Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connecting With Your Dentist on Facebook: Patients’ and Dentists’ Attitudes Towards Social Media Usage in Dentistry

Background Social media has begun to proliferate across medical areas and transformed how medical professionals serve and interact with their patients. It offers a new communication avenue that has the potential to engage patients and, hence, may be used to create value for both medical professionals and patients. In dentistry, even though patients and dentists frequently use social media in their personal lives, little is known about their attitudes and expectations toward using social media for professional interactions. Objective In this paper, we focus on the role of social media in dentistry. Specifically, we explore patients’ and dentists’ attitudes toward social media usage and their current online behaviors in this context. Furthermore, we examine potential challenges and opportunities regarding dentists’ adoption of social media practices. Methods This research employed a large-scale online survey of 588 patients and 532 dental professionals. We assessed the attitudes, expectations, and social media behaviors from both patients’ and dentists’ perspectives. Results We found that more than 55% (290/532) of dentists in our sample have accounts for their dental practice on various social media platforms. Interestingly, while 73% (374/511) of patients did not expect their dental practice to have a social media presence, and 44% (207/468) thought that establishing a friendship with their dentists is not appropriate, the findings show that 36% (164/460) of patients had searched for their dentists, and 44% (207/470) of them were happy to establish contacts with dentists on social media. Furthermore, the findings highlight that patients were interested in exploring additional information such as online reviews and the qualifications of their dentists on Facebook pages. For dentists, more than half (375/432, 83%) of them in our sample thought that social media marketing is more efficient compared to traditional marketing. Conclusions Our findings revealed some key challenges and opportunities to utilize social media in dentistry. For both patients and dentists, the role of social media in dental services remains vague, and both parties still share concerns about connecting with each other on social media platforms. However, there also exists a sizeable number of patients who are already comfortable to connect with their dentists on social media sites such as Facebook. The current findings show that there is an opportunity for dental practices to trade upon a more active social media presence for enhanced patient interaction and engagement.
Distributed Multivariate Regression Modeling For Selecting Biomarkers Under Data Protection Constraints

The discovery of clinical biomarkers requires large patient cohorts and is aided by a pooled data approach across institutions. In many countries, data protection constraints, especially in the clinical environment, forbid the exchange of individual-level data between different research institutes, impeding the conduct of a joint analyses. To circumvent this problem, only non-disclosive aggregated data is exchanged, which is often done manually and requires explicit permission before transfer, i.e., the number of data calls and the amount of data should be limited. This does not allow for more complex tasks such as variable selection, as only simple aggregated summary statistics are typically transferred. Other methods have been proposed that require more complex aggregated data or use input data perturbation, but these methods can either not deal with a high number of biomarkers or lose information. Here, we propose a multivariable regression approach for identifying biomarkers by automatic variable selection based on aggregated data in iterative calls, which can be implemented under data protection constraints. The approach can be used to jointly analyze data distributed across several locations. To minimize the amount of transferred data and the number of calls, we also provide a heuristic variant of the approach. When performing global data standardization, the proposed method yields the same results as pooled individual-level data analysis. In a simulation study, the information loss introduced by local standardization is seen to be minimal. In a typical scenario, the heuristic decreases the number of data calls from more than 10 to 3, rendering manual data releases feasible. To make our approach widely available for application, we provide an implementation of the heuristic version incorporated in the DataSHIELD framework. \
The relationship between atrial natriuretic peptide and microvascular complications of diabetes

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between the atrial natriuretic peptide and microvascular complications of diabetes. Methods: Sixty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled into the study. Patients with a chronic disease other than diabetes mellitus were excluded from the study. The body-mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured and blood samples for routine biochemical tests were taken after at least 12 hours fasting. The microvascular complications of the patients were evaluated. Results: Thirty-two of the patients had microvascular complications whereas 28 of them did not. Age, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, and atrial natriuretic peptide levels were significantly higher in the group with microvascular complications than those without complications. There was no significant difference in parameters like; waist-hip ratio, blood glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, fasting HOMA, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and lipid levels between the two groups. When the relationship between atrial natriuretic peptide and obesity, retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, and sex are evaluated separately, the only significant parameters related to atrial natriuretic peptide were the body-mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference measurements, and neuropathy. Conclusions: Positive correlations between serum atrial natriuretic peptide levels and body-mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference measurements were determined. Also, serum atrial natriuretic peptide levels were significantly higher in patients with obesity or neuropathy than those without obesity or neuropathy.
Evidence That Calcium Entry Into Calcium-Transporting Dental Enamel Cells Is Regulated by Cholecystokinin, Acetylcholine and ATP

Dental enamel is formed by specialized epithelial cells which handle large quantities of Ca2+ while producing the most highly mineralized tissue. However, the mechanisms used by enamel cells to handle bulk Ca2+ safely remain unclear. Our previous work contradicted the dogma that Ca2+ is ferried through the cytosol of Ca2+-transporting cells and instead suggested an organelle-based route across enamel cells. This new paradigm involves endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated Ca2+ stores and their concomitant refilling by store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) mediated by Ca2+ release activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels. Given that Ca2+ handling is maximal during the enamel-mineralization stage (maturation), we anticipated that SOCE would also be elevated then. Confirmation was obtained here using single-cell recordings of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in rat ameloblasts. A candidate SOCE agonist, cholecystokinin (CCK), was found to be upregulated during maturation, with Cck transcript abundance reaching 30% of that in brain. CCK-receptor transcripts were also detected and Ca2+ imaging showed that CCK stimulation increased [Ca2+]cyt in a dose-responsive manner that was sensitive to CRAC-channel inhibitors. Similar effects were observed with two other SOCE activators, acetylcholine and ATP, whose receptors were also found in enamel cells. These results provide the first evidence of a potential regulatory system for SOCE in enamel cells and so strengthen the Ca2+ transcytosis paradigm for ER-based transport of bulk Ca2+. Our findings also implicate enamel cells as a new physiological target of CCK and raise the possibility of an auto/paracrine system for regulating Ca2+ transport.
Computed tomographic features of tracheal shapes and dimensions in awake dogs

There are several reports in the veterinary literature on tracheal assessment; however, there is a lack of studies on the trachea in voluntarily breathing dogs. The aim of this study was to describe the natural shape of the trachea in awake dogs and to assess tracheal dimensions and the width-to-height ratio. Thoracic computed tomographic images of awake small breed dogs without any signs of respiratory malfunction (n = 19) were evaluated. Each trachea was categorised into one of four different shapes: circular, horseshoe, crescent or focal dorsal invagination. The circular shape was prominent, particularly in the thoracic inlet and intrathoracic area, while the horseshoe shape was also normally present. In this group of normal dogs, there were no crescent-shaped tracheas, but focally invaginated tracheas were observed. The mean tracheal heights at five locations, namely the caudal endplate of the fourth cervical vertebra, cranial endplate of the seventh cervical vertebra, mid-body of the first thoracic vertebra, mid-body of the third thoracic vertebra, and 1 cm cranial to the carina were 9.12, 8.96, 9.34, 9.88 and 10.16 mm, respectively. The widths at these same sites were 12.26, 10.42, 10.07, 9.82 and 10.23 mm, respectively. The width-to-height ratios of each tracheal location were 1.38, 1.20, 1.10, 1.01 and 1.03, the last two of which are consistent with the circular shape of the intrathoracic trachea. Multi-detector computed tomography under non-general anaesthesia is a non-invasive and unparalleled imaging tool for describing tracheal appearance in healthy awake dogs.
The reptile fauna of the Northern Dodecanese ( Aegean Islands , Greece ) Die

Information on the reptile communities of eighteen islands from the Northern Dodecanese (SE Aegean Islands, Greece) is reported here for the first time. The island groups of Arki, Lipsi, Patmos and Agathonissi were visited and distributional as well as ecological information is given for Cyrtopodion kotschyi, Hemidactylus turcicus, Ablepharus kitaibelii, Laudakia stellio. Coluber najadum. Coluber caspius and Vipera xanthina. Faunal relaxation is the main process structuring the species communities on the islands.
SPECIES DISTINCTION AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE WESTERN IBERIAN PODARCIS LIZARDS ( REPTILIA , LACERTIDAE ) BASED ON MORPHOLOGY AND MITOCHONDRIAL DNA SEQUENCES

Wall lizards (Podarcis) are the dominant reptile group across most of southern Europe. Their taxonomy is complex because most species exhibit substantial intraspecif ic morphological polymorphisms. We have estimated the phylogeny of the part icularly diverse western Iberian forms using partial cytochrome oxidase and cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequence data and have compared this against morphological variation. Of the two currently recognized species in the area P odarcis hispanica and P. bocagei -neither is monophyletic, and extremely high genetic diversity between newly identi f ied forms (up to l5%cytochrome b divergences) indicatesthatbotharespeciescomplexes. Podarcisb bocageiisgenetical lydist inctfromP. (b) carbonell i which appears to be a separate species using both mtDNA and protein electrophoretic data. The insular form previously assigned to P b. berlengensis, and sometimes argued to deserve species status is not genetical ly dist inct from P. (b ) carbonell i using the mtDNA sequences P hispanica can be separated into at least four highly divergent groups, two in western Iberia, one in eastern Iberia and one in North Africa.
Distribution, ecology and conservation of Archaeolacerta bedriagae in Sardinia (Reptilia, Lacertidae)

Arcbaeolacerta bedriagae is a polytypic species endemie to Corsica and Sardinia II represents one of the most peculiar elements of the Italian herpetofauna. This species has a fragmented range in Sardinia. The aim of this paper is to summarise the knowledge on the distribution of this lizard in Sardinia, based both on literature and original records, and to define the conservation status of its populations This research was carried out throughout the entire Sardinian territory, from June 2000 to September 2002. Most of the known sites of occurrence of A. bedriagae were checked, characterised from geomorphologic and florofaunistic points of view and gco-referenced. The surveys carried out explored only the potentially suitable habitats in different hours of the day. Three new localities were discovered, 10 checked sites were confirmed, 12 localities were not confirmed and 43 previously quoted sites were not explored. Two sampling sites were selected for a population study. In the latter two localities, several population parameters, such as density and sex ratio were studied. In the mountain site, a population density twenty limes higher than that found at the sea level site was estimated. Only five species were found to be syntopic with A. bedriagae, Podarcis tiliguerta, Algyroides fitzingeri, Tarentola mauritanica, Chalcides ocellatus and Coluber viridiflavus. The Sardinian subrange includes seven main areas of certain presence, but an underestimation due to their elusivity and the low density of some populations is possible The species generally inhabits areas of scarce interest and difficult for man to reach, though at least in some localities it seems to be disturbed by an increase in tourism. Some conservation actions were proposed.
MicroRNAs in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: A New Pandora's Box?

Although their functions have not been fully characterized, miRNAs are known to have important roles in regulating cell differentiation, proliferation and survival. Dysregulation in miRNA expression has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of various types of human cancers, including esophageal, breast, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, lung and thyroid tumors [2-4]. A possible role for miRNAs in cancerogenesis may be to function as tumor promoters or tumor suppressors, specifically targeting the genes involved in cancer cell biology [5,6].
Pax 5 as a potential candidate marker for canine B-cell lymphoma

Immunophenotyping is a valuable method for prognosis in canine malignant lymphoma. The general B-cell marker is CD79a; however, Pax5 or B-cell specific activator protein, a transcription factor that controls B-cell identity and cell maturation, could also be used as a B-cell indicator in canine lymphomas. This study aimed to use Pax5, CD79a and CD3 expression in immunohistochemistry of spontaneous canine lymphomas, in order to carry out diagnosis and histopathological classification according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Forty-six retrospective cases including 33 multicentric, eight extranodal, and five alimentary lymphomas in dogs were immunostained by anti-Pax5 and anti-CD79a antibodies for B-cell identification, and anti-CD3 antibody for T-cell identification. T-cell lymphomas (CD3+/Pax5–/CD79a–) accounted for 30.43% of cases (14/46), and four of the lymphomas (28.57%) presented with CD3+/Pax5–/CD79a+. Conversely, B-cell lymphomas (CD3–/ Pax5+/CD79a+) accounted for 69.57% of cases (32/46) and 12.5% of these (4/32) showed only Pax5-positive cells (CD3–/Pax5+/CD79a–). Therefore, in dogs, Pax5 appears to be a more useful marker for staining all B-cell subtypes compared to CD79a. Immunophenotyping with both Pax5 and CD3 are necessary for lymphoid lineage identification in canine lymphomas.
A Predictable Incentive Mechanism for TrueBit

TrueBit is a protocol that uses interactive verification to allow a resource-constrained computation environment like a blockchain to perform much larger computations than usual in a trusted way. As long as a single honest participant is present to verify the computation, an invalid computation cannot get accepted. In TrueBit, the presence of such a verifier is incentivised by randomly injected forced errors. Additionally, in order to counter sybil attacks, the reward for finding an error drops off exponentially with the number of challengers. The main drawback of this mechanism is that it makes it very hard to predict whether participation will be profitable or not. To even out the rewards, we propose to randomly select multiple solvers from a pool and evenly share the fees among them, while still allowing outside challengers. Furthermore, a proof of independent execution will make it harder to establish computation pools which share computation results.
Measurement of Aquaculture Chemotherapeutants in Flocculent Matter Collected at a Hard-Bottom Dominated Finfish Site on the South Coast of Newfoundland (Canada) After 2 Years of Fallow

The expansion of aquaculture is resulting in sites being installed over a diversity of substrate types, leading to different potential chemotherapeutant degradation scenarios. There is little to no information on the biodegradation and/or persistence of chemotherapeutants at hard-bottom dominated aquaculture sites having little natural sediment. In this study, we measured organic matter (OM) content and concentrations of chemicals linked to finfish aquaculture activities (trace elements, antibiotics and parasiticides) in flocculent matter samples collected close to cages at a site fallowed for two years and at an active site, the latter being indicative of flocculent chemical signature during production. Our results show persistence of flocculent matter after two years of fallow. The chemical signature of the samples confirms that Cu, Zn, Ca and P, present around fish cages, are direct markers of aquaculture wastes. Persistence of two pyrethroids, one avermectin, and one antibiotic in grab samples show a potentially lasting association between these chemicals and the OM from fish feed and wastes, even after two years. Overall, the concentrations measured do not indicate a direct lethal toxicity on marine organisms (as per studies described in literature) except for Zn. Nevertheless, the long-term persistence of a flocculent mixture rich in chemicals and the lack of information on sublethal and synergistic effects on hard-bottom communities calls for caution and additional studies.
Cancerous cell lines alter their genomic organization and karyotype with increased passage number: a cytogenetic study

Öz Purpose: Here we cytogenetically investigated the chromosomal rearrangements in repeated cultures of six different cell lines over continuous passages. Materials and Methods: MCF7, HCT116, A549, SHSY5Y, HEPG2, and NIH3T3 cell lines were cultured in DMEM containing 10% FBS and 1% penicillinstreptomycin. GTG banding procedure was used for the analysis of metaphase chromosomes, at least 20 metaphases were analyzed per cell line. Results: We found chromosome number variations and structural changes in the all examined cell cultures as the passage numbers increase. Conclusion: Cell lines have long been used in research to test drugs, to delineate molecular mechanisms, to understand the environmental effects and so on. The most important feature of a cell line is its genotype and karyotype similarities with their host organism. Cancer Cell lines, possess genomic/chromosomal instability that also lead them to change their phenotype along with their karyotype from one passage to next. Therefore, it is always best to verify karyotype before employing a specific cell line in a research project. Amaç: İ Burada sitogenetik olarak, altı farklı hücre hattının tekrarlanan hücre kültürlerinde yeni kromozomal düzenlenmeleri araştırdık. Gereç ve Yöntem: MCF7, HCT116, A549, SHSY5Y, HEPG2 ve NIH3T3 hücre hatları, %10 FBS ve %1 penisilin-streptomisin içeren DMEM besiyerinde kültüre edildi. Metafaz kromozomlarının analizi için GTG bantlama prosedürü kullanıldı ve en az 20 metafaz analiz edildi. Bulgular: İncelenen hücre kültürlerinde pasaj sayısı artışıyla kromozom sayı varyasyonları ve yapısal değişiklikler tespit ettik. Sonuç: İlaçları test etmek, moleküler mekanizmaları tanımlamak, çevresel etkileri anlamak için hücre hatları uzun süredir araştırmalarda kullanılmaktadır. Bir hücre dizisinin en önemli özelliği, konak organizmasıyla olan genotip ve karyotip benzerlikleridir. Kanser Hücresi soyları, genomik/kromozomal dengesizliğe sahiptir ve bu da her pasajda fenotip değişimi ile birlikte karyotip değişimine neden olabilmaktedir. Bu nedenle, hücre kültürlerinin kullanılacağı bir araştırma projesine başlamadan muhakkak kullanılan hücre hattının karyotipini doğrulamak gerekmektedir.
Native species indicated for degraded area recovery in Western Paraná, Brazil

Colonization in the State of Parana has culminated in the devastation of large forest areas in the entire State. Degraded area recovery programs have emphasized the utilization of native species, but often the species indicated for local reforestation areas are unknown, as those areas are little known floristically. This study aimed to survey native species indicated for reforestation of areas in the Western region of the State of Parana, classify those species as pioneer, secondary, or climactic, and indicate places of occurrence of matrices where seeds of those species could be collected. Bibliographic surveys in the specialized literature and research in the Herbarium Museu Botânico Municipal de Curitiba (MBM) and Herbarium of Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana (UNOP) were conducted to identify potential species for degraded area recovery in the study of Western region of Parana. In all, 115 species were selected, of which 22 are pioneer, 73 are secondary, and 20 are climactic. The bibliographic surveys suggests that pioneer species are the most indicated for the initial processes in the degraded areas recovery, while secondary and climactic species play a major role in area enrichment.
Transplantation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Experimental Chronic Chagasic Cardiopathy

Background: Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi , is a major cause of heart failure in Latin America. Tissue therapy has been investigated as a possible therapeutic option for patients with cardiovascular disease. Objective: This study evaluated the effects of mesenchymal stem cells therapy in an experimental model of chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were infected with 1000 trypomastigotes from the T. cruzi Colombian strain and, after six months of infection, were treated with mesenchymal human adiposed-derived stem cells (ADSC) or with Dulbecco/Vogt modified Eagle’s minimal essential medium – DMEM (control). The treated group received two intraperitoneal injections of ADSC (1x10 6 cells/dose), with a month interval between the two doses. Before and after the first and second months of treatment, the chagasic and normal control animals underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and electrocardiography. All animals were sacrificed under anesthesia after two months of treatment for histopathological analysis of the heart. Results: No improvement was observed in arrhythmias or cardiovascular function in animals treated with ADSC; however, ADSC-treated mice heart sections revealed a significant reduction in the number of inflammatory cells (p < 0.0001) and areas of fibrosis (p < 0.01) in comparison with chagasic animals treated with DMEM. Conclusion: Thus, it was concluded that administration of intraperitoneal ADSC can reduce inflammation and fibrosis in the heart of mice chronically infected with T. cruzi ; however, there were no effects on cardiac function two months after transplantation (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2013; 100(5):460-468).