Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alterations in Knee Joint Laxity During the Menstrual Cycle in Healthy Women Leads to Increases in Joint Loads During Selected Athletic Movements

Background It has been speculated that the hormonal cycle may be correlated with higher incidence of ACL injury in female athletes, but results have been very contradictory. Hypothesis Knee joint loads are influenced by knee joint laxity (KJL) during the menstrual cycle. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Serum samples and KJL were assessed at the follicular, ovulation, and luteal phases in 26 women. Knee joint mechanics (angle, moment, and impulse) were measured and compared at the same intervals. Each of the 26 subjects had a value for knee laxity at each of the 3 phases of their cycle, and these were ordered and designated low, medium, and high for that subject. Knee joint mechanics were then compared between low, medium, and high laxity. Results No significant differences in knee joint mechanics were found across the menstrual cycle (no phase effect). However, an increase in KJL was associated with higher knee joint loads during movement (laxity effect). A 1.3-mm increase in KJL resulted in an increase of approximately 30% in adduction impulse in a cutting maneuver, an increase of approximately 20% in knee adduction moment, and a 20% to 45% increase in external rotation loads during a jumping and stopping task (P < .05). Conclusion Changes in KJL during the menstrual cycle do change knee joint loading during movements. Clinical Relevance Our findings will be beneficial for researchers in the development of more effective ACL injury prevention programs.
Megafaunal Decline and Fall

Declines in North American megafauna populations began before the Clovis period and were the cause, not the result, of vegetation changes and increased fires. One of the most dramatic environmental changes in recent Earth history has been the disappearance of very big animals—mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, giant kangaroos, moa and hundreds of others—from most of the land area of the globe. What caused these extinctions? And how did they affect the world's ecosystems? The first question has generated such intense debate that few scientists have got past it to confront the second. On page 1100 of this issue, Gill et al. (1) give answers to both questions.
Patterns of Recurrent Injuries among US High School Athletes, 2005-2008

Background High school sports participants sustain millions of injuries annually; many are recurrent injuries that can be more severe than new injuries. Hypothesis Recurrent injury patterns differ from new injury patterns by sport and gender. Study Design Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods High school sports injury data for the 2005 through 2008 academic years were collected via High School Reporting Information Online (RIO) from a nationally representative sample of 100 US high schools. Results From 2005 through 2008, certified athletic trainers reported 13 755 injuries during 5 627 921 athlete exposures (24.4 injuries per 10 000 athlete exposures). Recurrent injuries accounted for 10.5% of all injuries. Football players had the highest rate of recurrent injury (4.36 per 10 000 athlete exposures). Girls had higher rates of recurrent injuries than boys in soccer (injury rate ratio = 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.82). Recurrent injuries most often involved the ankle (28.3%), knee (16.8%), head/ face (12.1%), and shoulder (12.0%), and were most often ligament sprains (incomplete tears) (34.9%), muscle strains (incomplete tears) (13.3%), and concussions (11.6%). A greater proportion of recurrent injuries than new injuries resulted in the student choosing to end participation (recurrent = 2.4%, new = 0.7%). Recurrent shoulder injuries were more likely to require surgery than new shoulder injuries (injury proportion ratio = 4.51; 95% confidence interval, 2.82-7.20). Conclusion Recurrent injury rates and patterns differed by sport. Because recurrent injuries can have severe consequences on an athlete's health and future sports participation, injury prevention must be a priority. Knowledge of injury patterns can drive targeted preventive efforts.
Organic Superconductors

We briefly describe the strategies to increase (or decrease) the electronic dimensionality to suppress (or induce) metal-insulator transition and discuss the structural and physical properties, ground state and phase diagram of TMTSF and ET superconductors. Then we touch on the other superconductors including single component ones and unidentified superconducting organics (USO) reported so far.
Finding Defects in Natural Language Confidentiality Requirements

Large-scale software systems must adhere to complex, multi-lateral security and privacy requirements from regulations. It is industrial practice to define such requirements in form of natural language (NL) documents. Currently existing approaches to analyzing NL confidentiality requirements rely on a manual linguistic transformation and normalization of the original text, prior to the analysis. This paper presents an alternative approach to analyzing requirements by using semantic annotations placed directly into the original NL documents. The benefits of this alternative approach are twofold: (1) it can effectively be supported by an interactive annotation tool and (2) there is a direct traceability between annotation structures and the original NL documents. We have evaluated our method and tool support using the same real-world case study that was used to evaluate the earlier linguistic approach. Our results show that our method generates the same results, i.e., it uncovers the same problems.
RTEL-1 Enforces Meiotic Crossover Interference and Homeostasis

Managing Crossovers In all sexual eukaryotes a special type of cell division called meiosis produces gametes or spores. For chromosomes to segregate properly to the daughter cells during meiosis, DNA crossovers must occur between every pair of homologous chromosomes. The position and number of these crossovers, which help to hold the homologous chromosomes together, is carefully controlled, in part by the condensin I complex. Youds et al. (p. 1254) show that in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, crossovers are regulated at a second level by the anti-recombinase RTEL-1 (regulator of telomere elongation helicase–1). RTEL-1 prevents crossovers occurring too close to each other, and ensures that only one occurs per pair of homologous chromosomes. Crossing over between homologous chromosomes in meiosis is controlled in part by an anti-recombination enzyme. Meiotic crossovers (COs) are tightly regulated to ensure that COs on the same chromosome are distributed far apart (crossover interference, COI) and that at least one CO is formed per homolog pair (CO homeostasis). CO formation is controlled in part during meiotic double-strand break (DSB) creation in Caenorhabditis elegans, but a second level of control must also exist because meiotic DSBs outnumber COs. We show that the antirecombinase RTEL-1 is required to prevent excess meiotic COs, probably by promoting meiotic synthesis-dependent strand annealing. Two distinct classes of meiotic COs are increased in rtel-1 mutants, and COI and homeostasis are compromised. We propose that RTEL-1 implements the second level of CO control by promoting noncrossovers.
The Long-term Effect of 2 Postoperative Rehabilitation Programs After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background There is no consensus regarding the optimal postoperative rehabilitation program after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term outcome of a 6-month neuromuscular exercise (NE) training program versus a traditional strength exercise (SE) training program after ACL reconstruction. Study Design Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods Seventy-four patients were randomly assigned to either a NE program or a SE program and tested preoperatively and at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after ACL reconstruction. Outcome measurements were as follows: Cincinnati knee score, visual analog scale for pain and global function, Short Form 36, functional knee tests, and isokinetic muscle strength tests. Results There were no significant differences between the NE and SE programs 1 and 2 years after ACL reconstruction for the primary outcome measurement (Cincinnati knee score). There were significantly improved knee function (global function) and reduced pain during activity for the NE group, compared with the SE group, and significantly improved hamstring muscle strength for the SE group, compared with the NE group, 2 years after ACL reconstruction. Conclusion On the basis of these results, a postoperative program combining both NE and SE should be included after ACL reconstruction to improve knee function.
Graft Orientation Influences the Knee Flexion Moment During Walking in Patients With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background Anterior cruciate ligament graft orientation has been proposed as a potential mechanism for failure of single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and has been considered important in the restoration of normal ambulatory knee mechanics. Purpose To evaluate the possibility that patients adapt their mechanics of walking to the orientation of the anterior cruciate ligament graft. This was determined by testing the hypothesis that peak external knee flexion moment (net quadriceps moment) during walking in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is correlated with coronal and sagittal anterior cruciate ligament graft orientations. Study Design Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods Gait analysis was performed to assess dynamic knee function during walking in 17 subjects with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure coronal and sagittal anterior cruciate ligament graft orientations. Results A negative correlation was observed between peak external knee flexion moment during walking and coronal angle of the anterior cruciate ligament graft (1.0 m/s walking speed, r = −0.87, P < .001; 1.3 m/s, r = −0.66, P = .004; 1.6 m/s, r = −0.24, P > .05); no correlation was found with the sagittal graft angle (1.0 m/s walking speed, r = 0.21, P > .05; 1.3 m/s, r = 0.20, P > .05; 1.6 m/s, r = 0.13, P > .05). Conclusion The negative correlation between peak external knee flexion moment during walking and the coronal angle of the anterior cruciate ligament graft indicates that as the anterior cruciate ligament graft is placed in a more vertical coronal orientation, patients reduce their net quadriceps usage during walking. Clinical Relevance This finding supports the hypothesis that graft placement plays a critical role in the restoration of normal ambulatory mechanics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and thus could provide a partial explanation for the increased incidence of premature osteoarthritis at long-term follow-up in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Efficient Annealing of Radiation Damage Near Grain Boundaries via Interstitial Emission

Preventing Radiation Damage Inside a nuclear reactor, long-term exposure to radiation causes structural damage and limits the lifetimes of the reactor components. Bai et al. (p. 1631; see the Perspective by Ackland) now show, using three simulation methods able to cover a wide range of time and length scales, that grain boundaries in copper can act as sinks for radiation-induced defects. The boundaries are able to store up defects, in the form of interstitials, which subsequently annihilate with vacancies in the bulk. This recombination mechanism has a lower energy barrier than the bulk equivalent, and so provides a lower-cost route for the copper to self-heal. Simulations show that grain boundaries store and annihilate radiation-induced defects in copper. Although grain boundaries can serve as effective sinks for radiation-induced defects such as interstitials and vacancies, the atomistic mechanisms leading to this enhanced tolerance are still not well understood. With the use of three atomistic simulation methods, we investigated defect–grain boundary interaction mechanisms in copper from picosecond to microsecond time scales. We found that grain boundaries have a surprising “loading-unloading” effect. Upon irradiation, interstitials are loaded into the boundary, which then acts as a source, emitting interstitials to annihilate vacancies in the bulk. This unexpected recombination mechanism has a much lower energy barrier than conventional vacancy diffusion and is efficient for annihilating immobile vacancies in the nearby bulk, resulting in self-healing of the radiation-induced damage.
Life is movement: exercise for the older adult

As our population ages, the issues of health maintenance and disease prevention are of growing importance. The myths of aging need to be dispelled. Many studies show that the healthy older individual can improve functional capacity through proper exercise modalities. It is possible for the older adult, through proper training, to achieve the physical fitness of a much younger sedentary person. Maintaining and improving endurance, strength, flexibility and balance along with learning to deal with emotional stress can improve the quality of life well into the 70's, 80's' and 90's. Therefore it is important for health professionals to prescribe, counsel and encourage the mature adult in proper exercise programs.
Exposición al humo de tabaco en hogares de la Ciudad de México: Análisis de nicotina ambiental y en cabello de niños y mujeres

OBJETIVO: En Mexico no se han efectuado evaluaciones de la exposicion al humo de tabaco ambiental en los hogares ni en sus habitantes. El objetivo de este estudio es cuantificar los niveles de nicotina ambiental en hogares de la Ciudad de Mexico, evaluando simultaneamente los niveles de nicotina en el cabello de ninos y mujeres. MATERIAL Y METODOS: En julio de 2005 se seleccionaron 41 hogares de la Ciudad de Mexico a conveniencia, 20% sin fumadores y 80% con fumadores. Se colocaron monitores pasivos de nicotina en los hogares por una semana y se obtuvieron muestras de cabello de mujeres no fumadoras y ninos para cuantificar nicotina. Las muestras fueron enviadas a la Universidad Johns Hopkins, donde la nicotina se extrajo y analizo con cromatografia de gases. De manera adicional, se aplicaron encuestas de opinion y conductas relacionadas con el humo de tabaco ambiental. RESULTADOS: Las concentraciones de nicotina ambiental tuvieron una mediana de 0.08 µg/m³ (RIC 0.01-0.64), en el cabello de los ninos 0.05 ng/mg (RIC 0.05-0.29) y en el cabello de las mujeres 0.05 ng/mg (RIC 0.05-0.19). Las concentraciones de nicotina ambiental y en el cabello de los ninos mostraron una correlacion alta (rS=0.49), y se incremento con el numero de fumadores en el hogar. La mayoria de los encuestados apoya las medidas de control del humo de tabaco ambiental. CONCLUSIONES: Se observaron grados particularmente altos de exposicion en ninos atribuibles a la presencia de nicotina ambiental en el hogar. Deben implementarse acciones preventivas integrales para eliminar el tabaquismo activo y evitar el consumo de tabaco en el hogar.
Predictors of Running-Related Injuries in Novice Runners Enrolled in a Systematic Training Program

Background The popularity of running is still growing. As participation increases, running-related injuries also increase. Until now, little is known about the predictors for injuries in novice runners. Hypothesis Predictors for running-related injuries (RRIs) will differ between male and female novice runners. Study Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods Participants were 532 novice runners (226 men, 306 women) preparing for a recreational 4-mile (6.7-km) running event. After completing a baseline questionnaire and undergoing an orthopaedic examination, they were followed during the training period of 13 weeks. An RRI was defined as any self-reported running-related musculoskeletal pain of the lower extremity or back causing a restriction of running for at least 1 week. Results Twenty-one percent of the novice runners had at least one RRI during follow-up. The multivariate adjusted Cox regression model for male participants showed that body mass index (BMI) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.26), previous injury in the past year (HR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.36-5.55), and previous participation in sports without axial load (HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.03-4.11) were associated with RRI. In female participants, only navicular drop (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75-0.97) remained a significant predictor for RRI in the multivariate Cox regression modeling. Type A behavior and range of motion (ROM) of the hip and ankle did not affect risk. Conclusion Male and female novice runners have different risk profiles. Higher BMI, previous injury, and previous sports participation without axial loading are important predictors for RRI in male participants. Further research is needed to detect more predictors for female novice runners.
Precision Agriculture and Food Security

Precision agriculture comprises a set of technologies that combines sensors, information systems, enhanced machinery, and informed management to optimize production by accounting for variability and uncertainties within agricultural systems. Adapting production inputs site-specifically within a field and individually for each animal allows better use of resources to maintain the quality of the environment while improving the sustainability of the food supply. Precision agriculture provides a means to monitor the food production chain and manage both the quantity and quality of agricultural produce.
Poisoning by toxic plants in China. Report of 19 autopsy cases.

In this article, we report on 19 autopsy cases in China in which the cause of death was poisoning by toxic plants. The emphasis is on analyses of the target organs or tissues affected by these plants. The mechanism of poisoning and cause of death are approached on the basis of the pathologic changes, and associated problems relating to forensic medicine are discussed. Language: en
Responsiveness of the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form in Comparison to the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Modified Cincinnati Knee Rating System, and Short Form 36 in Patients with Focal Articular Cartilage Defects

Background The International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC SKF) is a patient-reported knee-specific outcome measure that has been shown to be a reliable, valid, and responsive measure for patients with a variety of knee conditions. Further testing is required to compare the reliability and responsiveness of the IKDC SKF to other commonly used patient-reported outcome measures for patients with articular cartilage lesions. Hypothesis The IKDC SKF has equal or better levels of reliability and responsiveness than the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), modified Cincinnati Knee Rating System (CKRS), and the Short Form 36 in patients with articular cartilage lesions. Study Design Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods Reliability was assessed by administering the 4 patient-reported outcome measures to 17 individuals who had undergone articular cartilage surgery 5 years before participation in this study. Responsiveness was determined by administering the 4 patient-reported outcome measures to 51 individuals with diagnosed focal articular cartilage defects who were scheduled to undergo surgical treatment. In both groups, the outcome measures were administered at baseline and at 6 and 12 months’ follow-up. Participants also provided a global rating of change in comparison to baseline at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Results Test-retest reliability coefficients were 0.91 and 0.93 for the IKDC SKF at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups, respectively. The effect sizes and standardized response means were large (>0.80) at 6 months after surgery for the WOMAC pain, physical function, and total scores and 12 months after surgery for the IKDC SKF; WOMAC pain, physical function, and total; and CKRS scores. Six months after surgery, significant differences between those who were improved compared with those who were unchanged or worse were found only for the IKDC SKF. Twelve months after surgery, significant differences between the improved and unchanged groups were found for all of the knee-specific patient-reported outcome measures. Finally, the IKDC SKF, WOMAC, and CKRS scores were able to differentiate between individuals who perceived themselves to be improved versus not improved and the minimum clinically important difference for the IKDC SKF was 6.3 at 6 months and 16.7 at 12 months. Conclusion The reliability and responsiveness of the IKDC SKF is comparable with other commonly used patient-reported outcome measures for patients with articular cartilage lesions. The IKDC SKF is a suitable alternative to other commonly used knee-specific instruments for measuring symptoms, daily function, and level of symptom-free sports activity in patients undergoing articular cartilage surgery.
Apes Among the Tangled Branches of Human Origins

The evolution of apes between 23 and 5 million years ago set the scene for the emergence of the first hominins in Africa. The detailed description of Ardipithecus ramidus (1) more than lived up to the buzz of anticipation that preceded it in the paleoanthropological community. A. ramidus is a purported hominin (the group comprising humans and their extinct relatives after they diverged from our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees) from the Middle Awash region of Ethiopia. The focus of attention has been on how A. ramidus may relate to later fossil hominins and to living apes and humans (see the first figure), but to appreciate the place of A. ramidus in human origins, we must also view it from the perspective of the hominoids (apes) that lived in the Miocene, 23 to 5 million years ago (see the second figure).
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation in Cartilage Lesions of the Knee

Background Various treatment options are available for articular cartilage lesions, but controversy exists regarding the quality of the repair tissue and the durability of the results posttreatment. Noninvasive techniques are needed for the assessment of the repair tissue. Hypothesis Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) can give valuable information regarding the quality and quantity of the repaired cartilage lesion. Study Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods Thirty-six knees in 31 patients were assessed 9 to 18 years after treatment with autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). All patients had isolated lesions. The knees were clinically evaluated with the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and the dGEMRIC technique. The T1 value was measured for 2 regions of interest (ROIs), 1 in the repair tissue area (ROI 1) and 1 in the surrounding cartilage (ROI 2), giving information of the content of proteoglycans. Results The average T1 value in ROI 1 was 467.5 milliseconds and in ROI 2, 495.3 milliseconds, which yielded no significant difference, thus suggesting comparable levels of proteoglycans in the repair tissue and surrounding cartilage. Intralesional osteophytes were in 64% of the lesions, mainly in younger patients with osteochondritis dissecans lesions or a history of subchondral bone surgeries. Medium or large bone marrow edema was found in 14% of the knees and subchondral cysts, in 39%. There was no correlation between the KOOS and any MRI findings. Conclusion Magnetic resonance imaging with dGEMRIC gives valuable information for the macroscopic appearance and micro-molecular quality of the repair tissue after ACI. Nine to 18 years posttreatment, the quality of the repair tissue is similar to the surrounding normal cartilage, although intralesional osteophytes, subchondral cysts, and bone marrow edema were common. The defect area is restored in most patients. However, there was no correlation between the dGEMRIC values and the KOOS outcomes.