Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE HEPATO-PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF CASSIA FISTULA (AMALTAS) LEAVES IN ISONIAZID AND RIFAMPICIN INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RODENTS

Certain medicinal plants have been reported to have their effect on various experimentally induced diseases. Drug induced hepatitis (DIH) is one of them. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of ethanolic extract of Cassia fistula leaves in experimentally induced drug hepatitis (DIH) in rodents. The rats were divided into four groups, i.e. a control group (A), antituberculous (ATT) group (B), and the remaining two groups (C and D) served as experimental therapy groups. They received Cassia fistula extract as hepatoprotective agent. Rats having normal liver functions were included in this study. Group C experimental rats received (INH/RIF) (50 mg/kg) each and ethanolic extract of Cassia fistula at 400 mg/kg of body weight. On the other hand group D experimental rats received (INH/RIF) (50 mg/kg) each and ethanolic extract of Cassia fistula at 500 mg/kg of body weight. Blood samples were taken at 30 th day and liver in each was taken out for microscopical examination on day 30 th . The (ATT) group rats showed variable increase in serum ALT, AST, ALP and total bilirubin levels. Group C treated with 400 mg/kg of body weight Cassia fistula treatment decreased the level of these parameters in rats. On the other hand group D rats treated with 500 mg/kg body weight of Cassia fistula dose significantly decreased levels of these biochemical parameters. The morphological examination of experimental group C rats showed slight recovery whereas the rats in experimental group D showed a significant recovery. Cassia fistula constituents, especially flavonoids and anthraquinones have strong anti-oxidant activity which provides hepato-protection against drug-induced hepatitis (DIH). In conclusion, high dose of Cassia fistula ethanolic leaves extract (500 mg/kg) body weight showed hepatoprotection against INH/RIF induced hepatitis in rats.
Hypoglycemic activity of two polysaccharides isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica and O. streptacantha.

spp as food, medicinal remedy, fodder, and living fence [2-3] for centuries. Francisco Hernandez (16th century) recommended "nopal" in the treatment of fever, kidney ailments, and as a thirst quencher [4]. Navarro [5] also mentioned these uses in the 19th century. In the De la Cruz-Badiano Codix it was recommended for burns. In the 18th century, it was mentioned for treatment of salad phlegm ("flema salada"), "fisuras" and "rajaderas" [6]. In 1933, in his classic book "Las Plantas Medicinales de Mexico", Maximino Martinez recommended "nopal" against headache, ear ailments, eye inflammation and erysipelas [7]. The ethnobotanical record about
Chat line for adolescents with type 1 diabetes: a useful tool to improve coping with diabetes: a 2-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND We evaluated the impact of a 2-year chat line involving adolescents with type 1 diabetes regarding quality of life and metabolic control. METHODS We enrolled 193 children, 10-18 years of age (mean ± SD, 13.6 ± 2.7 years), with type 1 diabetes for 1.2-6 years (3.6 ± 2.4 years), body mass index of 23.2 ± 4.1 kg/m(2), insulin requirement of 0.7 ± 0.3 U/kg/day, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) of 7.8 ± 1.1%, who participated in a weekly physician-moderated chat line for a 2-year follow-up period. Each patient completed the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth Inventory (DQOLY) at baseline and after 1 and 2 years. A measure of glycemic control (HbA1c) was also collected. Data from 17 patients who discontinued using the chat line were not included in the analysis. As controls, 203 patients with type 1 diabetes, age- and sex-matched, with similar HbA1c at baseline and socioeconomic status, were randomly selected among 834 patients who refused to participate in the chat sessions. RESULTS DQOLY responses from youth with type 1 diabetes showed a significant improvement (P = 0.0001) only in patients who participated in chat sessions. We observed a decrease of 0.4% in HbA1c in patients who participated in chat session (7.8 ± 1.1% vs. 7.4 ± 0.5%, P < 0.0001) compared with the 0.1% of the controls (7.9 ± 1.9% vs. 7.8 ± 1.8%, P = 0.668). No difference was observed in HbA1c between the two groups (P = 0.056). CONCLUSIONS A chat line is also a cheap and effective tool that helps improve diabetes compliance. The chat line could help the diabetes team understand and treat their patients more comprehensively; moreover, it could help patients cope better with their daily life.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of CRP in Post-ERCP Pancreatitis

Background and Aim: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammation of the pancreas secondary to a variety of causes. It is the most common serious complication of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). As most ERCP is performed on an outpatient base, early evaluation can allow safe discharge of the majority of patients. The aim of this study was to identify the value of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis and prognosis of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). Methods: One hundred patients who were candidate for ERCP examination either diagnostic or therapeutic included in the present study. All patients has been followed-up daily for at least 48 hours after ERCP for symptoms and signs suggestive of post-ERCP pancreatitis and follow-up of post ERCP pancreatitis patients has been done until pancreatic enzymes and CRP became normal. Serum amylase, l pase and CRP were done immediately after ERCP and on 2 nd and 7th day after ERCP. CT` abdomen was performed for patients who develop post-ERCP pancreatitis. Results: Patients were divided into group A (GA) which developed post-ERCP pancreatitis [25 patients (25%)] and group B (GB) which had no pancreatitis [75 patients (75%)]. Serum amylase and lipase were significantly higher in GA relative to GB at T 0 , T2 , T7 . Additionally, at T2 both serum amylase and lipase was more than 3 fold the upper limit of normal in GA. Also data concerned with CRP level at T 0 , T2 , T7 revealed a significant increase in GA relative to GB. Data were highly significant at T 2 and T7 . Out of the 25 cases of Post-ERCP pancreatitis, 17 cases showed CT findings consistent with acute pancreatitis, 13 of them had mild and moderate disease. The remaining 4 cases had severe acute pancreatitis. Conclusion: Since the mean value of CRP at T 7 in GA is still high above upper limit of normal, while serum amylase and lipase were not, and the significant rise in CRP level at T0 , T2 , T7 in GA was directly correlated to the CT findings. Therefore, these data might suggest the importance of the CRP level as a diagnostic test and also in the assessment of the prognosis of Post-ERCP Pancreatitis, it is cheap, readily available but it is not an early marker.
Excess HDM2 Impacts Cell Cycle and Apoptosis and Has a Selective Effect on p53-dependent Transcription*

Mutational inactivation of p53 is only one of the ways that tumors lose p53 function. An alternate route is through overexpression of HDM2, the negative regulator of p53. To further understand how excess HDM2 regulates p53-mediated functions, we generated H1299 cell clones that constitutively express both ectopic HDM2 and tetracycline-regulated inducible p53. We found that over a range of p53 concentrations constitutively expressed HDM2 did not affect the levels of p53 protein. Nevertheless, cells with excess HDM2 displayed numerous changes in their response to p53. After DNA damage, such cells had both increased p53-mediated G2 arrest and reduced cell death. They also showed selective impairment of p53 target gene induction in that some p53 targets were unaffected whereas others were markedly less well induced in the presence of extra HDM2 protein. We also found that excess HDM2 was correlated with reduced p53 acetylation but did not affect p53 association with target promoters in vivo. Indeed, there was no significant difference in the amount of HDM2 associated with p53 at target promoters that differed in their expression depending on the presence of extra HDM2. Thus, HDM2 can selectively down-regulate the transcription function of p53 without either degrading p53 or affecting the interaction of p53 with target promoters.
The Persistence of Misconceptions about the Human Blood Circulatory System among Students in Different Grade Levels.

In this paper, it is aimed to investigate the persistence of misconceptions in the topic of the human blood circulatory system among students in different grade levels. For this reason, after discussions with biology educators, two tests consisting of open-ended questions were developed by the researcher and administered to students in four different grade levels. The first test was administered to 319 5th and 7th grade students in elementary school and the second one was administered to 400 1st and 4th year university students studying in the departments of elementary school teaching, science education and biology education. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods and a number of misconceptions were detected in different grade levels. According to the results of the study, the distributions of the percentages of students' misconceptions demonstrate a decreasing trend from elementary school students to university students without totally disappearing. The reason of this situation might be the persistence of misconceptions that are difficult to overcome. Due to their functionality, students continue to possess certain misconceptions. Hence, this characteristic of misconceptions should be considered while planning teaching activities in teacher education programs.
Domain Organization of Phytochelatin Synthase

Phytochelatin synthase (PCS) is a major determinant of heavy metal tolerance in plants and other organisms. No structural information on this enzyme is as yet available. It is generally believed, however, that the active site region is located in the more conserved N-terminal portion of PCS, whereas various, as yet unidentified (but supposedly less critical) roles have been proposed for the C-terminal region. To gain insight into the structural/functional organization of PCS, we have conducted a limited proteolysis analysis of the enzyme from Arabidopsis (AtPCS1), followed by functional characterization of the resulting polypeptide fragments. Two N-terminal fragments ending at positions 372 (PCS_Nt1) and 283 (PCS_Nt2) were produced sequentially upon V8 protease digestion, without any detectable accumulation of the corresponding C-terminal fragments. As revealed by the results of in vivo and in vitro functional assays, the core PCS_Nt2 fragment is biosynthetically active in the presence of cadmium ions and supports phytochelatin formation at a rate that is only ∼5-fold lower than that of full-length AtPCS1. The loss of the C-terminal region, however, substantially decreases the thermal stability of the enzyme and impairs phytochelatin formation in the presence of certain heavy metals (e.g. mercury and zinc, but not cadmium or copper). The latter phenotype was shared by PCS_Nt2 and by its precursor fragment PCS_Nt1, which, on the other hand, was almost as stable and biosynthetically active (in the presence of cadmium) as the full-length enzyme. AtPCS1 thus appears to be composed of a protease-resistant (and hence presumably highly structured) N-terminal domain, flanked by an intrinsically unstable C-terminal region. The most upstream part of such a region (positions 284–372) is important for enzyme stabilization, whereas its most terminal part (positions 373–485) appears to be required to determine enzyme responsiveness to a broader range of heavy metals.
Medical costs attributed to depression among patients with a history of high medical expenses in a health maintenance organization.

BACKGROUND While previous studies have compared medical utilization between depressed and nondepressed patients, we conducted a study that focused specifically on patients who had a history of high medical expenditures. METHODS This study was designed to determine whether a positive screen for depression is predictive of continued high medical expenditures. Medical utilization data were obtained on 50,000 patients enrolled in the DeanCare health maintenance organization for 2 consecutive years. Consistent high utilizers were identified based on the medical utilization costs (paid by the health maintenance organization) for those 2 consecutive years, 1992 and 1993. A depression screen based on the Medical Outcomes Survey was mailed to 786 high utilizers. Their costs were determined for 1994. Regression analyses identified 1994 costs associated with depression, adjusting for age, sex, benefits package, and medical comorbidity. RESULTS Depressed high utilizers were more likely than nondepressed high utilizers to have higher medical costs in 1994. Among high utilizers, depressed patients' 1994 costs were significantly higher ($5764 vs $4227; P < .001), although expenditures for depressed and nondepressed high utilizers were similar for the previous 2 years. The total medical cost associated with depression in 1994, adjusted for age, sex, benefits package, and medical comorbidity, was $1498 per patient. CONCLUSIONS In the third year (1994), a positive Medical Outcomes Survey screen for depression in high utilizers was associated with $1498 in higher medical costs. The average actual amount spent on depression treatment accounted for only a small portion of total medical costs for depressed high utilizers in the third year.
Improved survival after intraoperative cardiac arrest in noncardiac surgical patients.

The article "Improved Survival After Intraoperative Cardiac Arrest in Noncardiac Surgical Patients" by Girardi and Barie 1 in the January issue of theArchivesis a worthwhile addition to the few articles on the subject that address the issue via a survey of large numbers of cases from a single institution over a relatively long time span. 2 The Invited Commentary by Flint 3 overlooks the fact that, after correction for type of operation, the ratio of cardiac arrest to number of operations has not changed appreciably over the last 35 or 40 years. The central problem is that while anesthetic agents and adjuvant drugs have changed, one invariant has remained, the so-called anesthesia record. Although it is true that during anesthesia one observes the patient, important decisions are not made on the basis of any one instantaneous observation but rather on the basis of the information accrued from the
Leg ulcers: a review of their impact on daily life.

BACKGROUND Current nursing care for leg ulcer patients often focuses on wound care and providing compression therapy. Nurses perceive leg ulcer patients as 'under-served' with regard to problems patients experience in daily life. An overview of patient problems is a first and essential step in the development of comprehensive nursing care. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To gather information about the impact of leg ulcers on patient's daily life as described in quantitative and qualitative studies. DESIGN Systematic literature review. METHODS Medline and Cinahl databases were searched for venous leg ulcer studies, up to 2002; this was followed by the 'snowball method'. Studies were selected in accordance with preset criteria. RESULTS A total of 37 studies was included. All studies report that leg ulcers pose a threat to physical functioning. Furthermore, a negative impact on psychological functioning is reported and, to a lesser degree, on social functioning. Major limitations are pain and immobility, followed by sleep disturbance, lack of energy, limitations in work and leisure activities, worries and frustrations and a lack of self-esteem. Patients have a significantly poorer quality of life compared with healthy people. Finally, patients report problems with regard to follow-up treatment. CONCLUSIONS Having a leg ulcer has a major impact on a patient's life. There are indications of under-treatment of pain. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Keeping in mind that leg ulceration is notorious for its chronic character, the negative impact on patient's life implies that many patients suffer over longer periods of time. This emphasizes the need to focus on quality of life aspects in patient care. There is much to gain, especially concerning pain and mobility. The development of comprehensive care programmes is essential.
Treatment of retroperitoneal residual tumor after PVB chemotherapy of nonseminomatous testicular tumors

Twenty‐five patients with nonseminomatous testicular tumors stages IIB and IIC were treated at the Groningen University Hospital between January 1978 and April 1983. One patient died from his extensive tumor during chemotherapy. The remaining 24, treated by combination chemotherapy with cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin as well as by surgery, are all alive after a mean follow‐up period of 56 months. A laparotomy was performed after chemotherapy in each of the 24 cases. In four patients no residual tumor was found. Residual tumor was resected in 20 patients, in 13 the tumor contained only necrosis and fibrosis, 7 had mature teratoma. Comparison of the histologic features of the primary testicular tumor with those of the retroperitoneal residual tumor after chemotherapy, revealed that if the primary tumor did not contain a teratoma component the residual tumor showed only necrosis and/or fibrosis. When the primary tumor contained a teratoma component, mature teratoma was found in 50% (7/14) of the residual tumors.
Influence of Burkitt's lymphoma and primary B cells on latent gene expression by the nonimmortalizing P3J-HR-1 strain of Epstein-Barr virus

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genes expressed in B lymphocytes immortalized in vitro or in Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cells infected in vivo have been characterized previously; however, the viral products which are essential for immortalization or for establishment of EBV latency are still not known. To approach this question, we compared the kinetics of expression of EBV nuclear antigens and the two EBV-encoded small RNAs, EBER1 and EBER2, after infection of primary B cells or EBV genome-negative BL cells with either an immortalizing EBV strain (B95-8) or the nonimmortalizing deletion mutant (HR-1). Following infection of primary cells with B95-8 virus, EBV nuclear antigen (EBNA)-2 was expressed first, followed by EBNA-1, -3, and -4 (also called leader protein [LP]) and the two small RNAs. Infection of EBV genome-negative BL cells with the same strain of virus resulted in a similar pattern of gene expression, except that the EBNAs appeared together and more rapidly. EBERs were not apparent in one BL cell line converted by B95-8. The only products detected after infection of primary B lymphocytes with the HR-1 deletion mutant were the EBNA-4 (LP) family and trace amounts of EBER1. Although HR-1 could express neither EBNA-1, EBNA-3, nor EBER2 in primary cells, all these products were expressed rapidly after HR-1 infection of EBV genome-negative BL cell lines. The results indicate that the mutation in HR-1 virus affects immortalization not only through failure to express EBNA-2, a gene which is deleted, but also indirectly by curtailing expression of several other EBV genes whose coding regions are intact in the HR-1 virus and normally expressed during latency. The pattern of latent EBV gene expression after HR-1 infection is dependent on the host cell, perhaps through products specific for the cell cycle or the state of B-cell differentiation.
Rapid biodegradation of aflatoxin B1 by metabolites of Fusarium sp. WCQ3361 with broad working temperature range and excellent thermostability.

BACKGROUND Contamination of food and feed by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) poses serious economic and health problems worldwide, so the development of biological methods for effective AFB1 degradation is strongly required. RESULTS Among three AFB1-degrading microorganisms isolated from moldy peanut, Fusarium sp. WCQ3361 could remove AFB1 extremely effectively, with a degradation ratio of 70.20% after 1 min and 95.38% after 24 h. Its degradation ratio was not much affected by temperature change (0-90 °C) and it also displayed excellent thermostability, maintaining 99.40% residual activity after boiling for 10 min. Since protease K could reduce the AFB1 degradation ratio by 55.15%, it is proposed that the effective component for AFB1 degradation is a protein. The AFB1 degradation ability of Fusarium sp. WCQ3361 was further verified by feed stock detoxification and the MTT test with HepG2 cells. In addition, no degradation products were detected by preliminary liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, suggesting that AFB1 might be metabolized to products with different chemical characteristics from AFB1. CONCLUSION Fusarium sp. WCQ3361 is the first reported AFB1 degradation fungus belonging to the genus Fusarium with broad working temperature range, excellent thermostability and high activity, which provides a potential highly useful solution for dealing with AFB1 contamination in the human diet and animal feed. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
Cosmetic surgery

One aspect of the medical workforce that was not discussed is that of locum doctors, who, in metropolitan and rural New South Wales, are increasingly called upon to staff public hospitals. Under this system, a doctor registers with a locum agency, hospitals advise the agency (often multiple agencies) of the shifts they need filled, and the agency then sends to all the doctors on their books a list of shifts available. Doctors then choose which shift(s) they would like to work and the agencies supply their names to the hospitals. They are paid by the hospital — the current rate for all doctors, Post Graduate Year (PGY) 1 and upwards, being a minimum of $70–$80 an hour — and the agency receives a 10%–15% commission. In contrast, the base hourly rate for a fulltime PGY 1 doctor is $23.11, with a loading of 75% on Sundays and 100% for any hours worked beyond a 10-hour shift. The only barrier to locum work is that a doctor is unable to have two rates of pay within the one Area Health Service. There is thus a strong incentive for full-time employees to refuse extra overtime work at their own hospital and do locum work at other hospitals. The number of shifts needing to be filled by hospitals increases as Junior Medical Officers choose this option. The current restrictions on access to provider numbers, rather than serving as an incentive to remain in the hospital system, have encouraged many junior doctors to seek locum work. It is also relevant that, as more graduate students come through the system, more doctors are older and have financial obligations. Many have had good incomes prior to studying medicine and wish to maximise their earnings once they graduate. Wilhelm and Mouret both observe that financial concerns are a major stressor for Junior Medical Officers. There are significant disadvantages for the locum doctor (eg, lack of ongoing education from patient follow-up, feedback about mistakes, mentor and peer support; inadequate supervision of “safe working hours”) and for the healthcare system (eg, lack of continuity of care; locums’ unfamiliarity with the hospital and its procedures; variable skill levels of locums; resentment by regular staff of pay rate discrepancies; cost). While there is no doubt a role for locum doctors within the healthcare system, there is no overall control of the situation. Locum agencies are businesses that exist to make money for their owners. The hospitals see themselves as paying top dollar for locum doctors and therefore see no obligation to provide training and counselling. The doctors are in the middle. To protect the doctors and also the hospitals, changes must be considered. Representatives of the NSW Medical Board, Postgraduate Medical Council and Area Health Services need to discuss this issue.