Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topical lavender oil for the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulceration.

PURPOSE To determine the laboratory and clinical efficacy of lavender oil in the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulceration (RAU). METHODS This was a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study performed firstly to treat the induced ulcers by different methods in experimental animals (rabbits) treated with lavender oil or placebo. Clinical and histological healing was established by measuring the area of the ulcer and inflammation levels in each test group. Secondly, safety/toxicity; the median lethal dose (LD50) was studied in albino mice, and dermal irritation test was performed by primary irritation to the skin and measured by a patch-test technique on the intact skin of the albino rabbit. Thirdly, antibacterial effect; lavender oil was screened against bacteria obtained from swab specimen of human subjects' RAU using disc diffusion method. Fourthly, clinical study; 115 subjects (mean age 38 years, mean weight 75 kg) were divided into two groups of subjects topically treated with lavender oil or placebo. The clinical efficacy was assessed by inflammation level, erythema, edema, ulcer duration, ulcer size, mean area under the curve of ulcer area, healing time, and associated pain intensity and reduction. RESULTS Animals treated with lavender oil showed a significant ulcer size reduction, increased rate of mucosal repair, and healing within 3 days of treatment compared to baseline and placebo groups [2-3 days (90%), 4 days (10%)] (P=0.001). The intraperitoneal LD50 value in mice was 6.5 gm/kg; clinical dermal irritation test showed no sign of irritation in the tested products. Lavender oil showed a broad antibacterial activity against all tested strains; it exhibited significant inhibition on tested bacteria where the value of zone of inhibition ranged from 14.5-24 mm vs Streptomycin (25 microg/disc) 12-22 +/- 0.5 mm; MIC was > 6.4-36 mg/ml. RAU patients treated with lavender oil showed a significant reduction in inflammation level, ulcer size, healing time, from 2-4 days [2 days (40%), 3 days (50%), 4 days (10%)], and pain relief mostly from the first dose, compared to baseline and placebo. No side effects were reported.
The hippocampus contributes to memory expression during transitive inference in mice

There is substantial evidence that the hippocampus plays a role in transitive inference, the capacity to link overlapping memories and subsequently make novel judgments between elements of those memories that are only indirectly related. However, it is unclear whether the hippocampus is involved primarily during the original acquisition of the overlapping memories, or additionally during the flexible expression of those memories during transitive judgments. Here, we demonstrated that selective hippocampal damage produced after acquisition of the overlapping memories resulted in a severe impairment in subsequent transitive inference judgments, indicating that the hippocampus does play an important role beyond the initial learning phase. Furthermore, this study extends to mice a role for the hippocampus in transitive inference, as previously observed in other species. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Recent Advances in Biology and Medicine

Malaysia has high prevalence of obesity in young adults. Obesity leads to health problems such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It is a condition where nocturnal breathing cessation occurs during sleep. Thus, the quantity and quality of sleep is affected. Epworth Sleepiness Score (ESS) is a standardized tool to determine the quality of sleep. The aim of this study was to find the relationship between students’ sleep quality using this questionnaire and their anthropometric measurements. This study adopted a cross-sectional study design, with the convenience sampling technique applied on students of a private university in Malaysia. The participants answered the ESS questionnaire. Their height, weight, neck circumference, and abdominal circumference were obtained and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. This study was conducted on 200 students with a mean age of 21.55 years. Their average BMI was 23.24 6 6.1. The mean duration of sleep in the study population was 6.3 6 1.4 SD hours. In the study population, the mean score for ESS was 10.32. A negative correlation between ESS scores and the BMI was noted. Pearson correlation showed —0.026 with a significance of 0.712. ESS scores showed that 17.9% of the study population had high risk of developing OSA. This study shows that as the BMI increases, the quality of sleep decreases, although it is not statistically significant.
Is Being Agreeable a Key to Success or Failure in the Labor Market?

The main purpose of this paper is to study how the individual differences in non-cognitive skills, as measured by Big-Five personality traits, explain the variation in labor market outcomes. By analyzing the Japanese and US survey data, this study attempts to analyze how personality traits are associated with labor market outcomes in these two countries. We focus on the existence of country-specific non-cognitive determinants of later outcomes, which is found in agreeableness in relation to male schooling and earnings. With respect to years of schooling and annual income, agreeableness seems to contribute to the later outcomes of Japanese men, while it acts as a penalty for American men. However, in both countries, we found that higher agreeableness is likely to be translated into higher earnings for those who work for large-sized companies with more than 1000 employees in comparison to small-sized companies. Agreeableness is rewarded through earnings but it does not necessarily lead to a career promotion. Furthermore, the premium of agreeableness still exists when labor-related variables such as occupation choice and labor hours are controlled for. This suggests that agreeableness might act as part of skill-sets that directly improve job performance and productivity in large-sized companies.
LIPID PROFILE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS WITH OBESITY Dr . RATNA

Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder affecting the people all over the world. Obesity is a physiological variant which leads to various pathological complications including Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity and dyslipidemia are considered as independent risk factors for coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Present study is to compare lipid profile in Type 2 diabetics with obesity and non diabetic obese people, the control group. This study enrolled 50 obese Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 50 obese non diabetic controls of age 35-65 yrs with good glyceamic control. Patients with BMI (Body Mass Index) > 30 were selected. Fasting blood samples were collected and different lipid fractions along with fasting blood glucose were estimated by enzymatic method. Statistical analysis was carried out using standard deviation and chi-square from which ‘p’ value is derived, ‘p’ value <0.05 is significant. Among 50 obese diabetic patients total cholesterol levels were increased in 28 patients, triglyceride levels were raised in 32 patients; LDL-C levels were increased in 25 patients and HDL-C levels were decreased in 19 patients. This showed significantly high triglycerides, high VLDL-C, high LDL-C and low HDL-C in type 2 diabetes mellitus with obesity when compared to control group; there was no significant change in total cholesterol levels between the two groups. This study showed strong evidence of Type -2 diabetes mellitus associated with obesity leading to high levels of lipids which aggravate the atherogenic process, leading to increased morbidity and significant mortality compared to non diabetes obese population. As diabetes is a chronic disease intensive and prolonged medical management is required along with hypolipidaemic drugs.
Comparative extraction methods, fluorescence, qualitative and quantitative evaluation of Ammi majus seed extracts

Ammi majus belong to the family Apiaceae that provide a huge number of compounds with important medicinal activities. The present investigation is aimed to compare the percentage value of Ammi majus extracts by using different solvent and extraction methods, to do fluorescence analysis and phytochemical screening (qualitative and quantitative) for the important natural product groups in Ammi majus seed. The highest percentage extract was yielded from seed by using ordinary reflex methods and n-hexane 12.74%. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, terpenoids, carbohydrate, coumarin and quinone in all fractions and presence of cardioactive glycoside, saponin, amino acid, carbohydrate, quinones in the seed has not been reported before. Presence of flavonoids estimated to be 288. 611µg quercetin/gm in seed was determined in high quantity in ethanol 80% extract and tannins content 216.66 µg gallic acid/gm in low quantity. The fluorescent characteristics of seed powder with various chemical reagents were noted under visible and UV light.
The usefulness of sST2 and galectin-3 as novel biomarkers for better risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND Estimation of sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk is an integral part of clinical management of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Identification of novel biomarkers of this disease can provide additional criteria for SCD risk stratification. Soluble suppression of tumourigenicity (sST2) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) are useful biomarkers for prognosis of heart failure (HF). Both of them appear to mediate cardiac fibrosis - an important pathogenetic process in HCM. Data about sST2 and Gal-3 usefulness in patients with HCM are limited. AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate sST2 and Gal-3 as potential novel biomarkers for better risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. METHODS Serum sST2 and serum Gal-3 levels were measured in 57 patients with HCM and in 18 healthy controls. The patients with HCM underwent routine evaluation including medical history, physical examination, blood tests (including N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP] and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T [hs-cTnT] measurements), 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG), 48-h Holter monitoring and two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography with the assessment of the maximal left ventricular wall thickness, left atrial diameter, maximal left ventricular outflow tract gradient, and left ventricular ejection fraction. Risk of SCD at five years according to HCM SCD-risk calculator was evaluated. The control group underwent ECG, 2D echocardiography, and NT-proBNP measurements to exclude asymptomatic heart disease. RESULTS Concentrations of sST2 and Gal-3 were significantly higher in patients with HCM than in controls (14.9 ± 5.8 ng/mL vs. 11.7 ± 3.3 ng/mL, p = 0.03 and 8.4 ng/mL [6.8-10.0] vs. 6.2 ng/mL [5.8-7.7], p = 0.005, respectively). Levels of sST2 and Gal-3 were considerably different in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) groups (p = 0.008, p = 0.009, respectively). Patients who presented non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (nsVT) on 48-h Holter monitoring had higher levels of sST2 (19.1 ng/mL [12.2-24.2] vs. 13.2 ng/mL [10.0-17.1], p = 0.02). There were no significant relationships between sST2 and Gal-3 levels and HCM SCD-risk, history of syncope presence, family history of SCD, and echocardio-graphic parameters. CONCLUSIONS Gal-3 levels and sST2 levels were higher in patients with HCM than in the control group. There were significant differences in Gal-3 levels between NYHA classes, but no correlations between Gal-3 levels and other parameters were found. Apart from differences in sST2 levels between NYHA classes, we demonstrated higher levels of sST2 in patients with nsVT. These findings suggest that sST2 may be useful as an additional biomarker for better risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Heart disease and changes in pulse wave velocity and pulse pressure amplification in the elderly over 80 years: the PARTAGE Study

Objectives Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and pulse pressure amplification (PPA) are independent predictors of cardiovascular risk, mainly in the elderly. The aim of the current research was to determine the influence of PPA and PWV, both manifestations of arterial stiffness, on heart disease in the elderly. Methods The study population consisted of 1042 participants (814 women) aged 80 years and over who participated in the PARTAGE study. Carotid–femoral PWV was determined in order to assess aortic stiffness. Central aortic blood pressure values and central pulse wave analysis were obtained using the calibration method applied on the common carotid artery by a PulsePen tonometer. Amplification phenomenon was expressed as PPA, that is, the percentage of increase of pulse pressure in the brachial artery relative to central pulse pressure. Heart disease was defined as presence of heart failure, ischemic heart disease or atrial fibrillation. Results PPA was significantly lower in patients with heart disease, independently of the presence of hypertension, diabetes or both. Heart disease was present in 61.8% of participants with PPA less than 10%, in 46.2% of participants with PPA between 10 and 20% (P < 0.01), in 42.6% of participants with PPA between 20 and 30% (P < 0.005) and in 32.5% of participants with PPA more than 30% (P < 0.001). PWV, on the contrary, was not influenced by the presence of heart disease (12.3 ± 4.0 vs. 13.5 ± 4.6 m/s) but significantly increased in presence of hypertension (14.4 ± 5.0 m/s, P < 0.001) or diabetes (16.1 ± 5.1 m/s, P < 0.001). Conclusion In the very elderly, low brachial/aortic PPA is associated with higher prevalence of heart disease.
Genome-Wide Characterization of Maize Small RNA Loci and Their Regulation in the required to maintain repression6-1 (rmr6-1) Mutant and Long-Term Abiotic Stresses1[OPEN]

Agronomically realistic, long-term drought stress mis-regulates some miRNAs and induces the down-regulation of a set of small RNA loci in the maize leaf. Endogenous small RNAs (sRNAs) contribute to gene regulation and genome homeostasis, but their activities and functions are incompletely known. The maize genome has a high number of transposable elements (TEs; almost 85%), some of which spawn abundant sRNAs. We performed sRNA and total RNA sequencing from control and abiotically stressed B73 wild-type plants and rmr6-1 mutants. RMR6 encodes the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase IV complex and is responsible for accumulation of most 24-nucleotide (nt) small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). We identified novel MIRNA loci and verified miR399 target conservation in maize. RMR6-dependent 23-24 nt siRNA loci were specifically enriched in the upstream region of the most highly expressed genes. Most genes misregulated in rmr6-1 did not show a significant correlation with loss of flanking siRNAs, but we identified one gene supporting existing models of direct gene regulation by TE-derived siRNAs. Long-term drought correlated with changes of miRNA and sRNA accumulation, in particular inducing down-regulation of a set of sRNA loci in the wild-typeleaf.
The Beck Inventory: psychometric properties in university students.

The psychometric properties of the Beck Inventory (BI), a revised, copyrighted version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), were investigated in 204 university students. Two-week test-retest reliability was . 90, coefficient alpha was . 87, concurrent validity using the BDI as the criterion was . 94, and the correlation between level of depression as measured by the two instruments was . 86. The mean score on the BI was significantly but only one-half point lower than that on the BDI. Individual items were all highly and significantly correlated, but a significantly lower BI mean score occurred on the Sadness, Suicidal Ideas and Insomnia items. Depression was not significantly related to demographic variables.
Interactions between a decapacitation factor and mouse spermatozoa appear to involve fucose residues and a GPI‐anchored receptor

Epididymal mouse spermatozoa have a surface‐associated decapacitation factor (DF) that can be removed precociously by centrifugation, resulting in acceleration of capacitation and increased fertilizing ability. Addition of exogenous DF to capacitated suspensions inhibits fertilizing ability and reverses capacitation in acrosome‐intact cells. DF appears to regulate a Ca2+‐ATPase, located primarily in the postacrosomal region. The present investigations of DF↮spermatozoon interaction indicate that DF can be removed from uncapacitated cells by treatment with phosphatidylinositol‐specific phospholipase C (PIC), suggesting the involvement of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) moiety. However, exogenous DF cannot reassociate with PIC‐treated spermatozoa, suggesting that DF may bind to spermatozoa via a GPI‐anchored receptor. DF binding appears to involve fucose residues, since depletion of endogenous DF followed by brief exposure to fucose (0.1–10 mM) prevented DF reassociation with cells. Furthermore, 5 mM fucose could displace DF from uncapacitated cells, accelerating capacitation and resulting in a higher proportion of fertilized oocytes, with increased polyspermy, than obtained with untreated controls. FITC‐labelled fucosylated BSA bound specifically to the postacrosomal region, binding being inhibited by both excess fucose and crude DF. UEA I, a lectin with specificity for fucose residues, bound to the postacrosomal region of cells preincubated in fucose but not crude DF, and blocked DF binding to DF‐depleted cells. These results are consistent with the DF binding, via fucose residues, to a GPI‐anchored receptor. Fucose binding sites are in the same region where Ca2+‐ATPase, the enzyme regulated by DF, has been localized; these results support the hypothesis that DF modulates capacitation by regulating enzyme activity and hence the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 51:193–202, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in obese men with and without sleep apnea: effects of continuous positive airway pressure therapy.

CONTEXT Previous studies on the association between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and sleep apnea (SA) and obesity are inconsistent and/or limited. OBJECTIVE In this study, we evaluated the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in nonpsychologically distressed obese subjects with and without SA and examined the impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in SA patients. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS In study I, four-night sleep laboratory recordings and serial 24-h plasma measures of cortisol were obtained in 45 obese men with and without apnea and nonobese controls. Sleep apneic patients were reassessed after 3 months of CPAP use. In study II, 38 obese men with and without sleep apnea and nonobese controls were challenged with ovine CRH administration after four nights in the sleep laboratory. RESULTS The sleep patterns were similar between obese and nonobese controls. Twenty-four-hour plasma cortisol levels were highest in nonobese controls, intermediate in obese apneic patients, and lowest in obese controls (8.8 +/- 0.4 vs. 8.1 +/- 0.3 vs. 7.5 +/- 0.3 microg/dl, P < 0.05). CPAP tended to reduce cortisol levels in the apneic patients (difference -0.7 +/- .4 microg/dl, P = 0.1). CRH administration resulted in a higher ACTH response in both obese groups, compared with nonobese controls; the three groups were not different in cortisol response. CONCLUSIONS Nonpsychologically distressed, normally sleeping, obese men had low cortisol secretion. The cortisol secretion was slightly activated by SA and returned to low by CPAP use. The low cortisol secretion in obesity through its inferred hyposecretion of hypothalamic CRH might predispose the obese to sleep apnea.
The Influence of Corporate Board Social Connections on Management Voluntary Financial Disclosures

We study how the pre-existing social network ties between the CEO and outside board members are associated with the firms’ voluntary financial disclosure practices, proxied by management earnings guidance. We construct social network ties by considering the social ties in addition to the statutory ties. After controlling firm and year fixed effects, we find a substantially strong, negative relation between the likelihood of management earnings forecasts and the extend of outside directors’ connection to the CEO. Moreover, firms with boards of fewer connections are less likely to issue precise forecasts, but the forecasts issued are more accurate, and less optimistically biased. Together, our empirical evidence suggests that the pre-existing social connections among outside directors are associated with lower financial disclosure quality, thereby implying that social network ties between the CEO and outside board members weaken monitoring effectiveness of the board. Very preliminary draft: please do not quote without permission. Comments welcome 1 Corresponding author. Address: Visiting Assistant Professor, Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Datong Plaza, 211 West Huaihai Road, Shanghai, P.R. China, 200030. Email Address: h.fu@tcu.edu
Amiodarone Decreases Heat, Cold, and Mechanical Hyperalgesia in a Rat Model of Neuropathic Pain

Lidocaine is effective in controlling ventricular dysrhythmia and neuropathic pain. Amiodarone, like lidocaine, has sodium channel blocking properties. In the present study we explore whether amiodarone has a similar effect as lidocaine on the heat, cold, and mechanical hyperalgesia seen in the rat model of neuropathic pain. Ten male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized. Four loose ligatures were placed on the sciatic nerve of the right hindpaw. A sham operation was performed on the contralateral hindpaw (control). Heat hyperalgesia was determined by comparing each paw withdrawal latency to heat stimulation (radiant heat source, 50°C). Cold hyperalgesia was assessed with acetone application. Mechanical hyperalgesia was determined by comparing the mechanical threshold in the ligated and control hind paws using calibrated von Frey filaments. Amiodarone was intraperitoneally administered at doses of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 mg/kg after the development of hyperalgesia. The animals were tested for hyperalgesia before and 1, 3, and 24 h after the administration of a single dose of amiodarone. Intrathecal catheters were implanted in 5 new rats, and amiodarone 5 mg/kg was injected. Testing for heat, mechanical, and cold hyperalgesia was performed similarly in the intrathecal amiodarone administration group. Amiodarone produces statistically significant decreases of heat, cold, and mechanical hyperalgesia after intraperitoneal administration. Results are statistically significant at 10 mg/kg (heat hyperalgesia), 20 mg/kg (mechanical hyperalgesia), and 100 mg/kg (cold hyperalgesia) intraperitoneally. Hyperalgesia returns 24 h after a dose. The intrathecal administration of amiodarone produces a nonstatistically significant reduction of hyperalgesia. Amiodarone seems to have a similar effect as lidocaine on the hyperalgesia seen in the rat model of neuropathic pain. As the half-life of amiodarone is significantly longer that that of lidocaine (mean, 53 days versus 90 min) in humans, it may have the potential to provide a longer lasting (and perhaps more effective) effect than lidocaine on neuropathic pain states.