Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in adults from the Turin area.

AIM To assess the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (OML) and evaluate its association with tobacco and alcohol consumption and the wearing of removable dentures in an adult population from the Turin area, Italy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective study, based on an invitational self-selected screening, was performed on 4098 subjects. It included clinical examination plus biopsies when necessary. Patient history included age, sex, denture wearing and risk habits. Internationally accepted criteria were adopted to classify the OMLs. RESULTS Males were observed to have more OMLs (557/2040; 27.3%vs 471/2058; 22.89%). Overall OML prevalence was linked to risk habits and age. Tobacco was linked to leukoplakia, melanin pigmentation, smoker's palate, frictional lesions and papilloma. It was negatively related to recurrent aphthous stomatitis and oral lichen planus. Alcohol was linked to leukoplakia, frictional lesions and median rhomboid glossitis. The tobacco-alcohol association was linked to frictional lesions, leukoplakia, melanin pigmentation and smoker's palate. Denture wearers had an overall higher prevalence of OMLs, in particular candidiasis, traumatic and frictional lesions. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of OMLs in Turin seems to be comparable to those in other European studies and emphasize that risk habits and denture wearing have some relationship with the presence of OMLs.
Adherence of Candida albicans germ tubes to plastic: ultrastructural and molecular studies of fibrillar adhesins

Germ tubes of Candida albicans produced an additional fibrillar surface layer responsible for enhanced adherence to plastic. The correlation between germination of C. albicans and adherence of germ tubes to a plastic matrix led us to consider the existence of germ tube-specific adhesive components involved in the attachment process. Using concanavalin A-sensitized latex microspheres, we first detected extracellular molecules on the plastic surface after removal of the adherent germ tubes. Electron microscopy confirmed that fibrils of the germ tube involved in cell-substratum interconnections were retained on the plastic surface. Cytochemistry with concanavalin A-gold labeling demonstrated that these fibrillar structures contained mannoproteins. Dithiothreitol and iodoacetamide treatment of washed plastic allowed us to further characterize these fibrillar adhesins. Through analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, two components with molecular weights (MWs) of 68,000 and 60,000 were detected on the plastic surface. The 68,000-MW component appeared to be one of the major constituents of the germ tube surface layers. Biosynthetic labeling experiments performed with L-[35S]methionine revealed two additional proteins: a high-MW component (greater than 200,000), and a 200,000-MW component. These four proteins, strongly labeled on the plastic surface and on the germ tube cell wall layers, were in contrast slightly labeled or even nonidentified in the culture supernatant, suggesting their involvement in germ tube adherence.
Ovulatory effects of flutamide in the polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract The long-term effects and tolerability of flutamide (Flu) on the menstrual cycle and the ovulatory function of hyperandrogenic women with or without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were investigated. The study included 118 white women with the diagnosis of various forms of hyperandrogenism (80 PCOS and 38 non-PCOS patients). Patients received Flu for three years at dosages that declined each of the three years (250, 125 and 62.5 mg/day). Sex steroid, ovulatory function and menstrual profile at baseline and during each year of Flu treatment were evaluated. Flu therapy showed a significant increase in the percentage of cycles that were ovulatory (with progesterone concentrations greater than 4 ng/ml in mid-luteal phase) and concomitant regularization of the menstrual profile in PCOS patients. A luteinizing hormone decrease and an estrone, estradiol and 17-hydroxyprogesterone increase are also observed during treatment. Regular cycles persisted in non-PCOS patients. The results were maintained during the three years of treatment. The study suggests that Flu is a satisfactory therapeutic regimen of the chronic anovulation and the irregularities of the menstrual cycle in hyperandrogenic PCOS patients in the long run.
The cadherin-catenin adhesion system in signaling and cancer.

The adhesion of cells to their neighbors determines cellular and tissue morphogenesis and regulates major cellular processes including motility, growth, differentiation, and survival. Cell-cell adherens junctions (AJs), the most common (indeed, essentially ubiquitous) type of intercellular adhesions, are important for maintaining tissue architecture and cell polarity and can limit cell movement and proliferation. AJs assemble via homophilic interactions between the extracellular domains of calcium-dependent cadherin receptors on the surface of neighboring cells. The cytoplasmic domains of cadherins bind to the submembranal plaque proteins β-catenin or plakoglobin (γ-catenin), which are linked to the actin cytoskeleton via α-catenin (Figure ​(Figure1;1; refs. 1, 2). The transmembrane assembly of cadherin receptors with the cytoskeleton is necessary for the stabilization of cell-cell adhesions and normal cell physiology. Figure 1 The dual role of β-catenin in cell adhesion and transcriptional activation. β-Catenin (β) and plakoglobin (Pg) bind to cadherin adhesion receptors, and via α-catenin (α) they associate with the actin cytoskeleton . Malignant transformation is often characterized by major changes in the organization of the cytoskeleton, decreased adhesion, and aberrant adhesion-mediated signaling. Disruption of normal cell-cell adhesion in transformed cells may contribute to tumor cells’ enhanced migration and proliferation, leading to invasion and metastasis. This disruption can be achieved by downregulating the expression of cadherin or catenin family members or by activation of signaling pathways that prevent the assembly of AJs. The importance of the major epithelial cell cadherin, E-cadherin (E-cad, the product of the CDH1 gene), in the maintenance of normal cell architecture and behavior is underscored by the observation that hereditary predisposition to gastric cancer results from germline mutations in CDH1. Loss of E-cad expression eliminates AJ formation and is associated with the transition from adenoma to carcinoma and acquisition of metastatic capacity (3). Re-establishment of AJs in cancer cells by restoration of cadherin expression (4) exerts tumor-suppressive effects, including decreased proliferation and motility. In this Perspective, we discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of the cadherin-catenin system in the regulation of cell proliferation, invasion, and intracellular signaling during cancer progression.
Effect of preparation technique on the properties and in vivo efficacy of benzocaine-loaded ethosomes

This study aimed to investigate the influence of the preparation conditions on the performance of an ethosomal formulation for topical delivery of the local anesthetic agent, benzocaine (BZC). Ethosomes were prepared with different techniques, such as thin-layer evaporation, freezing and thawing, reverse-phase evaporation, extrusion and sonication, obtaining, respectively, multilayer vesicles (MLVs), frozen and thawed MLV (FATMLV), large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs), and small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs). The obtained vesicles were characterized for morphology, size, zeta potential, and entrapment efficiency (EE%), and their stability was monitored during storage at 4°C. In vitro permeation properties from gels incorporating drug ethosomal dispersions were evaluated in vitro by using artificial lipophilic membranes, while their anesthetic effect was determined in vivo on rabbits. The results suggested that the vesicle preparation method plays an important role in affecting the properties and effectiveness of ethosomal formulations. MLVs and LUVs exhibited higher drug EE% and better stability than FATMLV and SUV vesicles. The In vitro drug permeation rate was directly related to the vesicle EE% and varied in the order MLV>LUV≈FATMLV>SUV. The therapeutic efficacy of BZC ethosomal formulations was significantly improved with respect to the corresponding BZC solution. The best results, in terms of enhanced intensity of anesthetic effect, were given by formulations containing MLVs and LUVs, and the order of effectiveness was MLV≈LUV>FATMLV≈SUV, rather similar to that found in permeation studies. On the contrary, unexpectedly, the effectiveness order in increasing the duration of drug action was SUV≥MLV>LUV≈FATMLV. The highest efficacy of SUVs was probably due to the more intimate contact with the epithelium due to their greatest surface area, which allowed the longest extension of drug therapeutic action. The overall results suggest that a suitably developed ethosomal formulation of BZC can be of actual value for improving its clinical effectiveness in topical anesthesia.
The Missing Science of Ball Lightning

One of the main problems in understanding ball lightning is that its properties, taken together, seem to be inconsistent with the laws of physics. This long-standing problem is completely eliminated once it is accepted that a plasma is both a phenomenon of physics and a mixture of chemicals. The processes occurring in the coolest regions surrounding a wet air-plasma will depend greatly on the temperature and on trace contaminants present in the air. This may explain why ball lightning usually forms unexpectedly and unreproducibly. Under appropriate chemical and physical conditions, a number of unusual nitrogen-oxidation reactions become possible. Phenomena result which are thermodynamically inevitable but, at first sight, totally unexpected. These can explain qualitatively all the seemingly impossible behaviour. To get much further, we need to be able to achieve, in the laboratory, conditions that will start the vital processes. We do not know how to do this and it is sug- gested that the reasons for our ignorance are complex and important. Consider- able technological benefits might well be reaped from an ability to make ball lightning. The basic problems cast doubt on the mathematical modelling of any rate process involving the simultaneous presence of ions and saturated water vapour. If these problems were solved, light might well be thrown on other poorly understood phenomena as well, ranging all the way from star formation to the destructive power of some tornadoes and the existence of phenomena often classed as paranormal.
Aspects of Age Variation in Facial Morphology Affecting Biometrics

There is a great degree of variation that occurs in the face during aging of adults that will affect outcomes for face- based biometric systems. These changes have been studied sporadically in anthropological research and have received even less attention in biometric-related literature. This paper presents a summary of recent research that spans biometric, forensic, and anthropologic literature in an attempt to unify a variety of findings related to adult aging, discusses work in synthesizing images of aged faces and its relation to the anthropological findings, and also presents work demonstrating a need for further study in this area to improve face-based biometric techniques. Only age-invariant or aging-aware methods will have the best success in longer stretches of time.
Hepatitis B (prevention).

INTRODUCTION Nearly a third of the world's population has been infected by hepatitis B at some point, and at least 350 million people have become chronic carriers. Progressive liver damage occurs in up to 25% of carriers. In areas of high endemicity, transmission occurs largely in childhood, from an infected mother to her baby, or between members of a household. METHODS AND OUTCOMES We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of vaccination against hepatitis B infection in countries with high endemicity; and in countries with low endemicity? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and other important databases up to November 2006 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). RESULTS We found 46 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. CONCLUSIONS In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: selective vaccination of high-risk individuals; selective vaccination of people with chronic liver disease not caused by hepatitis B; universal vaccination of adolescents; universal vaccination of infants.
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension : Current Concepts 225 ComBinATion THerAPy

precapillary pulmonary resistance. Pulmonary hypertension is deemed present when the mean pulmonary artery pressure exceeds 25 mm Hg at rest, or 30 mm Hg with exercise. The presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension further requires normal left heart filling pressures (i.e. a normal left ventricular end diastolic pressure directly measured, or indirectly approximated by a pulmonary artery occlusion pressure less than 15 mm Hg). Pulmonary hypertensive disorders are classified into groups on the basis of underlying mechanism, presentation, clinical context, histopathology, and response to treatment (Table 1)
Adolescents with Chronic Illnesses: School Absenteeism, Perceived Peer Aggression, and Loneliness

Frequent school absence is often cited as a risk factor for peer relationship problems in youngsters with chronic illnesses, but this assumption has not been subjected to quantitative empirical examination. This issue was examined in the present study by exploring the relationship between school absenteeism, peer aggression, and loneliness in adolescents with chronic illnesses. Forty-one adolescents with chronic illnesses completed a modified version of the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scale and the Asher Loneliness Scale. Details of school absences and hospitalizations were obtained from parents and school and hospital records. No evidence was found to support the notion that peer aggression and loneliness are related to absenteeism, but social aggression (for both boys and girls) and verbal aggression (more markedly for girls) were associated with loneliness. Of the group, 19% reported experiencing verbal aggression and 12% social aggression at least weekly; informal qualitative data suggesting that such aggression is often related to limited sporting ability and appearance. Interventions at both the individual and school community level are warranted.
Effect of 0 . 2 % Chlorhexidine ’ s Use for Treatment of Localized Gingival Lesions in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

MARIA BOGDAN1#, IRINA TICA2#, DORIN NICOLAE GHEORGHE3#, IZABELA SILOSI4, SORINA SOLOMON5, IOANA MARTU5 , PETRA SURLIN3*, IULIA CHISCOP6, CRISTIAN BUDACU5 1 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Faculty of Pharmacy, 2 Petru Rares Str. , Craiova, Romania 2 Ovidius University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Constanta, Faculty of Medicine, 1 Universitatii Alley, 124 Mamaia Blvd., Constanta, Romania 3 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Faculty of Dental Medicine, 2 Petru Rares Str. , Craiova, Romania 4 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Faculty of Medicine, 2 Petru Rares Str. , Craiova, Romania 5 Gr T Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 16 Universitatii Str. , Iasi, Romania 6Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, 47 Domneasca Str. , 800008, Galati, Romania
Viability of Staphylococci in Various Diluents

Abstract Standardized suspensions of 78 staphylococci and micrococci were stored in different diluents and tested periodically for 3 weeks to determine their ability to maintain viability. In 92% of the tests, diluent suspensions yielded viable organisms for at least 21 days. Organism survival was maintained in the following order, from best to worst: skim milk, tap water, 0.9% NaCl, deionized water, Dianeal (peritoneal dialysis) fluid, 0.2% bovine serum albumin and 5% glycerol. In 81% of the instances, oxacillin-susceptible staphylococci survived better than oxacillin-resistant staphylococci.
Quality of life measures (EORTC QLQ-C30 and SF-36) as predictors of survival in palliative colorectal and lung cancer patients

Abstract Objective: Self-reported health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important predictor of survival alongside clinical variables and physicians' prediction. This study assessed whether better prediction is achieved using generic (SF-36) HRQoL measures or cancer-specific (EORTC QLQ-C30) measures that include symptoms. Method: Fifty-four lung and 46 colorectal patients comprised the sample. Ninety-four died before study conclusion. EORTC QLQ-C30 and SF-36 scores and demographic and clinical information were collected at baseline. Follow-up was 5 years. Deaths were flagged by the Office of National Statistics. Cox regression survival analyses were conducted. Surviving cases were censored in the analysis. Results: Univariate analyses showed that survival was significantly associated with better EORTC QLQ-C30 physical functioning, role functioning, and global health and less dyspnea and appetite loss. For the SF-36, survival was significantly associated with better emotional role functioning, general health, energy/vitality, and social functioning. The SF-36 summary score for mental health was significantly related to better survival, whereas the SF-36 summary score for physical health was not. In the multivariate analysis, only the SF-36 mental health summary score remained an independent, significant predictor, mainly due to considerable intercorrelations between HRQoL scales. However, models combining the SF-36 mental health summary score with diagnosis explained a similar amount of variance (12%–13%) as models combining diagnosis with single scale SF-36 Energy/Vitality or EORTC QLQ-C30 Appetite Loss. Significance of results: HRQoL contributes significantly to prediction of survival. Generic measures are at least as useful as disease-specific measures including symptoms. Intercorrelations between HRQoL variables and between HRQoL and clinical variables makes it difficult to identify prime predictors. We need to identify variables that are as independent of each other as possible to maximize predictive power and produce more consistent results.
Performance Evaluation of Powder Metallurgy Electrode in Electrical Discharge Machining of AISI D2 Steel Using Taguchi Method

(cid:3) Abstract— In this paper an attempt has been made to correlate the usefulness of electrodes made through powder metallurgy (PM) in comparison with conventional copper electrode during electric discharge machining. Experimental results are presented on electric discharge machining of AISI D2 steel in kerosene with copper tungsten (30% Cu and 70% W) tool electrode made through powder metallurgy (PM) technique and Cu electrode. An L18 (21 37) orthogonal array of Taguchi methodology was used to identify the effect of process input factors (viz. current, duty cycle and flushing pressure) on the output factors {viz. material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR)}. It was found that CuW electrode (made through PM) gives high surface finish where as the Cu electrode is better for higher material removal rate.
Reconstruction of Nanoscale Near Fields by Attosecond Streaking

Recent advances in attosecond science in combination with the well-established techniques of nanofabrication have led to the new research field of attosecond nanophysics. One central goal is the characterization and manipulation of electromagnetic fields on the attosecond and nanometer scale. This has so far remained challenging both theoretically and experimentally. One major obstacle is the inhomogeneity of the electric fields. We present a general model below, which allows the description of attosecond streaking in near fields. It allows the classification into different regimes as well as the reconstruction of the electric fields at the surface. In addition, we discuss the case of parallel polarization of the streaking fields to the surface, which has so far not been considered for attosecond streaking from metallic surfaces. Finally, we review recent measurements of the electric field and response function of a gold nanotaper. Our results are highly relevant for future attosecond streaking experiments in inhomogeneous fields.
Failure of topical estrogen receptor agonists and antagonists to alter murine hair follicle cycling.

To the Editor: In October 1996 there appeared a publication by Oh and Smart describing experiments that were interpreted to indicate an important estrogen receptor regulation of hair growth. This report was well publicized and stimulated a worldwide response. In essence, the report indicated that in the CD-1 female mouse topical 17β estradiol, but not 17α estradiol, blocks anagen induction and that the estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI 182780, induces anagen. This finding was of major interest to us in the field of hair biology because the conclusions implied that the hair growth cycle is under negative control, an idea that we have previously considered (Paus et al, 1990, 1991; Stenn et al, 1993). For this reason we made a concentrated attempt in two independent and widely separated laboratories to reproduce the experiments as they were described. At the outset we recognized that the putative capacity of 17β estradiol to ‘‘arrest’’ hair follicles in telogen as suggested by Oh and Smart contradicted the clinical use of topical estradiol for the successful treatment of telogen effluvium in humans, presumably by prolonging the duration of anagen (Orfanos and Vogel, 1980). In our studies we used two pigmented female mouse strains, C57BL/ 6 and C3H, because (i) we wanted to test the phenomenon in two different mouse strains, and (ii) we have found that careful hair cycle studies using a nonpigmented animal, such as the CD-1 mouse, are very difficult to interpret. In Experiment I, we treated the animals following the Oh/Smart protocol precisely. For the induction study hair-clipped animals were treated twice weekly for 7 wk [ICI 182780, 10 nM, as well as Tamoxifen, 10 nM (Sigma, St Louis, MO)]. For the inhibition studies, anagen was depilatory-cream-induced (NeetTM) and the mice were treated twice weekly with 17α estradiol (10 nM, Sigma) or 17β estradiol (10 nM, Sigma) for 2 wk. In addition, we treated hair-clipped mice with all back skin follicles in telogen, and treated them with either 17β estradiol, 17α estradiol, or vehicle alone, twice weekly for 5 wk. Each experimental group contained 5–7 mice and was repeated