Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Menthol crystals aqueous extracts on salivary Streptococci and Mutans Streptococci in comparison to Chlorhexidine Gluconate (In vivo study)

Menthol is a chemical compound derived from mint family; it has been applied as a medicinal remedy for many conditions for more than 3 thousands years ago, including skin infections and burns, localized pain, and in oral hygiene products and bad breath remedies like mouth wash and tooth paste. The aim of this study was to test the effects of menthol crystals aqueous extract on the viable count of Salivary Streptococci and Mutans Streptococci and on salivary flow rate and pH in comparison to chlorhexidine gluconate 0.2% and de-ionized water in vivo. Materials and method: Menthol crystals aqueous extracts was prepared and estimated in mg/ ml, in which 1 ml of alcohol was used to dissolve the specific amount of crystals, and then 99 ml of deionized water was added to form a solution of 100ml where as chlorhexidine gluconate used in this study as a control positive, de-ionized water was used as a control negative. Stimulated salivary samples were collected from 15 volunteers (20-24 years) for five time intervals (before rinsing, 1 minute, 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 1 hour after rinsing), they were divided into three groups each group rinse with one of the tested agents for one minute). Mitis Salivarius Agar (MSA) media was used for isolation of Streptococci and Mitis Salivarius Bacitracin Agar (MSBA) media was used for isolation of Mutans Streptococci. Colonies were counted using colony counter. Salivary pH was measured using digital pH meter and volume of saliva was measured also. Results: Counts of bacteria were recorded at different time points. Results showed a reduction in the viability counts of Salivary Streptococci and Mutans Streptococci one minute immediately after rinsing which continue to decrease after one hour. The reduction in the viable count of Streptococci was found to be statistically significant after 15 and 30 minutes of rinsing and highly significant after 1 hour, while for Mutans Streptococci, a significant reduction was found after 30 minutes of rinsing and highly significant after 1 hour. Salivary flow rates and pH were measured for the three test and control groups of volunteers before and after rinsing for five time intervals. There was an increase in the salivary flow rates and PH immediately after rinsing, and continue to increase after 30 minutes of rinsing, then decrease after 1 hour to approximate the base line. Conclusion: Menthol proved to posses antimicrobial activities against salivary Streptococci and Mutans Streptococci, and reduces their viable counts. Keyword: Mutans Streptococci, Menthol extracts, Chlorhexidine. (J Bagh Coll Dentistry 2011;23(119-123).
Chemotherapie und Hämostase unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Apoptose

Zusammenfassung In klinischen Studien wurden signifikante Korrelationen zwischen zytostatischer Chemotherapie und Strahlentherapie einerseits und dem Auftreten von Thromboembolien andererseits dokumentiert. Der gemeinsame pathophysiologische Mechanismus ist in diesem Zusammenhang in der spontanen oder therapieinduzierten verstärkten Freisetzung gerinnungsaktiver Substanzen aus den Tumorzellen bis hin zur verstärkten Thrombinbildung zu sehen. Die vermehrte Freisetzung von Thrombin bei metastasierenden Malignomen hat offensichtlich jedoch noch weitere Konsequenzen, welche über die rein hämostaseologischen Aspekte hinausreichen: Thrombin wirkt nicht nur als Enzym des Hämostasesystems, sondern kann bei verschiedenen Tumorzellinien eine Proliferation oder in höheren Konzentrationen auch Apoptose induzieren. Wir konnten jetzt zusätzlich demonstrieren, daß die Vorinkubation von Leukämiezellen (HL-60) mit Thrombin zu einer deutlich verminderten Apoptoserate bei Behandlung dieser Zellen mit dem Topoisomerase-Inhibitor Idarubicin führt. Damit wäre eine mögliche Erklärung für die positiven Effekte einer kombinierten Chemotherapie und Antikoagulation gefunden, welche durch weiterführende Zellkulturversuche und klinische Studien erhärtet werden müßte.
The relationship between anxiety during critical illness and adverse emotional outcomes

Objective: Survivors of critical illness experience compromised psychological health including the development of symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. The aims of this study were to: (1) describe the magnitude and patterns of state anxiety reported by patients throughout their ICU stay; (2) identify factors associated with patients’ state and trait anxiety during critical illness; (3) determine factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression over six months after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge; and, (4) determine factors associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over six months after ICU discharge.
Preparation and Evaluation of In-Situ-Gels for Ocular Drug Delivery

The poor bioavailability and therapeutic response exhibited by conventional ophthalmic solutions due to rapid precorneal elimination of the drug may be overcome by use of in –situ gel forming system that are instilled as a drops into the eye and it undergoes a sol-gel transition in the cul-de-sac. The present work describes the formulation and evaluation of an ophthalmic delivery system of an antibacterial agent, ciprofloxacin, which is used in the treatment of eye infection such as dacrocystitis, bacterial conjunctivitis, corneal ulceration and blepharitis, based on the concepts of pH-triggered in-situ gelation, thermo reversible gelation and Ion activated system. Poly acrylic acid (Carbopol 940) was used as the gelling agent in combination of hydroxy propyl methylcellulose, which acted as a viscosity-enhancing agent. (pH-triggered system). Pluronic F-127 (14%) was used as the thermal reversible gelation in combination of HPMC (1.5%) incorporation of HPMC was to reduce the concentration of pluronic required for in-situ gelling property, with 25% w/w pluronic F-127 reported to form good gels. Gellan gum (Gelrite) is an anionic exocellular polysaccharide by the bacterium pseudo Monas elodea, having the characteristic property cation-induced gelation (0.6%). The developed formulation was therapeutically efficacious, stable, non irritant and provided sustained release of the drug over an 6 hours period, but Gelrite formulation showing long duration of release followed by combination of carbopol, HPMC and pluronic F-127 & HPMC. The developed system is thus a viable alternative to conventional eye drops.
T Cell Exhaustion and Downregulation of Cytotoxic NK Cells – an Immune Escape Mechanism in Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains a therapeutic challenge with less than 40% long term survival. There is growing evidence that malignant diseases exert an “immune editing” effect which blocks antitumor immunity and permits tumor growth through immune evasion. Such tumor escape represents an obstacle for anticancer immunotherapy. In ALL such immune escape mechanisms are not well characterized. We therefore profiled cellular immunity in ALL, by characterizing the subsets of T cells, regulatory T cells (Treg), natural killers (NK) cells and γd T cells, using various functional markers including T cell exhaustion and NK cell activating or inhibitory molecules. Forty ALL patients were included in the study. The median age was 39 y (range, 18-75). Thirty-six presented with B-lineage ALL and 4 with T-lineage ALL. Mononuclear cells were isolated from blood (n=19) or bone marrow (n=21) at the onset of leukemia or at relapse. The median infiltration of blasts was 85% (range 24-96%). Healthy donor peripheral blood (n=12) and bone marrow (n=9), from age and gender matched population, were simultaneously analyzed as controls. Extra-and intra cellular staining were performed using using antibodies directed against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45, CD45, CD45RA, CD45RO, CCR7, CD95, CD27, CD19, CD14, CD127, CD25, Foxp3, Helios, αβTCR, HLA-DR, CD117, CD20, CD10, CD22, CD34, LAG3, PD1, PDL1, CD56, NKG2A, NKG2C, NKG2D, KIR2DL1, KIR2DL3, CD57, CD33, CD11b, CD15, CD38 and CD24. Data were acquired on a BD LSRFORTESSA flow cytometer. The expression of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1, CD279) receptor on CD8+T cells was significantly increased in blood and bone marrow of ALL patients compared to healthy donors (p Adult patients with ALL show evidence of immune-editing of T cells and NK cells. This global immunosuppressive mechanism may contribute to the eventual escape of ALL from immune control. PD-1, overexpression, described in acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia has been implicated in T-cell exhaustion and subsequent tumor immune evasion. Our data suggests similar immune escape mechanisms pertain in ALL. Effective antileukemia immunotherapy will require targeting one or more of these immunosuppressive pathways to achieve optimum results. Disclosures Fathi:Seattle Genetics, Inc.: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda pharmaceuticals International Co.: Research Funding; Exelixis: Research Funding; Ariad: Consultancy.
Predictability of Nonremitting Depression After First 2 Weeks of Antidepressant Treatment: A VAST‐D Trial Report

Objective: In this secondary analysis of data from the Veterans Affairs Augmentation and Switching Treatments for Improving Depression Outcomes (VAST‐D) study, the authors sought to determine the effectiveness of early improvement (or lack thereof) for predicting remission from depression with antidepressant therapy. Methods: This study used data from the VAST‐D study, a multisite, randomized, single‐blind trial with parallel assignment to one of three medication interventions for 1,522 veterans whose major depressive disorder was unresponsive to at least one course of antidepressant treatment meeting minimal standards for dosage and duration. The authors calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of early improvement on remission, response, or greater than minimal improvement from depression for various degrees of improvement (10%–50%) on the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Clinician Rated (QIDS‐C) at 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks. Results: The end of week 2 of treatment was identified as the best time to evaluate early improvement. The presence of a ≥20% drop from the baseline QIDS‐C score by the end of week 2 resulted in a PPV for remission of 38% and an NPV of 93% by week 12. Extending the observational window to week 6 minimally improved NPV (97%). This association did not differ across treatment groups. Conclusions: A lack of early improvement at the end of week 2 of antidepressant therapy can be used to inform clinical decisions on the likelihood of nonremission of depression during the subsequent 10 weeks, even when dosage optimization is incomplete.
Clinical characteristics and frequency of chronic complications in people with newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: clinical characterization of people with diabetes mellitus is essential to carry out its comprehensive evaluation and indicate an individualized medical treatment. Objective: to identify the clinical characteristics and the frequency of chronic complications in people with newly diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Granma Province. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus who were admitted to The Diabetes Care Center in Bayamo, Granma, from January 2011 to July 2012. The universe was composed of the 683 patients who were admitted to this institution during this period of time. The sample was represented by the 150 Type 2 diabetics who have been suffering from this disease for less than 6 months. Results: the mean age was 49, 2 years. The diabetics who had family antecedents of Diabetes Mellitus (60, 6 %), the ones who were overweight and obese (90 %) and the hypertensive ones (62 %), predominated in the study. At the moment of the diagnosis, 43 cases (28,7 %) presented the following chronic complications: 9 had diabetic retinopathy (6 %), 16 had diabetic polyneuropathy (10, 6 %), 11 had ischemic heart disease (7,3 %), 4 suffered from stroke (2,6 %) and 13 presented peripheral arterial disease (8,6 %). 7 patients were diagnosed with more than one complication. Conclusions: type 2 Diabetes Mellitus frequently occurs in people over 45 years, with family antecedents of diabetes mellitus associated to obesity and hypertension. Chronic complications of diabetes are present in a high percent of cases at the moment of the initial diagnosis of the disease.
Impact of lifestyle modifications on obesity and biochemical parameters at different time intervals in newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus – A randomized controlled trial

Introduction and Objectives: Diabetes Mellitus is complex metabolic disorder and have appeared as gigantic public health problem worldwide. The prevalence of specifically type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing in adult population due to sedentary lifestyle and more junk food consumption leading to obesity. This further is linked with decreased insulin sensitivity of the tissues and insulin resistance which is major indicator of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lifestyle modifications are considered as one of the important cornerstone in management of diabetes mellitus. Therefore present study has been undertaken to assess, in a randomized manner, the impact of life style modification in form of structured exercise therapy on anthropometric and biochemical parameters in young adults newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: Total of 148 patients of age group 20-45 years with newly diagnosed T2DM were enrolled in the study as per eligibility criteria. The patients were divided randomly into two groups as Diabetic controls and interventional group. Socio-demographic, Anthropometric and Biochemical parameters were evaluated at baseline and at the end of six months for the study groups. Whereas the impact of lifestyle modification is studied at different time intervals, . i.e at baseline and at the end of 2nd, 4th and 6th months were studied. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. IBM SPSS version 22 was used for statistical analysis. Results: There was significant improvement found in majority of anthropometric and biochemical parameters in intervention group at the end of six months of structured exercise therapy. © 2019 Published by Innovative Publication.
HuC242-DM4, an antibody-maytansinoid conjugate with superior preclinical activity in human CanAg-positive tumor xenograft models in SCID mice

1429 Several anti-tumor antibody-maytansinoid conjugates, commonly called TAPs (tumor-activated prodrugs) are currently under clinical evaluation. In particular, cantuzumab mertansine (huC242-DM1), has been evaluated in three Phase I clinical trials (A.W. Tolcher et al., J Clin Oncol 2003, 21:211-22; P.R. Helft et al., Clin Cancer Res 2004, 10:4363-4368) using different dosing schedules to treat patients with tumors expressing the CanAg target antigen. The immunoconjugate could be safely administered at pharmacologically meaningful doses and evidence of anti-tumor activity was seen in several patients, which led to a recommendation for broad clinical development of the agent (A.W. Tolcher et al., J Clin Oncol 2003, 21:211-22). During the clinical evaluation, further advancement in the TAP technology led to the development of TAPs with disulfide-containing linkers with increased stability under physiological conditions. One of these new TAPs that demonstrated improved pharmacokinetic behavior and superior anti-tumor activity in murine test models is huC242-DM4, which contains the same antibody as cantuzumab mertansine and targets therefore the same CanAg-expressing tumors. HuC242-DM4 caused complete regressions in several tumor xenograft models even with single i.v. administration at doses far below its maximal tolerated dose (MTD). For example, treatment of SCID mice bearing measurable N87 human gastric tumor xenografts with a single dose of 3.4 mg/kg caused complete regression of the tumors, with significant tumor regression observed at a dose below 2 mg/kg. With a MTD in SCID mice of greater than 40 mg/kg when given as a single i.v. bolus injection, a therapeutic index of over 20 was achieved. HuC42-DM 4 was also curative in mice bearing human colon tumor xenografts of HT29 and COLO 205 cells, at doses that were non-toxic. The disulfide linkage of huC242-DM4 was approximately 2-fold more stable during circulation in mice than that of cantuzumab mertansine. While the huC242-DM4 conjugate demonstrated increased stability and efficacy in vivo compared to cantuzumab mertansine, preliminary acute toxicity studies suggest that the two conjugates have similar tolerability in normal mice. The resulting increased therapeutic window for huC242-DM4 provides a preclinical rationale for its clinical evaluation in patients with CanAg-positive tumors, such as colorectal, pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal carcinomas.
Baseline patient profiling and three-year outcome data after metabolic surgery at a South African centre of excellence

The bariatric team at Waterfall City Hospital in Gauteng has performed 820 metabolic surgeries under the guidance of an extended team, and with comprehensive recordkeeping. Baseline profiling on more than 50 variables afforded insight into patients undergoing surgery. The available outcome data over three years were comparable with those in the documented literature. The attempted weight loss period prior to agreeing to surgery was 16-18 years. Weight loss in the overall cohort was 29% at three years, with a two-year outcome as follows: diabetes mellitus remission of 81.6% in males and 83.1% in females, full and part-hypertension resolution of 84.8% in males and 74.6% in females, hyperlipidaemia on no treatment of 76.8% in males and 72.1% in females, and sleep apnoea of 75.5% in males and 76.8% in females. Separating out the diabetic group indicated a diabetes mellitus remission of 73.9% in males and 75.1% in females at one year. Improvement in the components of metabolic syndrome was demonstrated in the total cohort. There was an worse profile and higher risk in the male patients. Similarly, higher risk was recorded in the biliopancreatic diversion-duodenal switch cohort, and there was a higher percentage of elected diabetic patients. A wide range of revision surgery was performed, with a higher complication rate (20%) experienced compared to that recorded with the primary surgeries. The morbidity data were separated into medical and surgical morbidity. Major medical morbidity was documented at 5.6% and surgical morbidity at 3.9%. Surgical morbidity in the first 250 cases was reported to be 6% vs. 2.7% in the last 570 cases. Mortality for the cohort was noted to be 0.1%.
Commentary Impact of cytokines and T lymphocytes upon osteoclast differentiation and function

Historically, the osteoblast has been considered the master cell in the control of osteoclast development and, therefore, bone resorption. Now the interactions between cells of the immune system and bone cells have redefined our thinking on the regulation of bone resorption. Moreover, the crosstalk between these cell types has special significance in inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. This report highlights the contribution that T lymphocytes make in regulating osteoclast formation and bone resorption. Rheumatoid arthritis, the most common chronic autoimmune disease, ultimately presents with joint destruction as a consequence of an inflammatory process. Whilst the pathogenesis for onset of this disease is not understood, the final steps in the process leading to bone destruction have been recently resolved. It has been a long held view that infiltrating synovial cells are responsible for juxta-articular bone loss, although it is now clear that the osteoclast is the only cell capable of resorbing bone. The recognition of this exclusive role for the osteoclast in all pathologies involving bone loss (osteoporosis, arthritis, periodontal disease) has identified a single cell whose function can be modulated to enhance or reduce bone loss [1]. The identification of the osteoclast and its role in bone destruction permits targeted therapy to reduce its resorptive capacity. Such therapies include the use of agents that can interfere with receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL), one of the key cytokines promoting osteoclast differentiation. This may be achieved through the use of recombinant Fc
A Study Evaluating Lid Reconstructive Surgeries

Background: Eyes are the most important aesthetic units in the human body. The increase in the number of patients who require reconstructive surgeries of the lid makes it imperative for the general ophthalmologists who have a limited experience in this field to acquire at least some knowledge about the basic principles of reconstructive surgeries. Aim of the Study: To study and evaluate the basic principles of lid reconstructive surgeries. Material and Methods: The study included 25 patients who attended the Department of Ophthalmology at KMC hospital, Mangalore. The study was conducted prospectively for a period of 2 years. The patients who were included were those who were diagnosed to have Entropion, Ectropion, Ptosis and Lid tumours, in the age group of 10-69 yrs. After taking a brief history and after the clinical examination, the patients were operated. The pre-op, intra-op and post-op photographs were taken. Histopathological examination was done for concerned cases. The patients were followed up for 2 months. Results: Our study included a total of 25 patients who underwent lid surgeries. The commonest was ectropion with 8 (32%) cases, followed by entropion, lid tumours and ptosis. Conclusion: An attempt has been made to find out the effective surgeries for the various lid disorders.
Polimedicación y prescripción de fármacos inadecuados en pacientes ancianos inmovilizados que viven en la comunidad

Objetivos Conocer y analizar el consumo de medicamentos de la poblacion anciana inmovilizada, asi como el numero de farmacos potencialmente inapropiados (FPI). Diseno Estudio transversal. Emplazamiento Catorce centros rurales de atencion primaria. Participantes Se escogio mediante muestreo sistematico a pacientes inmovilizados, mayores de 64 anos, no institucionalizados. Mediciones principales Revision de los botiquines y anotacion de la dosis diaria y el numero de farmacos actuales del paciente, asi como el origen de la prescripcion. Identificacion de los FPI (criterios de Beers). Estadistica descriptiva e inferencial. Resultados Se visitaron 143 domicilios. La media de edad fue de 81,3 ± 7,9 anos, con un 74,8% de mujeres. Los medicamentos mas comunes fueron: analgesicos (9,2%), antiacidos (7,1%), nitritos-antagonistas del calcio (6,5%), antiinflamatorios no esteroideos (5,0%) e inhibidores de la enzima de conversion de la angiotensina (4,7%). El porcentaje de pacientes con consumo de mas de 4 farmacos fue del 76,1%. El 35% de los ancianos tomaba algun FPI. Los mas frecuentes fueron: ansioliticos de accion prolongada (41,5%), hipnoticos (13,8%), digoxina (13,8%), indometacina (7,7%) y espasmoliticos (6,1%). En la mayor parte de los casos, la prescripcion de los FPI partio del medico de familia (77,7%). Las mujeres tomaban significativamente mas farmacos inapropiados que los varones (0,50 ± 0,72 frente a 0,25 ± 0,50; p = 0,001) y los polimedicados, mas que los no polimedicados (0,50 ± 0,73 frente a 0,31 ± 0,52; p = 0,008). Conclusiones La prevalencia de inadecuacion terapeutica en los ancianos inmovilizados es alta, por lo que es necesario hacer un esfuerzo para reducirla. Actuaciones dirigidas a aumentar la calidad de las prescripciones podrian mejorar el estado de salud y la calidad de vida de estos pacientes.