Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral health-related quality of life in patients with implant treatment

PURPOSE Patient-reported outcomes are increasingly commonly used as a method of evaluating treatments. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate implant treatment from the perspective of patient-reported outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects were 804 patients who visited the Department of Oral Implantology at Osaka Dental University. The participants were categorized into a pre-implant group and a post-implant group. They were further categorized into five subgroups based on the number of occlusal supports provided by the remaining teeth according to the Eichner classification. The participants answered a basic questionnaire and the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire, an oral health-related quality of life (QOL) scale. GOHAI scores were compared according to the number of occlusal supports within each group and between the two groups. RESULTS The results revealed a significant difference in terms of the number of occlusal supports within the pre-implant group; GOHAI scores decreased as the number of occlusal supports decreased (P<.001). However, no significant difference was observed in GOHAI scores in terms of the number of occlusal supports in the post-implant group (P>.05). GOHAI scores significantly improved in both pre- and post-implant groups in all occlusal support subgroups (P<.001). CONCLUSION GOHAI scores decrease as occlusal support is lost. However, implant treatment performed in areas of loss improves the GOHAI score when occlusal support is restored.
Glutathione transport: a new role for PfCRT in chloroquine resistance.

AIMS Chloroquine (CQ) kills Plasmodium falciparum by binding heme, preventing its detoxification to hemozoin in the digestive vacuole (DV) of the parasite. CQ resistance (CQR) is associated with mutations in the DV membrane protein P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT), mediating the leakage of CQ from the DV. However, additional factors are thought to contribute to the resistance phenotype. This study tested the hypothesis that there is a link between glutathione (GSH) and CQR. RESULTS Using isogenic parasite lines carrying wild-type or mutant pfcrt, we reveal lower levels of GSH in the mutant lines and enhanced sensitivity to the GSH synthesis inhibitor l-buthionine sulfoximine, without any alteration in cytosolic de novo GSH synthesis. Incubation with N-acetylcysteine resulted in increased GSH levels in all parasites, but only reduced susceptibility to CQ in PfCRT mutant-expressing lines. In support of a heme destruction mechanism involving GSH in CQR parasites, we also found lower hemozoin levels and reduced CQ binding in the CQR PfCRT-mutant lines. We further demonstrate via expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes that the mutant alleles of Pfcrt in CQR parasites selectively transport GSH. INNOVATION We propose a mechanism whereby mutant pfcrt allows enhanced transport of GSH into the parasite's DV. The elevated levels of GSH in the DV reduce the level of free heme available for CQ binding, which mediates the lower susceptibility to CQ in the PfCRT mutant parasites. CONCLUSION PfCRT has a dual role in CQR, facilitating both efflux of harmful CQ from the DV and influx of beneficial GSH into the DV.
FACEHBI: A Prospective Study of Risk Factors, Biomarkers and Cognition in a Cohort of Individuals with Subjective Cognitive Decline. Study Rationale and Research Protocols.

BACKGROUND Long-term longitudinal studies with multimodal biomarkers are needed to delve into the knowledge of preclinical AD. Subjective cognitive decline has been proposed as a risk factor for the development of cognitive impairment. Thus, including individuals with SCD in observational studies may be a cost-effective strategy to increase the prevalence of preclinical AD in the sample. OBJECTIVES To describe the rationale, research protocols and baseline characteristics of participants in the Fundació ACE Healthy Brain Initiative (FACEHBI). DESIGN FACEHBI is a clinical trial (EudraCT: 2014-000798-38) embedded within a long-term observational study of individuals with SCD. SETTING Participants have been recruited at the memory clinic of Fundació ACE (Barcelona) from two different sources: patients referred by a general practitioner and individuals from an Open House Initiative. PARTICIPANTS 200 individuals diagnosed with SCD with a strictly normal performance in a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. MEASUREMENTS Individuals will undergo an extensive neuropsychological protocol, risk factor assessment and a set of multimodal biomarkers including florbetaben PET, structural and functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, determination of amyloid species in plasma and neurophthalmologic assessment with optical coherence tomography. RESULTS Two hundred individuals have been recruited in 15 months. Mean age was 65.9 years; mean MMSE was 29.2 with a mean of 14.8 years of education. CONCLUSIONS FACEHBI is a long-term study of cognition, biomarkers and lifestyle that has been designed upon an innovative symptom-based approach using SCD as target population. It will shed light on the pathophysiology of preclinical AD and the role of SCD as a risk marker for the development of cognitive impairment.
The vascular effects of L-Arginine in humans. The role of endogenous insulin.

This study aimed at evaluating whether increased availability of the natural precursor of nitric oxide, L-arginine, could influence systemic hemodynamic and rheologic parameters in humans and whether the effects of L-arginine are mediated by endogenous insulin. 10 healthy young subjects participated in the following studies: study I, infusion of L-arginine (1 g/min for 30 min); study II, infusion of L-arginine plus octreotide (25 microg as i.v. bolus + 0.5 microg/min) to block endogenous insulin and glucagon secretion, plus replacement of basal insulin and glucagon; study III, infusion of L-arginine plus octreotide plus basal glucagon plus an insulin infusion designed to mimic the insulin response of study I. L-Arginine infusion significantly reduced systolic (11+/-3, mean+/-SE) and diastolic (8+/-2 mmHg, P < 0.001) blood pressure, platelet aggregation (20+/-4%), and blood viscosity (1.6+/-0.2 centipois, P < 0.01), and increased leg blood flow (97+/-16 ml/min), heart rate, and plasma catecholamine levels (P < 0.01). In study II, plasma insulin levels remained suppressed at baseline; in this condition, the vascular responses to L-arginine were significantly reduced, except for plasma catecholamines which did not change significantly. In study III, the plasma insulin response to L-arginine was reestablished; this was associated with hemodynamic and rheologic changes following L-arginine not significantly different from those recorded in study I. These findings show that systemic infusion of L-arginine in healthy subjects induces vasodilation and inhibits platelet aggregation and blood viscosity. These effects are mediated, in part, by endogenous released insulin.
Mobile technology in rural hospitals: the case of the CT scanner.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluates the relationship between hospital and regional characteristics and the prevalence of mobile computed tomography in rural hospitals. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING Primary data were gathered from all rural hospitals in eight northwestern states (n = 471) in 1991. Secondary data sources include the AHA Annual Survey, the Area Resource File, and HCFA's PPS data sets for 1987-1990. STUDY DESIGN Primary data are a single observation taken in the summer of 1991. Key hospital characteristics include patient volume, distance to the nearest referral center, distance to the nearest hospital, financial performance, and medical staff size. Key regional variables include beds per unit area, hospitals per unit area, and physician supply. DATA COLLECTION A structured telephone interview was conducted with the hospital administrator at each hospital. For many hospitals, detailed information was gathered with additional calls to hospital personnel. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Where hospitals are closely spaced, mobile CT suppliers are more readily available, and hospitals are more likely to choose mobile CT than in areas where hospitals are farther apart. Hospitals may realize economies of scale and scope in their decisions about CT adoption. CONCLUSIONS Transportation costs are an important determinant of hospital decisions about acquiring CT, but may be less important for higher-priced medical technologies. There is no support for the proposition that rural hospitals compete with referral centers for patients by purchasing technological equipment.
Dealing with heterogeneous populations in randomized wound trials: Challenges and potential solutions

Chronic wounds have a great variety of etiologies and manifestations that influence wound healing. Such heterogeneity potentially threatens the validity and clinical usefulness of trials if not considered appropriately. In 82 randomized wound trials retrieved from 10 Cochrane reviews, we assessed if and how authors considered wound and other prognostically important characteristics in the conduct and analysis of wound trials. We assessed whether these characteristics were discussed, reflected in the eligibility criteria, used for prestratification or for adjustments to ensure comparability of treatment groups, and whether subgroup analyses were conducted to identify heterogeneity of treatment effects. Nine percent of all trials explicitly discussed characteristics that influence wound healing in the introduction and 43% in the Discussion section. Ninety percent of trials had at least one prognostically important characteristic as eligibility criterion. Only 11% of trials used prestratification, and 6% adjusted the results for imbalances between treatment groups. Twenty‐seven percent performed subgroup analyses with prognostically important characteristics defining subgroups. Chronic wound trials use simple randomization, but rarely adapt the study design and analysis to take the heterogeneity of patients into consideration. Collaborative multicenter trials would overcome many of the limitations and provide statistical power to detect important treatment effects both overall and in subgroups.
Strengthening participation by young women sex workers in HIV programs: reflections on a study from Bangkok, Thailand

Background Participation is an accepted means of increasing the effectiveness of public health programs, and as such, it is considered an important component of HIV interventions targeting at-risk youth. The situation of young women sex workers in Thailand is alarming on many fronts, including that of HIV risk. As a result, HIV programs in Thailand are the key interventions undertaken in relation to young women sex workers’ health. A small-scale study used semistructured interviews to explore the participation reports of five young women sex workers, as well as the related views of two community support workers, who lived and worked in Bangkok, Thailand. Discussion This study is considered in the light of current research on – as well as new opportunities and challenges offered for – participation by vulnerable groups in the context of digital society. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified barriers to participation, including the illegality of sex work, fear, and lack of trust of the authorities, as well as widespread social stigma. Such barriers resulted in young women seeking anonymity. Yet, promisingly, young women positioned themselves as experts; they are involved in peer education and are supportive of greater involvement in HIV programs, such as further educational initiatives and collective actions. Conclusion There is a need for a more empowerment-oriented participation practice positioning young women sex workers as expert educators and codecision makers within a model of participation that is also accountable, such as including young women as members of program boards. Beyond current norms, there are new opportunities emerging because of the increasing availability of smartphone/Internet technology. These can support activist and codesign participation by young women sex workers in HIV programs. However, any developments in participation must maximize opportunities carefully, taking into consideration the difficult social environment faced by young women sex workers as well as the need for strategies to address illegality and stigma.
Improved medium for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Haemophilus influenzae

The need for complex growth media has complicated routine susceptibility testing of Haemophilus influenzae because of antagonism of certain antimicrobial agents by the medium or because of difficulties in interpretation of growth endpoints. Haemophilus test medium (HTM) is a simple, transparent medium for broth- or agar-based tests with H. influenzae. HTM incorporates Mueller-Hinton medium with additions of 15 micrograms of hematin per ml, 15 micrograms of NAD per ml, and 5 mg of yeast extract per ml as growth-promoting additives. Agar or broth microdilution MICs of 10 antimicrobial agents for a collection of 179 H. influenzae isolates determined by using HTM compared favorably with MICs determined by the conventional agar or broth dilution methods recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Disk diffusion tests performed with HTM allowed accurate categorization of susceptible and resistant strains and were easier to interpret than tests performed with Mueller-Hinton chocolate agar. A particular advantage of HTM was the reliability of broth- or agar-based test results with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The results of the study suggest modification of current National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards MIC-interpretive criteria for H. influenzae with amoxicillin-clavulanate, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Error rate-bounded analysis of MICs and disk diffusion zone sizes also suggest modified zone-interpretive criteria for ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline with HTM or conventional media. Interpretive zone sizes are newly proposed for cefaclor and rifampin disk diffusion tests.
Myofibroblast secretome and its auto-/paracrine signaling

ABSTRACT Myofibroblasts (myoFb) are phenotypically transformed, contractile fibroblast-like cells expressing α-smooth muscle actin microfilaments. They are integral to collagen fibrillogenesis with scar tissue formation at sites of repair irrespective of the etiologic origins of injury or tissue involved. MyoFb can persist long after healing is complete, where their ongoing turnover of collagen accounts for a progressive structural remodeling of an organ (a.k.a. fibrosis, sclerosis or cirrhosis). Such persistent metabolic activity is derived from a secretome consisting of requisite components in the de novo generation of angiotensin (Ang) II. Autocrine and paracrine signaling induced by tissue AngII is expressed via AT1 receptor ligand binding to respectively promote: i) regulation of myoFb collagen synthesis via the fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1-Smad pathway; and ii) dedifferentiation and protein degradation of atrophic myocytes immobilized and ensnared by fibrillar collagen at sites of scarring. Several cardioprotective strategies in the prevention of fibrosis and involving myofibroblasts are considered. They include: inducing myoFb apoptosis through inactivation of antiapoptotic proteins; AT1 receptor antagonist to interfere with auto-/paracrine myoFb signaling or to induce counterregulatory expression of ACE2; and attacking the AngII-AT1R-TGF-β1-Smad pathway by antibody or the use of triplex-forming oligonucleotides.
Efficient gene knockdown in Clostridium acetobutylicum by synthetic small regulatory RNAs

Clostridium is considered a promising microbial host for the production of valuable industrial chemicals. However, Clostridium is notorious for the difficulty of genetic manipulations, and consequently metabolic engineering. Thus, much effort has been exerted to develop novel tools for genetic and metabolic engineering of Clostridium strains. Here, we report the development of a synthetic small regulatory RNA (sRNA)‐based system for controlled gene expression in Clostridium acetobutylicum, consisting of a target recognition site, MicC sRNA scaffold, and an RNA chaperone Hfq. To examine the functional operation of sRNA system in C. acetobutylicum, expression control was first examined with the Evoglow fluorescent protein as a model protein. Initially, a C. acetobutylicum protein annotated as Hfq was combined with the synthetic sRNA based on the Escherichia coli MicC scaffold to knockdown Evoglow expression. However, C. acetobutylicum Hfq did not bind to E. coli MicC, while MicC scaffold‐based synthetic sRNA itself was able to knockdown the expression of Evoglow. When E. coli hfq gene was introduced, the knockdown efficiency assessed by measuring fluorescence intensity, could be much enhanced. Then, this E. coli MicC scaffold‐Hfq system was used to knock down adhE1 gene expression in C. acetobutylicum. Knocking down the adhE1 gene expression using the synthetic sRNA led to a 40% decrease in butanol production (2.5 g/L), compared to that (4.5 g/L) produced by the wild‐type strain harboring an empty vector. The sRNA system was further extended to knock down the pta gene expression in the buk mutant C. acetobutylicum strain PJC4BK for enhanced butanol production. The PJC4BK (pPta‐HfqEco) strain, which has the pta gene expression knocked down, was able to produce 16.9 g/L of butanol, which is higher than that (14.9 g/L) produced by the PJC4BK strain, mainly due to reduced acetic acid production. Fed‐batch culture of PJC4BK (pPta‐HfqEco) strain coupled with in situ gas stripping produced 105.5 g of total solvents (70.7 g butanol, 20.5 g acetone, and 14.3 g ethanol), demonstrating that the sRNA‐based engineered C. acetobutylicum strain can be cultured without instability. The synthetic sRNA system reported in this study will be useful for more efficient development of engineered C. acetobutylicum strains capable of producing valuable chemicals and fuels. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 374–383. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A new H2-matrix-based representation of electrodynamic systems with minimized rank and prescribed accuracy

In recent years, fast solvers [1] such as fast multiple based methods, fast low-rank compression methods, and FFT-based methods have been developed, which dramatically reduce the memory complexity of the iterative integral equation (IE) solvers to O(N), and the CPU time to O(N log N) for electrodynamic problems. The H2-matrix based mathematical framework has also been introduced and further developed to reduce the computational complexity of IE-based solutions of electrodynamic problems [2]. It is shown that given a wide range of electric sizes which lead to a wide range of N, the dense system of O(N2) parameters can be compactly stored in O(N) units, and the dense matrix-vector multiplication can be performed in O(N) operations. Moreover, the same order of accuracy can be kept across this range. The H2-matrix-based representation of the electrodynamic kernels in [2] is generated by an interpolation based scheme. The rank of each admissible block is determined by the number of interpolation points, which varies with the tree level based on a rank function. Such a rank function can be used to maintain the same order of accuracy in a wide range of electric sizes without compromising the linear computational cost. However, restricted by the interpolation based H2-representation, the resultant rank for each admissible block and for each electric size is often much larger than the minimal one that is required to satisfy a prescribed accuracy. This can greatly slow down the computation.
FPGA-based PMSM servo system with improved low-speed performance

This paper presents the implementation of a PMSM servo-system on FPGA, aiming at improving low-speed performance. The output voltage deviation caused by dead-time effect is eliminated using accurate online dead-time compensation in the SVPWM module. A Kalman-Filter-based observer is integrated in the control algorithm for speed and disturbance torque estimation. The current loop is feed-forwardly compensated by the estimated disturbance torque. Taking advantage of the fast parallel processing ability of FPGA, the measurement, control and compensations are executed simultaneously, free from delay. Experimental results validate the improved steady-state and dynamic performance of the proposed servo system in low-speed region.
A Natural Disruption of the Secretory Group II Phospholipase A2 Gene in Inbred Mouse Strains (*)

The synovial fluid or group II secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) has been implicated as an important agent involved in a number of inflammatory processes. In an attempt to determine the role of sPLA2 in inflammation, we set out to generate sPLA2-deficient mice. During this investigation, we observed that in a number of inbred mouse strains, the sPLA2 gene was already disrupted by a frameshift mutation in exon 3. This mutation, a T insertion at position 166 from the ATG of the cDNA, terminates out of frame in exon 4, resulting in the disruption of the calcium binding domain in exon 3 and loss of both activity domains coded by exons 4 and 5. The mouse strains C57BL/6, 129/Sv, and B10.RIII were found to be homozygous for the defective sPLA2 gene, whereas outbred CD-1:SW mice had variable genotype at this locus. BALB/c, C3H/HE, DBA/1, DBA/2, NZB/B1N, and MRL lpr/lpr mice had a normal sPLA2 genotype. The sPLA2 mRNA was expressed at very high levels in the BALB/c mouse small intestine, whereas in the small intestine of the sPLA2 mutant mouse strains, sPLA2 mRNA was undetectable. In addition, PLA2 activity in acid extracts of the small intestine were approximately 40 times higher in BALB/c than in the mutant mice. Transcription of the mutant sPLA2 gene resulted in multiple transcripts due to exon skipping. None of the resulting mutant mRNAs encoded an active product. The identification of this mutation should not only help define the physiological role of sPLA2 but also has important implications in mouse inflammatory models developed by targeted mutagenesis.
The effects of immunosuppressants on vascular function, systemic oxidative stress and inflammation in rats

Immunosuppressants have been associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. We determined the effects of calcineurin and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor administration on endothelial dysfunction and associated inflammation and oxidative stress in adult rats. Cyclosporine A (low and high dose), sirolimus, tacrolimus, everolimus and placebo were administered to 8‐week‐old male Wistar rats for 10 consecutive days. Aortic vascular endothelial and smooth muscle function were assessed ex vivo in organ baths. Maximal aortic contraction to noradrenaline in sirolimus‐treated rats was significantly greater than cyclosporine groups, everolimus and placebo, whereas endothelial‐dependent relaxation was significantly impaired with cyclosporine and tacrolimus compared with everolimus. Endothelial‐independent relaxation was impaired in tacrolimus‐treated rats compared with low dose cyclosporine, everolimus and sirolimus. Sirolimus was associated with a reduction in plasma interleukin (IL)‐1β and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and higher levels of catalase and total antioxidant status. In nontransplanted rats, vascular dysfunction was evident following administration of cyclosporine A, sirolimus and tacrolimus, whereas everolimus did not compromise aortic endothelial or smooth muscle function. At the doses administered in this model, the immunosuppressants exerted varying effects on vascular function.