Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mean Platelet Volume and Size Distribution and Their Sensitivity to Agonists in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Congestive Heart Failure

Summary Mean platelet volume was related to platelet count in patients with myocardial infarction (n = 55) and patients with congestive heart failure (n = 9). 18 patients with acute myocardial infarction were tested at admission and 4-7 days later, together with 13 patients with chronic stable angina and 10 patients with chest pain which was not related to coronary artery disease. In citrated blood a relative reduced frequency of large platelets (>13 fl) occured in patients with acute myocardial infarction at admission but was not seen during recovery or in patients with chronic stable angina. This suggests consumption of large platelets at time of thrombus formation. No relation was found between plasma catecholamine levels and mean platelet volumes. Effects of serotonine, adrenaline and CGP 28392, a calcium agonist, on platelet volume distributions were determined. Sensitivity of platelets to adrenaline was increased in patients with acute myocardial infarction on admission and reduced 4-7 days later, while in patients with congestive heart failure reactivity to both serotonine and adrenaline were reduced. This indicates a fast down-regulation during the early recovery phase of myocardial infarction and chronically in congestive heart failure.
OpenDOAR Repositories and Metadata Practices

In spring 2014, authors from the University of Missouri conducted a nation-wide survey on metadata practices among United States-based OpenDOAR repositories. Examining the repository systems and current practices of metadata in these repositories, researchers collected and analyzed the responses of 23 repositories. Results from this survey include information about the creators of metadata, best practices and resources, and controlled vocabularies. Findings will inform libraries about the current state of repository and metadata choices in open repositories in the United States, especially as they pertain to overarching questions of interoperability.
Functional recovery after spinal cord injury in dogs treated with a combination of Matrigel and neural-induced adipose-derived mesenchymal Stem cells.

BACKGROUND AIMS Previous studies have reported that scaffold or cell-based transplantation may improve functional recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI), but these results were based on neuronal regeneration and cell replacement. In this study, we investigated whether a combination of Matrigel and neural-induced mesenchymal stem cells (NMSC) improved hindlimb function in dogs with SCI, and what mechanisms were involved. METHODS We pre-differentiated canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells into NMSC. A total of 12 dogs subjected to SCI procedures were assigned to one of the following three transplantation treatment groups: phosphate-buffered saline (PBS); Matrigel; or Matrigel seeded with NMSC. Treatment occurred 1 week after SCI. Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (B.B.B.) and Tarlov scores, histopathology, immunofluorescence staining and Western blot analysis were used to evaluate the treatment effects. RESULTS Compared with dogs administered PBS or Matrigel alone, dogs treated with Matrigel + NMSC showed significantly better functional recovery 8 weeks after transplantation. Histology and immunochemical analysis revealed that the combination of Matrigel + NMSC reduced fibrosis from secondary injury processes and improved neuronal regeneration more than the other treatments. In addition, the combination of Matrigel + NMSC decreased the expression of inflammation and/or astrogliosis markers. Increased expressions of intracellular molecules related to neuronal extension, neuronal markers and neurotrophic factors were also found in the Matrigel + NMSC group. However, the expression of nestin as a neural stem cell marker was increased with Matrigel alone. CONCLUSIONS The combination of Matrigel + NMSC produced beneficial effects in dogs with regard to functional recovery following SCI through enhancement of anti-inflammation, anti-astrogliosis, neuronal extension and neuronal regeneration effects.
Could a peer-led intervention increase uptake of chlamydia screening? A proof of principle pilot study

Background Uptake of the English National Chlamydia Screening Programme is lower than predicted necessary to result in a rapid fall in chlamydia prevalence. Peer-led approaches may increase screening uptake but their feasibility and acceptability to young people is not known. Methods Focus groups and interviews with young women and men. Following interview, chlamydia postal kits were introduced to participants and their opinions on giving these out to their peers sought. Participants were asked for their views and experiences of discussing chlamydia screening and distributing kits to their friends 4–8 weeks after the focus group/interview. All kits returned to the laboratory over a 9-month period were recorded. Results Six men (mean age 19 years) and six women (mean age 20 years) were recruited. In total 45 kits were distributed, 33 (73%) to female participants. 22 (67%) and 3 (25%) of kits given to females and males, respectively, were given to peers. Ten kits (22%; seven female, three male) all of which had been given out by females, were returned for testing. Participants generally felt positive about the idea of peer-led screening (PLS) using postal kits. However, embarrassment was a key theme, particularly among men. Generally women but not men were able to discuss PLS among their close friends. Both sexes felt PLS would be easier if kits were readily available in multiple sites, and chlamydia screening was more widely promoted. Conclusion Female PLS but not male PLS was successful in recruiting peers to participate in chlamydia screening. An evaluation of the acceptability and cost-effectiveness of PLS is now indicated.
Prescribing for the elderly patient: why do we need to exercise caution?

Advancing age is accompanied by pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes which, together with impairment of homeostatic mechanisms and the effect of coexisting disease, contribute to a significant increase in sensitivity to particular drugs and a corresponding increase in the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Increasing medical awareness of these facts has not universally been translated into clinical practice as polypharmacy remains a particular problem amongst elderly people and the degree of polypharmacy increases with advancing age [1, 2]. Such prescribing practice serves to further elevate the risk of drug interactions and ADRs, both directly via the synergistic or antagonistic actions of coprescribed drugs, and indirectly by increasing the likelihood of failed compliance.
Fertility effects of abortion and birth control pill access for minors

This article empirically assesses whether age-restricted access to abortion and the birth control pill influence minors’ fertility in the United States. There is not a strong consensus in previous literature regarding the relationship between laws restricting minors’ access to abortion and minors’ birthrates. This is the first study to recognize that state laws in place prior to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision enabled minors to legally consent to surgical treatment—including abortion—in some states but not in others, and to construct abortion access variables reflecting this. In this article, age-specific policy variables measure either a minor’s legal ability to obtain an abortion or to obtain the birth control pill without parental involvement. I find fairly strong evidence that young women’s birthrates dropped as a result of abortion access as well as evidence that birth control pill access led to a drop in birthrates among whites.
Estrogenic and Antiestrogenic Activities of FlavonoidPhytochemicals Through Estrogen ReceptorBinding-Dependent and -Independent Mechanisms

Members of the flavonoid class of phytochemicals have previously been demonstrated to possess estrogenic activity in a number of hormonally responsive systems. We have performed the present study to characterize the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity of flavonoids in the estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. Using an ER-dependent reporter gene assay and an ER competition binding assay, we have identified phytochemicals possessing estrogenic and antiestrogenic activities, which appeared to correlate directly with their capacity to displace [3H]estradiol from ER. Several flavonoids, including kaempferide, apigenin, and flavone, were distinct, in that their antiestrogenic activity did not appear to correlate with binding to ER, and therefore their suppression of estrogen-mediated gene transactivation and proliferation may occur independent of direct antagonism of the receptor. Further examination in HEK-293 cells transfected with ERα or ERβ demonstrated potent antagonism with kaempferide and apigenin, while flavone was weakly antagonistic only toward ERβ. These results suggest that the receptor binding-independent antiestrogenic chemicals may function through alternate signaling pathways as indirect ER modulators in a receptor- and cell type-specific manner. We conclude that antiestrogenic activities of flavonoid phytochemicals may occur through ER binding-dependent and -independent mechanisms and that the binding-independent antiestrogen activity of certain flavonoids is biologically significant in regulation of breast cancer cell proliferation.
Floral evolution and pollinator mate choice in a sexually deceptive orchid

Sexually deceptive orchids mimic sex pheromones and appearance of female insects to attract males, which pollinate the flowers in an attempted mating. This study examines the effects of pollinator mate choice on orchid floral evolution using the Thynnine wasp Neozeleboria cryptoides (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae), which pollinates the sexually deceptive orchid Chiloglottis trapeziformis Fitzg. (i) When male wasps were given the choice between two female dummies of different sizes and identical amount of synthetic pheromone, they preferentially attempted to copulate with medium‐sized dummies over small dummies. (ii) When given the choice between two dummies of identical size but different amounts of pheromone, males preferred the larger amount of pheromone. Larger amounts of pheromone generally attracted more males than smaller amounts. (iii) Orchid flower labella, which mimic a female body, were significantly longer and broader than female wasp bodies, and the flowers also produced on average 10 times more ‘pheromone’ than females. The evolution and maintenance of these exaggerated mating signals is likely to be mediated by the male pollinator behaviour demonstrated here. (iv) When five dummies were offered simultaneously in a 10 cm circular array, males rarely attempted copulation on more than one dummy during a single visit. This behaviour may foster the evolution or maintenance of clonality in C. trapeziformis, as it will minimize pollen exchange within clones.
During IVF treatment patient preference shifts from singletons towards twins but only a few patients show an actual reversal of preference.

BACKGROUND Knowledge of patients' preferences for elective single embryo transfer (eSET) or double embryo transfer (DET) and for singletons or twins is of great importance in counselling for embryo transfer (ET) strategies. In this study, the stability of IVF patients' preferences over time for either a healthy single child or healthy twins was measured and we investigated which factors could explain preference shifts. METHODS Infertile women (n = 177) who participated in an RCT comparing one cycle eSET with one cycle DET were included. A satisfaction questionnaire was developed to measure patient preferences and attitudes at two moments in time, i.e. at 2 weeks before ET and at 2 weeks following ET, after the results of the pregnancy test. Regression analysis examined the effect of several variables on preference shifts. RESULTS Before ET, most patients expressed a preference for a singleton, whereas most patients were indifferent 2 weeks after ET, resulting in an overall preference shift towards twins (P = 0.002; n = 145). Overall, 62% of patients showed a preference shift. Preference shifts were explained by patients' global satisfaction of the information given by the fertility clinic staff received by the fertility clinic staff, and an interaction between the occurrence of pregnancy and transfer policy (eSET or DET). CONCLUSIONS In general, patients' preferences for a singleton or twins are not stable during IVF treatment. Possible explanations of a shift in preference are that pregnant patients attuned their preferences to what they expect their pregnancy to result in, whereas non-pregnant patients shifted towards a preference for twins in order to be able to fulfil their ultimate child wish.
HIV‐1 negatively affects the survival/maturation of cord blood CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells differentiated towards megakaryocytic lineage by HIV‐1 gp120/CD4 membrane interaction

To investigate the mechanisms involved in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1)‐related thrombocytopenia (TP), human umbilical cord blood (UCB) CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) were challenged with HIV‐1IIIb and then differentiated by thrombopoietin (TPO) towards megakaryocytic lineage. This study showed that HIV‐1, heat‐inactivated HIV‐1, and HIV‐1 recombinant gp120 (rgp120) activated apoptotic process of megakaryocyte (MK) progenitors/precursors and decreased higher ploidy MK cell fraction. All these inhibitory effects on MK survival/maturation and platelets formation were elicited by the interaction between gp120 and CD4 receptor on the cell membrane in the absence of HIV‐1 productive infection. In fact, in our experimental conditions, HPCs were resistant to HIV‐1 infection and no detectable productive infection was observed. We also evaluated whether the expression of specific cytokines, such as TGF‐β1 and APRIL, involved in the regulation of HPCs and MKs proliferation, was modulated by HIV‐1. The specific protein and mRNA detection analysis, during TPO‐induced differentiation, demonstrated that HIV‐1 upregulates TGF‐β1 and downregulates APRIL expression through the CD4 engagement by gp120. Altogether, these data suggest that survival/differentiation of HPCs committed to MK lineage is negatively affected by HIV‐1 gp120/CD4 interaction. This long‐term inhibitory effect is also correlated to specific cytokines regulation and it may represent an additional mechanism to explain the TP occurring in HIV‐1 patients. J. Cell. Physiol. 210: 315–324, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Imbalance of circulating T-lymphocyte subpopulation in gastric cancer patients correlated with performance status.

BACKGROUND Performance status is an attempt to quantify cancer patients' general well-being. This measure is used to determine whether they can receive chemotherapy. This study was to determine the expression of T-lymphocyte subpopulation in patients with gastric cancer and the relationship between T-lymphocyte subpopulation expression and patient performance status. METHODS Flow cytometry was used to detect the T-lymphocyte subsets presented in peripheral blood in untreated patients with gastric cancer (n = 57) and healthy controls (n = 27). The gastric cancer patients were assessed with ECOG score and divided into two groups by score > 2 (n = 8) and score < or = 2 (n = 16). Spearman's rank correlation was used to determine the relationship between the proportion of T-lymphocytes and ECOG score. In addition, the clinical data of gastric cancer patients were Analyzed. RESULTS The percentage of CD8+ and CD4+ T-cells among lymphocytes was higher and lower, respectively, in advanced gastric cancer patients than that in early gastric cancer patients (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the percentage of CD8+ and CD4+ cells among lymphocytes was higher and lower in advanced gastric cancer patients with PS > 2 and PS < or = 2, respectively (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference of CD8+ and CD4+ lymphocytes was found among the advanced gastric cancer patients with PS < or = 2, early gastric cancer patients, and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the determinants of the T-lymphocyte subpopulation in gastric cancer patients were of value in assessing performance status. We considered CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes to be a representative and stable parameter in quantifying cancer patients' general well-being, which could be used to determine whether they can receive chemotherapy and/or whether dose adjustment is necessary.
Eesti kõrgharidus institutsionaalse akrediteerimise tulemuste taustal ehk Mida juhid peaksid teadma

Artikli aluseks on 2014. aastal Eesti Korghariduse Kvaliteediagentuuris tehtud institutsionaalse akrediteerimise hindamisaruannete kvalitatiivne analuus, millega selgitati valja Eesti korgkoolide peamised tugevad ja norgad kuljed. Artikli eesmark on teavitada haridusuldsust rahvusvaheliste ekspertide hinnangutest ja soovitustest Eesti korgkoolidele ning pakkuda korgkoolide juhtkondadele tuge toenduspohiste muudatuste tegemisel. Uuringu valimi moodustasid kumme korgkooli, mis olid 2014. aasta juuniks positiivselt akrediteeritud. Analuusi tulemused osutasid, et korgkoolid on edukad personali- ja ressursijuhtimises, nende taristu on vaga heal tasemel ning uldjuhul on korgkoolide lopetajad konkurentsivoimelised nii Eestis kui ka rahvusvaheliselt. Uuringust ilmnes ka selge vajadus korgkoolide tegevust fookustada, arendada piiratud ressursi tingimustes neid valdkondi, milles ollakse tugevad, ning loobuda valdkondadest, kus puudub kriitiline hulk uliopilasi ja/voi heal tasemel oppejoude. Vaja on muuta korgkoolis oppimise ja opetamise paradigmat, liikudes traditsioonilise oppejou- ja ainekeskse opetamise juurest iga oppija individuaalset ja sotsiaalset arengut toetava koostoise oppimise ja opetamise suunas. Eesti korghariduse kestlikkuse seisukohast on samuti oluline lisada rahvusvaheline moode koikidesse korgkooli pohiprotsessidesse, sh nendes korgkoolides, mis on orienteeritud ainult siseturule. Summary
Seasonal variation in Sarcocystis species infections in goats in northern Iraq

We investigated the prevalence of sarcocystosis in 826 goats slaughtered in the winter season from November to April in northern Iraq. The prevalence of macrocysts was on average 34%, with only 20% infected animals in November, but 46% in February. The infection rate in 1-, 3- and 6-year-old goats was 4%, 48%, and 83%, respectively. The highest specificity of infection was in the oesophagus (99%) and the lowest in the diaphragm (3%). Grossly, we identified 2 forms of macroscopic sarcocysts, fat and thin, with different morphological characteristics. The prevalence of microcysts was 97% and no effects of age, sex and seasonal variations were observed. Development of microcysts in the small intestine of dogs and cats has also been investigated. The pre-patent period in experimentally infected dogs was 12–14 days and the patent period lasted 64–66 days. A dog shed about 155 million sporocysts, but no sporocysts were shed by cats that had been fed the same infected tissues, thus identifying the microcysts as Sarcocystis capracanis.
Presynaptic Noradrenergic Regulation of Glutamate Inputs to Hypothalamic Magnocellular Neurones

Glutamate and norepinephrine transmitter systems play critical roles in the synaptic control of hypothalamic magnocellular neurones. We recently reported on a norepinephrine‐sensitive glutamate circuit within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) that projects to magnocellular neurones. Here, we present evidence for norepinephrine regulation of glutamate release in the PVN and supraoptic nucleus (SON) via actions on presynaptic terminals. Whole‐cell synaptic currents were recorded in magnocellular neurones of the SON and PVN in an acute slice preparation. Bath application of norepinephrine (100 µm) caused a robust, reversible increase in the frequency of spontaneous glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents in 100% of SON neurones (246%) and in 88% of PVN magnocellular neurones (259%). The norepinephrine‐induced increase in glutamate release was mediated by activation of both presynaptic α1 receptors and α2 receptors, but the α1‐receptor component was the predominant component of the response. The presynaptic actions of norepinephrine were predominantly, although not completely, resistant to blockade of Na‐dependent spikes, implicating a presynaptic terminal locus of action. Interestingly, the spike‐dependent component of the response was greater in PVN than in SON magnocellular neurones. This robust presynaptic facilitation of glutamate release by norepinephrine, combined with the known excitatory postsynaptic actions of norepinephrine, activational effects on local glutamate circuits, and inhibitory effects on γ‐aminobutyric acid release, indicate a strong excitatory role of norepinephrine in the regulation of oxytocin and vasopressin release during physiological stimulation.
Fully automated nucleic acid extraction: MagNA Pure LC.

Kinetic PCR analysis by real-time monitoring of DNA amplification was first described 8 years ago (1). Recently, the LightCyclerTM instrument (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Mannheim, Germany), which allows high-speed thermal cycling by use of air instead of thermal blocks and on-line real-time fluorescence monitoring, was introduced (2). Several reports have been published with regard to utilization of the LightCycler technology for detection of pathogens (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Real-time PCR has greatly decreased the amount of hands-on time needed to generate and detect amplification products. Before amplification, pathogen-specific DNA or RNA must be extracted from the specimen. This procedure, also called sample preparation, remains the most labor-intensive and time-consuming part of widely automated molecular assays and may be considered the major weakness in most molecular assays today (12)(13). Therefore, a fully automated sample preparation system is urgently needed for the routine diagnostic laboratory. In this study, a fully automated specimen preparation instrument, the MagNA Pure LCTM (Roche) was evaluated. The new instrument was used for extraction of herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA in combination with real-time PCR on the LightCycler instrument. In the first experiment, the interassay variation and the detection limit were tested. The Second European Union Concerted Action HSV Proficiency Panel, which consists of 12 vials with different concentrations of HSV type 1 (HSV-1), strain MacIntyre (American Type Culture Collection), HSV type 2 (HSV-2), strain MS (American Type Culture Collection), varicella-zoster virus, and negative samples, was used. Samples were analyzed three times on different days. Results were compared with a molecular assay, which consisted of an in-house DNA extraction protocol and real-time PCR. In the second experiment, intraassay variation of the new molecular assay was tested. Plasma was collected from a …