Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study in mice of triptolide-loaded lipid emulsion and accumulation effect on pancreas

Abstract Triptolide (TP) shows strong anti-tumor activities on various cancer cells, especially on pancreatic cancer. TP inhibits HSP70 expression leading to cell death in pancreatic cancer cells and induces cell death by apoptotic and autophagic pathways. In order to increase the therapeutic index of TP, a novel intravenous TP-loaded delivery system, TP-loaded lipid emulsion (TP-LE), has been developed to treat solid tumor. In the present study, the preparation and characterization of TP-LE were described. The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of TP-LE in mice were also evaluated. Results demonstrated that TP-LE had an average particle size of 154.6 nm, entrapment efficiency (EE%) of 87%, zeta potential of −0.903 mV and autoclaved stability. The pharmacokinetic study showed that blood concentrations of both TP-LE and TP reached a maximum at the end of intravenous administration (1.25 mg/kg) and declined rapidly within the first 10 min with a mean residence time (MRT) of about 10 min. In the tissue distribution study, a preferential accumulation and longer residence time of drug in pancreas were found in TP-LE. The AUC0–60min of TP-LE in pancreas was 2.19 times in comparison to free TP, suggesting that the use of TP-LE conferred improvements in biodistribution, accumulation and therapeutic efficacy in pancreas. Moreover, the concentrations of TP-LE in heart, lung and kidney were lower than that of the TP group, indicating the potential for reduced toxicity of TP-LE. Together, all the results show that TP-LE appears to be a promising formulation for using TP in treating cancer, and more specifically pancreatic cancer.
Monetary blood donation incentives and the risk of transfusion‐ transmitted infection

ransmission of viral infection is a serious complication of blood transfusion. The risk of transmitting infections of donor origin is reduced by many T factors of the blood-collection process: voluntary donations, medical and social history evaluation of the donor, physical examination of the donor, collection by aseptic technique, testing of blood for infectious diseases, confidential unit exclusion procedures,' and donor call-back procedures.2 Albumin, immune globulin, and clotting factor concentrates derived from donated blood can be further treated with disinfection and sterilization steps. None of these steps provides sufficient assurance of sterility to be relied upon alone.Virus-inactivation and sterilization steps, when employed, reduce the concentration of infectious microbes, but their effectiveness depends, among other factors, upon the initial microbial load, the length of exposure to and strength of the sterilant, and error-free operat i o n ~ . ~ Virus-inactivation steps may fail4 for one reason or another, and, if so, the other safety steps, particularlythose of donor recruitment and donor evaluation, become extremely important. Blood testing for hepatitis B and C viruses (HBY HCV) and HIVis essential, but if the prevalence of these viral infections is high in blood donors, even those who deny hepatitis and HIV risk behaviors, the number of infected donors with false-negative test results can also be relatively high. As a consequence, each step, beginning with the recruitment of blood donors, is important and should be maximally effective.
On the convergence of fixed-step power control algorithms with binary feedback for mobile communication systems

The mobile transmitter power control algorithms that need to exchange the tract information on link gains, interference levels, or signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) between transmitters and receivers have been proved to converge to a unique fixed power allocation. However, such exact exchange requires an excessive bandwidth for signalling traffic. In practical systems, only 1 bit is sent back to each transmitter. The 0-1 binary feedback is used by the transmitter either to increase or to decrease the power level by a predetermined amount. In this study, we prove a convergence property of the binary feedback power control algorithm. Since the power level of each transmitter is changed by a fixed amount at every iteration, we cannot claim that the power converges to a fixed point. Instead, we show that the received SIR of each user falls within a certain specific range that is determined by an SIR target and a power control step-size.
Improvement in coronary vascular dysfunction produced with euglycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes

Objective: To determine the effect of plasma glucose lowering on coronary circulatory function in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Twenty patients with type 2 diabetes and 18 weight-matched controls were studied. At baseline, myocardial blood flow (MBF) was measured with [13N]ammonia and positron emission tomography at rest, during cold pressor testing (CPT), and during adenosine hyperaemia. In diabetic patients, MBF and blood chemistry were analysed again after 3 months of glucose-lowering treatment with glyburide and metformin. Results: Although hyperaemic MBF did not differ significantly between the patients and controls (1.81 (0.38) v 1.97 (0.43) ml/min/g; mean (SD)), the CPT-induced MBF increase (ΔMBF) was significantly less in diabetic patients than in controls (0.07 (0.07) v 0.25 (0.12) ml/min/g; p<0.001). Treatment with glyburide and metformin significantly decreased plasma glucose concentrations from 207 (76) to 134 (52) mg/dl (p<0.001). This decrease in plasma glucose was paralleled by a significant increase in ΔMBF in response to CPT (0.20 (0.16) from 0.07 (0.07) ml/min/g; p<0.001), which tended to be lower than in controls at baseline (0.20 (0.16) v 0.25 (0.12) ml/min/g; p = NS). The decrease in plasma glucose concentrations correlated significantly with the improvement in ΔMBF in response to CPT (r = 0.67, p<0.01). Conclusions: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with abnormal MBF response to CPT, which can be significantly improved by euglycaemic control with glyburide and metformin. The close association between the decrease in plasma glucose concentration and the improvement in coronary vasomotor function in response to CPT suggests a direct adverse effect of raised plasma glucose concentration on diabetes-related coronary vascular disease.
In Situ Dehydration of Carbamazepine Dihydrate: A Novel Technique to Prepare Amorphous Anhydrous Carbamazepine

The purposes of this project were to prepare amorphous carbamazepine by dehydration of crystalline carbamazepine dihydrate, and to study the kinetics of crystallization of the prepared amorphous phase. Amorphous carbamazepine was formed and characterized in situ in the sample chamber of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and a variable temperature x-ray powder diffractometer (VTXRD). It has a glass transition temperature of 56°C and it is a relatively strong glass with a strength parameter of 37. The kinetics of its crystallization were followed by isothermal XRD, under a controlled water vapor pressure of 23 Torr. The crystallization kinetics are best described by the three-dimensional nuclear growth model with rate constants of 0.014, 0.021, and 0.032 min1 at 45, 50, and 55°C, respectively. When the Arrhenius equation was used, the activation energy of crystallization was calculated to be 74 kJ/mol in the presence of water vapor (23 Torr). On the basis of the Kissinger plot, the activation energy of crystallization in the absence of water vapor (0 Torr water vapor pressure) was determined to be 157 kJ/mol. Dehydration of the dihydrate is a novel method to prepare amorphous carbamazepine; in comparison with other methods, it is a relatively gentle and effective technique.
Serum lipids and lipoproteins in schizophrenic patients receiving major tranquilizers.

Serum lipids and Jipoprotein levels were determined in 35 schizophrenics treated with Phenothiazine, 30 with butyrophenone and 22 with both drugs for six to twelve months. Total cholesterol, VLD L — cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly elevated in patients on phenothiazine and LDL cholesterol in patients on butyrophenone. VLD L and LD L — cholesterol levels were significantly higher and HDL cholesterol levels lower in patients on combined therapy (JPMA 38 : 259 1988).
Granulomatous Lobular Mastitis Following Drug‐Induced Galactorrhea and Blunt Trauma

Abstract: We report a single case of chronic granulomatous lobular mastitis following metoclopramide‐related galactorrhea and a blunt trauma in a young parous woman who underwent two conservative operations before becoming symptom‐free. We have found only two other literature cases associated with hyperprolactinemia, and our case could be another of this etiologic group. The absence of well‐formed granulomas in the first histology specimen in the present case was misleading; it was reinterpreted as granulomatous mastitis only after the second specimen was examined. Reinterpretation was based on the lobular distribution of a lymphoplasmocytic infiltrate (nonspecific chronic lobulitis) and the presence of epithelioid cell sheets and neutrophils in the absence of well‐formed granulomas. The case lends further support to the theory of a local immune response initiated by the secreted material or by one of its components in the formation of granulomas. However, contributory factors such as the trauma in this case (a blow from a shovel handle) or systemic disease in others may play a role in the development of the disease, which in some instances may represent a pattern of tissue reactions to different noxious agents.
Large-scale investigation of base excision repair genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer risk in a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND Base excision repair (BER) is a highly conserved essential mechanism for maintaining genome integrity. We examined associations among four well-characterized polymorphisms of BER genes (OGG1 Ser326Cys, XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg280His, and XRCC1 Arg399Gln) and lung cancer risk. METHODS A total of 2188 patients with lung cancer and 2198 control subjects without lung cancer recruited at 15 centers in six Eastern European countries from February 1998 to October 2002 provided DNA samples for genotype analysis. Genetic polymorphisms were analyzed by the fluorescence 5' exonuclease and Amplifluor assays. Unconditional multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We estimated the false-positive reporting probability (FPRP) for our results by incorporating a range of prior probabilities that specific polymorphisms are associated with lung cancer risk. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS The overall odds ratio for lung cancer among those with the OGG1 Cys/Cys genotype compared with those with the OGG1 Ser/Ser genotype was 1.34 (95% CI = 0.95 to 1.88); the association was most prominent for adenocarcinoma risk (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.04 to 2.66). Overall, the XRCC1 polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of lung cancer. However, the XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg280His variants were each associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer among subjects in the highest quartile of pack-years of smoking compared with common allele homozygotes (ORs of 0.65 [95% CI = 0.46 to 0.93] and 0.56 [95% CI = 0.36 to 0.86], respectively). The associations between the OGG1 Cys/Cys genotype and adenocarcinoma risk and between XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism and lung cancer risk among heavy smokers remained robust given prior probabilities of 25% (FPRP = 0.238) and 10% (FPRP = 0.276), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results do not support a major independent role of BER gene polymorphisms in lung cancer risk. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that the OGG1 Ser326Cys and XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphisms play minor roles in lung carcinogenesis.
Ordering Matters: An Experimental Study of Ranking Influence on Results Selection Behavior during Exploratory Search

The design of Exploratory Search tools acquires more importance as the amount of information on the Web grows. Accordingly, informed design decisions concerning the usersâ behavior during search activities can be used in novel approaches for Exploratory Search tools. With regard to usersâ behavior on search result selection, literature indicates higher ranked results tend to attract more attention and, therefore, more hits. However, the cause of such behavior is not clear. We experimentally investigate the hypothesis of this behavior being due to ranking. A group of 72 participants was asked to select a search result from a randomly ordered results list. The experiment was carried out on paper to remove specific search engine and digital medium biases. We obtained evidence indicating there is a trend towards choosing higher ranked results even in a different medium and in the context of an Exploratory Search, corroborating to the hypothesis that ranking has influence on usersâ selection behavior.
Smoking and structural brain deficits: a volumetric MR investigation

Growing evidence from animal studies indicates brain‐damaging properties of nicotine exposure. Investigations in humans found a wide range of functional cerebral effects of nicotine and cigarette smoking, but studies focusing on brain damage are sparse. In 22 smokers and 23 never‐smokers possible differences of the cerebral structures were investigated using magnetic resonance imaging and voxel‐based morphometry. Significantly smaller grey matter volume and lower grey matter density (P = 0.05, corrected) were observed in the frontal regions (anterior cingulate, prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex), the occipital lobe and the temporal lobe including parahippocampal gyrus, in smokers than in never‐smokers. Group differences of either grey matter volume or grey matter density were also found in the thalamus, cerebellum and substantia nigra, among other regions. Smokers did not show greater volumes than never‐smokers in any cerebral region. Magnitude of lifetime exposure to tobacco smoke (pack‐years) was inversely correlated with volume of frontal and temporal lobes and cerebellum (P = 0.001, uncorrected). The data indicate structural deficits of several cortical and subcortical regions in smokers relative to never‐smokers. The topographic profile of the group differences show some similarities to brain networks known to mediate drug reinforcement, attention and working memory processing. The present findings may explain in part the frequently reported cognitive dysfunctions in chronic cigarette consumers.
Head and neck cancer and precancer: can we use molecular genetics to make better predictions?

Over the past two decades, scientific study has identified key genetic errors which play a role in the development of the malignant cell. This knowledge has increased our understanding of the way in which these aberrations alter growth control and the interactions between cells and their surroundings which give rise to invasion and metastasis. Tumour suppressor genes, including the p53, retinoblastoma (Rb) and p16 genes, play a key role in the pathogenesis of head and neck cancers (1), and several other chromosomal areas have been identified which are likely to harbour other sequences associated with development of this tumour type. A variety of oncogene aberrations have also been reported in these tumours (1). However, little has been done to date to utilise this information for the benefit of the cancer patient, and the challenge which we now face is how best to use this new knowledge to make better predictions about tumour behaviour and inform treatment decisions. At present, the TNM tumour classification system is an essential component of the measures used for predicting outcome for patients with head and neck cancers, although it does not always provide accurate prognostic information. This failure is owing to the requirement to take into account tumour site, histology and information about tumour biology in addition to conventional TNM criteria. However, progress in this area can now be made using molecular genetics to profile the spectrum of genetic aberrations in a given cancer and compiling computerised patient-specific mutation databases for a large series of
Radical of Primary-like submodules satisfying the primeful property H .

In this article, we develop the tool of saturation in the context of primary-like submodules of modules. We are particularly interested in relationships among the saturation of a primary-like submodule satisfying the primeful property and its radical. Furthermore, we provide sufficient conditions involving saturation and torsion arguments under which the radical of such a submodule is prime.
Human Capital and Institutional Effects in the Compensation of Information Technology Professionals in the United States

This paper studies the influence of supply-side and demand-side factors on the compensation of information technology (IT) professionals and considers the human capital and institutional explanations. We focus on returns to an MBA and the IT-related experience of IT professionals and use the largest data set of IT professionals that has been compiled to date in the United States to answer our research questions. We find that firms pay a significant premium for an MBA. Although firms value the IT experience of IT professionals, they value an MBA significantly more. The results of this study cast doubt on the belief that IT skills have a large firm-specific component. Although IT experience is valued more than non-IT experience for IT professionals, firms value IT experience at other firms much more than they value firm-specific IT experience. Likewise, contrary to popular perception, we do not find evidence for complementarities between an MBA education and IT experience. Among institutional effects, firms in IT and IT-intensive industries pay significantly more to IT professionals than do other firms, and dot-com firms also paid a significant premium in 1999 and 2000. However, these firms do not value an MBA or firm-specific IT experience any more than other firms. We discuss the implications of these findings for further research, for firms' compensation practices, and for individual IT professionals.
Atrial Fibrillation and the Expanding Role of Catheter Ablation: Do Antiarrhythmic Drugs Have a Future?

The main therapeutic strategies for treating atrial fibrillation include rate control, maintenance of sinus rhythm, and antiembolic treatment. Current antiarrhythmic drugs are effective in about 50% of patients and are often associated with adverse effects. Multiple trials suggest that rate control with proper anticoagulation treatment is associated with a similar prognosis to a more aggressive rhythm control strategy. Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation has success rates that exceed currently available antiarrhythmic drugs. However, catheter ablation is an evolving technique that can result in complications. In some patients, antiarrhythmic drugs are still required following ablation. New antiarrhythmic drug strategies include developing drugs that are more atrial selective, alteration of the multichannel blocking agent, amiodarone, or the development of drugs with novel mechanisms of action such as gap junction facilitation of conduction. Although catheter ablation procedures will continue to grow, the millions of atrial fibrillation patients who will require therapy will continue to make antiarrhythmic drug therapy an important part of our ongoing therapeutic armamentarium.
Laboratory Studies of Steep and Breaking Deep Water Waves in a Convergent Channel

Abstract : In the present experiments, waves were made to steepen by a convergent section which was installed in NRL's 30m long wave channel. These and other recent experiments have demonstrated that a criterion for the onset of breaking for deep water waves can be simply stated in terms of the wave steepness at breaking. This criterion states that the wave steepness at the onset of breaking is given by H/L* = approx. 0.11, where H is the wave height and L* is the Stokes limiting wavelength. On the evidence available thus far the simple steepness criterion applies equally well to spilling and plunging breakers. Criteria such as this can be readily used to predict the frequency of occurrence of breaking for deep water waves. There are more complex questions relating to energy losses in breaking and related topics which cannot be addressed so simply. From the results of the present experiments it appears that the potential energy loss rates of plunging breakers are twice those of spilling breakers in deep water. Moreover, the potential energy losses in breaking did not significantly alter the total mean drift and return flows in the channel. Most of the energy lost goes into the production of turbulence and into air entrainment in the breaking region. Keywords: Wave breaking; Ocean waves; Ocean engineering.
Future Directions in the Study of Health Behavior among Older Adults

The study of health behaviors and fostering health-behavior change is an important endeavor even in old age. The aim of this viewpoint article is threefold. First, we use a broad perspective for the definition of health behaviors to capture all relevant aspects of health-behavior change in older adults. Particularly, we suggest a distinction between proximal (e.g., physical activity) and distal health behaviors (e.g., social participation). Second, we recommend a stronger orientation towards processes in order to study health behaviors and the design of health-behavior change interventions. Third, we review the advantages of a developmental perspective in health psychology. Future directions in the study of health behavior among older adults are discussed.
The effectiveness of olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, and ziprasidone as augmentation agents in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND Many questions remain regarding the use of atypical neuroleptics as antidepressant augmentation agents. To date, there have been no reports in the literature regarding the effectiveness of these drugs when trials of one or more of them have failed previously as antidepressant augmentation. METHOD This retrospective chart review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, and ziprasidone when given in a fee-for-service setting as anti-depressant augmentation agents to patients with treatment-resistant, nonpsychotic major depressive disorder (DSM-IV). Prospective (Global Assessment of Functioning [GAF]) along with retrospective (Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement [CGI-I] and -Severity of Illness scales) ratings were completed for each patient. Analyses were conducted in an attempt to identify factors that appeared to correlate with response, including order of administration and Thase-Rush staging of treatment resistance. RESULTS In this study of 76 medication trials in 49 patients, the overall response rate based on the CGI-I ratings was 65% (32/49). Individual rates of response were 57% (21/37) for olanzapine, 50% (7/14) for risperidone, 33% (6/18) for quetiapine, and 10% (1/10) for ziprasidone. None of the differences between neuroleptics in rates of response were significant. The difference between baseline and final GAF scores was statistically significant only in the olanzapine (p <.001) and risperidone (p =.047) groups. Rates of discontinuation did not vary significantly between agents, though trends were present. Crossover trials from one atypical neuroleptic to another in the event of nonresponse appeared to be effective. CONCLUSIONS Although limited by its design, this study suggests atypical neuroleptic augmentation of antidepressants may be a viable option in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.