Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biofilm formation and composition on different implant materials in vivo.

Biofilm formation was evaluated on the following titanium and zirconia implants in vivo: machined titanium (Ti-m), modified titanium (TiUnite), modified zirconia (ZiUnite), machined alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ-m), sandblasted alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ-s), and machined zirconia (TZP-A-m). Bovine enamel slabs were used as controls. Surface morphologies were examined by atomic force (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface wettability was also determined. Twelve healthy volunteers wore a splint system with the tested materials. After 3 and 5 days the materials were examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The levels of Streptococcus spp. , Veillonella spp. , Fusobacteriaum nucleatum, and Actinomyces naeslundii were quantitatively determined. The biofilm thickness was found to be between 19.78 and 36.73 μm after 3 days and between 26.11 and 32.43 μm after 5 days. With the exception of Ti-m the biofilm thickness after 3 days was correlated with surface roughness. In addition to Streptococcus spp. as the main component of the biofilm (11.23-25.30%), F. nucleatum, A. naeslundii, and Veillonella spp. were also detected. No significant differences in biofilm composition on the implant surfaces could be observed. In total, the influence of roughness and material on biofilm formation was compensated by biofilm maturation.
Growth Promotion Ethics and the Challenge to Resist Cosmetic Endocrinology 

The advancement of “human growth hormone (hGH)-for-height” – increasing height attainment in children short for reasons other than GH deficiency – arose from intuitive, deep-seated assumptions about the disability of short stature, its improvement with hGH-mediated height gain, and the safety of escalating dosages of hGH in healthy children. Evidence challenging these assumptions now strengthens criticism of hGH-for-height as cosmetic endocrinology. To counter this characterization, collective acceptance of guidelines is needed that advise nontreatment of the vast majority of short children, support strategies that minimize treatment duration and dosage, and restrain enhancement of normal adult stature. Through a clinical case analysis, ethical issues underlying these recommendations are explored. These include duties to provide informed assent and re-assent, protect children from unnecessary treatment, consider fairness to nontreated children, and allocate healthcare resources responsibly. Informed assent for hGH-for-height should ensure awareness of modest, variable height gain expectations, limited evidence for psychosocial benefit, ongoing studies for potential posttreatment adverse effects, and options for less expensive/invasive approaches, including nontreatment and counseling. Approaching growth promotion in this way fosters therapeutic restraint, resists the al lure of enhancement therapy, and minimizes contributions to society’s perception that to be taller is to be better.
Emergency room management of patients with blunt major trauma: evaluation of the multislice computed tomography protocol exemplified by an urban trauma center.

BACKGROUND The early clinical management of patients with major trauma still represents a challenge. To clinically evaluate the full extent of a patient's injuries is difficult, especially when the patient is unconscious. Before December 2002, trauma patients admitted to our emergency room (ER) underwent a diagnostic protocol including physical examination, conventional radiography (CR), sonography and further procedures if necessary. After the installation of a MSCT scanner, all trauma patients underwent the "MSCT protocol" immediately after admission. The aim of the study was to compare the "MSCT-protocol" as it is performed at our institution, with the "Pre-MSCT-protocol". METHODS We compared 185 patients undergoing the "Pre MSCT-protocol" with 185 patients undergoing "MSCT protocol". We evaluated the efficacy, speed and accuracy of the "MSCT protocol" using several variables. Time periods from admission to the ER to admission to the intensive care unit were compared as well as outcome parameters such as length of ICU stay, ventilation period and rates of organ. Dichotomous data were analyzed by Chi-square analysis; continuous data were analyzed by Student's t test. Any values of p < 0.05 were considered significant for any test. RESULTS No significant differences were found regarding demographic data. The full extent of injuries was definitively diagnosed after 12 +/- 9 minutes in 92.4% of the "MSCT protocol" cohort. In only 76.2% of "Pre-MSCT protocol" cohort definitive diagnosis was possible after 41 +/- 27 minutes. Total ER time was 104 +/- 21 minutes with the "Pre-MSCT protocol" and 70 +/- 17 minutes with "MSCT protocol" (p < 0.05). "Pre-MSCT protocol" patients had a significantly longer ICU stay than "MSCT protocol" patients (p < 0.05). "MSCT protocol" patients had significantly fewer ventilation days (14.3 vs. 10.9 days). Furthermore, rates of organ failure were lower in patients undergoing the "MSCT protocol". CONCLUSION We could demonstrate that immediate MSCT in patients with blunt major trauma leads to more accurate and faster diagnosis, and reduction of early clinical time intervals. We also observed a reduction in ventilation, ICU, and hospital days, and in organ failure rates, though this might have been partly due to small differences in case mix. The "MSCT protocol" algorithm seems to be safe and effective.
Identification of common germinal-center B-cell precursors in two patients with both Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma occasionally occur in the same patient. The identification of a common precursor of the two types of lymphoma would show definitively that Reed-Sternberg cells originate from B cells. METHODS We studied lymphomas from two patients, one with a composite lymphoma (classic Hodgkin's disease and a follicular lymphoma in the same lymph node) and the other with a T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma that was followed by classic Hodgkin's disease. Single Reed-Sternberg cells and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells from frozen sections were micromanipulated. The rearranged immunoglobulin variable-region genes (V genes) of the heavy and light chains were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction from genomic DNA and sequenced. RESULTS In both patients, the Reed-Sternberg cells were related clonally to the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma B cells. The V genes carried somatic mutations (a hallmark of germinal-center B cells and their descendants). In both patients, some somatic mutations were shared by the Reed-Sternberg and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells, whereas other somatic mutations were found exclusively in one or the other cell type. CONCLUSIONS In two patients with classic Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma, we identified a common B-cell precursor, probably a germinal-center B-cell, for both lymphomas. This finding suggests that the two types of lymphoma underwent both shared and distinct transforming events and provides proof of the B-cell derivation of Reed-Sternberg cells in classic Hodgkin's disease.
The Red Cell Distribution Width and Anemia in Association With Prevalent Dementia

The red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of anisocytosis, independently predicts cardiovascular disease outcomes and chronic disease mortality. Little is known about the RDW, or the interplay between RDW and anemia, in relation to dementia risk. We evaluated the association between the RDW and prevalent dementia, overall and by anemia status, among 2556 community-dwelling older adults participating in the Chicago Health and Aging Project. RDW measurements came from complete blood counts, and participants underwent diagnosis for dementia according to standard clinical criteria. Five hundred twenty-five participants were diagnosed with dementia. Elevated RDW was associated with increased odds of having dementia: after adjusting for age, sex, race, and education, the odds of prevalent dementia increased progressively over increasing quartile of RDW (Ptrend=0.02), and persons in the highest RDW quartile (≥14.8%) had 42% greater odds of having dementia than those in the lowest quartile [odds ratio (OR), 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05-1.92)]. Per unit (%) increment in RDW, the odds of dementia were higher by 6% (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.00-1.13). Findings were similar upon further adjustment for health behaviors and diabetes. In analyses adjusted for hemoglobin concentration, the RDW-dementia association was attenuated, whereas the inverse association between hemoglobin and dementia remained significant. However, RDW was associated with dementia more strongly among participants without anemia (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.00-1.43) than among those with anemia (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.86-1.18), although this difference was not statistically significant. The RDW, a readily available and inexpensive hematologic measure, may offer novel information about dementia risk, particularly among persons without anemia. Future studies should establish the RDW’s ability to predict risk prospectively.
Cognitive-attitudinal aspects of key-worker's talk about their patients in forensic psychiatric institutions.

SCOPE Within an international network study involving four European countries (COMSKILLS), results on clinical-qualitative data are reported and discussed. A total of 103 semi-structured interviews were conducted, representing 45 per cent of the patients involved in the project (N=231). METHOD The coding framework represents a means of identifying and measuring aspects of complexity and specificity in the way in which key workers talk about care in relation to individual patients. RESULTS Respondents talked about patient care most frequently in terms of coping behavior and working relationships with patients. The commonest method cited for information gathering was observation. Out of three conceptual levels, ranging from complex and specific responses (conceptual level 3), to relatively general and unspecific remarks (level 1), most responses were coded at Levels 1 or 2. CONCLUSIONS Taking into account the apparent reluctance of many clinical staff to make use of standardized assessment instruments, systematic treatment-oriented methods able to both allow for valid and reliable assessments and to structure clinical experience is needed. It is expected that complexity and specificity care is referred to will profit from the regular use of such a method (e.g. the BEST-Index).
Simulated Lateral Ankle Ligamentous Injury

The effect of simulated ankle ligamentous injury on ankle-subtalar joint complex laxity was studied. Thirty- six intact ankles were loaded in inversion-eversion and anterior-posterior directions. Motions of the talus and calcaneus were measured with respect to the tibia. Ankles were tested at neutral, 15° of dorsiflexion, and 15° of plantar flexion. In all the specimens the anterior talofibular ligament was sectioned and then the calca neofibular ligament was sectioned; testing was then re peated. With sectioning of the anterior talofibular liga ment, motion increased primarily in dorsiflexion with both anterior-posterior and inversion-eversion loading. This increase was primarily caused by a large increase in subtalar motion. Additional sectioning of the calca neofibular ligament produced little change in ankle sub talar joint motion except in dorsiflexion. Clinically, these findings show that if an anterior-posterior drawer test shows less laxity in dorsiflexion than in neutral and greater laxity than the contralateral asymptomatic side, then an isolated anterior talofibular ligamentous tear ex ists. Similarly, laxity in 15° of dorsiflexion and in neutral suggests calcaneofibular ligament disruption. During inversion-eversion loading, the increase in ankle- subtalar joint complex rotation with calcaneofibular liga ment sectioning occurred primarily in the ankle joint, implying that the calcaneofibular ligament constrains the talus through the calcaneus. Therefore, a talar tilt on stress radiographs demonstrates a torn calcaneofibular ligament.
Morphology and tenacity of the tube foot disc of three common European sea urchin species: a comparative study

Abstract The variation in tenacity of single tube feet from three sea urchin species with contrasted habitats was assessed and correlated with the ultrastructure of their adhesive secretory granules. The tube feet of Arbacia lixula and Sphaerechinus granularis have larger discs and more complex adhesive granules than those of Paracentrotus lividus, but A. lixula attaches to glass with significantly lower tenacity (0.05 – 0.09 MPa) than the other two species (0.10 – 0.20 and 0.11 – 0.29 MPa, respectively). However, the estimated maximal attachment force one tube foot can produce is similar for all three species investigated. No clear relationship between tube foot size, tenacity, adhesive secretory granule ultrastructure and species habitat can therefore be established. For P. lividus the tenacity of single tube foot discs on four different smooth substrata was also compared, which showed that both the total surface energy and the ratio of polar to non-polar forces at the surface influence tube foot attachment strength. This influence of the surface characteristics of the substratum appears to affect the cohesiveness of the adhesive secretion more than its adhesiveness.
Influences des pratiques agricoles sur la contamination des écosystèmes aquatiques par les métaux lourds : approche écotoxicologique

Suite aux precipitations et au lessivage des sols des sels metalliques (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg) presents dans les produits phytosanitaires utilises en agriculture intensive·sont susceptibles de s’accumuler dans les milieux limniques et representent une menace pour la stabilite de ces ecosystemes. L'evalua ion des niveaux de contamination d’ecosystemes aquatiques situes en zone agricole, en region parisienne et en Camargue, a ete menee par le dosage en absorption atomique des elements traces : dans les sediments et des organismes representatifs des differents niveaux trophiques rencontres dans ces ecosystemes. Les resultats obtenus mettent en evidence des teneurs anormalement elevees pour le cadium, le mercure et le plomb. D'autre part, des dosages de metallothioneines ont ete effectues par polarographie sur des organismes preleves in situ. La mise au point de cette technique analytique a ete effectuee au laboratoire sur des organismes intoxiques par voie directe. Elle a permis de suivre simultanement, la bioconcentration des metaux et leur metabolisation. Le dosage de metallothioneines par polarographie est une technique rapide, tres sensible et, aisee a mettre en oeuvre. Il apporte des resultats complementaires aux dosages bruts de metaux traces. Sur le plan·fondamental, les resultats acquis, tant au laboratoire que sur le terrain (complementarite essentielle a l'approche ecotoxicologique) confirment le role essentiel des metallothioneines dans l'homeostasie du zinc. Ils mettent aussi en evidence que la teneur en metallothioneine d’un tissu est correlee a sa teneur en zinc. Le zinc apparait comme un inducteur primaire pour la synthese de cette proteine. Cadmium et mercure ne font que se substituer au zinc dans le processus de detoxication impliquant le metallothioneine. Il apparait en conclusion, que les pesticides et les engrais utilises en agriculture intensive representent un danger pour les ecosystemes limniques avoisinants.
Implication de la huntingtine dans les troubles de l'humeur : approche comportementale et neurogénique

La maladie de Huntington (HD) est une maladie genetique neurodegenerative qui touche environ 6000 personnes en France. Les manifestations psychiatriques sont une des composantes majeures des symptomes precoces de la pathologie. Ainsi, des episodes depressifs parfois associes a de l’anxiete generalisee sont communement observes au cours des stades pre-symptomatiques de la maladie. On connait mal a l’heure actuelle les raisons de cette prevalence elevee. L'allele responsable de la maladie code une proteine appelee huntingtine (HTT) dont l'expansion polyglutaminique (polyQ) en N-terminal est plus longue que dans la HTT non pathogenique. La huntingtine est impliquee dans diverses fonctions cellulaires et notamment dans le transport et l’expression d’un facteur neurotrophique, le Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). Celui-ci est d’ailleurs connu pour son role dans la regulation des troubles de l’humeur, de la neurogenese hippocampique chez l’adulte, ainsi que dans la reponse therapeutique aux antidepresseurs. Nous avons emis l'hypothese que la huntingtine, en plus de ses roles connus dans le cortex et le striatum, puisse jouer egalement un role dans l'hippocampe. Ainsi, une alteration du transport de BDNF dans l’hippocampe pourrait en partie expliquer les troubles de l’humeur observes chez les patients HD.Par une approche in vivo, en utilisant differents modeles de souris, nous avons ainsi demontre que la huntingtine stimule le trafic vesiculaire et la secretion de BDNF dans les neurones hippocampiques et que cette action peut etre modulee par la mutation polyQ ou par le statut de phosphorylation de la proteine sur les serines 1181 et 1201. Cela aboutit a des modifications des voies de signalisation (Akt, ERK, CREB) activees par le BDNF. Nous mettons egalement en evidence que la huntingtine sauvage est impliquee dans le soutien exerce par les neurones matures sur les nouveaux neurones, necessaire a leur survie a long terme et a la formation d’une arborisation dendritique complexe. Le BDNF est l’intermediaire ideal grâce a ses effets sur la neurogenese hippocampique. Enfin, la huntingtine sauvage et ses formes mutees (polyQ et phosphorylation sur les serines 1181 et 1201) sont impliquees dans le comportement anxio-depressif des souris.
Substance abuse and the transmission of hepatitis C among persons with severe mental illness.

OBJECTIVES The authors sought to better understand the relationship of substance abuse to higher rates of transmission of hepatitis C among persons with severe mental illness. METHOD S: The authors assessed 668 persons with severe mental illness for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C infection through venipuncture. Demographic characteristics, substance abuse, and risk behaviors for blood-borne infections were assessed through interviews and collection of clinical data. RESULTS Eighty-two percent of the assessed persons were not infected, and 18 percent had hepatitis C. Among those with hepatitis C infection, 546 (82 percent) tested negative for all viruses. Of the 122 (18 percent) who had hepatitis C, 53 (8 percent) had only hepatitis C, 56 (8 percent) had both hepatitis C and hepatitis B, three (1 percent) had hepatitis C and HIV, and ten (2 percent) had all three infections. More than 20 percent of the sample reported lifetime intravenous drug use, and 14 percent reported lifetime needle sharing. Fifty-seven percent had sniffed of snorted cocaine, and 39 percent had smoked crack. A stepwise regression model was used to identify interaction effects of these behaviors and risk of hepatitis C infection among persons with severe mental illness. Use of needles and of crack cocaine were associated with a large increase in the likelihood of hepatitis C infection. CONCLUSION S: The high rates of co-occurring substance use disorders among persons with severe mental illness, coupled with the role of substance abuse as the primary vector for hepatitis C transmission, warrants special consideration.
Traumatic reactions as predictors of posttraumatic stress six months after the Oklahoma City bombing.

OBJECTIVE This study attempted to identify remembered reactions of Oklahoma City residents at the time of the April 1995 terrorist bombing that predicted later development of posttraumatic stress symptoms. METHODS Eighty-six adults who sought help for distress related to the bombing six months after it occurred completed a survey about demographic characteristics, level of exposure to the event, symptoms of grief, retrospective reports of reactions at the time of the trauma, current posttraumatic stress symptoms, and coping strategies. To identify immediate bombing reactions predictive of later distress, retrospective reports of reactions to the trauma were correlated with current posttraumatic stress symptoms. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which reactions predicted the emergence of posttraumatic stress symptoms. RESULTS Reactions of being nervous and being upset by how other people acted when the bombing occurred accounted for about one-third of the total variation in posttraumatic stress symptom scores and thus were major predictors of posttraumatic stress. CONCLUSIONS These results differ from those of other studies in which peritraumatic dissociation, or dissociation at the time of the event, was more predictive than anxiety for developing later distress. The results suggest that persons who experience significant anxiety at the time of the traumatic event may continue to experience distress. Those who are overly concerned about others' actions may be showing diminished interpersonal trust, evidence of terrorism's ability to erode social harmony.
VARIANT TRANSTHYRETIN IN BLOOD CIRCULATION CAN TRANSVERSE THE BLOOD-CEREBROSPINAL BARRIER: QUALITATIVE ANALYSES OF TRANSTHYRETIN METABOLISM IN SEQUENTIAL LIVER TRANSPLANTATION1

Background. Although the choroid6 plexus of the brain is one of the most important production sites of transthyretin (TTR), the metabolism of TTR secreted in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) remains to be elucidated. Methods. To perform qualitative analysis of variant TTR in CSF of patients who underwent a sequential liver transplantation using an explanted familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) ATTR Val30 Met patient’s liver, levels and forms of TTR of the two patients were analyzed by means of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI/TOF-MS), respectively. Results. After the operation, variant TTR levels in serum increased, and in CSF, a significant peak of free form of ATTR Val30 Met was detected in the transplanted patients whose CSF had shown no variant TTR before the operation. Conclusions. These findings suggest that the variant TTR can cross-the blood-CSF barrier and migrate into CSF from blood circulation. Because leptomeningeal amyloidosis occurs in FAP ATTR Val30 Met as the progression of the disease, this information suggests that in addition to peripheral neuropathy, disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) should be given an attention in patients who underwent sequential liver transplantation using an explanted FAP ATTR Val30 Met patient’s liver.