Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Use of the Diode Laser in the Reduction of the Volume of the Edematous Gingival Tissue after Causal Therapy

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare two different techniques for the treatment of plaque-induced gingivitis, demonstrating whether the causal therapy supported by diode laser can allow a resolution of the edema caused by gingivitis in less time compared to the single traditional causal therapy. Materials and methods: Twenty-five patients between 20 and 60 years of age with a specific diagnosis of gingivitis were evaluated at the CLID-HSR oral hygiene department. Once the clinical parameters (bleeding index, plaque index, recession, and clinical attack level) were recorded, each of them was subjected to a professional oral hygiene session and instructed in correct home hygiene procedures. Through a split-mouth protocol for each individual patient, hemi-arches were treated by simple randomization to be treated with causal therapy supported by the action of the diode laser (experimental therapy) and which with traditional causal therapy (control therapy). A first intraoral scan was performed before therapy (T0), which was repeated 20 min after rinsing with CHX. The intraoral scans were repeated at a control 7 (T1) and 14 days (T2) after the session. For each intraoral scan, a volumetric value was calculated, proportional to the edema of the gingival tissues, using special digital software. The operator who carried out the volumetric measurements on the software was not aware of the therapy implemented on each half-arch. The operator who carried out the statistical analysis was not aware of the therapy applied to each group. The collected data were statistically compared in order to detect any differences between the volumetric variations between the two therapy groups and within the therapy groups over time. After evaluating the distribution of data by means of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistical test, the appropriate nonparametric tests were chosen to carry out the statistical comparisons. Results: Based on the analysis of the gingival-periodontal health parameters and the volumetric value of the treated areas, no statistically significant differences were detected between the areas treated with the adjuvant action of the diode laser compared to those treated with causal therapy alone. Conclusions: With the limitations of this study, in accordance with the statistical results obtained, diode laser therapy does not allow a faster resolution of gingival edema compared to traditional therapy; the two treatment techniques for plaque-induced gingivitis, therefore, have the same efficacy.
Self-Regulation Without Force: Can Awareness Leverage Reward to Drive Behavior Change?

To reach longer-term goals and live aligned with their values, people typically must regulate their behavior. Effortful self-control is one way to achieve this and is usually framed as a forceful struggle between lower-level impulses and higher-level cognitive control processes. For example, people may restrain themselves from eating cake in order to lose weight. An alternative avenue of self-regulation draws on autonomous motivation: Individuals eat healthfully because it is values-congruent or intrinsically satisfying. Recent advances in the understanding of reward valuation on a neural level (e.g., ventromedial prefrontal cortex/orbitofrontal cortex) and emerging treatments on a clinical level (e.g., mindfulness training) suggest a possible mechanistic convergence between brain and behavior that is consistent with a shift from forced to unforced behavior change. Here we propose how an overlooked aspect of reinforcement learning can be leveraged using a simple yet critical feature of experience that is not reliant on willpower: Bringing awareness to one’s subjective experience and behavior can produce a change in valuation of learned but unhealthy behaviors, leading to self-regulatory shifts that result in sustainable behavior change without force.
Potentials of Probiotics as Alternative Therapy in Combating Bacterial Diseases: A Review

Bacterial diseases have been the major cause of mortality and sufferings the world over. Several treatment modalities were devised against these pathogens; the most prominent of which is antibiotic therapy. However, the treatment modalities most usually employed are either cost effective or associated with some side effects leading to the emergence of new strains of resistant bacteria. Alternative treatment strategies are needed to complement the existing modalities in combating these diseases. Probiotics are live nonpathogenic microorganisms embedded in food and administered to improve microbial balance. They exert their beneficial effects by immune-regulatory actions thereby modifying host’s immune system, by the restoration of gut barrier function, by lowering intestinal pH, decreasing colonization and invasion by pathogenic organisms and by the production of favorable metabolic products through the modulation of the gut microbiota. These actions might inhibit the onset and alleviate the symptoms of inflammatory diseases, such as intestinal and metabolic diseases and allergy. These bring about the treatment of gastritis, bacterial vaginosis, urinary tract infections, ulcerative colitis,
PHOTO-SENSITIVE LEAF ROLLING 1 encodes a polygalacturonase that modifies cell wall structure and drought tolerance in rice.

• The biosynthesis and modification of cell wall composition and structure are controlled by hundreds of enzymes and have direct consequence on plant growth and development. However, the majority of these enzymes have not been functionally characterized. • Rice mutants with leaf rolling phenotypes were screened in a field. Phenotypic analysis under controlled conditions was performed for the selected mutant, and the relevant gene was identified by Map-based cloning. Cell wall composition was analyzed by glycome profiling assay. • We identified a photo-sensitive leaf rolling 1 (psl1) mutant with "napping" (mid-day depression of photosynthesis) phenotype and reduced growth. PSL1 gene encodes a cell wall-localized Polygalacturonase (PG), a pectin degrading enzyme. psl1 with 260 bp deletion in its gene displayed leaf rolling in response to high light and/or low humidity. Biochemical assays revealed PG activity of recombinant PSL1 protein. Significant modifications to cell wall composition in the psl1 mutant as compared to the wild type plants were identified. Such modifications enhanced drought tolerance of the mutant plants by reducing water loss under osmotic stress and drought conditions. • Taken together, PSL1 functions as a PG that modifies cell wall biosynthesis, plant development, and drought tolerance in rice.
Life History Characteristics of Ringlegged Earwig (Dermaptera: Labiduridae): Emphasis on Ovarian Development

During the 8-d period of embryogenesis, eggs of the ringlegged earwig, Euborellia annulipes (Lucas), increased in length, width, and mass. Following hatching, larvae typically advanced through 5 stadia. The duration of the last larval stadium (12.5 ± 0.5 d) exceeded those of earlier stadia. Parent females tended both eggs and 1st instars; removal of parent females on the day of oviposition significantly diminished the number hatching successfully. Adult females were most receptive to mating 10-12 d after adult eclosion. Males appeared receptive to mating as early as the day of adult eclosion, and maintained a high level of receptivity throughout life. Females oviposited the 1st clutch of 40.2 ± 2.1 eggs 17.8 ± 0.6 d after adult eclosion, and produced up to 9 clutches within 180 d after adult eclosion. Females usually remated between production of clutches, but remating was not essential for continued production of fertilized eggs. Virgin females failed to oviposit within 35 d after adult eclosion. Each ovary typically contained 5 ovarioles. Basal follicle length increased from 0.13 to 1.13 mm during the 2nd gonadotrophic cycle. Wet weight of ovaries increased dramatically from 5 mg during the reproductive cycle.
The Low Glutamate Diet Effectively Improves Pain and Other Symptoms of Gulf War Illness

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a multisymptom disorder including widespread chronic pain, fatigue and gastrointestinal problems. The objective of this study was to examine the low glutamate diet as a treatment for GWI. Forty veterans with GWI were recruited from across the US. Outcomes included symptom score, myalgic score, tender point count, dolorimetry and the Chalder Fatigue Scale. Subjects were randomized to the low glutamate diet or a wait-listed control group, with symptom score being compared after one month. Subjects then went onto a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover challenge with monosodium glutamate (MSG)/placebo to test for return of symptoms. Symptom score was compared between diet intervention and wait-listed controls with an independent t-test and effect size was calculated with Cohen’s d. Change scores were analyzed with Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests. Crossover challenge results were analyzed with General Linear Models and cluster analysis. The diet intervention group reported significantly less symptoms (p = 0.0009) than wait-listed controls, with a very large effect size, d = 1.16. Significant improvements in average dolorimetry (p = 0.0006), symptom score, tender point number, myalgic score and the Chalder Fatigue Scale (all p < 0.0001) were observed after the 1-month diet. Challenge with MSG/placebo resulted in significant variability in individual response. These results suggest that the low glutamate diet can effectively reduce overall symptoms, pain and fatigue in GWI, but differential results upon challenge suggest that other aspects of the diet, or underlying differences within the population, may be driving these changes. Future research is needed to identify potential nutrient effects, biomarkers, and underlying metabolic differences between responders and non-responders.
Fibrosis and Immune Cell Infiltration Are Separate Events Regulated by Cell-Specific Receptor Notch3 Expression.

BACKGROUND Kidney injuries that result in chronic inflammation initiate crosstalk between stressed resident cells and infiltrating immune cells. In animal models, whole-body receptor Notch3 deficiency protects from leukocyte infiltration and organ fibrosis. However, the relative contribution of Notch3 expression in tissue versus infiltrating immune cells is unknown. METHODS Chimeric mice deficient for Notch3 in hematopoietic cells and/or resident tissue cells were generated, and kidney fibrosis and inflammation after unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) were analyzed. Adoptive transfer of labeled bone marrow-derived cells validated the results in a murine Leishmania ear infection model. In vitro adhesion assays, integrin activation, and extracellular matrix production were analyzed. RESULTS Fibrosis follows UUO, but inflammatory cell infiltration mostly depends upon Notch3 expression in hematopoietic cells, which coincides with an enhanced proinflammatory milieu (e.g., CCL2 and CCL5 upregulation). Notch3 expression on CD45+ leukocytes plays a prominent role in efficient cell transmigration. Functionally, leukocyte adhesion and integrin activation are abrogated in the absence of receptor Notch3. Chimeric animal models also reveal that tubulointerstitial fibrosis develops, even in the absence of prominent leukocyte infiltrates after ureteral obstruction. Deleting Notch3 receptors on resident cells blunts kidney fibrosis, ablates NF-κB signaling, and lessens matrix deposition. CONCLUSIONS Cell-specific receptor Notch3 signaling independently orchestrates leukocyte infiltration and organ fibrosis. Interference with Notch3 signaling may present a novel therapeutic approach in inflammatory as well as fibrotic diseases.
How the stomate got his pore: very long chain fatty acids and a structural cell wall protein sculpt the guard cell outer cuticular ledge.

The epidermis forms a crucial barrier between a plant and its environment. It stops uncontrolled loss of water by evaporation or transpiration and protects underlying cells from solar radiation and pathogens (Lewandowska et al., 2020). Overlying the leaf epidermis is the cuticle which consists of a matrix of cell wall proteins and carbohydrates, interweaved fatty acids with various chain lengths (known as cutin) and an outermost layer of wax, which varies in constituents and thickness depending on species and in response to environmental stimuli. The leaf epidermis contains trichomes (hair cells), epidermal cells and stomatal guard cells, and it is likely that the cuticularwax composition varieswith cell type although this has been little studied (Hegebath& Jetter, 2017). Themajority of CO2 entry and water loss occurs through stomatal pores, with smaller amounts diffusing through the epidermis when stomata are closed (Boyer, 2015). The ability to quickly close these pores or in the longer-term to adapt stomatal density in response to environmental conditions such as drought is well documented, but less is known about whether plants alter their cuticle composition to regulate water loss, and if such changes occur in an epidermal cell typespecific way (Holroyd et al., 2002). In this issue ofNew Phytologist, Tang et al. (2020; pp. 1880–1896) have identified a novel Arabidopsis thalianamutant osp1 (occluded stomatal pore 1) that has disrupted synthesis of cuticular waxes and shows structural alterations to the stomatal cuticular ledge. This phenotype, which is reminiscent of the previously described fused outer cuticular ledge mutant (focl1; Hunt et al., 2017), has effects on both stomatal and nonstomatal water losses.
The Glycine- and Proline-Rich Protein AtGPRP3 Negatively Regulates Plant Growth in Arabidopsis

Glycine- and proline-rich proteins (GPRPs) comprise a small conserved family that is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. GPRPs are relatively short peptides (<200 amino acids) that contain three typical domains, including an N-terminal XYPP-repeat domain, a middle hydrophobic domain rich in alanine, and a C-terminal HGK-repeat domain. These proteins have been proposed to play fundamental roles in plant growth and environmental adaptation, but their functions remain unknown. In this study, we selected an Arabidopsis GPRP (AtGPRP3) to profile the physiological role of GPRPs. Transcripts of AtGPRP3 could be detected in the whole Arabidopsis plant, but greater amounts were found in the rosette, followed by the cauline. The AtGPRP3::GFP fusion protein was mainly localized in the nucleus. The overexpression and knockout of AtGPRP3, respectively, retarded and accelerated the growth of Arabidopsis seedlings, while the increase in the growth rate of atgprp3 plants was offset by the complementary expression of AtGPRP3. CAT2 and CAT3, but not CAT1, interacted with AtGPRP3 in the nuclei of Arabidopsis protoplasts. The knockout of CAT2 by CRISPR-Cas9 retarded the growth of the Arabidopsis seedlings. Together, our data suggest that AtGPRP3 negatively regulates plant growth, potentially through CAT2 and CAT3.
Maternal Oral Health Influences Infant Salivary Microbiome

Oral microbiomes vary in cariogenic potential; these differences may be established early in life. A major concern is whether mothers transmit cariogenic bacteria to their children. Here we characterize early salivary microbiome development and the potential associations of that development with route of delivery, breastfeeding, and mother’s oral health, and we evaluate transmission of microbes between mother and child. We analyzed saliva and metadata from the Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia. For this cohort study, we sequenced the V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene and used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Candida albicans in the saliva from mothers and their infants, collected at 2, 9, and 12 mo (Pennsylvania site) and 2, 12, and 24 mo (West Virginia site). Breastfed children had lower relative abundances of Prevotella and Veillonella. If mothers had decayed, missing, or filled teeth, children had greater abundances of Veillonella and Actinomyces. There was little evidence of maternal transmission of selected microbes. At 12 mo, children’s microbiomes were more similar to other children’s than to their mothers’. Infants’ salivary microbiomes became more adult-like with age but still differed with mothers’ microbiomes at 12 mo. There was little evidence supporting transmission of selected microbes from mothers to children, but risk of colonization was associated with tooth emergence. Children are likely to acquire cariogenic bacteria from a variety of sources, including foods and contact with other children and adults.
Epidemic deaths in a chacma baboon population

Over the period March-May 1998, 44 members of two troops of chacma baboon (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) at De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Western Cape died. In each case, the symptoms were the same: increased lassitude followed by haemorrhaging diarrhoea and death within 72 hours of onset. Of the animals that became ill, only one, a high-ranking adult female, survived. Although no definitive diagnosis was possible, the histological examination of one individual, taken together with the observed symptoms, suggests that the animals succumbed to yersiniosis (Yersinia enterocolitica) or to some viral infection, either haemorrhagic or enteric.
Exploring the role of hydrophilic amino acids in unfolding of protein in aqueous ethanol solution

Hydrophobic association is the key contributor behind the formation of well packed core of a protein which is often believed to be an important step for folding from an unfolded chain to its compact functional form. While most of the protein folding/unfolding studies have evaluated the changes in the hydrophobic interactions during chemical denaturation, the role of hydrophilic amino acids in such processes are not discussed in detail. Here we report the role of the hydrophilic amino acids behind ethanol induced unfolding of protein. Using free energy simulations, we show that chicken villin head piece (HP‐36) protein unfolds gradually in presence of water‐ethanol binary mixture with increasing composition of ethanol. However, upon mutation of hydrophilic amino acids by glycine while keeping the hydrophobic amino acids intact, the compact state of the protein is found to be stable at all compositions with gradual flattening of the free energy landscape upon increasing compositions. The local environment around the protein in terms of ethanol/water number significantly differs in wild type protein compared to the mutated protein. The calculated Wyman‐Tanford preferential binding coefficient of ethanol for wild type protein reveals that a greater number of cosolutes (here ethanol) bind to the unfolded state compared to its folded state. However, no significant increase in binding coefficient of ethanol at the unfolded state is found for mutated protein. Local‐bulk partition coefficient calculation also suggests similar scenarios. Our results reveal that the weakening of hydrophobic interactions in aqueous ethanol solution along with larger preferential binding of ethanol to the unfolded state mediated by hydrophilic amino acids combinedly helps unfolding of protein in aqueous ethanol solution.
Functional respiratory imaging identifies redistribution of pulmonary blood flow in patients with COVID-19

An increasing observation is that some patients with COVID-19 have normal lung compliance but significant hypoxaemia different from typical acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We hypothesised that changes in pulmonary blood distribution may be partially responsible and used functional respiratory imaging on CT scans to calculate pulmonary blood volume. We found that patients with COVID-19 had significantly reduced blood volume in the smaller calibre blood vessels (here defined as <5 mm2 cross-sectional area) compared with matched ARDS patients and healthy controls. This suggests that using high levels of PEEP may not alone be enough to oxygenate these patients and that additional management strategies may be needed.
ATM Protein Kinase: Old and New Implications in Neuronal Pathways and Brain Circuitry

Despite that the human autosomal recessive disease ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare pathology, interest in the function of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM) is extensive. From a clinical point of view, the role of ATM in the central nervous system (CNS) is the most impacting, as motor disability is the predominant symptom affecting A-T patients. Coherently, spino-cerebellar neurodegeneration is the principal hallmark of A-T and other CNS regions such as dentate and olivary nuclei and brain stem are implicated in A-T pathophysiology. Recently, several preclinical studies also highlighted the involvement of ATM in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, thus extending A-T symptomatology to new brain areas and pathways. Here, we review old and recent evidence that largely demonstrates not only the historical ATM account in DNA damage response and cell cycle regulation, but the multiple pathways through which ATM controls oxidative stress homeostasis, insulin signalling pathways, epigenetic regulation, synaptic transmission, and excitatory–inhibitory balance. We also summarise recent evidence on ATM implication in neurological and cognitive diseases beyond A-T, bringing out ATM as new pathological substrate and potential therapeutic target.
Wall shear stress analysis using 17.6 Tesla MRI: A longitudinal study in ApoE-/- mice with histological analysis

This longitudinal study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of detecting the interaction between wall shear stress (WSS) and plaque development. 20 ApoE-/- mice were separated in 12 mice with Western Diet and 8 mice with Chow Diet. Magnetic resonance (MR) scans at 17.6 Tesla and histological analysis were performed after one week, eight and twelve weeks. All in vivo MR measurements were acquired using a flow sensitive phase contrast method for determining vectorial flow. Histological sections were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, Elastica van Gieson and CD68 staining. Data analysis was performed using Ensight and a Matlab-based “Flow Tool”. The body weight of ApoE-/- mice increased significantly over 12 weeks. WSS values increased in the Western Diet group over the time period; in contrast, in the Chow Diet group the values decreased from the first to the second measurement point. Western Diet mice showed small plaque formations with elastin fragmentations after 8 weeks and big plaque formations after 12 weeks; Chow Diet mice showed a few elastin fragmentations after 8 weeks and small plaque formations after 12 weeks. Favored by high-fat diet, plaque formation results in higher values of WSS. With wall shear stress being a known predictor for atherosclerotic plaque development, ultra highfield MRI can serve as a tool for studying the causes and beginnings of atherosclerosis.
An Iconoclastic View of Bacillus thuringiensis Ecology

Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner is a Gram-positive bacterium that upon sporulation produces a protein crystal toxic to certain pest insects. Strains of B. thuringiensis that affect the larvae of insects in Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and other orders have been identified. However, in general, much of the research that has been conducted using B. thuringiensis is not definitive.