bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neuroprotective effects of taurine and 3-hydroxypyridine derivatives in the intracerebral hemorrhage model in rats
Authors: Nesterova Natalia I. , Shcheblykina Olesya V. , Kolesnichenko Pavel D. , Nesterov Arkady V. , Shcheblykin Dmitry V. , Popova Irina A. , Yakovlev Dmitry V. 
Published: September 2019

Introduction: At present, the problem of pharmacological correction of free radical processess emerges full-blown. The aim of the study is an experimental study of the neuroprotective effect of taurine and 3-hydroxypyridine derivatives.
Materials and methods: The study was performed in Wistar rats. The neuroprotective effect of the substances was studied in the intracerebral hemorrhage model.
Results and discussion: The administration of the studied substances had a positive effect on the survival of the animals within the first day (50% of rats died in the control group, 30% – in the Mexidol- and Ethoxidol-treated groups, and 20% – in LKhT 3-17-treated group). Within the first day after the surgery, all rats with stroke had severe neurological disorders. However, by the 3rd day, the Ethoxidol- and LKhT 3-17-treated rats had a lower neurological deficit. By Day 14, all groups of animals treated with the test substances had a lower severity of post-stroke disorders than those in the control group, which was evident as a 1.5-time lower McGraw Stroke Index score. LKhT 3-17 substance showed the most pronounced neuroprotective effect.
Conclusions: The studied derivatives of taurine and 3-hydroxypyridine have a neuroprotective effect, which is manifested in the lower severity of neurological disorders,a more rapid reduction in the signs of neurodegeneration and accelerated hemorrhage processes.
Maximum tolerant dose and analgesic activity of PT1 peptide
Authors: Palikova Yuliya A. , Palikov Viktor A. , Dyachenko Igor A. 
Published: September 2019

Introduction: The article presents the results of the study of the maximum tolerant dose (MTD) and the analgesic activity of peptide PT1 isolated from Alopecosa marikovskyi spider venom. PT1 is the first compound of polypeptide nature, capable of exerting a selective modulating effect on purinergic P2X3 receptors.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 174 ICR mice. The analgesic activity of the peptide was evaluated in a thermal hypersensitivity test triggered by CFA and in a model of chemical irritation.
Results and discussion: The determined MTD for the peptide PT1 when administered intravenously provides evidence to attribute it to low-toxic compounds. The maximum analgesic activity of PT1 using the biomodel of hypersensitivity induced by CFA when tested 15 minutes after the administration was recorded at doses of 0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg. In the visceral pain test, the maximum analgesic activity 15 minutes after the administration of the chemical stimulus was observed at a dose of 0.01 mg/kg.
Conclusions: According to the results of testing peptide PT1, it is shown that it belongs to low-toxic compounds, has a pronounced analgesic activity in a wide range of doses of 0.0001–10 mg/kg.
Search for new pharmacological targets for increasing the efficiency of correction of cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Korokina Liliya V. , Golubev Ivan V. , Pokopejko Olga N. , Zagrebelnaya Anastasia V. , Demchenko Sergey A. 
Published: September 2019

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide: no other reason causes as many deaths a year as CVD. An estimated 17.9 million people died of CVD in 2016, accounting for 31% of all deaths in the world. People with CVD or at high risk for these diseases (due to one or more risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or an already developed disease) need early detection and assistance through counseling and, if necessary, taking medication.
Ways to find new targets for the correction of endothelium-associated pathology: The basis of the modern therapy for arterial hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases is the postulate of the need to correct endothelial dysfunction as an indication of the adequacy of antihypertensive and other types of treatment. Lowering blood pressure (BP) without normalizing endothelial function cannot be considered a successfully resolved clinical task. Currently, there are no drugs for specific pharmacological correction of endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular diseases, and the search for new targets for pharmacological correction of endothelial dysfunction is one of the main tasks of pharmacology.
Association between reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentration & coronary heart disease
Authors: Sustar Aleksandra , Perkovic Matea Nikolac , Erjavec Gordana Nedic , Strac Dubravka Svob , Pivac Nela 
Published: September 2019

Background & objectives:
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) facilitates neuronal survival, differentiation and synaptic connectivity and affects neurotransmission throughout the brain. However, it has also a modulatory role in energy homeostasis, obesity and cardiovascular function. Obesity, high body mass index (BMI) and dyslipidaemia, among other factors, contribute to coronary heart disease (CHD) development. The exact role of BDNF in development of CHD is not well defined. This study was aimed to evaluate if plasma BDNF concentration was associated with CHD in ethnically homogeneous groups of patients and to correlate plasma BDNF levels with known risk factors for CHD.

Methods:
Plasma BDNF concentration, BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and other biological and anthropological risk factors for CHD were determined in 208 patients with CHD and 156 healthy controls.

Results:
Plasma BDNF concentration was significantly (P<0.01) reduced in patients with CHD compared to controls, and it was not influenced by gender, age, smoking or BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. It was considerably correlated with cholesterol (P=0.004), low-density lipoprotein (P=0.006), and diastolic blood pressure (P=0.018) in patients with CHD and with platelet number (P=0.003) in healthy controls.

Interpretation & conclusions:
The results revealed lower plasma BDNF concentration in patients with CHD, suggesting that decreased plasma BDNF concentration might be associated with CHD pathogenesis. Longitudinal studies with a large sample need to be conducted to confirm these findings.
Serovar diversity of Salmonella among poultry
Authors: Kumar Yashwant , Singh Varun , Kumar Gulshan , Gupta Naveen Kumar , Tahlan Ajay Kumar 
Published: September 2019

Background & objectives:
Salmonellosis due to the consumption of contaminated poultry products is a well-known public health concern, and assessing the distribution of Salmonella serovars among poultry becomes important for better prevention and control. The objective of the present study was to assess the distribution of Salmonella serovars among poultry.

Methods:
The isolates received at National Salmonella and Escherichia Centre during 2011-2016 were subjected to biochemical identification, followed by serological characterization to identify the Salmonella serovars, and the data were presented to exhibit the distribution of Salmonella serovars among poultry.

Results:

Salmonella was found to be present in poultry in all the regions included in the study. Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Gallinarum and S. Enteritidis were the most prevalent serovars accounting for 96.2 per cent of isolates. Salmonella was identified in poultry from all major egg-producing and egg-consuming States. Other serovars which were scantly identified included S. Infantis (2.7%), S. Montevideo (0.64%), S. Newport (0.26%) and S. Pullorum (0.13%).

Interpretation & conclusions:
Diverse distribution of Salmonella serovars in poultry in India, with known potential to infect human population and/or other poultry flocks, requires urgent nationwide stringent control measures.
Safety & efficacy of an intravasal, one-time injectable & non-hormonal male contraceptive (RISUG)
Authors: Sharma Radhey Shyam , Mathur Ajit Kumar , Singh Rajeev , Das Hem Chandra , Singh Gulshan Jeet , Toor Devinder Pal Singh , Guha Sujoy Kumar 
Published: September 2019

Background & objectives:
For improved male contraception, a new polymeric drug molecule – Reversible Inhibition of Sperm under Guidance (RISUG) has been synthesized and has been found to be effective, safe and reversible in various animal species. Phase-I and phase-II clinical trials have confirmed its safety and contraceptive efficacy. The present study was undertaken as a multicentric-limited phase-III clinical trial to test the efficacy and safety of RISUG in human volunteers.

Methods:
One hundred and thirty nine young males each having at least two children and living with wife were given 120 μl of RISUG as bilateral vas intraluminal injection. After the single-dose administration, the individuals were followed in respect of general health and semen parameters. Their wives were also followed particularly to determine onset of pregnancy.

Results:
During the six month follow up, the health of male volunteers and their wives was normal with no significant adverse effects. Temporary scrotal enlargement and mild scrotal and inguinal region pain were manifested in most individuals and resolved within one month without any routine activity impairment. In six individuals, there was injection procedure failure and azoospermia was not achieved. The other 133 individuals had either severe oligozoospermia or azoospermia at the first semen examination one month following RISUG injection; 82.7 per cent individuals had continued azoospermia in the month following first semen examination onwards and the rest 17.3 per cent manifested azoospermia within three to six months.

Interpretation & conclusions:
RISUG intravasal injection appears to be a safe clinical procedure with no significant adverse effects and has high sustained contraceptive efficacy. The localized intervention and continued contraceptive action on single-dose administration were significant features of the RISUG technology.
A new manoeuvre of vascular control in laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy
Authors: Jie Zhu , Hong Li , Bin Zhang , Haibiao Wang 
Published: September 2019

Background:
The aim of this study is to explore a new manoeuvre of vascular control technique in laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy (LSPDP).

Materials and Methods:
A total of 63 patients were diagnosed with pancreatic tumour in our hospital from January 2013 to December 2018. In these cases, Kimura technique was utilised in 33 patients and total blood flow blocked technique was used in 30 patients. The clinical data of these 63 patients of were retrospectively analysed.

Results:
Four groups of patients were operated smoothly. In Kimura group, 33 patients were carried out using Kimura technique. Four patients' spleens were resected because the spleen artery was damaged. Three patients among them were converted to open surgery. In the other group, one patient was converted to open and resected the spleen. When comparing the Kimura group with the last series group, the mean surgical time decreased by 27 min, the estimated blood loss decreased by 108 ml, which had a significant statistical difference, whereas postoperative haemorrhage and postoperative pancreatic fistula had no statistical difference.

Conclusion:
After ten patient's practice, application of new manoeuvre of vascular control technique in LSPDP is feasible and safe, with advantages of less blood loss and shorter operation time.
Geotechnical hazard representation for seismic risk analysis
Authors: Giovinazzi Sonia 
Published: September 2019

Seismic risk analysis, either deterministic or probabilistic, along with the use of a GIS environment to represent the results, are helpful tools to support decision making for planning and prioritizing seismic risk management strategies. This paper focuses on the importance of an appropriate geotechnical hazard representation within a seismic risk analysis process.
An overview of alternative methods for geotechnical zonation available in literature is provided, with a level of refinement appropriate to the information available. It is worth noting that in such methods, the definition of the site effect amplifications does not account for the characteristics of the built environment affecting the soil-structure interaction. Alternative methods able to account for both the soil conditions and the characteristics of the built environment have been recently proposed and are herein discussed.
Within a framework for seismic risk analysis, different formulations would thus derive depending on both the intensity measure and the vulnerability approach adopted. In conclusion, an immediate visualization of the importance of the geotechnical hazard evaluation within a seismic risk analysis is provided in terms of the variation of the expected damage and consequence distribution with reference to a case-study.
Seismic actions on acceleration sensitive non-structural components in ductile frames
Authors: Uma S. R. , Zhao John X. , King Andrew B. 
Published: September 2019

Earthquake loadings standard NZS 1170.5:2004 has introduced new provisions for the design of building parts and non-structural components. The provisions include factors to define peak floor acceleration up the height of a building, and acceleration response amplifications for components that are quite different from overseas counterparts. In this study, acceleration demands on non-structural components located in ductile frame buildings are analysed under earthquake records from crustal and slab events, for design levels representing ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state.
A floor response spectra approach is used to study the demands on non-structural components. It is noted that the peak floor acceleration demands with respect to that of the ground are not amplified up the height of the building to the extent suggested in NZS provisions. The floor response spectra show peaks near the modal periods of the building indicating higher demands on the components with periods closer to the building period. However, NZS provisions fail to include this effect, since the spectral response amplification is defined independent of building period. Spectral demands exceed the NZS provisions at the fundamental periods of the buildings, more significantly at serviceability conditions, indicating potential failure of non-structural components with periods close to the building periods.
Following the analytical observations from the buildings considered in this study it is clear that the design provisions for non-structural components should be linked to the structural response for specific performance levels rather than the ‘life-safety’ performance level only that is currently adopted in the New Zealand design standard.
An Empirical Study on Determinants of Business Performance of Korean Non-life Insurance Companies (Focused on ROA)
Authors: Kim Sang Youl , Park Sang-Bum 
Published: September 2019

This study examines the total asset profitability, which is an indicator of business performance, using panel data for 10 years from 2005 to 2015 for 10 domestic insurance companies.
We analyze the factors affecting the ROA, compare the differences between before and after the enactment of the Capital Market Act, and assess the level of total assets of domestic insurance companies. Total Asset Margins As a result of analyzing the eight independent variables in order to identify the factors that affect the dependent variable, the factors affecting the total asset margins are (4) investment operating profit, insurance operating profit, business expense, appear. Among them, investment profits were the most influential factors. On the other hand, the factors affecting (-) the total asset profitability were analyzed as total capital, premium, leverage, and loss ratio. In particular, the total amount of capital has the largest negative impact on total assets. As a result of analyzing whether or not the total assets profit rate before and after enforcement of the Capital Market Act is the same, ROA, leverage, and period of operation were found to be the same before and after the Capital Market Act. On the other hand, insurance premiums, insurance operating profits, investment operating profits, business expenses, loss ratios, and total capital were analyzed before and after the implementation of the Capital Market Act. According to the results of the analysis of the total assets profit rate and the amount of the premium insurance, the second group has a 0.4% lower ROA than the first group but the third group is 41.8% lower than the first group. In other words, it can be seen that the ratio of total assets is lower than that of large companies.
La Virgen de la Leche. Arquetipo de mujer y madre en la pintura del Renacimiento español.
Authors: Castiñeyra Fernández Patricia 
Published: September 2019

Durante el Renacimiento en España, al igual que en el resto de Europa, se crea todo un imaginario en torno a la gura femenina; un modelo ideal que establece la imagen, el comportamiento, las funciones, la gestualidad, etc., que debían tener las mujeres. El propósito de este trabajo es analizar cómo María, a través de su representación como Virgen de la Leche, se convierte durante el Renacimiento, no sólo en una extendida imagen devocional, sino también en un instrumento para la educación de las mujeres, siendo utilizada para extender el nuevo modelo ideal de mujer creado en esta época. Así, veremos cómo el imaginario femenino es plasmado por los artistas en las pinturas de la Virgen de la Leche realizadas en España durante el Renacimiento.
During Spanish Renaissance, as in the rest of Europe, a new prototype of women was created, establishing how women should behave, which tasks were appropriated for them, how they had to talk or move, or which education they could receive. The purpose of this work is to analyze how Mary, represented as the Nursing Madonna, becomes, during Renaissance, not only an extended image of devotion, but also a tool for female education, spreading the new ideal of women. We will study how this prototype was embodied in paintings of Nursing Madonnas created by Spanish artists during Renaissance.
ImageJ and 3D Slicer: open source 2/3D morphometric software
Authors: Pye Fiona , Raja Nussaȉbah B , Shirley Bryan , Kocsis Ádám T , Hohmann Niklas , Murdock Duncan J E , Jarochowska Emilia 
Published: September 2019

In a world where an increasing number of resources are hidden behind paywalls and monthly subscriptions, it is becoming crucial for the scientific community to invest energy into freely available, community-maintained systems. Open-source software projects offer a solution, with freely available code which users can utilise and modify, under an open source licence. In addition to software accessibility and methodological repeatability, this also enables and encourages the development of new tools.
As palaeontology moves towards data driven methodologies, it is becoming more important to acquire and provide high quality data through reproducible systematic procedures. Within the field of morphometrics, it is vital to adopt digital methods that help mitigate human bias from data collection. In addition,m mathematically founded approaches can reduce subjective decisions which plague classical data. This can be further developed through automation, which increases the efficiency of data collection and analysis.
With these concepts in mind, we introduce two open-source shape analysis software, that arose from projects within the medical imaging field. These are ImageJ, an image processing program with batch processing features, and 3DSlicer which focuses on 3D informatics and visualisation. They are easily extensible using common programming languages, with 3DSlicer containing an internal python interactor, and ImageJ allowing the incorporation of several programming languages within its interface alongside its own simplified macro language. Additional features created by other users are readily available, on GitHub or through the software itself.
In the examples presented, an ImageJ plugin “FossilJ” has been developed which provides semi-automated morphometric bivalve data collection. 3DSlicer is used with the extension SPHARM-PDM, applied to synchrotron scans of coniform conodonts for comparative morphometrics, for which small assistant tools have been created.
Evaluation of Plantar Foot Sensation, Balance, Physical Performance, and Fear of Movement in Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Erdoğanoğlu Yıldız , Sayaca Çetin , Çalık Mahmut , Noyan Cemal Onur , Çetin Alptekin , Yertutanol Duygu Kaya , Taşcılar Laçin Naz , Kaya Defne 
Published: September 2019

Background
Neuropathologic changes may occur in the nervous system due to long-term substance use, leading to functional disability with altering of balance. We know little about substance-related mechanisms that can cause movement disorders. This study investigated the effects of plantar foot sensation and balance on physical performance as an effect of substance use in detoxified patients.

Methods
Twenty-three users of cannabis, volatile agents, or narcotic/stimulant agents alone or in combination for at least 1 year (mean age, 27.6 years) and 20 healthy volunteers (mean age, 24.6 years) were included. Participant evaluations were implemented immediately after the detoxification process with psychiatrist approval. Depression, state-trait anxiety, and fear of movement levels were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, respectively. Plantar foot sensations were evaluated with light touch, two-point discrimination, and vibration examinations. Balance was assessed with balance software and a balance board and force platform. Balance path, balance path distance, and center of pressure were recorded. Physical performance was evaluated with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test in the final step.

Results
There was a significant difference in two-point discrimination of patients versus controls (P < .05). Significant differences were also found in balance values, particularly in the sagittal direction (P < .05). TUG test results of patients compared with controls showed a negative influence on physical function (P < .05).

Conclusions
Detailed examination should be performed to understand movement disorders in substance users. Herein, substance users had impaired two-point discrimination and sagittal balance reciprocally. Thus, customized physiotherapy approaches to substance users should be considered to improve their movement disorders.