Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Intracerebral Grafting of Dopamine-Secreting PC12 Cells into Allogeneic and Xenogeneic Brain

• Abstract — The PC12 pheochromocytoma tumor cell line is derived from a rat adrenal medullary tumor and secretes dopamine. We have previously reported that grafted microencapsulated PC12 cells using agarose and poly(styrene sulfonic acid) survived in the xenogeneic brain without immunosuppression. To investigate whether unencapsulated PC12 cells form a tumor and how they provoke immunological reaction, PC12 cell suspension was im­ planted into the striatum of Sprague-Dawley rat (allogeneic graft) or guinea pig (xenogeneic graft) and histological analysis using Nissl stain and immunocytochemical analysis using antityrosine hydroxylase (TH) antibody were per­ formed 1, 2, and 4 wk after transplantation. Host animals were not immunosuppressed. PC12 cells formed a mass 1 and 2 wk after transplantation both in allogeneic and xenogeneic brain. These grafted PC12 cells were immuno­ reactive to anti-TH antibody. Four weeks after transplan­ tation, however, grafted PC12 cells in the allogeneic brain were only found within the restricted area near the site of implantation. In the xenogeneic brain, only the trace of grafted PC12 cells were found around the site of implanta­ tion 4 wk after transplantation. In both allogeneic and xenogeneic animals, a number of lymphocytes were found in and around the grafts at all period investigated. These findings indicate that PC12 cells could survive in the allogeneic or xenogeneic brain for 2 wk and were ultimately rejected by immunological reaction by 4 wk after trans­ plantation. Implantation of encapsulated PC12 cells in the allogeneic or xenogeneic brain is considered a safe and effective method for delivering dopamine into the brain because PC 12 cells will not form a tumor in the long-term even if capsules are damaged in some reason. © 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.
VULNERABLE CHILDREN AND THEIR CARE QUALITY ISSUES: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF A NATIONAL DATABASE

Background Globally, two in five children are deemed vulnerable by virtue of their physical, psychological and social characteristics. These children are at increased risk of sub-optimal care and disproportionate levels of iatrogenic harm. There remains a paucity of literature describing initiatives for practice improvement for these children. Objectives Identify safety reports describing vulnerable children in the England and Wales National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). Characterise reports in terms of what happened and reported causative issues, in order to identify key change concepts (drivers) and related interventions (change ideas) for improvement. Methods An operational definition of ‘vulnerability in children’, including key domains and related keywords (Appendix 1, 2), was empirically informed by a scoping review of the published and grey literature. Relevant reports were descriptively analysed. The free text of the four most frequent incident types (Pareto principle) was discussed by a multi-disciplinary team to identify key concepts for improvement. Results 2,015 reports were identified involving vulnerable children. The problem areas identified primarily resulted from a fragmentation of care services. This included inefficient transfer of information between primary care services; failure to operationalise care plans in practice; and inconsistent access to healthcare services. Reported causes are outlined in an Ishikawa diagram (figure 1) and summarized in the related driver diagram (figure 2) to mitigate problem areas. Conclusions Analysis of patient safety incident reports assisted in the pragmatic identification of key concepts for healthcare professionals to begin more informed discussions about improving the care delivered to vulnerable children. Figure 1 Ishikawa diagram illustrating causative factors contributing to patient safety incidents. Figure 2 Driver diagram for improved safety and quality of healthcare of vulnerable children in primary care. Appendix 1 Process of generating key terms. Appendix 2 Process of generating key terms (continued).
Changes in Serum Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha and Antioxidant status in Different Stages of Malignant Prostate Cancer Patients in Iraq

Chronic inflammation can induce proliferative events and posttranslational DNA modifications in prostate tissue through oxidative stress. The present study was designed to evaluate the changes in serum levels of TNF-I±, malomdialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant status (TAS) patients with different stages of malignant prostatic cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). One hundred males (age range of 58-72 years) with different stages of malignant PCa were recruited from the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Teaching Hospital in Baghdad during the period from September 2010 to April 2011. The patients were categorized according to the 4 disease stages (I, II, III, and IV); 25 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 25 normal healthy subjects were considered as comparator groups. Blood samples were taken from all subjects for analysis of TNF-I± TAS and MDA levels. The results showed significant differences between the four stages of PCa patients in all parameters; however, highly significant difference was observed in stage IV compared to control and BPH patients. In conclusion, TNF-I± and total antioxidant status could be utilized for marking the advanced stages of malignant PCa. Key words: Malignant Prostate cancer, Inflammation, TNF-I±, Oxidative stress
Internationally educated nurses working as healthcare assistants in the UK: perceived barriers to UK nurse registration among non EU/EEA nurses

Aim: To conduct a scoping project to identify perceived barriers to UK nurse registration as understood by internationally educated nurses working as Healthcare Assistants in the UK. Method: Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Eleven internationally educated nurses working as healthcare assistants in two London hospitals attended two facilitated focus groups. Participants articulated frustration with UK English language testing requirements, and a sense of injustice and unfairness relating to: a) dual standards for nurses educated within and outside of the European Union and European Economic Area and b) what was perceived, by some, as arbitrary testing with unnecessarily high standards. Differences among focus group attendees related to issues of competency and accountability regarding English language skills and passing English language skills tests, with many feeling they were playing ‘a game’ where the rules keep changing. Conclusion: Language testing barriers are impeding UK nurse registration for some internationally educated nurses from outside of the European Union and European Economic Area who, as a result, are working as Healthcare Assistants. The provision of English language training by employers would improve their prospects of achieving nurse registration in the UK.
Comparative Baseline Health-Related Quality of Life in Real-Life Patientswith Monoclonal Gammopathies

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasingly used as a secondary end-point in clinical trials, in particular, in multiple myeloma (MM)-related studies. However, several issues preclude a generalized use. First, the evidence available is still scarce; furthermore, some weaknesses and inconsistencies in analysis and presentation are observed [1]. Second, standardization for data collection, analysis and reporting is lacking. Third, an internationally validated questionnaire should be used.
Preretinal hemorrhage Hemorragia pré-retiniana

A case of Valsalva hemorrhagic retinopathy treated with Nd:YAG laser indescribed. The patient presented decreased visual acuity after coughing, and a preretinal hemorrhage was diagnosed in the posterior pole; puncturing the posterior hyaloid face was performed with Nd:Yag laser. Rapid hemorrhage absorption was observed after the therapy proposed and visual acuity was recovered. Nd:Yag laser proved to be safe and efficient in the management of preretinal hemorrhage.
Collagenase Lot Selection and Purification for Adipose Tissue Digestion

• Abstract — Crude Clostridial collagenase (CCC) remains the most widely used enzyme for the digestion of tissues prior to cell isolation and culture. CCC contains numerous com­ ponents in addition to specific collagenases and proteases. A chronic problem associated with CCC is significant lot variability which occurs with respect to the ability of differ­ ent lots of CCC to digest tissue. We have evaluated numer­ ous commercially available samples of CCC for their ability to digest human liposuction-derived SC fat. Digestion capac­ ity was evaluated as the ability to release endothelial cells from fat as well as the ability of isolated cells to adhere to tissue culture plastic. A significant variation in digestion ef­ ficacy between lots of collagenase was observed. We sub­ sequently purified CCC using a partial purification method with dialysis and centrifugation as well as a complete puri­ fication, using liquid chromatography, to remove all nonspe­ cific proteases. While partially purified collagenase retained digestion capacity, pure collagenase exhibited reduced diges­ tion capacity. Maximum digestion was achieved with pure collagenase when trypsin was added. The use of completely purified collagenase with trypsin is advantageous where all components in the enzyme digestion mixture must be known.
Comparison of Porcine Hepatocytes with Human Hepatoma (C3A) Cells for Use in a Bioartificial Liver Support System

D Abstract Cells from primary porcine hepatocytes (PPB) and the immortalized human hepatoma cell line C3A are both used in bioartificial liver support systems (BALSS). In this work the viability and metabolic capacity of PPH and C3A cells cultured in different media were compared. Also, because the cells come into direct or indirect contact with human blood components in BALSS, the effects of human complement on survival and functions of the cells was evaluated. For short-term culture, maintenance of PPH viability was essential for retention of P4501Al activity (r = 0.882, p < 0.01) and effective ammonia clearance (r = -0.791, p < 0.01). When cell viability was below 60% P4501Al activity could not be recorded and nitrogen elimination activity significantly diminished. In contrast to PPH, ammonia levels were markedly increased for C3A cells in all culture media tested (p < 0.01). Ammonia increase correlated with C3A viability (r = 0.896, p < 0.05). PPH metabolic function was superior to that of the C3A cell line when evaluated by P4501Al activity, ammonia removal, and amino acid metabolism. When PPH were incubated in human plasma (HP) or human serum (HS) there was rapid and irreversible deterioration of viability occurring within 9 h. This toxic effect could be prevented by the inactivation of complement. When sodium citrate dissolved in dextrose was added to medium, there was considerable damage to both PPH and the C3A cell line. However, there was no demonstrable toxic effect when hepatic cells of either type were exposed to heparin. We conclude that PPH cultivated in complementinactivated HP or HS are to be preferred to C3A for clinical application of BALSS, and that heparin should be preferred for anticoagulation in BALSS. © 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.
Industrial power measurement and control design

The authors present in detail the interface of a digital power metering system that provides multifunction instrumentation, data acquisition, and control using an RS 485-based local area network, (LAN). This system consists of an LAN in which several remote data acquisition and control nodes are serviced by a PC host. Each node, consisting of a metering processor and an input/output (I/O) processor, is linked to a PC-based LAN. The basic components are examined, and the potential uses of such a system and its power monitoring and control function are described. <<ETX>>
EFFECT OF AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM BASED ON THE HEALTH BELIEF MODEL ON PREVENTIVE BEHAVIORS OF URINARY TRACT INFECTION AMONG WOMEN

Background and Objectives: According to the role of the health behaviors in preventing diseases, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of an educational program based on the Health Belief Model on preventive behaviors of the urinary tract infection among women. Material and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 170 women with history of the urinary tract infection referred to four hospitals in Tehran were selected via convenience sampling method. The participants were allocated to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the educational program. Data were gathered using a self-structured questionnaire including demographic characteristics and items on the health behaviors related to the urinary tract infection at baseline and 12 weeks after the intervention. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated using the expert panel opinions (r=0.81), and the Cronbach's alpha test (α=0.93.). Data were analyzed using the Man Whitney test, Chi-Squared test, and the Wilcox on test. The P<0.05 was considered as the significance level. Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups at baseline regarding the health behavior scores. Comparison of the mean scores of the total health behaviors and five subgroups showed significant differences between the intervention and control groups after the intervention (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the score of the treatment regimen adherence (P=0.07). Conclusion : According to the positive effect of this program designed based on the Health Belief Model; this program can be used in order to prevent urinary tract infections among women.
Survival and Function of Syngeneic Rat Islet Grafts Placed within the Thymus versus under the Kidney Capsule

• Abstract — The role of the thymus in the ongoing acqui­ sition of tolerance to self antigens has made it an attractive site for islet transplantation. Several studies have reported survival of rodent islet allografts in the thymus without requiring the long-term use of immunosuppressive agents; however, the degree of glucose homeostasis in the intrathy­ mic islet transplant recipients has not been examined. We transplanted 500, 1000, or 2000 syngeneic islets into the thymus of streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar-Furth rats, and compared the metabolic response of these recip­ ients with animals receiving 2000 syngeneic islets under the kidney capsule. Three of four recipients which received 2000 islets under the kidney capsule achieved normoglyce­ mia (£8 .4 mmol/L) within 1 wk and all animals became normoglycemic within 2 wk posttransplantation. In con­ trast, intrathymic implantation of 2000 islets induced nor­ moglycemia in only one of six recipients during the same time interval, and when this number was reduced to 1000 or 500 islets, none of the recipients (n = 6) normalized within 1 wk posttransplantation. Animals that received an intra­ thymic transplant were glucose intolerant compared to normal controls and animals with subcapsular islet trans­ plant. Removal of the graft-bearing organs resulted in hyperglycemia in all cases, and examination of the grafts revealed the presence of numerous well-granulated insulincontaining cells in both sites. The cellular insulin content of the subcapsular grafts (67.4 ± 12.1 pg; n = 4) was significantly higher (p <0.05) than what was extracted from intrathymic grafts (9.5 ± 1.2 pg from 1000 islets; n = 3 and 20.0 ± 4.6 pg from 2000 islets; n = 3). We conclude that 2000 syngeneic islets implanted either in the thymus or beneath the kidney capsule can normalize hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-diabetic rats; however, normal glucose tol­ erance was not established in intrathymic islet recipients, suggesting that a higher number of islets may be necessary to achieve normal glucose homeostasis. © 1997 Elsevier Science Inc. •
Faltering growth

F altering growth is a common paediatric presentation in primary care; it often presents following routine health visitor surveillance or is highlighted by parental concern. It is important to recognise, as it may be the presentation of an underlying medical or social problem, and because there may be long-term consequences for growth and development. Reassuringly, however, most children with faltering growth do not fall into these groups and will improve with community-based interventions including dietary advice and health visitor input. This article describes the recognition, causes, assessment and management of faltering growth in infants and children.
Evaluation of the Effect of CYP2D6 Genotypes on Tramadol and O-Desmethyltramadol Pharmacokinetic Profiles in a Korean Population Using Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling

Tramadol is a μ-opioid receptor agonist and a monoamine reuptake inhibitor. O-desmethyltramadol (M1), the major active metabolite of tramadol, is produced by CYP2D6. A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model was developed to predict changes in time-concentration profiles for tramadol and M1 according to dosage and CYP2D6 genotypes in the Korean population. Parallel artificial membrane permeation assay was performed to determine tramadol permeability, and the metabolic clearance of M1 was determined using human liver microsomes. Clinical study data were used to develop the model. Other physicochemical and pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained from the literature. Simulations for plasma concentrations of tramadol and M1 (after 100 mg tramadol was administered five times at 12-h intervals) were based on a total of 1000 virtual healthy Koreans using SimCYP® simulator. Geometric mean ratios (90% confidence intervals) (predicted/observed) for maximum plasma concentration at steady-state (Cmax,ss) and area under the curve at steady-state (AUClast,ss) were 0.79 (0.69–0.91) and 1.04 (0.85–1.28) for tramadol, and 0.63 (0.51–0.79) and 0.67 (0.54–0.84) for M1, respectively. The predicted time–concentration profiles of tramadol fitted well to observed profiles and those of M1 showed under-prediction. The developed model could be applied to predict concentration-dependent toxicities according to CYP2D6 genotypes and also, CYP2D6-related drug interactions.
Myristoleic acid produced by enterococci reduces obesity through brown adipose tissue activation

Objective Dietary fibre has beneficial effects on energy metabolism, and the majority of studies have focused on short-chain fatty acids produced by gut microbiota. Ginseng has been reported to aid in body weight management, however, its mechanism of action is not yet clear. In this study, we focused on the potential modulating effect of ginseng on gut microbiota, aiming to identify specific strains and their metabolites, especially long-chain fatty acids (LCFA), which mediate the anti-obesity effects of ginseng. Design Db/db mice were gavaged with ginseng extract (GE) and the effects of GE on gut microbiota were evaluated using 16S rDNA-based high throughput sequencing. To confirm the candidate fatty acids, untargeted metabolomics analyses of the serum and medium samples were performed. Results We demonstrated that GE can induce Enterococcus faecalis, which can produce an unsaturated LCFA, myristoleic acid (MA). Our results indicate that E. faecalis and its metabolite MA can reduce adiposity by brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation and beige fat formation. In addition, the gene of E. faecalis encoding Acyl-CoA thioesterases (ACOTs) exhibited the biosynthetic potential to synthesise MA, as knockdown (KD) of the ACOT gene by CRISPR-dCas9 significantly reduced MA production. Furthermore, exogenous treatment with KD E. faecalis could not reproduce the beneficial effects of wild type E. faecalis, which work by augmenting the circulating MA levels. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that the gut microbiota-LCFA-BAT axis plays an important role in host metabolism, which may provide a strategic advantage for the next generation of anti-obesity drug development.
Manipulations of Central Amygdala Neurotensin Neurons Alter the Consumption of Ethanol and Sweet Fluids in Mice

The central nucleus of the amygdala plays a significant role in alcohol use and other affective disorders; however, the genetically-defined neuronal subtypes and projections that govern these behaviors are not well known. Here we show that neurotensin neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala of male mice are activated by in vivo ethanol consumption and that genetic ablation of these neurons decreases ethanol consumption and preference in non-ethanol-dependent animals. This ablation did not impact preference for sucrose, saccharin, or quinine. We found that the most robust projection of the central amygdala neurotensin neurons was to the parabrachial nucleus, a brain region known to be important in feeding behaviors, conditioned taste aversion, and alarm. Optogenetic stimulation of projections from these neurons to the parabrachial nucleus is reinforcing, and increases ethanol drinking as well as consumption of sucrose and saccharin solutions. These data suggest that this central amygdala to parabrachial nucleus projection influences the expression of reward-related phenotypes and is a novel circuit promoting consumption of ethanol and palatable fluids. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major health burden worldwide. Although ethanol consumption is required for the development of AUD, much remains unknown regarding the underlying neural circuits that govern initial ethanol intake. Here we show that ablation of a population of neurotensin-expressing neurons in the central amygdala decreases intake of and preference for ethanol in non-dependent animals, whereas the projection of these neurons to the parabrachial nucleus promotes consumption of ethanol as well as other palatable fluids.
Population dynamics of foxes during restricted-area culling in Britain: Advancing understanding through state-space modelling of culling records

Lethal control is widely employed to suppress the numbers of target wildlife species within restricted management areas. The success of such measures is expected to vary with local circumstances affecting rates of removal and replacement. There is a need both to evaluate success in individual cases and to understand variability and its causes. In Britain, red fox (Vulpes vulpes) populations are culled within the confines of shooting estates to benefit game and wildlife prey species. We developed a Bayesian state-space model for within-year fox population dynamics within such restricted areas and fitted it to data on culling effort and success obtained from gamekeepers on 22 shooting estates of 2 to 36 km2. We used informative priors for key population processes—immigration, cub recruitment and non-culling mortality–that could not be quantified in the field. Using simulated datasets we showed that the model reliably estimated fox density and demographic parameters, and we showed that conclusions drawn from real data were robust to alternative model assumptions. All estates achieved suppression of the fox population, with pre-breeding fox density on average 47% (range 20%–90%) of estimated carrying capacity. As expected, the number of foxes killed was a poor indicator of effectiveness. Estimated rates of immigration were variable among estates, but in most cases indicated rapid replacement of culled foxes so that intensive culling efforts were required to maintain low fox densities. Due to this short-term impact, control effort focussed on the spring and summer period may be essential to achieve management goals for prey species. During the critical March-July breeding period, mean fox densities on all estates were suppressed below carrying capacity, and some maintained consistently low fox densities throughout this period. A similar model will be useful in other situations to quantify the effectiveness of lethal control on restricted areas.