Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preservation of root cementum: a comparative evaluation of power‐driven versus hand instruments

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three distinct periodontal treatment methods in comparison with hand instrumentation on residual cementum of periodontal diseased teeth. Cementum can influence the activities of periodontal cells and may play an important regulatory role in periodontal treatment. The ideal method for periodontal therapy involves removal of biofilm, calculus and endotoxin while preserving root cementum. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty-eight caries free, single-rooted teeth in patients diagnosed with severe chronic periodontitis were treated using four different methods prior to extraction. The teeth were instrumented subgingivally at one approximal site either by hand curettes (HC), piezoelectric ultrasonic scalers (U), piezoelectric ultrasonic scalers following air polishing (U + AP) or air polishing (AP) alone. Following extraction of teeth, instrumented and non-instrumented sites were analysed with a dissecting microscope and SEM for measurement of the amount of and surface characteristics of residual cementum. RESULTS The percentage of coronal cementum remaining following subgingival instrumentation was 84% for U, 80% for U + AP, 94% for AP and 65% for HC. Although subgingival instrumentation of apical portions of the cementum demonstrated 6% less retained cementum in comparison with coronal portions, the amount of retained cementum with AP was still significantly greater than with HC. SEM results found the smoothest root surfaces were produced by the HC followed by the AP, while root surfaces instrumented by U or U + AP presented grooves and scratches. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that AP was superior to U devices in preserving cementum, whereas HC were the most effective instruments in removing cementum.
Disorders of sex development: timing of diagnosis and management in a single large tertiary center

Background We describe the phenotypic spectrum and timing of diagnosis and management in a large series of patients with disorders of sexual development (DSD) treated in a single pediatric tertiary center. Methods DSD patients who had visited our tertiary center during the survey period (between 2004 and 2014) were identified based on an ICD-10 inquiry, and their phenotypic and molecular genetic findings were recorded from patient charts. Results Among the 550 DSD patients, 53.3% had 46,XY DSD; 37.1% had sex chromosome DSD and 9.6% had 46,XX DSD. The most common diagnoses were Turner syndrome (19.8%, diagnosed at the mean age of 4.7 ± 5.5 years), Klinefelter syndrome (14.5%, 6.8 ± 6.2 years) and bilateral cryptorchidism (23.1%). Very few patients with 46,XY DSD (7%) or 46,XX DSD (21%) had molecular genetic diagnosis. The yearly rate of DSD diagnoses remained stable over the survey period. After the release of the Nordic consensus on the management of undescended testes, the age at surgery for bilateral cryptorchidism declined significantly (P < 0.001). Conclusions Our results show that (i) Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome, the most frequent single DSD diagnoses, are still diagnosed relatively late; (ii) a temporal shift was observed in the management of bilateral cryptorchidism, which may favorably influence patients’ adulthood semen quality and (iii) next-generation sequencing methods are not fully employed in the diagnostics of DSD patients.
Sparse Extension Array Geometry for DOA Estimation With Nested MIMO Radar

The two-level nested array geometry, which systematically nests two uniform linear subarrays, is proved to offer <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(N^{2})$ </tex-math></inline-formula> degrees of freedom (DOFs) with only <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula> sensors. In this paper, a novel sparse extension array geometry for nested multiple-input multiple-output radar is proposed to provide <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(N^{4})$ </tex-math></inline-formula> DOFs with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N$ </tex-math></inline-formula> sensors. In the proposed geometry, both the transmitter and receiver are equipped with the two-level nested arrays, where we particularly extend the inter-element spacing of the transmitter with a sparse extension factor, leading to a great increase of DOF. Furthermore, we derive the closed-form expressions for the sensor locations and the available DOFs. Spatial smoothing-based MUSIC algorithm is employed to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed sparse extension array for direction of arrival estimation.
Efficacy of antibiotic treatment of implant-associated Staphylococcus aureus infections with moxifloxacin, flucloxacillin, rifampin, and combination therapy: an animal study

The efficacy of antibiotic monotherapy and combination therapy in the treatment of implant-associated infection by Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated in an animal study. The femoral medullary cavity of 66 male Wistar rats was contaminated with S. aureus (ATCC 29213) and a metal device was implanted, of which 61 could be evaluated. Six treatment groups were studied: flucloxacillin, flucloxacillin in combination with rifampin, moxifloxacin, moxifloxacin in combination with rifampin, rifampin, and a control group with aqua. The treatment was applied for 14 days. After euthanasia, the bacterial counts in the periprosthetic bone, the soft tissue, and the implant-associated biofilm were measured. Both antibiotic combination treatments (moxifloxacin plus rifampin and flucloxacillin plus rifampin) achieved a highly significant decrease in microbial counts in the bone and soft tissue and in the biofilm. Mono-antibiotic treatments with either moxifloxacin or flucloxacillin were unable to achieve a significant decrease in microbial counts in bone and soft tissue or the biofilm, whilst rifampin was able to reduce the counts significantly only in the biofilm. Antibiotic resistance was measured in 1/3 of the cases in the rifampin group, whereas no resistance was measured in all other groups. The results show that combinations of both moxifloxacin and flucloxacillin plus rifampin are adequate for the treatment of periprosthetic infections due to infections with S. aureus, whereas monotherapies are not effective or not applicable due to the rapid development of antibiotic resistance. Therefore, moxifloxacin is an effective alternative in combination with rifampin for the treatment of implant-associated infections.
Recent and Rapid Transmission of HIV Among People Who Inject Drugs in Scotland Revealed Through Phylogenetic Analysis

Background Harm reduction has dramatically reduced HIV incidence among people who inject drugs (PWID). In Glasgow, Scotland, <10 infections/year have been diagnosed among PWID since the mid-1990s. However, in 2015 a sharp rise in diagnoses was noted among PWID; many were subtype C with 2 identical drug-resistant mutations and some displayed low avidity, suggesting the infections were linked and recent. Methods We collected Scottish pol sequences and identified closely related sequences from public databases. Genetic linkage was ascertained among 228 Scottish, 1820 UK, and 524 global sequences. The outbreak cluster was extracted to estimate epidemic parameters. Results All 104 outbreak sequences originated from Scotland and contained E138A and V179E. Mean genetic distance was <1% and mean time between transmissions was 6.7 months. The average number of onward transmissions consistently exceeded 1, indicating that spread was ongoing. Conclusions In contrast to other recent HIV outbreaks among PWID, harm reduction services were not clearly reduced in Scotland. Nonetheless, the high proportion of individuals with a history of homelessness (45%) suggests that services were inadequate for those in precarious living situations. The high prevalence of hepatitis C (>90%) is indicative of sharing of injecting equipment. Monitoring the epidemic phylogenetically in real time may accelerate public health action.
Environmental Manipulations as an Effective Alternative Treatment to Reduce Endometriosis Progression

Treatments for endometriosis include pharmacological or surgical procedures that produce significant side effects. We aimed to determine how environmental enrichment (EE) could impact the progression of endometriosis using the autotransplantation rat model. Female rats were exposed to EE (endo-EE: toys and nesting materials, 4 rats per cage, larger area enclosure) or no enrichment (endo-NE: 2 rats per cage) starting on postnatal day 21. After 8 weeks, sham surgery or surgical endometriosis was induced by suturing uterine horn tissue next to the intestinal mesentery, then allowed to progress for 60 days during which EE or NE continued. At the time of killing, we measured anxiety behaviors, collected endometriotic vesicles and uterus, and processed for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), urocortin-1, CRH receptors type 1 and type 2, and glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Endometriosis did not affect anxiety-like behaviors, yet rats in enriched conditions showed lower basal anxiety behaviors than the nonenriched group. Importantly, the endo-EE group showed a 28% reduction in the number of endometriosis vesicles and the vesicles were significantly smaller compared to the endo-NE group. Endometriosis increased CRH and GR only in the vesicles of endo-NE, and this increase was dampened in the endo-EE. However, urocortin 1 was increased in the vesicles of the endo-EE group, suggesting different pathways of activation of CRH receptors in this group. Our results suggest that the use of multimodal complementary therapies that reduce stress in endometriosis could be an effective and safe treatment alternative, with minimal side effects.
Testing Direct and Indirect Effects of Identity, Media Use, Cognitions, and Conversations on Self-Reported Physical Activity Among a Sample of Hispanic Adults

ABSTRACT This article presents the results of a study testing the direct and indirect effects of identity, media use, cognitions and conversations on physical activity (PA). The study was guided by the O-S-O-R model (Markus & Zajonc, 1985), and it used data collected from a sample of Hispanic adults (N = 268) living in the U.S. Southwest. Exercise identity and ethnic identity were defined as pre-orientations (O1); use of PA-related media content was defined as the stimulus (S); reflective integration and conversations about PA-related media were post-orientations (O2); and self-reported physical activity was the behavioral response (R). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data, and several compelling results emerged. Exercise identity had a significant positive direct effect on PA and PA-related media use, as well as a significant positive indirect effect on conversations about PA-related media. PA-related media use exerted a strong and significant positive effect on conversations about PA-related media, as well as a significant positive indirect effect on PA. Finally, conversations about PA-related media content had a significant positive direct effect on PA. The results indicate that identity acts as a filter influencing what media content are selected and that cognitions and conversations about media content can serve as a link between media use and health behavior. Key words: O-S-O-R model, physical activity, Hispanic adults, identity, media use, conversation
Ethnobotany of Indigenous Saraguros: Medicinal Plants Used by Community Healers “Hampiyachakkuna” in the San Lucas Parish, Southern Ecuador

This paper reports the results of an ethnobotanical survey on the use of medicinal plants by community healers “Hampiyachakkuna” in the San Lucas Parish, province of Loja, Ecuador. A particular ethnic group, the indigenous Saraguros, inhabits this region. This study reports 183 plant species used in 75 different curative therapies by the Saraguro healers.
Health‐related quality of life in patients with lower rectal cancer after sphincter‐saving surgery: a prospective 6‐month follow‐up study

This longitudinal descriptive study examined whether rectal cancer patients report changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over a 6-month period after different types of sphincter-saving surgery (SSS): intersphincteric resection (ISR), ultra-low anterior resection (ULAR) and low anterior resection (LAR). It also compares HRQOL among the three groups of patients. Seventy-three patients from two hospitals in Japan completed questionnaires on HRQOL and defecation symptoms immediately before surgery and 1 and 6 months afterwards. Results showed that ISR patients had significantly worse HRQOL scores than ULAR and LAR patients and more defecation symptoms that persisted during the 6 months post-SSS. Thus, patients undergoing ISR require psychological and social support, including skills in competent self-management, during the early post-operative period. Furthermore, defecation problems substantially influence HRQOL. The first month post-SSS is particularly challenging. The assumption that HRQOL is better after SSS compared to living with a permanent stoma might not be valid.
Flow Properties of Fly Ash Modified Asphaltic Binders

This paper investigated the influence of fly ash (FA) on the rheological properties of indigenous Trinidad asphaltic base binders: the world renowned Trinidad Lake Asphalt (TLA) and Trinidad Petroleum Bitumen (TPB). The intricate relationship between the chemical composition of the binder and its influence of the Fly ash additive was evident as changes in the phase angle, δ (a measure of elasticity) and the complex modulus, G* (a measure of stiffness) was not generalized but were different for the modified blends for each of the asphaltic base binders. Incremental additions of Fly ash (up to 8% wt.) to TLA and TPB resulted in a general increase in the complex modulus (G*) indicative of the stiffening of both materials: the stiffening effect being more significant with TLA compared to TPB. Incorporating incremental amounts of Fly ash to TLA resulted in a general decrease in the phase angle (δ): an increase in the elasticity of the blends. Incremental additions of Fly ash into TPB resulted in an opposite trend as the modified blends exhibited marginally decreasing elasticity (phase angle (δ) increasing). A significant finding of this study was the occurrence of a relatively stiffer and more elastic (high G* and low δ values) TLA blend containing 1% fly ash. The rheological property of loss modulus (G″) exceeded the storage modulus (G′) in all instances indicating that the asphaltic blends behaved like a viscoelastic liquid. This study has provided previously unavailable key information which can facilitate the creation of customized asphalt-Fly ash blends to suit special engineering applications thus offering an environmentally attractive option for improving the use of the world renowned TLA as well as refinery TPB.
Impact of functional mandibular advancement appliances on the temporomandibular joint - a systematic review

Background Although many orthodontists have no doubts about the effectiveness of functional appliances for mandibular advancement, the impact on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is still in dispute. The objective of this systematic review is to examine the main effects on the TMJ of using functional appliances, both in healthy patients and in patients with a pre-existing disorder. Material and Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Only systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized clinical trials (RCTs), case-control studies and cohort studies were included. A detailed language-independent electronic search was conducted in the Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Embase databases. All studies published between 2000 and 2015 were included. Results A total of 401 articles were identified. Of these, 159 were duplicates and were excluded. On reading the title and abstract, 213 articles were excluded because they did not answer the research question, leaving a total of 29 articles. These articles were read and assessed. Following critical reading of the full text, eight articles were excluded: seven because they were considered of low quality and one because it published redundant data. As a result, 21 articles were included. Conclusions After treatment with functional appliances, the condyle was found to be in a more advanced position, with remodelling of the condyle and adaptation of the morphology of the glenoid fossa. No significant adverse effects on the TMJ were observed in healthy patients and the appliances could improve joints that initially presented forward dislocation of the disk. Key words:Temporomandibular joint, TMJ, orthodontic appliances, functional, mandibular advancement, herbst appliance, bionator.
Tree genetics defines fungal partner communities that may confer drought tolerance

Significance Soil microbes influence plant performance and may be critical to the persistence of some plants with climate change. However, microbes are highly diverse, and individuals of the same plant species often associate with different microbes. We examined the importance of soil microbes to the growth and survival of a widespread pine under drought conditions. We found that specific beneficial fungus–host genotype combinations promoted drought tolerance in field and greenhouse studies. Drought tolerance, and associations with particular fungi, were passed from mother trees to their offspring, indicating the traits are genetic. These results demonstrate the interlinked importance of the genetics of a tree and its microbiome, which can be used to restore forest losses resulting from drought. Plant genetic variation and soil microorganisms are individually known to influence plant responses to climate change, but the interactive effects of these two factors are largely unknown. Using long-term observational studies in the field and common garden and greenhouse experiments of a foundation tree species (Pinus edulis) and its mutualistic ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) associates, we show that EMF community composition is under strong plant genetic control. Seedlings acquire the EMF community of their seed source trees (drought tolerant vs. drought intolerant), even when exposed to inoculum from the alternate tree type. Drought-tolerant trees had 25% higher growth and a third the mortality of drought-intolerant trees over the course of 10 y of drought in the wild, traits that were also observed in their seedlings in a common garden. Inoculation experiments show that EMF communities are critical to drought tolerance. Drought-tolerant and drought-intolerant seedlings grew similarly when provided sterile EMF inoculum, but drought-tolerant seedlings grew 25% larger than drought-intolerant seedlings under dry conditions when each seedling type developed its distinct EMF community. This demonstration that particular combinations of plant genotype and mutualistic EMF communities improve the survival and growth of trees with drought is especially important, given the vulnerability of forests around the world to the warming and drying conditions predicted for the future.
Telemedicine and biomedical care in Africa: Prospects and challenges

The use of information and communication technology for health care delivery, particularly in poor settings where access to medical services is inadequate, holds promise in expanding health care access. In rural or impoverished environment, where disease is prevalent, doctors are scarce, and health care infrastructure is inadequate, telemedicine holds a good prospect in improving the health conditions of the people. However, telemedical practice in Africa cannot be without challenges because some aspects are often difficult to implement in underdeveloped settings where ignorance and poverty are rife. Apart from nonavailability of facilities and poor communication, most Africans have different understanding of ailments, which often affect the health system. Considering the increasing disease burden in Africa and the need for tremendous progress in achieving the health component of the millennium development goals, telemedicine should be of concern to health policy makers. This paper critically examines the prospects and challenges of telemedical practice in Africa through a systematic review of 31 relevant publications which, in addition to the authors' knowledge and experience in biomedical care in Africa, supported the information as presented.
Effects of systemic glutamatergic manipulations on conditioned eyeblink responses and hyperarousal in a rabbit model of post-traumatic stress disorder

Glutamatergic dysfunction is implicated in many neuropsychiatric conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Glutamate antagonists have shown some utility in treating PTSD symptoms, whereas glutamate agonists may facilitate cognitive behavioral therapy outcomes. We have developed an animal model of PTSD, based on conditioning of the rabbit’s eyeblink response, that addresses two key features: conditioned responses (CRs) to cues associated with an aversive event and a form of conditioned hyperarousal referred to as conditioning-specific reflex modification (CRM). The optimal treatment to reduce both CRs and CRM is unpaired extinction. The goals of the study were to examine whether treatment with the N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonist ketamine could reduce CRs and CRM, and whether the N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist D-cycloserine combined with unpaired extinction treatment could enhance the extinction of both. Administration of a single dose of subanesthetic ketamine had no significant immediate or delayed effect on CRs or CRM. Combining D-cycloserine with a single day of unpaired extinction facilitated extinction of CRs in the short term while having no impact on CRM. These results caution that treatments may improve one aspect of the PTSD symptomology while having no significant effects on other symptoms, stressing the importance of a multiple-treatment approach to PTSD and of animal models that address multiple symptoms.
Effect of sialidase fusion protein (DAS 181) on human metapneumovirus infection of Hep-2 cells

Human metapneumovirus is an emerging cause of lower respiratory disease in infants, young children, and immunocompromised adults. We have previously demonstrated that human metapneumovirus infection is mediated by interaction of human metapneumovirus attachment (G) and/or fusion (F) proteins with cellular glycosaminoglycans. We report here the activity of an investigational sialidase fusion protein, DAS181, on human metapneumovirus infection of Hep-2 cells. These results suggest that human metapneumovirus infection may involve sialic acids, providing a new therapeutic strategy for human metapneumovirus for which there is currently no available treatment. Methods Hep-2 cells were preincubated with DAS181 or control DAS185 (a mutated sialidase) prior to inoculation with human metapneumovirus strains. Infectivity was assessed by a cell-based ELISA quantitating human metapneumovirus matrix protein. The effect of DAS181 on binding of recombinant G attachment protein was also determined. Results DAS181 blocked infection of human metapneumovirus strains A2, B1, and B2 at low concentrations. No effect of DAS185 was observed. Binding of MPV G protein to Hep-2 cells was also markedly inhibited by preincubation of cells with DAS181. Conclusions These results suggest that human metapneumovirus may utilize sialic acids as an entry cofactor. DAS181 may thus represent a new therapeutic agent useful for the treatment of human metapneumovirus.