Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Co‐cultures of programmable cells of monocytic origin and mesenchymal stem cells do increase osteogenic differentiation

Impaired bone healing can occur with numerous pathologic conditions like trauma, osteoporosis, and infection. Therefore tissue‐engineering strategies that aim to enhance osteogenic differentiation of stem cells in order to accelerate bone healing are a major goal of contemporary regenerative research. In this study we cultivated mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) together with the recently patented programmable cells of monocytic origin (PCMO) to test whether co‐cultures promote an osteogenic differentiation process. PCMO have recently been shown to have pluripotent characteristics and do support the regeneration processes of liver and heart diseases. Quantitative real time PCR expression profiles of osteogenic marker genes such as alkaline phosphatase in co‐cultures of PCMO and MSC showed that MSC differentiated into osteoblast‐like cells more rapidly as compared to mono‐cultures. Alkaline phosphatase expression and enzyme activity levels were highly increased in co‐cultures compared to mono‐cultures of MSC. Tests for mineralized matrix formation also indicated that PCMO have a positive effect on co‐cultured MSC under osteogenic culture conditions. However, analysis of collagen 1A did not show enhanced expression. In summary, PCMO obviously have the ability to promote osteogenic differentiation of MSC in vitro while their own pluripotent potential is not sufficient to develop osteoblast‐like characteristics themselves. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:1264–1270, 2014.
Different frequency treadmill running in immobilization‐induced muscle atrophy and ankle joint contracture of rats

We investigated the effects of different frequencies of treadmill running on immobilization‐induced soleus and gastrocnemius muscle atrophy and ankle joint contracture in rats using morphology and histochemistry. The right ankle joint of rat was immobilized for 2 weeks. Thereafter, the rats were randomly assigned to four groups for 6 weeks of exercise under different conditions: free cage activity and free remobilization (FR), once‐a‐week treadmill running (low‐frequency running program (LFR)), three‐time‐a‐week running (middle‐frequency running program (MFR)), and six‐time‐a‐week running (high‐frequency running program (HFR)) groups. Two weeks of immobilization significantly reduced the cross‐sectional area of soleus type I (62%, P<0.05) and type II muscle fibers (66%, P<0.05), gastrocnemius type I (78%, P<0.05) and type II muscle fibers (68%, P<0.05), and the range of ankle joint movement (46%, P<0.05). Immobilization also increased the ratio of type II to total fiber numbers in the soleus (P<0.05), and gastrocnemius (P<0.05), and induced pathological changes in muscle fibers. Some of these changes could not be corrected by free remobilization; however, the LFR, MFR, and HFR groups clearly recovered toward normal levels with exercise frequency, the effect on muscle recovery being more beneficial in the MFR and HFR groups. In addition, the range of ankle joint contracture was improved in LFR, MFR, and HFR groups in comparison with that in the FR group. These findings indicate that treadmill running exercise improved the immobilization‐induced muscle fiber histochemical alterations and the range of the ankle motion in rats. Running three times and six times a week was more beneficial for recovery of immobilization‐induced muscle atrophy and joint contracture compared with no running or once‐a‐week running.
Fitness cost of reassortment in human influenza

Reassortment, which is the exchange of genome sequence between viruses co-infecting a host cell, plays an important role in the evolution of segmented viruses. In the human influenza virus, reassortment happens most frequently between co-existing variants within the same lineage. This process breaks genetic linkage and fitness correlations between viral genome segments, but the resulting net effect on viral fitness has remained unclear. In this paper, we determine rate and average selective effect of reassortment processes in the human influenza lineage A/H3N2. For the surface proteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, reassortant variants with a mean distance of at least 3 nucleotides to their parent strains get established at a rate of about 10−2 in units of the neutral point mutation rate. Our inference is based on a new method to map reassortment events from joint genealogies of multiple genome segments, which is tested by extensive simulations. We show that intra-lineage reassortment processes are, on average, under substantial negative selection that increases in strength with increasing sequence distance between the parent strains. The deleterious effects of reassortment manifest themselves in two ways: there are fewer reassortment events than expected from a null model of neutral reassortment, and reassortant strains have fewer descendants than their non-reassortant counterparts. Our results suggest that influenza evolves under ubiquitous epistasis across proteins, which produces fitness barriers against reassortment even between co-circulating strains within one lineage.
Surgical Site Infections in Developing Countries: Current Burden and Future Challenges

Ahmed Morad Asaad1* and Samir Ahmad Badr2 1Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, NajranUniversity, Najran, Saudi Arabia 2Department of Surgery, Banha Teaching Hospital, General Organization for Teaching Hospitals & Institutes (GOTHI), Egypt *Corresponding author: Ahmed Morad Asaad, Coordinator of Microbiology Department, College of Medicine, Najran University, P.O Box 1988, Najran, Saudi Arabia, Tel: +966-175428516; Fax: +966-175442419; E-mail: ahmedmoradasaad@hotmail.com
Effect of Gelatin on Osteogenic Cell Sheet Formation Using Canine Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Osteogenically differentiated cell sheet techniques using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are available to stimulate bone regeneration. The advantage of the cell sheet technique is delivering live cells effectively into the focal region. We developed a novel osteogenic cell sheet technique by adding gelatin to osteogenic cell medium. Gelatin-induced osteogenic cell sheets (GCSs) were compared to conventional osteogenic cell sheets (OCSs). Undifferentiated MSCs (UCs) were used as a control. The morphology of these cell sheets was evaluated microscopically and histologically. The time-dependent cell proliferation rate was estimated by DNA quantification. The expression of osteogenic gene markers and the number of calcium depositions were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Alizarin red S (ARS) staining, respectively. GCSs were thicker and stronger than OCSs. GCSs showed a significantly higher cell proliferation rate compared to OCSs (p < 0.05). GCSs exhibited significantly higher upregulation of BMP-7 mRNA compared to OCSs (p < 0.05). Both GCSs and OCSs showed negative ARS reactivity on day 10, but only GCSs showed positive ARS reactivity on day 21. With this technique, we observed active cell proliferation with abundant ECM and upregulation of osteogenic bone markers, and our results suggest that GCSs could be promising for therapeutic applications in bone regeneration.
Effect of mouth rinsing and toothbrushing with fluoride solutions on caries among Norwegian schoolchildren.

The caries experience and the plaque and gingival conditions of 14-year-old children participating in fortnightly fluoride (0.2 % NaF) mouth rinsing (88 subjects) were compared with observations in children performing supervised toothbrushing with a fluoride (0.5 % NaF) solution 4-5 times per year (n = 90). Most of the children, 84 and 90% respectively, had participated in these programs for the previous 6 years. Caries was assessed only on radiographs. The mean number of decayed surfaces was 5.8 (s.d. = 4.1, n = 88) and 5.4 (s.d. = 4.1, n = 90). The mean numbers of decayed and filled surfaces were 19.3 +/- 9.2 and 27.9 +/- 10.2 for subjects with rinsing or brushing. This significant difference could not be ascribed to sex, social class, years of residence in the towns, number of dentists performing the previous treatments, toothbrushing habits, use of fluorides at home, or amount of plaque. All children had gingivitis. There were no differences in the mean number of Plaque Index score 2 or the number of Gingival Index score 2 between the children with the different preventive programs. The girls' oral hygiene was better than the boys', but the gingival conditions were the same. Sex, social class, and toothbrushing techniques tended to have a slight influence on the amount of plaque.
Potassium depletion and acid-base transporters in rat kidney: differential effect of hypophysectomy.

Potassium depletion is involved in the pathophysiology of metabolic alkalosis. In the present study, the expression of renal acid-base transporters that are involved in HCO3- reabsorption was studied in potassium depletion. Rats fed potassium-deficient (KD) diet developed significant hypokalemia at 14 days (serum K+ 1.9 +/- 0.2 in KD vs. 4.2 +/- 0.2 meq/l in control, P < 0.01) but not at 6 days (3.8 +/- 0.3 in KD vs. 4.1 +/- 0.3 meq/l in control, P > 0.05). Kidney mRNA for colonic H(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (H(+)-K(+)-ATPase, cHKA) increased by approximately 3- and 11-fold at 6 and 14 days of KD diet, respectively, indicating that increased expression preceded the onset of hypokalemia. The expression of Na+/H+ exchanger 3 (NHE-3) mRNA and its cognate protein remained unchanged at 6 and 14 days of KD diet. The mRNA levels for NHE-1, NHE-2, and NHE-4 also remained unchanged at 6 and 14 days of KD diet. Hypophysectomized (HPX) rats fed KD diet for 14 days developed similar hypokalemia. However, the expression of cHKA mRNA in the kidney was decreased by approximately 80% in potassium-depleted (HPX+KD) rats (P < 0.01 vs. KD only). Hypophysectomy did not affect the mRNA levels for either gastric H(+)-K(+)-ATPase (gHKA) or NHE isoforms in KD animals. Thus potassium depletion increases expression of cHKA in the kidney but not that of gHKA or NHE isoforms. The signal for this increase appears to precede hypokalemia. Furthermore, the data suggest that pituitary hormone(s) plays an important and novel role in the regulation of cHKA.
Fructose-derived carbohydrates from Alisma orientalis

Nine fructose-derived carbohydrates were obtained from the methanol extract from the rhizome of Alisma orientalis. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis, their structures were determined to be α-D-fructofuranose (1), β-D-fructofuranose (2), ethyl α-D-fructofuranoside (3), ethyl β-D-fructofuranoside (4), 5-hydroxymethyl-furaldehyde (5), sucrose (6), raffinose (7), stachyose (8) and verbascose (9), along with two oligosaccharides of manninotriose (10) and verbascotetraose (11). Compounds 3, 4 and 7–11 were isolated from this plant for the first time. A hypothetical biosynthesis pathway among these isolated carbohydrates (1–11) was briefly introduced.
Issues in Subgroup Analyses and Meta‐Analyses of Clinical Trials

This commentary discusses two techniques commonly used to analyze clinical trials: subgroup analysis and meta‐analysis. Subgroup analysis is used to evaluate the consistency of a treatment across multiple groups, usually within a clinical trial. Subgroup analysis often is used to generate or test an hypothesis about risk factors or treatment responses. Meta‐analysis (overview) is used primarily to summarize data from several randomized clinical trials and to evaluate consistency among trials. Meta‐analysis is a formal way of summarizing the totality of information coming from well‐conducted randomized clinical trials. The use and limitations of these two techniques are discussed. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 14, pp. S6‐S8, September 2003, Suppl.)
Health-Related Quality of Life and Long-Term Survival and Graft Failure in Kidney Transplantation: A 12-Year Follow-Up Study

Background Although the prognosis of kidney transplantation is generally good, long-term survival varies substantially between patients. This study examined whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) predicts long-term mortality in kidney transplantation after adjustment for known risk factors. Methods A cohort of 347 (46.77±13.96 years) kidney transplant recipients was followed up for 12 years after enrolment (1999–2001). Patients completed measures of HRQOL and medical records were reviewed to document clinical and cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities at study entry (mean [SD], 8.57 [6.55] years after transplantation). The primary outcomes were ensuing all-cause mortality and all-cause graft failure (a composite endpoint consisting of return to dialysis therapy, preemptive retransplantation, or death with function). Cox proportional hazards multivariate models were developed to identify predictors of long-term patient and graft survival. Results During the 12-year follow-up, 86 (24.8%) patients died, 64 (18.3%) died with a functioning graft, and 35 (11.1%) were placed back to dialysis. Physical QOL impairment increased the risk of mortality and graft failure during the follow-up period. The risk remained significant after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical risk factors (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–2.95; P=0.022 and adjusted hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–2.52; P=0.012 for patient and graft survival, respectively). Other significant risk factors were older age, time elapsed since transplantation, and Charlson comorbidity index. Risk of graft failure was also associated with glomerular filtration rate. Conclusions Physical HRQOL predicts long-term mortality and graft failure independently of sociodemographic and clinical risk factors in renal transplant patients. Future research should identify the determinants of HRQOL and refine interventions to improve it.
Personal Health Record Design: Qualitative Exploration of Issues Inhibiting Optimal Use

Personal health records (PHRs) have been purported to enhance patients’ self-management of diabetes (1). However, few studies have examined the barriers to PHR use resulting from design issues identified by actual users (2). To address this gap, interviews were conducted with 59 patients 3 to 6 months after receiving hands-on training in the use of the Microsoft Health Vault for PHRs to manage their diabetes-related health information. Health Vault was selected because of its universal accessibility and functionalities meeting the greatest number of patient desires (3). The central question guiding the interviews was “How have you used the PHR to manage your diabetes-related health information? ” Data were analyzed through a process of coding, category development of similar codes, and overarching theme development. Twenty-three of the 59 participants (39%) sustained PHR use. Table 1 displays the demographic, clinical, and thematic comparisons between PHR users and nonusers. Three themes describing barriers to use from patients’ perspectives could be traced back to PHR design considerations. View this table: Table 1 Demographic characteristics …
Effect of Dialysis on Plasma Total Antioxidant Capacity and Lipid Peroxidation Products in Patients with End-Stage Renal Failure

Dialysis is associated with an impairment of antioxidant defense and an overproduction of oxidative stress markers. This study focuses on the comparison of plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxidation products in patients on hemodialysis (HD) before and after treatment and in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Plasma TAC, malonaldehyde (MDA), and 4-hydroxyalkenal concentrations were measured in 31 HD patients, in 24 PD patients, and in 17 normal controls (NC). It was found that before HD, TAC and MDA levels were higher than those in the NC (p < 0.001). After HD, these levels decreased significantly but were higher than in NC and lower than in PD patients (p < 0.001). The levels of 4-hydroxyalkenals were elevated in patients as compared with NC, but did not differ between HD and PD patients. The MDA concentrations correlated positively with the TAC in the patients. It is concluded that the oxidative status of patients on HD is similar to that of patients on PD and that the susceptibility to oxidative stress is strongly related to the levels of MDA produced in plasma.
Three-Dimensional Flow Field Measurements in a Transonic Turbine Cascade

Abstract : Three dimensional flow field measurements are presented for a large scale transonic turbine blade cascade. Flow field total pressures and pitch and yaw flow angles were measured at an inlet Reynolds number of 1.0 x 10(exp 6) and at an isentropic exit Mach number of 1.3 in a low turbulence environment. Flow field data was obtained on five pitchwise/spanwise measurement planes, two upstream and three downstream of the cascade, each covering three blade pitches. Three hole boundary layer probes and five hole pitch/yaw probes were used to obtain data at over 1200 locations in each of the measurement planes. Blade and endwall static pressures were also measured at an inlet Reynolds number of 0.5 x 10(exp 6) and at an isentropic exit Mach number of 1.0. Tests were conducted in a linear cascade at the NASA Lewis Transonic Turbine Blade Cascade Facility. The test article was a turbine rotor with 136 deg of turning and an axial chord of 12.7 cm. The flow field in the cascade is highly three dimensional as a result of thick boundary layers at the test section inlet and because of the high degree of flow turning. The large scale allowed for very detailed measurements of both flow field and surface phenomena. The intent of the work is to provide benchmark quality data for CFD code and model verification.
The effectiveness of footwear and offloading interventions to prevent and heal foot ulcers and reduce plantar pressure in diabetes: a systematic review

Footwear and offloading techniques are commonly used in clinical practice for the prevention and treatment of foot ulcers in diabetes, but the evidence base to support this use is not well known. The goal of this review was to systematically assess the literature and to determine the available evidence on the use of footwear and offloading interventions for ulcer prevention, ulcer treatment, and plantar pressure reduction in the diabetic foot.
Antituberculosis drug resistance and associated risk factors in the European section of Turkey.

BACKGROUND We carried out this study in order to establish the prevalence of antituberculosis drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and to determine risk factors for the development of resistance in Trakya region of Turkey. METHODS Pattern of drug resistance in 214 M. tuberculosis isolates from patients with tuberculosis treated at the regional tuberculosis dispensaries were included in the study. RESULTS Isolates of 105 (49.1%) were resistant to only one drug, and 62 (29.0%) were resistant to more than one drug. The total resistance rates to streptomycin, isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and isoniazid + rifampicin were 29.0%, 27.1%, 21.5%, 10.3% and 11.6%, respectively. The secondary resistance rates in all drugs and combinations were higher than primary resistance rates (p<0.001). Step wise logistic regression revealed that (i) non-compliance with treatment increases the chances of development of resistance by 15 times [p<0.00001, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) : 4.16 to 56.70], and (ii) a regimen of inadequate treatment increases the chance of development of drug resistance by 10.5 times (p<0.01, 95% CI=2.66 to 49.80). CONCLUSIONS We propose that specially trained physicians should institute antituberculosis therapy and medication should be practiced under direct observation in this region.
Where are the Productivity Gains from Foreign Investment? Evidence on Spillovers and Reallocation from Firms, Industries and Countries

We identify the net effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the host economy by separating positive productivity (TFP) effects of knowledge spillovers from negative effects of competition. We allow for foreigners selecting into productive firms and sectors. Using a new and unique firm/establishment-level data set for a large set of countries during last decade with information on economic activity, ownership stake, type, sector, and country of origin of foreign investors, we show that the positive effect of FDI on the host economy's aggregate productivity is a myth. Foreigners invest in high productivity firms and sectors but do not increase productivity of the acquired firms and enhance productivity of the average domestic rm. For emerging markets, we find that the acquired firms increase their productivity but the effect is too small to generalize to the aggregate economy. A higher level of foreign investment in the same sector of operation leads to strong negative competition effects both in developed and in emerging markets. In developed countries, we find evidence of positive spillovers through knowledge transfers only for domestic firms with very high initial productivity levels operating within the same broad sector as the multinational investor but in a different sub-sector. Our results not only con firm the predictions of the new trade and FDI literature but also show the importance of double heterogeneity in productivity and foreign investment for the effect of FDI on economic growth.
Epigenetic silencing of endogenous repetitive sequences by MORPHEUS’ MOLECULE1 in Arabidopsis thaliana

MORPHEUS’ MOLECULE1 (MOM1) is a plant-specific epigenetic regulator of transcriptional gene silencing. Mutants of MOM1 release silencing of subsets of endogenous repetitive elements and transgenes without affecting their cytosine methylation status. Although MOM1 is evolutionarily related to CHROMODOMAIN HELICASE DNA BINDING PROTEIN3 (CHD3), a family of chromatin remodeling proteins involved in repression of gene expression, MOM1 does not carry the functional ATPase/helicase domain essential for chromatin remodeling activity, and therefore, its mode of action is unknown. We recently performed a genome-wide survey for endogenous targets silenced by MOM1 and identified loci that are concentrated around centromeres and rich in sequences homologous to the 24-nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that accumulate in wild type plants. Further and independent analyses indicated that the degree of contribution of MOM1 to maintenance of the silent states varies in different loci and that other silencing machineries, including those in the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway, interact genetically with MOM1. In this short article, I review what we know about MOM1 and discuss its possible functions in silencing through examination of other silencing factors that interact genetically with MOM1.