Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study for the Parent's Recognition of the Oriental Medical Treatment and the Expectation of Children's Growth

AbstractA Study for the Parent's Recognition of the Oriental Medical Tr eatment and the Expectation of Children's Growth Yoon Hye Joon․Kim Deog Gon․Lee Jin YongDepartment of Pediatrics, College of Oriental Medicine, Kyunghe e UniversityObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the parents’ awareness on the oriental medical treatment and their expectation on children's growth. MethodsThe survey was conducted on 78 Health Kids Fair visitors, and 87 children’s height and weight were measured in this study.Results1. Compare to other treatment, 62.82% of the parents responded that herbal medicine is relatively effective in treating weakness, followed by ‘Allergic disease’(46.15%) ‘Growth disturbance’(26.92%) ‘Obesity’(26.92%) ‘Respiratory disease’(26.92%) ‘Digestive disease’(19.23%) ‘Precocious puberty’(8.97%) ‘Neurologic & psychologic disease’(6.41%) ‘Urogenital disease’(3.85%). 2. Parents recognize that 'Oriental medicine have an effect on children's height mostly'(25.64%) 'Oriental medicine have an effect on children's height partially'(64.10%) 'Oriental medicine have no effect on children's height'(10.26%) 25.64% of the parents responded that herbal med icine would be helpful in increasing height, 64.10% of the parents said they would be helpful to the certain extent, and 10.26% said they would not play any roles.3. Expected average weight, height, and BMI score for the boys were 71.8kg, 179.6cm and 22.10. For the girls, however, they were 53.4kg, 168.7, and 18.74. 4. Survey on parents ’ awareness on benefits of different treatments for challenged growth, Herbal medicine'(48.72%) ‘Acupuncture’(7.69%), ‘Moxibustion’(3.85%), ‘Electronic acupuncture and Aqua acupuncture'(1.28%), ‘Massage on acupuncture point’(19.23%), ‘Consultation of eating habits’(61.54%), ‘Consultation of exercise’(47.44%) were measured.ConclusionsConsidering the collected results, we realized that the parents’ expected height on their children was, in fact, higher than the standard height. In addition, for treatments for their children’s growth improvement, parents expected that 'Herbal madicine' 'Massage on acupuncture point' 'Consultation of eating habits' 'Consultation of exercise would be beneficial.Key words : Height, Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), MPH, Oriental medical treatment
The transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) mediates acquisition of a mesenchymal stem cell‐like phenotype in human liver cells

Transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) mediates several and sometime opposite effects in epithelial cells, inducing growth inhibition, and apoptosis but also promoting an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, which enhances cell migration and invasion. TGF‐β plays relevant roles in different liver pathologies; however, very few is known about its specific signaling and cellular effects in human primary hepatocytes. Here we show that TGF‐β inhibits proliferation and induces pro‐apoptotic genes (such as BMF or BIM) in primary cultures of human fetal hepatocytes (HFH), but also up‐regulates anti‐apoptotic genes, such as BCL‐XL and XIAP. Inhibition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), using gefitinib, abrogates the increase in the expression of the anti‐apoptotic genes and significantly enhances cell death. Simultaneously, TGF‐β is able to induce an EMT process in HFH, coincident with Snail up‐regulation and a decrease in E‐cadherin levels, cells showing mesenchymal proteins and reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in stress fibers. Interestingly, these cells show loss of expression of specific hepatic genes and increased expression of stem cell markers. Chronic treatment with TGF‐β allows selection of a population of mesenchymal cells with a de‐differentiated phenotype, reminiscent of progenitor‐like cells. Process is reversible and the mesenchymal stem‐like cells re‐differentiate to hepatocytes under controlled experimental conditions. In summary, we show for the first time that human hepatocytes may respond to TGF‐β inducing different signals, some of them might contribute to tumor suppression (growth inhibition and apoptosis), but others should mediate liver tumor progression and invasion (EMT and acquisition of a stem‐like phenotype). J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 1214–1223, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The inhibitory effect of ginsan on TGF‐β mediated fibrotic process

Transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) plays a central role in the development of fibrosis by stimulating extracellular matrix accumulation, and signals either directly or indirectly through types I, II, and III (TβRI, II, and III) TGF‐β receptor complexes. Ginsan, a polysaccharide extracted from Panax ginseng, has multiple immunomodulatory effects. Here, we examine whether ginsan regulates the fibrogenic process by interfering with TGF‐β signaling pathways. TGF‐β treatment of murine or human normal lung fibroblasts enhanced the levels of several fibrotic markers, including smooth muscle alpha actin (α‐SMA), collagen‐1, and fibronectin. Interestingly, ginsan treatment either before or after TGF‐β administration led to significant reductions in all of α‐SMA, collagen‐1, and fibronectin expression levels. Ginsan not only inhibited phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3, but also attenuated pERK and pAKT signaling induced by TGF‐β. Moreover, ginsan restored TβRIII protein expression, which was significantly downregulated by TGF‐β, but reduced TβRI and TβRII protein levels. In a murine model of bleomycin (BLM)‐induced pulmonary fibrosis, ginsan significantly suppressed accumulation of collagen, α‐SMA, and TGF‐β. These data collectively suggest that ginsan acts as an effective anti‐fibrotic agent in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis by blocking multiple TGF‐β signaling pathways. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 1241–1247, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Treatment and Outcome of Advanced External Auditory Canal and Middle Ear Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This is a retrospective study to evaluate the outcomes and complications of combined treatment, surgery with or without adjunctive intraoperative radiotherapy, of locally advanced temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma. A series of 17 patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the temporal bone were treated between September 2002 and February 2007. Eleven patients had primary tumors, and 6 patients had recurrences. According to the University of Pittsburgh staging system, 5 patients were stage II (T2 N0), 6 patients were stage III (5, T3 N0 and 1, T1 N1), and 6 patients were stage IV (5, T3 N2b and 1, T4 N0). All patients underwent lateral temporal bone resection and pedicle flap reconstruction. Eight patients received intraoperative and postoperative radiotherapies, 4 patients underwent postoperative radiation alone, whereas 5 patients did not receive any adjunctive treatment. Median follow-up was 29.5 months. No major complications were observed. No patients were found to have residual gross tumor. Disease-free survival was 73.3%, and overall survival was 75.6%. Radical external auditory canal and/or middle ear canal resection is of utmost importance to obtain a good surgical outcome. Postoperative radiotherapy is necessary to obtain good local control; no major adverse effects were observed in the intraoperative radiotherapy patients. The incidence of major complication is minimal after pedicle flap reconstruction.
Electrochemically replicated smooth aluminum foils for anodic alumina nanochannel arrays

A fast electrochemical replication technique has been developed to fabricate large-scale ultra-smooth aluminum foils by exploiting readily available large-scale smooth silicon wafers as the masters. Since the adhesion of aluminum on silicon depends on the time of surface pretreatment in water, it is possible to either detach the replicated aluminum from the silicon master without damaging the replicated aluminum and master or integrate the aluminum film to the silicon substrate. Replicated ultra-smooth aluminum foils are used for the growth of both self-organized and lithographically guided long-range ordered arrays of anodic alumina nanochannels without any polishing pretreatment.
Characterization of nanometer-sized, mechanically exfoliated graphene on the H-passivated Si(100) surface using scanning tunneling microscopy

We have developed a method for depositing graphene monolayers and bilayers with minimum lateral dimensions of 2–10 nm by the mechanical exfoliation of graphite onto the Si(100)-2 × 1:H surface. Room temperature, ultrahigh vacuum tunneling spectroscopy measurements of nanometer-sized single layer graphene reveal a size-dependent energy gap ranging from 0.1 to 1 eV. Furthermore, the number of graphene layers can be directly determined from scanning tunneling microscopy topographic contours. This atomistic study provides an experimental basis for probing the electronic structure of nanometer-sized graphene which can assist the development of graphene-based nanoelectronics.
Burkitt's tumor in the United States

Twenty American patients with tumors histologically and histochemically identical to African Burkitt's tumor have been identified. These patients have been studied with regard to diagnostic criteria and clinicopathologic features of disease. In the 10 most recent patients, nontumor‐specific immune factors which might influence survival and responsiveness to standardized chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide have also been evaluated. Clinically, abdominal tumors dominate the clinical picture with jaw tumors second in frequency. Studies of immune factors revealed normal or only slightly deviated from normal immunologic capacity except for 3 patients who showed marked decrease in serum IgG. The tumor was found to be extremely sensitive to cyclophosphamide with high dose intermittent therapy providing the best results.
Chemical surface reactions by click chemistry: coumarin dye modification of 11-bromoundecyltrichlorosilane monolayers

The functionalization of surfaces and the ability to tailor their properties with desired physico-chemical functions is an important field of research with a broad spectrum of applications. These applications range from the modification of wetting properties, over the alteration of optical properties, to the fabrication of molecular electronic devices. In each of these fields, it is of specific importance to be able to control the quality of the layers with high precision. The present study demonstrates an approach that utilizes the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of terminal acetylenes to prepare triazole-terminated monolayers on different substrates. The characterization of the precursor monolayers, the optimization of the chemical surface reactions as well as the clicking of a fluorescent dye molecule on such azide-terminated monolayers was carried out. A coumarin 343 derivative was utilized to discuss the aspects of the functionalization approach. Based on this approach, a number of potential surface reactions, facilitated via the acetylene-substituted functional molecules, for a broad range of applications is at hand, thus leading to numerous possibilities where surface modifications are concerned. These modifications can be applied on non-structured surfaces of silicon or glass or can be used on structured surfaces. Various possibilities are discussed.
ASTHMA — comparing the impact of vitamin D versus UVR on clinical and immune parameters

The incidence of asthma has increased markedly since the 1960s and is currently estimated to affect more than 300 million individuals worldwide. A number of environmental factors are implicated in asthma pathogenesis, one of which is vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is a global health concern and has increased in parallel with asthma incidence. Epidemiological studies report associations between low vitamin D status, assessed as circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, with asthma incidence, severity, exacerbations and responses to treatment. This has led to clinical studies to test whether increasing the levels of vitamin D improves asthma management. Despite being highly variable in dosing regimens, design and outcomes, meta-analyses suggest overall positive outcomes with respect to reduced asthma exacerbations and steroid requirements. The primary mechanism for increasing vitamin D levels in the body is through exposure of the skin to the ultraviolet B (UVB) component of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), most commonly from sun exposure. However, only a limited number of studies investigating the impact of UVR on the asthmatic response have been performed; these generally report on the impact of latitude as a surrogate of sun exposure, or address this in animal models. To the best of our knowledge no comprehensive trials to assess the impact of UVB radiation on asthma outcomes have been performed. Within this review we discuss observational and clinical studies in this field, and innate and adaptive immune mechanisms through which UVR and vitamin D may impact respiratory health, and asthma. We highlight the heterogeneity of asthmatic disease, which is likely to impact upon the efficacy of interventional studies, and briefly overview more recent findings relating to the impact of vitamin D/UVR on the development of asthma.
Illicit drug use in the UK: evidence from the British crime survey

The control of psychoactive substances presents a serious concern for policy makers who must take into account the allocation of scarce public resources resulting from their interventions. Much of the debate in this respect is carried out within an informational vacuum. This paper presents an analysis of the survey data currently available to policy makers. We consider the British Crime Survey (BCS) which is the primary source of UK drug use information and observe serious limitations to what it can provide. We find that it does not allow us to effectively analyse the problem of escalating drug use, nor can we identify the point of initiation into the drugs market or the duration of use. We recommend that some of these observational problems could be overcome if the BCS drug questions were presented in the reverse order. However, based on the three drug use questions currently presented in the BCS, we offer an analysis of past and present drug use in terms of socio-economic factors that are associated with use at the extensive margin.
Photophysical properties, singlet oxygen generation efficiency and cytotoxic effects of aloe emodin as a blue light photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy in dermatological treatment

Conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses red light for deeper penetration. A natural compound, aloe emodin (AE) with anticancer and photosensitising capabilities, excited by blue light, is proposed to treat superficial diseases. The photophysical properties and singlet oxygen quantum yield ( F _? ) of AE, as well as the cytotoxic effects of AE on human cells, were investigated. The absorption and emission spectra of AE were analyzed. The F _? of AE was measured by a relative method. In order to study the relationship between F _? and the oxygen concentration, the dependence of F _? on the oxygen concentration was investigated. The cytotoxic effects of AE alone and AE-mediated PDT were compared. The relationship between cells’ survival rate and PDT conditions was studied. According to spectral analysis, the energy levels of AE were identified. The maximum absorption peak of AE is in the blue region, which makes AE-mediated PDT suitable for superficial diseases. The F _? of AE was determined to be 0.57(2), which was found to be dependent on the oxygen concentration. The studies under low oxygen concentration proved that there is no type I reaction between AE and the probe for singlet oxygen detection. The effect of AE-mediated PDT was significantly higher than that of AE alone and increased with the concentration of AE or fluence. AE-mediated PDT can provide a new strategy to treat superficial diseases using blue light, thus protecting deeper normal tissues.
Vitamina E no soro e colostro humanos em condições de jejum e pós-prandial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate alpha-tocopherol concentrations in maternal serum and colostrum under fasting and postprandial conditions. METHODS: Thirty healthy childbearing women were recruited in a public maternity hospital, and samples of blood, fasting colostrum, and postprandial colostrum were collected from them up to 12 hours after delivery. RESULTS: The serum alpha-tocopherol concentration was 1,939.8±766.0 μg/dL. Alpha-tocopherol levels in fasting colostrum (1,603.4±911.0 μg/dL) and in postprandial colostrum (1,515.0±890.9 μg/dL) did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). There was correlation between alpha-tocopherol levels in fasting and postprandial colostrum (p < 0.05), but not between serum and colostrum. CONCLUSION: The lack of correlation between alpha-tocopherol levels in plasma and in colostrum, and the correlation between alpha-tocopherol concentrations in fasting and postprandial colostrum support the existence of a mechanism that controls the transfer of this nutrient, regardless of dietary intake.
Spatial fluctuations of optical emission from single ZnO/MgZnO nanowire quantum wells

MgZnO/ZnO quantum wells on top of ZnO nanowires were grown by pulsed laser deposition. Ensembles of spatially fluctuating and narrow cathodoluminescence peaks with single widths down to 1 meV were found at the spectral position of the quantum well emission at 4 K. In addition, the number of these narrow QW peaks increases with increasing excitation power in micro-photoluminescence, thus pointing to quantum-dot-like emission centers. Indeed, laterally strained areas of about 5 nm diameter were identified at the quantum well positions on top of the nanowires by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.
Evidence-based medicine use in pharmacy practice: a cross-sectional survey.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the awareness, attitude, knowledge and use of evidence-based medicine (EBM) among pharmacists in Jordan. METHODS A cross-sectional self-reported survey was conducted on 122 pharmacists (both hospital and community) who were asked to fill a validated structured questionnaire. RESULTS The participants showed a positive attitude towards EBM; more than 80% thought that EBM improves patient care, improves quick knowledge update, helps to unify the quality of care provided, is a good educational tool and a convenient source of advice. But despite this positive attitude, pharmacists showed partial understanding of the technical terms used in EBM; also they relied on their own judgment, medical representatives and standard textbooks in making their decision, resources that can no longer be considered sufficiently updated and/or evidence based. Patient overload, lack of personal time and limited access to EBM sources were the most commonly identified barrier to practicing EBM. Also this study suggest that pharmacist's experience is negatively associated with EBM knowledge score (Spearman's rho value -0.187, P-value 0.04). CONCLUSIONS In spite of the positive attitude towards EBM, this study showed numerous personal and institutional barriers towards implementing EBM in Jordan, which necessitate immediate action by all health care decision makers to formulate a national plan to overcome such barriers, and to further investigate the evidence that teaching, learning and daily application of EBM in practice can improve the quality of care and reduce the cost.
Free fatty acids induce transglutaminase 2‐dependent apoptosis in hepatocytes via ER stress‐stimulated PERK pathways

Non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a progressive form of fatty liver, shares histological similarities with alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH), including accumulated fat, hepatic apoptosis, and fibrous tissues in the liver, but the molecular mechanisms responsible for hepatic apoptosis remain unclear. We previously reported that transglutaminase 2 (TG2), induced in the nuclei of ethanol‐treated hepatocytes, crosslinks and inactivates the transcription factor Sp1, leading to hepatic apoptosis. In this study, we investigated whether a similar change is involved in NASH, and if so, how TG2 and crosslinked Sp1 (CLSp1) are induced. Elevated nuclear TG2 and CLSp1 formation was demonstrated in NASH patients, as well as increased activation of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and release of cytochrome c. In Hc human normal hepatocytes treated with free fatty acids (FFAs), biochemical analyses revealed that ethanol and FFAs provoked fat accumulation, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, increased nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), and nuclear TG2. Salubrinal, a selective inhibitor of the ER stress‐induced pancreatic ER kinase (PERK) signaling pathway, inhibited NFκB activation, nuclear TG2 expression, and apoptosis only if it was induced by FFAs, but not by ethanol. These results suggest that FFAs could increase ER stress and lead to nuclear NFκB activation and TG2 induction through PERK‐dependent pathways, resulting in TG2‐mediated apoptosis accompanying crosslinking and inactivation of Sp1, activation of AIF, and release of cytochrome c. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 1130–1137, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Risk factors for psychological distress in women at risk for hereditary/familial breast cancer: a systematic review

SUMMARY Some women at risk for hereditary breast cancer are at increased risk of psychological distress. In order to correctly identify vulnerable women at an early stage for whom referral to a specialized psychologist or social worker may be considered, it is important that healthcare workers involved in the care of high-risk women have knowledge about risk factors that should be addressed during counseling. The aim of the current review is to investigate current knowledge on personal and social risk factors associated with psychological maladjustment in women at risk for hereditary breast cancer. The risk factors described in the current review may be used to develop appropriate interventions with respect to, for example, self-concept, risk appraisal, coping, family communication, social support and the partner relationship.
Wild type N‐ras displays anti‐malignant properties, in part by downregulating decorin

Previously, we have shown that wild type N‐ras (wt N‐ras) harbors an anti‐malignant effect against mutated Ras and in tumors without Ras mutations. To investigate the molecular bases of this anti‐malignant activity, we have studied the potency of this anti‐malignant effect in a model system against SV40 large T antigen (SV40T). We show that wild‐type N‐ras (wt N‐ras) counteracts the effects of SV40T in NIH3T3 cells as seen by a decrease in proliferation, anchorage independence and changes in migration. We also show that wt N‐ras elicits the same anti‐malignant effects in some human tumor cell lines (HT1080 and MDA‐MB‐231). Through mRNA and microRNA (miRNAs) expression profiling we have identified genes (decorin) and miRNAs (mir‐29A, let‐7b) modulated by wt N‐ras potentially responsible for the anti‐malignant effect. Wt N‐ras appears to mediate its anti‐malignant effect by downregulating some of the targets of the TGFβ pathway and decorin, which are able to reverse the inhibition of migration induced by wt N‐ras. Our experiments show that the molecules that mediate the anti‐malignant effect by wt N‐ras appear to be different from those modulated by transforming N‐ras. The components of the pathways modulated by wt N‐ras mediating its anti‐malignant effects are potential targets for therapeutic intervention in cancer. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 2341–2351, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.