Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tenogenic differentiation of stem cells for tendon repair—what is the current evidence?

Tendon/ligament injuries are very common in sports and other rigorous activities. Tendons regenerate and repair slowly and inefficiently in vivo after injury. The limited ability of tendon to self‐repair and the general inefficiencies of current treatment regimes have hastened the motivation to develop tissue‐engineering strategies for tissue repair. Of particular interest in recent years has been the use of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to regenerate functional tendons and ligaments. Different sources of MSCs have been studied for their effects on tendon repair. However, ectopic bone and tumour formation has been reported in some special circumstances after transplantation of MSCs. The induction of MSCs to differentiate into tendon‐forming cells in vitro prior to transplantation is a possible approach to avoid ectopic bone and tumour formation while promoting tendon repair. While there are reports about the factors that might promote tenogenic differentiation, the study of tenogenic differentiation is hampered by the lack of definitive biomarkers for tendons. This review aims to summarize the cell sources currently used for tendon repair as well as their advantages and limitations. Factors affecting tenogenic differentiation were summarized. Molecular markers currently used for assessing tenogenic differentiation or neotendon formation are summarized and their advantages and limitations are commented upon. Finally, further directions for promoting and assessing tenogenic differentiation of stem cells for tendon repair are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Computational Physics in Film

Numerical modeling of how objects and fluids move, collide, and break up underlies spellbinding video animations. Computer simulation of solid and fluid dynamics underlies many visual effects seen in films produced during the past decade. This approach not only is less expensive than filming live action but also can avoid putting actors and crews in dangerous settings and can allow visualization of the impossible. Compared with more traditional animation methods that rely chiefly on artists' efforts, numerical solutions to the equations of physics allow computers to calculate realistic motion, such of that of smoke, fire, explosions, water, rubble, clothing, hair, muscles, and skin. Algorithmic advances now afford artists a higher-level, more efficient role in guiding the physics as they produce animation. We provide an overview here of current challenges in physics-based animation.
Visible volume buffer for efficient hair expression and shadow generation

Much research has been conducted on hair modeling and hair rendering with considerable success. However, the immense number of hair strands means that memory and CPU time requirements are very severe. To reduce the memory and the time needed for hair modeling and rendering, a visible volume buffer is proposed. Instead of using thousands of thin hairs, the memory usage and hair modeling time can be reduced by using coarse background hairs and fine surface hairs. The background hairs can be constructed by using thick hairs. To improve the look of the hair model, the background hair near the surface is broken down into numerous thin hairs and rendered. The visible volume buffer is used to determine the surface hairs. The rendering time of the background and surface hairs is found to be faster than the conventional hair model by a factor of more than four with little lost in image quality. The visible volume buffer is also used to produce shadows for the hair model.
Performance Demands in Softball Pitching

Background: Monitoring pitch count is standard practice in minor league baseball but not in softball because of the perception that fast-pitch softball pitching is a less stressful motion. Purpose: To examine muscle fatigue after fast-pitch softball performances to provide an assessment of performance demand. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Bilateral strength measurements (handheld dynamometer) were made on 19 female softball pitchers (mean age [±SD], 15.2 ± 1.2 years) before and after pitching a game (mean number of pitches, 99 ± 21; mean innings pitched, 5 ± 1). A total of 20 tests were performed on the dominant and nondominant sides: forearm (grip, wrist flexion/extension, pronation/supination, elbow flexion/extension), shoulder (flexion, abduction/adduction, external/internal rotation, empty can test), scapula (middle/lower trapezius, rhomboid), and hip (hip flexion/extension, abduction/adduction). Fatigue (percentage strength loss) was categorized based on bilateral versus unilateral presentation using paired t tests: bilateral symmetric (significant on dominant and nondominant and not different between sides), bilateral asymmetric (significant on dominant and nondominant but significantly greater on dominant), unilateral asymmetric (significant on dominant only and significantly greater than nondominant), or unilateral equivocal (significant on dominant only but not different from nondominant). Results: Bilateral symmetric fatigue was evident for all hip (dominant, 19.3%; nondominant, 15.2%) and scapular tests (dominant, 19.2%; nondominant, 19.3%). In general, shoulder tests exhibited bilateral asymmetric fatigue (dominant, 16.9%; nondominant, 11.6%). Forearm tests were more variable, with bilateral symmetric fatigue in the elbow flexors (dominant, 22.5%; nondominant, 19.2%), and wrist flexors (dominant, 21.6%; nondominant, 19.0%), bilateral asymmetric fatigue in the supinators (dominant, 21.8%; nondominant, 15.5%), unilateral asymmetric fatigue in the elbow extensors (dominant, 22.1%; nondominant, 11.3%), and unilateral equivocal fatigue in the pronators (dominant, 18.8%; nondominant, 15.2%) and grip (dominant, 11.4%; nondominant, 6.6%). The mean (±SD) pitch velocity was 49 ± 4 mph, with a small loss of velocity from the first to last inning pitched (3.4% ± 5.0%, P < .01). Conclusion: Fast-pitch softball pitching resulted in profound bilateral fatigue in the hip and scapular muscles, with more selective fatigue in the shoulder and arm muscles. Clinical Relevance: These findings emphasize the importance of strength in the proximal musculature to provide a stable platform for the arm to propel the ball.
A Retrospective Observational Analysis of Clinical Outcomes before and after the Publication of the AACE/ACE Guidelines

Background: The influence of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology (AACE/ACE) guidelines (hereafter, “guidelines”) on clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes is yet to be assessed. Objectives: To determine if differences occurred in type of: 1) medication class prescribed; 2) therapy by A1c strata in type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients before and after guidelines were published (December 2009). Methods: Data for this retrospective cohort study were extracted from community health center clinics’ electronic medical records for patients who: 1) were adults (18 - 80 years) with T2DM; and 2) had at least one A1c value before and after guidelines. Demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes [oral anti-diabetic (OAD) medication class, therapy type (mono, dual, triple), and A1c values] were collected. A1c was stratified into four levels: 9.0. Descriptive and inferential statis-tics were used. Results: The random sample of 302 patients was 55.4 ± 11.7 years of age, primarily female (65.9%) and Hispanic (68.8%). Regarding medication class, most (68.5% before and 72.2% after guidelines) patients were prescribed metformin. The proportion of patients across individual medication classes increased significantly (p 9% were on dual therapy. After guidelines, 48.4% of patients with A1c values 9% were on dual therapy. Almost one-half (48.3%) of patients remained in the same A1c strata before and after guidelines were published and there were no significant changes in mean A1c. Conclusions: DPP-4 inhibitor use showed the largest increase after guidelines were issued, however, there were no improvements in A1c. Additional research is warranted to evaluate healthcare providers’ adherence to AACE/ACE guidelines and how this influences patients’ health outcomes.
Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Fatigue Failure Is Increased by Limited Internal Femoral Rotation During In Vitro Repeated Pivot Landings

Background: A reduced range of hip internal rotation is associated with increased peak anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) strain and risk for injury. It is unknown, however, whether limiting the available range of internal femoral rotation increases the susceptibility of the ACL to fatigue failure. Hypothesis: Risk of ACL failure is significantly greater in female knee specimens with a limited range of internal femoral rotation, smaller femoral-ACL attachment angle, and smaller tibial eminence volume during repeated in vitro simulated single-leg pivot landings. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A custom-built testing apparatus was used to simulate repeated single-leg pivot landings with a 4×-body weight impulsive load that induces knee compression, knee flexion, and internal tibial torque in 32 paired human knee specimens from 8 male and 8 female donors. These test loads were applied to each pair of specimens, in one knee with limited internal femoral rotation and in the contralateral knee with femoral rotation resisted by 2 springs to simulate the active hip rotator muscles’ resistance to stretch. The landings were repeated until ACL failure occurred or until a minimum of 100 trials were executed. The angle at which the ACL originates from the femur and the tibial eminence volume were measured on magnetic resonance images. Results: The final Cox regression model (P = .024) revealed that range of internal femoral rotation and sex of donor were significant factors in determining risk of ACL fatigue failure. The specimens with limited range of internal femoral rotation had a failure risk 17.1 times higher than did the specimens with free rotation (P = .016). The female knee specimens had a risk of ACL failure 26.9 times higher than the male specimens (P = .055). Conclusion: Limiting the range of internal femoral rotation during repetitive pivot landings increases the risk of an ACL fatigue failure in comparison with free rotation in a cadaveric model. Clinical Relevance: Screening for restricted internal rotation at the hip in ACL injury prevention programs as well as in individuals with ACL injuries and/or reconstructions is warranted.
Osteoinductive biomaterials—properties and relevance in bone repair

The need for bone tissue regeneration is continuously expanding due to the improvement of life quality and the consequent increase in life expectancy. Although natural bone grafts have shown excellent clinical successes, their use is associated with some important drawbacks, limited availability being one of the most important. Cell‐ and growth‐factor based tissue engineering provides a promising alternative to natural bone grafts; however, the performance of tissue‐engineered constructs often depends on the used carrier.
Atmospheric Pco2 Perturbations Associated with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

Emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province 200 million years ago greatly elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. The effects of a large igneous province on the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (Pco2) are mostly unknown. In this study, we estimate Pco2 from stable isotopic values of pedogenic carbonates interbedded with volcanics of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) in the Newark Basin, eastern North America. We find pre-CAMP Pco2 values of ~2000 parts per million (ppm), increasing to ~4400 ppm immediately after the first volcanic unit, followed by a steady decrease toward pre-eruptive levels over the subsequent 300 thousand years, a pattern that is repeated after the second and third flow units. We interpret each Pco2 increase as a direct response to magmatic activity (primary outgassing or contact metamorphism). The systematic decreases in Pco2 after each magmatic episode probably reflect consumption of atmospheric CO2 by weathering of silicates, stimulated by fresh CAMP volcanics.
Developing a Model Intervention to Prevent Abuse in Relationships Among Caribbean and Caribbean-American Youth by Partnering with Schools

SUMMARY This paper proposes a model intervention to prevent relationship abuse among Caribbean and Caribbean-American adolescents. Specifically, the model partners with a high school with a strong Caribbean student population and incorporates education, prevention and intervention, as the three core components. This paper highlights the importance of working with young people in a school setting, working with young people before they have fully tackled the developmental task of defining norms of and values in relationships, utilizing culturally competent staff and specialized programming, and emphasizing the need for early intervention in the instances of adolescent relationship violence before its evolution into adult domestic violence. The model proposed serves as an outline for further development of culturally-specific and competent interventions to prevent and address relationship violence among adolescents.
Seismic Detection of the Lunar Core

Reinterpreted Apollo-era seismic data from the Moon reveal a solid inner core and a fluid outer core. Despite recent insight regarding the history and current state of the Moon from satellite sensing and analyses of limited Apollo-era seismic data, deficiencies remain in our understanding of the deep lunar interior. We reanalyzed Apollo lunar seismograms using array-processing methods to search for the presence of reflected and converted seismic energy from the core. Our results suggest the presence of a solid inner and fluid outer core, overlain by a partially molten boundary layer. The relative sizes of the inner and outer core suggest that the core is ~60% liquid by volume. Based on phase diagrams of iron alloys and the presence of partial melt, the core probably contains less than 6 weight % of lighter alloying components, which is consistent with a volatile-depleted interior.
Eccentric Knee Flexor Strength and Risk of Hamstring Injuries in Rugby Union

Background: Hamstring strain injuries (HSIs) represent the most common cause of lost playing time in rugby union. Eccentric knee flexor weakness and between-limb imbalance in eccentric knee flexor strength are associated with a heightened risk of HSIs in other sports; however, these variables have not been explored in rugby union. Purpose: To determine if lower levels of eccentric knee flexor strength or greater between-limb imbalance in this parameter during the Nordic hamstring exercise are risk factors for HSIs in rugby union. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: This prospective study was conducted over the 2014 Super Rugby and Queensland Rugby Union seasons. In total, 178 rugby union players (mean age, 22.6 ± 3.8 years; mean height, 185.0 ± 6.8 cm; mean weight, 96.5 ± 13.1 kg) had their eccentric knee flexor strength assessed using a custom-made device during the preseason. Reports of previous hamstring, quadriceps, groin, calf, and anterior cruciate ligament injuries were also obtained. The main outcome measure was the prospective occurrence of HSIs. Results: Twenty players suffered at least 1 HSI during the study period. Players with a history of HSIs had a 4.1-fold (95% CI, 1.9-8.9; P = .001) greater risk of subsequent HSIs than players without such a history. Between-limb imbalance in eccentric knee flexor strength of ≥15% and ≥20% increased the risk of HSIs by 2.4-fold (95% CI, 1.1-5.5; P = .033) and 3.4-fold (95% CI, 1.5-7.6; P = .003), respectively. Lower eccentric knee flexor strength and other prior injuries were not associated with an increased risk of future HSIs. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the risk of reinjuries was augmented in players with strength imbalances. Conclusion: Previous HSIs and between-limb imbalance in eccentric knee flexor strength were associated with an increased risk of future HSIs in rugby union. These results support the rationale for reducing imbalance, particularly in players who have suffered a prior HSI, to mitigate the risk of future injuries.
Adherens Junctions, Desmosomes and Tight Junctions in Epidermal Barrier Function

The skin is an indispensable barrier which protects the body from the uncontrolled loss of water and solutes as well as from chemical and physical assaults and the invasion of pathogens. In recent years several studies have suggested an important role of intercellular junctions for the barrier function of the epidermis. In this review we summarize our knowledge of the impact of adherens junctions, (corneo)-desmosomes and tight junctions on barrier function of the skin.
Skeletal tissue engineering using silk biomaterials

Silks have been proposed as potential scaffold materials for tissue engineering, mainly because of their physical properties. They are stable at physiological temperatures, flexible and resist tensile and compressive forces. Bombyx mori (silkworm) cocoon silk has been used as a suture material for over a century, and has proved to be biocompatible once the immunogenic sericin coating is removed. Spider silks have a similar structure to silkworm silk but do not have a sericin coating. This paper provides a general overview on the use of silk protein in biomaterials, with a focus on skeletal tissue engineering. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Further development of a quality of life measure for cancer patients: The rotterdam symptom checklist (revised)

Further development of existing measures of health‐related quality of life (QL) is indicated. The present study examined the factor structure of the Rotterdam symptom checklist (RSCL), a self‐rating scale developed for determination of QL among cancer patients which was recently recommended by the UK Medical Research Council Cancer Therapy Committee Working Party on Quality of Life. A comparison is also reported of the RSCL with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS) in a separate sample of patients, selected because they showed evidence of psychopathology. The data indicate that the RSCL can be used as a two‐factor measure for assessing psychological and physical morbidity. Scores for both sub‐scales were found to be higher for female patients. An observed positive association between HADS depression scores and the physical symptoms sub‐scale of the RSCL, in our selected sample, suggests some caution is needed when interpreting levels of physical morbidity and depression among cancer patients, as physical symptom scores may be associated with depression‐related somatic symptoms. Although the RSCL does not measure all dimensions of psychosocial functioning, it is a useful and brief method of assessing physical and psychological morbidity in cancer patients.
Bone Marrow Concentrate Improves Early Cartilage Phase Maturation of a Scaffold Plug in the Knee

Background: Limited information exists on the clinical use of a synthetic osteochondral scaffold plug for cartilage restoration in the knee. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare the early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance, including quantitative T2 values, between cartilage defects treated with a scaffold versus a scaffold with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC). The hypothesis was that the addition of PRP or BMAC would result in an improved cartilage appearance. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Forty-six patients with full-thickness cartilage defects of the femur were surgically treated with a control scaffold (n = 11), scaffold with PRP (n = 23), or scaffold with BMAC (n = 12) and were followed prospectively. Patients underwent MRI with a qualitative assessment and quantitative T2 mapping at 12 months after surgery. An image assessment was performed retrospectively by a blinded musculoskeletal radiologist. The cartilage phase was measured by cartilage fill and quantitative T2 values on MRI. A comparison between groups after cartilage repair was performed. Results: The control scaffold group consisted of 8 male and 3 female patients (mean age, 38 years; mean body mass index [BMI], 25 kg/m2), the PRP group had 15 male and 8 female patients (mean age, 39 years; mean BMI, 26 kg/m2), and the BMAC group consisted of 8 male and 4 female patients (mean age, 36 years; mean BMI, 26 kg/m2). The PRP-treated (P = .002) and BMAC-treated (P = .03) scaffolds had superior cartilage fill compared with the control group. With quantitative methods, the PRP group demonstrated a mean T2 value (49.1 ms) that was similar to that of the control scaffold group (42.7 ms; P = .07), but the BMAC group demonstrated a mean T2 value (60.5 ms) closer to that of superficial hyaline cartilage (P = .01). The stratification of T2 values between the deep and superficial zones was not observed in any of the groups. Conclusion: In this comparative study, patients treated with scaffold implantation augmented with BMAC had improved cartilage maturation with greater fill and mean T2 values closer to that of superficial native hyaline cartilage at 12 months. Further work will determine if this translates into improved clinical outcomes.