Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Viscoelastic Behavior of Tissues and Implant Materials: Estimation of the Elastic Modulus and Viscous Contribution Using Optical Coherence Tomography and Vibrational Analysis

Recently, we have reported use of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and vibrational analysis to determine the resonant frequency of a material from which the moduli of decellularized dermis, pig skin, silicone rubber and chemically modified dermis were calculated. In this paper, we present data on viscoelastic mechanical properties of extracellular matrices and silicone rubber at frequencies above and below the resonant frequency. The results reported suggest that measurement of the modulus at the resonant frequency of a viscoelastic material provides a good estimate of the elastic modulus while measurements below and above the resonant frequency contain a larger viscous contribution to the viscoelastic behavior. It is concluded that at low strains the high viscous contribution to the modulus of skin may provide a mechanism for energy dissipation of impact loads while the low viscous contribution to the modulus of skin at the resonant frequency and above may promote mechanotransduction.
Antithrombotic Therapy of Acute Stroke: Thrombolytic Agents

Following the initial report of the clinical use of plasminogen activators (PAs) in cerebrovascular thrombosis in 1958, interest in the efficacy of this approach accelerated only when the need for acute intervention in stroke was recognized. The use of PAs in acute ischemic stroke is based on the observation that approximately 80-90% of focal cerebral ischemic events presenting as strokes within 8 hr of symptom onset are due to atherothrombotic and embolic occlusions.
Phenytoin-Induced Gingival Over Growth: A Review

Context: Gingival overgrowth can be associated with pharmacotherapy. Among the offending medications of gingival overgrowth, phenytoin is the first reported and the most common agent. Evidence Acquisition: A literature search was performed with the relevant key words in different databases such as Scopus, Medline, Embase, and Google scholar. Results: About 50% of individuals receiving phenytoin may develop gingival overgrowth usually after 3-6 months of treatment. Poor oral hygiene and young age are two identified independent risk factors of phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth. The possible relationship between this adverse drug reaction and dose, serum levels of phenytoin as well as other co-administered antiepileptic agents is equivocal. It may be associated with pain, tenderness, and bleeding of the gums. Phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth can interfere with speech, mastication, nutrition, tooth eruption, and esthetics and may results in teeth shifting and malocclusion. Several cellular and molecular mechanisms have been suggested for phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth including: 1) inducing local inflammatory responses; 2) stimulating angiogenesis, extracellular matrix, and collagen synthesis; 3) inhibiting extracellular matrix and collagen degradation; 4) inducing systemic as well as localized folate deficiency; and 5) development of bacterial biofilm. Avoiding local irritants, rigorous plaque control, chlorhexidine gluconate mouth rinse, and regular periodontal maintenance therapy at 3-month intervals are the suggested preventive measures against phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth. Strategies for the management of phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth can be categorized as surgical and non-surgical. Surgical approaches including gingivectomy, periodontal flap, electro surgery, and laser excision are generally reserved for severe and advanced stages of phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth. In mild to moderate stages, non-surgical options such as oral hygiene measures, scaling and root surface instrumentation, discontinuing, dose de-escalation or the replacement of phenytoin with other antiepileptics (e.g. lamotrigine, gabapentin, sulthiame, and topiramate), and pharmacotherapy (e.g. oral folic acid supplementation) can be considered. Conclusions: Both pharmacoprophylaxis and pharmacotherapy of phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth with potentially effective agents such as tamoxifen, finasteride, levamisole, celecoxib, and azithromycin has been largely overlooked and should be taken into account in future clinical investigations.
Quality of life in adults with repaired complete cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the quality of life in adult Swedish subjects with repaired complete cleft lip and palate (CLP). DESIGN/PATIENTS Sixty-eight adults with repaired CLP were compared with a group of 66 adults without cleft matched by gender and age. OUTCOME MEASURES The outcome measures included a self-report questionnaire concerning quality of life in general, well-being, and health-related quality of life. RESULTS The CLP group rated their quality of life significantly lower than did the control group in the areas of life meaning (p <.05), family life (p <.0001), and private economy (p <.01). There were no significant differences between the groups concerning well-being. In the CLP group, the health-related quality of life was significantly lower concerning global life (p <.0001), disturbance to life (p <.01), well-being (p <.0001), social contacts (p <.0001), and family life (p <.05) but significantly higher concerning ability to make the most of leisure time (p <.001) and to be active (p <.001). CONCLUSIONS The CLP group perceived a marked impact of the handicap on their lives concerning global aspects, well-being, and social life. More practical and tangible aspects of their daily living, however, were not affected, and only some minor aspects of their quality of life in general were poor in comparison with the control group, which indicates a fairly good life adjustment in spite of the handicap.
A Biomechanical Analysis of the Causes of Traumatic Brain Injury in Infants and Children

There is significant disagreement among medical professionals regarding the mechanisms for infant brain injury. This disagreement is due in part to the failure by some to acknowledge and incorporate known biomechanical data and models into hypotheses regarding causes. A proper biomechanical understanding of the mechanisms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) challenges many published and testified assumptions regarding TBI in infants and children. This paper analyzes the biomechanical relationship between the causes of TBI in infants and children, and their physiological consequences. Loading characteristics, injury parameters and criteria, scaling, failure characteristics, differences between infants and adults, and impact due to falls are described and discussed in the context of the laws of mechanics. Recent studies are critiqued with reference to their contribution to an understanding of brain injury mechanisms. Finally, methods for improving our currently incomplete knowledge of infant head injuries, and their mechanisms, consequences and tolerances are proposed. There is an urgent need for close collaboration between physicians and biomechanicians to objectively and scientifically evaluate infant head injuries to further define their mechanical bases, and to assist in their diagnosis and treatment.
What is the clinical significance of isolated subsegmental pulmonary embolism?

In this original article, Garcia-Sanz et al. assess survival prognosis in a group of patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism (PE) by chest computed tomography (CT). The study included 313 PE patients, 56% were women and the median age was 70 years old. The objective was to describe the clinical profile of patients with PE and to analyze their prognosis based on the extent of the disease. The epidemiology of PE is difficult to determine because it can be asymptomatic or result in sudden death. Only a very small percentage of fatal cases are diagnosed while the patient is alive. PE is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Since the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) increases with age, it is expected that more cases of PE will be diagnosed in the future. Within the study group, 22% of patients had been diagnosed with cancer prior to PE. Although venous thromboembolism (VTE) is considered a consequence of the interaction between persistent risk factors and the temporal trigger factors, cancer remains an important risk factor for all-cause mortality after episodes of VTE. In the present study no significant difference was found between the presence of cancer and the extent of disease. Dyspnea was the most common symptom in patients with central PE (68% of cases) and pain was also a common symptom in segmental and subsegmental PE (25% and 7%, respectively). PE patients frequently present with chest pain which is usually caused by pleural irritation due to distal embolisms, causing pulmonary infarction. Rapid onset of dyspnea is usually due to central PE and may be associated with angina-like pain reflecting right ventricle ischemia. The authors report that subsegmental PE accounted for 7% of cases; these patients were younger, had lower
The Effects of Praise on Children ’ s Intrinsic Motivation : A Review and Synthesis

The authors argue against a purely behavioral definition of praise as verbal reinforcement in favor of the view that praise may serve to undermine, enhance, or have no effect on children’s intrinsic motivation, depending on a set of conceptual variables. Provided that praise is perceived as sincere, it is particularly beneficial to motivation when it encourages performance attributions to controllable causes, promotes autonomy, enhances competence without an overreliance on social comparisons, and conveys attainable standards and expectations. The motivational consequences of praise also can be moderated by characteristics of the recipient, such as age, gender, and culture. Methodological considerations, such as including appropriate control groups and measuring postfailure outcomes, are stressed, and directions for future research are highlighted.
Competition, product line length, and firm survival: evidence from the US printer industry

ABSTRACT Adjusting product line length is one major strategy that firms employ to sustain their market position in competitive environments. This study extends extant literature on product line length by adding empirical results on the relationship between competitive intensity and product line length, and by examining the performance of firms that follow the suggested product line strategies. The analysis of data on 1849 printer products introduced by 342 manufacturers from 1983 to 2002 shows an inverted U-shaped relationship between competitive intensity and product line length, and firms following this pattern have a significantly lower hazard ratio of exit. These results confirm those discussed in the previous literature and provide evidence of the positive impacts of following such product strategies on firm survival.
Anti-inflammatory Effects of Statins in Patients with Aortic Stenosis

Background: Aortic stenosis is an inflammatory process, as evidenced by increased tissue expression and serum levels of various endothelial cellular adhesion molecules. Aortic stenosis and atherosclerosis have many risk factors in common, including hypercholesterolemia. In atherosclerosis, statins lower cholesterol and display some anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that statins might also have anti-inflammatory effects in patients with aortic stenosis. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study measured levels of cellular adhesion molecules in 129 patients (88 male, mean age 68) with aortic stenosis (mean echo gradient 49 mm Hg, range 22 to 112) and compared levels in patients already on statin therapy for primary or secondary prevention of coronary artery disease, to those not on treatment. Concomitant conditions included hypertension (47%), diabetes (10%), and ischemic heart disease (54%). A comparison group consisted of 45 patients with stable ischemic heart disease. Results: Patients on statins (35) were more likely to have hypertension (62% vs 42%, P = .05), but no significant differences existed in sex, age, concomitant ischemic heart disease, or diabetes. Statin-treated patients had a 20% lower vascular cellular adhesion molecule level than those without (484 ± 143 ng/L vs 604 ± 245 ng/L, P = .006). The reduction in cellular adhesion molecule levels was consistent in patients with aortic stenosis alone, aortic stenosis and ischemic heart disease, or ischemic heart disease alone. There were no differences in the levels of the other adhesion molecules between the three groups, or related to statin therapy. Conclusion: Statin therapy is associated with reduced serum levels of vascular cellular adhesion molecules in patients with aortic stenosis. Vascular cellular adhesion molecule levels are similar in patients who have aortic stenosis, ischemic heart disease, or both. A prospective study is required to confirm this finding and to determine whether this suppression of endothelial inflammation translates into a slowing of the progression of aortic stenosis.
Influence of implant-abutment interface design on bone and soft tissue levels around immediately placed and restored single-tooth implants: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of single implants immediately placed and restored with two different implant-abutment connections. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty subjects requiring single maxillary premolar replacement were consecutively included in this study and prospectively followed for 12 months. One implant was placed at the time of tooth extraction and immediately restored in each patient. Subjects were randomly selected to receive either prosthetic abutments with a Morse taper connection and a platform switch (test group) or conventional abutments with an internal connection and a matching diameter (control group). A provisional screw-retained crown was positioned and adjusted for nonfunctional loading within 24 hours. Four months later, the definitive crowns were delivered. Periodontal parameters and clinical and radiographic measurements of soft and hard tissue levels were recorded at the moment of prosthesis placement and at 4 and 12 months afterward. Means of the two groups were compared using paired and independent-sample t tests (P = .05). RESULTS Of the 40 patients recruited, 38 (24 women and 14 men) completed the study. No implants were lost in the control group, whereas one implant failed in the test group. At the 12-month examination, no statistically significant differences were seen between the two groups for periodontal parameters, marginal soft tissue level change, or papilla height (P > .05), but greater marginal bone loss was observed at the control sites (0.51 ± 0.24 mm) compared to the test sites (0.2 ± 0.17 mm) (P = .0004). CONCLUSION Although the control group demonstrated a slight increase in marginal bone loss compared to the test group, the peri-implant soft tissues were very stable with both types of implant-abutment connection after 12 months of loading.
Comparative analysis of proliferative potential and clonogenicity of MACS‐immunomagnetic isolated CD34+ and CD133+ blood stem cells derived from a single donor

Abstract. A novel stem cell marker prominin‐1 (CD133) has been shown to be expressed on a subpopulation of CD34+ haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. The aim of this study was to compare in parallel commercially available CD34+ and CD133+ isolation methods based on paramagnetic bead‐coupled antibodies using clinical‐grade samples of mobilized peripheral blood from 10 individual healthy donors under identical conditions. The CD133 negative fraction from the first selection was used for CD34+ enrichment to obtain an additional CD34+/CD133− population. Although no significant difference in total cell expansion between cells isolated from the three procedures was observed in a 7‐day cytokine‐driven suspension culture, the long‐term culture‐initiating cell assay demonstrated that cells derived by CD34+ isolation contain less primitive progenitors than those isolated based on CD133+ selection. Interestingly, CD34+‐enriched progenitors, especially the CD34+/CD133− fraction, contained a significantly higher proportion of erythroid colony‐forming cells, whereas the highest content of myeloid colony‐forming cells was concentrated in the CD133+ selected cells. These subtle differences between CD34+ and CD133+ immunomagnetic selection will have to be explored for their potential clinical relevance.
All-cause gastroenteritis and rotavirus-coded hospitalizations among US children, 2000-2009.

BACKGROUND Rotavirus vaccine was recommended for US infants in 2006. We estimated baseline prevaccine burden and monitored postvaccine trends in gastroenteritis-coded and rotavirus-coded hospitalizations among US children. METHODS We analyzed data from the State Inpatient Databases (SID) for 29-44 US states over a 10-year period (2000-2009) to calculate gastroenteritis and rotavirus-coded hospitalization rates by age group, sex, and region, among children <5 years of age. By extrapolating observed pre- and postvaccine gastroenteritis hospitalization rates to the US population <5 years and based on the 2009 cost of a diarrhea hospitalization, we estimated national reductions in diarrhea hospitalizations and associated treatment costs. RESULTS The prevaccine (2000-2006) annual average gastroenteritis-coded hospitalization rate among children <5 years of age was 74 per 10,000 (annual range, 71-82 per 10,000), and declined to 51 and 50 per 10,000 in 2008 and 2009, respectively (P < .001). The prevaccine (2000-2006) annual average rotavirus-coded hospitalization rate among children <5 years of age was 15 per 10,000 (annual range, 13-18 per 10,000), and declined to 5 and 6 per 10,000 in 2008 and 2009, respectively (P < .001). The decreases in rotavirus-coded hospitalization rates in 2008 and 2009 compared with rates in prevaccine years were observed among all age groups and US regions. Nationally, during 2008 and 2009 combined, we estimated a reduction of approximately 77,000 diarrhea hospitalizations and approximately $242 million in hospital costs. CONCLUSIONS Since implementation of the US rotavirus vaccination program, a marked reduction in diarrhea hospitalizations and related hospital charges has occurred among US children.
Social Factors and Comorbidity of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders

Differences in rates of depression across and between populations can be considerable and are largely determined by psychosocial factors. Such findings have important implications for comorbidity. On the basis of multiplying independent probabilities, the proportion of comorbid conditions increases as base rates of the disorders increase in a population. If such a chance combination has clinical implications, it would appear to be a “fact” of significance irrespective of biological underpinnings. In a recent survey of 404 women living with at least one child in an inner-city area, the rate of both anxiety and depression was highly related to the childhood experiences of neglect and abuse. However, adversity in adult life (e.g. widowhood or divorce), which might be expected to relate to current stressors, was only related to the rate of depression. The two risk factors had a considerable impact on comorbidity by increasing the rate of each disorder and thus the probability of their occurring together. They had a lesser impact as “common antecedents”. If both influences are considered, such adversity explains around half of the comorbidity. This is a conservative estimate of the impact of psychosocial factors.
cis-acting elements in the U3 region of a simian immunodeficiency virus

A series of 5' deletions and a point mutation in the binding site for nuclear factor kappa B were introduced into the U3 region of a molecular clone of simian immunodeficiency virus from macaques (SIVmac142). The transcriptional activity of the mutated U3 regions was analyzed by transient chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays. Two distinct regions in U3 appeared to contain important cis-acting sequences for transcriptional activity. Mutation of the single nuclear factor kappa B site in the SIVmac142 U3 region attenuated transcription in Rat-1 fibroblasts and Jurkat T cells. A second cis-acting element was localized to sequences between -162 and -114 in U3; deletion of long terminal repeat sequences up to -114 significantly attenuated transcriptional activity in Rat-1 cells. Furthermore, sequences between -162 and -114 contributed to inducibility of transcription by 1,3-phorbol myristate acetate in Jurkat T cells. Deletion of long terminal repeat sequences to -114, in addition to mutation of the nuclear factor kappa B site, was necessary to attenuate the response to 1,3-phorbol myristate acetate completely. A negative regulatory element analogous to that identified in the U3 region from the human immunodeficiency virus was not found in the U3 region from SIVmac142.
The effect of age of introduction to lumpy solids on foods eaten and reported feeding difficulties at 6 and 15 months.

AIM The study aimed to document the dietary patterns of infants and determine the development of feeding difficulties as perceived by the mother according to the age at which lumpy solids were introduced into the diet. STUDY DESIGN Information was collected from a geographically representative population of 9360 mothers of infants born in 1991/92, part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC). Self-completion questionnaires enquiring about the foods and drinks consumed by the infant and any difficulties experienced by the mothers in feeding her child at both 6 months and 15 months of age were collected. METHODS Infants were divided into three groups based on the age at which they were first introduced to 'lumpy' solids: 10.7% were introduced before 6 months of age, 71.7% were introduced between 6 and 9 months and 17.6% were introduced after 10 months of age. The foods eaten by those introduced before 6 months and after 10 months were compared to those introduced between 6 and 9 months. Behaviours and problems as reported by the mother were also assessed. RESULTS Those infants who were introduced to lumpy solids at the earliest ages consumed a greater variety of family foods at the age of 6 months, while those introduced at 10 months or later had been given fewer solids of all types by 6 months of age and at 15 months were significantly less likely to be having family foods when compared to those introduced between 6 and 9 months. At each age, those introduced late (10 months or older) to lumps were more difficult to feed and had more definite likes and dislikes. CONCLUSIONS A significant difference was observed in the variety of foods given to infants at both 6 and 15 months according to the age at which they began to have lumps in their food, and feeding difficulties were more likely to occur when lumps were introduced at or after 10 months of age.