Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activation of Alkaline Irrigation Fluids in Endodontics

In conventional endodontic treatment, alkaline solutions of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) are used in combination to disinfect the root canal system and to eliminate debris and smear layers. An important concept that has emerged over recent years is the use of active physical methods for agitating these fluids to improve their penetration within areas that are not reached by endodontic instruments and to accelerate the chemical actions of these alkaline fluids against planktonic microorganisms, biofilms, soft tissue remnants and smear layers. Ultrasonic agitation and more recently pulsed lasers have emerged as two promising methods for activating endodontic irrigation fluids. Ultrasonic agitation with piezoelectric devices employs a moving tip, while laser agitation uses a stationary tip. Both methods cause cavitation, followed by implosions and shear forces which assist with debridement. Fluid streaming further enhances the activity of the fluids. While agitation enhances performance of irrigants, extrusion of fluids from the root canal during activation is a hazard that must be controlled.
The effect of new cancer drug approvals on the life expectancy of American cancer patients, 1978–2004

This study attempts to determine the extent to which new cancer drugs introduced during the last 40 years have prolonged the lives of Americans diagnosed with cancer. We use a difference-in-differences approach: we analyze the correlation across cancer sites (breast, prostate, lung, etc.) between changes in the hazard rate of people previously diagnosed with that cancer and changes in the number of drugs that have been introduced to treat that cancer, controlling for variables likely to reflect changes in diagnostic techniques: cancer stage distribution, age at diagnosis, number of people diagnosed (incidence), and use of surgery and radiation. The rate of introduction of new cancer drugs varied considerably across cancer sites and over time. Data on cancer-site-specific drug introductions are constructed using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Thesaurus and the Drugs@FDA database. Data on all other variables were obtained from the NCI's surveillance, epidemiology, and end results 9 Registries Database, an authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the USA. We find that the effect of the lagged stock of drugs on the hazard rate of cancer patients is negative and highly significant. This signifies that cancer sites with larger increases in the lagged stock of approved drugs had larger reductions in the hazard rate, ceteris paribus. The impact of the stock of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals on the hazard rate tends to increase steadily for a number of years, peak about 8–12 years after launch, and then decline. This finding is consistent with evidence about the product life cycle of cancer drugs: utilization tends to increase steadily after FDA approval, peak about 6–10 years after launch, and then decline. The cancer stage, the age at diagnosis, and incidence variables have the expected effects on the hazard rate. New cancer drugs introduced during the period 1968–1994 are estimated to have increased the life expectancy of cancer patients by almost 1 year (0.94 years). Although the health of cancer patients is less than perfect, the increase in quality-adjusted life-years is not necessarily less than the increase in life expectancy. Since the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancer is about 40%, the 1978–2004 increase in the lagged stock of cancer drugs is estimated to have increased the life expectancy of the entire US population by 0.38 years. This represents about 8.8% of the overall increase in US life expectancy at birth. Estimated cost per life-year gained does not exceed $6908, which is far below recent estimates of the value of a statistical life-year.
Split Rib Cranioplasty for Aplasia Cutis Congenita and Traumatic Skull Defects: More Than 30 Years of Follow-Up

Aplasia cutis is a rare skin defect usually presenting over the vertex of the skull. An underlying bone defect is found in approximately 20% of patients. Most skull defects close spontaneously. However, when there are no signs of ossification, closure is mandatory. We present our experience in three patients. Our first patient had an aplasia cutis with a skull defect. The split rib graft procedure was used without complications, and a good cosmetic and functional result was achieved. The second patient was operated on for cerebral bleeding after an arteriovenous aneurysm, and a bony defect could not be closed after that procedure. At a later stage, the defect was filled with split rib grafts, and sufficient protection was achieved and documented after more than 30 years. The third patient was born with an aplasia cutis congenita with a skull defect. The bony defect was filled with split rib grafts without complications at an age of 5 years. Follow-up shows a functional result with a firm skull. Patients with aplasia cutis may have skull defects that will not close by themselves. We present three patients with a bony defect who were reconstructed with split rib grafts. After a long period of follow-up, there remains good cosmetic and functional results. Defects of the skull in children can be reconstructed with split rib grafts that will accommodate the growing skeleton and give good protection of the brain from an early age on.
Abnormalities of cortical development and epilepsy

− A brief survey of cortical development is presented, focusing on neuronal migration and its alterations. Corticogenesis is achieved through ordered temporospatial steps, via the formation of transient structures, and successive waves of cell proliferation and migration (followed by cell differentiation and maturation), and apoptotic cell death. The appearance of the proliferative ventricular zone and marginal zone, and of the superficial primordial plexiform layer, is followed by the formation of the prospective layer I, of the subplate, whose neurons are destined to die, and of the cortical plate that will give rise to layers II-VI. Cells arising in the ventricular zone migrate radially using radial glia as a scaffold, and are destined to form pyramidal cells. Cortical interneurons are mainly generated in the ganglionic eminence and migrate along axonal substrates following tangential routes. Disorders of this complex process lead to a wide range of alterations, and focal derangements of cortical organization have been grouped under the term focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). As the result of a neuropathological revision of FCD cases with intractable epilepsy, a novel classification comprising three subgroups of FCD has been introduced, and is supported by electroclinical and neuroimaging data, as well as by the postsurgical outcome of patients: i) architectural dysplasia, characterized by altered cortical lamination; ii) cytoarchitectural dysplasia, with the occurrence of giant neurons besides cortical dyslamination; iii) Taylor-type cortical dysplasia, in which altered cortical lamination is consistently associated with the occurrence of giant, dysmorphic and ectopic neurons, and frequently with the so-called balloon cells.
Neuromuscular and lower limb biomechanical differences exist between male and female elite adolescent soccer players during an unanticipated side-cut maneuver.

BACKGROUND Female athletes are 2 to 8 times more likely than male athletes to injure the anterior cruciate ligament during a non-contact athletic maneuver. Identifying anterior cruciate ligament injury risk factors in female athletes may help with the development of preventive training programs aimed at reducing injury rates. HYPOTHESIS Differences between genders in lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and neuromuscular patterns will be identified in an adolescent soccer population during an unanticipated side-cut maneuver. STUDY DESIGN Controlled laboratory study. METHODS Forty-two elite adolescent soccer players (21 male and 21 female) performed an unanticipated side-cut maneuver, with the 3-dimensional kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic lower limb data being analyzed using principal component analysis. RESULTS The female athletes had higher gastrocnemius activity, normalized to maximal voluntary isometric contractions, and a mediolateral gastrocnemius activation imbalance that was not present in the male athletes during early stance to midstance of the side-cut. Female athletes demonstrated greater rectus femoris muscle activity throughout stance, and the only hamstring difference identified was a mediolateral activation imbalance in male athletes only. Female athletes performed the side-cut with less hip flexion and more hip external rotation and also generated a smaller hip flexion moment compared with the male athletes. CONCLUSION This is the first study to identify gender-related differences in gastrocnemius muscle activity during an unanticipated cutting maneuver. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The increased and imbalanced gastrocnemius muscle activity, combined with increased rectus femoris muscle activity and reduced hip flexion angles and moments in female subjects, may all have important contributing roles in the higher noncontact ACL injury rates observed in female athletes.
Closed Head Injury: How Air Reaches the Cranial Venous Sinus?

Air in the intracranial vascular compartment is uncommon, with only few reported case in the literature. In the absence of surgery or open head trauma, the origin of air bubbles in the venous sinus is still debated. We report a case of patient admitted in emergency room few minutes after a severe closed head injury, and in whom, the cranial CT-scan demonstrated feature of air along the superior sagittal sinus. Mechanisms explaining how air reaches the venous compartment will be discussed.
Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Organically and Naturally Raised Beef Cattle

ABSTRACT We determined the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in organically and naturally raised beef cattle at slaughter and compared antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the isolates to those of isolates from conventionally raised beef cattle. The prevalences of E. coli O157:H7 were 14.8 and 14.2% for organically and naturally raised cattle, respectively. No major difference in antibiotic susceptibility patterns among the isolates was observed.
Are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors associated with fractures?

Antidepressant use in North America is on the rise. From 2007 to 2011, antidepressants were the most commonly used medication class by Canadian women aged 25 to 79 years and among the top 5 classes of drugs used by men aged 25 to 64 years.1 Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; e.g., citalopram, paroxetine, sertraline) are one of the most widely used classes of antidepressants because of their efficacy, favourable side effect profile and broad indications for use.2 In the past decade, more attention has been paid to the adverse effects of medications on bone health. Glucocorticoids, aromatase inhibitors (e.g., anastrazole, letrozole, exemestane), thiazolidinediones or “glitazones” (e.g., pioglitazone) and proton pump inhibitors (e.g., pantoprazole, omeprazole), among others, are suspected contributors to fractures.3 There is evidence indicating that SSRIs may also be implicated.3 In patients aged 66 years and older, current exposure to SSRIs has been associated with hip fractures compared with no antidepressant exposure (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]; 2.4; 95% CI: 2.0-2.7). 4 One-third of women and one-fifth of men in Canada will experience an osteoporotic fracture during their lifetime. In 2010, osteoporosis and fractures cost the Canadian health care system upwards of 2.3 billion dollars.5 Fractures can cause a loss of long-term mobility and increase the risk of institutionalization. A prospective observational cohort of older adults showed that 12 months after a hip fracture, only half of patients regained their prefracture mobility level and only one-third of those who were previously mobile without an aid regained full mobility.6 A Canadian cohort (2001-2006) revealed that 12 months after a hip fracture, 24% of adults aged 75 years and older who were previously living in the community required institutionalization.7 However, that risk was much lower in patients aged 60 to 74 years, in whom only 14% of men and 4% of women required a transfer to a long-term care institution.7 Fractures are also associated with mortality, with 28% of women and 37% of men who experience a hip fracture dying within a year.5 It is therefore increasingly important to quantify the association between SSRIs and bone health. This review will discuss the current evidence that explores their association with an increased fracture risk.
A Training System of Orientation and Mobility for Blind People Using Acoustic Virtual Reality

A new auditory orientation training system was developed for blind people using acoustic virtual reality (VR) based on a head-related transfer function (HRTF) simulation. The present training system can reproduce a virtual training environment for orientation and mobility (O&M) instruction, and the trainee can walk through the virtual training environment safely by listening to sounds such as vehicles, stores, ambient noise, etc., three-dimensionally through headphones. The system can reproduce not only sound sources but also sound reflection and insulation, so that the trainee can learn both sound location and obstacle perception skills. The virtual training environment is described in extensible markup language (XML), and the O&M instructor can edit it easily according to the training curriculum. Evaluation experiments were conducted to test the efficiency of some features of the system. Thirty subjects who had not acquired O&M skills attended the experiments. The subjects were separated into three groups: a no-training group, a virtual-training group using the present system, and a real-training group in real environments. The results suggested that virtual-training can reduce “veering” more than real-training and also can reduce stress as much as real training. The subjective technical and anxiety scores also improved.
Health behavior correlates among colon cancer survivors: NC STRIDES baseline results.

OBJECTIVE To examine health behaviors (fruit/vegetable intake and physical activity) and their association with social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors (n=304) and comparable non-CRC-affected participants (n = 521). METHODS Baseline data were analyzed bivariately and modeled with linear regression. Participants were 48% female, 36% African American (mean age = 67). RESULTS Behaviors were comparable between groups, but survivors perceived more social support for behaviors (P <.05). Lack of employment was associated with greater frequency of healthy behaviors (P <.05) as were more modifiable factors including higher self-efficacy and lower barriers. CONCLUSIONS SCT constructs were associated with behavior and may be targets for future interventions, but other variables may be important as well.
Extensive use of peripheral angioplasty, particularly infrapopliteal, in the treatment of ischaemic diabetic foot ulcers: clinical results of a multicentric study of 221 consecutive diabetic subjects

Abstract Faglia E, Mantero M, Caminiti M, Caravaggi C, De Giglio R, Pritelli C, Clerici G, Fratino P, De Cata P, Paola LD, Mariani G, Poli M, Settembrini PG, Sciangula L, Morabito A, Graziani L (Internal Medicine Unit, Diabetology Centre, Policlinico Multimedica, Sesto San Giovanni, Milano; Centre for the Study and Treatment of Diabetic Foot Pathology, Abbiategrasso Hospital, Milano; Internal Medicine Unit, IRCCS Salvatore Maugeri Foundation, Pavia; Endocrinology and Metabolism Unit, Diabetic Foot Centre, Villa Berica Hospital, Vicenza Italy; Diabetology Centre and Vascular Surgery Division, S. Carlo Borromeo Hospital, Milano; Diabetology Centre, `Felice Villa' Hospital, Mariano Comense Como; Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, S. Paolo Hospital, University of Milan, Cardiovascular Catheterization Laboratory, `Città di Brescia' Hospital, Brescia, Italy). Extensive use of peripheral angioplasty, particularly infrapopliteal, in the treatment of ischaemic diabetic foot ulcers: clinical results of a multicentric study of 221 consecutive diabetic subjects. J Intern Med 2002; 252: 225–232.
Updated consensus statement on biological agents, specifically tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) blocking agents and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, 2004.

A s in previous years, the consensus group to consider the use of biological agents was constituted by rheumatologists from the Universities of Erlangen, Leiden, and Vienna in Europe in cooperation with other Universities in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Pharmaceutical industry support was obtained from a number of companies, but these institutions had no part in the decisions about the specific programme or about the academic participants at this conference. The perspective of this consensus is from the treating physician’s point of view. The 128 rheumatologists and bioscientists who attended the consensus conference were chosen from a worldwide group of physicians and other scientists from 20 countries with expertise in the use of biological agents for the treatment of rheumatic diseases. The number of attendees and participants were limited so that not everyone who might have been interested could be invited. Additional information has come to light in the past year, corroborating the major positive effect these drugs have had in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic diseases, as well as further documenting adverse events. Therefore an update of the previous consensus statement is appropriate. The consensus statement is annotated to document the credibility of the data supporting it as much as possible. This annotation is that of Shekelle et al and is described in appendix 3. As the number of possible references has become so large, sometimes reviews were used and, if they contained category A references, will be referred to as category A evidence. All participants reviewed relevant clinical published articles relating to tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-1 blocking agents. They were given a draft consensus statement and were asked to revise the document in small discussion groups; open discussion of the revisions led to a final document, representing this updated consensus statement.
Association of Leptin receptor (LEPR) Q223R Polymorphism with breast cancer

The leptin receptor (LEPR) is a member of the cytokine receptor family with two cytokine domains and a single trans membrane domain, which plays an important role in body weight homeostasis through regulation of food intake and energy expenditure. It also influences other pathways like hematopoiesis, reproduction, angiogenesis, and immune processes upon interacting with ligand leptin. Leptin is an adipocytokine produced in adipose tissue. Since obesity is one of the known risk factor as well as the LEPR expression and leptin levels were shown to be associated with the development of mammary ductal carcinoma, an attempt has been made to evaluate the role of LEPR Q223R polymorphism with breast cancer susceptibility in south Indian population as well as with confounding epidemiological and clinical factors. The present study included 194 breast cancer cases and 186 age matched control samples for the analysis of LEPR Q223R polymorphism through PCR-RFLP method. The frequency of RR genotype was significantly elevated in breast cancer compared to control subjects (χ2= 6.567; df=2, p= 0.037)). Similar trend was also observed with respect to high BMI and post menopausal status. No significant association was found with stage of the disease.
Dyadic coping in metastatic breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE Couples facing metastatic breast cancer (MBC) must learn to cope with stressors that can affect both partners' quality of life as well as the quality of their relationship. Common dyadic coping involves taking a "we" approach, whereby partners work together to maintain their relationship while jointly managing their shared stress. This study prospectively evaluated whether common dyadic coping was associated with less cancer-related distress and greater dyadic adjustment for female MBC patients and their male partners. DESIGN Couples (N = 191) completed surveys at the start of treatment for MBC (baseline), and 3 and 6 months later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cancer-related distress was assessed with the Impact of Events Scale; dyadic adjustment was assessed using the short-form of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. RESULTS Multilevel models using the couple as the unit of analysis showed that the effects of common positive dyadic coping on cancer-related distress significantly differed for patients and their partners. Whereas partners experienced slightly lower levels of distress, patients experienced slightly higher levels of distress. Although patients and partners who used more common negative dyadic coping experienced significantly greater distress at all times, the association was stronger for patients. Finally, using more common positive dyadic coping and less common negative dyadic coping was mutually beneficial for patients and partners in terms of greater dyadic adjustment. CONCLUSION Our findings underscore the importance of couples working together to manage the stress associated with MBC. Future research may benefit from greater focus on the interactions between patients and their partners to address ways that couples can adaptively cope together.
Some Notes on the British Library's ‘Oldest Qur'an Manuscript’ (Or. 2165)

Following the publication of the facsimile edition of MS Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, Arabe 328a, a new publication has been added to the series, namely that of the first 61 folios of MS Or. 2165 in the British Library, London. This, too, has been hailed as one of the earliest Qur'ans in Europe, and a closer examination shows that it is very similar to MS Paris 328a in a number of respects. Not only are both manuscripts written in “Hijāzī” script on vertical format pages, but, more importantly, both manuscripts turn out to be written according to the reading of the Syrian reader Ibn cĀmir (d. 118/736) and to exhibit a verse-numbering pattern most closely related to that of Hims but also showing several marked anomalies. These “Syrian” features, together with the early handwriting, suggest that both manuscripts were copied in Syria at an early date, most probably when the caliphate had its seat in Syria, i.e. during the Umayyad period. Thus, once again, the identification of such features helps in ascert.