Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stress-strain and fatigue life numerical evaluation of two different dental implants considering isotropic and anisotropic human jaw

Dental prostheses are currently a valid solution for replacing potential missing tooth or edentulism clinical condition. Nevertheless, the oral cavity is a dynamic and complex system: occlusal loads, external agents, or other unpleasant events can impact on implants functionality and stability causing a future revision surgery. One of the failure origins is certainly the dynamic loading originated from daily oral activities like eating, chewing, and so on. The aim of this paper was to evaluate, by a numerical analysis based on Finite Elements Method (FEM), and to discuss in a comparative way, firstly, the stress-strain of two different adopted dental implants and, subsequently, their fatigue life according to common standard of calculations. For this investigation, the jawbone was modeled accounting for either isotropic or anisotropic behavior. It was composed of cortical and cancellous regions, considering it completely osseointegrated with the implants. The impact of implants’ fixture design, loading conditions, and their effect on the mandible bone was finally investigated, on the basis of the achieved numerical results. Lastly, the life cycle of the investigated implants was estimated according to the well-established theories of Goodman, Soderberg, and Gerber by exploiting the outcomes obtained by the numerical simulations, providing interesting conclusions useful in the dental practice.
Emulating learning behavior in a flexible device with self-formed Ag dewetted nanostructure as active element

Neuromorphic devices are a promising alternative to the traditional von Neumann architecture. These devices have the potential to achieve high-speed, efficient, and low-power artificial intelligence. Flexibility is required in these devices so that they can bend and flex without causing damage to the underlying electronics. This feature shows a possible use in applications that require flexible electronics, such as robotics and wearable electronics. Here, we report a flexible self-formed Ag-based neuromorphic device that emulates various brain-inspired synaptic activities, such as short-term plasticity and long-term potentiation (STP and LTP) in both the flat and bent states. Half and full-integer quantum conductance jumps were also observed in the flat and bent states. The device showed excellent switching and endurance behaviors. The classical conditioning could be emulated even in the bent state.
Nitrous oxide and hypnotherapy in paediatric dentistry.

AIM Patient compliance is of paramount importance for proper dental treatment, which can be difficult to achieve in children due to anxiety and fear, hindering the therapeutic procedure. In addition to well-known sedation methods (pharmacological and nitrous oxide), further methods of approach are being tested, such as hypnotherapy. MATERIALS The sample consisted of 150 children (90 males, 60 females). Paper questionnaires, frequency meter, nitrous oxide dispenser in association with the use of the television were exploited. At the end of treatment, subjective pain was assessed using the VAS scale, while objective pain was assessed using the FLACC scale and heart rate. This made it possible to compare two experimental groups, one treated with nitrous oxide, and the other with hypnotherapy. The control group was treated with classic behavioural approach techniques. The results obtained were analysed by SPSS Software (Statistical Package for Social Science, version 27) and the inferences between the results were calculated for confirmation. CONCLUSION Hypnotherapy can be a valid substitute for nitrous oxide in paediatric dentistry.
A new ferrocene derivative blocks K-Ras localization and function by oxidative modification at His95

We report redox system regulates KRAS localization and activity via oxidation at His95 residue, and proposes a role of oncogenic K-Ras in the antioxidant-induced growth and metastasis of KRAS-driven cancers. Ras proteins are membrane-bound GTPases that regulate essential cellular processes at the plasma membrane (PM). Constitutively active mutations of K-Ras, one of the three Ras isoforms in mammalian cells, are frequently found in human cancers. Ferrocene derivatives, which elevate cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), have shown to block the growth of non-small cell lung cancers harboring oncogenic mutant K-Ras. Here, we tested a novel ferrocene derivative on the growth of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Our compound, which elevated cellular ROS levels, inhibited the growth of K-Ras-driven cancers, and abrogated the PM binding and signaling of K-Ras in an isoform-specific manner. These effects were reversed upon antioxidant supplementation, suggesting a ROS-mediated mechanism. We further identified that K-Ras His95 residue plays an important role in this process, and it is putatively oxidized by cellular ROS. Together, our study demonstrates that the redox system directly regulates K-Ras/PM binding and signaling via oxidative modification at the His95, and proposes a role of oncogenic mutant K-Ras in the recently described antioxidant-induced growth and metastasis of K-Ras-driven cancers.
Determinants of Childhood Asthma: A Case Control Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bengaluru, South India

Abstract Background Childhood asthma is a common, and often serious, chronic disease with episodic exacerbations in infants and children. There is an increasing trend in the prevalence of childhood asthma in developing countries. Objectives: To identify the determinants of childhood asthma. Methods A case control study with 30 cases of childhood asthma and 30 gender- and aged-matched controls selected from the paediatric outpatient department and paediatric ward of a tertiary hospital. The primary caregiver was interviewed to capture sociodemographic details, prenatal and birth history, and history of exposure to environmental risk factors. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to determine the strength of association between childhood asthma and independent co-variates, followed by subgroup multiple logistic regression analysis. Results We found that children with a parental history of allergy/atopy [OR=2.88 (1.94–4.27), P<0.001], residence in houses located in industrial areas [AOR=2.72 (2.6–323.1), P<0.001], exposure to incense at home [AOR=2.03 (1.14–29.42), P<0.001], or a history of allergic rhinitis [AOR=3.09 (2.22–243.25), P<0.001] had significantly higher odds of developing childhood asthma. Conclusion Our study found that having homes located in industrial areas, burning incense at home, parental history of allergy, and history of allergic rhinitis in the child are determinants of childhood asthma. The findings from our study can be used to generate awareness regarding risk factors that are linked to childhood asthma.
Metformin prescription for U.S. veterans with prediabetes, 2010–2019

Affecting an estimated 88 million Americans, prediabetes increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and independently, cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. Nevertheless, little is known about the use of metformin for diabetes prevention among patients in the Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S. This is a retrospective observational cohort study of the proportion of Veterans with incident prediabetes who were prescribed metformin at the Veterans Health Administration from October 2010 to September 2019. Among 1,059,605 Veterans with incident prediabetes, 12,009 (1.1%) were prescribed metformin during an average 3.4 years of observation after diagnosis. Metformin prescribing was marginally higher (1.6%) among those with body mass index (BMI) ≥35 kg/m2, age <60 years, HbA1c≥6.0%, or those with a history of gestational diabetes, all subgroups at a higher risk for progression to T2DM. In a multivariable model, metformin was more likely to be prescribed for those with BMI ≥35 kg/m2 incidence rate ratio [IRR] 2.6 [95% confidence intervals (CI): 2.1–3.3], female sex IRR, 2.4 [95% CI: 1.8–3.3], HbA1c≥6% IRR, 1.93 [95% CI: 1.5–2.4], age <60 years IRR, 1.7 [95% CI: 1.3–2.3], hypertriglyceridemia IRR, 1.5 [95% CI: 1.2–1.9], hypertension IRR, 1.5 [95% CI: 1.1–2.1], Major Depressive Disorder IRR, 1.5 [95% CI: 1.1–2.0], or schizophrenia IRR, 2.1 [95% CI: 1.2–3.8]. Over 20% of Veterans with prediabetes attended a comprehensive structured lifestyle modification clinic or program. Among Veterans with prediabetes, metformin was prescribed to 1.1% overall, a proportion that marginally increased to 1.6% in the subset of individuals at highest risk for progression to T2DM.
Forensic characterisation and polymorphism analysis of 16 X-chromosomal STRs in the Jining Han population in Eastern China

Abstract Background X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (X-STRs) are a useful supplementary approach to analysing autosomal markers in forensics and kinship studies; such markers are not well-characterised in many populations. Aim To investigate population genetic polymorphism and forensic characterisation of 16 X-STRs in the Jining Han population, and analyse genetic relationships with other Chinese populations. Subjects and methods Allele frequencies for 16 X-STR loci were obtained from a sample set of 527 unrelated individuals from the Jining Han population. Population genetic analyses of Jining Han and another 10 reference populations were conducted using phylogenetic tree, principal component analysis and multidimensional scaling. Results We detected 149 alleles, with frequencies ranging from 0.0013 to 0.8242. The combined powers of discrimination in males and females were 0.999999997194774 and 0.999999999999995, respectively. The combined mean exclusion change (MEC)Krüger, MECKishida, MECDesmarais, and MECDesmarais Duos values were 0.999974632649096, 0.999999976997582, 0.999999977013201, and 0.999993755768423, respectively. We detected relatively high genetic homogeneity in populations with similar ethnic or geographic origins, and a close relationship between the Jining Han and Beijing Han populations. Conclusions The present findings indicate that the 16 X-STR loci examined are highly polymorphic in the Han population of Jining, providing useful information for forensic science and population genetics studies.
Multiplexity of human brain oscillations as a personal brain signature

Human individuality is likely underpinned by the constitution of functional brain networks that ensure consistency of each person's cognitive and behavioral profile. These functional networks should, in principle, be detectable by noninvasive neurophysiology. We use a method that enables the detection of dominant frequencies of the interaction between every pair of brain areas at every temporal segment of the recording period, the dominant coupling modes (DoCM). We apply this method to brain oscillations, measured with magnetoencephalography (MEG) at rest in two independent datasets, and show that the spatiotemporal evolution of DoCMs constitutes an individualized brain fingerprint. Based on this successful fingerprinting we suggest that DoCMs are important targets for the investigation of neural correlates of individual psychological parameters and can provide mechanistic insight into the underlying neurophysiological processes, as well as their disturbance in brain diseases.
ProtEC: A Transformer Based Deep Learning System for Accurate Annotation of Enzyme Commission Numbers

The advancements in next-generation sequencing technologies have given rise to large-scale, open-source protein databases consisting of hundreds of millions of sequences. However, to make these sequences useful in biomedical applications, they need to be painstakingly annotated by curating them from literature. To counteract this problem, many automated annotation algorithms have been developed over the years including deep learning models, especially in recent times. In this work, we propose a transformer-based deep-learning model that can predict the Enzyme Commission numbers of an enzyme from full-scale sequences with state-of-the-art accuracy compared to other recent machine learning annotation algorithms. The system does especially well on clustered split dataset which consists of training and testing samples derived from different distributions that are structurally dissimilar from each other. This proves that the model is able to understand deep patterns within the sequences and can accurately identify the motifs responsible for the different enzyme commission numbers. Moreover, the algorithm is able to retain similar accuracy even when the training size is significantly reduced, and also, the model accuracy is independent of the sequence length making it suitable for a wide range of applications consisting of varying sequence structures.
Global atmospheric circulation statistics, 1958-1973

Twenty-two monthly statistical quantities make up this dataset of grids which describes the atmospheric general circulation at eleven vertical levels across the troposphere and stratosphere over a 32-year period. These gridded analyses, created from upper air soundings across the globe, span the period from May 1958 to December 1989. The statistical parameters, which are useful for comparing climate model simulations to actual observations, include monthly means and variances of horizontal and vertical wind, temperature, geopotential height, moisture, and horizontal wind divergence. There are also covariance terms describing the relationship between wind, temperature, moisture, and geopotential height. In general, the analyses near the surface of the earth (900mb and below) tend to be less reliable than those of the higher levels because the individual rawinsonde reports are often incomplete due to missing 1000mb reports.
Pattern of microimplant displacement during maxillary skeletal expander treatment: A cone-beam computed tomography study

Objective To analyze the microimplant (MI) displacement pattern on treatment with a maxillary skeletal expander (MSE) using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods Thirty-nine participants (12 males and 27 females; mean age, 18.2 ± 4.2 years) were treated successfully with the MSE II appliance. Their pre- and post-expansion CBCT data were superimposed. The pre- and post-expansion anterior and posterior inter-MI angles, neck and apical inter-MI distance, plate angle, palatal bone thickness at the MI positions, and suture opening at the MI positions were measured and compared. Results The jackscrew plate was slightly bent in both anterior and posterior areas. There was no significant difference in the extent of suture opening between the anterior and posterior MIs (P > 0.05). The posterior MI to hemiplate line was greater than that anteriorly (P < 0.05). The apical distance between the posterior MIs was greater than that anteriorly (P < 0.05). The palatal thickness at the anterior MIs was significantly greater than that posteriorly (P > 0.01). Conclusions In the coronal plane, the angulation between the anterior MIs in relation to the jackscrew plate was greater than that between the posterior MIs owing to the differential palatal bone thickness.
Exposure of Tritrichomonas foetus to sublethal doses of metronidazole induces a specific proinflammatory response in murine macrophages

Tritrichomonas foetus is a flagellated parasite that primarily infects the reproductive tissues of livestock, causing bovine trichomoniasis. The cytoplasmic membrane of T. foetus contains various compounds that contribute to adherence, colonization, and pathogenicity. Metronidazole (MTZ) is the main treatment for trichomoniasis, but the emergence of drug‐resistant strains is a concern due to improper use and dosing. T. foetus infection induces inflammation, and macrophages are key players in the immune response. However, our understanding of the host's immune response to T. foetus is limited, and the specific mechanisms underlying these responses are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the impact of T. foetus surface proteins from trophozoites cultured under different sublethal MTZ conditions (MTZ‐treated T. foetus MPs) on macrophage activation. By analyzing cytokine levels and gene expression in murine macrophages, we demonstrated that MTZ‐treated T. foetus MPs induce a specific proinflammatory response. MTZ‐treated T. foetus MPs‐exposed macrophages exhibited a higher NO and H2O2 production and overexpression of iNOS and NOX‐2 genes in comparison to untreated T. foetus. Additionally, MTZ‐treated T. foetus MPs triggered a significant induction of the proinflammatory cytokines IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α, and IFN‐γ, as well as the overexpression of the TLR4, MyD88, and NF‐κB genes on murine macrophages. The study aimed to unravel the immunological response and potential proinflammatory pathways involved in T. foetus infection and MTZ stress. Understanding the immune responses and mechanisms through which T. foetus surface proteins activate macrophages can contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for controlling bovine trichomoniasis.
Evidence for adolescent length growth spurts in bonobos and other primates highlights the importance of scaling laws

Adolescent growth spurts (GSs) in body length seem to be absent in non-human primates and are considered a distinct human trait. However, this distinction between present and absent length-GSs may reflect a mathematical artefact that makes it arbitrary. We first outline how scaling issues and inappropriate comparisons between length (linear) and weight (volume) growth rates result in misleading interpretations like the absence of length-GSs in non-human primates despite pronounced weight-GSs, or temporal delays between length- and weight-GSs. We then apply a scale-corrected approach to a comprehensive dataset on 258 zoo-housed bonobos that includes weight and length growth as well as several physiological markers related to growth and adolescence. We found pronounced GSs in body weight and length in both sexes. Weight and length growth trajectories corresponded with each other and with patterns of testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 levels, resembling adolescent GSs in humans. We further re-interpreted published data of non-human primates, which showed that aligned GSs in weight and length exist not only in bonobos. Altogether, our results emphasize the importance of considering scaling laws when interpreting growth curves in general, and further show that pronounced, human-like adolescent length-GSs exist in bonobos and probably also many other non-human primates.
Encouraging proximal relations: Queensland high school students go to the reef

Over sixty high schools in Queensland run formal marine studies programs in the senior years of schooling. A key component of these programs is experiential learning in marine environments including the Great Barrier Reef. Year 11 and 12 students from four high schools were interviewed during organized trips to offshore coral reef sites. This paper presents selected student accounts of reef educational experiences and identifies reported relations of proximity as a focus for analysis. The concept of proximity is important to environmental education when one declared aim is a 'rediscovery' of our connections to the world around us. Results indicate that, as a result of their reef experiences, students talk different reef relations into being - positioning reefs as being nearer, less far away, and, therefore, in more need of attention and care. Interview data provide evidence to support the argument that outdoor and underwater learning experiences are a necessary part of education for marine sustainability. The pedagogical intention of the Queensland Studies Authority Marine Studies syllabus, which mandates for fieldwork, is confirmed by qualitative student accounts of their learning experiences.
Coils embolization use for coronary procedures: Basics, indications, and techniques

The use of coils is fundamental in interventional cardiology and can be lifesaving in selected settings. Coils are classified by their materials into bare metal, fiber coated, and hydrogel coated, or by the deliverability method into, pushable or detachable coils. Coils are delivered through microcatheters and the choice of coil size is important to ensure compatibility with the inner diameter of the delivery catheter, firstly to be able to deliver and secondly to prevent the coil from being stuck and damaged. Clinically, coils are used in either acute or in elective setting. The most important acute indication is typically the sealing coronary perforation. In the elective settings, coils can be used for the treatment of certain congenital cardiac abnormalities, aneurysms, fistulas or in the treatment of arterial side branch steal syndrome after CABG. Coils must always be delivered under fluoroscopy guidance. There are some associated complications with coils that can be acute or chronic, that nictitates regular followed‐up. There is a need for education, training and regular workshops with hands‐on to build the experience to use coils in situations that are infrequently encountered.
PRL2 inhibition elevates PTEN protein and ameliorates progression of acute myeloid leukemia

Overexpression of phosphatases of regenerating liver 2 (PRL2), detected in numerous diverse cancers, is often associated with increased severity and poor patient prognosis. PRL2-catalyzed tyrosine dephosphorylation of the tumor suppressor PTEN results in increased PTEN degradation and has been identified as a mechanism underlying PRL2 oncogenic activity. Overexpression of PRL2, coincident with reduced PTEN protein, is frequently observed in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In the current study, a PTEN-knockdown AML animal model was generated to assess the effect of conditional PRL2 inhibition on the level of PTEN protein and the development and progression of AML. Inhibition of PRL2 resulted in a significant increase in median animal survival, from 40 weeks to greater than 60 weeks. The prolonged survival reflected delayed expansion of aberrantly differentiated hematopoietic stem cells into leukemia blasts, resulting in extended time required for clinically relevant leukemia blast accumulation in the BM niche. Leukemia blast suppression following PRL2 inhibition was correlated with an increase in PTEN and downregulation of AKT/mTOR-regulated pathways. These observations directly established, in a disease model, the viability of PRL2 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for improving clinical outcomes in AML and potentially other PTEN-deficient cancers by slowing cancer progression.
Family-Specific Training Improves Linear B Cell Epitope Prediction for Emerging Viruses

The rational design of vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics against newly emerging viruses relies on B cell epitopes mainly. To predict the B cell epitopes of a novel virus, several algorithms have been developed. While most existing algorithms are trained on a dataset in which B cell epitopes are classified as ‘Positive’ or ‘Negative’. However, we found that training on such data contaminates the target pattern of specific viruses, leading to inaccurate predictions in some cases. In this paper, we introduce a novel framework for predicting linear B cell epitopes of novel viruses by exclusively using highly similar viruses for training data. We employed kernel regression based on seropositive rates, which are the percentages of seropositive samples among the population, to predict the potential epitopes. To assess our method, we conducted simulations and utilized two real-world datasets. Our method significantly outperformed other existing methods on the testing data of four viruses with seropositive rates. Also, our strategy showed a better prediction in a larger dataset from the IEDB. Thus, a novel framework providing better linear B cell prediction of newly emerging viruses is established, which will benefit the rational design of vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics in the future.