Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lethal photosensitisation of oral bacteria and its potential application in the photodynamic therapy of oral infections

Chemical antibacterial agents are increasingly being used in prophylactic and therapeutic regimes for dental plaque-related diseases, which are among the most common human infections. As these agents are difficult to maintain at a therapeutic concentration in the oral cavity and can be rendered ineffective by resistance development in the target organisms, there is a need to develop alternative antimicrobial approaches. Bacteria and other microbes can be sensitised to light through prior treatment with a chemical photosensitising agent. Lethal photosensitisation of a wide range of bacteria responsible for caries, periodontal diseases and root canal infections has been demonstrated using red light in conjunction with a number of photosensitisers, including Toluidine Blue, phthalocyanines and chlorins. The advantages of this approach are that bacteria can be eradicated in very short periods of time (seconds or minutes), resistance development in the target bacteria is unlikely and damage to adjacent host tissues and disruption of the normal microflora can be avoided. This approach may be a useful alternative to antibiotics and antiseptics in eliminating cariogenic and periodontopathogenic bacteria from disease lesions and for the disinfection of root canals. Not only would this be of benefit for the treatment of these diseases but, by replacing the antimicrobial agents that are currently used for such purposes, it would help to conserve our dwindling supply of antimicrobial agents that are effective in the treatment of serious systemic infections.
Analysis of site specific periodontal bacteria sampling schemes.

A great deal of controversy has existed in the periodontal literature as to whether the site or the subject should be the unit of analysis. Using the site as the unit of analysis assumes that observations of sites within the same subject are independent and ignores between subject variation. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the influence that the unit of analysis has on estimating the number of necessary site specific bacterial samples from each subject. The number of bacterial samples per subject was defined as the number of samples that would insure a clinician at a 95% confidence level that, if the bacteria were present in a subject, it would be discovered. From two data sets in which 20 to 30 bacterial samples were taken from each subject and data generated from a simulation, appropriate within-subject sample size was determined. In one data set the presence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroides forsythus, and Prevotella intermedia was determined by indirect immunofluorescence. In the other data set the presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, and P. intermedia was determined using DNA probes. Results of this study demonstrate that there is a large between subject variation in site specific bacterial prevalence, as indicated by an elevated intraclass correlation. Simulated data in this report demonstrated that the number of necessary bacterial samples per subject increased with increasing values of intraclass correlation. The number of necessary within subject samples also increased with decreasing prevalence rate. For A. actinomycetemcomitans, which had a low prevalence rate (0.11 to 0.18), the number of necessary samples per subject was very high (31 to 35). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Genetic control of resistance to chemically induced mammary adenocarcinogenesis in the rat.

Fifty-day-old female rats of a series of outbred (i.e., SD) and inbred (i.e., NSD, WF, LEW, F344, ACI, and COP) strains were exposed to a single dose of either of two highly effective mammary chemical carcinogens, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) or 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (MNU), to determine the characteristic number of mammary adenocarcinomas induced/rat for each strain. Female rats of the inbred NSD, WF, and LEW strains were found to be as highly susceptible to DMBA exposure as the randomly outbred SD strain (i.e., greater than 2 mammary adenocarcinomas/rat develop). Inbred female F344 and ACI rats were found to be much less susceptible to DMBA induced mammary adenocarcinogenesis (i.e., less than 1.2 mammary adenocarcinomas/rat). In contrast to all the other inbred strains, the female COP rat was unique in that it is essentially completely resistant to all attempts to induce mammary adenocarcinomas by either DMBA or MNU exposure. Genetic breeding analysis demonstrated that the resistance of the mammary epithelium of the female COP rat to DMBA and MNU is due to the mendelian inheritance of a dominant, autosomal genetic allele. The inheritance of a single copy of this resistance allele is able to prevent both the DMBA and MNU induced development of mammary adenocarcinomas in F1 hybrids produced by cross-breeding COP to the highly susceptible NSD animal.
Clinical and cone beam computed tomography comparison of NovaBone Dental Putty and PerioGlas in the treatment of mandibular Class II furcations.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to compare the putty form of bioactive glass (NovaBone Dental Putty) and particulate form (PerioGlas) in the resolution of Class II furcation defects. BACKGROUND Use of bone regeneration materials is becoming common in periodontal surgeries including furcation defects and the promising role of bioactive allograft materials has encouraged their presentation in different morphologic forms with their own advantages and disadvantages giving the operator ample of choices in his/her periodontal armamentarium. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 28 patients with 40 Class II furcation defects were enrolled in the study and were randomly allocated to two groups with 20 sites in each group. Measurement of defects was done using clinical and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) methods. The patients were followed-up at 6 months. Intergroup comparisons were done using Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS There was no significance between group differences in clinical parameters and defect size at the baseline. After 6 months, particulate form showed a mean resolution of 50.48 ± 16.47% and 51.11 ± 9.48%, respectively for vertical defect and horizontal defect while putty form showed a mean resolution of 43.48 ± 9.33% and 42.88 ± 11.09%, respectively. Mean resolution in furcation width was 40.15 ± 13.00% for particulate form as compared with 36.27 ± 11.41% in putty form. Statistically, there was no significant difference between two groups except for the horizontal defect fill where PerioGlas showed statistically better results. CONCLUSION Putty form was comparable to particulate form for resolution of Class II furcation defects.
Potential of the test-negative design for measuring influenza vaccine effectiveness: a systematic review

Background: The test-negative design is a variant of the case–control study being increasingly used to study influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE). In these studies, patients with influenza-like illness are tested for influenza. Vaccine coverage is compared between those testing positive versus those testing negative to estimate VE. Objectives: We reviewed features in the design, analysis and reporting of 85 published test-negative studies. Data sources: Studies were identified from PubMed, reference lists and email updates. Study eligibility: All studies using the test-negative design reporting end-of-season estimates were included. Study appraisal: Design features that may affect the validity and comparability of reported estimates were reviewed, including setting, study period, source population, case definition, exposure and outcome ascertainment and statistical model. Results: There was considerable variation in the analytic approach, with 68 unique statistical models identified among the studies. Conclusion: Harmonization of analytic approaches may improve the potential for pooling VE estimates.
Rough clustering of Korean foods based on adjectives for taste evaluation

There are many adjectives to express the taste of Korean foods. In the paper, those adjectives are used to categorize the foods based on rough tolerant relation as the same way as document clustering. Before clustering, we selected 87 adjectives that are frequently used for taste evaluation and obtained the sets of adjectives that can be used for the taste of 51 kinds of Korean cuisine and refreshments. For clustering non-hierarchical algorithm was used. The foods with similar ingredients, state of cuisine for serving, cooking methods and taking methods share the same cluster as we expected. The set of adjectives corresponding cluster representative can be used as linguistic scales for evaluating taste of foods in the category.
Gonadal-Hypothalamic Interaction in Prepubertal and Pubertal Man: Effect of Clomiphene Citrate on Urinary Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone and Plasma Testosterone

Extract: The effect of administering various doses of clomiphene citrate upon gonadotropin excretion and plasma testosterone in 13 prepubertal and 13 pubertal patients of both sexes was evaluated. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were measured by the radioimmunoassay of urinary kaolin-acetone extracts. Clomiphene suppressed FSH excretion in two of five prepubertal patients given 0.1 mg/day for 1 week. There were neither stimulatory nor suppressive effects when 0.01 or 0.001 mg/day of the drug was administered.Urinary gonadotropins and plasma testosterone decreased when 100 mg/day of clomiphene were administered to early pubertal individuals. Neither stimulation nor suppression took place when 10 mg, 1 mg, or 0.1 mg/day were given to early pubertal patients. In two girls in midpuberty who received 100 mg/day of clomiphene, an LH rise was observed, and both of these individuals experienced menarche 17–24 days after the beginning of drug ingestion. Sequential studies in a boy between early and mid puberty revealed a change in gonadotropin and testosterone results from suppression to no response when 100 mg/day of clomiphene were given for 1 week.The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the hypothalamus of the early pubertal child is sensitive to negative feedback by the weak estrogen, clomiphene. Not until midpuberty can stimulatory effects of clomiphene, similar to those obtained in the adult, be demonstrated.Speculation: Presumably there is a marked change in the sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary negative feedback centers to gonadal steroids during sexual maturation. Since the feedback set-point continues to decrease during puberty, the change in sensitivity may in fact begin early in childhood. Puberty might then be viewed as a continuum lasting several years, secondary sexual characteristics beginning only when a critical level of steadily increasing gonadotropin secretion is attained.
CCK-8 INHIBITS LPS-INDUCED IL-1&bgr; PRODUCTION IN PULMONARY INTERSTITIAL MACROPHAGES BY MODULATING PKA, P38, AND NF-&kgr;B PATHWAY

ABSTRACT The neuropeptide cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) inhibits inflammation by downregulating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor &agr; and interleukin (IL) 1&bgr; during endotoxin shock. However, the signaling mechanism of CCK-8 action has not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, we have examined the possible signaling pathways by which CCK-8 inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IL-1&bgr; production in rat pulmonary interstitial macrophages. In macrophages, LPS is known to activate p38 kinase, which, in turn, activates nuclear factor (NF)-&kgr;B to induce IL-1&bgr; production. We found that the pretreatment of cells with CCK-8 blocked the LPS-induced p38 kinase, NF-&kgr;B activation, and IL-1&bgr; production. Furthermore, CCK-8 treatment activated the cyclic adenosine monophosphate-protein kinase A signaling pathway and H-89 (a protein kinase A inhibitor), abrogated the inhibitory effects of CCK-8 on p38 kinase activation and NF-&kgr;B activation. In addition, we also demonstrate that the specific antagonits to CCK-1 receptor (CCK-1R) and CCK-2 receptor (CCK-2R) abrogate the CCK action, and that the effects of the antagonits specific to CCK-1R is more significant. These results suggest that these responses were mediated through CCK-1R and CCK-2R, and CCK-1R might be the major receptor responsible for the anti-inflammatory effect of CCK-8. Taken together, our results indicate that the stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate-protein kinase A signaling pathway by CCK-8 through CCK-1R and CCK-2R inhibits the LPS-induced activation of p38 kinase and NF-&kgr;B to block the IL-1&bgr; production in rat pulmonary interstitial macrophages.ABBREVIATIONS-PIMs-pulmonary interstitial macrophages; AM-alveolar macrophages; LPS-lipopolysaccharide; CCK-8-cholecystokinin octapeptide; ES-endotoxin shock; CCK-1R-CCK-1 receptor; CCK-2R-CCK-2 receptor; PKA-protein kinase A; MAPK-mitogen-activated protein kinase; NF-&kgr;B-nuclear factor &kgr;B; I&kgr;B-inhibitory &kgr;B; IL-1&bgr;-interleukin 1&bgr;
Curvature-aware simplification for point-sampled geometry

We propose a novel curvature-aware simplification technique for point-sampled geometry based on the locally optimal projection (LOP) operator. Our algorithm includes two new developments. First, a weight term related to surface variation at each point is introduced to the classic LOP operator. It produces output points with a spatially adaptive distribution. Second, for speeding up the convergence of our method, an initialization process is proposed based on geometry-aware stochastic sampling. Owing to the initialization, the relaxation process achieves a faster convergence rate than those initialized by uniform sampling. Our simplification method possesses a number of distinguishing features. In particular, it provides resilience to noise and outliers, and an intuitively controllable distribution of simplification. Finally, we show the results of our approach with publicly available point cloud data, and compare the results with those obtained using previous methods. Our method outperforms these methods on raw scanned data.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts secrete FGF-1 to promote ovarian proliferation, migration, and invasion through the activation of FGF-1/FGFR4 signaling

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, due to its high propensity for metastasis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts, as the dominant component of tumor microenvironment, are crucial for tumor progression. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of ovarian cancer cells by cancer-associated fibroblasts remain little known. Here, we first isolated cancer-associated fibroblasts from patients’ ovarian tissues and found that cancer-associated fibroblasts promoted SKOV3 cells’ proliferation, migration, and invasion. Fibroblast growth factor-1 was identified as a highly increased factor in cancer-associated fibroblasts compared with normal fibroblasts by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (~4.6-fold, p < 0.01) and ELISA assays (~4-fold, p < 0.01). High expression of fibroblast growth factor-1 in cancer-associated fibroblasts either naturally or through gene recombination led to phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 in SKOV3 cells, which is followed by the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal–regulated protein kinase pathway and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition–associated gene Snail1 and MMP3 expression. Moreover, treatment of SKOV3 cell with fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor PD173074 terminated cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion, reduced the phosphorylation level of fibroblast growth factor receptor 4, and suppressed the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal–regulated protein kinase pathway. In addition, the expression level of Snail1 and MMP3 was reduced, while the expression level of E-cadherin increased. These observations suggest a crucial role for cancer-associated fibroblasts and fibroblast growth factor-1/fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 signaling in the progression of ovarian cancer. Therefore, this fibroblast growth factor-1/fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 axis may become a potential target for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Obesity, visceral fat and Crohn's disease

Purpose of reviewIncreasing evidence indicates that adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ involved in metabolic syndrome and regulation of inflammation. Visceral fat accumulation is a hallmark of both obesity and Crohn's disease. Here, we present recent data describing the immune properties of intra-abdominal adipose tissue that could link the innate immune response to obesity-related disorders and gut inflammation. Recent findingsInnate immune properties of adipocytes have become well characterized since recent studies described the Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression repertoire and specific TLR ligand responses of adipocytes. Adipokine secretion profiles have also been elucidated both in obese patients, when they may be involved in obesity-associated metabolic disease, and in Crohn's disease. Whereas mesenteric fat hypertrophy and fat wrapping of the bowel are characteristic of Crohn's disease, there exists a paucity of information concerning this important pathophysiological aspect. Our current classical animal models are of limited interest when investigating the role of mesenteric fat in gut inflammation. Recent new alternative disease paradigms could help to design more specific models for elucidating chronic transmural inflammation of the gut. SummaryObesity and Crohn's disease share common features with the development of mesenteric fat that may be involved in gut inflammation. Further studies are required to clearly assess the origin and influence of intestinal fat deposits upon gut inflammation, notably during Crohn's disease development.
The Ripple Effect: Youth Leadership Development and Influence on Environmental Engagement in the Community

Youth leadership is a critical factor in creating momentum for a cultural shift in sustainability practices and can be fostered through youth leadership programs. While evidence exists showing youth environmental programs are able to promote program participant leadership, it is not yet known to what degree these participants are able to improve the environmental engagement of members of their social networks. This “ripple effect” is assessed in the current study through the context of the Make-A-Difference (MAD) Youth Sustainability Leadership Program in New Zealand. The program involves a 3-day social gathering (hui) and ongoing support for several following years. The ripple effect of environmental engagement is explored using a 4-phase mixed-methods design with 30 participants of the MAD program and 6 members of their social networks as participants. Results indicate that MAD participants undergo transformational changes during the MAD program, including developing an identity of a change agent and becoming a member of the MAD community. Together, these personal changes and the ongoing support from MAD program staff contribute to MAD participants’ ability to influence members of their social networks through a variety of approaches. These influences include increased environmental knowledge, personal practice changes, and environmental action participation as well as leadership.
Unusual productivity of Aedes aegypti in septic tanks and its implications for dengue control

Abstract Increased DEN‐2 virus transmission in Puerto Rico during 2005 prompted the implementation of a rapid intervention programme to suppress Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) emergence, which in turn lead to the discovery of previously unknown breeding sites underground. Initially, the following control measures were applied in Playa/Playita (PP), a town of 1,400 households, to all areas where the number of pupae per person exceeded the expected threshold for dengue transmission; all containers likely to be aquatic habitats were turned over and containers too large to turn were treated with 1 p.p.m. methoprene. The impact of these interventions was evaluated by comparing the number of resting adult mosquitoes (by backpack aspiration and sweepnetting in bedrooms) pre‐intervention, with numbers at 3 and 5 weeks post‐intervention, and by evaluating pupal density at 4 weeks post‐intervention in PP and in a nearby town, Coqui (CO; 1500 households), which was not treated. The pre‐intervention and post‐intervention densities of resting Ae. aegypti adults were significantly larger in the intervention town, although the density of pupae in surface containers was low and similar in both towns at 4 weeks post‐intervention. At 3 weeks post‐intervention, the density of resting adults decreased by only 18% of pre‐intervention levels, but returned to pre‐intervention levels 5 weeks after treatment. By contrast, the density of resting adults in CO steadily decreased to 48% and 61%, at 3 and 5 weeks after the initial surveys, respectively. Geographical Information Systems identified significant clustering of adult mosquitoes, which led to the discovery of underground aquatic habitats (septic tanks) that were producing large numbers of Ae. aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) in the treated town. We calculated that septic tanks could produce > 18 000 Ae. aegypti and ~ 170 000 Cx quinquefasciatus adults per day. Septic tanks are likely to be common and widespread in suburban and rural Puerto Rico, where, apparently, they can contribute significantly to the maintenance of island‐wide dengue virus endemicity.
'Just about coping': precarity and resilience among applied theatre and community arts workers in Northern Ireland

In March 2015, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) cut grant funding to some arts organisations by 40-100%, in order to manage an 11% reduction from the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) in its 2015/16 Budget (ACNI, 2015). This was despite a high-profile ‘13p for the arts’ ACNI campaign, which had lobbied the NIE to preserve existing levels of arts funding (estimated at 13p per capita per week), already significantly lower than in other parts of the UK (‘far less than the 32 pence per week spent in Wales’, Litvack, 2014, online). Alongside cuts to spending on Social Development, Health and Education, and a reduction in European Union Peace funding, these have reduced the financial support available to applied theatre and community arts practitioners in Northern Ireland, despite such initiatives as the 2013 UK City of Culture programme. In these increasingly precarious conditions, how can community-based artists survive?
Financial Literacy Externalities

We use unique administrative data and a quasi-field experiment of exogenous allocation in Sweden to estimate medium- and longer-run effects of peoples’ exposure to financially literate neighbors on their financial behavior. We contribute evidence of (1) a causal impact of exposure and of a social multiplier of financial knowledge and (2) unfavorable distributional aspects of externalities. Exposure promotes saving in private retirement accounts and stockholding, especially when neighbors have economics or business education, but only for educated households and for substantial interaction possibilities. Findings point to a transfer of knowledge rather than mere imitation or effects through labor, education, or mobility channels. Received October 25, 2017; editorial decision December 24, 2018 by Editor Lauren Cohen. Authors have furnished code/data/an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.