Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral Health Inequalities

Recent research has emphasized the relationships between environmental and individual factors that may influence population oral health and lead to health inequalities. However, little is known about the effect of interactions between environmental and individual factors on inequalities in clinical (e.g., decayed teeth) and subjective oral health outcomes (e.g., oral health–related quality of life [OHQoL]). This cohort study aimed to explore the direct and mediated longitudinal interrelationships between key environmental and individual factors on clinical and subjective oral health outcomes in adults. Self-reported measures of OHQoL and individual (sense of coherence [SOC], social support, stress, oral health beliefs, dental behaviors, and subjective socioeconomic status [SES]) and environmental factors (SES and social network) were collected at baseline and 3-mo follow-up, together with a baseline clinical examination of 495 adult employees of an automobile parts manufacturer in India. Lagged structural equation modeling was guided by the adapted Wilson and Cleary/Brunner and Marmot model linking clinical, individual, and environmental variables to quality of life. The study provides tentative evidence that SES may influence levels of resources such as social support and SOC, which mediate stress and in turn may influence subjective oral health outcomes. Accordingly, the present findings and the adapted Wilson and Cleary/Brunner and Marmot model on which they are predicted provide support for the psychosocial pathway being key in the SES–oral health relationship. The pathways through which environmental factors interact with individual factors to impact subjective oral health outcomes identified here may bring opportunities for more targeted oral health promotion strategies.
Listeriosis Outbreak in Dairy Cattle Caused by an Unusual Listeria Monocytogenes Serotype 4b Strain

A listeriosis outbreak, in dairy cattle, with a high case mortality and acute death after onset of symptoms was investigated using gross pathology and bacteriologic approaches, including molecular characterization of a clinical Listeria monocytogenes isolate. In a herd of 315 animals, 9 animals showed clinical symptoms consistent with listeriosis, including 3 animals that died within 2–4 days after acute onset of clinical signs, 4 animals that were euthanized, and 2 that survived. Initial EcoRI ribotyping and serotyping indicated that this outbreak was caused by an unusual L. monocytogenes serotype 4b strain, which was classified into lineage III. Further characterization of this isolate by DNA sequencing–based subtyping methods indicated that the strain responsible for this outbreak represented a unique genotype as supported by its classification into a new sigB allelic type, which has not been identified previously among >290 isolates, and by compelling phylogenetic evidence. While lineage III isolates are generally rare, they seem to be more common among L. monocytogenes isolates from animals with clinical signs of listeriosis. This is the first report of a particularly severe clinical course of disease associated with infection by a lineage III strain. The high prevalence of Listeria spp. , including L. monocytogenes, in the farm environments may favor emergence and evolution of novel, and possibly more virulent, L. monocytogenes strains. Continued monitoring of animal listeriosis cases and outbreaks may not only improve animal health but also aid in the early discovery of newly emerging L. monocytogenes strains.
The Effect of a One-Leg Cycling Aerobic Training Program During the Rehabilitation Period in Soccer Players With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Objectives:To examine cardiorespiratory fitness, resting cardiac parameters, and muscle oxygenation changes in soccer players having undergone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and to assess the benefits of a one-leg cycling (OLC) aerobic training program performed during the rehabilitation period. Design:Randomized clinical trial. Setting:Outpatient clinic, primary care. Patients:Twenty-four, male, regional-level soccer players who had undergone surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee. Intervention:Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: either an individualized OLC aerobic training program with the untreated leg plus a rehabilitation program (training group, TG) or a group that received the same rehabilitation program but without aerobic training (control group, CG). Main Outcome Measures:Outcome measurements assessed before (T1) and after 6 weeks (T2) were stroke volume (SV) and end-diastolic volume (EDV) during resting cardiac echography measurement and peak work rate (Wpeak), peak O2 uptake (&OV0312;&OV0312;o2peak), peak minute ventilation (&OV0312;&OV0312;epeak), first and second ventilatory threshold (VT1 and VT2), leg muscle oxygenation (LMO2), and blood volume (LMBV) during maximal graded tests performed with the untreated leg. Results:At T1, there was no significant difference between TG and CG. For TG, Wpeak, &OV0312;&OV0312;epeak, VT1, VT2, LMO2, and LMBV at each work rate were significantly higher at T2 than at T1. For CG, Wpeak, &OV0312;&OV0312;o2peak, &OV0312;&OV0312;epeak, VT2, SV, and EDV decreased significantly at T2 in comparison with T1. Conclusions:One-leg cycling training could involve specific adaptations in comparison to a standard rehabilitation program. Moreover, OLC training during rehabilitation seems to stop the effects of hypoactivity.
Mammalian Homologues of the Drosophila Slit Protein Are Ligands of the Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan Glypican-1 in Brain*

Using an affinity matrix in which a recombinant glypican-Fc fusion protein expressed in 293 cells was coupled to protein A-Sepharose, we have isolated from rat brain at least two proteins that were detected by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as a single 200-kDa silver-stained band, from which 16 partial peptide sequences were obtained by nano-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Mouse expressed sequence tags containing two of these peptides were employed for oligonucleotide design and synthesis of probes by polymerase chain reaction and enabled us to isolate from a rat brain cDNA library a 4.1-kilobase clone that encoded two of our peptide sequences and represented the N-terminal portion of a protein containing a signal peptide and three leucine-rich repeats. Comparisons with recently published sequences also showed that our peptides were derived from proteins that are members of the Slit/MEGF protein family, which share a number of structural features such as N-terminal leucine-rich repeats and C-terminal epidermal growth factor-like motifs, and in Drosophila Slit is necessary for the development of midline glia and commissural axon pathways. All of the five known rat and human Slit proteins contain 1523–1534 amino acids, and our peptide sequences correspond best to those present in human Slit-1 and Slit-2. Binding of these ligands to the glypican-Fc fusion protein requires the presence of the heparan sulfate chains, but the interaction appears to be relatively specific for glypican-1 insofar as no other identified heparin-binding proteins were isolated using our affinity matrix. Northern analysis demonstrated the presence of two mRNA species of 8.6 and 7.5 kilobase pairs using probes based on both N- and C-terminal sequences, and in situ hybridization histochemistry showed that these glypican-1 ligands are synthesized by neurons, such as hippocampal pyramidal cells and cerebellar granule cells, where we have previously also demonstrated glypican-1 mRNA and immunoreactivity. Our results therefore indicate that Slit family proteins are functional ligands of glypican-1 in nervous tissue and suggest that their interactions may be critical for certain stages of central nervous system histogenesis.
An empiric estimate of the value of life: updating the renal dialysis cost-effectiveness standard.

OBJECTIVES Proposals to make decisions about coverage of new technology by comparing the technology's incremental cost-effectiveness with the traditional benchmark of dialysis imply that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of dialysis is seen a proxy for the value of a statistical year of life. The frequently used ratio for dialysis has, however, not been updated to reflect more recently available data on dialysis. METHODS We developed a computer simulation model for the end-stage renal disease population and compared cost, life expectancy, and quality adjusted life expectancy of current dialysis practice relative to three less costly alternatives and to no dialysis. We estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for these alternatives relative to the next least costly alternative and no dialysis and analyzed the population distribution of the ratios. Model parameters and costs were estimated using data from the Medicare population and a large integrated health-care delivery system between 1996 and 2003. The sensitivity of results to model assumptions was tested using 38 scenarios of one-way sensitivity analysis, where parameters informing the cost, utility, mortality and morbidity, etc. components of the model were by perturbed +/-50%. RESULTS The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of dialysis of current practice relative to the next least costly alternative is on average $129,090 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) ($61,294 per year), but its distribution within the population is wide; the interquartile range is $71,890 per QALY, while the 1st and 99th percentiles are $65,496 and $488,360 per QALY, respectively. Higher incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were associated with older age and more comorbid conditions. Sensitivity to model parameters was comparatively small, with most of the scenarios leading to a change of less than 10% in the ratio. CONCLUSIONS The value of a statistical year of life implied by dialysis practice currently averages $129,090 per QALY ($61,294 per year), but is distributed widely within the dialysis population. The spread suggests that coverage decisions using dialysis as the benchmark may need to incorporate percentile values (which are higher than the average) to be consistent with the Rawlsian principles of justice of preserving the rights and interests of society's most vulnerable patient groups.
IL‐10 suppresses LPS‐induced KC mRNA expression via a translation‐dependent decrease in mRNA stability

This study examines the mechanism of interleukin‐10 (IL‐10)‐mediated suppression of KC chemokine gene expression in mouse macrophages. Suppression of KC mRNA levels by IL‐10 occurred late in the time course of response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Equivalent IL‐10‐mediated suppression was observed when the agent was added 1 h before, simultaneous with, or 1 h after LPS. IL‐10 did not inhibit KC gene transcription but rather produced a decrease in the stability of KC mRNA. The suppressive action of IL‐10 was prevented in macrophages that were also treated with inhibitors of protein synthesis even when added 2 h after LPS and IL‐10. These results suggest that IL‐10 acts to destabilize LPS‐induced KC mRNA through a process that depends on coincident KC mRNA translation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 64: 33–39; 1998.
Limited English Proficient Students and High-Stakes Accountability Systems

In 1994 Congress required all states to implement comprehensive accountability systems for schools receiving federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). This new federal requirement responded to civil rights advocates' concerns that schools serving large numbers of poor, minority, and limited English proficient (LEP) students set lower standards for their education and thus ratified lower expectations for their performance.
Asbestos exposure, pleural mesothelioma, and serum osteopontin levels.

BACKGROUND We investigated the presence of osteopontin in pleural mesothelioma and determined serum osteopontin levels in three populations: subjects without cancer who were exposed to asbestos, subjects without cancer who were not exposed to asbestos, and patients with pleural mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos. METHODS A group of 69 subjects with asbestos-related nonmalignant pulmonary disease were compared with 45 subjects without exposure to asbestos and 76 patients with surgically staged pleural mesothelioma. Tumor tissue was examined for osteopontin by immunohistochemical analysis, and serum osteopontin levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS There were no significant differences in mean (+/-SE) serum osteopontin levels between age-matched subjects with exposure to asbestos and subjects without exposure to asbestos (30+/-3 ng per milliliter and 20+/-4 ng per milliliter, respectively; P=0.06). In the group with exposure to asbestos, elevated serum osteopontin levels were associated with pulmonary plaques and fibrosis (56+/-13 ng per milliliter) but not with normal radiographic findings (21+/-5 ng per milliliter), plaques alone (23+/-3 ng per milliliter), or fibrosis alone (32+/-7 ng per milliliter) (P=0.004). Serum osteopontin levels were significantly higher in the group with pleural mesothelioma than in the group with exposure to asbestos (133+/-10 ng per milliliter vs. 30+/-3 ng per milliliter, P<0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed osteopontin staining of the tumor cells in 36 of 38 samples of pleural mesothelioma. An analysis of serum osteopontin levels comparing the receiver-operating-characteristic curve in the group exposed to asbestos with that of the group with mesothelioma had a sensitivity of 77.6 percent and a specificity of 85.5 percent at a cutoff value of 48.3 ng of osteopontin per milliliter. Subgroup analysis comparing patients with stage I mesothelioma with subjects with exposure to asbestos revealed a sensitivity of 84.6 percent and a specificity of 88.4 percent at a cutoff value of 62.4 ng of osteopontin per milliliter. CONCLUSIONS Serum osteopontin levels can be used to distinguish persons with exposure to asbestos who do not have cancer from those with exposure to asbestos who have pleural mesothelioma.
The effect of sintered dicalcium pyrophosphate on osteoclast metabolism: an ultrastructural study.

Sintered dicalcium pyrophosphate (SDCP), a synthetic compound, has proved to be both bioabsorbable and biocompatible in vivo. Recent work in our institute also has demonstrated that the ingestion of SDCP can increase bone mass in the ovariectomized rat. In this study, we used an in vitro cell culture model to investigate the ultrastructural changes and fate of osteoclasts induced by SDCP. Quantitative evaluation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts after administration of SDCP was performed. We studied immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features of osteoclasts undergoing apoptosis. The results showed that at 10(-4) M SDCP, the osteoblast cell count increased significantly, whereas the osteoclast population decreased significantly. Apoptosis of the osteoclast population was well demonstrated by immunohistochemical study. Ultrastructural study showed that the Golgi apparatus was degraded or dispersed in the cytoplasm. Later, osteoclasts revealed pyknotic nuclei showing condensation and margination of heterochromatins and DNA fragmentation, which are typical features of apoptosis. In addition, disruption of nuclear envelopes leading to leakage of nuclear contents into the cytoplasm was observed in the late stage of apoptosis. In conclusion, SDCP-induced apoptosis of osteoclasts was characterized by ultrastructural changes of the nucleus accompanied by degradation of cellular organelles.
Genetic analyses of elbow and hip dysplasia in the German shepherd dog.

Results from radiographic screening for canine hip dysplasia (CHD) and elbow dysplasia (CED) of 48 367 German shepherd dogs born in 2001-07 were used for the population genetic analyses. Available information included CHD scores for 47 730 dogs, CED scores for 28 011 dogs and detailed veterinary diagnoses of primary ED lesions for a subsample of 18 899 dogs. Quasi-continuous traits were CHD, CED and cases of CED without radiographically visible primary lesion (CED-ARTH). Binary coding was used for fragmented medial coronoid process of the ulna (FCP), borderline findings and mild to severe signs of dysplasia in hip and elbow joints. Genetic parameters were estimated in univariate threshold and multivariate linear and mixed linear-threshold models using Gibbs sampling. Correlations between univariately predicted breeding values (BV) indicated genetic differences between borderline and affected disease status for both CHD (r(BV) = 0.5) and CED (r(BV) = 0.3). Multivariate genetic analyses with separate consideration of borderline findings revealed moderate heritabilities of 0.2-0.3 for the quasi-continuous traits with positive additive genetic correlation of 0.3 between CHD and both CED and CED-ARTH. For FCP, heritability of 0.6 and additive genetic correlations of +0.1 to CHD and -0.1 to CED-ARTH were estimated. Results supported the relevant genetic determination of CHD and CED, argued for both diseases against interpretation of borderline findings as healthy and implied genetic heterogeneity of CED. Accordingly, future breeding strategies to reduce the prevalences of CHD and CED in the German shepherd dog should be most efficient when based on BV from multivariate genetic evaluation for CHD, CED-ARTH and FCP with use of the whole scale of categories for classification of CHD and CED.
Placebo Effects and the Ethics of Therapeutic Communication: A Pragmatic Perspective

ABSTRACT: In this article we explore the ethics of manipulating verbal information for the sake of influencing health outcomes through placebo and nocebo responses. Recent scientific research on placebo and nocebo effects has drawn attention to the ways in which communication by health professionals may modulate the symptoms of patients across an array of highly prevalent conditions such as pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, and Parkinson’s disease. The positive and negative effects of clinicians’ communication on patient outcomes pose important ethical issues, which we describe in this article under the label of “the ethics of therapeutic communication” (TC). We begin by reviewing available evidence supporting the claim that doctor–patient communication has therapeutic effects. We then identify in truthfulness, helpfulness, and pragmatism three morally relevant considerations that can guide clinicians in therapeutic communication with their patients. Finally, we examine the ethics of using TC to enhance the effectiveness of proven medical interventions and open-label placebos.
Relational Communication with Transfers

We enrich the Crawford and Sobel (1982) model of strategic communication between an informed sender and an uninformed receiver by adding repeated interactions and voluntary transfer payments. Transfers play two roles here: they incentivise decision-making and signal information. Although full separation can be 'frictionlessly' attained in equilibrium, partial or complete pooling is optimal if preferences are sufficiently divergent. In this case, extreme information is optimally pooled to discipline the receiver's decision-making by reducing her reneging temptation. As an extension, we consider a partially-informed receiver. As the receiver becomes more informed, welfare strictly decreases because self-enforcing agreements become harder to sustain.
A Low‐Temperature, Solution‐Processable, Cu‐Doped Nickel Oxide Hole‐Transporting Layer via the Combustion Method for High‐Performance Thin‐Film Perovskite Solar Cells

Low-temperature, solution-processable Cu-doped NiOX (Cu:NiOx ), prepared via combustion chemistry, is demonstrated as an excellent hole-transporting layer (HTL) for thin-film perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). Its good crystallinity, conductivity, and hole-extraction properties enable the derived PVSC to have a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.74%. Its general applicability for various elecrode materials is also revealed.
IgG4-related Orbital Disease and Its Mimics in a Western Population

Although chronic inflammatory disorders of the ocular adnexa are relatively common, their pathogenesis is in many cases poorly understood. Recent investigation suggests that many cases of sclerosing orbital inflammation are a manifestation of IgG4-related disease; however, most patients reported have been Asian, and it is not clear whether the results of studies from the Far East can be reliably extrapolated to draw conclusions about Western patients. We evaluated 38 cases previously diagnosed as orbital inflammatory pseudotumor or chronic dacryoadenitis to determine whether our cases fulfill the criteria for IgG4-RD (IgG4-related dacryoadenitis when involving the lacrimal gland, and IgG4-related sclerosing orbital inflammation when involving orbital soft tissue). Fifteen patients had IgG4-related dacryoadenitis or orbital inflammation. These patients included 9 men and 6 women, aged 24 to 77 years (median, 64 y). Lesions involved orbital soft tissue (8 cases), lacrimal gland (6 cases), and canthus (1 case). In 1 case, focal in situ follicular neoplasia was seen in a background of IgG4-RD. In another case, a clonal IGH gene rearrangement was detected. Four patients with IgG4-RD had evidence of IgG4-RD in other anatomic sites. Five patients, 1 man and 4 women, aged 26 to 74 years (median 50 y) had orbital lesions (2 involving lacrimal gland, 3 involving soft tissue) suspicious for, but not diagnostic of, IgG4-RD. Of 16 patients with IgG4-RD or probable IgG4-RD with information available regarding the course of their disease, 11 patients experienced recurrent or persistent orbital disease. However, no patient developed lymphoma, and no patient died of complications of IgG4-RD. Eighteen patients had lesions not representing IgG4-RD. They included 6 male and 12 female individuals aged 6 to 77 years (median, 47 y). These patients had a variety of diseases, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis (3 cases), Rosai-Dorfman disease (1 case), nonspecific chronic inflammation and fibrosis involving lacrimal gland or soft tissue (12 cases), and others. Clinical and pathologic findings among our patients with IgG4-RD involving the orbit are similar to those previously described in Asian patients. Careful evaluation of histologic and immunophenotypic features and clinical correlation are required to distinguish orbital IgG4-RD from other sclerosing inflammatory lesions in the orbit.
Sampling Phasic Dopamine Signaling with Fast‐Scan Cyclic Voltammetry in Awake, Behaving Rats

Fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) is an electrochemical technique that permits the in vivo measurement of extracellular fluctuations in multiple chemical species. The technique is frequently utilized to sample sub‐second (phasic) concentration changes of the neurotransmitter dopamine in awake and behaving rats. Phasic dopamine signaling is implicated in reinforcement, goal‐directed behavior, and locomotion, and FSCV has been used to investigate how rapid changes in striatal dopamine concentration contribute to these and other behaviors. This unit describes the instrumentation and construction, implantation, and use of components required to sample and analyze dopamine concentration changes in awake rats with FSCV. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.