Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repair of Osteochondral Defects in a Rabbit Model Using Bilayer Poly(Lactide-co-Glycolide) Scaffolds Loaded with Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma

Background To examine the effects of the addition of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into bilayer poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds on the reconstruction of osteochondral defects in a rabbit model. Material/Methods Porous PLGA scaffolds were prepared in a bilayered manner to reflect the structure of chondral and subchondral bone. Bone defects, measuring 4 mm in diameter and 4 mm in thickness, were created in both knee joints in 18 healthy New Zealand white rabbits, aged between 120–180 days old. Rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: rabbits with bone defects implanted with bilayer PLGA scaffolds (PLGA group) (N=6); or with bilayer PLGA and autologous PRP (PLGA/PRP group) (N=6); and the untreated group (control group) (N=6). The gross morphology, histology, and immunohistochemistry for the expression of collagen type II and aggrecan were observed at 12 weeks after surgery and compared using a scoring system. Micro-computed tomography (CT) imaging and relative expression of specific genes were also assessed. Results The platelet concentrations in the PRP samples were found to be 4.9 times greater than that of whole blood samples. The total score on gross appearance and histology was greatest in the PLGA/PRP group, as was the expression of collagen II and aggrecan of the neo-tissue. Micro-CT imaging showed that more subchondral bone was formed in the PLGA/PRP group. Conclusions Bilayer PLGA scaffolds loaded with autologous PRP improve the reconstruction of osteochondral defects in the rabbit model.
Regulation of Cardiac Output with Controlled Heart Rate in Newborn Lambs

ABSTRACT: To determine the factors regulating cardiac output in newborn lambs and to examine the effects of age after birth, we altered heart rate, afterload, preload, and myocardial contractility in eight younger lambs, 5 to 13 days old, and seven older lambs, 15 to 36 days old. To control heart rate, we ablated the atrioventricular node by injecting formalin into the region of the node, and paced the right ventricle at a baseline heart rate of 200 beats/min. After the lambs recovered from surgery, we performed two protocols. In the first protocol we assessed the effects of changing heart rate by pacing the ventricle at various rates. We also examined the effect of altering afterload and preload at a fixed heart rate: afterload was increased by infusing phenylephrine and decreased by infusing nitroprusside. Preload was increased by infusing blood or 0.9% NaCl solution over 2 min. In the second protocol, we increased myocardial contractility by infusing isoproterenol at a fixed heart rate. Increasing heart rate above baseline levels caused no significant increase in cardiac output in the younger lambs (3.9 ± 4.0%, mean ± SD), and only small increases in the older lambs (11.4 ± 6.7%). Decreasing heart rate, however, resulted in a progressive decrease in cardiac output in both groups of lambs. Decreasing afterload caused no significant increase in cardiac output in the younger lambs (1.4 ± 14.0%) and only a small increase in the older Iambs (11.1 ± 1.9%). However, increasing afterload resulted in a fall in cardiac output in both groups of lambs, but this was significant only in the younger group (-14.4 ± 8.2%). Volume infusion caused a modest increase in cardiac output in the younger lambs (19.9 ± 13.8%) and a more variable but not significant response in the older lambs (15.8 ± 18.2%). Isoproterenol infusion caused the largest increases in cardiac output of 33.5 ± 10.8% in the younger lambs and 64.0 ± 20.0% in the older lambs at a dose of 0.3 μg/kg/min. We conclude that 1) resting heart rates are near optimal in lambs such that increasing heart rate by ventricular pacing does not markedly increase cardiac output, whereas decreasing heart rate significantly decreases output; 2) afterload is near optimal as well since decreasing afterload minimally increases cardiac output, whereas increasing it markedly reduces output; 3) the response to volume loading is limited in the lamb during ventricular pacing; and 4) there is a significant response to β-adrenoreceptor stimulation with out changes in heart rate, and this response is more pronounced in the older lamb. This supports the concept that there is a postnatal change in β-adrenoreceptor stimulation of myocardial performance.
Carers' experiences of assertive outreach services: An exploratory study

Background: Recent government policy has highlighted the needs of family and friends who provide support to mental health service users. Carers of assertive outreach (AO) service users may be particularly in need of support. However, little is known about their experiences and how services can support them. Aim: To explore the experiences of carers of individuals receiving an AO service. Method: Ten participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Participants were positive about the service they and their relatives received from AO teams. They described the service as flexible and responsive to their needs and they had developed close collaborative relationships with AO workers. AO workers were considered by carers to be an extension of their family system. AO interventions helped their relatives to regain independence and enabled participants to feel less burdened by their caring role, thereby improving the carer's quality of life. Conclusions: The unique way in which AO teams engage and work alongside service users and their families is greatly valued by carers.
Diagnostic Relevance of Immunoglobulin G Avidity for Hepatitis A Virus

ABSTRACT Diagnosis of acute hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is based on the detection of HAV immunoglobulin M (IgM). However, IgM could be detected due to nonspecific polyclonal activation of the immune system. An avidity test for anti-HAV IgG was developed to distinguish acute infection, where low-avidity antibodies are detected, from immune reactivation. The assay was tested on 104 samples, including 11 sera from patients with past infection, 15 sera from patients with acute infection and 4 collected after recovery, 10 sera from vaccinated subjects, 4 sera from patients with suspected immune reactivation, and 60 unselected HAV-IgM positive sera, collected over 1 year in a routine laboratory. The avidity index (AI) was expressed as percentage. The results were provided as the mean ± one standard deviation. Patients with a history of prior infection had AIs of >70% (mean, 86% ± 10), whereas the mean AI was 36% ± 16 during acute HAV infection (P < 0.001). Within the first month after the onset of hepatitis, avidity was either noncalculable due to a very low IgG titer or <50%. In patients with immune reactivation, avidity was >70% (88% ± 10%), a finding consistent with a prior infection. Among the 60 unselected sera, 35 (58%) had a noncalculable or <50% avidity, and most of them had a detectable HAV RNA, confirming HAV infection. In contrast, 16 (27%) had an avidity of >70%, and none was reverse transcription-PCR positive, suggesting immune reactivation. These 16 patients were significantly older than the others (50 ± 16 years versus 26 ± 14 years). The new anti-HAV IgG avidity assay we developed could improve HAV infection diagnosis, particularly in elderly patients.
Orbital Tuberculosis: A Review of the Literature

Purpose: To provide an up-to-date review of the clinical presentations, investigations, and management of orbital tuberculosis (OTB). Methods: Systematic review of the literature concerning OTB, limiting the results to English-language peer-reviewed journals. Results: Seventy-nine patients from 39 publications were identified as cases of OTB. The condition presents in one of five forms: classical periostitis; orbital soft tissue tuberculoma or cold abscess, with no bony involvement; OTB with bony involvement; spread from the paranasal sinuses; and tuberculous dacryoadenitis. The ocular adnexa, including the nasolacrimal system and overlying skin, may also be involved. Conclusions: Diagnosis can be difficult and may necessitate an orbital biopsy, in which acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and characteristic histopathology may be seen. Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (mTB) from such a specimen remains the gold standard for diagnosis. Ancillary investigations include tuberculin skin tests and chest radiography, but more recently alternatives such as whole blood interferon-γ immunological tests and PCR-based tests of pathological specimens have proven useful. The management of OTB is complex, requiring a stringent public health strategy and high levels of patient adherence, combined with long courses of multiple anti-tuberculous medications. The interaction of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with TB may further complicate management.
Reduction in alcohol consumption and health status.

AIMS This study investigated the association between alcohol consumption and health status using cross-sectional national survey data. MEASUREMENTS AND DESIGN: This study relied upon self-report data collected by the 2004 and 2007 Australian National Drug Strategy Household (NDSH) surveys. Households were selected using a multi-stage, stratified-area, random sample design. Both surveys used combinations of the drop-and-collect and computer-assisted telephone interview approaches. Respondents were questioned about their current and past drinking, the presence of formal diagnosis for specific diseases (heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer, anxiety, depression) and self-perceived general health status. Associations between drinking status, the presence of diagnoses and self-perceptions of general health status among respondents aged 18+ and 45+ were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Males and females aged 18 years or older and resident in Australia. The sample sizes for the 2004 and 2007 NDSH surveys were 24, 109 and 23, 356, respectively. FINDINGS Respondents with a diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension and anxiety were more likely to have reduced or stopped alcohol consumption in the past 12 months. The likelihood of having reduced or ceased alcohol consumption in the past 12 months increased as perceived general health status declined from excellent to poor. CONCLUSIONS Experience of ill health is associated with subsequent reduction or cessation of alcohol consumption. This may at least partly underlie the observed 'J-shape' function relating alcohol consumption to premature mortality.
Fine structural study of postcastrational adrenocortical carcinomas in female CE‐mice

Postcastrational adrenocortical carcinomas in the CE/Ki inbred strain of mice and the adrenals of noncastrated CE/Ki mice were studied using light and electron microscopic techniques. Most of the tumors appeared as large nodules of cells separated by septae comprised of collagen and blood sinusoids. The majority of tumor cells (Type 1) showed few or no lipid droplets (sudanophobic), polymorphic hyperchromatic nuclei, lack of SER, abundant RER and free ribosomes, prominent Golgi complexes, and few mitochondria with scant internal membranes. Clusters of Type 1 cells were surrounded by a basal lamina. In contrast, Type 2 cells revealed abundant and dilated tubules of SER, large number of lipid droplets and mitochondria with tubulovesicular cristae. These results suggest that Type 2 cells were probably active in steroid hormone synthesis and secretion while Type 1 cells were highly anaplastic and apparently non‐steroid‐secreting cells.
Etiological Analysis of Initial Colonization of Periodontal Pathogens in Oral Cavity

ABSTRACT It is unclear when the initial colonization by periodontal pathogens occurs in the oral cavity. Therefore, we report here the association between specific age groups and the time when the initial colonization by periodontal pathogens occurs in the oral cavity in such groups. Findings are based on an epidemiological analysis of the prevalence of five periodontal pathogens in the oral cavities of a wide range of age populations, from newborn to elderly, who were randomly selected in a geographic region of Brazil. These periodontal pathogens include Campylobacter rectus, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, and Tannerella forsythia and were analyzed in the bacterial samples isolated from gingival sulcus, the dorsum of the tongue, and cheek mucosa of diverse age groups, using a bacterial DNA-specific PCR method. Results indicated that there are distinct age-related groups where initial colonization by the five periodontal pathogens examined in this study can be detected and that the presence of teeth is a permissive factor for colonization by P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and T. forsythia. Although it remains unclear exactly how or when target pathogens colonize healthy subjects, an understanding of age-related groups does provide a potentially useful tool in the early detection and prevention of periodontitis in healthy individuals.
Retrospective study of predictive variables for maximal heart rate (HRmax) in horses undergoing strenuous treadmill exercise.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Heart rate is one of the most commonly measured variables in equine exercise physiology and relative exercise intensity commonly expressed as % of maximal heart rate. A number of influences affect maximal heart rate (HRmax), including age of the horse but other factors have not been described. OBJECTIVES To determine if fitness, health status, gender, breed, athletic use, body mass, in addition to age, are predictive of HRmax in the horse. METHODS Maximal heart rate data from 328 horses which underwent treadmill exercise tests at 5 different laboratories were obtained retrospectively. Univariable linear regression analyses were performed on individual variables. Multiple linear regression analysis using a backward elimination modelling procedure was then used to relate the observed HRmax values simultaneously with different predictive variables. Variables were retained in the final regression model if they or any of their categories were significantly predictive of HRmax at P<0.05 and if there was a significant collective contribution to the model from inclusion of each variable, also at P<0.05. RESULTS Age, fitness status, laboratory, gender and breed/use (combined category) were all statistically significantly predictive of HRmax. Together these variables accounted for 41% of the variance in HRmax. Age alone accounted for only approximately 13% of the variation between horses in HRmax. Neither body mass nor health status were significantly predictive. CONCLUSIONS HRmax in the horse declines with age but is also influenced by other factors. As the factors investigated accounted for only 41% of the variation between horses, other unidentified variables with a strong influence on HRmax remain to be identified. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE Factors such as fitness, age, gender, breed and use need to be considered when interpreting estimates or measurements of HRmax.
Photoelastic Stress Distribution Produced by Different Retention Systems for a Single-Implant Mandibular Overdenture.

PURPOSE For patients poorly adapted to conventional dentures, the single-implant mandibular overdenture has been proposed as a simplified alternative for the two-implant treatment, together with the use of immediate loading of the implant. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the photoelastic characteristics of stress transfer around the implant in a single-implant mandibular overdenture using different types of attachments. MATERIALS AND METHODS A photoelastic model of an edentulous mandible with a resilient edentulous ridge and a unique implant located at the symphyseal region was obtained to reproduce a single implant-retained mandibular overdenture. Six 2.0 mm height attachments were selected and inserted in the same photoelastic model in a random order. A universal testing machine was used to induce axial vertical loads of 70 Ncm applied at the central incisor and at the central region of the first right molar without contact on the contralateral side. The photoelastic analysis was performed using a polariscope integrated into the testing machine. Standard separate views were photographed, using only one model per system. A visual qualitative analysis of stress-induced fringes was performed to comparatively rank the different attachment systems. RESULTS All attachments showed a similar tension distribution concentrated in the apical third, and the highest stress concentration was at the apical level. There was a low stress concentration at the coronal third of the implant, with no discernible stress in the first threads of the implants, except for Dalla Bona, which showed low stress at the coronal part of the implant (1 fringe). No identifiable fringes were observed when the load was applied in the molar region, which resulted from the low amount of stress transmitted by the implant for all attachments. CONCLUSION The load transferred to a single mandibular implant was evenly distributed around the implant with low stress concentration, irrespective of the type of retention system.
Brain atrophy evolution and lesion load accrual in multiple sclerosis: a 2-year follow-up study

Background To investigate in a large cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), lesion load and atrophy evolution, and the relationship between clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates of disease progression. Methods Two hundred and sixty-seven patients with MS were studied at baseline and two years later using the same MRI protocol. Abnormal white matter fraction, normal appearing white matter fraction, global white matter fraction, gray matter fraction and whole brain fraction, T2-hyperintense, and T1-hypointense lesions were measured at both time points. Results The majority of patients were clinically stable, whereas MRI-derived brain tissue fractions were significantly different after 2 years. The correlation between MRI data at baseline and their variation during the follow-up showed that lower basal gray matter atrophy was significantly related with higher progression of gray matter atrophy during follow-up. The correlation between MRI parameters and disease duration showed that gray matter atrophy rate decreased with increasing disease duration, whereas the rate of white matter atrophy had a constant pattern. Lower basal gray matter atrophy was associated with increased probability of developing gray matter atrophy at follow-up, whereas gray matter atrophy progression over 2 years and new T2 lesion load were risk factors for whole brain atrophy progression. Conclusions In MS, brain atrophy occurs even after a relatively short period of time and in patients with limited progression of disability. Short-term brain atrophy progression rates differ across tissue compartments, as gray matter atrophy results more pronounced than white matter atrophy and appears to be a early phenomenon in the MS-related disease progression.
Effects of hypoxia on high‐energy phosphagen content, energy metabolism and isometric force in guinea‐pig taenia caeci.

1. Previously, Ishida, Takagi & Urakawa (1984) reported that, in the presence of high K+ (45.4 mM) under hypoxia (95% N2‐5% CO2 bubbling), tension and ATP content of the smooth muscle of the guinea‐pig taenia caeci increased concomitantly when the glucose concentration was raised. Tension and energy metabolism of the taenia seemed to be closely correlated. In the present experiments, we investigated the metabolic changes during the relaxation phase after the taenia was exposed to hypoxia in the presence of high K+ by measuring the content of phosphagen, inorganic phosphate (Pi) and lactate in the tissue. Oxygen consumption and lactate release from the tissue were also determined to estimate the rate of ATP synthesis. 2. Under hypoxic conditions, high‐K(+)‐induced tension decreased to one‐tenth of maximum in aerobic conditions (95% O2‐5% CO2 bubbling); increasing the calcium concentration from 2.5 to 10 mM had no effect. To test receptor‐associated stimuli, carbachol or histamine (both 5 microM) had little effect on tension in hypoxia. The calcium ionophore A23187 (10 microM) also did not produce any significant contraction in the presence of high K+ under hypoxia. 3. Hypoxia in the presence of high K+ elicited a rapid decrease in phosphocreatine, approximately in parallel with the decrease in tension. The ATP content decreased gradually while Pi content increased. Lactate content increased rapidly and then partially decreased. 4. The rate of ATP synthesis estimated from the oxygen consumption and lactate release of the taenia was linearly correlated with tension development under aerobic and hypoxic conditions. 5. These results suggest that the decrease in tension of the taenia observed under hypoxic conditions is due to an inhibition of energy metabolism, and not due to an oxygen‐sensing step in excitation‐contraction coupling.
DyDroid: Measuring Dynamic Code Loading and Its Security Implications in Android Applications

Android has provided dynamic code loading (DCL) since API level one. DCL allows an app developer to load additional code at runtime. DCL raises numerous challenges with regards to security and accountability analysis of apps. While previous studies have investigated DCL on Android, in this paper we formulate and answer three critical questions that are missing from previous studies: (1) Where does the loaded code come from (remotely fetched or locally packaged), and who is the responsible entity to invoke its functionality? (2) In what ways is DCL utilized to harden mobile apps, specifically, application obfuscation? (3) What are the security risks and implications that can be found from DCL in off-the-shelf apps? We design and implement DyDroid, a system which uses both dynamic and static analysis to analyze dynamically loaded code. Dynamic analysis is used to automatically exercise apps, capture DCL behavior, and intercept the loaded code. Static analysis is used to investigate malicious behavior and privacy leakage in that dynamically loaded code. We have used DyDroid to analyze over 46K apps with little manual intervention, allowing us to conduct a large-scale measurement to investigate five aspects of DCL, such as source identification, malware detection, vulnerability analysis, obfuscation analysis, and privacy tracking analysis. We have several interesting findings. (1) 27 apps are found to violate the content policy of Google Play by executing code downloaded from remote servers. (2) We determine the distribution, pros/cons, and implications of several common obfuscation methods, including DEX encryption/loading. (3) DCL's stealthiness enables it to be a channel to deploy malware, and we find 87 apps loading malicious binaries which are not detected by existing antivirus tools. (4) We found 14 apps that are vulnerable to code injection attacks due to dynamically loading code which is writable by other apps. (5) DCL is mainly used by third-party SDKs, meaning that app developers may not know what sort of sensitive functionality is injected into their apps.