Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homocysteine levels in normotensive children of hypertensive parents

Objective: There are several studies showing an association between an increase in the plasma levels of homocysteine and the pathogenesis of hypertension. In this study, we assessed normotensive children of hypertensive adult parents to determine whether there is any change in homocysteine levels prior to the onset of hypertension. Methods: A total of 79 normotensive children of essential hypertensive parents who were followed-up at the cardiology department and 72 healthy children of normotensive parents who presented to the department of pediatrics at our clinic with complaints such as nonspecific chest pain and innocent murmur were included in the study. The participants’ complete blood count and low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, total cholesterol, folic acid, vitamin B12, and homocysteine levels were noted. Results: No statistically significant differences were noted between the two groups in terms of age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, or levels of fasting lipids, folic acid, and vitamin B12 (p>0.05). Although the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were within the normal limits in both groups, they were significantly higher in children with a family history of hypertension than in controls (p<0.05). Similarly, homocysteine levels of children with a family history of hypertension were significantly higher than those of controls (p<0.01). Conclusion: Homocysteine levels of normotensive children of hypertensive parents are elevated before they develop hypertension. Homocysteine levels may be predictive of the subsequent development of hypertension in normotensive children of hypertensive parents.
Temporal and Intensitive Factors in Comparative Judgments of Tactile Space

Temporal imbalances between the successive stimulation of pairs of loci on each forearm altered judgments of the equality of the spatial extents between sets of loci. The spatial judgments became increasingly inaccurate as the temporal imbalance was increased, i.e., the Tau effect. Changes in stimulus intensity also influenced the dependency of spatial judgments on temporal factors. The data suggest that concomitant variations of spatial, temporal, and intensitive components of a vibrotactile stimulus “package” can produce systematic perceptual effects of potential significance in the design of vibrotactile sensory substitution systems.
Clinically relevant exaggerated pharmacodynamic response to dual antiplatelet therapy detected by Thromboelastogram® Platelet Mapping™

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is the standard of care for primary and secondary prevention strategies in patients with coronary artery disease after stenting. Current guidelines recommend that DAPT be continued for 12 months in patients after receiving drug eluting stents. Approximately 5% of these patients will present within this 12-month period for noncardiac surgery. This case report describes a clinically relevant exaggerated pharmacodynamic response to DAPT detected by preoperative assessment of platelet function. Based on the clinical history and physical exam and subsequent lab results, a general anesthetic was performed rather than a spinal anesthetic and the surgical procedure was changed. An exaggerated pharmacodynamic response to DAPT poses its own set of risks (unexpected uncontrolled bleeding, epidural hematoma following neuraxial block placement) that point-of-care aggregation testing may decrease or mitigate by altering clinical decision making. If the clinical history and physical exam reveal possible platelet dysfunction in patients receiving DAPT, preoperative platelet function testing should be considered.
Impact of CYP2C19 variant genotypes on clinical efficacy of antiplatelet treatment with clopidogrel: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To evaluate the accumulated information from genetic association studies investigating the impact of variants of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 genotype on the clinical efficacy of clopidogrel. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis with a structured search algorithm and prespecified eligibility criteria for retrieval of relevant studies; dominant genetic model assumptions and quantitative methods for calculating summary effect estimates from study level odds ratios; systematic assessment of bias within and between studies; and grading of the cumulative evidence by consensus criteria. Data sources Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, online databases, contents pages and bibliographies of general medical, cardiovascular, pharmacological, and genetic journals. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Original full length reports assessing the cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events or stent thrombosis over a follow-up period of at least a month in association with carrier status for the loss of function or gain of function CYP2C19 allele in adult patients with coronary artery disease and a clinical presentation of acute coronary syndrome or stable angina pectoris who were taking clopidogrel. Results 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. The random effects summary odds ratio for stent thrombosis in carriers of at least one CYP2C19 loss of function allele versus non-carriers combining nine studies was 1.77 (95% confidence interval 1.31 to 2.40; P<0.001). This nominally significant odds ratio was subject to considerable bias across the studies (small study effect bias and replication diversity). The adjustment for these quality modifiers tended to abolish the association. The corresponding random effects summary odds ratio of major adverse cardiovascular events for 12 studies combined was 1.11 (0.89 to 1.39; P=0.36). The random effects summary odds ratio of stent thrombosis in carriers versus non-carriers of at least one CYP2C19*17 gain of function allele for three studies combined was 0.99 (0.60 to 1.62; P=0.96), and the corresponding odds ratio of major adverse cardiovascular events in five studies was 0.93 (0.75 to 1.14; P=0.48). The overall quality of epidemiological evidence was graded as low, which excludes reliable clinical assessments. Conclusions Accumulated information from genetic association studies does not indicate a substantial or consistent influence of CYP2C19 gene polymorphisms on the clinical efficacy of clopidogrel. The current evidence does not support the use of individualised antiplatelet regimens guided by CYP2C19 genotype.
Subchondral marrow changes after laser diskectomy in the lumbar spine: MR imaging findings and clinical correlation.

OBJECTIVE We examined MR imaging findings and determined the clinical significance of subchondral bone marrow changes in the lumbar spine of holdium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser diskectomy patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the pre- and postoperative MR images of 109 patients with recurrent radiculopathy, lower back pain, or both 1 year after laser diskectomy of 178 disks. From this group of patients, MR images were also obtained in 11 patients with subchondral marrow changes 5-7 years after surgery. These patients were interviewed regarding residual lower back pain. Thirteen asymptomatic laser diskectomy patients also underwent follow-up MR imaging within 1 year of surgery. RESULTS After surgery, subchondral marrow abnormalities were identified in 41 of 109 laser diskectomy patients. The remaining 68 patients had no postoperative subchondral bone marrow changes. Postoperative subchondral marrow changes were not associated with inflammation of the adjacent disk space and did not affect surgical outcome. Bone marrow changes decreased in size in the 11 patients examined 5-7 years after laser diskectomy, and eight of these patients described their lower back pain as improved. In 13 asymptomatic laser diskectomy patients, one new subchondral marrow abnormality was identified. CONCLUSION Subchondral marrow abnormalities may occur in the vertebral end plates after holmium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser diskectomy. However, these changes probably do not affect surgical outcomes and appear to resolve over time.
Clinocopathologic significance of laminin-5 gamma2 chain expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: immunohistochemical analysis of 67 lesions.

BACKGROUND The laminin-5 gamma2 chain plays an important role in cell migration during tumor invasion and tissue remodeling. METHODS Laminin-5 gamma2 chain expression in squamous cell carcinomas of the tongue in 67 patients with Stage II, III, or IVA,B (excluding the cases with distant metastasis) was examined immunohistochemically to determine its associations with the clinicopathologic features of each tumor. The predominant staining patterns were categorized as follows: A, few or no tumor cells were positive; B, part of the tumor nest periphery was positive; C, the tumor nest periphery was circumferentially positive; or D, almost all the tumor cells were positive. RESULTS Laminin-5 gamma2 chain expression was observed clearly in tumor cell cytoplasm. Of the 67 tumors examined, 6 (9%), 31 (46%), 19 (28%), and 11 (17%) showed staining patterns A, B, C, and D, respectively. With progression from staining pattern A to D, the number of immunopositive tumor cells increased significantly (P<0.0001), and the tumor histology showed significantly more infiltrative growth (P<0.0001) and poorer differentiation (P = 0.0021). Furthermore, both univariate (P = 0.0019) and multivariate (P = 0.0003; hazard ratio = 3.132) analysis of the patients' survival revealed that the prognosis became significantly poorer with progression from staining pattern A to D. CONCLUSIONS Increased laminin-5 gamma2 chain immunoreactivity, which may reflect a high invasive potential of cancer cells, is a factor indicative of a poor prognosis for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue.
Antiproliferative effect of gynura procumbens (lour.) Merr. Leaves etanolic extract on 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)antracene induced male rat liver.

PURPOSE The leaves of Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr. has been traditionally used as anticancer. Ethanolic extract of G. procumbens leaves (EGP) showed cytotoxic activity and anticancer activity in animal cancer model. This study was conducted to observe antiproliferative effect using male rat's liver cells induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)antracene (DMBA). METHODS Forty days old Sprague Dawley male rats were divided into 4 groups, (1) 0.5 % CMC Na, (2) 20 mg/kg BW DMBA p.o ten times in three weeks, (3) DMBA+300 mg/kg BW of EGP, and (4) DMBA+750 mg/kg BW of EGP. The extract was dissolved into 0.5 % CMC-and administered daily per oral one week before, during and terminated 1 week after the DMBA induction. After sixthteen week experiment, rat livers were sectioned and stained with Haematoxyllene and Eosin (H&E) and AgNOR. RESULTS Histopatology profile showed no primary liver tumor on DMBA group. mAgNOR value of DMBA+300 mg/kg BW EGP showed significant antiproliferative effect compared to DMBA group. CONCLUSION Ethanolic extract of G. procumbens leaves showed antiproliferative activity on male rats liver induced by DMBA.
Medical Confidentiality: Legal and Ethical Aspects in Greece

Respect for confidentiality is firmly established in codes of ethics and law. Medical care and the patients' trust depend on the ability of the doctors to maintain confidentiality. Without a guarantee of confidentiality, many patients would want to avoid seeking medical assistance The principle of confidentiality, however, is not absolute and may be overridden by public interests. On some occasions (birth, death, infectious disease) there is a legal obligation on the part of the doctor to disclose but only to the appropriate authorities. Permissible disclosure can be granted by the patients' consent, for example, for the purpose of insurance they may wish to take out. Moreover, there are some ambivalent situations (such as criminal acts, or notification of sexual partner in case of a patient with AIDS) for which Greek law does not include relevant provisions, and the Codes of Medical Ethics do not offer clear guidelines. Therefore, the Greek doctor is called to estimate the situation and assume full responsibility for his decision. Finally, new considerations have arisen in the context of the recent advances in the field of telemedicine and electronic archiving. The paper discusses the current situation and legislation in Greece.
WHY DOESN'T THE PUBLIC ACCEPT SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS? (AKA “WHY WON'T THEY LISTEN TO US?”)

have dissimilar objectives. Furthermore, terrestrial and aquatic scientists rarely attend the same meetings to discuss their research, so a cohesive message for decision-makers has never been developed. Regulatory decisions are usually based on water quality measurements, and the link between soil P management and downstream water quality is difficult to quantify. In light of this, the objective of this emerging issues workshop was to bring together soil, freshwater and marine scientists to initiate a dialogue about the similarities and differences in P-related issues within each discipline. Organized by Barbara Cade-Menun (Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada), Thad Scott (University of Arkansas) and George Bullerjahn (Bowling Green State University), the emerging issues workshop was held following the 2011 winter ASLO meeting, which contained a week filled with P presentations, including two P-focused scientific sessions. The workshop was attended by 35 scientists from throughout North America and Europe, ranging in experience from beginning students to senior scientists. The day began by dividing into disciplinary groups (oceans, freshwater, terrestrial); each group was then asked to describe the P-related issues in their discipline and their perception of the role of other disciplines (e.g. agriculture) in their discipline’s P issues. These small group discussions were followed by five oral presentations that centered on P in different ecosystems: 1) The oceans by Adina Paytan, University of California at Santa Cruz, 2) Freshwater lakes and watersheds by Pete Richards, Heidelberg University, Ohio, 3) Streams and rivers by Helen Jarvie, Center for Ecology and Hydrology, United Kingdom, 4) Wetlands by Curt Richardson, Duke University, and 5) Soil and agricultural by Andrew Sharpley, University of Arkansas. Following the presentations, the small groups reformed by discipline to discuss any changes in their thoughts or perceptions of P issues based on the presentations. The morning closed with each group presenting the notes from their small groups to the entire workshop group, followed by more discussions. The lunch break allowed mingling and conversation across disciplines. The afternoon alternated between small group (again grouped by discipline) and whole group discussions. The general focus for the afternoon discussion was: What are the big questions remaining for P research in your discipline? Other discussion topics for the afternoon included addressing policy/monitoring concerns, ways to continue interdisciplinary discussions on P in the future, and possible sources of interdisciplinary funding for collaborative research projects. Four key points emerged from the workshop discussions:
Why Does Escherichia coli Grow More Slowly on Glucosamine than on N-Acetylglucosamine? Effects of Enzyme Levels and Allosteric Activation of GlcN6P Deaminase (NagB) on Growth Rates

ABSTRACT Wild-type Escherichia coli grows more slowly on glucosamine (GlcN) than on N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) as a sole source of carbon. Both sugars are transported by the phosphotransferase system, and their 6-phospho derivatives are produced. The subsequent catabolism of the sugars requires the allosteric enzyme glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P) deaminase, which is encoded by nagB, and degradation of GlcNAc also requires the nagA-encoded enzyme, N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcNAc6P) deacetylase. We investigated various factors which could affect growth on GlcN and GlcNAc, including the rate of GlcN uptake, the level of induction of the nag operon, and differential allosteric activation of GlcN6P deaminase. We found that for strains carrying a wild-type deaminase (nagB) gene, increasing the level of the NagB protein or the rate of GlcN uptake increased the growth rate, which showed that both enzyme induction and sugar transport were limiting. A set of point mutations in nagB that are known to affect the allosteric behavior of GlcN6P deaminase in vitro were transferred to the nagB gene on the Escherichia coli chromosome, and their effects on the growth rates were measured. Mutants in which the substrate-induced positive cooperativity of NagB was reduced or abolished grew even more slowly on GlcN than on GlcNAc or did not grow at all on GlcN. Increasing the amount of the deaminase by using a nagC or nagA mutation to derepress the nag operon improved growth. For some mutants, a nagA mutation, which caused the accumulation of the allosteric activator GlcNAc6P and permitted allosteric activation, had a stronger effect than nagC. The effects of the mutations on growth in vivo are discussed in light of their in vitro kinetics.
Novel Metabolism of Docosahexaenoic Acid in Neural Cells*

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly enriched in the nervous system. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA2; 22:6n-3), in particular, is themost abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid in the brain and is concentrated in aminophospholipids of cell membranes. Numerous studies have indicated that this concentration of DHA in the nervous system is essential for optimal neuronal and retinal functions (1). Although the underlying mechanisms of its essential function are still not clearly understood, emerging evidence suggests that unique metabolism of DHA in relation to its incorporation into neuronal membrane phospholipids plays an important role. In this review, biochemical mechanisms for enriching and metabolizing DHA in neural cells are discussed in the context of their biological significance in neuronal function.
A review of eminence of scientometric indicators in scientific research productivity

The evaluation and assessment of scientific research output is essential to determine its success, eminence, growth and development of an individual or an institution. A reasonable and unbiased research assessment should reflect the diversity and impact of research output. In this background, productivity and quality of scholarly content offer a strong foundation for its pragmatic evaluation. The citations along-with the number of scientific publications are primarily used to evaluate research content. With the passage of time, the field of metric sciences emerged to evaluate and assess scholarly content. These have come up with desired indexes and indicators that have become integral to the evaluation process. The science indicators, in this context, are of great importance as they offer researchers, research organizations, funding agencies etc. with an empirical measure to evaluate the performance of research output. In this milieu, an endeavor is made to review the literature on the various aspects of scientometric indicators.
Why do patients choose chemotherapy near the end of life? A review of the perspective of those facing death from cancer.

PURPOSE The number of patients receiving chemotherapy near the end of life is increasing, as are concerns about goals of treatment, toxicity, and costs. We sought to determine the available sources of knowledge, the choices, and concerns of actual patients, and how patients balanced competing issues. METHODS We used a literature search from 1980 to present. RESULTS Available patient sources provide little information about prognosis, choices, alternatives, consequences, or how to choose. Many patients would choose chemotherapy for a small benefit in health outcomes, and for a smaller benefit than perceived by their health care providers for their own treatment. Adverse effects are less a concern for patients than for their well health care providers. There are no decision aids to assist patients with metastatic disease in making their choices, such as there are for adjuvant breast therapy. CONCLUSION The perspective of the patient is different from that of a well person. Patients are willing to undergo treatments that have small benefits with major toxicity. Receiving realistic information about the different options of care and the likelihood of successful treatment or adverse effects is difficult. These factors may explain some of the increased use of chemotherapy near the end of life. Decision aids and honest, unbiased sources to inform patients of their prognosis, choices, consequences, typical outcomes, and ways to make decisions are needed. More prospective information about how patients make their choices, and what they would consider a good choice, would assist informed decision making.
On the Complexity of Removing Z-Cycles from a Checkpoints and Communication Pattern

Communication-induced checkpointing protocols are mechanisms used to produce checkpoints and communication patterns which enjoy desirable properties, such as No-Z-Cycle (NZC). NZC guarantees that each checkpoint can be part of a global consistent checkpoint. It would be nice to define communication-induced checkpointing protocols that enforce NZC, adding a minimum number of checkpoints to remove all the Z-cycles from the distributed computation. In this paper, we prove that this is impossible by formulating the minimum Z-cycle removal (MinZCR) problem and showing that there are no online competitive protocols for it. Moreover, we prove that the problem of enforcing NZC with an optimal number of checkpoints is difficult even if the whole input instance is known because its decision version is NP-complete. Finally, we also prove that MinZCR is difficult to approximate: it is APX-hard and this implies that no polynomial time approximation scheme exists for the problem
Bright light treatment of behavioral and sleep disturbances in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE The authors tested the hypothesis that evening bright light pulses would improve sleep-wake patterns and reduce agitation in patients with Alzheimer's disease who have severe sundowning (a syndrome of recurring confusion and increased agitation in the late afternoon or early evening) and sleep disorders. METHOD Ten inpatients with Alzheimer's disease on a research ward of a veterans' hospital were studied in an open clinical trial. All patients had sundowning behavior and sleep disturbances. After a week of baseline measurements, patients received 2 hours/day of exposure to bright light between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. for 1 week. During the baseline week, the treatment week, and a posttreatment week, patients were rated by nurses for agitation, sleep-wake patterns, use of restraints, and use of prescribed-as-needed medication. On the last 2 days of each week, patients wore activity monitors. Activity counts were analyzed for circadian rhythmicity. RESULTS Clinical ratings of sleep-wakefulness on the evening nursing shift improved with light treatment in eight of the 10 patients. The proportion of total daily activity occurring during the nighttime decreased during the light-treatment week. The relative amplitude of the circadian locomotor activity rhythm, a measure of its stability, increased during the light-treatment week. More severe sundowning at baseline predicted greater clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS Evening bright light pulses may ameliorate sleep-wake cycle disturbances in some patients with Alzheimer's disease. This effect may be mediated through a chronobiological mechanism.