Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Temporomandibular Disorders in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966.

AIMS To investigate the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in the 46-year-old cohort subjects from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC 1966). METHODS Altogether, 1,962 subjects (1,050 women, 912 men) participated in a clinical medical and dental examination and responded to questionnaires in 2012 to 2013. The stomatognathic examination was performed according to a modified protocol of the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used to analyze the signs of TMD between genders, and logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between self-reported pain associated with TMD and modified DC/TMD protocol (P < .05). RESULTS Of the subjects available for analyses, 18.5% responded positively to the self-reported screening question for pain related to TMD. The most common signs of TMD were clicking in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) (26.2%) and palpation pain in the masticatory muscles (11.2%). Women had signs of TMD more often than men (P < .05). The most common diagnosis was disc displacement with reduction (7.0%). Myalgia, arthralgia, disc displacement with reduction, and degenerative joint disease diagnoses were statistically significantly more common in women than in men (P < .05). The prevalence of TMD signs among the cohort subjects was 34.2%. CONCLUSION The most common sign of TMD was clicking in the TMJ and the most common TMD diagnosis was disc displacement with reduction. The prevalence of TMD signs among the examined cohort subjects was 34.2%. TMD was diagnosed in women more often than in men. The results are comparable with other corresponding population-based studies in adults.
GM1 ganglioside rescues substantia nigra pars compacta neurons and increases dopamine synthesis in residual nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in MPTP‐treated mice

GM1 ganglioside has been shown to stimulate recovery of the damaged dopamine system under a number of different circumstances. In addition to rescue of damaged dopamine neurons, the present study assessed the ability of GM1 to enhance the synthesis of dopamine in remaining nigrostriatal neurons following 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) exposure. There was a significantly greater accumulation of L‐dopa 30 min after aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibition with NSD‐1015 (100 mg/Kg) and an increase in the ratio of L‐dopa to dopamine in MPTP + GM1‐treated mice than in mice that received only MPTP. This effect of GM1 on dopamine synthesis was dependent upon the degree of initial damage to the nigrostriatal dopamine system. That is, the GM1 effect on dopamine synthesis could not be demonstrated in mice with greater than 95% striatal dopamine loss and 75% substantia nigra dopamine neuron loss. These results suggest that in addition to previously reported effects of GM1 on rescue and repair of dopaminergic neurons, GM1 may also have the ability to enhance dopamine synthesis in residual dopaminergic neurons. Direct effects on dopamine neurochemistry may contribute to functional improvements seen after GM1 treatment in various models of parkinsonism. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Potential links between irrigation water quality and microbiological quality of food in subsistence farming in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

To lead a healthy lifestyle, it is essential to have a diet that includes fresh and minimally processed fruit and vegetables. A large proportion of the South African population exhibits suppressed immune systems, largely due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is therefore imperative that minimally processed foods are not contaminated with potentially pathogenic microorganisms. As a result of local fresh water scarcity, many farmers resort to using surface water for irrigation. Due to a large number of informal settlements located near river systems lacking adequate sanitation, South Africa’s rivers are prone to microbial pollution. A selected river in KwaZulu Natal (South Africa), as well as fresh vegetables irrigated with this water, were therefore analysed to verify whether a transfer of potential pathogens onto produce might take place. The river selected was the Baynespruit, which is used to irrigate a local market garden. Microbiological analysis (for example detection of faecal coliforms) of river water and fresh produce was conducted using standard procedures. Both irrigation water and fresh produce samples showed the presence of faecal coliforms and E. coli with the microbial load of river water typically several times higher than the values recommended by WHO guidelines for safe use of wastewater. This demonstrates that the transfer of river bound microorganisms via irrigation water to fresh produce can take place and might therefore lead to fresh produce contamination at unacceptable levels.
Function and Intention in the Calls of Non-Human Primates

Many of the vocalizations produced by non-human primates are functionally semantic, in the sense that they denote objects and events in the external world. Moreover, at least some monkey species appear to assess and compare calls on the basis of their meanings. In their social interactions, non-human primates also use their calls in ways that are functionally analogous to the ways that human use language. The grunts given by free-ranging baboons, for example, serve to facilitate social interactions and to reconcile opponents following fights. The mental mechanisms underlying the vocalizations of non-human primates, however, appear to be fundamentally different from those that underlie human speech, because monkeys do not apparently call to one another with the intent of modifying or influencing each other's mental states. The alarm and contact calls of monkeys provide information about the signaller's current physical and mental states, but they are not deliberately given to inform or instruct others. Instead, listeners appear to extract relevant information about a call's function based on behavioural contingencies and their own experiences
Three Years Experience in Implementing HICPAC Recommendations for the Reduction of Central Venous Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections

HICPAC Recommendations for the Reduction of Central Venous Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections. Garcia R. *, Jendresky L. , Landesman S. , Maher A. , Nicolas F. Brookdale University Medical Center (BUMC), Brooklyn, NY. BACKGROUND: An estimated 250,000 Central Venous Catheter (CVC)-Related Bloodstream infections (CR-BSI) occur each year in the United States resulting in extensive mortality, excess length of stay, and cost increases. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of implementing various scientifically supported interventions in reducing the incidence of CR-BSI. METHODS: Infection Control Professionals (ICPs) conducted surveillance for CR-BSI between Jan 1999-Dec 2002 using definitions published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Interventions included the following: Establishment of an education and awareness program, conversion of silver-chlorhexidine (CHG) to silver-platinum catheters, use of a barrier kit containing sterile gloves, gown and mask, and using a 2% CHG-70% alcohol skin prep.
Age, Wage and Productivity: Firm-Level Evidence

In this paper, we estimate the profile of productivity by age through the estimation of production functions. 'Productivity' is defined as the average contribution of age groups to the productivity of firms. Our data are a matched employer-employee dataset covering about 70,000 firms in the late 1990's in France. We find that productivity increases with age until age 40 and then remains stable after this age. Workers aged 40 and more are roughly 5% more productive than workers aged 35-39, while workers below 30 are 15% to 20% less productive. This result is moreover stable across sectors, since it holds in manufacturing, trading and services. Besides, the age-productivity profile is similar to the age-labor cost profile, which means that the hypothesis of a lower employability of older workers that would be explained by a significant wage-productivity gap seems rejected, at least before age 55. After this age, a slight decrease occurs, by 1 to 5 percentage point across sectors. Unfortunately, this decrease is not statistically significant and, due data and precision issues, the evidence for what happens after age 55 remains inconclusive.
A home-based walking study to ameliorate perceived stress and depressive symptoms in people with a traumatic brain injury

Abstract Objective: To determine whether a 12-week home-based walking programme can decrease perceived stress and depressive symptoms in persons with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Setting: Community- and home-based. Participants: Sixty-nine participants with a TBI. Design: Comparative effectiveness cross-over design with random assignment to treatment sequence and blinded post-hoc assessment of outcome where participants completed a 12-week walking intervention and a nutrition education module. The walking intervention utilized pedometers to track the amount of steps each participant walked daily. With the assistance of an assigned coach, weekly goals were given with the intent of increasing the amount of walking that the participant was initially completing. The nutrition control group was created to offset the impact of the coaching calls. Main measures: Measurement of perceived stress and depressive symptoms was completed through the use of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D). These measures were collected at three time points: baseline and following each 12-week intervention. Results: Results indicated that both perceived stress and depression symptoms significantly improved following the walking intervention. Conclusions: While limitations existed with the study, it is evident that walking can be used as an efficient and cost-effective tool to manage perceived stress and depressive symptoms in persons who have sustained a TBI.
Signed English: A Brief Follow-Up to the First Evaluation

One year after the first evaluation, teachers rated 18 children on their frequency of use of the Signed English markers. On the average, the group showed a slight improvement in their use of the marker system. Six children used the markers significantly better, seven slightly better, and three showed no change. Two children could not be rated.Additionally, frequency of use of each of the 14 markers was also rated by the teachers. The regular plural and the possessive were frequently used. The ing marker and the regular past were somewhat regularly used. Five other markers were seldom used and five were rarely used. Some possible explanations for these results are offered.
Motivational Training Programme for Oral Hygiene of Deaf Children

Introduction: Oral hygiene care is the most effective way to prevent tooth decay. Its strict conduct is indispensable for maintaining good dental health, especially for children with disabilities. Aim: The aim of the study was to conduct training of deaf children in the rules of oral hygiene for a period of one year. Materials and methods: The study includes 100 children with acquired deafness aged between 5 and 12 years. For their training was used a specially designed methodology, which took into account their disabilities. Results: Results showed significant improvement in oral hygiene after six months of training. Learning and following the instructions in order to develop proper oral hygiene skills in children with impaired hearing is difficult due to communication issues with the dental team. The specific sign language had to be used. Conclusion The created training program in oral hygiene in children with hearing disabilities, supported by specially crafted picture training system provide a real opportunity to improve the oral environment and reduce the risk of caries.
STUDIES ON NATURAL POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA. II. HERITABILITY AND RESPONSE TO SELECTION FOR WING LENGTH IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER AND D. SIMULANS AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES.

ELECTION under different environmental conditions varying in nutrition temperature poses a problem to be solved on sound genetical grounds. The problem is whether the best response to selection can be achieved when selection is carried out under optimal conditions or when it is carried out in some other environment that is especially favourable for the expression of genes affecting the desired trait. Most selection experiments, on Drosophila, have been carried out under optimal conditions; for recent references see LATTER and ROBERTSON (1962). The existence of genotype-environment interaction may mean that the “best” genotype in one environment is not the best in another environment. Evidence is accumulating that such interaction is common (PARSONS 1959; ROBERTSON 1960a; for more general references see HULL and GOWE 1962). The situation is important in breeding policy and raises two problems: (a) To what extent is the response to selection which is achieved in one environment also expressed in another environment? (b) Does the attenuation in the heritability resulting from genotype-environment interaction interfere seriously with the response to selection? Actually, the problem is much broader than expressed here. Natural populations and also domesticated species inhabit many environments and, therefore, several environments have to be taken into account when selecting (see DICKERSON 1962 for a good discussion of the problem). The present experiments were carried out to examine the response to selection for wing length in Drosophila melanogaster and zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA D. simulans at different temperature conditions. In particular, the effects of temperature on the response to selection as well as on the heritability of wing length were studied by transferring the selected lines from one temperature to another. Observations were taken on other traits to determine their correlated responses, if any.
Toward a Comprehensive Model of Snow Crystal Growth: 4. Measurements of Diffusion-limited Growth at -15 C

We present measurements of the diffusion-limited growth of ice crystals from water vapor at different supersaturation levels in air at a temperature of -15 C. Starting with thin, c-axis ice needle crystals, the subsequent growth morphologies ranged from blocky structures on the needle tips (at low supersaturation) to thin faceted plates on the needle tips (at high supersaturation). We successfully modeled the experimental data, reproducing both growth rates and growth morphologies, using a cellular-automata method that yields faceted crystalline structures in diffusion-limited growth. From this quantitative analysis of well-controlled experimental measurements, we were able to extract information about the attachment coefficients governing ice growth under different circumstances. The results strongly support previous work indicating that the attachment coefficient on the prism surface is a function of the width of the prism facet. Including this behavior, we created a comprehensive model at -15 C that explains all the experimental data. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a kinetic model that reproduces a range of diffusion-limited ice growth behaviors as a function of supersaturation.
Protective Responses in Tuberculosis: Induction of Genes for Interferon‐γ and Cytotoxicity by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and During Human Tuberculosis

The host effector mechanisms against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection are not well understood, and this remains a problem in the development of new vaccines and immunotherapies in tuberculosis (TB). Here, we studied the expression of genes for interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) and molecules involved in lymphocyte‐mediated cytotoxicity [granzyme B (grzB), perforin, granulysin and Fas ligand (FasL)] against M. tuberculosis‐infected macrophages. The kinetics of expression of these molecules were first established in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy donors, and then investigated in TB patients with and without HIV‐1 coinfection and appropriate control groups. We found that only IFN‐γ and grzB were induced by M. tuberculosis in PBMC from healthy purified protein derivative skin test reactive subjects. However, expression of neither gene nor IFN‐γ protein correlated with intracellular M. tuberculosis growth containment by macrophages. Mycobacterium tuberculosis induction of IFN‐γ, but not grzB, mRNA expression was significantly lower (P < 0.03) in TB patients as compared with healthy subjects.
Air transport of patients with severe lung injury: development and utilization of the Acute Lung Rescue Team.

BACKGROUND Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCATTs) are an integral component of modern casualty care, allowing early transport of critically ill and injured patients. Aeromedical evacuation of patients with significant pulmonary impairment is sometimes beyond the scope of CCATT because of limitations of the transport ventilator and potential for further respiratory deterioration in flight. The Acute Lung Rescue Team (ALRT) was developed to facilitate transport of these patients out of the combat theater. METHODS The United States TRANSCOM Regulation and Command/Control Evacuation System and the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research Joint Theater Trauma Registry databases were reviewed for all critical patients transported out of theater between November 2005 and March 2007. Patient demographics, diagnosis, and clinical history were abstracted and ALRT patients were compared with CCATT patients. RESULTS The ALRT was activated for 11 patients during the study period. Five patients were transported as a result of these activations. Trauma-related diagnoses were responsible for 82% of these requests. ALRT missions comprised 0.6% of all critical patient movements out of the combat theater and 1% of ventilator transports. Average FIO2 was 0.92 +/- 0.11 for ALRT patients and 0.53 +/- 0.14 for CCATT patients (p = 0.005). ALRT patients required a mean positive end expiratory pressure of 19.0 cm H2O +/- 2.2 cm H2O compared with 6.5 cm H2O +/- 2.4 cm H2O in the CCATT group (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS Lung injury in the combat theater severe enough to exceed the capability of CCATT transport is uncommon. Patients for whom ALRT was activated had significantly higher positive end expiratory pressure and FIO2 than those transported by CCATT. One-fourth of patients for whom ALRT was considered died before the team could be launched; transport may have been a futile consideration in these patients. Patients with even severe acute respiratory distress syndrome can be successfully transported by experienced, equipped specialty teams.
Effect of listeriolysin O-loaded erythrocytes on Mycobacterium avium replication within macrophages.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of erythrocytes loaded with the haemolytic toxin listeriolysin O against Mycobacterium avium replication within human macrophages. METHODS Recombinant listeriolysin O was loaded in human erythrocytes by a procedure of hypotonic dialysis and isotonic resealing. Loaded erythrocytes were modified to allow them to be recognized and taken up by human macrophages infected with M. avium. The antimycobacterial activity of the erythrocytes loaded with listeriolysin O was evaluated by supernatant and intracellular cfu counts on days 4 and 7 post-erythrocyte administration. RESULTS Recombinant listeriolysin O was encapsulated in human erythrocytes to reach final concentrations ranging from 1 to 4 ng/mL of erythrocytes. Erythrocytes loaded with increasing quantities of recombinant protein were able to reduce (at most by 50%) M. avium replication in a dose-dependent fashion when administered to infected macrophages. CONCLUSIONS Erythrocytes loaded with listeriolysin O are effective against M. avium replication within macrophages. We are confident that the strategy presented could be useful against mycobacteria other than M. avium (such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae) by itself or as part of an antimycobacterial treatment.
Cutting Edge: K63-Linked Polyubiquitination of NEMO Modulates TLR Signaling and Inflammation In Vivo1

Transcription factor NF-κB controls the expression of multiple genes involved in immunity and inflammation. The initial activation and duration of NF-κB signaling is regulated by posttranslational modifications to IκB kinase, which earmarks inhibitors of NF-κB for degradation. Prior studies suggest that K63-linked ubiquitination of NEMO (NF-κB essential modulator), an IκB kinase regulatory subunit, is critical for NF-κB and MAPK signaling following engagement of Ag receptors. We now demonstrate that NF-κB and MAPK pathways are largely unaffected in primary cells from mice harboring a ubiquitination-defective form of NEMO, NEMO-KR. TLR- but not Ag receptor-induced cellular responses are impaired in NEMO-KR mice, which are more resistant to LPS-induced endotoxic shock than wild-type animals. Thus, one function of NEMO ubiquitination is to fine tune innate immune responses under TLR control.
Effect of standardized orders and provider education on head-of-bed positioning in mechanically ventilated patients

ObjectiveSemirecumbent head-of-bed positioning in mechanically ventilated patients decreases the risk of developing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of a standardized order followed by the initiation of a provider education program would increase the frequency with which our patients were maintained in the semirecumbent position. DesignProspective, pre-, and postintervention observational study. SettingA tertiary care, U.S. Army teaching hospital. PatientsMechanically ventilated medical and surgical intensive care unit patients. InterventionsThe first intervention involved the addition of an order for semirecumbent head-of-bed positioning to our intensive care unit order sets. This was followed 2 months later with a second intervention, which was a nurse and physician education program emphasizing semirecumbent positioning. Measurements and Main ResultsData regarding head-of-bed positioning were collected on 100 patient observations at baseline and at 1 and 2 months after each of our interventions. The mean angle of head of bed increased from 24 ± 9 degrees at baseline to 35 ± 9 degrees (p < .05) 2 months after the addition of the standard order. The percentage of observations with head of bed >45 degrees increased from 3% to 16% 2 months after the standardized order (p < .05). Two months after our provider education program, the mean angle of the head of bed was 34 ± 11 degrees and the percentage of patients with head of bed >45 degrees was 29% (p = NS compared with values after the first intervention). Data collected 6 months after completion of our education programs showed that these improvements were maintained. ConclusionsStandardizing the process of care via the addition of an order specifying head-of-bed position significantly increased the number of patients who were placed in the semirecumbent position. In an era of cost-conscious medicine, interventions that utilize protocols and education programs should be emphasized.
Further study on local stabilization of continuous-time nonlinear systems presented as Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model

This paper is devoted to further study the stabilization of nonlinear systems presented as continuous-time Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model. The contributions are as follows: (1) The stabilization conditions can be obtained by a new method which overcomes the drawbacks of the previous results; (2) A larger stabilization region can be found by solving an optimization problem. Two illustrative examples are given to show the effectiveness of our contributions.