Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microcomputed Tomographic Assessment of the Single Cone Root Canal Fillings Performed by Undergraduate Student, Postgraduate Student and Specialist Endodontist

The present study evaluated the obturation quality of root canals filled with BioRoot RCS sealer and single gutta-percha point by undergraduate student (US), postgraduate student (PS) and endodontist (ED). Twenty-one plastic models of upper premolars were enlarged with HyFlex EDM instruments to a size 40/0.04 taper and randomly divided into three groups (7 teeth/14 canals per group): US, PS and ED. After the obturation of root canals with BioRoot RCS and one HyFlex EDM size 40 gutta-percha point, plastic models were scanned using micro-computed tomography scanner (µCT) SkyScan 1272 at isotropic resolution of 10 µm. The porosity distribution was evaluated separately for the apical, middle and coronal thirds. The Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney, Friedman and Wilcoxon tests with the significance level set at 5% were used for data analysis. The µCT evaluation revealed open pores being the dominant type of porosity in all experimental groups and root canal thirds, with the highest percentage of pores in the apical third of root canal fillings. The quality and homogeneity of single cone root canals fillings remained similar between the groups in the apical and middle thirds (p > 0.05). Significant differences were observed only in the coronal third (p < 0.05).
Potential of Using Wood Biomass Ash in Low-Strength Composites

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels is the cornerstone of all European climate and energy strategies. Consequently, renewable energy sources are becoming more competitive with fossil fuels. The largest source of bioenergy in the European Union is biomass-fired power plants. Therefore, the European coal phase-out strategy led to an increased use of wood biomass as a sustainable fuel, generating large amounts of wood biomass ash (WBA). In the research studies reported so far, WBA has been mainly used in cementitious composites. However, given the similarities between the chemical composition of WBA and hydraulic lime (HL), this research focused on its potential classification as a building lime. Overall, three different sources of fly WBA were considered for the preparation of binders as mixtures of WBA and coal fly ash (CFA) in different ratios. The contribution of each binder mixture on the paste and mortar properties was analyzed based on the chemical composition, setting time, volume stability, and contribution to the mortar strength (compressive and flexural). In general, it can be concluded that the studied binders can meet the criteria of EN 459-1. However, special attention should be paid to the volume deformations and the setting time.
Genetic Variation in the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGFA) Gene at rs13207351 Is Associated with Overall Survival of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

Simple Summary Angiogenesis and apoptosis play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and clinical course not only of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), but also of other subgroups of head and neck cancer (HNC), such as laryngeal cancer. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of genetic polymorphisms in four pivotal angiogenesis- and apoptosis-related genes (VEGFA, FAS, EDNRA and NBS1) in HNC patients. Thirty-four genetic variants located in the studied genes were assessed. Two of them (VEGFA rs13207351 and FAS rs2234768) were associated with overall survival for patients with laryngeal cancer and NPC, respectively, with VEGFA rs13207351 showing the most promise for its prognostic value in the subgroup of laryngeal cancer patients. This study suggests that genetic variations in angiogenesis- and apoptosis-related genes may be useful in the management of HNC patients. Abstract Head and neck cancer (HNC) is a significantly heterogeneous disease and includes malignancies arising from different anatomical sites, such as nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) and laryngeal cancer (LC). In the current study, polymorphisms located in angiogenesis- and apoptosis-related genes (VEGFA, FAS, EDNRA and NBS1) were evaluated regarding their clinical significance in HNC patients. In total, 333 HNC patients were enrolled in this study and 34 variants located on the aforementioned genes were genotyped via Sanger sequencing. LC patients, homozygous A for VEGFA rs13207351, had shorter overall survival (OS) as opposed to homozygous G (Hazard ratio (HR) = 2.06, Wald’s p = 0.017) upon adjustment for age, disease stage, and surgery. Following the dominant model, LC patients carrying the A allele had a marginally significantly higher risk for death (HR = 1.72, p = 0.059). NPC patients heterozygous (CT) for FAS rs2234768 had a marginal but significantly higher risk of death compared to those with homozygosity for the T allele (HR = 2.22, p = 0.056). In conclusion, rs13207351 (VEGFA) and rs2234768 (FAS) polymorphisms seem to have prognostic significance in HNC, with VEGFA rs13207351 showing the most promise in this subgroup of LC patients.
Highly Norbornylated Cellulose and Its “Click” Modification by an Inverse-Electron Demand Diels–Alder (iEDDA) Reaction

A facile, catalyst-free synthesis of a norbornylated cellulosic material (NC) with a high degree of substitution (2.9) is presented by direct reaction of trimethylsilyl cellulose with norbornene acid chloride. The resulting NC is highly soluble in organic solvents and its reactive double bonds were exploited for the copper-free inverse-electron demand Diels–Alder (iEDDA) “click” reaction with 3,6-di(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine. Reaction kinetics are comparable to the well-known Huisgen type 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azide with alkynes, while avoiding toxic catalysts.
LncRNA ILF3-AS1 Promotes the Progression of Colon Adenocarcinoma Cells Through the miR-619-5p/CAMK1D Axis

Introduction Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is the third most common tumor of the digestive tract. Recent studies reported that lncRNA’s abnormal expression might play a vital role in the occurrence and development of COAD. Methods In the present study, we investigated the expression of ILF3-AS1 in COAD cell lines, human normal colon epithelial cell line, patient tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were transfected into COAD cells to inhibit the expression of ILF3-AS1. The effects of ILF3-AS1 on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were measured by CCK-8 assay, transwell migration and invasion assay, and flow cytometry apoptosis assay, respectively. The direct binding of ILF3-AS1 and miR-619-5p/CAMK1D was validated by the luciferase reporter assay. The expression of CAMK1D and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT)-related proteins was detected by Western Blot analysis. Besides, in vivo experiments were conducted to demonstrate the oncogenic role of ILF3-AS1 in COAD. Results The results showed that the expression of ILF3-AS1 was significantly higher in COAD tissue than in normal adjacent samples, and this conclusion was confirmed in the available public datasets. After ILF3-AS1 knockdown, the proliferation of COAD cell lines SW480 and HT29 was significantly inhibited. At the same time, the apoptosis was increased, and the invasion and migration abilities were decreased. After further exploring the mechanisms, we found that ILF3-AS1 serves as a competitive endogenous RNA of mir-619-5p. It can bind to mir-619-5p and reduce its expression, thus regulating the target gene CAMK1D. In addition, we found that high expression of ILF3-AS1 was significantly associated with tumor grade, tumor size, and distant metastasis in COAD samples. In vivo experiments confirmed that ILF3-AS1 promotes tumor growth in COAD models. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that ILF3-AS1 plays an oncogenic role in COAD through regulating the miR-619-5p/CAMK1D axis, and inhibition of ILF3-AS1 may pave the way for COAD treatment.
Ilio-femoral venous thrombosis with hereditary antithrombin deficiency: a case report of rare thrombotic disease and successful treatment with catheter directed thrombolysis

Abstract Background Hereditary antithrombin (AT) deficiency is an uncommon autosomal dominant thrombogenic disorder, which can cause venous thromboembolism (VTE). Although conservative treatment options for hereditary AT deficiency-associated VTE such as anticoagulation (warfarin, direct oral anticoagulant, or heparin), intravenous thrombolysis, and recombinant AT are well known, interventional treatment options have not been reported so far. Case summary A 19-year-old man with a family history of thrombogenic diseases, referred to our hospital with left leg pain, was diagnosed with AT deficiency-associated VTE. In the absence of symptomatic relief with intravenous thrombolysis and anticoagulation, he received venous intervention and catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) for 4 days for left iliac venous thrombosis. Following a second venous intervention, venous thrombus disappeared almost entirely on cross-sectional imaging, and his symptoms improved. He was discharged on apixaban and has been recurrence-free for one and a half years. Discussion This case presents CDT and maintenance therapy with apixaban as possible treatment options for VTE in patients with hereditary AT deficiency, especially following failure of conservative therapy. Individual risks and benefits should be considered when CDT is performed for acute VTE in patients with AT deficiency.
Fighting Drug Resistance through the Targeting of Drug-Tolerant Persister Cells

Simple Summary A major obstacle in the fight against cancer is the development of drug resistance in response to therapy. Development of resistance can be facilitated by a small population of drug-tolerant cancer cells characterized by an increasead capacity of adaptation to various stresses. Here, we describe features and vulnerabilities of these drug-tolerant persister cells that can be exploited to prevent the development of drug resistance. Abstract Designing specific therapies for drug-resistant cancers is arguably the ultimate challenge in cancer therapy. While much emphasis has been put on the study of genetic alterations that give rise to drug resistance, much less is known about the non-genetic adaptation mechanisms that operate during the early stages of drug resistance development. Drug-tolerant persister cells have been suggested to be key players in this process. These cells are thought to have undergone non-genetic adaptations that enable survival in the presence of a drug, from which full-blown resistant cells may emerge. Such initial adaptations often involve engagement of stress response programs to maintain cancer cell viability. In this review, we discuss the nature of drug-tolerant cancer phenotypes, as well as the non-genetic adaptations involved. We also discuss how malignant cells employ homeostatic stress response pathways to mitigate the intrinsic costs of such adaptations. Lastly, we discuss which vulnerabilities are introduced by these adaptations and how these might be exploited therapeutically.
Current Understanding of the Involvement of the Insular Cortex in Neuropathic Pain: A Narrative Review

Neuropathic pain is difficult to cure and is often accompanied by emotional and psychological changes. Exploring the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain will help to identify a better treatment for this condition. The insular cortex is an important information integration center. Numerous imaging studies have documented increased activity of the insular cortex in the presence of neuropathic pain; however, the specific role of this region remains controversial. Early studies suggested that the insular lobe is mainly involved in the processing of the emotional motivation dimension of pain. However, increasing evidence suggests that the role of the insular cortex is more complex and may even be related to the neural plasticity, cognitive evaluation, and psychosocial aspects of neuropathic pain. These effects contribute not only to the development of neuropathic pain, but also to its comorbidity with neuropsychiatric diseases. In this review, we summarize the changes that occur in the insular cortex in the presence of neuropathic pain and analgesia, as well as the molecular mechanisms that may underlie these conditions. We also discuss potential sex-based differences in these processes. Further exploration of the involvement of the insular lobe will contribute to the development of new pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatments for neuropathic pain.
The Current Landscape of Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Metastatic Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In addition to surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy, immunotherapy has emerged as a standard pillar of cancer treatment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as targeting programmed death-1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) have been integrated into standard-of-care regimens for patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), who were previously limited by the lack of treatment options. Atezolizumab, durvalumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab are all currently used as part of standard-of-care treatment for different stages of lung cancer. Recent successes and failures of immune checkpoint blockade-based combination therapies have provided significant insights into implementing combination strategies in LUSC. Therefore, there is an urgent need to correctly select patients who are more likely to respond to immunotherapy and understand the mechanisms of primary or acquired resistance. In this review, we aim at summarizing the emerging clinical data on the promise and challenge of ICIs, discussing the unmet need of potential biomarkers for predicting response or resistance to immunotherapy, and providing an overview of the current immune landscape and future directions in advanced LUSC.
MEASUREMENT OF GAS HOLD-UP PROFILES BY GAMMA RAY TOMOGRAPHY: Effect of Sparger Design and Height of Dispersion in Bubble Columns

Radial variation of the gas hold-up was investigated in 0.385m i.d. bubble column using gamma ray tomography. Radial profiles were measured at three axial locations ( H D /D= 0.259, 3 and 5 ). In all the experiments water was liquid phase and air was gas phase. Superficial gas velocity was varied from 0.06 to 0.3ms −1 . Perforated plates were used as spargers. The free area of sparger plates ( FA ) and the hole diameter ( d 0 ) were varied in the range of 0.135 to 5.4% and 0.8 to 87mm respectively. The hold-up profiles were found to depend strongly on the sparger design, at least near the sparger. Further, the height of dispersion was found to influence the hold-up profiles near the sparger. All the results have been correlated on the basis of drift flux model and parabolic holdup profile.
Endostatin and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A165b May Contribute to Classification of Pulmonary Hypertension

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by dysregulation of small pulmonary arteries. In addition to endostatin (ES), placenta growth factor (PlGF), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), and the anti-angiogenesis isoform of VEGF-A (VEGF-A165b) are associated with PH. However, the usefulness of these biomarkers in PH in unknown. We investigated whether these 4 biomarkers are related to PH classification. Methods and Results: Between July 2015 and August 2017, 33 control patients and 107 PH patients were enrolled in the study. Among the PH patients, 48 had pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), 5 had left heart disease-associated PH (LHD-PH), 4 had lung disease-associated PH (LD-PH), and 50 had chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH). Among the PAH patients, 16 had idiopathic PAH (IPAH) and 17 had connective tissue disease-associated PAH (CTD-PAH). PlGF, total VEGF-A, and VEGF-A165b levels were measured in the control and PH groups. ES was only measured in the PH group. VEGF-A165b levels were significantly higher in the LD-PH group than in the PAH, LHD-PH, and CTEPH groups (all P<0.001). PlGF levels were significantly higher in the CTD-PAH group than in the IPAH and control groups. ES levels were significantly correlated with the 6-min walk distance (P<0.001), B-type natriuretic peptide (P<0.001), and pulmonary vascular resistance (P=0.008). Conclusions: ES could detect CTD-PAH in PAH and may be an indicator of PH severity. VEGF-A165b was useful in detecting LD-PH.
A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Immediate Loading and Delayed Loading of Single-Tooth Implants: 5-Year Results

The aim of this prospective randomized clinical study was to compare the clinical treatment outcome for single dental implants submitted to either immediate loading (IL) or delayed loading (DL) after 5 years of follow-up. Fifty patients with a missing maxillary tooth (15–25) were randomly allocated to either the IL or DL. The treatment procedures included implant installation in healed sites, temporary screw-retained crown and replacement with a permanent single implant crown. The two groups were evaluated with regard to implant survival, marginal bone level, papillae index, pink and white esthetic score (PES, WES). At the 5-year follow-up the implant survival rate was 100% and 95.8% for IL and DL, respectively. Implant success rate was 91.7% and 83.3% for IL and DL, respectively. The mean ± SD marginal bone loss for IL and DL was −0.50 ± 0.73 mm and −0.54 ± 0.65 mm, respectively. (p = 0.782). Statistically significant less marginal bone loss was found non-smokers (p = 0.021). No statistically significant differences were found for IL and DL concerning papillae index PES and WES after 5 years. This study suggests that implant-supported single crowns in the maxillary aesthetic zone can present similar results with respect to either IL or DL after 5 years.
Quali–Quantitative Characterization of Volatile and Non-Volatile Compounds in Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl.) Marchand Resin by GC–MS Validated Method, GC–FID and HPLC–HRMS2

Protium heptaphyllum (Aubl.) Marchand (PH) trees are endemic to the tropical region of South America, mostly Brazil. Antibacterial, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, antidepressant and anti-hyperlipidemic/anti-hypercholesterolemic effects were reported for its resinous exudate Protium heptaphyllum resin (PHR). This work aims to provide a qualitative and quantitative consistent chemical profiling of the major constituents of this resin and two extracts enriched in acid (acidic triterpene concentrated extract, ATCE) and neutral triterpenes (α and β-amyrin concentrated extract, AMCE). GC–MS/GC–FID was used for volatile terpene fraction, a validated GC–MS method was developed for quantification of neutral α and β-amyrin and HPLC–APCI HRMS2 was used for acidic triterpenes analysis. The chemical investigation reported 29 molecules, including 14 volatile terpenes, 6 neutral triterpenes and 11 acid triterpenes. The most abundant compounds were α-amyrin (251.28 g kg−1, 123.98 g kg−1 and 556.82 g kg−1 in PHR, ATCE and AMCE, respectively), β-amyrin (172.66 g kg−1, 95.39 g kg−1 and 385.58 g kg−1 in PHR, ATCE and AMCE, respectively), 3-oxo-tirucalla-7,24-dien-21-oic acid (80.64 g kg−1, 157.10 g kg−1 and 15.31 g kg−1 in PHR, ATCE and AMCE, respectively) and 3α-hydroxy-tirucalla-8,24-dien-21-oic acid (77.71 g kg−1, 130.40 g kg−1 and 11.64 g kg−1 in PHR, ATCE and AMCE, respectively). Results showed specific enrichment of acidic and neutral triterpenoids in the two respective extracts.
Urgent Vitrectomy with Vancomycin Infusion, Silicone Oil Endotamponade, and General Antibiotic Treatment in Multiple Cases of Endophthalmitis from a Single Day of Intravitreal Injections—Case Series

The aim of this study was to report on the anatomical and functional results of surgical management of seven cases of endophthalmitis related to a single day of intravitreal aflibercept injections. Patients with signs of endophthalmitis who underwent aflibercept injections (seven eyes) performed on the same day were retrospectively evaluated. The data of visual acuity and optical coherence tomography (OCT) within nine months of the follow-up and the treatment and results of microbiological cultures are reported. Four of the total seven cases had a positive bacterial culture outcome (Streptococcus mitis). All patients underwent vitrectomy combined with phacoemulsification when the eyes were not pseudophakic, vancomycin infusion, and silicone oil tamponade within 24 h; additionally, systemic antibiotics were administered intravenously. The final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after the treatment was finger counting or light perception in all cases, and all eyes were saved with disruption of the inner retinal layers and stabilization of the retina in regard to changes related to the wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although the retinal anatomy was mostly preserved, most of the patients affected by Streptococcus mitis-induced endophthalmitis did not regain baseline vision after the therapy.
In situ short-term dynamics of CO2 flux and microbial biomass after simulated rainfall in dry croplands in four tropical and continental ecosystems

Abstract The wet–dry cycles of soil primarily drive carbon (C) dynamics in dry croplands that mainly experience sporadic rainfall events. We evaluated the in situ short-term (hourly) dynamics of soil carbon dioxide (CO2) efflux and microbial biomass, to compare the significance of a single rainfall event with/without C substrate to reveal the effects of a single rainfall on the soil C dynamics in clayey dry croplands in four different climates and ecosystems. The experiments were conducted on four clayey dry croplands as follows: Thailand (TH) and Tanzania (TZ) in tropical climates, and Kazakhstan (KZ) and Hungary (HG) in continental climates. Hourly measurements of soil CO2 efflux, in situ microbial biomass (MB) and in situ microbial activity (qCO2) were conducted after the application of simulated rainfall (W plots) and rainfall/glucose (WG plots) treatments. We also evaluated the easily mineralizable carbon (EMC) by incubation. The rainfall treatment caused an increase in the qCO2 but not in MB, causing a clear but short C flush in all W plots (10–37 h), while the WG treatment caused an increase both of qCO2 and MB, resulting in substantially longer and larger C flush in the WG plots (ca. 100 h). The ratio of the cumulative soil CO2 flux caused by rainfall treatment to EMC was larger in TH-W and TZ-W plots (8.2 and 4.9%, respectively) than in the KZ-W and HG-W plots (2.9 and 1.1%, respectively). In addition, applied glucose was more heavily mineralized in the TH-WG and TZ-WG plots (15.0 and 9.7%, respectively) than in the KZ-WG and HG-WG plots (6.4 and 3.4%, respectively), because of the different MB increment patterns for the first 24 h, i.e., immediate and large MB increments in TH and TZ, but not in KZ and HG. These results reveal a possible mechanism that causes the rapid decomposition of soil organic carbon and applied organic matter in the dry tropical cropland.