Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment of glycaemia in type 2 diabetes

T he prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising rapidly in the UK, and most practices will now have at least 5% of their registered population living with diabetes. The care of people with diabetes has in the last 20 years moved from being a principally hospital-based activity to one largely carried out in primary care. The quality and outcomes framework of the new GP contract introduced in 2004 has provided encouragement and incentive for primary care to take on this work. All qualified GPs and Associates in Training therefore need to have an understanding of up to date diabetes management. The treatment of type 2 diabetes has been the subject of two recent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE Clinical Guideline CG 66 was published in May 2008. A rapid update of the glycaemic control section of this guideline was published on 27 May 2009 as NICE Clinical Guideline CG 87. This occurred because a number of new glucose-lowering medications were launched after the scope of guideline CG 66 had been agreed and work had started on it. In this article glucose-lowering medications will be reviewed and their use discussed in light of the NICE guidance.
Diabetes education

The rising incidence and cost of diabetes is a problem on a worldwide scale. Currently, the World Health Organization estimates that 347 000 000 people worldwide have diabetes and require two to three times the healthcare resources compared with patients who are not diabetic. In the UK, it has been estimated that 1 in 20 people have diabetes. Diabetes accounts for approximately 10% of the NHS budget, this equates to approximately £1 000 000 per hour. Researchers, practitioners and patients must therefore work together to improve both prevention and management of this chronic condition.
SESSION 1: CHROMATIN REMODELING Chromatin Remodeling 2003

Chromatin remodeling entails a complex process of rapid deployment of factors in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells that bring about decondensation and unfolding of chromatin fibers, enabling gene transcription or DNA replication, and subsequent refolding and compaction. The human genome contains over 3 linear feet of DNA that is entwined into nucleosomes and organized and enfolded into chromatin fibers that are compacted into the space of the nucleus, about 20 μm in diameter. The basic chromatin fiber, an 11-nm beads-on-a-string array, consists of a nucleosome core composed of 146-bp DNA segments coiled 1.75 times around an aggregate of protein molecules consisting of histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4. Higher-order arrangements of fibers ranging from 30 to 200 nm in diameter can be found within the bulk of chromatin in the nucleus and chromosomes. As cells progress through the cell cycle, selected domains of the genome must be opened and unfolded down to the basic 11-nm fiberlevel to allow entry and access to factors that initiate and regulate replication, repair, transcription, and recombination. Studies of chromatin remodeling have led to the identification of 2 general classes of coactivators: a complex family of DNA-stimulated ATPases, of which the SWI2/SNF2 family is best known, and a class of coactivators that catalyze histone modifications including acetylation, phosphorylation, and methylation. The latter appear to cause subtle pertubations in nucleosome core structure needed for entry and egress of nonhistone proteins involved in the remodeling process. This session will review current studies on the involvement of the 2 classes of coactivators in the regulation of chromatin remodeling in normal and neoplastic cells. Beverly M. Emerson and coworkers will present studies on 2 highly homologous ATPases, BRG1 and BRM, and will report that SWI/SNF chromatin complexes contain 1 each of these homologous ATPases. BRG1 and BRM, associate with different promoters via specific protein-proteins interactions that are unique for each ATPase. The mechanisms of transcriptional regulation by p53 will also be presented. Carl Wu will characterize 4 related classes of protein complexes that utilized the catalytic activity of a SWI12/SNF2 family of ATPases and will elucidate the mechanism of chromatin reorganization by induction of nucleosome sliding along DNA strands via Nucleosome Remodeling Factor (NURF). The role of actin-related proteins on chromatin remodeling will also be presented. Randy J. Jirtle will discuss studies of the evolution and regulation of imprinted tumor susceptibility genes by allele-specific methylation of CpG dinucleotides and their relationship to tumor susceptibility in humans.
Does chocolate reduce blood pressure

Background: Dark chocolate and flavanol-rich cocoa products have attracted interest as an alternative treatment option for hypertension, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Previous meta-analyses concluded that cocoa-rich foods may reduce blood pressure. Recently, several additional trials have been conducted with conflicting results. Our study summarises current evidence on the effect of flavanol-rich cocoa products on blood pressure in hypertensive and normotensive individuals. Methods: We searched Medline, Cochrane and international trial registries between 1955 and 2009 for randomised controlled trials investigating the effect of cocoa as food or drink compared with placebo on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) for a minimum duration of 2 weeks. We conducted random effects meta-analysis of all studies fitting the inclusion criteria, as well as subgroup analysis by baseline blood pressure (hypertensive/ normotensive). Meta-regression analysis explored the association between type of treatment, dosage, duration or baseline blood pressure and blood pressure outcome. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Fifteen trial arms of 13 assessed studies met the inclusion criteria. Pooled meta-analysis of all trials revealed a significant blood pressure-reducing effect of cocoa-chocolate compared with control (mean BP change ± SE: SBP: -3.2 ± 1.9 mmHg, P = 0.001; DBP: -2.0 ± 1.3 mmHg, P = 0.003). However, subgroup meta-analysis was significant only for the hypertensive or prehypertensive subgroups (SBP: -5.0 ± 3.0 mmHg; P = 0.0009; DBP: -2.7 ± 2.2 mm Hg, P = 0.01), while BP was not significantly reduced in the normotensive subgroups (SBP: -1.6 ± 2.3 mmHg, P = 0.17; DBP: -1.3 ± 1.6 mmHg, P = 0.12). Nine trials used chocolate containing 50% to 70% cocoa compared with white chocolate or other cocoa-free controls, while six trials compared high- with low-flavanol cocoa products. Daily flavanol dosages ranged from 30 mg to 1000 mg in the active treatment groups, and interventions ran for 2 to 18 weeks. Meta-regression analysis found study design and type of control to be borderline significant but possibly indirect predictors for blood pressure outcome. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests that dark chocolate is superior to placebo in reducing systolic hypertension or diastolic prehypertension. Flavanol-rich chocolate did not significantly reduce mean blood pressure below 140 mmHg systolic or 80 mmHg diastolic.
DISORDERS IN KAGHAN VALLEY, NWFP, PAKISTAN

The herbal medicines occupy distinct position right from primitive period to the present-daytime. The utilization of biologically diverse plant resources for various ailments is the lifelong struggle of human race. In spite of their availability and utilization by large proportion by the middle hills dweller, no concreted effort has been made for sustainable development of this renewable natural resource. Kaghan Valley is no exception to this. Being a neglected part of NWFP, its people mainly depend upon plant resources for their first aid. In the present study indigenous knowledge of plants use for the gastrointestinal disorders collected from research Kaghan valley includes 27 poly herbal recipes. These recipes are composed of 43 medicinal plant species. Out of these, 27 plants species constitute the major component and the remainder 15 species are used as minor component. The maximum number of recipes (15) are used for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery followed by anthelmentic recipes (10), while only 4 are used for abdominal pain.
Intertrochanteric Osteotomy in Osteoarthritis of the Hip

o: TEO ART H R I TIS of the hip may occur secondarily to disease of the joint which causes necrosis of articular cartilage or loss of congruity between the femoral head and acetabulum, but in the majority of cases no obvious preceding cause is recognised, so that the aetiology is guardedly accepted as idiopathic. Lloyd-Roberts (1955) describes a primary cartilage degeneration; joint debris that so forms produces a non-specific synovitis and eventually a synovial and capsular fibrosis. That these changes are earliest and most marked inferiorly is due to the influence of gravity. Cartilage loss leads on to diminution of joint space and inferior capsular fibrosis to deformity in adduction and external rotation. The irritative joint lesion causes muscle spasm, so accentuating the deforming effect of capsular fibrosis. The powerful ilio-psoas is responsible for maintaining and accentuating a flexion deformity at the joint (O'Malley, 1962)and prolonged muscle spasm is followed by fibrosis at the musculo-tendinous junction -yet another factor in the accentuation of deformity (Lloyd-Roberts, 1955). Cyst formation may be produced in association with trabecular fractures whose callus undergoes cystic degeneration. Alternatively, cysts may be formed by invagination of synovial fluid into the soft cancellous bone of the femoral head and acetabulum (Rhaney & Lamb, 1955). It is recognised that the increased vascular inflow described by Harrison et al. (1955) is an effort at repair and thus is not a factor inherent in the primary degenerative process. Osteophyte formation, too, is secondary to the altered blood supply. Progressive subluxation occurs because the softened unprotected bone of the femoral head collapses as a result of continued weight bearing. Osteophytes which form so frequently on the infero-medial aspect of the femoral head by their bulk may force the femoral head further out of the acetabulum.
10 CLASSIC LABOUR MARKET DISCRIMINATION

The simplest definition of labour market discrimination is the following: members of a certain group receive unequal treatment – for example, during recruitment, wage setting, or promotion – compared to another group, and this differentiation is not based on their productivity but on their membership in the particular group (for example based on gender, age, ethnicity) (Arrow, 1998, Loury, 2002). As a result of discrimination in the labour market, the members of the disadvantaged group may have, on average, a lower employment rate, occupational level, and wage. In addition to their productive characteristics, the labour market situation of employees also depends on their individual preferences. This determines which jobs they apply for given their level of human capital, how much time they spend working, and how much effort they put into getting promoted. The main difficulty of measuring discrimination empirically is that the actual productivity and preferences of individuals are rarely observed. This makes it difficult to establish to what extent any observed mean differences in wages and other outcomes at the group level are a consequence of discrimination, and to what extent are they due to the different characteristics and preferences of the groups. Characteristics and preferences seen in the labour market are also influenced by discrimination prior to entering the labour market (for example, when teachers or parents discourage girls from choosing certain areas of study). Prelabor market differences ingroup-level characteristics may be further increased by the expectations of the discriminated group: they may invest relatively less in their human capital if the expected returns in the labour market are smaller. Discrimination should therefore be regarded as a cumulative process, often manifesting in more than one area (Blank et al. 2004).
Follicular Atresia as an Apoptotic Process: Atresia-Associated Increase in the Ovarian Expression of the Putative Apoptotic Marker Sulfated Glycoprotein-2

Objective: To evaluate the possibility that morphologically confirmed/hypophysectomy-induced ovarian follicular atresia, a putative apoptotic process, is coupled to alterations in the steady-state levels of ovarian sulfated glycoprotein-2 (SGP-2) transcripts. Methods: Hypophysectomy-induced follicular atresia in immature rats, morphologically confirmed at the light and electron microscopic levels, was correlated with alterations in the steady-state levels of ovarian SGP-2 transcripts as assessed by a solution hybridization/RNase protection assay. Cellular localization was accomplished by in situ hybridization technology. Results: Hypophysectomy of the 24-day-old immature rat, an established precipitant of follicular atresia, led (3 days later) to a significant (p < .05) increase (up to 3.3-fold) in the relative abundance of densitometrically quantified ovarian SGP-2 transcripts compared with age-matched intact controls. Detailed time-course analysis after hypophysectomy revealed significantly (P < .05) increased ovarian SGP-2 mRNA expression as early as 2 days after hypophysectomy; no further increments were noted on days 4 or 8. Light microscopic analysis of comparable ovarian material 4 days after hypophysectomy revealed increased numbers of atretic follicles displaying large numbers of degenerating granulosa cells. Electron microscopic analysis of the degenerating cells of atretic follicles (from hypophysectomized rats) disclosed nuclear condensation and cytoplasmic shrinkage as well as apoptotic bodies at all levels of the granulosa cell layer. In situ hybridization established the granulosa cell of the intact untreated rat as the somatic cell concerned with SGP-2 gene expression. In turn, hypophysectomy led to an increase in SGP-2 expression at the level of the theca-interstitial cell, an effect prevented by the concurrent provision of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG). The hypophysectomy-induced increase in ovarian SGP-2 transcripts was similarly reversed (54% inhibition by day 27) by the concomitant provision of FSH, an established antiatretic principle. The delayed administration (day 26) of a single dose of PMSG to rats hypophysectomized on day 24 eliminated the hypophysectomy-induced increase in ovarian SGP-2 transcripts as assessed on day 28. Qualitatively similar but quantitatively more pronounced increments in ovarian SGP-2 gene expression were obtained when atresia was induced by hypophysectomy of PMSG-primed immature rats. Conclusions: These observations establish the immature rat ovary as a site of SGP-2 gene expression and reveal hypophysectomy-induced follicular atresia to result in the up-regulation of ovarian (specifically, theca-interstitial) SGP-2 gene expression, an effect prevented by the concurrent provision of FSH or PMSG. To the extent that SGP-2 is an acceptable apoptotic marker, the present findings support the hypothesis that ovarian follicular atresia may be an apoptotic process.
Adaptation of Plants to Salt Stress: Characterization of Na+ and K+ Transporters and Role of CBL Gene Family in Regulating Salt Stress Response

Salinity is one of the most serious factors limiting the productivity of agricultural crops, with adverse effects on germination, plant vigor, and crop yield. This salinity may be natural or induced by agricultural activities such as irrigation or the use of certain types of fertilizer. The most detrimental effect of salinity stress is the accumulation of Na+ and Cl− ions in tissues of plants exposed to soils with high NaCl concentrations. The entry of both Na+ and Cl− into the cells causes severe ion imbalance, and excess uptake might cause significant physiological disorder(s). High Na+ concentration inhibits the uptake of K+, which is an element for plant growth and development that results in lower productivity and may even lead to death. The genetic analyses revealed K+ and Na+ transport systems such as SOS1, which belong to the CBL gene family and play a key role in the transport of Na+ from the roots to the aerial parts in the Arabidopsis plant. In this review, we mainly discuss the roles of alkaline cations K+ and Na+, Ion homeostasis-transport determinants, and their regulation. Moreover, we tried to give a synthetic overview of soil salinity, its effects on plants, and tolerance mechanisms to withstand stress.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor.

Abstract Gastrointestinal stromal tumour is the most common mesenchymal tumour of the human gastrointestinal tract. The c-kit receptor tyrosine Kinase is expressed by practically all GIST. Interstitial cells of Cajal are the pacemaker of the peristaltic movement of the G.I. tract and these tumors are considered to originate from this cells. A great majority of them occurs in the stomach (60-70%) and small intestine (25% to 35%). Some GIST are primary in the omentun, mesentery of retroperitoneum. Although the prediction of malignancy in this tumour group is notorious by difficult, tumors that have mitotic activity count, exceeding 5 per 50 HPF of those larger than 5 cm have a high frequency of intra-abdominal recurrence and liver metastasis. Functional analysis of the different c-kit mutations and their impact on the response to tyrosine Kinase inhibitor are under intense investigation.
INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION OF THE GREEN TURTLE, Chelonia mydas (CHELONIIDAE), IN THE FORAGING AREA OF GORGONA NATURAL NATIONAL PARK (COLOMBIAN PACIFIC)

The size distribution and body condition of the two morphotypes of green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ) foraging in Gorgona Natural National Park (GNNP) in the Colombian Pacific was assessed from 2003 to 2012. Measurements of straight carapace length (SCL), curved carapace length (CCL), weight, and body condition of 1,023 turtles captured on the GNNP reefs were recorded. More black turtles (n = 747) than yellow turtles (n = 276) were captured, all of them juveniles. Black turtles were significantly larger and heavier than yellow turtles. The size of recruitment to the neritic zone was 40.0-49.9 cm SCL for both morphotypes, but there were more yellow than black turtles in this size class, indicating a difference in the recruitment pattern. The body condition index of yellow turtles was significantly higher than that of black turtles, which could indicate differences in resource use. Based on our results, we suggest that GNNP might function as a recruitment area for yellow turtles, which arrive at smaller sizes and as part of a coastal migratory route for black turtles, which arrive at larger sizes and maintain residence at this location for an unknown period of time. Variacion intraespecifica de la tortuga verde Chelonia mydas (Cheloniidae) en el area de forrajeo del Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona (Pacifico colombiano) Se comparo la distribucion de tallas y condicion corporal de los dos morfotipos conocidos de tortuga verde ( Chelonia mydas ) en el area de forrajeo del Parque Nacional Natural Gorgona (PNNG) en el Pacifico colombiano entre 2003 y 2012. Se tomaron medidas de largo recto de caparazon (LRC), largo curvo de caparazon (LCC), peso y condicion corporal de 1.023 tortugas capturadas en los arrecifes del PNG. Se capturaron mas tortugas negras (n = 747) que amarillas (n = 276), todas juveniles. Las tortugas negras fueron significativamente mas grandes y pesadas que las amarillas. El tamano de reclutamiento a la zona neritica fue de 40,0–49,9 cm para ambos morfotipos, pero hubo mas tortugas amarillas que negras en este intervalo de tamanos, lo cual sugiere una variacion en el patron de reclutamiento. El indice de condicion corporal de las tortugas amarillas fue significativamente mas alto que el de las tortugas negras, lo cual podria indicar diferencias en la utilizacion de recursos. Con base en los resultados obtenidos, se sugiere que el PNNG podria funcionar como un area de reclutamiento para las tortugas amarillas, las cuales llegan mas pequenas a esta zona; y como parte de la ruta migratoria costera de las tortugas negras, las cuales llegan mas grandes e incluso residen en esta localidad durante un lapso de tiempo desconocido.
Vitamin Profiles of Eggs as Indicators of Nutritional Status in the Laying Hen: Diet to Egg Transfer and Commercial Flock Survey

Abstract The present study calculated diet to egg transfer of vitamins from previous experimental studies and determined whether dietary status for riboflavin, vitamin A, or vitamin B12 is a problem in commercial chicken laying flocks and breeding flocks by measuring egg vitamin content. Pooled egg samples from 16 Ohio egg layer and breeder flocks were analyzed for riboflavin and vitamin A by HPLC methods and for vitamin B12 by isotope dilution assay. At one or two times the dietary requirement, vitamin transfer efficiency from diet to eggs was about 45% for riboflavin, 78% for vitamin A, and 43% for vitamin B12. At four times the dietary requirement, efficiency of transfer to eggs decreased greatly for riboflavin and vitamin Abut remained nearly constant for vitamin B12. Hence, vitamin B12 fortification of eggs is easily accomplished. Eggs from the Ohio flocks contained 4.05 ± . 123 μg of riboflavin/g of albumen, 10.20 ± . 330 μg of retinol equivalents/g of yolk, and 3.09 ± . 326 μg of vitamin B12/100 g of yolk. A significant negative correlation (−. 95, P
The Hepatitis B Virus HBx Protein Inhibits Caspase 3 Activity*

The hepatitis B virus-encoded HBx protein coactivates transcription of viral and cellular genes, and it is believed to play an important role in hepatitis B virus-related liver cancer. HBx has been shown to alter the coordinated balance between proliferation and programmed cell death, being able to either induce or block apoptosis. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the HBx is a potent caspase 3 inhibitor. Rat fibroblasts (REV2) and hepatoma cells (Hep) synthesizing the HBx protein were resistant to various apoptotic stimuli such as growth factor depletion, tumor necrosis factor α, or anti-Fas antibodies administration. In these cells, HBx prevented DNA fragmentation and cell death in the absence of de novo protein synthesis, with a similar efficiency as the competitive caspase 3 substrates inhibitors VAD-FMK and DEVD-FMK. Protein extracts obtained from the HBx positive cells contained a very low caspase activity, and addition of anti-HBx antibody restored the endogenous caspase activity. To obtain a functional map of the anti-caspase activity of HBx, various cell lines were established that synthesized either N-terminally or C-terminally truncated HBx molecules. These gene dissection experiments revealed that the regions required for the anti-caspase activity overlap with the two known transactivation domains of HBx.
Control en lazo cerrado del nivel de glucosa en pacientes críticos :estudio previo y propuesta de protocolo de ensayos clínicos

Este artículo contempla la viabilidad de aplicar un sistema de control en lazo cerrado para regular los niveles de glucosa de pacientes en estado crítico. Combinando los elementos mínimos para su construcción: Un modelo equivalente al metabolismo de glucosa en dichos pacientes, la detección de glucosa intersticial y con base en ésta la estimación de la concentración de glucosa en plasma utilizando un filtro de Kalman, haciendo énfasis en el método para determinar la tasa de infusión de insulina óptima mediante el diseño de esquemas de control clásicos en comparación con una estrategia de control predictivo.