Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation by digital subtraction radiography of induced changes in the bone density of the female rat mandible.

OBJECTIVES To verify whether changes in bone mass induced by glucocorticoid and bisphosphonate can be detected by digital subtraction radiography of lateral X-rays in female rat mandibles. METHODS 36 Rattus norvegicus (Wistar) females were randomly allocated to three groups: Group 1, control (n = 12); Group 2, induced osteopaenia (n = 12); and Group 3, induced osteopaenia plus risedronate (n = 12). Group 1 received subcutaneous saline solution (2 ml kg(-1)) injections for 12 weeks. Group 2 received 1 mg kg(-1) methylprednisolone acetate for 12 weeks. Group 3 received the same treatment as Group 2, plus 3 mg kg(-1) risedronate sodium for a further 12 weeks. A radiograph of the left mandible was taken on day 0 and after 12 weeks. A third radiograph was taken in Group 3 after risedronate treatment. Digital subtraction of the radiographs was used to compare the intensity of pixels in the control area and the test area. The animals were killed and the same area assessed by subtraction was histologically evaluated. RESULTS ANOVA revealed statistically significant histological differences between the three groups. Tukey's multiple comparisons test showed that Group 2 had the smallest mean proportion of bone trabeculae per field and Group 3 the largest (F = 37.56; P < 0.01). Radiographic subtraction revealed a higher mean pixel intensity in Groups 1 and 3 vs Group 2. In Group 3, glucocorticoid caused a significant loss in radiographic density, and risedronate restored that loss (Friedman's non-parametric test). CONCLUSIONS Subtraction radiography was able to detect changes in bone mass induced by glucocorticoid and bisphosphonate.
Therapeutic Vaccination With Dendritic Cells Loaded With Autologous HIV Type 1-Infected Apoptotic Cells.

BACKGROUND We report the results of a phase I/II, open-label, single-arm clinical trial to evaluate the safety and anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) efficacy of an autologous dendritic cell (DC)-based HIV-1 vaccine loaded with autologous HIV-1-infected apoptotic cells. METHODS Antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive individuals were enrolled, and viremia was suppressed by ART prior to delivery of 4 doses of DC-based vaccine. Participants underwent treatment interruption 6 weeks after the third vaccine dose. The plasma HIV-1 RNA level 12 weeks after treatment interruption was compared to the pre-ART (ie, baseline) level. RESULTS The vaccine was safe and well tolerated but did not prevent viral rebound during treatment interruption. Vaccination resulted in a modest but significant decrease in plasma viremia from the baseline level (from 4.53 log10 copies/mL to 4.27 log10 copies/mL;P= .05). Four of 10 participants had a >0.70 log10 increase in the HIV-1 RNA load in plasma following vaccination, despite continuous ART. Single-molecule sequencing of HIV-1 RNA in plasma before and after vaccination revealed increases in G>A hypermutants in gag and pol after vaccination, which suggests cytolysis of infected cells. CONCLUSIONS A therapeutic HIV-1 vaccine based on DCs loaded with apoptotic bodies was safe and induced T-cell activation and cytolysis, including HIV-1-infected cells, in a subset of study participants. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT00510497.
The rebleeding course and long-term outcome of esophageal variceal hemorrhage after ligation: comparison with sclerotherapy.

BACKGROUND Endoscopic variceal ligation is widely accepted as the optimum endoscopic treatment for esophageal variceal hemorrhage. However, the rebleeding course and long-term outcome of patients with esophageal variceal hemorrhage after ligation have been poorly defined. Therefore, we conducted a long-term follow-up study to delineate the outcome of ligation and compare it with that after sclerotherapy. METHODS One hundred and eighty-five liver cirrhotic patients with endoscopically proven esophageal variceal hemorrhage were randomized to undergo endoscopic variceal sclerotherapy or ligation. These patients received regular follow-up and detailed clinical assessment. RESULTS Two patients developed hepatoma within 6 months of entry in each group and were excluded. Another six patients in the sclerotherapy group and seven patients in the ligation group were excluded because of poor compliance or lost to follow-up. Therefore, 84 patients in each group were analyzed. In this long-term follow-up (55.3 +/- 12.5 months) the rebleeding rate for ligation was lower than that for sclerotherapy, regardless of whether the rebleeding was analyzed by patient number or Kaplan-Meier analysis. With regard to the rebleeding risk of various periods, the sclerotherapy risk was higher than that of ligation within 4 weeks of the initial endoscopic treatment or before variceal eradication. Multifactorial analysis showed hematemesis, poor hepatic function, and sclerotherapy were the risk factors determining rebleeding. The annual hepatocellular carcinoma incidence was 4.9%. There was no difference in survival between sclerotherapy and ligation. Multifactorial analysis showed that poor hepatic function was the only factor determining survival. CONCLUSIONS The rebleeding risk was higher in sclerotherapy than in ligation before variceal eradication, especially within 4 weeks of the initial endoscopic treatment. Long-term survival was dependent on hepatic reserve regardless of the treatment method.
GM-CSF Is an Essential Regulator of T Cell Activation Competence in Uterine Dendritic Cells during Early Pregnancy in Mice

Uterine dendritic cells (DCs) are critical for activating the T cell response mediating maternal immune tolerance of the semiallogeneicfetus. GM-CSF (CSF2), a known regulator of DCs, is synthesized by uterine epithelial cells during induction of tolerance in early pregnancy. To investigate the role of GM-CSF in regulating uterine DCs and macrophages, Csf2-null mutant and wild-type mice were evaluated at estrus, and in the periconceptual and peri-implantation periods. Immunohistochemistry showed no effect of GM-CSF deficiency on numbers of uterine CD11c+ cells and F4/80+ macrophages at estrus or on days 0.5 and 3.5 postcoitum, but MHC class II+ and class A scavenger receptor+ cells were fewer. Flow cytometry revealed reduced CD80 and CD86 expression by uterine CD11c+ cells and reduced MHC class II in both CD11c+ and F4/80+ cells from GM-CSF–deficient mice. CD80 and CD86 were induced in Csf2−/− uterine CD11c+ cells by culture with GM-CSF. Substantially reduced ability to activate both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in vivo was evident after delivery of OVA Ag by mating with Act-mOVA males or transcervical administration of OVA peptides. This study shows that GM-CSF regulates the efficiency with which uterine DCs and macrophages activate T cells, and it is essential for optimal MHC class II- and class I-mediated indirect presentation of reproductive Ags. Insufficient GM-CSF may impair generation of T cell-mediated immune tolerance at the outset of pregnancy and may contribute to the altered DC profile and dysregulated T cell tolerance evident in infertility, miscarriage, and preeclampsia.
Haemopoietic growth factor production by normal and aplastic anaemia stroma in long‐term bone marrow culture

Summary. Defective marrow stroma, or microenvironment, have been proposed as one of several mechanisms to account for bone marrow failure in aplastic anaemia (AA). This could involve defects in positive‐ or negative‐acting haemopoietic regulator expression by AA stroma, or alteration of normal stroma‐stem cell interactions.
A subordinate status position increases the present value of financial resources for low 2D:4D men

It has been suggested that the ratio of the length of the 2nd and 4th fingers (digit ratio or 2D:4D) is related to prenatal testosterone with lower ratios thought to be influenced by higher prenatal testosterone levels. Accordingly, low 2D:4D has been associated to a number of fitness‐related factors, such as high status in competitive sports and in music. Recent evidence suggests that 2D:4D is also related to economic decision making. We combine both streams of research in the present paper. In two studies we manipulated status in two different ways. We found that a subordinate position raises discount rates, consistent with the reasoning that the present utility of money is higher for men in this position. Moreover, the effect was more pronounced for men with a low 2D:4D. There was a significant negative relationship between 2D:4D and level of discounting in a subordinate status position, but no significant relationship emerged in the dominant status position. Our studies add evidence to the recent line of research associating digit ratio and economic decision making. Moreover, our studies show that future 2D:4D research should focus on plausible interactions between 2D:4D and context cues rather than on linear relations. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Survey of speech and language skills with prognostic indicators in 116 patients with Cornelia de Lange syndrome.

Speech and language evaluations of 116 patients, ages 2 months to 29 years, with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS), also known as Brachmann-de Lange syndrome, were conducted to survey speech and language skills and to ascertain the prognostic value of related variables. These patients were evaluated at conferences of the CdLS Foundation. The data from these evaluations were then analyzed using the database program of Paradox 3.5. The findings indicated that 53% of the children who were 4 years or older combined 2 or more words into sentences and 33% had no words or only 1-2 words. Four percent were judged to have language skills within normal to low-normal limits. Children who were not talking at all or who were severely delayed in language skills had at least one of the following characteristics: birth weight under 5 lbs. ; a reported diagnosis of moderate-to-severe hearing impairment; upper limb malformations; poor abilities to relate socially; and/or severe motor delays, e.g., they did not sit up until after age 25 months or did not walk until after 35 months.
A test of shame in outpatients with emotional disorder

Background: Shame is an acknowledged part of several psychopathological conditions, but is underrepresented in clinical research. Cook's Internalized Shame Scale (ISS) is the most promising measure, but has mostly been used for testing small clinical samples biased toward depressive pathology and female participants. Aims: To contribute to establishing indicators of pathological shame in outpatients with depression and anxiety disorder, and to contribute to establishing norms for the ISS in Scandinavia. Method: The ISS was administered to n = 200 gender balanced non-patient and outpatient samples. A total of 100 patients each were diagnosed as suffering from a depression or anxiety disorder. The diagnoses were supported by Beck's Depression (BDI) and Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The analyses used were the principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for item structure and sample equivalence, ANOVAs, t-tests and Mann–Whitney non-parametric statistics for index scores, and the receiver operating curve (ROC) for break-off. Results: Patients' ISS score were similar to the results from previous research, the effect size of patient–non-patient difference was 0.68, correlations indicated a higher level of shame in depression than in anxiety, and the BDI–BAI correlation was 0.56 for both clinical samples. The PCA showed three factors that were identified as: “Inadequacy”, “Emptiness”, and “Vulnerability”. Conclusions: The ISS is a viable instrument, which indicates a widespread shame pathology in both depressive and anxious out-patients. The instrument may not be uni-dimensional, but exploration of factor variation may be a promising goal for further research. Clinical implications: Assessment of shame should be included in diagnosis and treatment of emotional disorder.
Changes in Phospholipid Extractability and Composition Accompany Mineralization of Chicken Growth Plate Cartilage Matrix Vesicles*

Matrix vesicles are lipid bilayer-enclosed structures that initiate extracellular mineral formation. Little attention has been given to how newly formed mineral interacts with the lipid constituents and then emerges from the lumen. To explore whether specific lipids bind to the incipient mineral and if breakdown of the membrane is involved, we analyzed changes in lipid composition and extractability during vesicle-induced calcification. Isolated matrix vesicles were incubated in synthetic cartilage lymph to induce mineral formation. At various times, samples of the lipids were taken for analysis, extracted both before and after demineralization to remove deposited mineral. Phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol both rapidly disappeared from extracts made before decalcification, indicating rapid degradation. However, extracts made after demineralization revealed that phosphatidylserine had become complexed with newly forming mineral. Concomitantly, its levels actually increased, apparently by base-exchange with phosphatidylethanolamine. Though partially complexed with the mineral, phosphatidylinositol was nevertheless rapidly broken down. Sphingomyelin and phosphatidylethanolamine also underwent rapid breakdown, but phosphatidylcholine was degraded more slowly, all accompanied by a buildup of free fatty acids. The data indicate that phosphatidylserine forms complexes that accompany mineral formation, while degradation of other membrane phospholipids apparently enables egress of crystalline mineral from the vesicle lumen.
The clinical efficacy of laser assisted modified Widman flap: A randomized split mouth clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to compare the clinical efficacy of use of a diode laser (DL) (810 nm) as an adjunct to modified Widman flap (MWF) surgery to that of MWF alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-five patients between the ages of 20 and 50 years with generalized chronic periodontitis were selected for the study. Control sites (Group A) were randomly selected to receive an MWF, and the contralateral test sites (Group B) received MWF in conjunction with low-level laser therapy. The energy density of 4 J/cm² was applied to the gingival surface after periodontal treatment. The study tooth/site was treated along with any additional teeth in the quadrant in which the site was located if needed. Randomization was done using a coin flip. The DL was used to de-epithelialize the inner part of the periodontal flap and photo-biostimulate the surgical area. Plaque index (PI), papillary bleeding index (PBI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) scores were recorded at baseline and at 6 and 9 months. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Data were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. Statistical analyzes were performed using paired Student's t-testfor intragroup comparisons and unpaired Student's t-test for intergroup comparisons. RESULTS No significant difference was observed in PI scores between the two groups at baseline, 6 and 9 months. PBI scores were significantly lower in Group B versus Group A at 6 months (P < 0.01). However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in PBI scores at the end of 9 months. PD reduction in Group B versus Group A was statistically significant at the end of 9 months (P < 0.01). Gains in CAL were significantly greater in Group B versus Group A at 6 and 9 months. CONCLUSION The use of an 810 nm DL provided additional benefits to MWF surgery in terms of clinical parameters.
Update on Clarithromycin Resistance in Helicobacter pylori in Hong Kong and Its Effect on Clarithromycin-Based Triple Therapy

Aim: To determine the antibiotic susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori and evaluate the efficacy of a clarithromycin-based triple therapy in relation to antibiotic resistance. Methods: Consecutive patients referred for upper endoscopy due to dyspeptic symptoms were recruited. Gastric biopsies were obtained for the CLO test, histology and culture. Antibiotic susceptibility was assessed by the E-test. Patients with H. pylori infection received rabeprazole 20 mg, clarithromycin 500 mg, and amoxicillin 1,000 mg, all twice daily for 7 days. Results: Of 234 patients recruited, 124 were H. pylori-positive and culture was successful in 102 patients. The updated prevalences of resistance to clarithromycin, amoxicillin and metronidazole were 7.8, 0 and 39.2%, respectively. A total of 86 patients received 1-week triple therapy with rabeprazole 20 mg, clarithromycin 500 mg, and amoxicillin 1,000 mg, all twice daily, and 81 patients attended the follow-up test. Eradication rates by per-protocol and intention-to-treat analysis were 92.6 and 87.2%, respectively. The eradication rate by per protocol was significantly higher in patients with clarithromycin-susceptible strains than in those with clarithromycin-resistant strains (98.6 vs. 28.6%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Clarithromycin resistance reduces the clinical efficacy of clarithromycin-based triple therapy. However, due to the low prevalence of clarithromycin resistance, clarithromycin-based therapy is still the first choice for clinical use.
Effects of hydrochloric, acetic, butyric, and propionic acids on pathogenesis of ulcers in the nonglandular portion of the stomach of horses.

OBJECTIVE To identify the pathogenesis of gastric ulcers by comparing injury to the nonglandular gastric mucosa of horses caused by hydrochloric acid (HCl) or volatile fatty acids (VFAs). SAMPLE POPULATION Gastric tissues from 30 horses. PROCEDURE Nonglandular gastric mucosa was studied by use of Ussing chambers. Short-circuit current (Isc) and potential difference were measured and electrical resistance calculated for tissues after addition of HCl and VFAs to normal Ringer's solution (NRS). Tissues were examined histologically. RESULTS Mucosa exposed to HCl in NRS (pH, 1.5) had a significant decrease in Isc, compared with Isc for mucosa exposed to NRS at pH 4.0 or 7.0. Also, exposure to 60mM acetic, propionic, and butyric acids (pH, 4.0 or 1.5) caused an immediate significant decrease in Isc. Recovery of sodium transport was detected only in samples exposed to acetic acid at pH 4.0. Recovery of sodium transport was not seen in other mucosal samples exposed to VFAs at pH < or = 4.0. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Acetic, butyric, and propionic acids and, to a lesser extent, HCl caused decreases in mucosal barrier function of the nonglandular portion of the equine stomach. Because of their lipid solubility at pH < or = 4.0, undissociated VFAs penetrate cells in the nonglandular gastric mucosa, which causes acidification of cellular contents, inhibition of sodium transport, and cellular swelling. Results indicate that HCl alone or in combination with VFAs at gastric pH < or = 4.0 may be important in the pathogenesis of gastric ulcers in the nonglandular portion of the stomach of horses.
Requirement for lipopolysaccharide-responsive macrophages in galactosamine-induced sensitization to endotoxin

Injection of D-galactosamine sensitizes mice many thousand-fold to the lethal action of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]). Comparable sensitization was practically absent in LPS-resistant C3H/HeJ mice, which after D-galactosamine treatment were about 500,000 times less sensitive to LPS lethality than histocompatible LPS-sensitive C3H/HeN mice. D-Galactosamine induces changes in the hepatocytes of treated animals, such as depletion of UTP and alterations in the pattern of UDP sugars. These early biochemical changes, which are necessary for development of sensitization, were similar in both mouse strains which we examined. High sensitivity to the lethal effects of LPS was achieved in C3H/HeJ mice after D-galactosamine treatment by transfer of C3H/HeN macrophages obtained in culture from bone marrow precursor cells.
Project Lazarus: community-based overdose prevention in rural North Carolina.

BACKGROUND In response to some of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country, Project Lazarus developed a community-based overdose prevention program in Western North Carolina. The Wilkes County unintentional poisoning mortality rate was quadruple that of the state's in 2009 and due almost exclusively to prescription opioid pain relievers, including fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, and oxycodone. The program is ongoing. METHODS The overdose prevention program involves five components: community activation and coalition building; monitoring and surveillance data; prevention of overdoses; use of rescue medication for reversing overdoses by community members; and evaluating project components. Principal efforts include education of primary care providers in managing chronic pain and safe opioid prescribing, largely through the creation of a tool kit and face-to-face meetings. RESULTS Preliminary unadjusted data for Wilkes County revealed that the overdose death rate dropped from 46.6 per 100,000 in 2009 to 29.0 per 100,000 in 2010. There was a decrease in the number of victims who received prescriptions for the substance implicated in their fatal overdose from a Wilkes County physician; in 2008, 82% of overdose decedents received a prescription for an opioid analgesic from a Wilkes prescriber compared with 10% in 2010. CONCLUSIONS While the results from this community-based program are preliminary, the number and nature of prescription opioid overdose deaths in Wilkes County changed during the intervention. Further evaluation is required to understand the localized effect of the intervention and its potential for replication in other areas.
Longitudinal Measurements of Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) Susceptibility to Insecticides in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi: Associations with Insecticide Use and Insect Control Recommendations

Concentration-response assays were conducted from 2008 through 2015 to measure the susceptibility of field populations of Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) from the Delta regions of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to acephate, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, permethrin, and sulfoxaflor. A total of 229 field populations were examined for susceptibility to acephate, 145 for susceptibility to imidacloprid, and 208 for susceptibility to thiamethoxam. Permethrin assays were conducted in 2014 and 2015 to measure levels of pyrethroid resistance in 44 field populations, and sulfoxaflor assays were conducted against 24 field populations in 2015. Resistance to acephate and permethrin is as high or higher than that previously reported, although some populations, especially those exposed to permethrin, appear to be susceptible. Variable assay responses were measured for populations exposed to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. Average response metrics suggest that populations are generally susceptible to the neonicotinoids, but a few populations from cotton fields experiencing control problems exhibited elevated LC50s. Efforts to associate variability in LC50s with recorded use of insecticides and estimated cotton insect losses and control costs suggest that intensive use of insecticides over several decades may have elevated general detoxifying enzymes in L. lineolaris and some field populations may be exhibiting resistance to multiple classes of insecticide. These results suggest that efforts should be made to manage these pests more efficiently with a reduced use of insecticides and alternative controls.