Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cranial growth in isolated sagittal craniosynostosis compared with normal growth in the first 6 months of age

Sagittal craniosynostosis (SCS), the most common type of premature perinatal cranial suture fusion, results in abnormal head shape that requires extensive surgery to correct. It is important to find objective and repeatable measures of severity and surgical outcome to examine the effect of timing and technique on different SCS surgeries. The purpose of this study was to develop statistical models of infant (0–6 months old) skull growth in both normative and SCS subjects (prior to surgery). Our goal was to apply these models to the assessment of differences between these two groups in overall post‐natal growth patterns and sutural growth rates as a first step to develop methods for predictive models of surgical outcome. We identified 81 patients with isolated, non‐syndromic SCS from Seattle Children's Craniofacial Center patient database who had a preoperative CT exam before the age of 6 months. As a control group, we identified 117 CT exams without any craniofacial abnormalities or bone fractures in the same age group. We first created population‐level templates from the CT images of the SCS and normal groups. All CT images from both groups, as well as the canonical templates of both cohorts, were annotated with anatomical landmarks, which were used in a growth model that predicted the locations of these landmarks at a given age based on each population. Using the template images and the landmark positions predicted by the growth models, we created 3D meshes for each week of age up to 6 months for both populations. To analyze the growth patterns at the suture sites, we annotated both templates with additional semi‐landmarks equally spaced along the metopic, coronal, sagittal and lambdoidal cranial sutures. By transferring these semi‐landmarks to meshes produced from the growth model, we measured the displacement of the bone borders and suture closure rates. We found that the growth at the metopic and coronal sutures were more rapid in the SCS cohort than in the normal cohort. The antero‐posterior displacement of the semi‐landmarks also indicated a more rapid growth in the sagittal plane in the SCS model than in the normal model. Statistical templates and geometric morphometrics are promising tools for understanding the growth patterns in normal and synostotic populations and to produce objective and reproducible measurements of severity and outcome. Our study is the first of its kind to quantify the bone growth for the first 6 months of life in both normal and sagittal synostosis patients.
Influence of physical activity on blood pressure in children with overweight/obesity. A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of childhood hypertension is growing exponentially, influenced by environmental factors such as foods with high salt content, sedentary lifestyles and poor-quality food. The incidence of hypertension is about 10.4% in well-nourished children, but when associated with obesity or overweight, this can rise to 38% and 68%, respectively. To assess the influence of physical activity on the blood pressure of children who are overweight or obese. METHODS This randomised clinical trial (RCT) was carried out in Granada (Spain), from October 2015 to June 2016. The sample consisted of 98 children, all of whom were overweight or obese. The intervention group (n=49) practised physical activity and received nutritional advice, while the control group (n=49) only received theoretical-practical sessions on nutrition. Body composition was measured, a nutritional assessment was made and blood pressure was determined (in percentiles, to avoid the misclassification of children who are located at the extremes of normal growth). RESULTS Before the physical activity intervention, 85.7% of the children in the intervention group (with overweight/obesity) were in the 95th or higher percentile for blood pressure, a situation representative of high blood pressure (hypertension). However, by the end of the study period, this value had decreased significantly (p=0.001), to 16.13%. CONCLUSIONS Childhood obesity is a risk factor for hypertension. Physical activity, together with nutritional advice, effectively reduces blood pressure in children who are overweight or obese. The use of percentiles, according to age, weight and height, is an effective means of measuring blood pressure.
MARKETING CULTURE AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: THE CASE IN SERVICE FIRMS IN SRI LANKA

Literature on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) stresses the importance of establishment of a cultural orientation to guide decision making and problem solving to successful implementation of CSR. The marketing culture (MC) apparently enables firms to emphasize social concern than the firms that do not have this culture. The fundamental question is whether MC has measurable impact on CSR in services organizations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of MC on the degree of CSR in Sri Lankan context with special reference to Service Firms. The major objectives, of this study are (1) Assess the degree of MC and CSR in Sri Lankan Service Firms, and (2) Examine the association between MC and CSR. The single cross sectional design was employed to collect data through a self administered questionnaire. Unit of analysis was the service firms in Sri Lanka, sample of which was randomly selected from the registry of the Colombo Stock Exchange-2007. Proxies were the service or service related managers of the business firms. The analysis shows that degree of MC and CSR varies across the service firms and that the association between MC and CSR is strong. Key words: Organizational culture, Corporate Social Responsibility, Marketing Culture, Service Firms For full paper: fmscresearch@sjp.ac. lk
Hypoxia-Induced Cleavage Of Soluble ephrinA1 From Cancer Cells Is Mediated By MMP-2 And Associates With Angiogenesis In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction ephrinA1 plays important roles in tumor angiogenesis. Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) can cleave ephrinA1 from the cell membrane into extracellular environment. However, how soluble ephrinA1 is modulated by hypoxia and whether MMPs participate in this hypoxic process remains to be investigated in detail. Methods Thirty-seven patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were included in the present study for HIF-1α, MMP-2, MMP-9 and ephrinA1 detection by immunohistochemistry. Serum samples from 35 patients were collected both preoperatively and postoperatively to confirm the existence of soluble ephrinA1 by ELISA. Block assay and Western blot analysis were further carried out to elucidate the proteolysis mechanism of ephrinA1 under hypoxic condition in vitro. Results Our data demonstrated that HIF-1α, MMP-2, MMP-9 and ephrinA1 expressed positively, and correlated with microvessel density in OSCCs, except for MMP-9. The serum expression level of ephrinA1 in OSCC patients decreased significantly after surgical removal of the solid tumors. In vitro experiments indicated that GM6001, a MMP-specific inhibitor, could reduce hypoxia-induced soluble ephrinA1 secretion from SCC cells. Further Western blot analysis confirmed that both HIF-1α and MMP-2 were up-regulated by hypoxia in a similar time-dependent manner, with the MMP-9 expression unchanged during this course. Conclusion These results suggested a possible novel mechanism that ephrinA1 secretion is mediated by HIF-1α/MMP-2 signaling cascade which may play pivotal roles in OSCC neovascularization in a paracrine manner.
Polyphyllin I induces cell cycle arrest in prostate cancer cells via the upregulation of IL6 and P21 expression

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Background: Polyphyllin I has been reported to possess anticancer properties in various cancer types, including prostate cancer. However, little is known about the potential of Polyphyllin I in induction of prostate cancer cell cycle arrest and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: The anti-proliferation activity of Polyphyllin I was tested using cell counting kit-8 assay. The cell cycle arrest effects of Polyphyllin I were confirmed by flow cytometry. Western blot was used to test the effect of Polyphyllin I on cell cycle-related protein expression. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to test the expression of genes regulating P21 expression. Results: Polyphyllin I induced prostate cancer cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase in concentration-dependent manner. Polyphyllin I induced cell cycle arrest by upregulating the expression of P21. Further studies showed that the upregulation of p21 expression induced by Polyphyllin I via the upregulation of IL6 expression. Conclusion: Polyphyllin I could induce cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase in prostate cancer cells by upregulating the expression of P21 and IL6.
Economic analysis of ceftaroline fosamil for treating community-acquired pneumonia in Spain

Abstract Background: Adults admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) impose significant burden upon limited hospital resources. To achieve early response and possibly early discharge, thus reducing hospital expenditure, the choice of initial antibiotic therapy is pivotal. Methods: A cost-consequences model was developed to evaluate ceftaroline fosamil (CFT) as an alternative to other antibiotic therapies (ceftriaxone, co-amoxiclav, moxifloxacin, levofloxacin) for the empiric treatment of hospitalized adults with moderate/severe CAP (PORT score III–IV) from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System (NHS). Findings: Compared with ceftriaxone, the model predicted an increase in the number of CFT-treated patients discharged early (PDE) (30.6% vs. 26.1%) while decreasing initial antibiotic failures (3.8% vs. 7.6%). For patients with pneumococcal pneumonia, CFT was cost-saving vs. ceftriaxone (by 1.2%) and significantly increased PDE (32.1% vs. 24.6%). CFT resulted in cost-saving vs. levofloxacin, due lower initial antibiotic therapy costs and increased PDE (30.6% vs. 14.9%). Moxifloxacin and co-amoxiclav early response rate of 53.63% and 54.24% resulted in cost neutrality vs. CFT, with direct comparison hampered by the significantly different early response criteria utilized in the literature. Conclusions: Despite a higher unit cost, CFT is a reasonable alternative to other agents for adults hospitalized with moderate/severe CAP, given the projected higher PDE achieved with similar or lower total costs.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Reduce Stress Oxidative Factors in Parkinson's Disease

Background: Recent studies have shown that BMSCs have a putative ability to promote neurogenesis and produce behavioral and functional improvement. Our previous study demonstrated that co-treatment of G-CSF and BMSCs have beneficial effects on Parkinson's models. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of these two factors on oxidative stress factors in the brain of Parkinson's rat. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats (weighing 200–250 g) were used and randomly divided into five groups of seven each. To create the Parkinson's model, 6-OHDA was injected into the left SNpc. The BMSCs (2 × 106) and G-CSF (75 µg/kg) were used for treatment after creating the PD model. After four weeks, the brains of rats were removed and processed for immunohistochemical studies, such as TH-positive neurons as well as analysis of oxidative stress factors. Results: The results showed that the injected BMSCs could cross the BBB. The injected cells are also able to settle in different areas of the brain. Analyses of the brain oxidative stress factors showed that G-CSF and BMSCs reduced the expression of MDA and induced the activity of SOD, GSH-Px, and FRAP. Conclusion: Co-administration of G-CSF and BMSCs reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and induced the activity of antioxidant enzymes; however, neurogenesis increased in the brain.
Impacts of temperature, hunger and reproductive condition on metabolic rates of flower-dwelling crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae)

Abstract Temperature strongly affects spider metabolic rate. Consequently, quantifying a species' temperature-metabolism relationship is useful in evaluating consequences of choices that affect body temperature. Body size also influences metabolic rate, and body size in spiders is strongly impacted by feeding and reproductive condition. Using adult female crab spiders, Misumenoides formosipes Walckenaer 1837 and Mecaphesa asperata (Hentz 1847) (formerly Misumenops asperatus) acclimated to field ambient conditions, I measured standard metabolic rates (SMR) over an ecologically relevant temperature range (10–40° C). I controlled hunger and reproductive condition of M. formosipes using starved (25 days post-feeding) or fed (7 days post-feeding) spiders, and virgin or mated spiders; in experiments with M. asperata, I used fed spiders of unknown reproductive status. Temperature strongly affected crab spider SMR, and both species showed similar temperature-SMR relationships. Mecaphesa asperata displayed equivalent temperature coefficients (Q10s – the factor by which a physiologic process changes with temperature) for SMR across the experimental temperature range, while M. formosipes had significantly higher Q10 at low temperature than at mid-range or high temperature; Q10s of the two species reflected previously determined impacts of temperature on hunting performance. Influence of hunger-reproductive condition on SMR of M. formosipes depended on how I accounted for body size; regardless of method, gravid spiders did not show elevated metabolic rate. Lastly, I combined crab spider SMR data with published SMR data to generate mass-metabolism equations for spiders; mass-scaling exponents approximated 0.67.
Rabies Surveillance Identifies Potential Risk Corridors and Enables Management Evaluation

Intensive efforts are being made to eliminate the raccoon variant of rabies virus (RABV) from the eastern United States and Canada. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services National Rabies Management Program has implemented enhanced rabies surveillance (ERS) to improve case detection across the extent of the raccoon oral rabies vaccination (ORV) management area. We evaluated ERS and public health surveillance data from 2006 to 2017 in three northeastern USA states using a dynamic occupancy modeling approach. Our objectives were to examine potential risk corridors for RABV incursion from the U.S. into Canada, evaluate the effectiveness of ORV management strategies, and identify surveillance gaps. ORV management has resulted in a decrease in RABV cases over time within vaccination zones (from occupancy (ψ¯) of 0.60 standard error (SE) = 0.03 in the spring of 2006 to ψ¯ of 0.33 SE = 0.10 in the spring 2017). RABV cases also reduced in the enzootic area (from ψ¯ of 0.60 SE = 0.03 in the spring of 2006 to ψ¯ of 0.45 SE = 0.05 in the spring 2017). Although RABV occurrence was related to habitat type, greater impacts were associated with ORV and trap–vaccinate–release (TVR) campaigns, in addition to seasonal and yearly trends. Reductions in RABV occupancy were more pronounced in areas treated with Ontario Rabies Vaccine Bait (ONRAB) compared to RABORAL V-RG®. Our approach tracked changes in RABV occurrence across space and time, identified risk corridors for potential incursions into Canada, and highlighted surveillance gaps, while evaluating the impacts of management actions. Using this approach, we are able to provide guidance for future RABV management.
Differences between congenital-syphilis presenting as sepsis and neonatal sepsis

Abstract Congenital syphilis (CS) can cause serious impact on the fetus. However, congenital syphilis presenting as sepsis is a critical condition but hardly identified by the clinic for the first time. In this study, we aimed to identify the benefit of earlier and accurate diagnosis for the infants who suffer congenital syphilis presenting as sepsis. A retrospective study was performed with patients diagnosed of congenital syphilis presenting as sepsis who were the inpatients in the West China Second Hospital between 2011 and 2018. The control group was collected in the neonatal sepsis patients whose blood culture are positive. Fifty-eight patients were included in the study. In the congenital syphilis group, one patient died and 12 (41.3%) patients get worse to MODS (multiple organ dysfunction syndrome). Symptoms, signs, and lab examinations are found to be significantly different (P < .05) between two groups as below, including rash, palmoplantar desquamation, abdominal distension, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, etc. And, at the aspect of Hb, PLT, WBC, CRP, ALT, AST, these differences occurred in the different groups. It is obvious that the prognosis of children with syphilis is worse. According to a comparison between the different outcomes in the CS, the worse outcome subgroup of patients is significantly younger and have more severely impaired liver function. Because of the high mortality of these infants, pediatricians should improve awareness of CS. Syphilis screening is recommended for pregnant women.
mTERF8, a Member of the Mitochondrial Transcription Termination Factor Family, Is Involved in the Transcription Termination of Chloroplast Gene psbJ1[OPEN]

mTERF8 functions as a transcription terminator of chloroplast gene psbJ in Arabidopsis. Members of the mitochondrial transcription terminator factor (mTERF) family, originally identified in vertebrate mitochondria, are involved in the termination of organellular transcription. In plants, mTERF proteins are mainly localized in chloroplasts and mitochondria. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), mTERF8/pTAC15 was identified in the plastid-encoded RNA polymerase (PEP) complex, the major RNA polymerase of chloroplasts. In this work, we demonstrate that mTERF8 is associated with the PEP complex. An mTERF8 knockout line displayed a wild-type–like phenotype under standard growth conditions, but showed impaired efficiency of photosystem II electron flow. Transcription of most chloroplast genes was not substantially affected in the mterf8 mutant; however, the level of the psbJ transcript from the psbEFLJ polycistron was increased. RNA blot analysis showed that a larger transcript accumulates in mterf8 than in the wild type. Thus, abnormal transcription and/or RNA processing occur for the psbEFLJ polycistron. Circular reverse transcription PCR and sequence analysis showed that the psbJ transcript terminates 95 nucleotides downstream of the translation stop codon in the wild type, whereas its termination is aberrant in mterf8. Both electrophoresis mobility shift assays and chloroplast chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that mTERF8 specifically binds to the 3′ terminal region of psbJ. Transcription analysis using the in vitro T7 RNA polymerase system showed that mTERF8 terminates psbJ transcription. Together, these results suggest that mTERF8 is specifically involved in the transcription termination of the chloroplast gene psbJ.
Tensile Strength of Novel Nonabsorbable PTFE (Teflon®) versus Other Suture Materials: An In Vitro Study

Objective To compare the in vitro tensile strength of sutures used in implant surgery according to the type of thread and the immersion time in artificial saliva. Methods For the development of the study, three suture materials were used: polyglactin 910 (PG), black silk (BS), and Teflon (PTFE) 4-0; 150 samples were used, which were divided among each type of suture and then subdivided into five groups of 10 according to the various immersion times (baseline, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days) in artificial saliva. A universal test machine was used to measure the tensile strength at a speed of 25 cm/min, stretch each sample until the material fails, and record the maximum strength in Newtons (N). Finally, the failure point of the samples was evaluated at 10× increase using a stereromicroscope (Leica Biosystems). Results When analyzing the tensile strength of the various groups of sutures, it was evidenced that PG maintained its strength, which was lowest at baseline and highest at 21 days. When performing the statistical inference of PG and PTFE, it was found that the force necessary to achieve detachment was not statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, it was shown that the force necessary to achieve rupture in the BS group was statistically significant (p=0.001). Conclusion To sum up, when comparing the in vitro tensile strength of PG, BS, and PTFE sutures at baseline and 3, 7, 14, and 21 days, there was no statistically significant difference. This indicates that all sutures used present sufficient performance that remains resistant as time progresses.
Corneal melting in a case undergoing treatment with pembrolizumab

Checkpoint inhibitors have recently achieved many promising outcomes in cancer treatment. These are monoclonal antibodies targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed death protein 1 (PD-1), and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) to block innate inhibitory processes, leading to the activation of specific antitumour T-cell response. Although there is an increasing list of indications for pembrolizumab, a humanised monoclonal antibody against immune checkpoint programmed death 1 receptor, it is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic thymic epithelial tumour. A phase II trial for the treatment of refractory thymic epithelial tumour has been conducted and paradoxical adverse events relating to cancer treatment with checkpoint inhibitors are becoming more well-known. The ocular immune-related adverse events secondary to checkpoint inhibitors occur in approximately one per cent of patients, typically within weeks to months of starting therapy. In Dalvin et al.’s literature review, ophthalmic side effects most frequently manifest as dry eye (1–24 per cent) and uveitis (one per cent). Nguyen et al. reported a case of severe dry eye associated with systemic nivolumab therapy, with progression to corneal perforation. To the best of the authors knowledge, this is the first case report of bilateral corneal melting in a patient undergoing pembrolizumab therapy.
Predicting Three-Dimensional Ground Reaction Forces in Running by Using Artificial Neural Networks and Lower Body Kinematics

This study explored the use of artificial neural networks in the estimation of runners’ kinetics from lower body kinematics. Three supervised feed-forward artificial neural networks with one hidden layer each were modelled and assigned individually with the mapping of a single force component. Number of training epochs, batch size and dropout rate were treated as modelling hyper-parameters and their values were optimised with a grid search. A public data set of twenty-eight professional athletes containing running trails of different speeds (2.5 m/sec, 3.5 m/sec and 4.5 m/sec) was employed to train and validate the networks. Movements of the lower limbs were captured with twelve motion capture cameras and an instrumented dual-belt treadmill. The acceleration of the shanks was fed to the artificial neural networks and the estimated forces were compared to the kinetic recordings of the instrumented treadmill. Root mean square error was used to evaluate the performance of the models. Predictions were accompanied with low errors: 0.134 BW for the vertical, 0.041 BW for the anteroposterior and 0.042 BW for the mediolateral component of the force. Vertical and anteroposterior estimates were independent of running speed (p=0.233 and p=.058, respectively), while mediolateral results were significantly more accurate for low running speeds (p=0.010). The maximum force mean error between measured and estimated values was found during the vertical active peak (0.114 ± 0.088 BW). Findings indicate that artificial neural networks in conjunction with accelerometry may be used to compute three-dimensional ground reaction forces in running.