Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial Additives in Epoxy Resin-Based Root Canal Sealers: A Focused Review

Dental materials used in root canal treatment have undergone substantial improvements over the past decade. However, one area that still remains to be addressed is the ability of root canal fillings to effectively entomb, kill bacteria, and prevent the formation of a biofilm, all of which will prevent reinfection of the root canal system. Thus far, no published review has analysed the literature on antimicrobial additives to root canal sealers and their influence on physicochemical properties. The aim of this paper was to systematically review the current literature on antimicrobial additives in root canal sealers, their anti-fouling effects, and influence on physicochemical properties. A systematic search was performed in two databases (PubMed and Scopus) to identify studies that investigated the effect of antimicrobial additives in epoxy resin-based root canal sealers. The nature of additives, their antimicrobial effects, methods of antimicrobial testing are critically discussed. The effects on sealer properties have also been reviewed. A total of 31 research papers were reviewed in this work. A variety of antimicrobial agents have been evaluated as additives to epoxy resin-based sealers, including quaternary ammonium compounds, chlorhexidine, calcium hydroxide, iodoform, natural extracts, antibiotics, antifungal drugs, and antimicrobial agent-functionalised nanoparticles. Antimicrobial additives generally improved the antimicrobial effect of epoxy resin-based sealers mainly without deteriorating the physicochemical properties, which mostly remained in accordance with ISO and ANSI/ADA specifications.
Computer-Based Collaborative Problem Solving in PISA 2015 and the Role of Personality

Collaborative problem solving (CPS) is an essential 21st century skill at the intersection of social collaboration and cognitive problem solving, and is increasingly integrated in educational programs, such as the influential Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). As research has identified the impact of the Big Five personality traits either on cognitive ability or social collaboration skills in groups, this study firstly identified their impact on the conjoint construct of CPS. Results from structural equation modelling (N = 483) found openness to experience and agreeableness as predictors for CPS performance. The results are embedded in the lifelong learning and investment model by Ackermann and provide implications for PISA 2015, as original PISA 2015 CPS tasks were used.
Antiproliferation for Breast Cancer Cells by Ethyl Acetate Extract of Nepenthes thorellii x (ventricosa x maxima)

Extracts from the Nepenthes plant have anti-microorganism and anti-inflammation effects. However, the anticancer effect of the Nepenthes plant is rarely reported, especially for breast cancer cells. Here, we evaluate the antitumor effects of the ethyl acetate extract of Nepenthes thorellii x (ventricosa x maxima) (EANT) against breast cancer cells. Cell viability and flow cytometric analyses were used to analyze apoptosis, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. EANT exhibits a higher antiproliferation ability to two breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and SKBR3) as compared to normal breast cells (M10). A mechanistic study demonstrates that EANT induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells with evidence of subG1 accumulation and annexin V increment. EANT also induces glutathione (GSH) depletion, resulting in dramatic accumulations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide (MitoSOX), as well as the depletion of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). These oxidative stresses attack DNA, respectively leading to DNA double strand breaks and oxidative DNA damage in γH2AX and 8-oxo-2′deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) assays. Overall these findings clearly revealed that EANT induced changes were suppressed by the ROS inhibitor. In conclusion, our results have shown that the ROS-modulating natural product (EANT) has antiproliferation activity against breast cancer cells through apoptosis, oxidative stress, and DNA damage.
An empirical study of the naive Bayes classifier

The naive Bayes classifier greatly simplify learning by assuming that features are independent given class. Although independence is generally a poor assumption, in practice naive Bayes often competes well with more sophisticated classifiers. Our broad goal is to understand the data characteristics which affect the performance of naive Bayes. Our approach uses Monte Carlo simulations that allow a systematic study of classification accuracy for several classes of randomly generated problems. We analyze the impact of the distribution entropy on the classification error, showing that low-entropy feature distributions yield good performance of naive Bayes. We also demonstrate that naive Bayes works well for certain nearlyfunctional feature dependencies, thus reaching its best performance in two opposite cases: completely independent features (as expected) and functionally dependent features (which is surprising). Another surprising result is that the accuracy of naive Bayes is not directly correlated with the degree of feature dependencies measured as the classconditional mutual information between the features. Instead, a better predictor of naive Bayes accuracy is the amount of information about the class that is lost because of the independence assumption.
PGC-1α regulates mitochondrial properties beyond biogenesis with aging and exercise training.

Impaired mitochondrial function has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-associated metabolic diseases through regulation of cellular redox balance. Exercise training is known to promote mitochondrial biogenesis in part through induction of the transcriptional co-activator PGC-1α. Recently, mitochondrial ADP sensitivity has been linked to ROS emission with potential impact on age-associated physiological outcomes, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of aging and exercise training on mitochondrial properties beyond biogenesis, including respiratory capacity, ADP sensitivity, ROS emission and mitochondrial network structure, in myofibers from inducible muscle-specific PGC-1α knockout mice and controls. Aged mice displayed lower running endurance and mitochondrial respiratory capacity than young. This was associated with intermyofibrillar mitochondrial network fragmentation, diminished submaximal ADP-stimulated respiration, increased mitochondrial ROS emission and oxidative stress. Exercise training reversed the decline in maximal respiratory capacity independent of PGC-1a, while exercise training rescued the age-related mitochondrial network fragmentation and impaired submaximal ADP-stimulated respiration in a PGC-1α dependent manner. Furthermore, lack of PGC-1α was associated with altered phosphorylation and carbonylation of the inner mitochondrial membrane ADP/ATP exchanger ANT1. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that PGC-1α regulates submaximal ADP-stimulated respiration, ROS emission and mitochondrial network structure in mouse skeletal muscle during aging and exercise training.
Biochemical imaging of normal, adenoma, and colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and morphological correlation by histopathological analysis: preliminary results

Introduction: The colorectal cancer is a major health problem worldwide. Histology is considered the gold standard for differential diagnosis. However, it depends on the observer's experience, which can lead to discrepancies and poor results. Spectroscopic imaging by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) is a technique that may be able to improve the diagnosis, because it is based on biochemical differences of the structural constituents of tissue. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to explore the use of FTIR imaging technique in normal colon tissue, colorectal adenoma, and adenocarcinoma in order to correlate their morphological structures with their biochemical imaging. Methods: Samples were collected from normal (n = 4), adenoma (n = 4), and adenocarcinoma human colorectal tissue (n = 4) from patients undergoing colonoscopy or surgical resection of colon lesions. The samples were sectioned with a cryostat in sequential sections; the first slice was placed on CaF 2 slide and the second slice was placed on glass slide for histological analysis (HE staining). The cluster analyses were performed by the software Cytospec (1.4.02)  . Results: In normal samples, biochemical analysis classified six different structures, namely the lamina propria of mucous glands (epithelial cells and goblet cells), central lumen of the gland, mucin, and conjunctive tissue. In samples with adenoma and adenocarcinoma, altered regions could also be identified with high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate the potential and viability of using infrared spectroscopy to identify and classify colorectal tissues.
EPA and DHA elicit distinct transcriptional responses to high-fat feeding in skeletal muscle and liver.

Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) exert numerous beneficial biological effects and attenuate diet-induced insulin resistance in rodent models. In the present study, the independent, tissue-specific effects of two nutritionally-relevant n-3 PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were characterized in the context of a high fat diet (HFD). EPA and DHA supplementation (3.2% of total fat), in 6-month-old male, C57BL/6 mice fed HFD (60% fat) partially mitigated reductions in insulin sensitivity. At 5 weeks, the area above the curve below baseline glucose following an intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test was 54.5% lower in HFD than control, while HFD+EPA and HFD+DHA showed 27.6% and 17.1% reductions, respectively. At 10 weeks, HFD increased mitochondrial oxidative capacity supported by lipid and carbohydrate-based substrates in both liver and skeletal muscle (p<0.05), with little effect of EPA or DHA supplementation. Whole-genome transcriptomic analyses revealed HFD-induced transcriptional changes indicative of inflammation and fibrosis in both liver and muscle. Gene set enrichment analyses indicated a downregulation of transcripts associated with extracellular matrix in muscle (family-wise error rate p<0.01) and liver (p=0.04) and in transcripts associated with inflammation in muscle (p=0.03) in HFD+DHA compared to HFD alone. In contrast, EPA appeared to potentiate some pro-inflammatory effects of the HFD. In the skeletal muscle, DHA increased the expression of stress-responsive genes, while EPA upregulated the expression of transcripts related to cell cycle. Therefore, while both EPA and DHA supplementation during HFD partially preserve insulin signaling they modulate distinct processes, highlighting their unique biological effects in the context of obesity.
Placental CpG Methylation of Inflammation, Angiogenic, and Neurotrophic Genes and Retinopathy of Prematurity

Purpose Extremely preterm infants are at increased risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). We previously identified several inflammatory proteins that were expressed early in life and are associated with an increased risk of ROP and several angiogenic and neurotrophic growth factors in the neonatal systemic circulation that are associated with a lower risk of ROP. In this paper, we report the results of a set of analyses designed to test the hypothesis that placental CpG methylation levels of 12 inflammation-, angiogenic-, and neurotrophic-associated genes predict the occurrence of prethreshold ROP in extremely preterm newborns. Methods We used placental CpG methylation data from 395 newborns from the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns study. Results Multivariable regression models revealed that placental DNA methylation of 16 CpG sites representing 8 genes were associated with prethreshold ROP. Specifically, CpG methylation in the serum amyloid A SAA1 and SAA2, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), myeloperoxidase (MPO), C-reactive protein (CRP), angiopoietin 1 (ANGPT1), and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 1B (TNFRSF1B) genes was associated with a lower risk of prethreshold ROP. Conversely, CpG methylation at three probes within tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 1A (TNFRSF1A) and in two alternative probes within the BDNF and ANGPT1 genes was associated with an increased risk of ROP. Conclusions CpG methylation may be a useful marker for improving ROP prediction, opening the opportunity for early intervention to lessen disease severity.
‘Message to Dentist’: Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children

Dental anxiety affects children worldwide and can have negative consequences on oral health. This study aimed to evaluate a novel communication aid ‘message to dentist’ (MTD), as part of a wider cognitive behavioural therapy approach to reduce dental anxiety in young patients. Dentally anxious children, aged 9–16 years, were invited to complete the MTD proforma, before and following their course of treatment. They scored how worried they were and their anticipated pain levels on a scale of 1–10 (10 being the worst outcome). They also wrote down their coping plans and post-treatment reflections. One hundred and five children, from a UK general dental practice and a hospital clinic, were included. They had a mean age of 11.6 years, and 65% were female. There was a significant reduction in self-report worry (from 4.9 to 2.1) and anticipated pain (from 5.1 to 2.0) scores (p < 0.05, paired t-test). Many children (30%) used listening to music/audiobook as a coping strategy. Thematic analysis revealed concerns around pain, uncertainty, errors and specific procedures. The MTD proforma proved an effective means of facilitating communication between anxious children and the dental team, allowing them to identify their worries and make personalised coping plans.
The Real Happy Study: Protocol for a Prospective Assessment of the Real-World Effectiveness of the HAPIFED Program—a Healthy APproach to weIght management and Food in Eating Disorders

The prevalence of obesity with comorbid binge eating behaviour is growing at a faster rate than that seen for either obesity or eating disorders as separate conditions. Approximately 6% of the population are affected and they potentially face a lifetime of poor physical and mental health outcomes and an inability to sustain long-term weight loss. Current treatment options are inadequate in that they typically address either obesity or eating disorders exclusively, not the combination of both conditions. By treating one condition without treating the other, relapse is common, and patients are often left disappointed with their lack of weight loss. An integrated approach to treating these individuals is needed to prevent a worsening of the comorbidities associated with excess body weight and eating disorders. A new therapy has recently been developed, named HAPIFED, which addresses both overweight/obesity and comorbid binge eating behaviour with the combination of behavioural weight loss therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy-enhanced (CBT-E). The aim of this paper is to document the protocol for the Real Happy Study, which will evaluate the effectiveness of the HAPIFED program in treating overweight or obesity with comorbid binge-eating behaviour in a real-world setting.
Asymptotic performance analysis and design of wireless communication systems in generalized fading and noise

One of the most important challenges for communication system designers is to combat the detrimental effects of fading and noise. Fading refers to random changes in the channel gain due to shadowing and multi–path propagation of the transmitted signal. Several statistical distributions have been proposed to model the fading phenomenon. On the other hand, various techniques, such as multi–antenna transmission and/or reception (e.g., space–time coding) have been proposed to improve the performance of wireless communication systems in fading channels. Clearly, the performance and consequently, the design of these systems depend on the considered fading model. Since the wireless environment is intrinsically dynamic and may also experience the keyhole effect, i.e., not fully correlated but rank deficient fading, it is important to have a comprehensive performance analysis framework which is applicable to a wide range of fading models. In this thesis, we provide such a framework for the asymptotic (hign signal–to–noise ratio) analysis of single–antenna transmission with receive diversity and space–time coding in generalized non–keyhole and keyhole fading channels including Rayleigh, Ricean, Nakagami–q, Nakagami–m, generalized–K, and Weibull fading. The presented analysis provides valuable new insights into system design and can be used to obtain tight asymptotic upper bounds for the bit, symbol, and frame error probabilities. The second subject studied in this thesis is non–Gaussian noise. Noise (which in our definition includes interference) in communication systems has been traditionally modelled as Gaussian. This is mainly motivated by the tractability of the design and analysis of
Early maturity, shortened stature, and hardship: Can life‐history trade‐offs indicate social stratification and income inequality in the United States?

Life‐history strategies promote reproductive fitness and survival. Limited energy availability and competing energetic demands between life‐history decisions may result in organismal trade‐offs leading to selection for “optimal” traits that facilitate fitness and survival in present environmental conditions. Few life‐history analyses have been conducted in food abundant/high resource human populations. Here, we use a life‐history theory framework integrated with a biocultural approach to assess whether trade‐offs between growth (height) and the onset of reproductive maturation (ages at menarche) were observed in a sample of adult women living in the United States.
Transoral robotic surgery in patients with stage III/IV hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: treatment outcome and prognostic factor

Abstract Background: We aimed to reduce the morbidity related to treatment and to preserve organ function in patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) by applying a new surgical treatment protocol based on transoral robotic surgery (TORS). Aims/objectives: In this study, we analyzed the prognostic factors related to survival to confirm the validity and effectiveness of TORS in patients with advanced-stage HPSCC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 44 HPSCC patients who had undergone TORS-based therapy. Results: In univariate analysis, only the surgical marginal status showed a statistically significant correlation with the survival of the patients (p = .009). In multivariate analysis, surgical margin status was the only statistically significant prognostic factor related to survival (p = .008). Forty-one patients (93.2%) recovered speech function sufficiently to perform daily conversation without artificial aids. Forty-one patients (93.2%) were able to ingest food orally. Conclusions: In the treatment of advanced hypopharyngeal cancer, TORS-based therapy helped the surgeon obtain a clear surgical margin in patients with HPSCC, and it showed superior oncologic and functional outcomes compared to the existing treatment methods.
EndoVAC hybrid therapy for salvage of patients with infected femoral artery reconstructions.

BACKGROUND EndoVAC hybrid therapy for infected femoral artery reconstructions consists of endovascular relining with a stent graft, surgical debridement and vacuum-assisted wound closure (VAC), and may be considered as a bailout procedure. The aim of this study was to analyze differences in risk factors of patients receiving EndoVAC compared to standard VAC therapy for perivascular infected femoral artery reconstructions, and to describe the technique, complications and outcome of EndoVAC therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective analysis of 183 patients receiving VAC or EndoVAC therapy for perivascular infections in the groin from January 2004 to December 2017 was performed. Failure of wound treatment was defined as a wound not healed within four months, visible graft material or native artery after one month, bleeding from the wound leading to discontinuation of treatment, death or amputation due to groin infection. RESULTS The EndoVAC patients (n = 13) more often had ischemic heart disease (P = 0.008), more late wound infections after index operation (P < 0.001), had more often undergone previous ipsilateral groin incisions (P = 0.006) and presented more often with hemorrhage/femoral pseudoaneurysm (P < 0.001), compared to the standard VAC patients (n = 170). Major complications after EndoVAC therapy were stent graft occlusion (n = 3), major hemorrhage from the repaired reconstruction (n = 2), major amputation within six months (n = 4) and death due to infected reconstruction (n = 2). Ten (77%) groins healed, eight without major complications. CONCLUSION EndoVAC therapy appears to be a life-saving minimally invasive treatment option in surgical high-risk patients with infected femoral artery reconstruction and disrupted vascular anastomosis.
Insula serotonin 2A receptor binding and gene expression contribute to serotonin transporter polymorphism anxious phenotype in primates

Significance Serotonin transporter polymorphisms within the primate-specific promoter repeat region are associated with altered emotion regulation, vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, and differences in antidepressant responsiveness. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood. Using positron emission tomography imaging, a behavioral anxiety test, and post-mortem expression measurements, we show that marmoset monkeys carrying a high anxiety-related serotonin transporter variant have reduced serotonin 2A receptor (5HT2A) binding and RNA expression in right posterior insula and differential sensitivity to anxiogenic effects of acute 5HT2A antagonism, the latter predicted by 5HT2A binding in adjacent right anterior insula and insula proisocortex. Our findings highlight the value of marmosets in studying gene–brain–behavior relationships and may contribute to genetic and imaging screens development in personalized medicine for treating anxiety. Genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) is associated with vulnerability to affective disorders and pharmacotherapy efficacy. We recently identified sequence polymorphisms in the common marmoset SLC6A4 repeat region (AC/C/G and CT/T/C) associated with individual differences in anxiety-like trait, gene expression, and response to antidepressants. The mechanisms underlying the effects of these polymorphisms are unknown, but a key mediator of serotonin action is the serotonin 2A receptor (5HT2A). Thus, we correlated 5HT2A binding potential (BP) and RNA gene expression in 16 SLC6A4 genotyped marmosets with responsivity to 5HT2A antagonism during the human intruder test of anxiety. Voxel-based analysis and RNA measurements showed a reduction in 5HT2A BP and gene expression specifically in the right posterior insula of individuals homozygous for the anxiety-related variant AC/C/G. These same marmosets displayed an anxiogenic, dose-dependent response to the human intruder after 5HT2A pharmacological antagonism, while CT/T/C individuals showed no effect. A voxel-based correlation analysis, independent of SLC6A4 genotype, revealed that 5HT2A BP in the adjacent right anterior insula and insula proisocortex was negatively correlated with trait anxiety scores. Moreover, 5HT2A BP in both regions was a good predictor of the size and direction of the acute emotional response to the human intruder threat after 5HT2A antagonism. Our findings suggest that genetic variation in the SLC6A4 repeat region may contribute to the trait anxious phenotype via neurochemical changes in brain areas implicated in interoceptive and emotional processing, with a critical role for the right insula 5HT2A in the regulation of affective responses to threat.