Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-Oxidative Stress Activity of Stachys lavandulifolia Aqueous Extract in Human

Medicinal plants are presumed to be natural sources of antioxidants that protect organisms from oxidative stresses. The present investigation aims to study the anti-oxidative stress activity of the Stachys lavandulifolia (S. lavandulifolia) plant. This trial was conducted on 26 healthy human subjects. The study was done in a before after fashion. The included subjects were asked to consume the prepared infusion from 3 g aerial parts of S. lavandulifolia on a daily basis. Doses were administered in every morning and evening for 14 days. At the beginning and the end of the study, blood samples were acquired to determine the level of cellular lipid peroxidation and the total content of serum antioxidants. Biomarkers analyzed from samples obtained before start of treatment and 14 days post treatment, were subjected to paired t test analysis. Total blood antioxidants increased and reached from 2.3 ± 0.84 µmol/ml to 3.3 ± 0.54 µmol/ml. The lipid peroxidation reduced and reached from 8.38 ± 1.78 to 11.6 ± 2.64 nmol/ml. The results suggest that S. lavandulifolia possesses marked anti-oxidative stress activity and it can be useful as a supplement in the management of diseases related to oxidative stress (Registration Number: IRCT2013012210003N2).
Body fat accumulation is possibly responsible for lower dehydroepiandrosterone circulating levels in premenopausal obese women.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether any androgen is independently related with parameters of body fat accumulation and distribution in obese women. DESIGN Circulating insulin and androgen levels (total testosterone (T), free testosterone (FT), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)) and the parameters of body fat accumulation and distribution (body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, total body fat volume (TBF), visceral adipose tissue area (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue area (SAT) were determined in a population of non-diabetic obese women. SUBJECTS 28 premenopausal obese women, recruited at the Verona University Hospital Outpatient Clinic. MEASUREMENTS TBF, VAT and SAT area were quantified by computed tomography. Hormone levels were measured by RIA. RESULTS SHBG showed an inverse correlation with BMI (r: -0.452, P < 0.05), WHR (r: -0.388, P < 0.05), TBF (r: -0.509, P < 0.01), VAT (r: -0.378, P < 0.05) and SAT (r: -0.449, P < 0.05). DHEA was negatively associated with BMI (r: -0.376, P < 0.05), TBF (r: -0 < 0.05), VAT (r: -0.662, P < 0.001) and SAT (r: -0.401, p < 0.05). T was found to be inversely related with VAT (r: -0.401, P < 0.05). Androstenedione was positively correlated with WHR (r: 0.383, P < 0.05). DHEAS and FT did not show significant associations with BMI, WHR, or any CT-parameters. Stepwise multiple regressions were performed for all androgens: one of the age-adjusted androgens was considered as the dependent variable for each analysis, and insulin, VAT, SAT and all other androgens were entered into the regression model. DHEA was the only hormone to show an independent association (negative) with both SAT (t-value: -3.683, P < 0.01) and VAT (t-value: -2.252, P < 0.05), whereas DHEAS showed an independent positive correlation with SAT (t-value: -2.241, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Among the androgens, DHEA seems to be the most sensitive to body fat accumulation in premenopausal obese women.
Electronic nicotine delivery systems: a research agenda

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, also called electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes) are marketed to deliver nicotine and sometimes other substances by inhalation. Some tobacco smokers report that they used ENDS as a smoking cessation aid. Whether sold as tobacco products or drug delivery devices, these products need to be regulated, and thus far, across countries and states, there has been a wide range of regulatory responses ranging from no regulation to complete bans. The empirical basis for these regulatory decisions is uncertain, and more research on ENDS must be conducted in order to ensure that the decisions of regulators, health care providers and consumers are based on science. However, there is a dearth of scientific research on these products, including safety, abuse liability and efficacy for smoking cessation. The authors, who cover a broad range of scientific expertise, from basic science to public health, suggest research priorities for non-clinical, clinical and public health studies. They conclude that the first priority is to characterize the safety profile of these products, including in long-term users. If these products are demonstrated to be safe, their efficacy as smoking cessation aids should then be tested in appropriately designed trials. Until these studies are conducted, continued marketing constitutes an uncontrolled experiment and the primary outcome measure, poorly assessed, is user health. Potentially, this research effort, contributing to the safety and efficacy of new smoking cessation devices and to the withdrawal of dangerous products, could save many lives.
Treatment and prevention of cryptosporidiosis: what options are there for a country like Zambia?

SUMMARY Cryptosporidiosis is a major infection of humans, leading to diarrhoea and growth failure in children, diarrhoea and malnutrition in immunocompromised adults, and is associated with increased mortality in all age groups. Using the country of Zambia as an example, I review the possible approaches to treatment and prevention in a tropical setting. The current optimal therapy for cryptosporidiosis is nitazoxanide which works well in HIV uninfected children, but treatment in patients with HIV infection remains remarkably difficult. No single drug has demonstrated efficacy in a randomised trial. No vaccine is available, so the best option for prevention for the moment is filtration and clean storage of drinking water. This would be expected to reduce cryptosporidiosis dramatically, but this needs to be demonstrated directly. Water filtration would have the added benefit of protection against many other pathogens, but the paucity of alternative approaches highlights the need for a better understanding of this important human pathogen.
Polymorphisms in FcgammaRIIIA (CD16) receptor expression are associated with clinical response to rituximab in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

PURPOSE Rituximab is an important therapeutic for Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM). Polymorphisms in FcgammaRIIIA (CD16) receptor expression modulate human immunoglobulin G1 binding and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and may therefore influence responses to rituximab. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sequence analysis of the entire coding region of FcgammaRIIIA was undertaken in 58 patients with WM whose outcomes after rituximab were known. RESULTS Variations in five codons of FcgammaRIIIA were identified. Two were commonly observed (FcgammaRIIIA-48 and FcgammaRIIIA-158) and predicted for amino acid polymorphisms at FcgammaRIIIA-48: leucine/leucine (L/L), leucine/arginine (L/R), and leucine/histidine (L/H). Polymorphisms at FcgammaRIIIA-158 were phenylalanine/phenylalanine (F/F), phenylalanine/valine (F/V), and valine/valine (V/V). A clear linkage between these polymorphisms was detected and all patients with FcgammaRIIIA-158F/F were always FcgammaRIIIA-48L/L, and patients with either FcgammaRIIIA-L/R or -L/H always expressed at least one valine at FcgammaRIIIA-158 (P < or = .001). The response trend was higher for patients with FcgammaRIIIA-48L/H (38.5%) versus -48L/R (25.0%) and LL (22.0%), and was significantly higher for patients with FcgammaRIIIA-158V/V (40.0%) and -V/F (35%) versus -158F/F (9.0%; P = .030). Responses for patients with FcgammaRIIIA-48L/L were higher when at least one valine was present at FcgammaRIIIA-158 (P = .057), thereby supporting a primary role for FcgammaRIIIA-158 polymorphisms in predicting rituximab responses. With a median follow-up of 13 months, no significant differences in the median time to progression and progression-free survival were observed when patients were grouped according to their FcgammaRIIIA-48 and -158 polymorphisms. CONCLUSION The results of these studies therefore support a predictive role for FcgammaRIIIA-158 polymorphisms and responses to rituximab in WM.
Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease of the immature intestinal mucosal barrier

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an enigmatic process in that one single etiologic factor has been sought and not found. Epidemiologic studies suggest that immaturity of the host plays a very important role. This article reviews the intestinal host defense system and its immature nature early in life in animal models and humans and suggests that it is this immaturity, along with other factors, which allows for the proliferation and invasion of antigens and organism, and the subsequent development of NEC. Data are presented which support the efficacy of pharmacologic maturation of the intestinal barrier with growth factors, either prenatally or postnatally, to decrease the incidence of NEC or, potentially, to provide a more benign course for the disease.
Préhistoire Atlantique, fonctionnement et évolution des sociétés du Paléolithique au Néolithique

Gregor publie ici son memoire d’Habilitation a Diriger des Recherches sur la periode mesolithique sur la facade atlantique. Ouvrage de la maturite, il traite les donnees accessibles avec une prudence qui l’honore et sans pousser les hypotheses au-dela du raisonnable. S’ajoutent a cela l’emploi d’un vocabulaire riche et precis, parfois incisif et toujours l’emploi d’un humour fin qui lui est propre. L’auteur entame son ouvrages par un retour sur les archeologues qui ont initie la recherche sur.
Rotor Speed and Stator Resistance Identification Scheme for Sensorless Induction Motor Drives

This paper proposes a rotor speed identification method for sensorless induction motor drives based on a model reference adaptive system (MRAS). In this scheme, the error between estimated stator current and real stator current is regarded as the system error to estimate the rotor speed. Adaptive full-order flux observers for estimating the rotor speed are developed using Lyapunov’s stability theory. The stator resistance identification algorithm is developed with rotor speed estimating method in a systematic manner. Because of the stator resistance varies with inner temperature of the motor, the influence of motor speed estimation due to stator resistance identification error is analyzed. The error compensation method for stator resistance estimation is also proposed. Simulation and experimental results show the good performance for the proposed scheme in speed and robustness for sensorless induction motor drives. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i1. 1865
circBase: a database for circular RNAs

Recently, several laboratories have reported thousands of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in animals. Numerous circRNAs are highly stable and have specific spatiotemporal expression patterns. Even though a function for circRNAs is unknown, these features make circRNAs an interesting class of RNAs as possible biomarkers and for further research. We developed a database and website, “circBase,” where merged and unified data sets of circRNAs and the evidence supporting their expression can be accessed, downloaded, and browsed within the genomic context. circBase also provides scripts to identify known and novel circRNAs in sequencing data. The database is freely accessible through the web server at http://www.circbase. org/.
A Datalog Framework for Modeling Relationship-based Access Control Policies

Relationships like friendship to limit access to resources have been part of social network applications since their beginnings. Describing access control policies in terms of relationships is not particular to social networks and it arises naturally in many situations. Hence, we have recently seen several proposals formalizing different Relationship-based Access Control (ReBAC) models. In this paper, we introduce a class of Datalog programs suitable for modeling ReBAC and argue that this class of programs, that we called ReBAC Datalog policies, provides a very general framework to specify and implement ReBAC policies. To support our claim, we first formalize the merging of two recent proposals for modeling ReBAC, one based on hybrid logic and the other one based on path regular expressions. We present extensions to handle negative authorizations and temporal policies. We describe mechanism for policy analysis, and then discuss the feasibility of using Datalog-based systems as implementations.
Effect of Leptin on Progesterone, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, and Interleukin-6 Secretion by Human Term Trophoblast Cells in Culture1

Abstract Leptin, the 16-kDa protein product of the obese gene, was originally seen as an adipocyte-derived signaling molecule. Recently, it has been suggested to be involved in some functions during pregnancy, particularly in the placenta. In the present study, we investigated the role of leptin in the secretion of hCG, progesterone, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by human term trophoblast cells in culture. Placentae were obtained from cesarean sections following uncomplicated pregnancies and used immediately after delivery. Leptin, hCG, progesterone, and IL-6 were measured by ELISA, RIA, and immunoradiometric assay in the cultured media of trophoblast cells cultured for 48 and 96 h. Leptin mRNA expression in these cultures was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Recombinant human leptin added to primary cultures of human term placental trophoblast cells showed a stimulatory effect on hCG and IL-6 secretion and an inhibitory effect on progesterone secretion. Primary cultures of term trophoblast cells expressed leptin mRNA. All these findings suggest a role for leptin in human placental endocrine function.
Israeli emergency department nurses' attitudes to an extension of their role and powers.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the opinions of Israeli ED nurses as to (1) an expansion of their powers and autonomy in treating commonly presenting ED conditions, (2) whether nurses or physicians should be responsible for giving ED patients necessary information and (3) whether ED nurses should perform triage. BACKGROUND The development of the new emergency nurse practitioner role has relieved the pressure on emergency departments, reduced patient waiting times and raised patient satisfaction. Israel has yet to introduce either this role or the triage approach into its emergency departments. DESIGN This investigation was designed as a cross-sectional study by self-administered questionnaire. METHODS The researchers distributed a questionnaire they had developed and validated to 270 registered nurses working in 18 general hospital emergency departments. The responses were analysed by chi-square and t-tests and anova. RESULTS Of respondents 60-90% agreed that they should be granted 10 out of a list of 12 new powers, and a large majority thought nurses should be responsible for performing triage. They wanted to increase the information they gave to patients, both on general ED functioning and on specific medically related matters. CONCLUSIONS The contribution of this study is the positive response of a large representative sample of ED nurses to extending their powers. It will be necessary to establish postregistration training courses and draw up new regulations reshaping the delivery of emergency medicine. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The study demonstrates that ED nurses are convinced that they need the authority to diagnose and treat commonly presenting ED conditions and perform triage and discharge in order for their department to optimally exploit the resources available to it. The study should promote the development of the emergency nurse practitioner role in Israel and so reduce patient waiting times.
Outcome of Severe Guillain–Barré Syndrome in Children: Comparison Between Untreated Cases Versus Gamma-Globulin Therapy

The objective of this study was to assess retrospectively the outcome of children with severe Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) treated either with intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) versus practically untreated cases by a known beneficial agent. Twenty-three children with severe GBS who became bedridden (i.e., Motor Disability Grading Scale [MDGS] grade of at least 4) were analyzed. Fifteen children were treated with IVIG and eight children comprised the nontreatment group: five on supportive therapy and three treated previously with oral steroids found ineffective in GBS. IVIG was administered at a dosage of 1 g/kg daily for 2 days under constant monitoring, with no adverse effects requiring cessation of therapy. Improvement by 1 grade on the MDGS after IVIG therapy was achieved in the IVIG group after a mean of 10.17 days (median, 8 days), and patients started walking independently after a mean of 30.35 days (median, 20.5 days). Improvement by 1 grade on the MDGS was achieved in the nontreatment group after a mean of 22.3 days (median, 20.3 days), and they started to walk independently after a mean of 113.3 days (median, 100 days). A significant difference could not be delineated between both groups, given the rather small number of children in each group. These results indicate a possible beneficial effect of IVIG in severe childhood-onset GBS compared with the nontreated group of children. The authors therefore recommend using IVIG as the first-line drug in such cases, which warrant further approval after double-blind controlled studies of using different IVIG regimens or combined with plasmapheresis and steroids.
Perspectives on telecare: the client view

We explored the attitudes and responses of older people to telecare technologies. Questionnaires were given to subjects in three locations: two day hospitals in Tayside (a region of north-east Scotland); five units of sheltered housing run by West Lothian local authority (in central Scotland); and five schemes of a private housing association across Tayside. There were 199 returned questionnaires (a 42% response rate). The sample was divided into two groups according to whether the subjects did agree or did not agree with the statement 'I would welcome technology that helps me to stay in my home even if it means losing some of the freedom and control I currently have'. 'Tele-receptive' individuals (n = 127) were found to be significantly more likely both to feel excited about new technology and to feel that their age was not a barrier to further learning. The present study suggests that individuals receptive to telecare will tend to be younger (under 80 years) and will be satisfied clients of current health services. They are likely to express a wish to stay at home for as long as possible, even when they would need a lot of help or have to pay for care. They are also keen to use an interactive mode of communication for both social interaction and medical consultation.
Combining learning with fuzzing for software deobfuscation

Software obfuscation is widely applied to prevent reverse engineering of applications. However, to evaluate security and validate behaviour we are interested in analysis such software. In this thesis, we give an overview of available obfuscation techniques as well as methods to undo this effort through reverse engineering and deobfuscation. We research active learning, which can be used to automatically learn state machine models of obfuscated software. These state machine models give insight into the behaviour of the program. We identify opportunities to improve the quality of existing active learning algorithms through the use of fuzzing to generate test cases. We utilise the AFL fuzzer, which uses a genetic algorithm in combination with test case mutation to create test cases for a target program. By using insight into the program's execution for each test case, it can create more relevant test cases compared to implementations that do not use this information. We use the generated test cases to find counterexamples for learned state machine models; these counterexamples can then be used by the learning algorithm to significantly improve the quality of the learned model. Compared to active learning with the W-method for test case generation, our combination of learning and fuzzing learns models of obfuscated programs with up to 343x more states, and consequently incorporates more of the program's behaviour into the learned state machine model.
The disease entity in psychiatry: fact or fiction?

Background. The current debate concerning the forthcoming revisions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) lacks sufficient historical perspective on groundwork concepts in psychiatry, such as the nature of the disease entity, categorical typologies, dimensional models and their validity and utility. Objective. To offer an overview of the evolution and metamorphoses of the conceptual basis of classification in psychiatry, with particular focus on psychotic disorders. Method. Discursive, proceeding from history of ideas to a critique of present dilemmas. Results. Much of the present-day discussion of basic issues concerning the classification of mental disorders is a replay of debates that took place in the earlier periods of scientific psychiatry. Conclusion. The mainstream nosological paradigm adopted in psychiatry since early 20th century is in need to be critically examined and transcended with the help of concepts and methodological tools available today.
Twenty-five-Year Survivorship of Two Thousand Consecutive Primary Charnley Total Hip Replacements: Factors Affecting Survivorship of Acetabular and Femoral Components

Background: Charnley total hip arthroplasty has been demonstrated to provide good clinical results and a high rate of implant survivorship for twenty years and longer. Most long-term series are not large enough to stratify the many demographic factors that influence implant survivorship. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of demographic factors and diagnoses on the long-term survivorship of the acetabular and femoral components used in Charnley total hip arthroplasty.Methods: Two thousand primary Charnley total hip arthroplasties (1689 patients) were performed at one institution from 1969 to 1971. Patients were contacted at five-year intervals after the arthroplasty. Twenty-five years after the surgery, 1228 patients had died and 461 patients were living. Hips that had not had a reoperation, revision or removal of a component for any reason, or revision or removal for aseptic loosening were considered to have survived. Survivorship data were calculated with use of the method of Kaplan and Meier. Patients were stratified by age, gender, and underlying diagnosis to determine the influence of these factors on implant survivorship.Results: The twenty-five year rates of survivorship free of reoperation, free of revision or removal of the implant for any reason, and free of revision or removal for aseptic loosening were 77.5%, 80.9% and 86.5%, respectively. The twenty-five-year survivorship free of revision for aseptic loosening was poorer for each decade earlier in life at which the procedure was performed; this survivorship ranged from 68.7% for patients who were less than forty years of age to 100% for patients who were eighty years of age or older. Men had a twofold higher rate of revision for aseptic loosening than did women.Conclusions: Age, gender, and underlying diagnosis all affected the likelihood of long-term survivorship of the acetabular and femoral components used in Charnley total hip arthroplasty.