Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
SALIVARY AND SERUM MODIFICATIONS OF THE BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH TOOTH DISORDERS

Introduction: Saliva plays an important part in the maintenance of oral health as it contains many innate and acquired factors with a protective role on the oral tissue. (1) Changes in salivary composition during pregnancy induce an increased response of the gingival tissues to local factors, such as plaque, tartar and hard tissues. (2) Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the concentrations of salivary and serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate, urea, total proteins and ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase) and to assess whether the activities of the enzymes can serve as a tool for the diagnostic of tooth disorders in pregnant women. Materials and methods: The studied batch was divided in the following groups: (1) pregnant women with dental caries n=12 (2) pregnant women with gingivitis n=15 (3) non-pregnant women n =15. The results were compared to a control group matched with the study groups in terms of age, BMI, blood pressure. All determinations were done on HITACHI 912 Roche Diagnostics. Results and discussions: Pregnant women with dental caries had a higher salivary AST 7.23±6.12U/L than non- pregnant women 2.87±1.9 (p =0.03). We obtained significant variations between serum and saliva for some parameters (see table no. 4). For other parameters, no important differences between serum and saliva (p> 0.05) were noticed. Conclusions: An increased salivary enzyme reflects the biological activity in the gingival tissue. Saliva can be used as diagnostic tests in pregnant women with tooth disorders.
Effect of aquapuncture on postoperative analgesia after ovariohysterectomy in dogs

Aquapuncture (AqP) consists of a water or saline solution injection into acupoints. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aquapuncture on post-operative analgesia in bitches submitted to elective ovariohysterectomy (OHE). The study was prospective, randomised, and blinded for pain assessment. Sixteen dogs were randomly distributed in two groups of eight animals each. All animals were sedated with 0.05 mg kg-1 of acepromazine intramuscularly (IM), 30 minutes prior to induction of anaesthesia with propofol and maintenance with isoflurane. Eight animals underwent bilateral acupoint injection with 0.1 ml of 0.9% saline (AqP) at Gall Bladder 34, Stomach 36, Liver 3 and Spleen 6 acupoints 15 minutes after sedation. Pain score was investigated after 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 8 and 24 hours post-operatively and was compared with a control untreated group of eight animals. Morphine, at 0.5 mg kg-1 IM, was administered when the numerical rating scale was above 33% of the maximum value, in order to control post-operative pain in both groups. There were no differences in cardiorespiratory variables and pain and sedation scores between the groups. Seven (87.5%) animals from the control group required rescue analgesia at the first two postoperative hours and five (62.5%) animals treated with AqP required rescue analgesia, however, only one (12.5%) animal was treated at the first two hours and the remaining animals were treated from 5 hours after surgery. Aquapuncture produced residual analgesia up to 5 h after surgery and may be an option for post-operative analgesia in bitches undergoing OHE, providing that pain is assessed and rescue analgesia administered if necessary.
Paediatric Brainstem Cancers — Where We Have Been; Where We Are; Where We Are Going

In North America and Europe, cancer involving the central nervous system (CNS) ranks second as the most common malignancy seen in infancy through adolescence, second only to leukaemia [1-7]. Consistent with this are figures on cancer-related mortality. In the year 2004, for example, there were 566 confirmed cases of leukemia-related death among children in the United States, followed by 555 CNS cancer-related deaths; these numbers accounted for 25.5% and 25.0% of the total number of cancer deaths in individuals less than 20 years old, respec‐ tively [4].
African-Caribbean Young Women in the UK and Cigarette Smoking

Cigarette smoking among African-Caribbean young women has been under- researched. This thesis investigates the reported patterns of and influences on cigarette smoking among young African-Caribbean women aged 14 to 16 years old in urban Britain. The study uses a multi-method, interdisciplinary research design which combines approaches from women’s studies and sociology of health to explore how ‘race’, class and gender influence cigarette smoking. A black feminist framework was adopted drawing on intersectionality theory. First, data on reported patterns and influences on smoking behaviour for 700 young people were collected using a self-completion questionnaire in schools in a city in the West Midlands to compare the influence of gender, ethnicity and social class on cigarette smoking behaviour and perceptions of cigarette smoking in a cross- section of young black and white people. Second, seven focus groups were conducted with first- and second-generation young African-Caribbean women to collect in-depth qualitative data on reported factors that influence smoking behaviour and the meanings that cigarette smoking has for this group. This research contributes to developing understanding of cigarette smoking in young African-Caribbean women in the UK; it widens and deepens existing work, adding a perspective that includes the dimensions of ‘race’ and ethnicity. Literature on gender and smoking exploring working-class identity exists but not an exploration of gender, ethnicity and class and how this is expressed through smoking behaviour. My findings contribute new knowledge to understanding young people’s smoking behaviour: whilst the African-Caribbean young women in this sample were more disadvantaged than their white female peers, they were less likely to smoke. Caribbean culture, family life and religion were central to their lives and to a large extent protected many young women from cigarette smoking. As such this research demonstrates findings based on predominantly one ethno-cultural group do not necessarily translate to other groups, even if they live under similar material conditions.
Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase C677T and Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Genes Polymorphism in Myocardial Infarction Egyptian Patients in Ismailia City

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia and platelet glycoprotein GpIIIa polymorphism had been identified as risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis. The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase MTHFR C677T variant has been shown to influence homocysteine metabolism, the interaction of plasma tHcy with other conventional risk factors remain uncertain in the clinical setting of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The present study aimed to examine whether the MTHFR and platelet glycoprotein IIIa polymorphisms were associated with increased risk of (MI) in Egyptian patients. Subjects and Method: 150 newly diagnosed MI patients and 50 healthy matched subjects were recruited into this study, genotyping of the MTHFR C677T and GpIIIa 1565 A1/A2 polymorphisms were carried out by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique, plasma tHcy, and folic acid levels were estimated. Results: Fasting plasma total Hcy levels were significantly higher in MI patients than controls (P 0.05). The frequency of the MTHFR C allele was 80.6 % and 76 % in MI patients and controls respectively and did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05). The frequency of risk allele, GpIIIa, PIA2 was significantly higher in MI patients compared to controls (p<0.05), plasma tHcy level was significantly higher and folate level was significantly lower in MI patients carrying MTHFR CC and GPIIIa PIA2A2genotypes. Conclusions: In this population, the both risk alleles of MTHFR and GpIIb/IIIa polymorphisms had no major effect on the MI incidence, they were associated with higher homocysteine levels. A gene-environment interaction might increase the risk indirectly by elevating tHcy, especially when folate intake was low, our findings might support that MTHFR and GpIIb/IIIa polymorphisms as risk factors for MI.
Walking in beauty: Responsive and responsible health and healing among Virginia American Indian people

WALKING IN BEAUTY: RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE HEALTH AND HEALING AMONG VIRGINIA AMERICAN INDIAN PEOPLE Amy J. Prorock-Ernest, PhD, MSW, MPH A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017 Co-chair: M. Alex Wagaman, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work Co-chair: Mary Katherine O’Connor, PhD, MSW, Emeritus Professor, School of Social Work Little is systematically known about the collective health and well-being of Virginia American Indian people. When compared to the total U.S. population, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples nationwide disproportionately experience health inequities across several Western informed health indicators including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, influenza, intentional and unintentional injuries, and mental and emotional illnesses. Given the widespread health inequities experienced by AI/AN peoples nationwide, it is reasonable to suspect that Virginia American Indian people may similarly experience health inequities, although with a collective health profile unique to their communities. A rurally located, reservation-based, nonfederally funded health clinic in Virginia that serves the basic medical needs of American Indian
Gifted Children: Myths and Realities

PSYCHIA1’RIC SERVICES . December 1997 Vol. 48 No. 12 1605 scription of the “good patient. ” His list included “to be dull, harmless, and inconspicuous; to evade responsibility, minimize stress, ignore othens, to retain the right to behave unpredictably, and to have a certain ‘diplomatic immunity. ’ “ With such long-term patients, it has always been difficult to determine if the reasons for lack of significant improvement or recovery are due to “the residual effects of the illness or institutionalization, socialization in the patient role, lack of rehabilitation, reduced economic opportunities, reduced social status, side-effects ofrnedication, lack of staff expectations, or loss of hope” (4). These questions remain unanswered by the Iowa team. It should be noted that the viewpoint that these authors reflect stems from 100 years ofbeliefs in the field of psychiatry about poor outcdrne in schizophrenia and better outcome in affective disorders. Further, their cxperience with outcome of psychosis, before “effective treatment,” has reinforced their entire epistemological outlook of the possibilities. Such cxpenience colors and shapes a very pessimistic view of the range of outcomes possible for these patients. Therefore, readers need to remernben that the entire slant of the book, and the interpretation ofthc data, discounts the newer eras of atypical antipsychotics, rehabilitation, peer and family movements, assertive community cane, and integrated systems. Nevertheless, the book represents a significant historical documentation that advanced our understanding of these disorders at the time the study occurred.
User Acceptance of Voice Interfaces in the Automobile

New technologies are increasingly being implemented into the automobile. However, little is known about what factors most influence user acceptance. This study investigates factors and relationships described in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use on people’s attitudes and behavioral intentions to use new technologies in the automobile. In particular, this study draws upon in-vehicle voice interfaces as an example of rapidly evolving in-vehicle technologies. An experiment was conducted where an age- and gender-balanced sample of 80 participants completed tasks using voice interface in one of two vehicles while driving on-road. As part of the debriefing, participants answered a structured questionnaire about their experience with the technology. The results confirmed the applicability of TAM for describing the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use on attitudes and behavioral intentions to use the voice interface in the car, but also suggested a need for extending the model to include a direct effect of perceived ease-of-use on behavioral intentions. Also, comparative analyses between interface types and user characteristics showed that perceptions and acceptance may be influenced more by design attributes and interaction methods than by demographic characteristics such as age or gender.
An in vitro model of EMT/MET using human near-normal and cancer-derived breast cell lines

15 Resumo . 17 General Introduction . 21 Novel avenues for cancer research . 23 EMT as a cancer-relevant biological pathway . 23 EMT, TGF-β pathway and cancer.25 MET and cancer . 26 Aims and Thesis Outline . 31 Material and Methods . 37 Near-normal and cancer-derived breast cell culture . 39 RNA isolation and RT-PCR . 39 Western Blot for E-cadherin, β-catenin and Fibronectin . 40 Immunofluorescence for E-cadherin, β-catenin and Vimentin . 41 RNA expression quantification . 41 Chapter One . 45 Aim . 47 Results . 47 1. Phenotypical features and protein localization of epithelial and mesenchymal markers in several human breast cell lines . 47 2. Quantification of gene expression of several epithelial and mesenchymal markers . 49 3. Expression of TGF-β receptors 1 and 2 . 50 Discussion . 53 Chapter Two . 57 Aim . 59 Results . 59
Identification of glacial meltwater runoff in a karstic environment and its implication for present and future water availability

Glaciers all over the world are expected to continue to retreat due to the global warming throughout the 21st century. Consequently, future seasonal water availability might become scarce once glacier areas have declined below a certain threshold affecting future water management strategies. Particular attention should be paid to glaciers located in a karstic environment, as parts of the meltwater can be drained by underlying karst systems, making it difficult to assess water availability. In this study tracer experiments, karst modeling and glacier melt modeling are combined in order to identify flow paths in a high alpine, glacierized, karstic environment (Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland) and to investigate current and predict future downstream water availability. Flow paths through the karst underground were determined with natural and fluorescent tracers. Subsequently, geologic information and the findings from tracer experiments were assembled in a karst model. Finally, glacier melt projections driven with a climate scenario were performed to discuss future water availability in the area surrounding the glacier. The results suggest that during late summer glacier meltwater is rapidly drained through well-developed channels at the glacier bottom to the north of the glacier, while during low flow season meltwater enters into the karst and is drained to the south. Climate change projections with the glacier melt model reveal that by the end of the century glacier melt will be significantly reduced in the summer, jeopardizing water availability in glacier-fed karst springs.
The Afterlife of the Roman City: Architecture and Ceremony in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

1. Introduction: urban living and the 'fall' of the Roman Empire 2. New urban forms for a new empire: the third century and the genesis of the late antique city 3. Ceremonial armatures: porticated streets and their architectural appendages 4. 'Dark ages' and the afterlife of the classical city 5. Postscript: architecture, ceremony, and monastic cities in Carolingian Francia.
Evaluating Risk Factors for Development of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis in Type-II Diabetes Mellitus

Background and Aims: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is reported to be present in 49-86% of patients with typeII diabetes mellitus (DM). Risk factors for the development of NASH in DM are not clear. This prospective analysis was planned to define the chronological relation between DM and NASH as well as to define risk factors for the development of NASH in DM. Methods: In a 3-year study, all consecutive NASH patients (n=100, age= 42.8±4.6 years, M: F=4.2:1) were evaluated for the presence of DM, at baseline and during three monthly follow-up. In NASH patient with DM (group A, n=27, age=39.3±5.2 years, M: F=4.4:1), risk factors such as obesity, central obesity, dyslipidemia and family history of chronic liver disease were evaluated for comparative analysis. Similar number of consecutive patients of DM without evidence of liver disease (group B, n=27, age=45.9±5.6 years, M: F=3:1) were analyzed for similar parameters. Results: Among 100 patients with NASH, 27 (27%) patients had DM of whom, DM was preexisting in 13 (48.1%), was diagnosed at baseline in 11 (40.7%) and was diagnosed during follow-up in 3 (11.1%) patient. On statistical analysis (group A vs. group B), none of the risk factors were found to be statically significant: obesity (77.7% vs. 70.3%), central obesity (88.8% vs. 92.5%), dyslipidemia (51.8% vs. 44.4%), hypolipoproteinemia (7.4% vs. 3.7%), family history of chronic liver disease (7.4% vs. 0%), family history of DM (62.9% vs. 66.6%), hypertension (18.5% vs. 14.8%), ischemic heart disease (7.4% vs. 11.1%), cerebrovascular disease (3.7% vs. 0%) and hyperuricemia (11.1% vs. 14.8%).
News Aggregating System with Automatic Summarization Based on Local Multiple Alignment

This paper proposes a news article aggregation system with an automatic summarization function. It provides integrated and effective access to news articles from various news sites and presents a brief summary of them. The system consists of a collector, a topic detector, and a summarizer for the news articles. This paper particularly focuses on the system’s efficient summarization technique for handling large amounts of crawled news articles.
Estudo comparativo do uso tópico de própolis verde e vermelha na reparação de feridas em ratos

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the healing action of green and red propolis, correlating it with the content of flavonoids. METHODS: We performed quantification of total flavonoids of green and red propolis ethanol extracts for subsequent incorporation in ointment base to 20%. We used 20 Wistar rats divided into four groups: 0.9% saline (S), ointment base (B), green propolis ointment (G) and red propolis ointment (R). All animals were submitted to excisional lesions in the midian back region. The rats were treated daily for 15 days. During this period we observed weight, body temperature and diameters of the wounds. For histological analysis, samples were collected from wounds. At the end of the experiment we performed blood collection and removal of the kidney and liver for biochemical and histological analyzes. RESULTS: The levels of total flavonoids of green (4.50%) and red (5.92%) propolis were high (> 2%), but, while the latter showed a content larger than the former, the evolution of green propolis was better in the repair of wounds, both macroscopically and histologically. There were no nephrotoxicity or hepatotoxicity, a result confirmed by biochemical tests (ALT and albumin). Propolis influenced the reduction of total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose. CONCLUSION: There was no correlation between total flavonoid contents and the healing action of propolis. This reveals the need for elucidation of the flavonoids found in each class of propolis to unravel which one(s) would be important for the healing process.
Nonuniform Deficiency of Hexosaminidase A in Tissues and Fluids of Two Unrelated Individuals

Summary: Serum samples from two unrelated, clinically normal individuals lacked detectable hexosaminidase A by heat inactivation and electrophoretic analysis. In contrast, 15 and 17% of the hexosaminidase in their leukocytes and 23 and 26% of the hexosaminidase of their cultured fibroblasts had the heat stability and electrophoretic properties of the A form of this enzyme. An in vitro measurement of fibroblasts GM2 ganglioside-β-galactosaminidase was in the range expected for Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) heterozygotes (2.5 and 3.1 versus a normal mean of 3.7). In contrast, fibroblasts from a patient with TSD, analyzed in an identical fashion, contained no detectable activity.Ten days after addition of labeled GM2 ganglioside to the medium of the cultured fibroblasts, 43 and 59% of the radioactivity taken up by the cells of these patients remained as unhydrolyzed ganglioside as compared with 94% in TSD fibroblasts and 42% in control cells.An analysis of sphingolipid composition by high performance liquid chromatography although the endogenous level of GM2 was elevated in TSD fibroblasts (0.39 nmoles/mg protein) there was no increase in the cells of these patients (0 and 0.12 versus control of 0.17 nmoles/mg protein). Finally, the synthesis of hexosaminidase was examined by an electrophoretic analysis of immunoprecipitates of the enzyme precursors that had been radiolabeled by culturing fibroblasts in medium containing [3H]-leucine. These studies revealed a normal pattern of biosynthesis, processing and secretion of the α and β chains. The ratio of the α chain to the β chain, however, was in the range expected for TSD heterozygotes.Speculation: In all likelihood, these individuals suffer from a genetic or physiologic abnormality that results in the absence of hexosaminidase A in serum and a relative preservation of activity against both GM2 ganglioside and 4-methylumbelliferyl-N-acetyl-β-glucosaminide in cultured fibroblasts.
Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis: Is it Still a Life-Threatening Issue in Cirrhosis?

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is the commonest and a deadly complication of cirrhosis that happens in 10% to 30% of patients admitted to hospital. The main mechanism that is being associated with its occurrence are bacterial overgrowth with translocation through the increased permeable small intestinal wall and impaired immune defense. The Gram-negative aerobic bacteria are the major pathogens responsible for SBP episodes although Gram-positive bacteria are being considered emergent agents. The ready diagnosis of SBP is a key factor for the decrease in mortality rates observed in recent years. The medical diagnosis is neither sensitive nor specific and the search for new useful and available tools to make it quicker is an important endpoint of current studies. The use of empirical antibiotics, mainly cefotaxime, improves significantly the short-term prognosis of patients with SBP. The recurrence rate is high and antibiotic prophylaxis has been recommended in high-risk scenarios. Unfortunately, the long-term prognosis remains poor.
Psychotherapy Outcome and Satisfaction: Methods Applied to Intensive Outpatient Programming in a Private Practice Setting.

This study evaluated an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in a private practice setting. Patients received the Symptom Checklist–90—Revised preand posttreatment and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire–8 posttreatment, which were used to measure symptom change and client satisfaction. Reliable Change Indices and Clinically Significant change scores were calculated for each individual (N = 225) using several variables from therapist and clinician perspectives. Highly significant improvement rates on client symptom ratings were also validated by clinician global assessment of functioning ratings, client satisfaction, and discharge rates to lower levels of care. This IOP was demonstrated to be more effective than psychotherapy in clinically representative studies, randomized clinical trials, and controlled clinical trials as well as comparable to many widely used medical interventions.