Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overweight and obesity as risk indicators for periodontitis in adults.

BACKGROUND Developed and developing countries are facing an obesity epidemic with various health consequences. Few studies have addressed the relationship between obesity and periodontal health. The present study assessed the association of overweight and obesity with periodontitis in Brazilian adults. METHODS A representative probability sample comprising 706 subjects aged 30 to 65 years from south Brazil was examined clinically and using a structured interview. Overweight and obesity were assessed by body mass index (BMI) using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Individuals with > or =30% teeth with attachment loss > or =5 mm were classified as having periodontitis. Statistical analysis accounted for survey design, and separate analyses were performed for non-smokers. RESULTS In this population, 60% and 65% of males and females, respectively, were overweight or obese. Periodontitis was observed in 50.7% and 35.3% of males and females, respectively. The percentage of males with periodontitis was similar in the overweight/obese individuals compared to those with normal weight. In females, there was a positive correlation between the BMI index and the occurrence of periodontitis, with a significantly (P < 0.05) higher prevalence of periodontitis in obese than in normal weight females. The multivariable analysis showed that obese females were significantly more likely (odds ratio = 2.1) to have periodontitis than normal weight females. A separate analysis for non-smokers showed that obese females were approximately 3.4 times more likely to have periodontitis than the normal BMI group. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of periodontitis between BMI groups among smokers of both genders and in male non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS Obesity was significantly associated with periodontitis in adult, non-smoker women. Overweight was not significantly associated with periodontitis. Smoking may attenuate the association of periodontitis with obesity.
A single-arm study evaluating bevacizumab, cisplatin, and paclitaxel followed by single-agent bevacizumab in Japanese patients with advanced cervical cancer

Background Adding bevacizumab to chemotherapy for recurrent, persistent or metastatic cervical cancer significantly improved overall survival (primary endpoint), progression-free survival and overall response rate in the randomized Phase III GOG-0240 trial. However, data for bevacizumab-containing therapy are scarce in Japanese patients with advanced cervical cancer. Methods The primary objective of the single-arm multicenter Phase II JO29569 study was to evaluate the tolerability of paclitaxel (135 mg/m2 over 24 h or 175 mg/m2 over 3 h), cisplatin (50 mg/m2) and bevacizumab (15 mg/kg), administered every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity in Japanese patients with stage IVB, persistent or recurrent cervical cancer. Results The seven treated patients received a median of nine (range 7–12) bevacizumab cycles and six (range 4–12) chemotherapy cycles. None of the predefined adverse events occurred during the tolerability evaluation period. The most common all-grade adverse events were alopecia, hypertension, decreased appetite, nausea and peripheral sensory neuropathy. There were no cases of fistula. The most common grade ≥3 adverse events were hypertension, neutrophil count decreased and neutropenia. Only one patient experienced febrile neutropenia. The overall response rate was 86% (95% confidence interval, 42–100%), including a complete response in one patient. At data cutoff, disease had progressed in one patient; bevacizumab therapy was ongoing in the remaining six. Conclusions According to the specified primary objective, a regimen of cisplatin, paclitaxel and bevacizumab was tolerable in Japanese patients and demonstrated encouraging activity in this small single-arm study. Further study is warranted to confirm the safety and effectiveness of bevacizumab in Japanese patients with cervical cancer.
Trait variation in response to varying winter temperatures, diversity patterns and signatures of selection along the latitudinal distribution of the widespread grassland plant Arrhenatherum elatius

Abstract Across Europe, genetic diversity can be expected to decline toward the North because of stochastic and selective effects which may imply diminished phenotypic variation and less potential for future genetic adaptations to environmental change. Understanding such latitudinal patterns can aid provenance selection for breeding or assisted migration approaches. In an experiment simulating different winter temperatures, we assessed quantitative trait variation, genetic diversity, and differentiation for natural populations of the grass Arrhenatherum elatius originating from a large latitudinal gradient. In general, populations from the North grew smaller and had a lower flowering probability. Toward the North, the absolute plastic response to the different winter conditions as well as heritability for biomass production significantly declined. Genetic differentiation in plant height and probability of flowering were very strong and significantly higher than under neutral expectations derived from SNP data, suggesting adaptive differentiation. Differentiation in biomass production did not exceed but mirrored patterns for neutral genetic differentiation, suggesting that migration‐related processes caused the observed clinal trait variation. Our results demonstrate that genetic diversity and trait differentiation patterns for A. elatius along a latitudinal gradient are likely shaped by both local selection and genetic drift.
How do impulsivity and education relate to smoking initiation and cessation among young adults?

OBJECTIVE This study examined the predictive value of impulsivity for starting and quitting smoking and whether education had an independent effect on smoking careers or moderated the impulsivity-smoking association. METHOD Two waves of the cohort study Young in Norway were used in the present study (third wave: 1999, age range: 19-32 years; fourth wave: 2005, age range: 25-38 years). Postal questionnaires were used for data collection. Subjects participating in 1999 and 2005 were eligible (N = 2,562). Stable smokers (daily smokers in 1999 and 2005) and nonsmokers (never smokers in 1999 and 2005), quitters (daily smokers in 1999, nonsmokers in 2005), and starters (never smokers in 1999, daily smokers in 2005) constituted the analytical sample (1,776 men and women). The associations between self-reported impulsivity and education and smoking were investigated using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS The odds ratio (OR) for a 1-unit increase in the impulsivity score was 2.16 (95% CI [1.09, 4.30]) for smoking initiation, whereas the OR [95% CI] for low compared with high education was 2.55 (95% CI [1.36, 4.77]). Education, but not impulsivity, emerged as a significant determinant for smoking cessation compared with continued smoking. The OR for quitting smoking by low compared with high education was 0.61 (95% CI [0.42, 0.90]). Mutual adjustment for education and impulsivity did not change any of the results. The interaction term between impulsivity and education was not significantly related to smoking. CONCLUSIONS Because impulsivity emerged as important for smoking initiation regardless of educational level, it should be considered when planning and implementing smoking prevention programs for both low and high socioeconomic groups.
Kinetics of Avibactam Inhibition against Class A, C, and D β-Lactamases

Background: Avibactam is a β-lactamase inhibitor with a broad spectrum of activity. Results: Kinetic parameters of inhibition as well as acyl enzyme stability are reported against six clinically relevant enzymes. Conclusion: Inhibition efficiency is highest against class A, then class C, and then class D. Significance: These base-line inhibition values across enzyme classes provide the foundation for future structural and mechanistic enzymology experiments. Avibactam is a non-β-lactam β-lactamase inhibitor with a spectrum of activity that includes β-lactamase enzymes of classes A, C, and selected D examples. In this work acylation and deacylation rates were measured against the clinically important enzymes CTX-M-15, KPC-2, Enterobacter cloacae AmpC, Pseudomonas aeruginosa AmpC, OXA-10, and OXA-48. The efficiency of acylation (k2/Ki) varied across the enzyme spectrum, from 1.1 × 101 m−1s−1 for OXA-10 to 1.0 × 105 for CTX-M-15. Inhibition of OXA-10 was shown to follow the covalent reversible mechanism, and the acylated OXA-10 displayed the longest residence time for deacylation, with a half-life of greater than 5 days. Across multiple enzymes, acyl enzyme stability was assessed by mass spectrometry. These inhibited enzyme forms were stable to rearrangement or hydrolysis, with the exception of KPC-2. KPC-2 displayed a slow hydrolytic route that involved fragmentation of the acyl-avibactam complex. The identity of released degradation products was investigated, and a possible mechanism for the slow deacylation from KPC-2 is proposed.
Results of combined surgery by phacoemulsification and vitrectomy.

BACKGROUND Eyes scheduled for posterior segment surgery may have cataract, which obscures the visualization of the retina. Surgery may be carried out either by a two-step procedure: i.e., removal of the cataract followed later by posterior segment surgery; or it may be done in a single session: i.e., combined surgery of both the anterior and posterior segments. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcomes of combined surgery by phacoemulsification and vitrectomy. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the records of 42 patients with coexisting cataract and vitreoretinal disease who underwent combined surgery by phacoemulsification and pars plana vitrectomy at one session. RESULTS Indications for surgery were vitreous hemorrhage in 71.4%, retinal detachment in 11.9%, macular hole in 11.9%, and epiretinal membrane in 4.8%. There were no significant intraoperative complications. The main early postsurgical complications were fibrinous formation in 11.9%, elevated intraocular pressure in 23.8%, and recurrent vitreous hemorrhage in 9.5%. There were a few late complications related to phacoemulsification: posterior synechia in 9.5%, posterior capsular opacification in 7.1%, and dislocating intraocular lens in 4.8%. Recurrent retinal detachment occurred in five eyes and rubeoisis iridis in one. Visual acuity was improved in 85.8%, stable in 7.1% and worse in 7.1%. CONCLUSIONS Phacoemulsification performed at the time of posterior segment surgery enables good visualization during the vitrectomy, facilitates surgery, and is associated with only minor complications. In cases with cataract and vitreoretinal diseases, combined surgery by phacoemulsification and vitrectomy in one session may be considered.
Fumarate treatment in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis: first results of a single-center observational study

Objectives: Therapeutic options in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are still limited. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) has immunomodulatory properties but may also exert antioxidative cytoprotective effects. Hence, it may be a therapeutic option for progressive MS. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate safety, adherence and efficacy of fumarates in patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS) or secondary progressive MS. Methods: Patients with progressive MS whose condition had failed to respond to standard therapies and had worsened received the fumarate mixture Fumaderm, licensed for psoriasis therapy in Germany, or DMF by pharmaceutical preparation (Bochum ethics approval no. 4797-13). At regular follow-up visits, tolerability and disease course were assessed. Results: Twenty-six patients [age 54 ± 7.8 years; female = 13 (50%); PPMS = 12 (46.2%); Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) = 6.0 ± 0.4 (range 3.5–8.0); disease duration = 14.1 ± 8.7 years] were initiated on treatment with Fumaderm (n = 18) or pharmacy-prepared DMF (n=8). During a mean follow-up period of 13.2 ± 7.5 months (range 6–30) only five patients (19.2%) reported minor complaints. In 15 patients (57.7%) EDSS remained stable. In five cases (19.2%) there was even a decrease in EDSS while in six patients (23.1%) there was an increase in EDSS of more than 0.5 points, reflecting deterioration. Laboratory values were controlled for lymphopenia, renal and hepatic values, without any safety problems. We observed no significant differences between the two pharmaceutical forms. Conclusion: Our pilot data indicate that fumarate therapy appears to be safe and well tolerated by patients with progressive MS. In more than 75% of cases no further disease progression was evident. However, controlled studies are warranted to evaluate the detailed therapeutic potential of fumarates and their long-term effects in progressive MS.
Indirect immunofluorescence assay for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus

We compared an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening procedure for the detection of antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The IFA assay was as sensitive and specific as the ELISA. No false results were observed with IFA on single testing of 181 sera, while the ELISA produced five false-positive results which required retesting for resolution. In addition, the IFA was suitable for quantitation of anti-HIV responses. The IFA was superior to the ELISA for its reliability, simplicity, and rapidity in the diagnostic laboratory.
A charge-controlled memristor model for image edge detection with a memristive grid

Image edge detection has been carried out in last years by implementing nonlinear resistive grids. With the advent of the memristor as a real device, recent explorations have been oriented to the achieve this processing by using a grid that is formed by memristors. In this paper, we develop a charge-controlled model for the memristor that is incorporated to the grid. The qualitative behaviour of output images of the proposed memristive grid exhibits a high performance and the comparison with the outcomes made by humans show excellent agreement.
Bone Marrow Transplantation from a Parental Perspective

The present study focuses on the parents of the first group of children in Sweden to receive a bone marrow transplant and survive. Its aim was to get in-depth knowledge of the parents’ situation during this critical time. The result of 10 years of research (1988–98), the study deals with the situation to which the parents had to adapt and the strategies that they used to handle their situation within a long-term perspective. Two series of qualitative interviews with the parents of 20 children who had undergone bone marrow transplantation were carried out. A self-report questionnaire for coping was also used. The result shows that the child’s illness and treatment played an important role in the parents’ lives for many years. Those parents who managed to put reason before emotion rated their coping as better. A sense of participation was also a useful coping strategy.
Frequent urinary tract infections in a premenopausal woman

A 35-year-old healthy premenopausal woman presented with a 24-hour history of worsening dysuria and urinary frequency. She had no associated flank pain or costovertebral angle tenderness to suggest pyelonephritis. Urine dipstick testing was positive for leukocyte esterase and nitrite. The patient
An immunological study of Pasturella multocida

47 Introduction 47 Materials and Methods 49 Results 52 Discussion 71 References 80 TOXICITY AND IMMDNOGENICITY OF POTASSIUM THIOCYANATE (KSCN) EXTRACTED AND ELECTROFOCUSED PASTEURELLA MDLTOCIDA X-73I ANTIGENS 83 Abstract 84 Introduction 85 Materials and Methods 85
1 d Signaling in the Transmembrane Domain of the ETR 1 Ethylene Receptor of Arabidopsis Running Title : Ethylene Binding and Signaling of ETR 1

ing domain ree membrane-spanning helices. For insight into the structure and function of the EBD, we conducted a survey of s bioinformatic nts, Chara, a group ing that EBDanalyze the relationship between ethylene binding and output signaling, amino acid substitutions were made yed for their effect tations in residues binding and l of ethylene receptor signaling and indicating that these residues define the ethylene-binding pocket. The largest class al ethylene nferred constitutive signaling, and therefore may have a role in specifically turning off the signaling domain of the receptor. In contrast, only two mutations were loss-of-function with respect to signaling. These findings yield insight into the structure and function of the EBD and suggest that a conserved role of the EBD may be as a negative regulator of the signal transmitter domain. Ethylene signaling in plants is initiated by ethylene receptors. The ethylene-bind (EBD) of the prototypical receptor ETR1 in Arabidopsis is modeled as th ethylene binding activity in species representing different kingdoms, as well a analysis of the EBD. We found that ethylene binding is confined to land pla of cyanobacteria, and largely absent in other organisms, consistent with our find like sequences are over-represented among plant and cyanobacterial species. To in thirty-seven partially or completely conserved residues of the EBD and assa on ethylene binding and ethylene response in the full-length ETR1 protein. Mu located primarily in the mid-regions of Helices I and II eliminated ethylene conferred constitutive signaling, consistent with the inverse-agonist mode of mutations, clustered near the cytoplasmic ends of Helices I and III, gave norm binding activity yet still co
From GIS to mixed traffic simulation in urban scenarios

Simulations are widely used for modeling, analysis, planning, and optimisation of traffic flows and phenomena. For realistic traffic simulations within urban scenarios, the following tasks have to be solved: (1) modeling of the road structure; (2) specification of the behaviour on the road. In our days, very detailed road models for almost any major city exist in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In the last two decades, the Nagel-Schreckenberg model (NaSch) has been established as de facto standard for car behaviour in freeway traffic due to its efficient and realistic simulations. Within urban scenarios, NaSch lacks of flexibility to integrate heterogeneous road users like cars and bicycles. The tasks mentioned before are addressed in this paper, i.e., we propose an approach for modeling and specification of urban mixed traffic simulations. As a first step (1), an extended graph as basis for traffic simulation has to be designed. For a concrete scenario, it will be automatically generated on basis of OpenStreetmap cartographical material. The specification of road user behaviour (2) has been influenced by the NaSch model. However, the model has been extended to cover the lack of NaSch in urban scenarios: A non cell-based approach is chosen for traffic movement. Furthermore, the routing of traffic users is based on either probability or A* based routing. In this paper, details on the modeling and specification are presented and experimental results are provided.
Pancreatic cancer: Total costs and utilization of health services

Pancreatic cancer ranks 11th in incidence, and fifth in cancer deaths, with 29,000 affected annually. Accurate estimates of the cost of pancreatic cancer are unavailable; existing estimates are variable or not generalizable. This paper presents detailed cost estimates for pancreatic cancer by service, age, and gender.
Brain Diffusion Changes in Emerging Psychosis and the Impact of State-Dependent Psychopathology

Background/Aims: Previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown microstructural changes in the brain white matter of at-risk mental state (ARMS) subjects for psychosis and patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). However, only a few studies have been conducted in clinical high-risk samples and findings in both groups are inconsistent, in particular along the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). Methods: This DTI study used tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) to compare fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) between ARMS subjects, untreated and antipsychotic-treated FEP patients and healthy controls (HC) across the whole brain and the SLF. Results: Compared to HC, ARMS and FEP patients showed increased FA and decreased MD in diverse regions across the whole brain including the SLF. FA in the SLF was positively correlated with positive psychotic symptoms in ARMS and FEP individuals. Furthermore, untreated but not treated FEP patients showed increased FA in the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and right SLF. Conclusion: This study revealed increased FA and decreased MD in early stages of psychosis in widespread white matter tracts including the SLF. Our findings further suggest that microstructural changes in the SLF are probably related to state-dependent psychopathology.
Assessment of Stress Corrosion Cracking on Pipeline Steels Weldments Used in the Petroleum Industry by Slow Strain Rate Tests

The Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) is a local corrosion process which is characterized by the initiation and propagation of cracks. It takes place under the simultaneous action of sustained tensile stresses and specific corrosive environment on a susceptible material. The formation of SCC occurs below the yield strength of the material and typically below the design stress and fatigue limit of an engineering structure. Since the first discovery of SCC on the exterior surface of a buried high pressure natural gas transmission pipeline in 1965 (Leis & Eiber, 1997), SCC has continued to make a significant contribution to the number of leaks and ruptures in pipelines. Two forms of SCC can exist on buried steel pipelines (Beavers & Harle, 2001). The first discovered form of SCC propagates intergranularly and is associated with a concentrated alkaline electrolyte in contact with the steel surface, commonly called as high pH-SCC or classical SCC. A second form of SCC was discovered in Canada in the early 1980. This form of SCC propagates transgranularly and is associated with a dilute neutral pH electrolyte in contact with the steel surface, commonly called as low pH-SCC, non-classical, or near neutral pH-SCC. Currently, there are some mechanisms proposed to explain the SCC occurrence including the following: (1) a role for hydrogen in enhancing crack tip dissolution; (2) a possible synergistic growth by fatigue and corrosion. For high pH-SCC it is observed that the mechanism involves anodic dissolution for crack initiation and propagation. In contrast, for low pH-SCC is associated with the dissolution of the crack tip and sides, accompanied by the ingress of hydrogen in the steel. Steels with high tensile strength are more susceptible to SCC. Cracks propagate as a result of anodic dissolution in front of their tip in SCC process, due to the embrittlement of their tip by hydrogen based mechanism. It was revealed that cracking behavior of pipeline steel in the soil environment depends of the cathodic protection applied. Applying different potentials levels the dominance of SCC process changes. At relatively low potential, the steel cracking is based primarily on the anodic dissolution mechanism. When the applied potential increases negatively, hydrogen is involved in the cracking process, resulting in a transgranular cracking mode (Liu et al, 2008).