Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic Review of Kingella kingae Musculoskeletal Infection in Children: Epidemiology, Impact and Management Strategies

Abstract Kingella kingae, a pathogen often responsible for musculoskeletal infections in children is the most common cause of septic arthritis and osteomyelitis in children 6 to 36 months of age. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of previous studies to determine the proportion of K. kingae in bacteriologically proven musculoskeletal infections among the pediatric population. A secondary objective was to describe the diagnostic strategies and outcome of patients with musculoskeletal infections caused by K. kingae. A systematic review was conducted to identify publications that report on musculoskeletal infections caused by K. kingae in the pediatric population (patients 0 to <18 years old with microbiologic culture and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmation of K. kingae and a description of the musculoskeletal infection involved). Of 144 studies included in this review, we sought to determine the proportion of K. kingae pediatric musculoskeletal infections. A total of 711 (30.8%) out of 2308 pediatric cases with culture and/or PCR proven musculoskeletal infections had K. kingae successfully identified from twenty-nine studies. Of the 1070 patients who were aged less than 48 months, K. kingae was the organism identified in 47.6% of infections. We found the average age from the collated studies to be 17.73 months. Of 520 pediatric musculoskeletal patients in which K. kingae infections were identified and where the studies reported the sites of infection, a large proportion of cases (65%) were joint infections. This was followed by 18.4% osteoarticular infection (concomitant bone and joint involvement), with isolated bone and spine at 11.9% and 3.5%, respectively. Twenty-one papers reported clinical and laboratory findings in children with confirmed K. kingae infection. The median temperature reported at admission was 37.9°C and mean was 38.2°C. Fourteen studies reported on impact and treatment, with the majority of children experiencing good clinical outcome and function following antibiotic treatment with no serious orthopaedic sequelae.
Supragingival mycobiome and inter-kingdom interactions in dental caries

ABSTRACT Background: Recent studies have reveled the presence of a complex fungal community (mycobiome) in the oral cavity. However, the role of oral mycobiome in dental caries and its interaction with caries-associated bacteria is not yet clear. Methods: Whole-mouth supragingival plaque samples from 30 children (6–10 years old) with no caries, early caries, or advanced caries were sequenced for internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2). The mycobiome profiles were correlated with previously published bacteriome counterparts. Interaction among selected fungal and bacterial species was assessed by co-culture or spent media experiments. Results: Fungal load was extremely low. Candida, Malassezia, Cryptococcus, and Trichoderma spp. were the most prevalent/abundant taxa. Advanced caries was associated with significantly higher fungal load and prevalence/abundance of Candida albicans. Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida sake were significantly over-abundant in early caries, while Malassezia globosa was significantly enriched in caries-free subjects. C. albicans correlated with Streptococcus mutans and Scardovia wiggsiae among other caries-associated bacteria, while M. globosa inversely correlated with caries-associated bacteria. In-vitro, M. globosa demonstrated inhibitory properties against S. mutans. Conclusions: the results substantiate the potential role of the oral mycobiome, primarily Candida species, in dental caries. Inter-kingdom correlations and inhibition of S. mutans by M. globosa are worth further investigation.
Impact of metabolic and inflammatory changes on glomerular function beyond conventional risk factors in an urban South Africa community with prevalent obesity.

OBJECTIVES To determine the extent to which metabolic and inflammatory changes are associated with renal damage beyond conventional risk factors in a community sample with a high prevalence of obesity in urban South Africa. METHODS This was a cross-sectional, community-based study in 1 010 (n = 872 without diabetes mellitus, DM) randomly selected participants over 16 years of age in an urban, developing community (Soweto, Johannesburg) with a high prevalence of obesity (41.8%). We assessed estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), conventional risk factors including adiposity indices, and metabolic changes and plasma resistin concentrations (ELISA) and the homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Relationships independent of haemodynamic loads were confirmed using ambulatory blood pressure and central arterial haemodynamics. RESULTS In multivariate regression models conducted in those without DM, HOMA-IR (standardised β-coefficient = -0.13 ± 0.03, p < 0.0001) and plasma resistin concentrations (β-coefficient = -0.10 ± 0.02, p < 0.0001) were second only to age, and at least as strong as systolic blood pressure (β -coefficient = -0.04 ± 0.03, p = 0.19) in the impact on eGFR, while alternative conventional risk factors including adiposity indices and the metabolic syndrome features contributed little to eGFR. Similar results were obtained in relationships with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in the whole group including those with DM. Adjustments for ambulatory blood pressure or central arterial loads did not influence these relationships. CONCLUSIONS The impact on glomerular function of insulin resistance and inflammatory changes is well beyond modifiable conventional risk factors, including the metabolic syndrome. Targeting conventional risk factors alone is likely to result in a marked residual risk of renal damage produced by insulin resistance and inflammation.
Interaction of the Coffee Diterpenes Cafestol and 16-O-Methyl-Cafestol Palmitates with Serum Albumins

The main coffee diterpenes cafestol, kahweol, and 16-O-methylcafestol, present in the bean lipid fraction, are mostly esterified with fatty acids. They are believed to induce dyslipidaemia and hypercholesterolemia when taken with certain types of coffee brews. The study of their binding to serum albumins could help explain their interactions with biologically active xenobiotics. We investigated the interactions occurring between cafestol and 16-O-methylcafestol palmitates with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), Human Serum Albumin (HSA), and Fatty Free Human Serum Albumin (ffHSA) by means of circular dichroism and fluorimetry. Circular Dichroism (CD) revealed a slight change (up to 3%) in the secondary structure of fatty-free human albumin in the presence of the diterpene esters, suggesting that the aliphatic chain of the palmitate partly occupies one of the fatty acid sites of the protein. A warfarin displacement experiment was performed to identify the binding site, which is probably close but not coincident with Sudlow site I, as the affinity for warfarin is enhanced. Fluorescence quenching titrations revealed a complex behaviour, with Stern–Volmer constants in the order of 103–104 Lmol−1. A model of the HSA-warfarin-cafestol palmitate complex was obtained by docking, and the most favourable solution was found with the terpene palmitate chain inside the FA4 fatty acid site and the cafestol moiety fronting warfarin at the interface with site I.
[Digestive Surgery Intervention for Gynecological Malignant Tumor].

AIM This study aimed to determine surgical outcomes in patients with gynecological cancers for whom surgery was performed by gynecologists and digestive surgeons. METHODS Seventy-three patients who underwent surgery for a gynecological malignant tumor from January 2010 to December 2014 were included in this retrospective study. Data on the definitive diagnosis, operative procedures, postoperative complications, stoma settings, length of hospital stay, and prognosis was collected for each patient. RESULTS The median age of this female-only cohort was 60 years. Emergency surgery was performed in 8(11.0%)patients. Ovarian cancer was diagnosed in 56(76.7%)patients, and among these patients, the clinical disease Stage was Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ in 4, 4, 20, and 11 patients, respectively. Moreover, 17 patients had recurrent ovarian cancer. Intestinal resection with anastomosis was performed in 25(34.2%)patients. Stoma formation was performed in 22 (30.1%)patients, however no patient underwent stoma closure surgery in the current study. The median operative time was 252 minutes, and the median blood loss was 1,190 mL. Regarding postoperative complications, ileus, pelvic abscess, and anastomotic leakage developed in 6(8.2%), 4(5.5%), and 2(2.7%)patients, respectively. The postoperative median survival time in patients with ovarian cancer was 1,399 days. CONCLUSION These results suggest that tumor debulking, including intestinal tract resection, may contribute to the prolonged prognosis of gynecological tumors, although stoma closure is difficult to perform.
Clinical Significance of Cytoplasmic IgE-Positive Mast Cells in Eosinophilic Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Cross-linking of antigen-specific IgE bound to the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) on the surface of mast cells with multivalent antigens results in the release of mediators and development of type 2 inflammation. FcεRI expression and IgE synthesis are, therefore, critical for type 2 inflammatory disease development. In an attempt to clarify the relationship between eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) and mast cell infiltration, we analyzed mast cell infiltration at lesion sites and determined its clinical significance. Mast cells are positive for c-kit, and IgE in uncinated tissues (UT) and nasal polyps (NP) were examined by immunohistochemistry. The number of positive cells and clinicopathological factors were analyzed. Patients with ECRS exhibited high levels of total IgE serum levels and elevated peripheral blood eosinophil ratios. As a result, the number of mast cells with membranes positive for c-kit and IgE increased significantly in lesions forming NP. Therefore, we classified IgE-positive mast cells into two groups: membrane IgE-positive cells and cytoplasmic IgE-positive cells. The amount of membrane IgE-positive mast cells was significantly increased in moderate ECRS. A positive correlation was found between the membrane IgE-positive cells and the radiological severity score, the ratio of eosinophils, and the total serum IgE level. The number of cytoplasmic IgE-positive mast cells was significantly increased in moderate and severe ECRS. A positive correlation was observed between the cytoplasmic IgE-positive cells and the radiological severity score, the ratio of eosinophils in the blood, and the total IgE level. These results suggest that the process of mast cell internalization of antigens via the IgE receptor is involved in ECRS pathogenesis.
Comparative Analysis of the Different Dyes' Potential to Assess Human Normal and Cancer Cell Viability In Vitro under Different D/H Ratios in a Culture Medium

In this study, using new approach (laser diffraction + biological dyes), we have demonstrated the decrease of cells viability in vitro in the deuterated growth medium, whereas in the deuterium-depleted medium, there was an increase of cell viability. We have also found that not all dyes are equally sensitive to the D/H ratios in the culture medium (system) as well as to the different cell types (cancer vs normal cells).
A Survey of Heart Anomaly Detection Using Ambulatory Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally. An estimated 17.9 million people die from CVDs each year, representing 31% of all global deaths. Most cardiac patients require early detection and treatment. Therefore, many products to monitor patient’s heart conditions have been introduced on the market. Most of these devices can record a patient’s bio-metric signals both in resting and in exercising situations. However, reading the massive amount of raw electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the sensors is very time-consuming. Automatic anomaly detection for the ECG signals could act as an assistant for doctors to diagnose a cardiac condition. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art of this technology discusses the pros and cons of the devices and algorithms found in the literature and the possible research directions to develop the next generation of ambulatory monitoring systems.
Percutaneous Pulmonary Valve Implantation

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) is recognized as a feasible and low risk alternative to surgery to treat dysfunctional right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in usually pluri-operated patients. Evolving technology allowed to develop different kind of prosthesis and to go from an initial treatment exclusively of stenotic conduit to an actual approach extended also to wide native RVOT. The Melody transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) and the Edwards Sapien valve are nowadays the most commonly implanted prostheses. However, other devices have been developed to treat large RVOT (i.e., the Venus p-valve, the Medtronic Harmony TPV, the Alterra Adaptive Prestent, and the Pulsta valve). Indications for PPVI are the same as for surgical interventions on pulmonary valve, with limits related to the maximum diameter of the available percutaneous prosthesis. Therefore, an accurate preoperative evaluation is of paramount importance to select patients who could benefit from this procedure. The overall periprocedural mortality incidence is around 1.4%, while freedom from RVOT reintervention ranges from 100% at 4 months to 70% at 70 months, according to the different published studies.
Two-photon absorption enhancement by the inclusion of a tropone ring in distorted nanographene ribbons.

A new family of distorted ribbon-shaped nanographenes was designed, synthesized and their optical and electrochemical properties were evaluated, pointing out an unprecedented correlation between their structural characteristics and the two-photon absorption (TPA) responses and electrochemical band gaps. Three nanographene ribbons have been prepared: a seven-membered ring containing nanographene presenting a tropone moiety at the edge, its full-carbon analogue and a purely hexagonal one. We have found that the TPA cross-sections and the electrochemical band gaps of the seven-membered ring containing compounds are higher and lower, respectively, than those of the fully hexagonal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Interestingly, the inclusion of additional curvature has a positive effect in terms of non-linear optical properties of those ribbons.
Effective Synergy of Sorafenib and Nutrient Shortage in Inducing Melanoma Cell Death through Energy Stress

Skin melanoma is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat human malignancies, characterized by poor survival rates, thus requiring urgent novel therapeutic approaches. Although metabolic reprogramming has represented so far, a cancer hallmark, accumulating data indicate a high plasticity of cancer cells in modulating cellular metabolism to adapt to a heterogeneous and continuously changing microenvironment, suggesting a novel therapeutic approach for dietary manipulation in cancer therapy. To this aim, we exposed melanoma cells to combined nutrient-restriction/sorafenib. Results indicate that cell death was efficiently induced, with apoptosis representing the prominent feature. In contrast, autophagy was blocked in the final stage by this treatment, similarly to chloroquine, which also enhanced melanoma cell sensitization to combined treatment. Energy stress was evidenced by associated treatment with mitochondrial dysfunction and glycolysis impairment, suggesting metabolic stress determining melanoma cell death. A reduction of tumor growth after cycles of intermittent fasting together with sorafenib treatment was also observed in vivo, reinforcing that the nutrient shortage can potentiate anti-melanoma therapy. Our findings showed that the restriction of nutrients by intermittent fasting potentiates the effects of sorafenib due to the modulation of cellular metabolism, suggesting that it is possible to harness the energy of cancer cells for the treatment of melanoma.
Improvement of ionizing gamma irradiation tolerance of Chlorella vulgaris by pretreatment with polyethylene glycol

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 pretreatment on growth and physiological responses of eukaryotic microalga Chlorella vulgaris exposed to ionizing irradiation. Materials and methods: The microalgal cells pretreated with different PEG concentrations (0, 5, 10 and 20%) and then exposed to 300 Gray gamma irradiation at a dose rate of 0.5 Gy s−1. The various growth and physiological parameters including algal growth, cell size, the degree of electrolyte leakage (EL) and lipid peroxidation, the content of pigments and proline and the activity of antioxidant enzymes under gamma-free or 300 Gray gamma irradiation conditions were examined. Results: The results showed that PEG stimulated a higher growth and cell size under both stress-free and gamma-stress conditions. The maximum growth and cell size was reported when the algae was pretreated with 10% PEG. A relative increase of catalase activity was observed in all samples after exposing to gamma irradiation. However, the highest value was recorded for the gamma-radiated algae pretreated with 10% PEG. In the absence of PEG, gamma irradiation induced a significant reduction in ascorbate peroxidase activity, but with PEG pretreatment, the enzyme activity remained constant or even increased after gamma irradiation. On the other hand, although gamma irradiation stress generally suppressed the activity of superoxide dismutase in all cells, pretreating the algae with PEG could diminish this suppressing effect at all applied concentrations. Compared to the PEG-free controls, a lower rate of chlorophylls and membrane integrity loss was shown in the PEG-treated algae when exposed to gamma stress. Total carotenoid content in PEG-treated algae was also similar under both gamma-free and gamma-radiated conditions. A PEG-independent increase in proline accumulation was reported under gamma-irradiation treatment. Conclusions: Overall, the results suggested that PEG pretreatment could improve gamma-irradiation tolerance in C. vulgaris probably by stimulating a range of enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactive oxygen species scavenging systems. The microalgae may also consume PEG to break down and use it as an alternative source of carbon during stress which should be further studied in detail.
Feature Selection Based on a Novel Improved Tree Growth Algorithm

Feature selection plays a significant role in the field of data mining and machine learning to reduce the data dimension, speed up themodelbuildingprocessandimprovealgorithmperformance.Tree growthalgorithm (TGA)isa recentproposed population-based metaheuristic, which shows great power of search ability in solving optimization of continuous problems. However, TGA cannot be directly applied to feature selection problems. Also, we find that its efficiency still leave room for improvement. To tackle this problem, in this study, a novel improved TGA (iTGA) is proposed, which can resolve the feature selection problem efficiently. The main contribution includes, (1) a binary TGA is proposed to tackle the feature selection problems, (2) a linearly increasing parameter tuning mechanism is proposed to tune the parameter in TGA, (3) the evolutionary population dynamics (EPD) strategy is applied to improve the exploration and exploitation capabilities of TGA, (4) the efficiency of iTGA is evaluated on fifteen UCI benchmark datasets, the comprehensive results indicate that iTGA can resolve feature selection problems efficiently. Furthermore, the results of comparative experiments also verify the superiority of iTGA compared with other state-of-the-art methods. ©
FAK Deficiency in Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Alters Their Homeostasis and Drives Abnormal Proliferation and Differentiation of Haematopoietic Stem Cells

Emerging evidence indicates that in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment may also contribute to the ineffective, malignant haematopoiesis in addition to the intrinsic abnormalities of haematopoietic stem precursor cells (HSPCs). The BM microenvironment influences malignant haematopoiesis through indirect mechanisms, but the processes by which the BM microenvironment directly contributes to MDS initiation and progression have not yet been elucidated. Our previous data showed that BM-derived stromal cells (BMSCs) from MDS patients have an abnormal expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). In this study, we characterise the morpho-phenotypic features and the functional alterations of BMSCs from MDS patients and in FAK knock-downed HS-5 cells. The decreased expression of FAK or its phosphorylated form in BMSCs from low-risk (LR) MDS directly correlates with BMSCs’ functional deficiency and is associated with a reduced level of haemoglobin. The downregulation of FAK in HS-5 cells alters their morphology, proliferation, and differentiation capabilities and impairs the expression of several adhesion molecules. In addition, we examine the CD34+ healthy donor (HD)-derived HSPCs’ properties when co-cultured with FAK-deficient BMSCs. Both abnormal proliferation and the impaired erythroid differentiation capacity of HD-HSPCs were observed. Together, these results demonstrate that stromal adhesion mechanisms mediated by FAK are crucial for regulating HSPCs’ homeostasis.
To diff, or not to diff?∗

Applied researchers and time series users are confronted many times with the problem of deciding whether or not to difference their data. Over-differencing, i.e., differencing a stationary series, is likely to occur often in practice and the common view is that it is dangerous. This paper analyzes the consequences of over-differencing and provides important qualifications to the current view. We focus on impulse-response functions (IRFs) from vector autoregressions (VARs) although our results apply more generally. First, we prove population IRFs can be approximated by their counterparts in finite-lag VARs even when the underlying process is non-invertible. Second, we analyze inference emphasizing a situation in which a process close to a unit root is differenced and a VAR is fitted to it. The asymptotic approximation allows the number of lags to grow with the sample size at a relative rate that ensures consistency and asymptotic normality of least-square estimators. From a practical perspective, it seems reasonable to difference highly persistent series even if they are not exactly unit-root processes and we relate the decision of whether or not to difference to a more general problem of robust inference. We illustrate the content of our point by reassessing the controversy surrounding the dynamic effect of technology shocks on employment.
First Report of Anthracnose of Shine Muscat Caused by Colletotrichum fructicola in Korea

Abstract Anthracnose is one of the major problems for cultivating many crops, including vegetables, fruits, and trees. It is a continual threat for fruits grower worldwide. Colletotrichum fructicola was isolated from Shine Muscat berries showing typical anthracnose symptom in Korea. It was identified as C. fructicola based on morphology, pathological signs and concatenated sequences of internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, β-tubulin-2, chitin synthase-1, calmodulin, and the Apn2-Mat1-2 intergenic spacer and partial mating type (Mat1-2) gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report first report of anthracnose of Shine Muscat caused by C. fructicola in Korea.