Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response to periodontal therapy in patients who had weight loss after bariatric surgery and obese counterparts: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Periodontitis and obesity are both chronic health problems, and the literature supports an association between the two. Weight loss after bariatric surgery (BS) has been shown to decrease overall mortality as well as the development of new health-related conditions in morbidly obese patients. The present study aims to assess whether significant weight loss would improve the response to non-surgical periodontal therapy in obese patients. METHODS This study included 30 obese (body mass index >30 kg/m(2)) patients affected with chronic periodontitis. Of these, 15 patients had previously undergone BS and lost ≥40% of their excess weight for ≥6 months after surgery. The other 15 patients were also obese but did not have the surgery, nor did they lose weight to serve as a control group. All participants received non-surgical periodontal therapy (scaling and root planing and oral hygiene instructions). Probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival index (GI), and plaque index were measured at baseline and at 4 to 6 weeks after the periodontal treatment. Descriptive statistics, linear mixed-effects models, and linear regression models were used for data analysis. RESULTS The mean age of the study participants was 47.1 ± 11.5 years, and 36.7% of the participants were males. There was a statistically significant improvement after periodontal therapy in the BS compared with the obese group (P <0.05). The PD had a mean reduction of 0.45 mm in the BS group versus 0.28 mm in the control group. The reduction in CAL was 0.44 mm versus 0.30 mm, percentage of BOP sites was 16% versus 15%, and GI was 1.03 versus 0.52 in the BS and control groups, respectively. CONCLUSION An improved response to non-surgical periodontal therapy is observed in obese patients who had significant weight loss after BS compared with obese patients who did not have such a surgery.
Variability and Trends in Spring Runoff in the Western United States

In the western United States, over half of the water supply is derived from mountain snowmelt, with the snow acting as a natural reservoir, delaying runoff and providing runoff in the spring and summer when it is needed most. Interannual variability of both the magnitude and timing of spring runoff is tremendous, and western states have developed extensive reservoir systems to store water from wet years in order to weather droughts. However, important changes in snowpacks and runoff timing have been noted in recent decades. The fraction of annual streamflow that runs off during late spring and summer has declined by 10 to 25%. Warmer winters and springs have led to earlier snowmelt and a higher percentage of precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. Snowmelt runoff timing has advanced so that it arrives approximately one to three weeks earlier in 73% of mountainous catchments across western North America. Even conservative climate-change projections suggest that California could lose one third of its present day spring snowpack by the middle part of the 21 st century, and other western states will follow suit. Hydrologists have long known that snow is a key component of the water budget, and yet most operational runoff models are based on historically derived empirical relations, rather than on spatially and temporally distributed physical processes. In a changing climate, the empirical relations may not remain valid, so more observational attention to the high altitude snowfields that supply so much of the region’s water supplies is needed to provide a basis for predicting the magnitude and timing of snow melt, sublimation and runoff.
Electroacoustic model for electrostatic ultrasonic transducers with V-grooved backplates

Capacitive ultrasonic transducers are widely used to generate airborne ultrasound. This paper presents an equivalent circuit for an electrostatic transducer with a V-grooved backplate. The comparison between simulation results and measurements on a prototype transducer shows that the model gives reliable results. This model is useful in many applications, for example to simulate sensors in a robot and to design ultrasonic transducer systems. <<ETX>>
Glutamine efflux from astrocytes is mediated by multiple pathways

The neurotransmitter glutamate, once released into the synaptic cleft, is largely recycled by the glutamate–glutamine cycle, which involves uptake into astrocytes, conversion into glutamine and subsequent release of glutamine from astrocytes as a precursor for neuroneal glutamate synthesis. We analysed glutamine efflux from cultured astrocytes by pre‐loading cells with labelled glutamine for 30 min and subsequently measured glutamine efflux for 30 min. Efflux of pre‐loaded glutamine was rapid and almost complete after 30 min with a first order rate of 0.11 ± 0.01/min. Efflux was 50% reduced when cells were depleted of intracellular Na+. Increasing intracellular Na+ concentration had a small stimulatory effect on glutamine efflux, indicating the participation of a Na+‐dependent transport mechanism. About 50% of the basal efflux could not be inhibited by depletion of the intracellular Na+, suggesting the presence of an additional Na+‐independent transport mechanism. Glutamine efflux was stimulated two‐ to threefold by addition of extracellular neutral amino acids, such as alanine or leucine. The stimulatory effects of alanine and leucine had a Na+‐dependent and a Na+‐independent component, suggesting the presence of two antiport mechanisms one involving Na+. When compared to the expression of glutamine transporter mRNAs in cultured astrocytes it appeared likely that glutamine efflux was mediated by SN1, LAT2, ASCT2 and an additional, yet unidentified, transporter that mediates about 40% of the basal efflux.
On the Approximability of Single-Machine Scheduling with Precedence Constraints

We consider the single-machine scheduling problem to minimize the weighted sum of completion times under precedence constraints. In a series of recent papers, it was established that this scheduling problem is a special case of minimum weighted vertex cover. In this paper, we show that the vertex cover graph associated with the scheduling problem is exactly the graph of incomparable pairs defined in the dimension theory of partial orders. Exploiting this relationship allows us to present a framework for obtaining (2-2/f)-approximation algorithms, provided that the set of precedence constraints has fractional dimension of at most f. Our approach yields the best-known approximation ratios for all previously considered special classes of precedence constraints, and it provides the first results for bounded degree and orders of interval dimension 2. On the negative side, we show that the addressed problem remains NP-hard even when restricted to the special case of interval orders. Furthermore, we prove that the general problem, if a fixed cost present in all feasible schedules is ignored, becomes as hard to approximate as vertex cover. We conclude by giving the first inapproximability result for this problem, showing under a widely believed assumption that it does not admit a polynomial-time approximation scheme.
Leadership: Past, Present, and Future

In this introductory chapter, the editors of the present volume provide readers with the background necessary to understand the chapters that follow. They first acquaint readers with the concept of leadership and why leadership is necessary. Then, the editors briefly trace the history of leadership research and examine its major schools, most of which are reviewed in this book. Their historical overview is also necessary as an organizing framework because chapter authors frequently refer to elements of the history of leadership research. Next, the editors discuss emerging issues in leadership research and how findings are being consolidated. Finally, they provide an overview of the book and a summary of each chapter.
Membrane protein sorting: biosynthesis, transport and processing of yeast vacuolar alkaline phosphatase.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae PHO8 gene product, repressible alkaline phosphatase (ALP), is a glycoprotein enzyme that is localized to the yeast vacuole (lysosome). Using antibodies raised against synthetic peptides corresponding to two distinct hydrophilic sequences in ALP, we have been able to examine the biosynthesis, sorting and processing of this protein. ALP is synthesized as an inactive precursor containing a C‐terminal propeptide that is cleaved from the protein in a PEP4‐dependent manner. The precursor and mature protein are anchored in the membrane by an N‐terminal hydrophobic domain that also appears to function as an uncleaved internal signal sequence. ALP has the topology of a type‐II integral membrane protein containing a short basic N‐terminal cytoplasmic tail that is accessible to exogenous protease when associated both with the endoplasmic reticulum and the vacuole. Similar to the soluble vacuolar hydrolases carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) and proteinase A (PrA), ALP transits through the early stages of the secretory pathway prior to vacuolar delivery. Two observations indicate, however, that ALP is localized to the vacuole by a mechanism which is in part different from that used by CPY and PrA: (i) maturation of proALP, which is indicative of vacuolar delivery, is less sensitive than CPY and PrA to the defects exhibited by certain of the vacuolar protein sorting (vps) mutants; and (ii) maturation of proALP proceeds normally in the presence of a potent vacuolar ATPase inhibitor, bafilomycin A1, which is known to block vacuole acidification and leads to the mis‐sorting and secretion of precursor forms of CPY and PrA. These results indicate that ALP will be a useful model protein for studies of membrane protein sorting in yeast.
Immune-mediated respiratory adverse events of checkpoint inhibitors

Purpose of review Immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated remarkable efficacy with durable responses in the treatment of various malignancies. This new class of therapeutic agents is associated with a toxicity profile that differs from conventional cytotoxic therapy. The present review is focused on one of these toxicities affecting the respiratory system. Recent findings Many types of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been identified since the emergence of checkpoint inhibitors including colitis, nephritis, myasthenia gravis-like syndromes, acute interstitial nephritis, pneumonitis, and endocrinopathies. Although pneumonitis is relatively less frequent than other irAEs, this toxicity is by no means inconsequential as it has led to treatment-related deaths during the initial testing phases. Summary Immune-mediated pneumonitis is a potentially serious but relatively infrequent adverse event associated with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors. IrAEs can be challenging for oncologists who are still unfamiliar with the early presenting symptoms and subsequent management of these toxicities, especially in the context of a rapidly expanding science. A high index of suspicion for pneumonitis must be maintained in patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors and who present new onset respiratory symptoms because this type of toxicity can be severe and potentially fatal.
Detemir insulin for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of insulin detemir in dogs with diabetes mellitus. DESIGN Prospective, uncontrolled clinical trial. ANIMALS 10 client-owned dogs with naturally occurring diabetes mellitus. PROCEDURES Dogs were treated with insulin detemir SC every 12 hours for 6 months. Follow-up evaluations were done at 1, 2, 4, 12, and 24 weeks and included evaluation of clinical signs and measurement of blood glucose concentration curves and serum fructosamine concentrations. RESULTS Insulin detemir administration resulted in a significant decrease in blood glucose and serum fructosamine concentrations at 6 months, compared with pretreatment values. Median insulin dosage at the end of the study was 0.12 U/kg (0.055 U/lb; range, 0.05 to 0.34 U/kg [0.023 to 0.155 U/lb], SC, q 12 h). Hypoglycemia was identified in 22% (10/45) of the blood glucose concentration curves, and 6 episodes of clinical hypoglycemia in 4 dogs were recorded. A subjective improvement in clinical signs was observed in all dogs during the 6-month study period. On the basis of clinical signs and blood glucose concentration curves, efficacy of insulin detemir at the end of the study was considered good in 5 dogs, moderate in 3, and poor in 2. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that SC injection of insulin detemir every 12 hours may be a viable treatment for diabetes mellitus in dogs. Insulin detemir dosages were lower than reported dosages of other insulin types needed to maintain glycemic control, suggesting that insulin detemir should be used with caution, especially in small dogs.
Therapy‐related cutaneous adverse effects in an Indian cohort of adult leukaemia patients

gene mutation, therefore it is important to recognize it for genetic counselling. In our patient, the unilateral involvement, the erythematous colour with yellowish crusts and the involvement of the groin allowed for the suspicion of CHILD syndrome. Only a minimal distal bone defect was observed. The diagnosis of CHILD syndrome was confirmed by mutation testing in the gene NSDHL and the specific treatment to supply cholesterol and inhibit accumulation of intermediate toxic metabolites (with simvastatin) was applied, leading to prompt clearing of the lesions. Our case emphasizes the variability of limb defects in CHILD syndrome, that if minimal or absent, can make the diagnosis difficult. Even in very mild limb anomalies, a diagnosis is necessary for genetic counselling and to prevent more serious defects in descendants.
Gonad-brain relationship: precocious brain maturation after estradiol in rats.

Effects of estradiol administration on infant rats were studied in relation to brain maturation as measured by electroshock seizure responses. Estradiol dipropionate (100 μg/100 g of body wt) was injected daily into newborn rats for 4 consecutive days, beginning on days 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. Electroshock was administered during infancy on alternate days until the adult pattern was established, and weekly thereafter. All rats were weighed frequently, sacrificed at approximately 70 days of age, and weights of pituitary, ovaries, adrenals and thymus were determined. After a supramaximal electroshock, the infant rat passes through a successive series of responses prior to showing the mature seizure pattern. The present results showed that all phases of response to electroshock appeared at a significantly (t-test) earlier date in the treated animals than in the controls. Similarly, estradiol induced the precocious appearance of the adult pattern of maximal seizures. Acceleration of brain development appeared to .
Induction of tumor necrosis factor by Legionella pneumophila

Mice were inoculated with Legionella pneumophila via an intratracheal route to establish an experimental model of infection. Lung lavage fluid obtained from infected mice contained a cytolytic factor identified as tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Peak levels of TNF were produced at about 24 h postinfection and rapidly declined thereafter. Treatment of the mice with dextran sulfate before inoculation with the bacteria resulted in lowered amounts of TNF in the lung lavage fluid, suggesting that macrophages were responsible for production of the cytokine. Furthermore, cultures of adherent lung leukocytes and a macrophage cell line, PU 5-1.8, were stimulated to produce TNF by exposure to Legionella antigens. In addition, adherent lung leukocytes from Legionella-infected mice spontaneously released TNF into the culture supernatant. Inoculation of mice with saline or latex particles failed to induce TNF in vivo, indicating that bacterial antigens or products were the stimulating signals. Since there was no detectable TNF activity in sera at any time after intratracheal inoculation, TNF production appeared to be confined to the site of infection. Pretreatment of PU 5-1.8 cultures with gamma interferon, which was detected in the lung lavage fluid before TNF, resulted in augmented TNF production, suggesting cooperativity may exist between the two cytokines, either in the pathogenicity of the bacterium or in a possible immunomodulatory function of TNF and interferon during infection.
Bancroftian filariasis in children and adolescents: clinical–pathological observations in 22 cases from an endemic area

Abstract In areas where bancroftian filariasis is endemic, the clinical manifestations of the disease, which are often very varied, appear most frequently during early adulthood or later. In consequence, very little attention, if any, has been given to the signs and symptoms of the disease in childhood. In an attempt to fill this gap, clinical and pathological observations were made, in Brazil, on 22 children (aged 2–15 years) who were infected with Wuchereria bancrofti. There was a predominance of lymph-node involvement. In all but three (14%) of the children (who had adult parasites in their intrascrotal lymphatic vessels), the adult worms were located in the afferent or efferent vessels of draining lymph nodes, predominantly in the inguinal region. None of the patients presented with distal lymphoedema, and the adenopathy was characterized by painless, localized, lymph-node enlargement, without signs of inflammation in the overlying skin. Histologically, the alterations in the lymphatic vessels and surrounding structures were similar to those described in adult patients, and depended essentially on adult-parasite viability. The localization of the adult worms in the paediatric cases was peculiar and distinct from that observed in adult patients, in whom the adult parasites are usually found in extra-nodal lymphatic vessels. In areas endemic for bancroftian filariasis, therefore, filarial infection should be considered as a possible cause of adenopathy. For the differential diagnosis of adenopathy in young patients from endemic areas, the authors recommend the use of ultrasound and other non-invasive diagnostic tools, as alternatives to excisional biopsies, which are often unnecessary in bancroftian filariasis.
Frailty Assessment and its Association with Sociodemographic and Health Characteristics in Community Elderly

Background: Frailty assessment in the elderly and its relationship to sociodemographic and health characteristics. Method: Quantitative study, descriptive and cross-sectional study, conducted between April to July 2014, at two Family Health Units in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. The sample consisted of 203 elderly. The data collection procedure occurred through a structured interview, which used two instruments. Results: The average age of the participants was 68.59 years; among them, 83 (40.89%) did not show weakness, 45 (22.17%) were apparently vulnerable and 75 (36.94%) were frail. The weakness associated with low education, widowhood, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, respiratory disease, urinary tract infection, depression, six classes of drugs (antidiabetic, antidepressant, anxiolytic, and antacid against osteoporosis) and fall episode. Conclusions: We conclude that assessment of frailty is important to detect the risk and/or embrittlement process already installed in the elderly.
Mathematical genealogy and department prestige.

The Mathematics Genealogy Project (http://www. genealogy.ams.org/) is a database of over 150 000 scholars with advanced degrees in mathematics and related fields. Entries include dissertation titles, adviser(s), graduation years, degree-granting institutions, and advisees. The MGP is popular among mathematicians, and it can be used to trace academic lineages through luminaries like Courant, Hilbert, and Wiener to historical predecessors such as Gauss, Euler, and even Kant. For example, MGP data was used recently to study the role of mentorship in protege performance. We consider recent branches of this mathematical family tree by projecting the MGP data for degrees granted since 1973 onto a network whose nodes represent academic institutions in the United States. An individual who earns a doctorate from institution A (during the selected period) and later advises students at institution B is represented by a directed edge of unit weight pointing from B to A. The total edge weight from B to A counts the number of such advisers. This network representation can be used to estimate the mathematical prestige of each university using various “centrality” scores of the corresponding node (see Fig. 1). We represent “hub” and “authority” scores using node size and color (red to blue), respectively. Institutions with high authority scores have high-valued hubs pointing to them, and high-valued hub nodes point to high-valued authorities. A university with a high authority score is a strong source of prestigious Ph.D. students and a university with a high hub score is a strong destination. In the legend of Fig. 1, we list the top 20 institutions in order of their authority scores. We use a “geographically inspired” layout to balance node locations and node overlap. A Kamada-Kawai visualization places the high-authority universities in the network’s center. In Fig. 2, we compare authority scores with three rankings of mathematics departments for the 58 universities that appear in the top 40 of at least one of the rankings or have one of the top-40 authority scores. As expected, higher authority scores correlate with higher prestige (i.e., smaller rank numbers). However, scatter is obviously present, particularly with the 2010 National Research Council (NRC) rankings. We thank Mitch Keller at the MGP for providing data. This work was supported by the NSF (PJM: DMS-0645369) and the James S. McDonnell Foundation (MAP: #220020177).
Temporal trajectory of B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with CKD stages 3 and 4, dialysis, and kidney transplant.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration predicts outcome in patients undergoing dialysis. Because survival and cardiovascular risk change across the CKD continuum, serial changes in BNP were compared in patients at different CKD stages and after kidney transplantation. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Patients with CKD stages 3 and 4 (CKD 3-4), dialysis patients, and kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) from one center had two measurements of BNP taken a median of 161 days apart in 2003-2004 and were followed until July 2012. Both BNP-32 (Triage BNP; Biosite Diagnostics) and NT-BNP-76 (proBNP; Roche Diagnostics) were assayed. The interaction between change in log-transformed BNP concentration over time and patient group was tested by fitting regression models on panel data with random effects. Survival after the second measurement was compared by tertile of change in BNP. RESULTS Patients with CKD 3-4 (n=48), dialysis patients (n=102), and KTRs (n=73) were followed for a median of 5.7, 4.8, and 5.9 years, respectively. The interaction between patient group and BNP measurements over time was significant for NT-BNP-76 (P<0.001) and BNP-32 (P<0.01). Median NT-BNP-76 increased in dialysis patients and those with CKD 3-4 from 3850 pg/ml (interquartile range [IQR], 1776-12,323 pg/ml) to 18,830 pg/ml (IQR, 6114-61,009 pg/ml; P<0.001) and from 698 pg/ml (IQR, 283-2922 pg/ml) to 2529 pg/ml (IQR, 347-9277 pg/ml; P=0.002), respectively. Change was not significant for KTRs or comparisons made with BNP-32. Survival rate was significantly lower for patients with the highest tertile of change in NT-BNP-76 among patients with CKD 3-4 (P=0.02), but not in the dialysis or KTR groups. In 11 patients who received a kidney transplant during the study, median NT-BNP-76 decreased from 9607 pg/ml (IQR, 2292-31,282 pg/ml) to 457 pg/ml (IQR, 203-863 pg/ml) after transplant (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The temporal trajectory of BNP differs between dialysis patients and those with CKD 3-4 and KTRs. This has important implications for the development of BNP-guided management strategies in CKD.