Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Periodontics and orthodontics team-work in the treatment of gingival recession: Two case reports

In this report, we presented two cases in which orthodontic treatment played the role both in the etiology and treatment of gingival recession at mandibular anterior teeth. Subepithelial connective tissue graft was used in order to cover the exposed root surfaces. Residual recession after mucogingival periodontal surgery was further reduced by orthodontic intrusion of the incisors in both of the cases. The periodontics and orthodontics team-work satisfied both patients and the clinicians from the point of maintaining periodontal health, ideal occlusal relationships and masticatory function despite the prolonged treatment period.
Effects of an integrated mind-mapping and problem-posing approach on students' in-field mobile learning performance in a natural science course

In this study, the researchers investigate the effects of an integrated mind mapping and problem-posing approach on students' in-field mobile learning performance in an elementary school natural science course. A total of 86 sixth graders in three classes were assigned as follows: one class, with 29 pupils, for the mind-mapping and problem-posing mobile learning; another class, with 28 pupils, for the problem-posing mobile learning; and the other class, with 29 pupils, for the conventional tour-based mobile learning. From the experimental results, it was found that the students who learned with the problem-posing mobile learning strategy showed significantly better learning achievements than those who learned with the mind-mapping and problem-posing integrated strategy, indicating that the simpler problem-solving strategy was more suitable for application in in-field learning than the more complicated strategy that engaged students in both the learning tasks of posing problems and developing mind maps.
Arthrogenic Muscle inhibition: A Limiting Factor in Joint Rehabilitation

Objectives: To define the concept of arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), to discuss its implications in the rehabilitation of joint injury, to discuss the neurophysiologic events that lead to AMI, to evaluate the methods available to measure AM1 and the models that might be implemented to examine AMI, and to review therapeutic interventions that might reduce AMI. Data Sources: The databases MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and CIHNAL were searched with the terms reflex inhibition, joint mechanoreceptor, Ib interneuron, Hoffmann reflex, effusion, and joint injury. The remaining citations were collected from references of similar papers. Conclusions: AMI is a limiting factor in the rehabilitation of joint injury. It results in atrophy and deficiencies in strength and increases the susceptibility to further injury. A therapeutic intervention that results in decreased inhibition, allowing for active exercise, would lead to faster and more complete recovery.
Role of inactivated influenza vaccine in regulation of autoimmune processes in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is characterized by appearance of anti-myelin autoantibodies in the blood and with the increased expression of MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class I and II antigens in the brain tissue. Although there is an evidence of possible linkage between influenza vaccination and development of autoimmune processes, the precise mechanisms of action of this vaccine on EAE-induction is still unclear. In this study, effects of influenza vaccine on clinical sign, antimyelin antibody titer in the blood by ELISA test and expression of MHC class I and II molecules immunohistochemistry were examined in the brain of C57BL mice with EAE. EAE was induced by MOG35–55 protein in 16 of 32 mice. Influenza split vaccine was administered to eight MOG-induced EAE mice and to eight previously nontreated mice. A significant increase of anti-influenza antibody was detected in vaccinated mice compared to nontreated mice. Also, significant increase of antimyelin antibodies was detected in mice with EAE compared to vaccinated group without EAE and control group, respectively. In EAE-influenza vaccinated mice, a mild but not significant increase of antimyelin antibodies was detected, compared to EAE mice. High expression of MHC-II and mild expression of MHC-I were detected in the brain of mice with EAE. No expressions were detected in vaccinated and normal intact brains. Similar staining was found between EAE-vaccinated and EAE group in both MHC-I and MHC-II expression. The results obtained show that influenza vaccine has no significant influence on EAE induction and severity of autoimmune processes.
Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease: an understanding of physiology and pathology

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastative neurodegenerative disorder with complex etiology. Neuroinflammation has been found to be an underlying cause of the disease, although it demonstrates significant defensive role and renders the brain immunologically secured. This review focuses on the physiology and pathology of this crucial biological process and the diverse factors involved in and acting in a concerted manner to play a pivotal role either in the physiology or pathology of the disease. We used Pubmed, Pubmed Central, and Medline databases for a period of 3 months. It also summarizes the recent advances in neuroinflammation in both in vitro and in vivo. This review eventually warrants further studies on animal models of AD to unravel the complete pathophysiology of the disease and also accentuates the burgeoning need to protect astrocytes which can become a substantial therapeutic avenue.
[Development and effectiveness of expressive writing program for women with breast cancer in Korea].

PURPOSE To develop a expressive writing program for women with breast cancer and to identify its effects on stress physical symptom, cancer symptom, anxiety, depression, and QOL. METHODS A non-equivalent control pre-post design was used. Participants were recruited from self-help groups in six hospitals and were assigned to the experimental group (29) or control group (29). Data were collected before, after, and at four weeks after the intervention program. Changes in the variables were evaluated to test effects of the developed program, using χ²-test, Fisher's exact test, repeated measures ANOVA, and paired t-test. RESULTS The expressive writing program was developed for women with breast cancer based on Pennebaker's expressive writing. Significant differences were found between the two groups for stress related to physical symptoms (p<.00) and quality of life (p=.024). No significant differences were found in cancer symptoms, anxiety, or depression between the two groups. CONCLUSION The results indicate that the expressive writing program designed to express cancer-related deep thoughts and emotions helps in decreasing physical symptoms and improving QOL. Further studies are needed to identify the effect on emotions such as anxiety and depression for women with breast cancer with above average levels of anxiety and depression.
Calcium channel antibodies in patients with absence epilepsy

Autoimmunity has aroused interest in the last years as a contributory mechanism of epilepsy, especially in epilepsies with unknown cause or therapy resistance. Since the relationship of absence epilepsy (AE) with calcium channels is well established, we aimed to investigate related antibodies in patients diagnosed with AE. Consecutive patients with typical absence seizures having either childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) or juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE) with generalized spike and wave discharges on electroencephalography (EEG) were included after their consent. The patients were diagnosed according to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) 2010 criteria. Antibodies against P-Q type voltage gated calcium channels (VGCC) and T-type VGCC subunit Cav3.2 (encoded by the CACNA1H gene) were investigated by RIA and ELISA, respectively. We searched for these antibodies in 32 patients with AE and 53 patients with focal epilepsy of unknown cause (FEOUC) as the disease control group; furthermore, 30 healthy persons served as the healthy controls. Eleven patients (34.3%) with AE had CAE and the remaining patients had JAE. Only a 47-year-old female FEOUC patient, who also had systemic lupus erythematosus with normal MRI scans showed antibodies against P-Q type VGCC, whereas no antibody positivity could be found in other FEOUC and AE patients and healthy controls. Our results might suggest that calcium channel antibodies do not play an important role in the pathophysiology of AE. Further studies with larger groups of other epileptic syndromes are needed to confirm our results.
Effect of Long-Term Exercise on Physical Function and Medical Exam- ination in Elderly Women

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of exercise on physical functions (activities of daily living, physical fitness) and medical examination parameters as risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases in 65- to 75-year-old women living independently at home. The women were provided instruction on aerobic exercises and resistance training for 20 weeks. This was followed by a voluntary continuation of the exercises for 3 years (140 weeks). The subjects included 69 women who participated in an exercise instruction program in a fitness class. Thirty-eight of the women voluntarily continued with the exercise program [exercise (EX) group] and 31 women did not [sedentary (SED) group]. A control group of 44 women was also established. In the control group, most of the physical function parameters tended to deteriorate after 160 weeks. The medical examination parameters also tended to worsen, with many values above the normal limits. In the EX group, however, the physical function actually improved after 160 weeks. The improved control of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia was also observed. In the SED group, physical function improved after 20 weeks of exercise instruction but began to deteriorate once exercise was stopped. These results suggest that exercise instruction and continued exercise programs, based on an appropriate exercise prescription, are effective in improving physical function and controlling the risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases in elderly women living at home.
Comparisons of frailty models for kidney infection data under Weibull baseline distribution

Shared frailty models are often used to model heterogeneity in the survival analysis. The most common shared frailty model is a model in which hazard function is a product of random factor (frailty) and the baseline hazard function which is common to all individuals. There are certain assumptions about the baseline distribution and the distribution of frailty. Mostly assumption of the gamma distribution is considered for frailty distribution. To compare the results with the gamma frailty model, we introduce three shared frailty models with the Weibull as baseline distribution. The other three shared frailty models are the inverse Gaussian shared frailty model, the compound Poisson shared frailty model and the compound negative binomial shared frailty model. We fit these models to a real life bivariate survival dataset of McGilchrist and Aisbett (1991) related to kidney infection data using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique. Model comparison is made using the Bayesian model selection criteria and the inverse Gaussian frailty model model is suggested for this data.
Association of IL-23 and its receptor gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms with multiple sclerosis in Chinese southern population

The subunit of IL-23 (IL12B) and its receptor (IL23R) gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been shown to be associated with several autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis. However, the association studies between multiple sclerosis (MS) and SNPs of IL12B or IL23R gene have been reported with inconsistent results in Caucasian population. These discrepancies prompted us to investigate whether IL12B and IL23R variants are associated with susceptibility to MS in Chinese southern population. In this study, we investigated four SNPs (rs2201841, rs10889677, rs7517847 in IL23R and rs3212227 in IL12B) in 178 MS patients and 221 health controls in southern China using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. There was no difference of genotype or allele distribution of these SNPs between MS patients and controls. No association was found between gene polymorphisms and clinical characteristics in MS patients. Furthermore, haplotypes analysis showed similar distribution of haplotype frequencies in MS patients and controls. Our study showed that the IL12B and IL23R gene SNPs does not seem to be associated with MS susceptibility in Chinese southern population.
White matter involvement beyond the optic nerves in CRION as assessed by diffusion tensor imaging

Background: Chronic relapsing inflammatory optic neuropathy (CRION) is an inflammatory optic neuropathy, characterized by relapses and remissions in patients with normal brain and spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Discrepancy from other demyelinating diseases is important, and it is still uncertain whether CRION is restricted to the optic pathways or it affects other brain white matter (WM) structures. Objective: To assess WM structure in patients with CRION by using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Methods: DTI was performed in six CRION patients and six age- and sex-matched healthy controls on a 3 T scanner. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used for voxelwise statistical analysis of DTI data. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD) measures were obtained. Results: TBSS analysis revealed two different patterns of WM alterations in patients with CRION. The optic chiasm and connected structures had significantly higher FA and lower RD, AD and MD in the patients than in the healthy controls. On the other hand, anterior frontal bundles of inferior fronto-occipital tracts, left uncinate fascicule and internal capsule showed decreased FA and increased RD. No correlation was found between the clinical variables and diffusion measures. Conclusion: WM appearing normal on brain MRI shows widespread abnormalities in a cohort of CRION patients as assessed by DTI.
ELR-CXC Chemokine Receptor Antagonism Targets Inflammatory Responses at Multiple Levels1

The ELR-CXC chemokines play important roles in neutrophilic inflammation. We report in this study that a fully human ELR-CXC chemokine antagonist that we have generated, CXCL8(3–72)K11R/G31P (G31P), has potent anti-inflammatory effects that arise through its actions at multiple levels. G31P inhibited CXCL8-induced chemotactic responses and intracellular Ca2+ flux in CXCR1-transfected HEK cells and neutrophils, and responses of neutrophils to CXCR2-exclusive ligands. G31P desensitized heterologous G protein-coupled receptors on neutrophils, 52–86% reducing their Ca2+ flux and chemotactic responses to leukotriene B4, C5a, and the bacterial tripeptide fMLP. G31P also 60–90% blocked neutrophil chemotactic responses to mediators present in 10 of 12 sputum samples from cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis subjects with bacterial pneumonia. Moreover, whereas A549 bronchial epithelial cells (which expressed CXCR1) secreted ≈29,000 pg/ml CXCL8 in response to in vitro endotoxin challenge, G31P reduced this response by up to 98%, presumably by interrupting an autocrine inflammatory loop. The anti-inflammatory effects of G31P extended also to reversing the antiapoptotic influence of ELR-CXC chemokines on neutrophils. That these effects were relevant in vivo was confirmed in a guinea pig model of airway endotoxemia, wherein the human form of G31P >95% blocked neutrophil infiltration into and activation within the airways, as determined by airway levels of the neutrophil primary, secondary, and tertiary granule markers myeloperoxidase, lactoferrin, and matrix metalloproteinase-9, respectively, and the epithelial cell marker matrix metalloproteinase-2. These data suggest that the beneficial effects of ELR-CXC chemokine antagonism arise through effects that occur at multiple levels, including epithelial cells, neutrophils, and alternate G protein-coupled receptors.
A Constructivist Evaluation of Family Systems Nursing Interventions with Families Experiencing Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Illness

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Family Systems Nursing interventions using a methodological approach based on Guba and Lincoln’s fourth generation evaluation. The project involved five families in which one member had suffered either a myocardial infarction or a stroke. In this participatory study, family members, patients, nurses, and investigators were considered coresearchers in the research process. Thus, families collaborated with investigators and nurses to develop and evaluate Family Systems Nursing interventions based on the Calgary Family Assessment and Intervention Models. This article presents the research methodology and results that offer practical nursing interventions to help families during the patient’s rehabilitation process.
Proteasome Regulation of ULBP1 Transcription1

Killer lymphocytes recognize stress-activated NKG2D ligands on tumors. We examined NKG2D ligand expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells and other cell lines. HNSCC cells typically expressed MHC class I chain-related gene A (MICA), MICB, UL16-binding protein (ULBP)2, and ULBP3, but they were uniformly negative for cell surface ULBP1 and ULBP4. We then studied how cancer treatments affected NKG2D ligand expression. NKG2D ligand expression was not changed by most cancer-relevant treatments. However, bortezomib and other proteasome inhibitor drugs with distinct mechanisms of action dramatically and specifically up-regulated HNSCC ULBP1 mRNA and cell surface protein. Proteasome inhibition also increased RNA for ULBP1 and other NKG2D ligands in nontransformed human keratinocytes. Proteasome inhibitor drugs increased ULBP1 transcription by acting at a site in the 522-bp ULBP1 promoter. Although the DNA damage response pathways mediated by ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia, mutated) and ATR (ATM and Rad3-related) signaling had been reported to up-regulate NKG2D ligand expression, we found that ULBP1 up-regulation was not inhibited by caffeine and wortmannin, inhibitors of ATM/ATR signaling. ULBP1 expression in HNSCC cells was not increased by several ATM/ATR activating treatments, including bleomycin, cisplatin, aphidicolin, and hydroxyurea. Ionizing radiation caused ATM activation in HNSCC cells, but high-level ULBP1 expression was not induced by gamma radiation or UV radiation. Thus, ATM/ATR signaling was neither necessary nor sufficient for high-level ULBP1 expression in human HNSCC cell lines and could not account for the proteasome effect. The selective induction of ULBP1 expression by proteasome inhibitor drugs, along with variable NKG2D ligand expression by human tumor cells, indicates that NKG2D ligand genes are independently regulated.
Cutting Edge: Phenotypic Characterization and Differentiation of Human CD8+ T Cells Producing IL-171

Although IL-17-producing CD8+ T cells (Tc17 cells) have recently been identified, the detailed information about these cells still remains unclear. In this article we describe a study investigating the phenotype and differentiation of human Tc17 cells. Human Tc17 cells were detected in a minor population of CD8+ T cells and were predominantly found in CD27−/+CD28+CD45RA− memory subsets. They also expressed CCR6 and a high level of CCR5. Though most Tc17 cells produced IFN-γ, a small part of the Tc17 cell population was IFN-γ negative in some individuals. Analysis of the in vitro induction of Tc17 cells showed that these cells were induced from the CD27+CD28+CD45RA+ naive subset and that they expressed the CD27−CD28+CD45RA− and CCR6+ phenotype. These results together indicate that Tc17 cells have a unique phenotype and suggest that they differentiate from the same precursors that differentiate into IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cells.
TLR2 Is a Negative Regulator of Th17 Cells and Tissue Pathology in a Pulmonary Model of Fungal Infection1

To study the role of TLR2 in a experimental model of chronic pulmonary infection, TLR2-deficient and wild-type mice were intratracheally infected with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a primary fungal pathogen. Compared with control, TLR2−/− mice developed a less severe pulmonary infection and decreased NO synthesis. Equivalent results were detected with in vitro-infected macrophages. Unexpectedly, despite the differences in fungal loads both mouse strains showed equivalent survival times and severe pulmonary inflammatory reactions. Studies on lung-infiltrating leukocytes of TLR2−/− mice demonstrated an increased presence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils that control fungal loads but were associated with diminished numbers of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. TLR2 deficiency leads to minor differences in the levels of pulmonary type 1 and type 2 cytokines, but results in increased production of KC, a CXC chemokine involved in neutrophils chemotaxis, as well as TGF-β, IL-6, IL-23, and IL-17 skewing T cell immunity to a Th17 pattern. In addition, the preferential Th17 immunity of TLR2−/− mice was associated with impaired expansion of regulatory CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T cells. This is the first study to show that TLR2 activation controls innate and adaptive immunity to P. brasiliensis infection. TLR2 deficiency results in increased Th17 immunity associated with diminished expansion of regulatory T cells and increased lung pathology due to unrestrained inflammatory reactions.
Barriers and Facilitators to Healthy Eating and Activity in Head Start Staff: An Opportunity for Worksite Wellness

Background: Head Start (HS) staff are ideally positioned to promote healthy behaviors to over one million low-income children each year, however little is understood about their own health. Purpose: To conduct a needs assessment with HS staff to: 1) understand perceptions, barriers and motivators to healthful behaviors; and 2) ascertain interest in a worksite wellness program. Methods: Surveys (n = 154) and telephone interviews (n = 25) were conducted with HS staff from eight Colorado HS centers (4 rural, 4 urban). Results: Findings indicate that 56% of teachers were overweight or obese, 89% wanted to be more active, and 86.6% desired wellness programming. Motivators consisted of relief of stress, health, and weight control; barriers included time, fatigue, and money; desired topics included nutrition, exercise, and stress management. Motivators, barriers and interest topics were consistent across surveys and interviews. Discussion and Translation to Health Education Practice: HS staff want and need comprehensive wellness programming. Wellness programming should be tailored to include nutrition, physical activity and stress reduction strategies utilizing multifaceted modes of delivery. Improved staff wellness and increased comfort with health and wellness topics could impact the school environment and young children's health.