A robust deep learning model for the classification of dental implant brands.

OBJECTIVE: In cases where the brands of implants are not known, treatment options can be significantly limited in potential complications arising from implant procedures. This research aims to explore the application of deep learning techniques for the classification of dental implant systems using panoramic radiographs. The primary objective is to assess the superiority of the proposed model in achieving accurate and efficient dental implant classification. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comprehensive analysis was conducted using a diverse set of 25 convolutional neural network (CNN) models, including popular architectures such as VGG16, ResNet-50, EfficientNet, and ConvNeXt. The dataset of 1258 panoramic radiographs from patients who underwent implant treatment at faculty of dentistry was utilized for training and evaluation. Six different dental implant systems were employed as prototypes for the classification task. The precision, recall, F1 score, and support scores for each class have included in the classification accuracy report to ensure accurate and reliable results from the model. RESULTS: The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model consistently outperformed the other evaluated CNN architectures in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. With an impressive accuracy of 95.74 % and high precision and recall rates, the ConvNeXt model showcased its superiority in accurately classifying dental implant systems. Notably, the model's performance was achieved with a relatively smaller number of parameters, indicating its efficiency and speed during inference. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the effectiveness of deep learning techniques, particularly the proposed model, in accurately classifying dental implant systems from panoramic radiographs.

Potential associations between alterations in gut microbiome and obesity-related traits after the bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the effects of both obesity and bariatric surgery on gut microbiome, dietary intake, as well as metabolic and inflammatory parameters. METHODS: All participants (15 with morbid obesity who had bariatric surgery, 8 with morbid obesity and 11 non-obese) were followed up for a 6-month period with interviews at baseline (M0), at the end of 3 (M3) and 6 months (M6). Dietary assessment was done, and blood and faecal samples were collected. RESULTS: Dietary energy and nutrient intakes as well as serum glucose levels, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels decreased after surgery (p < 0.05, for each). Participants with morbid obesity had higher levels of Firmicutes and lower levels of Bacteroidetes at M0 compared to non-obese participants. The abundances of Bacteroidetes increased (p = 0.02), whereas that of Firmicutes decreased (p > 0.05) after the surgery, leading to a significant decrease in Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (p = 0.01). At sub-phylum level, the abundances of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium decreased, whereas those of Akkermansia increased after the surgery (p < 0.01, for each). Although participants who were morbidly obese had a distinct profile according to ß-diversity indices at M0, it became similar with the profile of non-obese participants (p > 0.05) at M3 and M6. Similarly, α-diversity indices were lower in subjects with morbid obesity at M0, but became similar to levels in non-obese controls at M6. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that bariatric surgery has substantial impacts on gut microbiome's composition and diversity, as well as anthropometrical measurements and biochemical parameters, which were associated with the alterations in dietary intake patterns.

Acromegaly is associated with a distinct oral and gut microbiota.

PURPOSE: Our aim was to investigate the changes in the composition of oral and gut microbiota in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly and their relationship with IGF-1 levels. METHODS: Oral and fecal samples were collected from patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly without comorbidities and from healthy controls. The composition of the microbiota was analyzed. The general characteristics, oral and stool samples of the patients and healthy control subjects were compared. The changes in microbiota composition in both habitats, their correlations and associations with IGF-1 were statistically observed using machine learning models. RESULTS: Fifteen patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly without comorbidities and 15 healthy controls were included in the study. There was good agreement between fecal and oral microbiota in patients with acromegaly (p = 0.03). Oral microbiota diversity was significantly increased in patients with acromegaly (p < 0.01). In the fecal microbiota, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was lower in patients with acromegaly than in healthy controls (p = 0.011). Application of the transfer learned model to the pattern of microbiota allowed us to identify the patients with acromegaly with perfect accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with acromegaly have their own oral and gut microbiota even if they do not have acromegaly-related complications. Moreover, the excess IGF-1 levels could be correctly predicted based on the pattern of the microbiome.

Novel alterations of CC2D1A as a candidate gene in a Turkish sample of patients with autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with large genetic background, but identification of pathogenic variants has proceeded slowly because hundreds of loci are involved in this complex disorder. CC2D1A gene firstly associated with the intellectual disability (ID) in a family with a large deletion. We aimed to contribute to the literature by sequencing this gene and by this way we report novel CC2D1A variations in patients with ASD. METHODS: Forty families who have a child with a diagnosis of ASD were enrolled to the study. DNA samples were obtained from each family member. Bidirectional CC2D1A gene sequencing was performed with CEQ Cycle Sequencing Kit, and the products were analyzed on the Beckman CEQ 8000. All of the genetic analysis was conducted in Erciyes University Genome and Stem Cell Center (GENKOK). RESULTS: According to the sequencing results, we defined new alterations in this gene with two SNPs in exon 15 and 19 (rs747172992 and rs1364074600) in our patients. We found a pathogenic variant in one patient. This variant was located in the acceptor region. Six of the variants were missense mutations. Additionally, six different benign variants were detected in 30 patients; however, they were not associated with ASD. Two patients carried multiple rare variants. CONCLUSION: In vitro and in vivo functional analysis with this gene will help to understand its contribution to ASD pathogenesis. Future studies may help to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms of these variants leading to the autism phenotype.

An efficient real-time colonic polyp detection with YOLO algorithms trained by using negative samples and large datasets.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the common types of cancer with a high mortality rate. Colonoscopy is the gold standard for CRC screening and significantly reduces CRC mortality. However, due to many factors, the rate of missed polyps, which are the precursors of colorectal cancer, is high in practice. Therefore, many artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnostic systems have been presented to increase the detection rate of missed polyps. In this article, we present deep learning-based methods for reliable computer-assisted polyp detection. The proposed methods differ from state-of-the-art methods as follows. First, we improved the performances of YOLOv3 and YOLOv4 object detection algorithms by integrating Cross Stage Partial Network (CSPNet) for real-time and high-performance automatic polyp detection. Then, we utilized advanced data augmentation techniques and transfer learning to improve the performance of polyp detection. Next, for further improving the performance of polyp detection using negative samples, we substituted the Sigmoid-weighted Linear Unit (SiLU) activation functions instead of the Leaky ReLU and Mish activation functions, and Complete Intersection over Union (CIoU) as the loss function. In addition, we present a comparative analysis of these activation functions for polyp detection. We applied the proposed methods on the recently published novel datasets, which are the SUN polyp database and the PICCOLO database. Additionally, we investigated the proposed models for MICCAI Sub-Challenge on Automatic Polyp Detection in Colonoscopy dataset. The proposed methods outperformed the other studies in both real-time performance and polyp detection accuracy.

Gut microbiota in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly: a pilot cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Microbiota has crucial biological importance for human well-being. Bidirectional interaction exists between microbiota and the host, and there have been no studies investigating this interaction in patients with acromegaly. We aimed to analyze the composition of microbiota in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly. METHOD: Stool samples were obtained from the patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly in the Endocrinology Clinic of Erciyes University Medical School. The composition of microbiota was analyzed, and the results were compared to healthy volunteers matched to the patients in terms of age, gender and body mass index. RESULTS: Seven patients (three male, four female) with a mean age of 48 ± 17.6 years were included in the study. The stool analysis revealed a significantly lower bacterial diversity in the patients with acromegaly. Bacteroidetes phylum was predominating in the patient group, and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was altered significantly. Bifidobacterium, Collinsella, Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, Clostridium, Oscillospira, and Dialister were predominating in the control group. CONCLUSION: The gut microbiota is significantly altered in patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate the causative relationship between acromegaly, colorectal pathologies, and microbial alterations.

MicroRNA profiling identifies Forkhead box transcription factor M1 (FOXM1) regulated miR-186 and miR-200b alterations in triple negative breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the tumorigenesis, metastasis and progression of BC. Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) oncogenic transcription factor is involved in events considered as hallmarks of cancer. However, the specific mechanism by which FOXM1 exerts its oncogenic effects remains unclear and little is known about its effects on the regulation of miRNA expression. We have found that FOXM1 is upregulated in breast cancer cells and that its expression is associated with shortened overall survival and poor prognosis in patients with BC. Using microarray technology, we assessed the expression profiles of 752 miRNAs in highly aggressive and metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells in response to FOXM1 knockdown and identified 13 differentialy expressed miRNAs (3 miRNAs upregulated and 10 miRNAs down-regulated). We validated the results of the miRNA expression profile in two different TNBC cells by performing qRT-PCR and identified that miR-186-5p and miR-200b-5p were consistently down- or up-regulated, respectively, after knockdown of FOXM1. We further performed KEGG pathway analysis and GO enrichment analysis for miR-186-5p and miR-200b-5p, and identified that these miRNAs are associated with cancer development and progression involving toll-like receptor signaling, cell cycle, AMPK, p53 and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. Taken together, our results suggest that increased FOXM1 expression is associated with poor patient survival and leads to induction of oncomiR miR-186-5p expression and tumor-suppressor inhibition miR-200b-5p, suggesting that the FOXM1/miRNA signaling pathway may contribute to poor patient prognosis and may be a potential therapeutic target in TNBC.

A comprehensive review of deep learning in colon cancer.

Deep learning has emerged as a leading machine learning tool in object detection and has attracted attention with its achievements in progressing medical image analysis. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are the most preferred method of deep learning algorithms for this purpose and they have an essential role in the detection and potential early diagnosis of colon cancer. In this article, we hope to bring a perspective to progress in this area by reviewing deep learning practices for colon cancer analysis. This study first presents an overview of popular deep learning architectures used in colon cancer analysis. After that, all studies related to colon cancer analysis are collected under the field of colon cancer and deep learning, then they are divided into five categories that are detection, classification, segmentation, survival prediction, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Then, the studies collected under each category are summarized in detail and listed. We conclude our work with a summary of recent deep learning practices for colon cancer analysis, a critical discussion of the challenges faced, and suggestions for future research. This study differs from other studies by including 135 recent academic papers, separating colon cancer into five different classes, and providing a comprehensive structure. We hope that this study is beneficial to researchers interested in using deep learning techniques for the diagnosis of colon cancer.

Arthroscopic suture-tape internal bracing is safe as arthroscopic modified Broström repair in the treatment of chronic ankle instability.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare the intermediate-term clinical outcomes between lateral ligaments augmentation using suture-tape and modified Broström repair in a selected cohort of patients. The hypothesis of the presented study is that suture-tape augmentation technique has comparable clinical and radiological outcomes with arthroscopic Broström repair technique. METHODS: Sixty-one consecutive patients with chronic ankle instability were operated between 2012 and 2016 randomized to 2 groups. First group was composed of 31 patients whom were operated using an arthroscopic Broström repair technique (ABR) and second group was composed of 30 Patients whom were operated using arthroscopic lateral ligaments augmentation using suture-tape internal bracing (AST). At the end of total follow-up time, all patients were evaluated clinically using the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM). Radiological evaluation was performed using anterior drawer and varus stress radiographs with standard Telos device in 150 N. Talar tilt angles and anterior talar translation were measured both preoperatively, 1 year postoperatively and at the final follow-up. RESULTS: Preoperative total FAOS scores for ABR and AST groups were 66.2 ± 12 and 67.1 ± 11, respectively. Postoperative Total FAOS scores for ABR and AST groups were 90.6 ± 5.2 and 91.5 ± 7.7, respectively. There was no statistical difference in between 2 groups both pre- and postoperatively (n.s). According to FAAM, sports activity scores of ABR and AST groups were 84.9 ± 14 and 90.4 ± 12 at the final follow-up, which showed that AST group was significantly superior (p = 0.02). There were no significant differences in preoperative and postoperative stress radiographs between the two groups. Mean operation time for AST and ABR groups were 35.2 min and 48.6 min, respectively, which shows statistically significantly difference (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in recurrence rate of instability between to operation techniques (n.s). CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic lateral ligament augmentation using suture tape shows comparable clinical outcomes to arthroscopic Broström repair in the treatment of chronic ankle instability at intermediate-term follow-up time. Arthroscopic lateral ligament augmentation using suture tape has a significant superiority in the terms of less operation time and no need for cast or brace immediate after surgery which allows early rehabilitation. It also has a significant superiority in the terms of FAAM scores at sports activity. However, there was no difference during daily life. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

FOXM1 plays a role in autophagy by transcriptionally regulating Beclin-1 and LC3 genes in human triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor prognosis owing to its aggressive and heterogeneous nature, and the lack of therapeutic targets. Although Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) is one of the most important oncogenes contributing to tumorigenesis, progression, and drug resistance in TNBC, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Emerging evidence indicates that autophagy plays a critical role in cell survival and protective mechanism in TNBC. However, signaling pathways that are involved in the regulation of autophagy remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we examined the role of FOXM1 in regulating autophagy in TNBC cells and found that FOXM1 is upregulated during induction of autophagy. We found that inhibition of FOXM1 suppressed starvation and rapamycin-induced autophagy and expression of the major autophagy regulators, LC3 and Beclin-1. Further studies demonstrated that FOXM1 directly binds to the promotors of LC3 and Beclin-1 genes and transcriptionally regulates their expression by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase gene reporter assays. In conclusion, our study provides the first evidence about the role of FOXM1 in regulating expression of LC3 and Beclin-1 and autophagy in TNBC cells. Our findings provide novel insight into the role of FOXM1 regulation of the autophagic survival pathway and potential molecular target for treating TNBC. KEY MESSAGES: • FOXM1 promotes tumorigenesis and progression of TNBC. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which FOXM1 promotes TNBC tumorigenesis is unclear. The goal of our study was to determine the role of FOXM1 in the regulation of autophagy that plays a role in TNBC progression. Our findings show that FOXM1 binds to promoters of the genes encoding the major autophagy proteins, Beclin and LC3, and provide new insights into the regulation of autophagy, which is being targeted in many clinical trials.

Low pH irrigation fluids have positive effect on intra-articular chondral healing.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Ringer's lactate (RL) solutions with different pH values on early histologic healing in a microfracture model in vivo. The null hypothesis of the presented study is that irrigation fluids with lower pH (6.4) have negative effects on fibrous cartilage healing. METHODS: Eighteen Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups. Anterior midline incision was performed. Microfracture procedure was performed with a 1.2 mm k-wire at the lateral femoral condyle of each knee. the skin was sutured and joints were irrigated for 30 min with low pH (6.4) RL in Group 1, high pH (7.6) RL in Group 2 and no irrigation in Group 3. Three rats from each group were randomly selected and killed on the 3rd and 7th day. On the 3rd day, the healed chondral area was examined. On the 3rd and 7th day, the chondral depth and morphology were evaluated. On the 7th day, bone cellularity was assessed with osteoblast; osteoclast number and bone quality were evaluated with trabecular area and the number of trabeculae. RESULTS: Chondral healing area on the 3rd day was significantly higher in Group 1 compared to other groups. Chondral morphology was also qualitatively superior in Group 1 compared to other groups on the 3rd and 7th day. There were no differences in chondral depths between the groups on the 3rd day; however, increased chondral depths were observed in Group 1 on the 7th day. There were statistically significant increases in trabecular area and the number of trabeculae, as well as the number of osteoblasts and osteoclasts in Group 1 on the 7th day. CONCLUSIONS: The presented study revealed that low pH irrigation fluids have positive effects on the healing characteristics of intra-articular fibrous cartilage after microfracture procedure in vivo. In light of this study, we can assume that lower pH solutions could be safely used during microfracture procedures and it can also facilitate intra-articular fibrous cartilage formation and cartilage healing. Selection of irrigation solution is also important for intra-articular fibrous cartilage healing after microfracture procedure in vivo.

Completion repair exhibits increased healing characteristics compared with in situ repair of partial thickness bursal rotator cuff tears.

PURPOSE: Little information is available regarding the healing capacity of in situ and completion repair for the treatment of partial thickness rotator cuff tears. The purpose of the study was to analyze the healing characteristics of both techniques. METHODS: Twenty-four adult Sprague-Dawley rats were operated. Partial thickness bursal side tears were created bilaterally at the supraspinatus tendons. Additional 6 rats were used as the sham group. The right shoulders were repaired in situ, and the left shoulders were repaired using the tear completion technique on the 10th day after detachment surgery. Rats were sacrificed on the 10th and 30th days after repair surgery. Type I collagen, the TNF-α concentrations, the number and diameter of fibroblasts, and neovascularization were examined at two different time points. RESULTS: The collagen concentration (ng/mg total protein) was significantly increased in both groups at T1 and decreased in the in situ group, whereas completion repair continued to increase at T2 (P < 0.05). The mean fibroblast diameter in the completion repair group continued to increase at both time points (P < 0.05). Neovascularization was significantly increased with tear completion compared with in situ repair (P < 0.05) at T1. No significant (n.s.) differences regarding the TNF-α concentration (pg/mg total protein) were noted for both surgical techniques at T2 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite the concerns of detaching the intact tendon, the completion repair technique exhibited increased healing characteristics compared with the in situ technique. The reason for this finding might be the refreshing effect of debridement at the chronic degenerated tendon that could improve the healing response.

Human genome-microbiome interaction: metagenomics frontiers for the aetiopathology of autoimmune diseases.

A short while ago, the human genome and microbiome were analysed simultaneously for the first time as a multi-omic approach. The analyses of heterogeneous population cohorts showed that microbiome components were associated with human genome variations. In-depth analysis of these results reveals that the majority of those relationships are between immune pathways and autoimmune disease-associated microbiome components. Thus, it can be hypothesized that autoimmunity may be associated with homeostatic disequilibrium of the human-microbiome interactome. Further analysis of human genome-human microbiome relationships in disease contexts with tailored systems biology approaches may yield insights into disease pathogenesis and prognosis.

Association of Enteric Protist Blastocystis spp. and Gut Microbiota with Hepatic Encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neuropsychiatric sequela emerging in the advanced stages of cirrhosis. The gut microbiota plays an important role in the development of HE. The aim of the study was to analyze the dynamic interplay between microbiota and Blastocystis in cirrhotic patients with or without encephalopathy. METHODS: The study was designed as cross-sectional study. A total of 37 patients from the Ankara city, admitted to the University Hospital within a 6-month period prior to enrolment into the study were included in the study. After the regular health checks, clinical histories, clinical examinations, and Psychometric HE Score (PHES) points, patients' MELD and CTP scores were recorded. The fecal microbiota configurations were characterized by targeting hypervariable regions V3 and V4 of the 16S rRNA gene using Illumina MiSeq System. RESULTS: Blastocystis spp. were detected in 21.6% (n = 8) of all cirrhotic patients. When those were analyzed by subgroups, four of them were subtype 2, three were subtype 3 and one was subtype 1. Blastocystis spp. were not found in any of the patients with HE; however, they were detected in 38.1% of the patients without HE. Also the increase in the bacterial diversity was observed along with the absence of Blastocystis. It was suggested that there was an inverse relationship between Blastocystis spp. and advanced stages of HE and the structure and composition of gut microbiota. CONCLUSION: The absence of Blastocystis spp. is associated with the HE severity and dysbiosis in the gut microbiota.

Reclassification of Wolbachia persica as Francisella persica comb. nov. and emended description of the family Francisellaceae.

The taxonomic status of the bacterium Wolbachia persica is described, and based on the evidence presented, transfer of this species to the genus Francisella as Francisella persica comb. nov. is proposed. This reclassification is supported by data generated from genomic comparisons of W. persica ATCC VR-331T ( = FSC845T = DSM 101678T) to other near neighbours, including Francisella tularensis subsp. novicida. The full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain ATCC VR-331T had 98.5 % nucleotide identity to the cognate gene in F. tularensis, with the highest similarity to subspecies novicida. Phylogenetic trees of full-length 16S rRNA gene, gyrA and recA sequences from species of the genera Wolbachia (class Alphaproteobacteria) and Francisella (class Gammaproteobacteria) indicated that W. persica ATCC VR-331T was most closely related to members of the genus Francisella and not Wolbachia. Local collinear blocks within the chromosome of strain ATCC VR-331T had considerable similarity with F. tularensis subsp. novicida, but not with any Wolbachia strain. The genomes of strain ATCC VR-331T and F. tularensis subsp. novicida Utah 112T ( = ATCC 15482T) contained an average nucleotide identity mean of 88.72 % and median of 89.18 %. Importantly, the genome of strain ATCC VR-331T contained one Francisella Pathogenicity Island, similar to F. tularensis subsp. novicida, as well as the Francisella-specific gene fopA1 and F. tularensis-specific genes fopA2 and lpnA (also referred to as tul4). In contrast to the obligate intracellular genus Wolbachia, strain ATCC VR-331T and facultative intracellular Francisella can replicate in specialized cell-free media. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Wolbachia persica should be reclassified in the genus Francisella as Francisella persica comb. nov. The type strain of Francisella persica comb. nov. is ATCC VR-331T ( = FSC845T = DSM 101678T). An emended description of the family Francisellaceae is also provided.

Fracture-dislocations of the proximal ulna.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between injury patterns, complications, and the functional outcomes of patients with proximal-ulna fracture-dislocations. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 15 patients (10 men, 5 women; mean age, 49.1 years; mean follow-up 49 months) with 6 anterior and 9 posterior fracture-dislocations of the proximal ulna. The proximal ulna was reconstructed with plates and screws in 13 patients and tension-band wiring in 2 patients. At the final follow-up, elbow range of motion (ROM) was measured and Mayo elbow scores (MEPS) were recorded. Broberg-Morrey criteria were used for osteoarthritis staging. RESULTS: Concomitant radial-head fracture was seen in all posterior fracture-dislocations. Four ligamentous injuries occurred in this group. All anterior dislocations had trochlear-notch fractures without associated injuries. Mean flexion ROM was 130.6° (100°-140°) and mean loss of extension ROM was 12.6° (0°-30°) in the study group. The mean MEPS score was 92.3 (70-100). Patients with posterior fracture-dislocations showed lower ROM and MEPS and higher level of osteoarthritis than patients with anterior fracture-dislocations. Recurrent dislocations occurred in 2 patients who had ulna fractures fixed with tension-band wiring. CONCLUSION: Radial-head fracture and ligamentous injury are specific components of posterior fracture-dislocations. The injury is limited to the trochlear notch in anterior fracture-dislocations. Posterior fracture-dislocations have lower functional outcomes. Proximal-ulna fractures should be fixed with rigid internal fixation (plate and screw) even if the fracture is a simple 2-part fracture.

The effect of organic silicon injection on Achilles tendon healing in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a soluble absorbable silicon compound on healing of the Achilles tendon. METHODS: The Achilles tendons of 21 Wistar albino rats were cut and repaired. A 0.01 ml organic silicon solution (silanol) was injected peri/intratendinously into the left leg of all rats and the same dose of saline into the right leg postoperatively. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups for biomechanical testing on Day 10 (7 rats) and Day 20 (7 rats) and histological and immunohistochemical assessment on Day 20 (7 rats). Fibroblast cell count and diameter, tissue vascularity and blood vessel diameter were evaluated by histomorphometry. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) immunoreactivity was analyzed with immunohistochemistry on Day 20. Failure load and stiffness of the repaired tendons were measured on Days 10 and 20. RESULTS: The number of fibroblasts per area, average fibroblast diameter, number of vessels parallel to collagen bundles per area and average vessel diameter were significantly higher in the organic silicon group than in the control group (p<0.05). Strong immunoreactivity of bFGF in the silicon group was detected. Failure load was significantly higher in the silicon group than in the control group on Day 10 (p=0.041). On Day 20, while a difference still existed, this difference was not significant. There was no effect of the silicon injection on stiffness of healing tendons. CONCLUSION: Organic silicon appears to have a positive effect on tendon healing and is suitable for further studies on host healing response modification.

Metagenomic analysis of the microbial community in kefir grains.

Kefir grains as a probiotic have been subject to microbial community identification using culture-dependent and independent methods that target specific strains in the community, or that are based on limited 16S rRNA analysis. We performed whole genome shotgun pyrosequencing using two Turkish Kefir grains. Sequencing generated 3,682,455 high quality reads for a total of ∼1.6 Gbp of data assembled into 6151 contigs with a total length of ∼24 Mbp. Species identification mapped 88.16% and 93.81% of the reads rendering 4 Mpb of assembly that did not show any homology to known bacterial sequences. Identified communities in the two grains showed high concordance where Lactobacillus was the most abundant genus with a mapped abundance of 99.42% and 99.79%. This genus was dominantly represented by three species Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactobacillus buchneri and Lactobacillus helveticus with a total mapped abundance of 97.63% and 98.74%. We compared and verified our findings with 16S pyrosequencing and model based 16S data analysis. Our results suggest that microbial community profiling using whole genome shotgun data is feasible, can identify novel species data, and has the potential to generate a more accurate and detailed assessment of the underlying bacterial community, especially for low abundance species.

Comparative study of the closed reduction percutaneous cannulated screw fixation and open reduction palmar locking plate fixation in the treatment of AO type A2 distal radius fractures.

INTRODUCTION: The present study was designed to demonstrate the efficacy of standard 4.0 mm cannulated screw fixation by comparing it with palmar locking plate fixation in the treatment of acute, unstable, simple extra-articular distal radius fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed outcomes data for 65 patients aged between 18 and 60 with AO type A2 fractures treated with closed reduction, percutaneous cannulated screw fixation (CRPCS n = 34) or open reduction palmar locking plate fixation (ORPLP n = 31). Range of motion, grip strength, Gartland-Werley and QuickDASH scores were compared at 2 months after surgery, and final follow-up (mean 32 months, range 12-90). Deterioration in radiographic parameters were measured and compared. Operative time and return to preinjury activity were evaluated. RESULTS: Parameters did not differ significantly between the groups at either time point with respect to grip strength or range of motion, except pronation and supination; they were better in the CRPCS group (p = 0.005 and 0.025, respectively) at 2 month follow-up. The Gartland-Werley and QuickDASH scores obtained at final follow-up were similar for each group and lacked statistical significance. Group comparison for the deterioration of radiologic parameters showed no significant difference. CRPCS group had significantly shorter operative time (p = 0.001) and there was no significant differences between the groups regarding the return to preinjury activity (p = 0.129). CONCLUSIONS: CRPCS group was found to be as successful as ORPLP group and it may be suitable in the case of young, active individuals with AO type A2 distal radius fractures.

Francisella tularensis Subtype A.II Genomic Plasticity in Comparison with Subtype A.I.

Although Francisella tularensis is considered a monomorphic intracellular pathogen, molecular genotyping and virulence studies have demonstrated important differences within the tularensis subspecies (type A). To evaluate genetic variation within type A strains, sequencing and assembly of a new subtype A.II genome was achieved for comparison to other completed F. tularensis type A genomes. In contrast with the F. tularensis A.I strains (SCHU S4, FSC198, NE061598, and TI0902), substantial genomic variation was observed between the newly sequenced F. tularensis A.II strain (WY-00W4114) and the only other publically available A.II strain (WY96-3418). Genome differences between WY-00W4114 and WY96-3418 included three major chromosomal translocations, 1580 indels, and 286 nucleotide substitutions of which 159 were observed in predicted open reading frames and 127 were located in intergenic regions. The majority of WY-00W4114 nucleotide deletions occurred in intergenic regions, whereas most of the insertions and substitutions occurred in predicted genes. Of the nucleotide substitutions, 48 (30%) were synonymous and 111 (70%) were nonsynonymous. WY-00W4114 and WY96-3418 nucleotide polymorphisms were predominantly G/C to A/T allelic mutations, with WY-00W4114 having more A+T enrichment. In addition, the A.II genomes contained a considerably higher number of intact genes and longer repetitive sequences, including transposon remnants than the A.I genomes. Together these findings support the premise that F. tularensis A.II may have a fitness advantage compared to the A.I subtype due to the higher abundance of functional genes and repeated chromosomal sequences. A better understanding of the selective forces driving F. tularensis genetic diversity and plasticity is needed.