Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salt: A Review of its Role in Food Science and Public Health

Salt has been used in food preparation since pre-history and is still routinely added in modern food manufacturing processes. Salt may be added at the table or during cooking; however a large amount of dietary salt originates from processed foods (∼60-70% of adult daily dietary salt). Excess salt intake is strongly linked to increases in blood pressure (hypertension) and subsequently pre-disposes individuals to the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of death in developed countries. Excess dietary salt intake has also been linked to the development of kidney disease, aggravation of asthma conditions and to the onset of osteoporosis. Results from large numbers of human studies have led to worldwide initiatives being put in place in order to reduce current levels of salt consumption. Hence there is an urgent need to reduce excess dietary salt intake from processed foods in particular. Current daily consumption figures can be as high as ∼10-12g NaCl per day while an intake of 4g salt per day is sufficient. Therefore a target reduction to an intake of 6g per day is the goal for a number of public health agencies worldwide. An incremental reduction in salt content in foods appears to be the best strategy to reduce population blood pressure values. However any reduction in salt content in processed foods must not impact on product safety or sensory quality. In this review various public health aspects of salt intake are considered. Additionally, the technological implications of salt reduction in foods are discussed and the possibilities for replacement of salt by addition of salt replacers, herbs, spices and other food ingredients to maintain product quality are highlighted.
Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a girl with a novel homozygous mutation of STX11

Abstract Rationale: Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (FHL) is a rare fatal autosomal recessively inherited disease and can be divided into five types. The mortality of untreated patients is up to 95% and it can be healed only after immunochemotherapy for disease control and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Clinical data of a girl with late-onset and recurrent hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) was retrospectively analyzed to determine the etiology and potential pathogenic gene. Patient concerns and clinical findings: The proband was a female child patient from a consanguineous marriage family who was 11 years old, and clinically manifested delayed (onset at the age of 4 years and 6 months) and recrudescent HLH. Both of her elder brothers died at the ages of 4 and 5 years, respectively. The patient had a degranulation function defect of CD107a in natural killer (NK) cells, and the degranulation function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) obviously declined (ΔMFI: 1.4%, normal ≧2.8%); the degranulation function of NK cells and CTL of her father was also obviously reduced. To identify possible underlying genetic causes, gene mutation analysis was undertaken. A novel homozygous nonsense mutation in STX11 (c.49C>T, p.Q17X) was documented, arising from both her parents. Diagnosis: According to the clinical manifestations and detection results of STX11, the diagnosis of FHL-type 4 was confirmed and her parents were heterozygotic carriers. Interventions and outcomes: Good responses to HLH-2004 chemotherapy had been achieved for each onset, and the maximum remission duration (without taking any drug) was 23 months. The patient has been alive for 82 months since the onset, and has stopped taking dexamethasone and etoposide, but is still on oral cyclosporine to maintain the treatment. She has performed HLA matching and now is actively looking for a donor to prepare hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conclusions: Relevant gene detections should be implemented at the earliest for young patients from consanguineous marriages and with a family history of HLH so as to provide a basis for etiological diagnosis and radical treatment by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and provide accurate genetic counseling for family members.
Ablation vs. drug use for atrial fibrillation

The relative merits of rate and rhythm control in the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have been compared in several major clinical trials, none of which demonstrated a significant difference in all-cause mortality. Yet, there is clear evidence that restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm is associated with beneficial reverse atrial and ventricular remodelling. In addition, patients may feel better if AF is resolved, and data from some post hoc analyses suggest a possible mortality benefit. These apparently contradictory findings may reflect the high risk of serious adverse events associated with currently available antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD), counterbalancing their beneficial effect in restoring sinus rhythm. Catheter ablation offers an alternative means of restoring sinus rhythm in patients with AF and several clinical trials have indicated superior outcomes in certain subgroups after ablation with or without AAD vs. antiarrhythmic therapy alone. This study reviews the relative advantages and actual use of catheter ablation and other therapeutic options in the treatment of AF, with or without concomitant heart failure or structural heart disease. Catheter ablation is recognized in the latest ACC/AHA/ESC guidelines as a valid second-line option in patients who have failed or were intolerant of first-line antiarrhythmic therapy. In the absence of new antiarrhythmics with an improved benefit/risk profile, it could become a first-line strategy for certain patient populations. The ongoing CABANA trial should confirm its impact on overall survival relative to that of pharmacological rate or rhythm control.
Retinoic Acid and Germ Cell Development in the Ovary and Testis

Retinoic acid (RA), a derivative of vitamin A, is critical for the production of oocytes and sperm in mammals. These gametes derive from primordial germ cells, which colonize the nascent gonad, and later undertake sexual differentiation to produce oocytes or sperm. During fetal development, germ cells in the ovary initiate meiosis in response to RA, whereas those in the testis do not yet initiate meiosis, as they are insulated from RA, and undergo cell cycle arrest. After birth, male germ cells resume proliferation and undergo a transition to spermatogonia, which are destined to develop into haploid spermatozoa via spermatogenesis. Recent findings indicate that RA levels change periodically in adult testes to direct not only meiotic initiation, but also other key developmental transitions to ensure that spermatogenesis is precisely organized for the prodigious output of sperm. This review focuses on how female and male germ cells develop in the ovary and testis, respectively, and the role of RA in this process.
Optimism related to treatment and high risk behaviors among People livingwith HIV/AIDS under follow up in public health clinics in Rio de Janeiro: scale of attitudes and beliefs about HIV treatment

The objective of this study was to explore the HAART (Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy) optimism scale and test its validity among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) under follow-up in six public clinics of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A cross sectional survey was conducted between 2007/08 with 900 PLWHA (67% under HAART), 66.7% male. Participants were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with 11 statements about HAART. Data were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis, which yielded two factors, the first factor composed of a 7-item scale representing HIV treatment optimism, and a second factor representing risk and severity perception of HIV/AIDS. HIV Treatment Optimism scale showed moderately high internal consistency (alpha=0.696). Participants who were under HAART and those who were not on HAART had similar HAART optimism scores (43.5% vs. 43.8% had high optimism scores). Our study identified that a shorter version of the HAART optimism scale may be useful to further study the role of HAART optimism on treatment adherence and protective behaviors among PLHWA in Brazil.
Preventive Effects of Fluoro-Substituted Benzothiadiazole Derivatives and Chitosan Oligosaccharide against the Rice Seedling Blight Induced by Fusarium oxysporum

Rice seedling blight, caused by Fusarium oxysporum, significantly affects global rice production levels. Fluoro-substituted benzothiadiazole derivatives (FBT) and chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) are elicitors that can enhance plant resistance to pathogen infection. However, there is a lack of information regarding FBT and COS used as elicitors in rice seedlings blight. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of FBT and COS treatments on rice seedling blight and elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the two elicitors for inducing resistance using proteomic technique. Results indicated that FBT and COS significantly reduced the disease incidence and index, and relived the root growth inhibition caused by F. oxysporum (p < 0.05). Biochemical analyses demonstrated that these two elicitors effectively enhanced activities of defense enzymes. Moreover, the proteomic results of rice root tissues disclosed more differentially expressed proteins in diterpenoid biosynthesis pathway that were particularly stimulated by two elicitors compared to the other pathways studied, resulting in the accumulation of antimicrobial substance, momilactone. Findings of this study could provide sound theoretical basis for further applications of FBT and COS used as rice elicitors against seedling blight.
An omics perspective on drug target discovery platforms

Abstract The drug discovery process starts with identification of a disease-modifying target. This critical step traditionally begins with manual investigation of scientific literature and biomedical databases to gather evidence linking molecular target to disease, and to evaluate the efficacy, safety and commercial potential of the target. The high-throughput and affordability of current omics technologies, allowing quantitative measurements of many putative targets (e.g. DNA, RNA, protein, metabolite), has exponentially increased the volume of scientific data available for this arduous task. Therefore, computational platforms identifying and ranking disease-relevant targets from existing biomedical data sources, including omics databases, are needed. To date, more than 30 drug target discovery (DTD) platforms exist. They provide information-rich databases and graphical user interfaces to help scientists identify putative targets and pre-evaluate their therapeutic efficacy and potential side effects. Here we survey and compare a set of popular DTD platforms that utilize multiple data sources and omics-driven knowledge bases (either directly or indirectly) for identifying drug targets. We also provide a description of omics technologies and related data repositories which are important for DTD tasks.
Apoptotic Effects of Physalis minima L. Chloroform Extract in Human Breast Carcinoma T-47D Cells Mediated by c-myc-, p53-, and Caspase-3-Dependent Pathways

The chloroform extract of Physalis minima produced a significant growth inhibition against human T-47D breast carcinoma cells as compared with other extracts with an EC50 value of 3.8 mg/mL. An analysis of cell death mechanisms indicated that the extract elicited an apoptotic cell death. mRNA expression analysis revealed the coregulation of apoptotic genes, that is, c-myc, p53, and caspase-3. The c-myc was significantly induced by the chloroform extract at the earlier phase of treatment, followed by p53 and caspase-3. Biochemical assay and ultrastructural observation displayed typical apoptotic features in the treated cells, including DNA fragmentation, blebbing and convolution of cell membrane, clumping and margination of chromatin, and production of membrane-bound apoptotic bodies. The presence of different stages of apoptotic cell death and phosphatidylserine externalization were further reconfirmed by annexin V and propidium iodide staining. Thus, the results from this study strongly suggest that the chloroform extract of P minima induced apoptotic cell death via p53-, caspase-3-, and c-myc-dependent pathways.
Strip Adjustment of Airborne LiDAR Data in Urban Scenes Using Planar Features by the Minimum Hausdorff Distance

In Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition practice, discrepancies exist between adjacent strips even though careful system calibrations have been performed. A strip adjustment method using planar features acquired by the Minimum Hausdorff Distance (MHD) is proposed to eliminate these discrepancies. First, semi-suppressed fuzzy C-means and restricted region growing algorithms are used to extract buildings. Second, a binary image is generated from the minimum bounding rectangle that covers overlapping regions. Then, connected components labeling algorithm is applied to process the binary image to extract individual buildings. After that, building matching is performed based on MHD. Third, a coarse-to-fine approach is used to segment building roof planes. Then, plane matching is conducted under the constraints of MHD and normal vectors similarity. The last step is the calculation of the parameters based on Euclidean distance minimization between matched planes. Two different types of datasets, one of which was acquired by a dual-channel LiDAR system Trimble AX80, were selected to verify the proposed method. Experimental results show that the corresponding planar features that meet adjustment requirements can be successfully detected without any manual operations or auxiliary data or transformation of raw data, while the discrepancies between strips can be effectively eliminated. Although adjustment results of the proposed method slightly outperform the comparison alternative, the proposed method also has the advantage of processing the adjustment in a more automatic manner than the comparison method.
Depression and coronary heart disease: recommendations for screening, referral, and treatment: a science advisory from the American Heart Association Prevention Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, and Interdiscip

Depression is commonly present in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and is independently associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Screening tests for depressive symptoms should be applied to identify patients who may require further assessment and treatment. This multispecialty consensus document reviews the evidence linking depression with CHD and provides recommendations for healthcare providers for the assessment, referral, and treatment of depression.
Effect of Positive End Expiratory Pressure on Intra-abdominal Pressure and Abdominal Perfusion Pressure at an Increased Intra-abdominal Pressure

S 31 Received:August 1, 2007 Corresponding to:Hye Won Lee, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Korea University Medical Center, 126-1, Anam-dong 5-ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-705, Korea. Tel: 82-2-920-5478, Fax: 822-928-2275, E-mail: hyewonmd@unitel.co.kr. This study was supported by the grant from the Korea Health 21 R&D Project of the Ministry of Health & Welfare (grant no. 02-PJ3-PG6EV09-0001) and the Brain Korea 21 Project of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, Republic of Korea. The 6 Joint Scientific Congress of the JSICM and KSCCM, 2006, Osaka. Effect of Positive End Expiratory Pressure on Intra-abdominal Pressure and Abdominal Perfusion Pressure at an Increased Intra-abdominal Pressure
ANTI DIABETIC ACTIVITY (INVITRO) OF THE RHIZOMES OF ANAPHYLLUM WIGHTII SCHOTT

Diabetes is one of the major causes of premature death worldwide. The major therapeutic approach is to Diabetes is to reduce gastro intestinal glucose production and absorption through the inhibition of carbohydrate digesting enzymes such as α- amylase and α-glucosidase . In this study the invitro antidiabetic activity of the methanolic extract of the rhizomes were evaluated. The antidiabetic action of Anaphyllum wightii can be attributed to the intestinal alpha amylase and alpha glucosidase inhibitory activity.
Exercise Works

371 esicrexe is exercise spelled backward. As foreign as this word looks spelled backward, it is synonymous with how people react to the idea of participating in exercise or physical activity. even if most individuals are aware that exercise is a good thing, many avoid it like the plague, usually offering a litany of excuses why exercise is not possible. With the myriad research evidence touting the benefits of exercise, only one fifth of American adults participate in regular physical activity, a figure that has not changed since the mid-1980s. Physical inactivity is associated with clinical risk factors such as elevated blood pressure, elevated fasting blood glucose, increased body mass index, increased low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels, decreased high-density lipoprotein levels, increased inflammatory markers (i.e., C-reactive proteins), declining balance, muscle weakness, depression, and cognitive decline. These clinical risk factors increase the probability for heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, some cancers (breast and colon), and all-cause mortality. Clearly there is a disconnect between the research evidence and putting this evidence into practice by the general population. This is unfortunate because exercise may be the panacea of lifestyle modifications when it comes to maximizing longevity and improving health.
The effects of vitronectin at sites of myocardial ischemia and infarction

Myocardial infarction (Ml) results from the thrombotic occlusion of an atherosclerotic coronary artery in patients with ischemic heart disease. The plasminogen activator (PA)/plasmin system plays significant roles in events leading to wound healing following Ml. Vitronectin (VN) is an acute phase plasma protein which has a direct influence over the constituents of the plasminogen activator/plasmin system. However, the effects of VN on cardiac function and wound healing following ischemia and infarction remain to be elucidated. My dissertation addresses the investigation of the specific role of VN at sites of myocardial ischemia, infarction and fibrosis. More specifically, my work focused on the function of VN in modulation of cardiomyocyte contractility, its effects on cardiac function, and regulation of extracellular matrix degradation in ischemic and infarcted hearts. In vitro and in vivo models have been employed to study the detailed role of VN at sites of ischemia and infarction. Isolated neonatal and adult rat cardiomyocytes, as well as left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery-ligated transgenic mice have been used to investigate post-MI function and left ventricular (LV) healing. The main findings in this work include the demonstration that during ischemia and infarction VN modulates post-MI myocardial repair/remodeling and cardiac function. VN enters ischemic cardiomyocytes and binds to sarcomeric desmin intermediate filaments apparently causing significant reduction in cardiomyocyte contractility. Further, following infarction VN affects myocardial wound healing by regulating the PA/plasmin and matrix metalloproteinase systems. As well, exercise training in a rat model of LAD ligation induced cardiomyocytes to synthesize and secrete tissue-type plasminogen activator, which may have a role in myocardial healing post-MI. My work on myocardial healing and repair in ii experimental Ml models indicates a potentially important role for plasma proteins such as VN on the PA/plasmin system.
A look from health services to the nutrition of Mexican childhood: III. Economic and health burden of Mexican childhood obesity. Long-term projections

Solicitud de sobretiros: M. en C. Silvia Martínez Valverde, Centro de Estudios Económicos y Sociales en Salud, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Calle Dr. Márquez Núm. 162, Col. Doctores, Deleg. Cuauhtémoc, C.P. 06720, México, D. F. , México. Fecha de recepción: 07-12-2007. Fecha de aprobación: 12-12-2007. Una mirada desde los servicios de salud a la nutrición de la niñez mexicana. III. Carga económica y en salud de la obesidad en niños mexicanos. Proyecciones de largo plazo A look from health services to the nutrition of Mexican childhood. III. Economic and health burden of Mexican childhood obesity. Long-term projections
AWARENESS AND PREVALENCE OF CHILDREN OF PARENTS DIAGNOSED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.

Although the mechanisms through which parental mental illness influences children's mental health and development are not always clearly understood, the presence of the association is well documented. However, the use of such evidence to generate policy and planning strategies aimed at reducing the burden carried by these children has been limited. Also, as it is estimated that only half of the burden of mental disorders can be reduced through currently available treatment modalities, this author will discuss the prevalence and helpful strategies for mental health professionals to work with these children.
FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF DUAL TRANSDERMAL PATCH CONTAINING METFORMIN HYDROCHLORIDE - METOPROLOL TARTARATE

Intend of this study is to formulate and evaluate dual transdermal patch containing Metformin hydrochloride and Metoprolol tartarate. Diabetes mellitus generally accompanied with major complications like Hypertension. These situations lead to most morbidity and mortality among middle-aged, older people. So to maintain the drug plasma concentration for prolonged period of time Dual transdermal patch is the choice of dosage form to control the Diabetes associated with major complication like hypertension. The choice of drug for type2 diabetes mellitus is Metformin hydrochloride and for Hypertension is Metoprolol tartarate. Dual Transdermal drug delivery systems are capable of controlling the rate of drug delivery, prolonging the duration of therapeutic activity. Thus it is predicted that Dual Transdermal drug delivery systems can be designed to deliver drugs at appropriate period of time to maintain suitable plasma drug levels for desired therapeutic efficiency. The results from dual release Transdermal patch of Metformin hydrochloride with Metoprolol tartarate could perform better both therapeutically with good patient compliance by significant overcome of diabetes along with its complication especially hypertension.
Genomic Analysis Reveals Variation between Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and the Attenuated M. tuberculosis H37Ra Strain

Volume 67, no. 11, p. 5768–5774, 1999. Page 5773, column 2, “Acknowledgments”: Because of an administrative error, thesecond paragraph was incomplete and should read as follows:“Financial support for this work was provided by the Wellcome Trust, the Biomed Program of the European Community (grantBMH4/CT97/2277), the Institut Pasteur, and l’Association Franc¸aise Raoul Follereau. S. V. Gordon was the recipient of aWellcome Trust International Travelling fellowship. ”