Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fusobacterium nucleatum in endodontic flare-ups.

Abstract Objective. The extent to which Fusobacterium nucleatum is recovered from root canals of teeth that present with an interappointment flare-up following endodontic instrumentation was investigated. Study Design. Included in the study were 28 patients that sought emergency treatment after initiation of root canal therapy. Only nonpainful teeth that had been treated because of a necrotic pulp and periapical inflammatory lesion were studied. Root canal samples for bacterial analysis were taken, transported to a bacteriological laboratory, and processed for a semiquantitative assessment of bacterial isolates. Bacterial findings were correlated with self-assessed pain intensity as recorded by means of a Visual Analogue Scale. Clinical presentation of swelling and presence of exudate in the treated root canals were also linked. Results. Bacteria were recovered from all teeth examined. Gram-negative anaerobic coccoid rods ( Prevotella species and Porphyromonas species) were frequent isolates. All teeth in patients who were reported to be in severe pain (Visual Analogue Scale ≥ 6) displayed F nucleatum . Nine out of 10 of these teeth also had swelling and exudate in the root canals. Samples from the remaining patients that had teeth with less pain score showed a variable bacterial recovery. None of these teeth displayed F nucleatum . Conclusion. F nucleatum appears to be associated with the development of the most severe forms of interappointment endodontic flare-ups. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2002;93:179-83)
Antiviral Activity of Broad-Spectrum and Enterovirus-Specific Inhibitors against Clinical Isolates of Enterovirus D68

ABSTRACT We investigated the susceptibility of 10 enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) isolates (belonging to clusters A, B, and C) to (entero)virus inhibitors with different mechanisms of action. The 3C-protease inhibitors proved to be more efficient than enviroxime and pleconaril, which in turn were more effective than vapendavir and pirodavir. Favipiravir proved to be a weak inhibitor. Resistance to pleconaril maps to V69A in the VP1 protein, and resistance to rupintrivir maps to V104I in the 3C protease. A structural explanation of why both substitutions may cause resistance is provided.
The persistence of gender and racial disparities in vascular lower extremity amputation: An examination of HCUP-NIS data (2002–2011)

The purpose of this study was to examine trends in racial and gender disparities in the severity of lower extremity amputation among individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD) over the period of a decade (2002–2011). This is a longitudinal secondary analysis of data from the Healthcare Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Survey (HCUP-NIS) for the years 2002–2011. Level of amputation was determined from ICD-9-CM procedure and coded as either transfemoral (TF) or transtibial (TT). The main predictors were gender and race; covariates including age, race, income, insurance status and presence of vascular disease were incorporated as control variables in regression analysis. A total 121,587 cases of non-traumatic dysvascular amputations were identified. Female gender (odds ratio (OR) 1.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32, 1.39) and black race (OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.12, 1.23) are both significantly associated with increased odds for receiving TF amputation with no change in these odds over the decade of study. Other covariates with significant associations with TF amputation level include increased age (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.99, 1.09), low income (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.15, 1.27), Medicaid insurance (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.29, 1.44), Medicare insurance (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.21, 1.32), and cerebrovascular disease (OR 2.12; 95% CI 2.03, 2.23). In conclusion, although overall rates of amputation have decreased, disparities in level of amputation related to female gender and black race have not significantly changed over time. Higher-level amputation has significant consequences from a quality-of-life, medical and economic perspective.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Anidulafungin for Experimental Candida Endophthalmitis: Insights into the Utility of Echinocandins for Treatment of a Potentially Sight-Threatening Infection

ABSTRACT Candida chorioretinitis and endophthalmitis are relatively common manifestations of disseminated candidiasis. Anidulafungin is increasingly used for the treatment of disseminated candidiasis, but its efficacy for Candida endophthalmitis is not known. A nonneutropenic model of hematogenous Candida endophthalmitis was used. Anidulafungin at 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg was initiated at 48 h postinoculation. The fungal densities in the kidney and vitreous humor were determined. Anidulafungin concentrations in the plasma and vitreous humor were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model was used to link anidulafungin concentrations with the observed antifungal effect. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) associated with stasis was determined in the both the kidney and the vitreous humor. The results were bridged to humans to identify likely dosages that are associated with significant antifungal activity within the eye. Inoculation of Candida albicans resulted in logarithmic growth in both the vitreous humor and the kidney. The pharmacokinetics of anidulafungin were linear. There was dose-dependent penetration of the anidulafungin into the vitreous humor. The exposure-response relationships in the kidney and vitreous were completely discordant. AUCs of 270 and 100 were required for stasis in the eye and kidney, respectively. The currently licensed regimen results in an AUC for an average patient that is associated with stasis in the kidney but minimal antifungal activity in the eye. We conclude that anidulafungin penetrates the eye in a dose-dependent manner and that dosages higher than those currently licensed are required to achieve significant antifungal activity in the eye.
Childhood malnutrition during the Bosnian conflict: Four linked cross-sectional studies

In the first years of the Bosnia conflict (1992–1995), a number of small local studies failed to confirm the expected widespread malnutrition that was the basis of humanitarian appeals. At the request of relief agencies, four population surveys from 1994 to 1997 measured childhood malnutrition during and immediately after the conflict as well as potential risk factors. The four surveys visited a random sample of clusters from population registers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Republica Srpska (RS). All surveys measured mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in children 6–59 months old in 31 BiH clusters and in 10 RS clusters (last three surveys). An administered questionnaire documented potential risk factors, including breastfeeding, receipt of food aid and socio-economic variables. Analysis relied on a cluster-adjusted multivariate Mantel–Haenszel procedure. In BiH, the proportion of children with MUAC less than 125 mm increased between 1994 and 1997: 5.5%, 6.8%, 14.2% and 8.6% (χ2 = 23.2; 2 d.f.); using z-scores (>−2SD), the increase was 2.8%, 5.6%, 7.5% and 5.7% (χ2 = 11.9; 2 d.f.). In the third year of life, the risk of malnutrition was significantly higher in children from households receiving food aid (ORa = 2.38, 95% CIca = 1.36–4.15), whereas in the fourth year of life the risk of malnutrition was higher among children in male-absent households (ORa = 4.42, 95% CIca = 1.99–9.83). The risk of malnutrition was not related to ethnicity, sex of the child or urban/rural residence. The increased childhood malnutrition between 1994 and 1997 confirms increased vulnerability of some segments of the Bosnian population over the last years of the war, despite the humanitarian aid programme.
The Essential Role and the Continuous Evolution of Modulation Techniques for Voltage-Source Inverters in the Past, Present, and Future Power Electronics

The cost reduction of power-electronic devices, the increase in their reliability, efficiency, and power capability, and lower development times, together with more demanding application requirements, has driven the development of several new inverter topologies recently introduced in the industry, particularly medium-voltage converters. New more complex inverter topologies and new application fields come along with additional control challenges, such as voltage imbalances, power-quality issues, higher efficiency needs, and fault-tolerant operation, which necessarily requires the parallel development of modulation schemes. Therefore, recently, there have been significant advances in the field of modulation of dc/ac converters, which conceptually has been dominated during the last several decades almost exclusively by classic pulse-width modulation (PWM) methods. This paper aims to concentrate and discuss the latest developments on this exciting technology, to provide insight on where the state-of-the-art stands today, and analyze the trends and challenges driving its future.
Noncanonical Vancomycin Resistance Cluster from Desulfitobacterium hafniense Y51

ABSTRACT The glycopeptide vancomycin is a drug of last resort for infection with gram-positive organisms, and three genes are vital to resistance: vanH, vanA, and vanX. These genes are found in a vanHAX cluster, which is conserved across pathogenic bacteria, glycopeptide antibiotic producers, and other environmental bacteria. The genome sequence of the anaerobic, gram-positive, dehalogenating bacterium Desulfitobacterium hafniense Y51 revealed a predicted vanA homolog; however, it exists in a vanAWK-murFX cluster, unlike those of other vancomycin-resistant organisms. Using purified recombinant VanA from D. hafniense Y51, we determined its substrate specificity and found it to have a 42-fold preference for d-lactate over d-alanine, confirming its activity as a d-Ala-d-Lac ligase and its annotation as VanA. Furthermore, we showed that D. hafniense Y51 is highly resistant to vancomycin, with a MIC for growth of 64 μg/ml. Finally, vanADh is expressed during growth in vancomycin, as demonstrated by reverse transcription-PCR. This finding represents a new glycopeptide antibiotic resistance gene cluster and expands the genetic diversity of resistance to this important class of antibiotic.
Effects of Exercise on the Improvement of the Physical Functions of the Elderly

The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of exercise on the improvement of the physical functions of the elderly. Ten males and thirty-four females, 44 in total, living in or visiting health care facilities and special nursing homes for the elderly who were able to either walk independently or with walking aids were randomly divided into a treatment intervention group (TIG) and a control group (CG). The average age of the TIG was 84.4 ± 5.6 years old, and that of the CG was 85.6 ± 4.8 years old respectively. The training exercises of the TIG were standing up from a chair grasping parallel bars and raising arms with pet bottles 2 or 3 times a week for 6 months. In the TIG, increased mean values of each estimation parameter were recognized: muscle strength of upper and lower limbs, grip strength, thigh circumference, standing up, the movement of raising arms, walking time and number of steps for 10 m, Functional Reach Test and Timed up & Go Test. Moreover, significant differences between the TIG and the CG were found in each evaluation item (p<0.05). This study suggests that the continuation of light-load exercise is effective and imperative for the elderly to keep and improve their physical functions.
New Structure of Phage-Related Islands Carrying fusB and a Virulence Gene in Fusidic Acid-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis

ABSTRACT Nucleotide sequencing of the fusB-flanking regions in two fusidic acid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates with the type IV aj1-leader peptide (LP)-fusB structure (lacking aj1) revealed that their fusB gene was located on novel phage-related islands inserted downstream of smpB and are here referred to as SeRIfusB-3692 and SePIfusB-857. The novel SePIfusB-857 structure was followed by SeCI857, forming a composite pathogenicity island which contained a putative virulence gene, vapE. The linkage of fusB and vapE may contribute to bacterial adaption.
Antimicrobial Photodynamic Inactivation Inhibits Candida albicans Virulence Factors and Reduces In Vivo Pathogenicity

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Candida albicans exhibits altered pathogenicity characteristics following sublethal antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (APDI) and if such alterations are maintained in the daughter cells. C. albicans was exposed to sublethal APDI by using methylene blue (MB) as a photosensitizer (0.05 mM) combined with a GaAlAs diode laser (λ 660 nm, 75 mW/cm2, 9 to 27 J/cm2). In vitro, we evaluated APDI effects on C. albicans growth, germ tube formation, sensitivity to oxidative and osmotic stress, cell wall integrity, and fluconazole susceptibility. In vivo, we evaluated C. albicans pathogenicity with a mouse model of systemic infection. Animal survival was evaluated daily. Sublethal MB-mediated APDI reduced the growth rate and the ability of C. albicans to form germ tubes compared to untreated cells (P < 0.05). Survival of mice systemically infected with C. albicans pretreated with APDI was significantly increased compared to mice infected with untreated yeast (P < 0.05). APDI increased C. albicans sensitivity to sodium dodecyl sulfate, caffeine, and hydrogen peroxide. The MIC for fluconazole for C. albicans was also reduced following sublethal MB-mediated APDI. However, none of those pathogenic parameters was altered in daughter cells of C. albicans submitted to APDI. These data suggest that APDI may inhibit virulence factors and reduce in vivo pathogenicity of C. albicans. The absence of alterations in daughter cells indicates that APDI effects are transitory. The MIC reduction for fluconazole following APDI suggests that this antifungal could be combined with APDI to treat C. albicans infections.
Inhibition of Chikungunya Virus Replication by Harringtonine, a Novel Antiviral That Suppresses Viral Protein Expression

ABSTRACT Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted virus that has reemerged as a significant public health threat in the last decade. Since the 2005-2006 chikungunya fever epidemic in the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, millions of people in more than 40 countries have been infected. Despite this, there is currently no antiviral treatment for chikungunya infection. In this study, an immunofluorescence-based screening platform was developed to identify potential inhibitors of CHIKV infection. A primary screen was performed using a highly purified natural product compound library, and 44 compounds exhibiting ≥70% inhibition of CHIKV infection were identified as positive hits. Among these, four were selected for dose-dependent inhibition assays to confirm their anti-CHIKV activity. Harringtonine, a cephalotaxine alkaloid, displayed potent inhibition of CHIKV infection (50% effective concentration [EC50] = 0.24 μM) with minimal cytotoxicity and was selected for elucidation of its antiviral mechanism. Time-of-addition studies, cotreatment assays, and direct transfection of viral genomic RNA indicated that harringtonine inhibited an early stage of the CHIKV replication cycle which occurred after viral entry into cells. In addition, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analyses indicated that harringtonine affects CHIKV RNA production as well as viral protein expression. Treatment of harringtonine against Sindbis virus, a related alphavirus, suggested that harringtonine could inhibit other alphaviruses. This study suggests for the first time that harringtonine exerts its antiviral effects by inhibiting CHIKV viral protein synthesis.
Model Predictive Control for a Dual-Active Bridge Inverter With a Floating Bridge

This paper presents a model predictive control technique applied to a dual-active bridge inverter where one of the bridges is floating. The proposed floating bridge topology eliminates the need for isolation transformer in a dual inverter system and therefore reduces the size, weight, and losses in the system. To achieve multilevel output voltage waveforms, the floating inverter dc-link capacitor is charged to the half of the main dc-link voltage. A finite-set model predictive control technique is used to control the load current of the converter as well as the floating capacitor voltage. Model predictive control does not require any switching sequence design or complex switching time calculations as used for space vector modulation; thus, the technique has some advantages in this application. A detailed analysis of the converter as well as the predictive control strategy is given in this paper. Simulation and experimental results to validate the approach are also presented.
Adolescents' Ability to Read Different Emotional Faces Relates to their History of Maltreatment and Type of Psychopathology

Emotional processing styles appear to characterize various forms of psychopathology and environmental adversity in children. For example, autistic, anxious, high- and low-emotion conduct problem children, and children who have been maltreated, all appear to show specific deficits and strengths in recognizing the facial expressions of emotions. Until now, the relationships between emotion recognition, antisocial behaviour, emotional problems, callous-unemotional (CU) traits and early maltreatment have never been assessed simultaneously in one study, and the specific associations of emotion recognition to maltreatment and child characteristics are therefore unknown. We examined facial-emotion processing in a sample of 23 adolescents selected for high-risk status on the variables of interest. As expected, maltreatment and child characteristics showed unique associations. CU traits were uniquely related to impairments in fear recognition. Antisocial behaviour was uniquely associated with better fear recognition, but impaired anger recognition. Emotional problems were associated with better recognition of anger and sadness, but lower recognition of neutral faces. Maltreatment was predictive of superior recognition of fear and sadness. The findings are considered in terms of social information-processing theories of psychopathology. Implications for clinical interventions are discussed.
Chronic Rejection in Kidney Transplants

Advances in surgical techniques and immunosuppressive therapy have made kidney transplantation routine in most countries; the incidence of chronic rejection, however, has remained relatively unchanged over the years [1]. There was expectation that the introduction of cyclosporine (CsA) would reduce chronic rejection of kidney allografts, however, data have been presented to show that this may not be true [2]. Tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) therapy have decreased acute rejections, and this has led to the hope that chronic deleterious changes in the transplanted kidney will be averted or delayed [3]. The awareness of chronic drug toxicity, role of hyperlipidemia, cytokines, and other nonimmunological factors have been the focus of researchers studying the mechanisms of chronic rejection. Monoclonal antibodies directed against more specific targets involved in the immune response will allow a rational approach to immunosuppression. The concept of bone marrow transplantation as an adjuvant modality in reducing graft loss due to chronic rejection is an intriguing hypothesis, but remains to be validated in multicenter trials. The lack of suitable animal models mimicking the clinical picture of chronic rejection remains a major stumbling block. Such a model will be crucial in understanding the complex interrelationship between immunological and nonimmunological events in chronic rejection. Definition and Incidence of Chronic Kidney Allograft Rejection
Role of Semen on Vaginal HIV-1 Transmission and Maraviroc Protection

ABSTRACT We used bone marrow/liver/thymus (BLT) humanized mice to establish the effect of semen on vaginal HIV infection and on the efficacy of topically applied maraviroc. Our results demonstrate that vaginal transmission of cell-free HIV occurs efficiently in the presence of semen and that topically applied maraviroc efficiently prevents HIV transmission in the presence of semen. We also show that semen has no significant effect on the transmission of transmitted/founder viruses or cell-associated viruses.
High Rate of Fecal Carriage of Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli in Healthy Children in Gipuzkoa, Northern Spain

ABSTRACT The prevalence of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLPE) was studied in stool samples from 125 8- to 16-month-old healthy children. Twenty-four percent of them and 10.7% of the 318 fecal samples studied yielded extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli, with the types being SHV-12, CTX-M-1, CTX-M-14, and TEM-52, the most common types of β-lactamases. This high prevalence of ESBLPE in healthy people, which is to our knowledge the highest currently reported in Europe, may represent a risk for increased infections by these organisms in the future.
Comparing models of borderline personality disorder: Mothers’ experience, self-protective strategies, and dispositional representations

This study compared aspects of the functioning of mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) to those of mothers without psychiatric disorder using two different conceptualizations of attachment theory. The Adult Attachment Interviews (AAIs) of 32 mothers were classified using both the Main and Goldwyn method (M&G) and the Dynamic-Maturational Model method (DMM). We found that mothers with BPD recalled more danger, reported more negative effects of danger, and gave evidence of more unresolved psychological trauma tied to danger than other mothers. We also found that the DMM classifications discriminated between the two groups of mothers better than the M&G classifications. Using the DMM method, the AAIs of BPD mothers were more complex, extreme, and had more indicators of rapid shifts in arousal than those of other mothers. Representations drawn from the AAI, using either classificatory method, did not match the representations of the mother’s child drawn from the Working Model of the Child Interview; mothers with very anxious DMM classifications were paired with secure-balanced child representations. We propose that the DMM offers greater clinical utility, conceptual coherence, empirical validity, and coder reliability than the M&G.
Impact of Home-Based Monitoring on the Care of Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure (CHF) affects nearly 5 million people in the United States with an annual cost of $30 billion. Home-based telemonitoring is a therapeutic tool that may reduce costs and improve patient satisfaction. This article assesses the effectiveness of home telemonitoring in patients with class III or IV CHF recently discharged from the hospital. A cohort of patients (n=83) were provided home telemonitoring for a 2-month period following hospital discharge. Home visit frequency, patient rehospitalization rate, emergency department use, quality of life, and health care costs were compared to a similar usual care cohort (n=83). Patients in the telemonitor group transmitted their weight, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation daily to a telemonitor nurse who evaluated each patient with a follow-up telephone call. Daily home care telemonitoring reduced the frequency of home nursing visits, provided cost savings, and was associated with improved self-perceived quality of life.