Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of biomaterials with or without platelet-rich plasma in postextraction sites: a microscopic study in dogs.

PURPOSE Sites that will receive dental implants need to be quantitatively and qualitatively suitable for this therapy. The treatment of postextraction areas with biomaterials associated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) might make the repair process more efficient, resulting in desirable bone characteristics. The present study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of PRP in the process of new bone formation when associated with biomaterials. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four female dogs were used for this study. Mandibular postextraction sites received implants, along with bone substitutes (Bio-Oss [BO] or Biogran [BG]), on the right side of the mandible and these biomaterials plus PRP on the left side of the mandible. Thirty days later, the tissues were prepared and histologic analyses were carried out to compare the repair processes. RESULTS PRP accelerated the repair process for both BO and BG; however, the action of PRP associated with BO did not surpass that of BG alone. CONCLUSIONS The addition of PRP appears to accelerate the repair process.
Steroid induced osteoporosis: an opportunity for prevention?

OBJECTIVE--To determine the frequency with which osteoporosis prophylaxis is given to corticosteroid treated hospital inpatients. METHODS--All patients receiving systemic corticosteroids in a large teaching hospital over a three month period were identified through routine prescription monitoring by hospital ward pharmacists. Coprescription of antiosteoporotic therapy was recorded, along with other relevant details such as steroid dose, actual, or intended duration of therapy, and indication for therapy. RESULTS--Corticosteroids were prescribed to 214 patients over the study period, giving an average rate of 2.5 new prescriptions each day. Indications included: chest disease (n = 84; 39.2%), cancer (n = 17; 7.9%), inflammatory bowel disease (n = 16; 7.5%), rheumatoid arthritis/connective tissue disease (n = 16; 7.5%), and renal diseases (n = 7; 3.3%). One hundred and twelve patients (52.3%) were receiving short term steroid therapy (less than four months); 66 (37%) were receiving medium/long term steroid therapy (four months or more). In 36 cases (16.8%) the duration of therapy was unknown. Only 12 of the 214 patients (5.6%) received any form of osteoporosis prophylaxis. The prevalence of prophylaxis was similarly low in postmenopausal women (six of 93; 6.4%) and in patients receiving high dose long term steroid therapy (two of 25; 8%). CONCLUSIONS--Systemic corticosteroids are used frequently in hospital practice for a wide range of indications, but few patients receive co-prescription of prophylaxis against osteoporosis. This is true even in high risk groups such as postmenopausal women and those on high dose long term steroid therapy. Identification of individuals by the mechanism used in this study provides an opportunity by which all corticosteroid treated patients could be detected and offered osteoporosis prophylaxis before serious loss of bone density has occurred.
Mycobacterial Protein HbhA Binds Human Complement Component C3

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium are facultative intracellular pathogens that are able to survive and replicate in mononuclear phagocytes. Human complement component C3 has previously been shown to mediate attachment and phagocytosis of these bacteria by mononuclear phagocytes. In this study, a C3 ligand affinity blot protocol was used to identify a 30-kDa C3-binding protein in M. tuberculosis andMycobacterium smegmatis and a 31-kDa C3-binding protein inM. avium. The C3-binding proteins in M. tuberculosis and M. avium localized to the cell membrane fraction and partitioned to the detergent fraction during Triton X-114 phase partitioning. The C3-binding protein from M. tuberculosis was partially purified using a cation exchange column and was shown to bind concanavalin A. The N terminus and an internal fragment of the partially purified C3-binding protein were subjected to amino acid sequence analysis. The resulting amino acid sequences matched the M. tuberculosis heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HbhA) protein. Recombinant full-length HbhA and the C terminus of HbhA fused to maltose-binding protein, but not recombinant HbhA lacking the C-terminal region, bound human C3. Recombinant full-length HbhA coated on polystyrene beads, was found to enhance the adherence and/or phagocytosis of the coated beads to J774.A1 cells in both the presence and absence of human serum. The presence of complement-sufficient serum increased the adherence of the HbhA-coated beads to the J774.A1 cells in a C3-dependent manner. If HbhA within the bacterial cell membrane functions similarly to isolated HbhA, this protein may enhance the adherence and phagocytosis of M. tuberculosis and M. avium to mononuclear phagocytes through the binding of C3 and interaction with C3 receptors on mononuclear phagocytes.
Effect of Single and Combined Permeation Enhancers on the Skin Permeation of Ketoprofen Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems

There are two main approaches to improve the efficacy of transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDSs): chemical and physical enhancements. Chemical substances, known as permeation enhancers, can be incorporated into the formulation and promote the skin permeation of several drugs. In this study, ketoprofen (KP) TDDS was prepared as the monolithic drug-in-adhesive. Eudragit ® NE30D and Eudragit ® E100 were used as acrylate pressure sensitive adhesives. The effects of several permeation enhancers on the skin permeation of KP across excised abdominal rat skin were investigated. Modified Franz ® diffusion cells were used. KP transdermal patch was placed on the epidermal side of the rat skin and mounted between donor and receptor compartments of the diffusion cell. Isotonic phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, was added into the receptor compartment and stirred constantly at 32±1°C. Sample solution was withdrawn at specific time interval up to 30 hr. Permeated KP was analyzed by high pressure liquid chromatographic method. Single and combined permeation enhancers, selected from fatty acids and/or pyrrolidone derivatives, were incorporated into the formulation. It was shown that among four types of fatty acids; lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid and oleic acid, oleic acid was the most effective enhancer. In the meantime, among four types of pyrrolidone derivatives; N-methyl-2- pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2- pyrrolidone and 1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and 2-pyrrolidone had a trend to act as more powerful enhancers than the others. Furthermore, oleic acid combined with 2-pyrrolidone was the excellent paired-enhancer when compared with the other combinations. In conclusion, monolithic drug-in-adhesive TDDS of KP containing oleic acid and 2-pyrrolidone as the combined permeation enhancer was the most effective formulation.
Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channel blockade as a potential tool in antipancreatitis therapy

Alcohol-related acute pancreatitis can be mediated by a combination of alcohol and fatty acids (fatty acid ethyl esters) and is initiated by a sustained elevation of the Ca2+ concentration inside pancreatic acinar cells ([Ca2+]i), due to excessive release of Ca2+ stored inside the cells followed by Ca2+ entry from the interstitial fluid. The sustained [Ca2+]i elevation activates intracellular digestive proenzymes resulting in necrosis and inflammation. We tested the hypothesis that pharmacological blockade of store-operated or Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channels (CRAC) would prevent sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i and therefore protease activation and necrosis. In isolated mouse pancreatic acinar cells, CRAC channels were activated by blocking Ca2+ ATPase pumps in the endoplasmic reticulum with thapsigargin in the absence of external Ca2+. Ca2+ entry then occurred upon admission of Ca2+ to the extracellular solution. The CRAC channel blocker developed by GlaxoSmithKline, GSK-7975A, inhibited store-operated Ca2+ entry in a concentration-dependent manner within the range of 1 to 50 μM (IC50 = 3.4 μM), but had little or no effect on the physiological Ca2+ spiking evoked by acetylcholine or cholecystokinin. Palmitoleic acid ethyl ester (100 μM), an important mediator of alcohol-related pancreatitis, evoked a sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i, which was markedly reduced by CRAC blockade. Importantly, the palmitoleic acid ethyl ester-induced trypsin and protease activity as well as necrosis were almost abolished by blocking CRAC channels. There is currently no specific treatment of pancreatitis, but our data show that pharmacological CRAC blockade is highly effective against toxic [Ca2+]i elevation, necrosis, and trypsin/protease activity and therefore has potential to effectively treat pancreatitis.
Autosomal-dominant familial hematuria with retinal arteriolar tortuosity and contractures: a novel syndrome.

BACKGROUND Autosomal-dominant forms of hematuria have been mostly related to mutations in the COL4A3/COL4A4 genes. Patients with thin basement membrane (BM) disease do not have extrarenal manifestations, while those with Alport syndrome often present with hearing loss, anterior lenticonus, and dot-and-fleck retinopathy. METHODS We performed a phenotypic study and a candidate gene approach in a four-generation family presenting with autosomal-dominant hematuria associated with extrarenal manifestations. Renal biopsy was analyzed for determination of BM thickness and expression of chains of type IV collagen. Linkage to 18 candidate genes/loci was investigated using polymorphic microsatellite markers. RESULTS In all affected patients, hematuria without proteinuria was associated with muscular contractures and retinal arterial tortuosities responsible for retinal hemorrhages. Cardiac arrhythmia, Raynaud phenomena, and brain MRI abnormalities were also observed. Despite the presence of red cells in tubule sections, no glomerular abnormalities were found by electron microscopy. Expression of type IV collagen chains and glomerular BM thickness was normal. We searched for a molecular defect affecting either BM or angiogenesis. Linkage analyses of genes encoding BM components (COL4A3/COL4A4, COL6A1, COL6A2, COL6A3, FBLN1), and angiogenic factors or their receptors (VHL, ANPT1, ANPT2, TIE, TEK, NOTCH2, NOTCH3, NOTCH4, DLL4, JAG1, JAG2) and of the facio-sapulo-humeral dystrophy and 3q21 loci failed to show segregation of the disease with those gene loci. CONCLUSION We have identified a new inherited hematuria syndrome associated with retinal vessel tortuosities and contractures. We recommend performing a fundus examination in patients with familial hematuria and episodes of visual impairment, as well as a urinary analysis in patients with retinal arterial tortuosity or congenital muscular contractures.
Contemporary views of euthanasia: a regional assessment.

Abstract A survey of euthanasia attitudes of 245 college students at six universities in three regions of the United States was completed using two scales which assessed ideological position toward and behavioral endorsement of euthanasia actions. Geographical region, religious participation, mass media, class rank, socioeconomic status, and personality (locus of control) were associated in various ways with the scales employed. In addition, the attitudinal and behavioral dimensions were moderately associated.
Reversing Pension Privatization: The Case of Polish Pension Reform and Re-Reforms

This paper documents the reversal of pension privatization and the reforms that took place in the 1990s and 2000s in Poland. The report analyses the political economy of different reform proposals, and the characteristics of the new pension system, including laws enacted, coverage, benefit adequacy, financing and contribution rates, governance and social security administration, social dialogue, positive impacts and other key issues of Poland’s pension system.
Feeding behaviour and non-linear responses in dilution experiments in a coastal upwelling system

The occurrence of non-linear responses in several dilution experiments conducted in the coastal upwelling system of the Ria de Vigo, Spain, was examined in relation to the possible violation of the basic assumptions of the technique. In addition to linear responses, 2 types of non-linear responses (saturated and saturated-increased responses) were obtained. Saturated responses are those showing constant net growth rates at lower dilutions, while saturated-increased responses depict the increase of net growth rates in low-diluted bottles. Evidence relating these 2 non-linear responses to nutrient limitation or changes in the microzooplankton community was not definitive. In contrast, saturated and saturated-increased responses were frequent when the percentage of microzooplankton was relatively low within a very abundant and diverse plankton community. We suggest that saturated feeding responses were related to the achievement of a maximum ingestion rate by microzooplankton and that saturated-increased responses were associated with selective feeding by microzooplankton at times when microzooplankton was feeding at its maximum ingestion rate. Simulated dilution experiments incorporating these 2 assumptions, 2 consumers and 3 prey were able to reproduce the 3 types of responses. The results indicate that non-linear responses in dilution experiments must be expected in regions with high and diverse food abundance, which should allow prey selection by microzooplankton.
Molecular characterization and functional analysis of pheromone binding protein 1 from Cydia pomonella (L.)

A full‐length cDNA encoding Cydia pomonella pheromone binding protein 1 (CpomPBP1) was cloned and characterized. CpomPBP1, possessing the typical characteristics of lepidopteran odorant binding proteins, was detected to be specifically expressed in the antennae of male and female moths at the mRNA and protein level. Soluble recombinant CpomPBP1 was subjected to in vitro binding to analyse its binding properties and to search for potentially active semiochemicals. A competitive binding assay showed that three 12‐carbon ligands, codlemone, 1‐dodecanol and E,E‐2,4‐dodecadienal, were able to bind to CpomPBP1 in decreasing order of affinity. Moreover, unlike the wild‐type CpomPBP1, the C‐terminus truncated CpomPBP1 exhibited high affinity to ligands even in an acidic environment, suggesting that the C‐terminus plays a role in preventing ligands from binding to CpomPBP1 in a lower pH environment.
Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Samoan women aged 18 to 29 and assessment of possible risk factors: a community-based study.

BACKGROUND Knowledge about genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections in the Pacific is limited. In this study we investigated CT infection in Samoan women. METHODS We recruited women having unprotected sex aged 18 to 29 years from 41 Samoan villages. They completed a questionnaire and provided a urine sample for CT testing by PCR. Associations between CT infection and possible risk factors were explored using logistic regression. RESULTS Altogether, 239 women were recruited; 86 (36.0%; weighted estimate of prevalence: 41.9%; 95% CI: 33.4-50.5%) were positive for CT infection. A higher proportion of women aged 18 to 24 were positive (54/145; 37.2%) than those aged 25 to 29 (32/94; 34.0%; p=0.20). Being single (OR 1.92; 95% CI: 1.02-3.63) and having two or more lifetime sexual partners (OR 3.02; 95% CI: 1.19-7.67) were associated with CT infection; 27.6% of those with one lifetime partner were positive. Participants who had a previous pregnancy were less likely to be positive (OR 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27-0.87). Primiparous and multiparous women were less likely to be positive than nulliparous women (OR 0.54; 95% CI: 0.30-0.99 and OR 0.46; 95% CI: 0.24-0.89, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of CT infection in these Samoan women is very high. Further studies, including investigating the prevalence of CT infection in men, and strategies for sustainable control are needed.
Evidencing the Forecasting Performance of Predication Markets: An Empirical Comparative Study

Accurately forecasting uncertain outcomes to inform planning processes and aid decision making is a perennial organisational challenge, and the focus of a substantial body of research in management science, information systems and related disciplines. Academic research suggests that prediction markets may be of significant benefit to organisations in meeting this challenge. However most of the empirical studies assessing prediction market performance are laboratory based and suffer from limits to their generalizability. Recent literature has called for research which analyses the performance of prediction markets in ecologically valid settings in order to evidence their effectiveness to potential organisational users. This paper answers these calls by designing a prediction market to forecast an uncertain real world event. The study then compares the forecasting performance of the prediction market with a number of more traditional forecasting approaches regularly used by organisations. The study is contextually situated in a low information heterogeneity problem space, where relevant information is freely available. The results suggest that in this context prediction markets outperform the other forecasting methods studied.
Prediction Under Uncertainty with Error-Encoding Networks

In this work we introduce a new framework for performing temporal predictions in the presence of uncertainty. It is based on a simple idea of disentangling com- ponents of the future state which are predictable from those which are inherently unpredictable, and encoding the unpredictable components into a low-dimensional latent variable which is fed into the forward model. Our method uses a simple su- pervised training objective which is fast and easy to train. We evaluate it in the context of video prediction on multiple datasets and show that it is able to consi- tently generate diverse predictions without the need for alternating minimization over a latent space or adversarial training.
Female Sex, Bilateral Disease, Age Below 3 Years, and Apprehension for Enucleation Contribute to Treatment Abandonment in Retinoblastoma

Treatment abandonment is a major obstacle for treating retinoblastoma in developing countries. The aim was to evaluate plausible causes, outcome, and rate of treatment abandonment in patients with retinoblastoma. The study was retrospective and conducted in a University hospital in North-India. Two cohorts of patients were studied. One was a larger cohort (n=602) of all patients with retinoblastoma in the institution from 2000 to 2014. Limited variables (age, sex, and laterality) were examined in this cohort due to incomplete data/lack of contact. A detailed interview was conducted with contactable caregivers in a smaller cohort (n=104). Noncompliance was observed in 170/602 (28%) patients. Patients below 3 years were more likely to be noncompliant (65.1%), compared with older patients (34.9%) (P=0.003). Compliance was greater among male individuals (64%) than in female individuals (36%) (P=0.017) and in those with unilateral disease (72%) compared with those who had bilateral disease (28%) (P=0.009). Apprehension for enucleation (64% vs. 8%, P=0.0001) and difficulty in attending outpatient services of different departments (61.4% vs. 13.3%, P=0.003) for multimodality treatment were expressed more frequently in the noncompliant than in the compliant group, respectively. The mortality in compliant and noncompliant patients was 7% and 68%, respectively (P=0.0001). The rate of treatment abandonment in 602 patients over a 15-year period was a sizable 28%. The factors contributing to noncompliance included female sex, bilateral disease, age below 3 years, apprehension for enucleation, and difficulty in attending outpatient services of different departments.
Age estimation from the auricular surface of the ilium: a revised method.

A revised method for estimating adult age at death using the auricular surface of the ilium has been developed. It is based on the existing auricular surface aging method of Lovejoy et al. ([1985] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 68:15-28), but the revised technique is easier to apply, and has low levels of inter- and intraobserver error. The new method records age-related stages for different features of the auricular surface, which are then combined to provide a composite score from which an estimate of age at death is obtained. Blind tests of the method were carried out on a known-age skeletal collection from Christ Church, Spitalfields, London. These tests showed that the dispersion of age at death for a given morphological stage was large, particularly after the first decade of adult life. Statistical analysis showed that the age-related changes in auricular surface are not significantly different for males and females. The scores from the revised method have a slightly higher correlation with age than do the Suchey-Brooks pubic symphysis stages. Considering the higher survival rates of the auricular surface compared with the pubic symphysis, this method promises to be useful for biological anthropology and forensic science.
The Role of Online Discussion Forums in Newcomers' Labour Market Integration in Canada

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of increased use of online discussion forums by newcomers to Canada to access labour market knowledge. Drawing on extant literature on social support, knowledge exchange, and online technology affordances, I examine the role of online discussion forums in newcomers' labour market integration, through an inductive content analysis of 574 discussion threads. Results of this study suggest that the role of online discussion forums is to provide knowledge resources, in the form of information and advice support, which help newcomers make migration decisions and manage their expectations and preparedness, which in turn has the potential to help newcomers with adjustment and labour market integration in the new country. This dissertation contributes to literature on newcomers' adjustment and labour market integration by describing the online discussion forum system and showing that it facilitates access to and exchange of online social support that can help newcomers with adjustment and integration in the new country's labour market. It also expands our understanding of the theory of knowledge exchange and the optimal matching model by examining them in the context of online discussion forums and newcomers' labour market integration. The findings also question the way we think of newcomers' labour market integration and newcomers' knowledge needs at different stages of settlement and suggest that we also need to include and focus more on the pre-arrival stage of migration and better understand online sources of social support. Moreover, I argue that advice support should be recognized as a separate type of social support. This research also makes practical contributions by expanding our understanding of newcomers' interactions in online discussion forums which can inform government and community organizations tasked with supporting newcomers integrate in the labour market. The findings highlight the importance of pre-arrival training and support to migrants and the potential of better utilizing online technologies to reach future migrants and accelerate their adjustment and integration process. Pre-arrival online support facilitates preparation and more accurate expectations prior to migration, which in turn has the potential to facilitate migrants' adjustment and labour market integration.
Strategies Influencing Financial Deepening In Financial Institutions: A Case of Commercial Bank of Africa Limited

iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . vi DEDICATION. vii LIST OF TABLES . x LIST OF FIGURES . xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . xii CHAPTER ONE . 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Background of the Problem . 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem . 5 1.3 General Objective . 6 1.4 Specific Objectives . 6 1.5 Significance of the Study . 7 1.6 Scope of the Study . 7 1.7 Definition of Terms. 8 1.8 Chapter Summary . 8 CHAPTER TWO . 9 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW . 9 2.