of recent findings from electroencephalography and intracortical recordings, the present review will focus on spectral activity in the magnetoencephalogram. Here, gamma-band effects are topographically more local and involve higher frequencies than in the electroencephalogram. Bottom-up-driven auditory spatial mismatch detection elicits gamma-band activity over posterior parietal cortex, whereas auditory pattern mismatch processing leads to gamma-band enhancements over anterior temporal and inferior frontal regions. These topographies support representations of auditory spatial and pattern information in the putative dual auditory “where” and “what” pathways, respectively. During top-down-guided auditory spatial and pattern-working memory tasks, prefrontal gamma-band increases are observed in addition to activations over putative auditory stream areas. Moreover, stimulus maintenance in working memory is accompanied by coherence increases between sensory and prefrontal regions. Gamma-band topographies in magnetoencephalogram are highly comparable with hemodynamic brain imaging studies but yield additional information on the temporal dynamics of activations and connectivity patterns. In summary, magnetoencephalographic gammaband activity revealed both local synchronization patterns and cortico-cortical interactions accompanying cognitive processes at a good spatial and high temporal resolution.
Quercetin in Lyotropic Liquid Crystalline Formulations: Physical, Chemical and Functional Stability

The purpose of this study was to develop a lyotropic liquid crystalline formulation using the emulsifier vitamin E TPGS and evaluate its behavior after incorporation of a flavonoid, quercetin. The physical (macro and microscopic), chemical (determination of quercetin content by the HPLC method) and functional (determination of quercetin antioxidant activity by DPPH• assay) stability of the lamellar liquid crystalline formulation containing flavonoid was evaluated when stored at 4 ± 2 °C; 30 ± 2 °C/70 ± 5% RH (relative humidity) and 40 ± 2 °C/70 ± 5% RH during 12 months. The lamellar liquid crystalline structure of the formulation was maintained during the experiment, however chemical and functional stability results showed a great influence of the storage period in all conditions tested. A significant decrease in quercetin content (approximately 40%) was detected during the first month of storage and a similar significant loss in antioxidant activity was detected after 6 months. The remaining flavonoid content was unchanged during the final 6 months of the experimental period. The results suggest possible interactions between quercetin and the liquid crystalline formulation, which could inhibit or reduce the quercetin activity incorporated in the system. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that incorporation of quercetin (1%) did not affect the liquid crystalline structure composed of vitamin E TPGS/IPM/PG–H2O (1:1) at 63.75/21.25/15 (w/w/w). Nevertheless, of the total quercetin incorporated in the system only 60% was free to act as an antioxidant.
Long-term follow-up of patients treated with glatiramer acetate: a multicentre, multinational extension of the European/Canadian double-blind, placebo-controlled, MRI-monitored trial

Glatiramer acetate (GA) is effective in reducing clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Serial long-term MRI data are lacking for large cohorts of GA-treated patients. The European/Canadian GA study consisted of two consecutive phases, each lasting nine months. The first treatment phase was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled. The second was an open-label, active treatment phase with daily administration of 20 mg GA subcutaneously for all patients. For the long-term follow-up (LTFU), dual echo, pre- and postgadolinium T1-weighted brain MRI scans were obtained with the same acquisition scheme as for the original trial and a neurological assessment was performed. Lesion volumes, normalized brain volumes and percentage brain volume changes (PBVC) were measured. One hundred and forty-two (63.4%) of the 224 patients who completed the two phases of the European/Canadian study underwent the LTFU after a mean period of 5.8 years (range: 5.3-6.4); 73 were treated with GA from study initiation. MRI measures at LTFU did not significantly differ between patients originally assigned to placebo and those who were always treated with GA, but the proportion of patients who did not require walking aids at LTFU was lower in the latter group (P=0.034). PBVC between baseline and LTFU was significantly correlated with lesion load at study entry. An earlier initiation of GA treatment in patients with active RRMS might, at least partially, have a favourable impact on long-term disease evolution. Multiple Sclerosis 2007; 13: 502-508. http://msj.sagepub. com
Checkpoint inhibitors for malignant melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and objectives Rates of malignant melanoma are continuing to increase, and until recently effective treatments were lacking. However, since 2011 three immunotherapeutic agents, known as checkpoint inhibitors, have been approved. This review aims to establish whether these three drugs – ipilimumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab – offer greater efficacy and tolerability compared to control interventions (placebo, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy) in patients with stage III or IV unresectable cutaneous melanoma. Materials and methods A search on four major medical and scientific databases yielded 7,553 records, of which seven met the inclusion criteria, with a total study population of 3,628. Only prospective Phase II or III randomized controlled trials on checkpoint inhibitors for patients with unresectable cutaneous melanoma that reported data on survival (overall or progression-free), tumor response, or adverse events were included. Three meta-analyses were carried out. Results The hazard ratio for progression or death was 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44–0.67), and the odds ratio for best overall response rate was 4.48 (95% CI: 2.77–7.24), both in favor of checkpoint inhibitors. However, control treatments were associated with an insignificantly lower rate of discontinuation of treatment due to adverse effects or treatment-related adverse events (odds ratio =1.63 [95% CI: 0.55–4.88]). Conclusion This study finds that checkpoint inhibitors are more effective than control interventions, both in terms of survival and tumor response, and yet no less tolerable. PD1 therapies (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) appear to offer greater efficacy than CTLA4 therapy (ipilimumab). The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab was, however, the most effective, but significantly less tolerable than monotherapy. The lack of published clinical data does, however, limit this study. Further research is needed in two areas in particular: 1) to determine the optimal use of checkpoint inhibitors, specifically in terms of combination therapy, and 2) to identify reliable biomarkers to predictive responders and guide treatment assignment.
Institutional investors, monitoring and corporate finance policies

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of institutional investors’ investment horizons (IIIH) on a wide variety of key corporate policies. ,The authors perform regression analysis to a panel data set of quarterly financial statement data for US firms over the 1981-2014 using several measures of IIIH. ,The authors argue that an increase in the presence of long-term investors contributes to more effective monitoring and information quality. This results in a reduction in agency costs and informational asymmetry problems for firms that are more heavily influenced by long-term investors, which in turn influences the corporate policies they pursue. Consistent with these arguments, the evidence suggests that firms with a greater long-term institutional investor base maintain lower investment outlays, higher dividend payments, lower levels of cash and higher levels of leverage. All results hold after controlling for potential endogeneity issues. ,The authors show that a greater presence of long-term institutional investors leads to higher dividends, lower investment outlays, lower cash holdings and higher leverage. The comprehensive nature of the predictions with respect to overall corporate finance policies and the supporting evidence provided represents an important contribution, as previous studies have tended to focus on one specific area of corporate behavior (i.e. such as cash holdings).
Diclofenac-induced biochemical and histopathological changes in white leghorn birds (Gallus domesticus)

Objective: Objective: To evaluate diclofenac-induced biochemical and histopathological changes in White Leghorn birds. Materials and Methods: Six-week-old birds were equally divided into three groups of six birds each. Group I served as control and received vehicle orally. The birds of Group II and III were orally administered with a single low (2 mg/kg) and high dose (20 mg/kg) of diclofenac sodium, respectively, and were observed for 7 days. The acute toxicity was assessed by observing the clinical signs and symptoms, mortality, alterations in blood biochemistry, and necropsy findings. Results: The birds of Group II showed only mild symptoms of diarrhea. In Group III, 50% of birds died in between 24 and 36 h post-treatment showing the symptoms of segregatory behavior, lethargy, terminal anorexia, and severe bloody diarrhea. The birds of Group II and the surviving birds of Group III showed a significantly (P<0.05) increased plasma uric acid, creatinine and plasma glutamic pyruvic transaminase (PGPT), and decreased total protein and albumin at 12 and 24 h post-treatment which returned to the normal levels at 36 h post-treatment. The dead birds of the high-dose group also showed similar pattern of biochemical changes at 12 and 24 h post-treatment and revealed extensive visceral gout with characteristic histopathological lesions in liver, kidney, heart, spleen, and intestine on post-mortem. Conclusion: The results indicate that diclofenac sodium has hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, and visceral gout inducing potentials in White Leghorn birds, especially at higher dose.
Plasma Tea Polyphenols and Gastric Cancer Risk: A Case-Control Study Nested in a Large Population-Based Prospective Study in Japan

Abundant in vitro and animal studies have shown a protective effect of green tea against various types of cancer, but the evidence from epidemiologic studies is inconclusive. In this nested case-control study, we used plasma biomarkers to directly investigate the effect of tea polyphenols on the risk of gastric cancer. Subjects were followed up from 1990 to 2004. Among 36,745 subjects who answered the baseline questionnaire and provided blood samples, 494 gastric cancer cases matched to 494 controls were used in the analysis. The validated method used high-performance liquid chromatography to analyze baseline plasma samples. For men, a high plasma level of (-)-epigallocatechin was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. For women, a high plasma level of (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG) was associated with a decreased risk of gastric cancer; the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for ECG levels 0.32 to 9.2 and 9.3+ ng/mL were 1.03 (0.41-2.59) and 0.25 (0.08-0.73), respectively, compared with those whose ECG level was under the detection limit (P for trend = 0.02). Cigarette smoking was suggested to play a role as an effect modifier, which explains in part the different patterns observed by gender. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(2):343–51)
Acute Panmyelosis with Myelofibrosis - A Rare Subtype of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

One case of acute panmyelosis with myelofibrosis (APMF) is here reported. A 45 year old male presented with abrupt onset of rapidly progressing low backache, weakness and pancytopenia. On examination there was no organomegaly. Peripheral blood examination revealed normocytic normochromic red blood cells with 10% circulating blasts. Flowcytometric examination of peripheral blood revealed blasts which were positive for CD34, HLA− DR and myeloid associated antigens (i.e. CD13 and CD33). Blasts were negative for anti MPO. Bone marrow aspirate resulted in a dry tap. Bone marrow biopsy revealed panmyeloid proliferation with scattered blasts which were CD34 positive on imunohistochemistry and negative for anti MPO. Reticulin stain showed grade III myelofibrosis (WHO). Differential diagnosis considered included AML-M7, MDS-RAEB II and AML with myelodysplasia. He was started on chemotherapy [idarubicin and cytarabine; 3+7 induction regimen followed by three cycles of HIDAC (High dose cytosine arabinoside)] after which patient was in complete morphological remission with markedly reduced bone marrow fibrosis. He is now being worked up for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Patient is asymptomatic at eight months of diagnosis. In conclusion these patients should be managed aggressively with AML therapy and this case report reaffirms the fact that APMF is subtype of AML.
Through the eye of the master: The use of Virtual Reality in the teaching of surgical hand preparation

Virtual Reality (VR) demonstrates unique educational benefits over other teaching mediums including enhanced engagement and learner motivation. Such benefits could be exploited to improve teaching of surgical hand preparation (SHP), a practice crucial in preventing post-surgical infection. This study hypothesises that the utilisation of VR technology to demonstrate SHP technique will produce superior skill acquisition and longer skill retention than the standard practice of video demonstration. 40 healthcare students unfamiliar with SHP were recruited from a tertiary university and randomised into two groups. The control group (n=21) viewed a video demonstration of SHP while the VR group (n=19) viewed a VR demonstration of the same technique. Participants were assessed immediately after demonstration (acquisition score), and again one week later (retention score), using a 20-point assessment scale. Scores were compared between the groups. Groups were equal in age, prior education, handedness and gender distribution. Neither skill acquisition (Control mean: 12.29, VR mean: 12.84; p = 0.57) nor retention (Control mean: 12.29, VR mean: 12.74; p = 0.52) differed significantly between groups however a non-significant trend toward better performance in the VR group was observed. Parallel scoring of 35% of participants showed very high inter-rater reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.92). Utilisation of VR technology did not demonstrate a perceivable acquisition or retention benefit in the teaching of SHP. Future studies could investigate the value of more immersive features including 360-degree point of view or haptic feedback which were not features of the technology used in the present study.
Characterization and Ca2+ Requirement of Histamine‐Induced Catecholamine Secretion in Cultured Bovine Chromaffin Cells

The stimulation of cultured bovine chromaffin cells with histamine induced a continuous catecholamine secretion (EC50= 3 × 10−7M) via the H1 receptor, in addition to an initial catecholamine burst due to a nonspecific stimulatory effect at higher doses (≥10−4M). The continuous secretion showed little desensitization and lasted for more than 1 h. In fura‐2‐loaded cells, the stimulation with histamine evoked a transient rise of intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) which lasted only for a few minutes and was followed by a sustained [Ca2+]i rise which continued for more than 20 min. The addition of an activator for the L‐type voltage‐sensitive Ca2+ channel, i.e., Bay K 8644 (1 μM), facilitated the sustained [Ca2+]i rise, as well as the secretion, whereas the addition of relatively high concentrations of Ca2+‐channel blockers (10 μM) suppressed the sustained [Ca2+]i rise and part of the secretion. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ completely abolished continuous secretion and sustained [Ca2+]irise. When the external Ca2+ level was elevated, both sustained (Ca2]i rise and continuous secretion were enhanced in a similar Ca2+‐dependent manner, showing saturation with around 1–3 mM Ca2+. This Ca2+ dependence was clearly different from that observed with high K+ and nicotine, which is mediated by the L‐type Ca2+ channel, in which the responses showed little or no saturation when the Ca2+ level was increased. The results indicate that stimulation with histamine induces a continuous secretion via the H1 receptor, in addition to a transient and nonspecific secretion at higher doses. At least part of the continuous secretion is induced by a sustained [Ca2+]i rise due to the continuous Ca2+ influx through Ca2+ channels. These channels are sensitive to dihydropyridines, but do not appear to be identical to the L‐type voltage‐sensitive Ca2+ channel.
Leukocytes, cytokines, growth factors and hormones in human skeletal muscle and blood after uphill or downhill running

Muscular adaptation to physical exercise has previously been described as a repair process following tissue damage. Recently, evidence has been published to question this hypothesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate inflammatory processes in human skeletal muscle and epimysium after acute physical exercise with large eccentric components. Three groups of subjects (n= 19) performed 45 min treadmill running at either 4 deg (n= 5) or 8 deg (n= 9) downhill or 4 deg uphill (n= 5) and one group served as control (n= 9). One biopsy was taken from each subject 48 h post exercise. Blood samples were taken up to 7 days post exercise. Compared to the control group, none of the markers of inflammation in muscle and epimysium samples was different in any exercised group. Only subjects in the Downhill groups experienced delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and increased serum creatine kinase activity (CK). The detected levels of immunohistochemical markers for T cells (CD3), granulocytes (CD11b), leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and hypoxia‐inducible factor 1β (HIF‐1β) were greater in epimysium from exercised subjects with DOMS ratings >3 (0–10 scale) compared to exercised subjects without DOMS but not higher than controls. Eccentric physical exercise (downhill running) did not result in skeletal muscle inflammation 48 h post exercise, despite DOMS and increased CK. It is suggested that exercise can induce DOMS by activating inflammatory factors present in the epimysium before exercise. Repeated physical training may alter the content of inflammatory factors in the epimysium and thus reduce DOMS.
Political and Economic Freedom and the Environment: The Case of CO2 Emissions

In this paper we investigate what effect political and economic freedom has on emissions of CO 2. The estimated models predict that CO2 is always increasing in GDP even at high level of GDP, which confirms the results of earlier studies. Moreover, we find that political freedom decreases CO2 emissions. This positive relation between democracy and environmental quality has been found for several other pollutants, and we confirm the results for CO2 emissions. Increased economic freedom, in terms of lower government size, decreases CO2 emissions when the size of the government is small but increases emissions when the size is large. An increased use of market or increased freedom to trade decreases CO2 emissions. Increased price stability and legal structure has no effect on emissions. The results hold for both linear and log-linear specifications, except for the freedom of trade variable that is in significant in the linear case. The result is also robust to the sample. Hence, the direct effects of economic freedom on CO2 emissions are mainly decreasing except for the government size effect, which increases emissions at high levels of freedom.