Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brain O2 consumption and glutamate release during hypoglycemic coma in piglets are temperature sensitive.

Hypoglycemic injury in the mature brain is mediated by excitotoxicity, which is worsened by disordered cellular energy metabolism. The role of excitotoxicity in relation to brain energy metabolism during hypoglycemia has not been studied in the immature brain. Brain oxygen consumption ([Formula: see text]) increases during hypoglycemia in piglets, whereas [Formula: see text] decreases in adult pig models. We tested the hypothesis that increased[Formula: see text] during hypoglycemic coma is temperature dependent and coincides with increased excitatory amino acids (EAA). We measured cerebral blood flow (CBF),[Formula: see text], and cortical microdiaysate EAA in pentobarbital-anesthetized piglets during hypoglycemic coma and during 2 h of recovery and in normoglycemic controls. In warmed animals brain temperature was kept normothermic (38.5°C). In unwarmed animals brain temperature was allowed to fall (37.6°C). During hypoglycemia CBF increased similarly in warmed animals and unwarmed animals;[Formula: see text] increased in warmed animals but not unwarmed animals. Glutamate increased during coma and increased more in warmed animals than unwarmed animals but normalized quickly during recovery. EEG recovered earlier in unwarmed animals. We conclude that during a hypoglycemic coma in the immature brain,[Formula: see text] and glutamate are increased in a temperature-dependent manner.
“God Put Weed Here for Us to Smoke”: A Mixed-Methods Study of Religion and Spirituality among Adolescents with Cannabis Use Disorders

Background: A growing literature on adults with substance use disorders (SUDs) suggests that religious and spiritual processes can support recovery, such that higher levels of religiosity and/or spirituality predict better substance use outcomes. However, studies of the role of religion and spirituality in adolescent SUD treatment response have produced mixed findings, and religiosity and spirituality have rarely been examined separately. Methods: The present study examined religiosity and spirituality as predictors of outcomes in an outpatient treatment adolescent sample (N = 101) in which cannabis was the predominant drug of choice. Qualitative data were used to contextualize the quantitative findings. Results: Results showed that higher levels of spirituality at posttreatment predicted increased cannabis use at 6-month follow-up (β = .237, p = .043), whereas higher levels of baseline spirituality predicted a lower likelihood of heavy drinking at posttreatment (odds ratio [OR] = .316, P = .040). Religiosity did not predict substance use outcomes at later time points. When asked to describe the relation between their religious/spiritual views and their substance use, adolescents described believing that they had a choice about their substance use and were in control of it, feeling more spiritual when under the influence of cannabis, and being helped by substance use. Conclusions: Together, findings suggest that for adolescents with SUDs, religion and spirituality may not counteract the use of cannabis, which may be explained by adolescents’ views of their substance use as being consistent with their spirituality and under their control.
Promoter hypermethylation inactivate tumor suppressor FAM134B and is associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer

The present study aims to examine promoter methylation status of FAM134B in a large cohort of patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas. The clinical significances and correlations of FAM134B promoter methylation with its expression are also analysed. Methylation‐specific high‐resolution melt‐curve analysis followed by sequencing was used to identify FAM134B promoter methylation in colorectal adenomas (N = 32), colorectal adenocarcinomas (N = 164), matched adjacent non‐neoplastic colorectal mucosae (N = 83) and colon cancer cell lines (N = 4). FAM134B expression was studied by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and Western blots. FAM134B promoter methylation was more frequent in adenocarcinomas (52%; 85/164) when compared to that of adenomas (28%; 9/32) and non‐neoplastic mucosae (35%; 29/83). Cancer cells exhibited higher methylation when compared to non‐neoplastic cells. FAM134B promoter methylation was inversely correlated with low FAM134B copy number and mRNA/protein expressions, whereas in‐vitro demethylation has restored FAM134B expression in colon cancer cells. FAM134B promoter methylation was associated with high histological grade (P = .025), presence of peri‐neural infiltration (P = .012), lymphovascular invasion (P = .021), lymph node metastasis (P = .0001), distant metastasis (P = .0001) and advanced pathological stages (P = .0001). In addition, FAM134B promoter methylation correlated with cancer recurrence and poor survival rates of patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas. To conclude, FAM134B promoter methylation plays a key role in regulating FAM134B expression in vitro and in vivo, which in turn contributes to the prediction of the biological aggressiveness of colorectal adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, FAM134B methylation might act as a marker in predicting clinical prognosis in patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas.
Asymptomatic Moyamoya Disease: Literature Review and Ongoing AMORE Study

Recent development of a non-invasive magnetic resonance examination has increased the opportunity to identify asymptomatic patients with moyamoya disease who have experienced no cerebrovascular events. However, their clinical features, prognosis, and treatment strategy are still unclear because of small number of subjects and short follow-up periods. Therefore, we have designed Asymptomatic Moyamoya Registry (AMORE) study in Japan. The objectives of this nation-wide, multi-center prospective study are to clarify long-term prognosis of asymptomatic patients with moyamoya disease and to determine the risk factors that cause ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in them. In this article, we review the published data on asymptomatic moyamoya disease and report the on-going multi-center prospective cohort study, AMORE study. We would like to emphasize the importance to determine the clinical features, prognosis, and treatment strategies of asymptomatic moyamoya disease in very near future.
Coronary endothelial P-selectin in pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

We investigated in vivo coronary P-selectin expression and its pathophysiological consequences in a murine model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) using wild-type and P-selectin deficient (-/-) mice. Coronary P-selectin expression [μg monoclonal antibody (MAb)/g tissue] was measured using a radiolabeled MAb method after 30 min of myocardial ischemia and 20 min of reperfusion. P-selectin expression in wild-type mice was significantly ( P< 0.01) elevated in the ischemic zone (0.070 ± 0.010) compared with the nonischemic zone (0.037 ± 0.008). Myocardial P-selectin expression was nearly undetectable in P-selectin -/- mice after MI/R. Furthermore, myocardial infarct size (% of area at risk) after 30 min of myocardial ischemia and 120 min of reperfusion was 42.5 ± 4.4 in wild-type mice and 24.4 ± 4.0 in P-selectin -/- mice ( P < 0.05). In additional experiments of prolonged myocardial ischemia (60 min) and reperfusion (120 min), myocardial infarct size was similar in P-selectin -/- mice and wild-type mice. Our results clearly demonstrate the involvement of coronary P-selectin in the development of myocardial infarction after MI/R.
Randomized diet in the neonatal period and growth performance until 7.5-8 y of age in preterm children.

BACKGROUND Preterm children are at high risk of poor growth performance. In 2 randomized trials, preterm infants fed preterm formula grew better in the neonatal period than those fed banked donor breast milk or standard term formula. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to test the hypothesis that for preterm infants, the neonatal period is a critical one for programming growth performance and that early diet influences long-term growth. DESIGN A total of 926 preterm infants were recruited into 2 parallel, randomized trials of neonatal diet. In trial 1, infants were fed either banked donor breast milk or preterm formula whereas in trial 2, infants were fed either standard term formula or preterm formula. Within each trial, the allocated milk was the sole diet for some infants (study A), whereas for others it was a supplement to maternal breast milk, given when not enough expressed breast milk was available (study B). We followed up 781 of 833 survivors (94%) to age 7.5-8 y. Trained assessors obtained anthropometric measurements according to a standard protocol. RESULTS Despite significantly better neonatal growth performance in infants fed preterm formula (compared with either banked donor breast milk or standard formula), early diet had no influence on weight, height, head circumference, or skinfold thicknesses at 9 or 18 mo postterm or at age 7.5-8 y. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the preterm period is not a critical window for nutritional programming of growth, which contrasts with evidence from these trials showing that early diet influences later neurodevelopment.
Interpretation of vitamin A status in apparently healthy Pakistani children by using markers of subclinical infection.

BACKGROUND Plasma retinol concentrations are depressed by infection but are commonly used to assess vitamin A status. OBJECTIVE We measured 2 acute phase proteins, alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin (ACT) and alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein (AGP), to determine whether they could be used to assist in interpreting vitamin A status. DESIGN In 1997, a 2-stage cluster-sampling procedure was used to select 3074 apparently healthy, 6-60-mo-old children from rural and urban areas of North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. Plasma retinol, ACT, AGP, and ferritin measurements and anthropometric measurements were obtained for 2519 children. RESULTS Median plasma retinol, ACT, AGP, and ferritin concentrations were 0.86 micromol/L, 0.39 g/L, 1.14 g/L, and 5.5 microg/L, respectively. There were no significant (P: > 0.05) differences in retinol, ACT, or AGP by sex or age. Some 797 children (32%) had retinol concentrations <0.7 micromol/L and 87 (4%) had retinol concentrations <0.35 micromol/L; 274 children (11%) had elevated ACT (>0.6 g/L) and 1141 (45%) had elevated AGP (>1.2 g/L). Retinol concentration correlated with ACT (r = -0.141), AGP (r = -0.138), and ferritin (r = -0.09) (all P: < 0.001), but stepwise multiple regression indicated that these 3 variables made a minimal although quantifiable contribution to the variance of retinol (ACT, r(2) = 0.02; all 3 variables, r(2) = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS The transient depression in plasma retinol produced by subclinical infection increased the number of at-risk children by 10% (76 of 797) and 56% (49 of 87) for plasma retinol concentrations <0.7 and <0.35 micromol/L, respectively. In addition, dietary inadequacy may be responsible for retinol concentrations being approximately 16% lower in Pakistani children than in children in the United Kingdom, where dietary vitamin A is adequate.
Vitamin D status in kidney transplant patients: need for intensified routine supplementation.

BACKGROUND A high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency has been found in the general population and in patients with chronic kidney disease. OBJECTIVE The aim was to examine vitamin D status and determinants and metabolic correlates of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in a population of adult Danish kidney transplant patients. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional study of 173 adult kidney transplant patients with a mean (+/-SD) age of 53.4 +/- 11.7 y and a median graft age of 7.4 y (interquartile range: 3.3-12.7 y). Serum concentrations of intact parathyroid hormone (S-PTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D [S-25(OH)D], and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [S-1,25(OH)(2)D] were measured. Dietary and supplementary intake of vitamin D, avoidance of solar ultraviolet B exposure, and selected lifestyle factors were assessed in a subgroup (n = 97). RESULTS Fifty-one percent of the patients had vitamin D insufficiency [S-25(OH)D 40-75 nmol/L], and an additional 29% had moderate-to-severe vitamin D deficiency [S-25(OH)D < or = 39 nmol/L]. In multiple regression analysis, sun avoidance (negative association) and vitamin D supplementation (positive association) were independent determinants of S-25(OH)D concentrations. Low S-25(OH)D concentrations were associated with 1) increased S-PTH concentrations (P = 0.0002), independently of S-1,25(OH)(2)D concentrations, and 2) decreased S-1,25(OH)(2)D concentrations (P = 0.002), independently of graft function. CONCLUSIONS Hypovitaminosis D is common among Danish kidney transplant patients and is associated with reduced concentrations of S-1,25(OH)(2)D and increased S-PTH concentrations. Sun avoidance and vitamin D supplementation are important determinants of vitamin D status. The observed hypovitaminosis D might be corrected by intensified routine vitamin D supplementation as opposed to the current supplementation practice.
Diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin, lactate, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein for predicting bacteremia in adult patients in the emergency department

Background Few studies compared the diagnostic value of procalcitonin with a combination of other tests including lactate and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in the prediction of pathogenic bacteremia in emergency department adult patients. Methods We performed a retrospective study assessing the differences in performances of procalcitonin at a cutoff of 0.5 ng/mL, lactate at a cutoff of 19.8 mg/dL, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein at a cutoff of 0.8 mg/dL and their combinations for predicting bacteremia in emergency department adult patients. Sensitivity, specificity, overall accuracy, positive-test and negative-test likelihood, and diagnostic odds ratio with 95% confidence interval for each test combination were calculated for comparison. The receiver operating characteristic curve for every single test were compared using DeLong’s method. We also performed a sensitivity analysis in two expanded patient cohorts to assess the discriminative ability of procalcitonin or test combination. Results A total of 886 patients formed the initial patient cohort. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for discriminating positive blood culture was: procalcitonin = 0.72 (95% CI [0.69–0.75]) with a derived optimal cutoff at 3.9 ng/mL; lactate 0.69 (0.66–0.72) with an optimal cutoff at 17.9 mg/dL; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein 0.56 (0.53–0.59) with an optimal cutoff of 13 mg/dL; with pairwise comparisons showing statistically significant better performance of either procalcitonin or lactate outperforming high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. To predict positive blood cultures, the diagnostic odds ratio for procalcitonin was 3.64 (95% CI [2.46–5.51]), lactate 2.93 (2.09–4.14), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein 0.91 (0.55–1.55; P = 0.79). About combined tests, the diagnostic odds ratio for procalcitonin and lactate increases were 3.98 (95% CI [2.81–5.63]) for positive blood culture prediction. Elevated procalcitonin level rendered a six-fold increased risk of positive gram-negative bacteremia with a diagnostic odds ratio of 6.44 (95% CI [3.65–12.15]), which showed no further improvement in any test combinations. In the sensitivity analysis, as a single test to predict unspecified, gram-negative and gram-positive bacteremia, procalcitonin performed even better in an expanded cohort of 2,234 adult patients in terms of the diagnostic odds ratio. Discussions For adult emergency patients, procalcitonin has an acceptable discriminative ability for bacterial blood culture and a better discriminative ability for gram-negative bacteremia when compared with lactate and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein at a cutoff of 0.8 mg/dL performed poorly for the prediction of positive bacterial culture.
Effects of a reduced-glycemic-load diet on body weight, body composition, and cardiovascular disease risk markers in overweight and obese adults.

BACKGROUND Lowering the dietary glycemic load and increasing protein intake may be advantageous for weight management. OBJECTIVE This randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the effects of an ad libitum reduced-glycemic-load (RGL) diet on body weight, body composition, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk markers in overweight and obese adults during an initial weight-loss phase (12 wk) and a weight-loss maintenance phase (weeks 24-36). DESIGN Subjects were assigned to RGL (n = 43) or low-fat, portion-controlled (control; n = 43) diet groups. The RGL group was instructed to eat until satisfied, maintaining a low carbohydrate intake during weeks 0-2 and adding low-glycemic-index carbohydrate thereafter. Control subjects were instructed to reduce fat intake and decrease portion sizes, with a targeted energy deficit of 500 to 800 kcal/d. RESULTS The RGL group had lost significantly more weight than did the control group at week 12 (-4.9 and -2.5 kg, respectively; P = 0.002), but the 2 groups did not differ significantly at week 36 (-4.5 and -2.6 kg, respectively; P = 0.085). Changes in fat mass differed between the groups at week 12 (-1.9 and -0.9 kg, respectively; P = 0.016) but not at week 36 (-2.0 and -1.3 kg, respectively; P = 0.333). At the end of the study, no differences were found in responses for CVD risk markers except a larger mean change in HDL cholesterol in the RGL group than in the control group (3.8 and 1.9 mg/dL, respectively; P = 0.037). CONCLUSION These findings provide evidence that an ad libitum RGL diet is a reasonable alternative to a low-fat, portion-controlled eating plan for weight management.
Postprandial effects of an oleic acid-rich oil compared with butter on clotting factor VII and fibrinolysis in healthy men.

BACKGROUND Factor VII coagulant activity (FVII:c) is associated with an increased risk of fatal ischemic heart disease, is correlated with plasma triacylglycerol concentration, and increases after a meal rich in long-chain fatty acids. OBJECTIVE We planned to compare effects of meals rich in oleate and butter fat with those of a low-fat meal on FVII:c and fibrinolytic activity. DESIGN A crossover design was used to compare the postprandial effects on coagulant and fibrinolytic activities in 12 men of 3 high-fat (95 g) meals--high oleate, butter, and oleate + medium-chain triacylglycerols (oleate+MCT)--with an isoenergetic low-fat meal (18 g MCT). The oleate+MCT blend was used to mimic the ratio of long-chain to shorter-chain fatty acids in butter. RESULTS Neither the amount nor type of fat consumed influenced plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 or t-plasminogen activator activities or D-dimer concentration. FVII:c increased by 12.5% (95% CI: 4.6%, 20.5%) after the high-fat meals at 3 h and by 6.7% (95% CI: 1.6%, 11.7%) at 7 h and changed 7 h after the low-fat meal by -14.3% (95% CI: -3.3%, -25.4%). The responses to the high-fat meals did not differ. Measurements of activated FVII (FVIIa), FVII zymogen, and activated FXII (FXIIa) concentrations made after the low-fat and high-oleate meals showed a significant increase in FVIIa only after the high-oleate meal. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study confirm that FVII:c falls after a low-fat meal and suggests that postprandial activation of FVII occurs rapidly after a fat-rich meal without involving an increase in FXIIa.
Are cannabis-using and non-using patients different groups? Towards understanding the neurobiology of cannabis use in psychotic disorders

A substantial body of credible evidence has accumulated that suggest that cannabis use is an important potentially preventable risk factor for the development of psychotic illness and its worse prognosis following the onset of psychosis. Here we summarize the relevant evidence to argue that the time has come to investigate the neurobiological effects of cannabis in patients with psychotic disorders. In the first section we summarize evidence from longitudinal studies that controlled for a range of potential confounders of the association of cannabis use with increased risk of developing psychotic disorders, increased risk of hospitalization, frequent and longer hospital stays, and failure of treatment with medications for psychosis in those with established illness. Although some evidence has emerged that cannabis-using and non-using patients with psychotic disorders may have distinct patterns of neurocognitive and neurodevelopmental impairments, the biological underpinnings of the effects of cannabis remain to be fully elucidated. In the second and third sections we undertake a systematic review of 70 studies, including over 3000 patients with psychotic disorders or at increased risk of psychotic disorder, in order to delineate potential neurobiological and neurochemical mechanisms that may underlie the effects of cannabis in psychotic disorders and suggest avenues for future research.
Effects of abdominal CO 2 insufflation and changes of position on hepatic blood flow in anesthetized pigs

Klopfenstein, Claude-Eric, Denis R. Morel, François Clergue, and Catherine M. Pastor. Effects of abdominal CO2 insufflation and changes of position on hepatic blood flow in anesthetized pigs. Am. J. Physiol. 275 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 44): H900–H905, 1998. —During surgical laparoscopy, total hepatic blood flow (THBF) may be modified by CO2 insufflation, changes of tilt, ventilation with high tidal volume, hypercapnia, and anesthesia, but little information is available on the THBF during the procedure. To investigate the changes of hepatic blood flow following the combination of abdominal CO2 insufflation and changes of tilt, we measured mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output, portal vein blood flow (PVBF), and hepatic artery blood flow (HABF) in anesthetized and ventilated pigs. CO2 was insufflated in the abdomen [intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) ,15 mmHg], and the hepatic blood flow was measured in various positions (horizontal, 10° and 20° head down, and 10° and 20° head up) before and during CO2 insufflation. CO2 insufflation in the horizontal position did not modify MAP, cardiac output, or PVBF but increased HABF. The head-up tilt decreased MAP, cardiac output, and both hepatic flows in the absence of pneumoperitoneum, but in the presence of abdominal CO2 only cardiac output and PVBF were decreased. The headdown tilt increased MAP and THBF in the absence of pneumoperitoneum, whereas no change was observed in the presence of abdominal CO2. The combination of CO2 insufflation and changes of tilt was not deleterious to hepatic perfusion. These results suggest that hepatic blood flow may be preserved during surgical laparoscopy if the tilt does not exceed 20° and if IAP after CO2 insufflation remains ,15 mmHg.