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Abstract Strain CCMM B554, also known as FSM-MA, is a soil dwelling and nodule forming, nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the nodules of the legume Medicago arborea L. in the Maamora Forest, Morocco. The strain forms effective nitrogen fixing nodules on species of the Medicago, Melilotus and Trigonella genera and is exceptional because it is a highly effective symbiotic partner of the two most widely used accessions, A17 and R108, of the model legume Medicago truncatula Gaertn. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence, multilocus sequence and average nucleotide identity analyses, FSM-MA is identified as a new Ensifer meliloti strain. The genome is 6,70 Mbp and is comprised of the chromosome (3,64 Mbp) harboring 3574 predicted genes and two megaplasmids, pSymA (1,42 Mbp) and pSymB (1,64 Mbp) with respectively 1481 and 1595 predicted genes. The average GC content of the genome is 61.93%. The FSM-MA genome structure is highly similar and co-linear to other E. meliloti strains in the chromosome and the pSymB megaplasmid while, in contrast, it shows high variability in the pSymA plasmid. The large number of strain-specific sequences in pSymA as well as strain-specific genes on pSymB involved in the biosynthesis of the lipopolysaccharide and capsular polysaccharide surface polysaccharides may encode novel symbiotic functions explaining the high symbiotic performance of FSM-MA.

Abstract Background Peri-implant soft tissue corrections are often indicated following alveolar ridge augmentation, due to the distortion of the keratinized mucosa at the area of augmentation. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the dimensional soft tissue changes following horizontal guided bone regeneration (GBR) utilizing 3D digital data. Methods 8 mandibular surgical sites with horizontal alveolar ridge deficiencies were treated utilizing a resorbable collagen membrane and a split-thickness flap design. Baseline and 6-month follow-up cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were reconstructed as 3D virtual models and were superimposed with the corresponding intraoral scan. Linear changes of supracrestal vertical- horizontal soft tissue alterations were measured in relation to the alveolar crest at the mesial- middle- and distal aspect of the surgical area. Soft tissue dimensions were measured at baseline and at 6-month follow-up. Results Preoperative supracrestal soft tissue height measured midcrestally averaged at 2.37 mm ± 0.68 mm, 2.37 mm ± 0.71 mm and 2.64 mm ± 0.87 mm at the mesial-, middle- and distal planes. Whereas postoperative supracrestal soft tissue height was measured at 2.62 mm ± 0.72 mm, 2.67 mm ± 0.67 mm and 3.69 mm ± 1.02 mm at the mesial, middle and distal planes, respectively. Supracrestal soft tissue width changed from 2.14 mm ± 0.72 mm to 2.47 mm ± 0.46 mm at the mesial, from 1.72 mm ± 0.44 mm to 2.07 mm ± 0.67 mm and from 2.15 mm ± 0.36 mm to 2.36 mm ± 0.59 mm at the mesial, middle and distal planes, respectively. Additionally the buccal horizontal displacement of supracrestal soft tissues could be observed. Conclusions The current study did not report significant supracrestal soft tissue reduction following horizontal GBR with a split-thickness flap. Even though there was a slight increase in both vertical and horizontal dimensions, differences are clinically negligible. Trail registration The trail was approved by the U.S. National Library of Medicine ( www.clinicaltrials.gov ); trial registration number: NCT05538715; registration date: 09/09/2022.

In forensic DNA laboratories, it is important to conduct internal validations of the commercially available kits of short tandem repeat (STR) loci and to investigate their individual and combined effectiveness. This study aims to report on a comparative investigation of the forensic kits used in our laboratory and their combinations in analysing low-copy-number (LCN) human DNA samples. We used five partly overlapping multiplex kits with different marker configurations from different manufacturers: the NGM SelectTM PCR Amplification Kit, NGM DetectTM, the GlobalFilerTM Amplification Kit (Applied BiosystemTM, Foster City, CA, USA), the PowerPlex® Fusion 6C System (Promega Co., Madison, WI, USA) and the Investigator® 24plex QS Kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany). The efficacy of the kits was scrutinised by specific criteria, such as allelic dropout rate, the individually calculated Likelihood Ratio (LR) of consensus profiles and the LR value of the composite profile produced by the combined profiles of two kits. According to the results, the pairing of PowerPlex® Fusion 6C System and Investigator® 24plex QS produced the lowest, while the pairing of the NGM DetectTM and GlobalFilerTM kits provided the highest LR value. In summary, our study is meant to aid the selection of the optimal kit combination for samples of different qualities.

Abstract Background Health services utilization related to hip osteoarthritis imposes a significant burden on society and health care systems. Our aim was to analyse the epidemiological and health insurance disease burden of hip osteoarthritis in Hungary based on nationwide data. Methods Data were extracted from the nationwide financial database of the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA) of Hungary for the year 2018. The analysed data included annual patient numbers, prevalence, and age-standardized prevalence per 100,000 population in outpatient care, health insurance costs calculated for age groups and sexes for all types of care. Patients with hip osteoarthritis were identified using code M16 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 10th revision. Age-standardised prevalence rates were calculated using the European Standard Population 2013 (ESP2013). Results Based on patient numbers of outpatient care, the prevalence per 100,000 among males was 1,483.7 patients (1.5%), among females 2,905.5 (2.9%), in total 2,226.2 patients (2.2%). The age-standardised prevalence was 1,734.8 (1.7%) for males and 2,594.8 (2.6%) for females per 100,000 population, for a total of 2,237.6 (2.2%). The prevalence per 100,000 population was higher for women in all age groups. In age group 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70 + the overall prevalence was 0.2%, 0.8%, 2.7%, 5.0% and 7.7%, respectively, describing a continuously increasing trend. In 2018, the NHIFA spent 42.31 million EUR on the treatment of hip osteoarthritis. Hip osteoarthritis accounts for 1% of total nationwide health insurance expenditures. 36.8% of costs were attributed to the treatment of male patients, and 63.2% to female patients. Acute inpatient care, outpatient care and chronic and rehabilitation inpatient care were the main cost drivers, accounting for 62.7%, 14.6% and 8.2% of the total health care expenditure for men, and 51.0%, 20.0% and 11.2% for women, respectively. The average annual treatment cost per patient was 3,627 EUR for men and 4,194 EUR for women. Conclusions The prevalence of hip osteoarthritis was 1.96 times higher (the age-standardised prevalence was 1.5 times higher) in women compared to men. Acute inpatient care was the major cost driver in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis. The average annual treatment cost per patient was 15.6% higher for women compared to men.

Abstract The study aimed to investigate the impact of hip replacement surgery on the quality of life and to compare the outcomes by sociodemographic and surgical data in Hungarian public and private hospitals. Patients were selected at the Department of Orthopaedics (Clinical Centre, University of Pécs) and at the Da Vinci Private Clinic in Pécs. Patients completed the SF-36 and Oxford Hip Score (OHS) questionnaires before the surgery, 6 weeks and 3 months later. We also evaluated socio-demographic data, disease and surgical conditions. The research involved 128 patients, 60 patients in public, 68 patients in private hospital. Despite the different sociodemographic characteristics and surgical outcomes of public and private healthcare patients, both groups had significantly improved the quality of life 3 months after hip replacement surgery measured by OHS and SF-36 physical health scores (p

This paper presents a simple, lightweight, automatic calibration method for low-cost triaxial accelerometers, utilizing the Earth’s gravitational constant in various orientations. It can be easily implemented using only fixed-point arithmetic and can run on low-power microcontrollers for real-time measurements, making it practical for scenarios with limited data storage and computational power, such as actigraphy or IoT applications. The method offers ease of use by automatically detecting motionless intervals, eliminating the need for complex positioning techniques. The procedure detects resting states and calculates the corresponding three-dimensional mean acceleration values during the measurement. After appropriately selecting these mean values, a set of calibration points is formed and passed to a gradient-based optimization algorithm for iterative estimation of the calibration coefficients. Different metrics were used for verification and comparison with other methods, which were calculated through simulations and tests based on real measurements. The results show that, despite its lightweight nature, the method performs equally to more complex solutions. This article provides a thorough explanation of a novel method for collecting calibration points, the optimization algorithm, and the methods used for performance evaluation in a reproducible manner.

Abstract The scale-free nature of daily human activity has been observed in different aspects; however, the description of its spectral characteristics is incomplete. General findings are complicated by the fact that—although actigraphy is commonly used in many research areas—the activity calculation methods are not standardized; therefore, activity signals can be different. The presence of 1/f noise in activity or acceleration signals was mostly analysed for short time windows, and the complete spectral characteristic has only been examined in the case of certain types of them. To explore the general spectral nature of human activity in greater detail, we have performed Power Spectral Density (PSD) based examination and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) on several-day-long, triaxial actigraphic acceleration signals of 42 healthy, free-living individuals. We generated different types of activity signals from these, using different acceleration preprocessing techniques and activity metrics. We revealed that the spectra of different types of activity signals generally follow a universal characteristic including 1/f noise over frequencies above the circadian rhythmicity. Moreover, we discovered that the PSD of the raw acceleration signal has the same characteristic. Our findings prove that the spectral scale-free nature is generally inherent to the motor activity of healthy, free-living humans, and is not limited to any particular activity calculation method.

In this article, a space-dependent epidemic model equipped with a constant latency period is examined. We construct a delay partial integro-differential equation and show that its solution possesses some biologically reasonable features. We propose some numerical schemes and show that, by choosing the time step to be sufficiently small, the schemes preserve the qualitative properties of the original continuous model. Finally, some numerical experiments are presented that confirm the aforementioned theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the application of plastic fiber reinforcement in pre-tensioned reinforced concrete railway sleepers, conducting an in-depth examination in both experimental and computational aspects. Utilizing 3-point bending tests and the GOM ARAMIS system for Digital Image Correlation, this study meticulously evaluates the structural responses and crack development in conventional and plastic fiber-reinforced sleepers under varying bending moments. Complementing these tests, the investigation employs ABAQUS’ advanced finite element modeling to enhance the analysis, ensuring precise calibration and validation of the numerical models. This dual approach comprehensively explains the mechanical behavior differences and stresses within the examined structures. The incorporation of plastic fibers not only demonstrates a significant improvement in mechanical strength and crack resistance but paves the way for advancements in railway sleeper technology. By shedding light on the enhanced durability and performance of reinforced concrete structures, this study makes a significant contribution to civil engineering materials science, highlighting the potential for innovative material applications in the construction industry.

DNA transposon-based gene delivery vectors represent a promising new branch of randomly integrating vector development for gene therapy. For the side-by-side evaluation of the piggyBac and Sleeping Beauty systems—the only DNA transposons currently employed in clinical trials—during therapeutic intervention, we treated the mouse model of tyrosinemia type I with liver-targeted gene delivery using both transposon vectors. For genome-wide mapping of transposon insertion sites we developed a new next-generation sequencing procedure called streptavidin-based enrichment sequencing, which allowed us to identify approximately one million integration sites for both systems. We revealed that a high proportion of piggyBac integrations are clustered in hot regions and found that they are frequently recurring at the same genomic positions among treated animals, indicating that the genome-wide distribution of Sleeping Beauty-generated integrations is closer to random. We also revealed that the piggyBac transposase protein exhibits prolonged activity, which predicts the risk of oncogenesis by generating chromosomal double-strand breaks. Safety concerns associated with prolonged transpositional activity draw attention to the importance of squeezing the active state of the transposase enzymes into a narrower time window.

Because of the competitive economy, organizations today seek to rationalize, innovate, and adapt to changing environments and circumstances as part of business process improvement efforts. The strength of blockchain technology lies in its usage as an apt technology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes; furthermore, it prevents the use of erroneous or obsolete data and allows sharing of confidential data securely. The use of superior technology in the execution and automation of business processes brings opportunities to rethink the specific process itself as well. Business processes modeling and verification are essential to control and assure organizational evolution, therefore, the aim of this paper is three-fold: firstly, to provide business process management patterns in finance, based on blockchain, specifically for the loan-application process in the banking industry and claim process in the insurance industry that could be used and customized by companies; secondly, to critically analyze challenges and opportunities from the introduction of such approach for companies, and thirdly, to outline how companies can implement the loan business process as a web service. Partner companies (a bank and an insurance company) formulated the potential requirements for M2P along with the application of blockchain technology. An experimental design framework was established that gave the necessary services to model the requirements, check the models, and operationalize the models. The applied research methodologies are as follows: design science research paradigm and software case study, model-to-programming (M2P) of business processes, and utilization of patterns of workflow and blockchain.

IntroductionWithin 5 years of having acute pancreatitis (AP), approximately 20% of patients develop diabetes mellitus (DM), which later increases to approximately 40%. Some studies suggest that the prevalence of prediabetes (PD) and/or DM can grow as high as 59% over time. However, information on risk factors is limited. We aimed to identify risk factors for developing PD or DM following AP.MethodsWe systematically searched three databases up to 4 September 2023 extracting direct, within-study comparisons of risk factors on the rate of new-onset PD and DM in AP patients. When PD and DM event rates could not be separated, we reported results for this composite outcome as PD/DM. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model to calculate pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOf the 61 studies identified, 50 were included in the meta-analysis, covering 76,797 participants. The studies reported on 79 risk factors, and meta-analysis was feasible for 34 risk factor and outcome pairs. The odds of developing PD/DM was significantly higher after severe and moderately severe AP (OR: 4.32; CI: 1.76–10.60) than mild AP. Hypertriglyceridemic AP etiology (OR: 3.27; CI: 0.17–63.91) and pancreatic necrosis (OR: 5.53; CI: 1.59–19.21) were associated with a higher risk of developing PD/DM. Alcoholic AP etiology (OR: 1.82; CI: 1.09–3.04), organ failure (OR: 3.19; CI: 0.55–18.64), recurrent AP (OR: 1.89; CI: 0.95–3.77), obesity (OR: 1.85; CI: 1.43–2.38), chronic kidney disease (OR: 2.10; CI: 1.85–2.38), liver cirrhosis (OR: 2.48; CI: 0.18–34.25), and dyslipidemia (OR: 1.82; CI: 0.68–4.84) were associated with a higher risk of developing DM.DiscussionSevere and moderately severe AP, alcoholic and hypertriglyceridemic etiologies, pancreatic necrosis, organ failure, recurrent acute pancreatitis and comorbidities of obesity, chronic kidney disease liver disease, and dyslipidemia are associated with a higher risk of developing PD or DM.Systematic review registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42021281983.

Abstract Background Ridge resorption following tooth extraction may be reduced by alveolar ridge preservation (ARP). Previous randomized clinical trials and systematic reviews have suggested that autogenous tooth bone graft (ATB) can be an effective alternative material for ARP. However, the results are heterogeneous. Therefore, our research aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ATB in ARP. Methods A systematic search was conducted in Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE and Scopus for studies published from inception to 31 November 2021. We searched searched for randomized, non-randomized controlled trials and case series reporting on ATB use for ARP. The primary outcome was the ridge width difference pre- and post-surgery, measured in millimetres (mm) measured on CBCT (cone beam computed tomography). The secondary outcomes were the histological results. We followed the PRISMA2020 recommendations for reporting our systematic review and meta-analysis. Results The analysis included eight studies for the primary and six for the secondary outcomes. The meta-analysis revealed a positive ridge preservation effect with a pooled mean difference ridge width change of -0.72 mm. The pooled mean residual graft proportion was 11.61%, and the newly formed bone proportion was 40.23%. The pooled mean of newly formed bone proportion was higher in the group where ATB originated from both the root and crown of the tooth. Conclusions ATB is an effective particulate graft material in ARP. Complete demineralization of the ATB tends to decrease the proportion of newly formed bone. ATB can be an attractive option for ARP. Trial registration The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021287890).

Abstract Objectives To analyze morphological, volumetric, and linear hard tissue changes following horizontal ridge augmentation using a three-dimensional radiographic method. Methods As part of a larger ongoing prospective study, 10 lower lateral surgical sites were selected for evaluation. Horizontal ridge deficiencies were treated with guided bone regeneration (GBR) using a split-thickness flap design and a resorbable collagen barrier membrane. Following the segmentation of baseline and 6-month follow-up cone-beam computed tomography scans, volumetric, linear, and morphological hard tissue changes and the efficacy of the augmentation were assessed (expressed by the volume-to-surface ratio). Results Volumetric hard tissue gain averaged 605.32 ± 380.68 mm3. An average of 238.48 ± 127.82 mm3 hard tissue loss was also detected at the lingual aspect of the surgical area. Horizontal hard tissue gain averaged 3.00 ± 1.45 mm. Midcrestal vertical hard tissue loss averaged 1.18 ± 0.81 mm. The volume-to-surface ratio averaged 1.19 ± 0.52 mm3/mm2. The three-dimensional analysis showed slight lingual or crestal hard tissue resorption in all cases. In certain instances, the greatest extent of hard tissue gain was observed 2–3 mm apical to the initial level of the marginal crest. Conclusions With the applied method, previously unreported aspects of hard tissue changes following horizontal GBR could be examined. Midcrestal bone resorption was demonstrated, most likely caused by increased osteoclast activity following the elevation of the periosteum. The volume-to-surface ratio expressed the efficacy of the procedure independent of the size of the surgical area.

The application of alkane tricosane (n-C23) to non-nestmates decreases aggression towards them in ants, in line with its high level in infected workers, pointing at a pacifying signal in parasitic interferences in ant nestmate discrimination.

BackgroundRoutine anticoagulation therapy in acute pancreatitis (AP) is not recommended by the guidelines in the field, although it is frequently used in clinical practice.ObjectivesWe aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of adding anticoagulants therapy to AP management.MethodsThe systematic search was performed in three databases on the 14th of October 2022 without restrictions. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that reported the differences in the outcomes of AP for patients receiving anticoagulants (intervention group) in addition to the standard of care (SOC), compared to patients managed by SOC alone (control group), were eligible. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled odds ratios (OR) and mean differences (MD) with the corresponding 95%-confidence intervals (CI). We performed subgroup analysis for study design and disease severity, among other criteria.ResultsOf the 8,223 screened records, we included eight in the meta-analysis. Except one, all studies reported on low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). Both RCTs and observational studies reported results in favor of the LMWH group. Subgroup RCTs’ analysis revealed significantly decreased odds of mortality [OR 0.24; 95%CI 0.17–0.34] and multiple organ failure [OR 0.32; 95%CI 0.17–0.62] in the intervention group. Moreover, the need for endoscopic or surgical interventions [OR 0.41; 95%CI 0.28–0.61] were significantly reduced by LMWH. The subgroup analyzes for moderate and severe cases, respectively, yielded similar results. Due to limited data, we could no perform subgroup analysis for mild cases.ConclusionLMWH therapy reduces major complication rates in moderate and severe AP. Across all identified RCTs, LMWH were initiated early after AP diagnosis and improved its prognosis.

Abstract In this study, we investigated the effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties of high-tenacity polypropylene (PP) fibers. An application field of versatile polypropylene as fibers and tapes is the reinforcement of single-polymer composites. During consolidation at an elevated temperature, typically near the melt temperature of PP, the heat causes molecular relaxation of the strongly oriented molecular chains, which impairs mechanical properties. We investigated the shrinkage of PP single fibers isothermally and anisothermally, and heat-treated PP single fibers and multifilament rovings in a temperature range of 120–190 °C for 5–20 min in a constrained and an unconstrained arrangement. The heat-treated fibers and rovings were then tensile tested and their residual mechanical properties were determined and compared to the as-received rovings. We analyzed the tensile characteristics mathematically, applying the statistical fiber-bundle-cell modeling method, and described the measured and averaged stress–strain curves with fitted E-bundles having fibers with nonlinear tensile characteristics. The tensile modulus of the constrained fibers treated for 5 min decreased less in the whole heat treatment temperature range but considerably decreased further with increasing treatment time. Conversely, their tensile strength decreased only slightly, and treatment time had a minor effect up to 180–190 °C (above the melting temperature of the fiber). The results proved that constraining is a useful tool for preserving the reinforcing ability of high-tenacity polymer fibers.

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of membrane exposure during vertical ridge augmentation (VRA) utilizing guided bone regeneration with a dense polytetrafluoroethylene (d-PTFE) membrane and a tent-pole space maintaining approach by registering radiographic volumetric, linear and morphological changes. Methods In 8 cases alveolar ridge defects were accessed utilizing a split-thickness flap design. Following flap elevation VRA was performed with tent-pole space maintaining approach utilizing the combination of a non-reinforced d-PTFE membrane and a composite graft (1:1 ratio of autogenous bone chips and bovine derived xenografts). Three-dimensional radiographic evaluation of hard tissue changes was carried out with the sequence of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) image segmentation, spatial registration and 3D subtraction analysis. Results Class I or class II membrane exposure was observed in four cases. Average hard tissue gain was found to be 0.70 cm3 ± 0.31 cm3 and 0.82 cm3 ± 0.40 cm3 with and without membrane exposure resulting in a 17% difference. Vertical hard tissue gain averaged 4.06 mm ± 0.56 mm and 3.55 mm ± 0.43 mm in case of submerged and open healing, respectively. Difference in this regard was 14% between the two groups. Horizontal ridge width at 9-month follow-up was 5.89 mm ± 0.51 mm and 5.61 mm ± 1.21 mm with and without a membrane exposure respectively, resulting in a 5% difference. Conclusions With the help of the currently reported 3D radiographic evaluation method, it can be concluded that exposure of the new-generation d-PTFE membrane had less negative impact on clinical results compared to literature data reporting on expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membranes.

Barrier membranes are commonly used as part of the dental surgical technique guided bone regeneration (GBR) and are often made of resorbable collagen or non-resorbable materials such as PTFE. While collagen membranes do not provide sufficient mechanical protection of the covered bone defect, titanium reinforced membranes and non-resorbable membranes need to be removed in a second surgery. Thus, biodegradable GBR membranes made of pure magnesium might be an alternative. In this study a biodegradable pure magnesium (99.95%) membrane has been proven to have all of the necessary requirements for an optimal regenerative outcome from both a mechanical and biological perspective. After implantation, the magnesium membrane separates the regenerating bone from the overlying, faster proliferating soft tissue. During the initial healing period, the membrane maintained a barrier function and space provision, whilst retaining the positioning of the bone graft material within the defect space. As the magnesium metal corroded, it formed a salty corrosion layer and local gas cavities, both of which extended the functional lifespan of the membrane barrier capabilities. During the resorption of the magnesium metal and magnesium salts, it was observed that the membrane became surrounded and then replaced by new bone. After the membrane had completely resorbed, only healthy tissue remained. The in vivo performance study demonstrated that the magnesium membrane has a comparable healing response and tissue regeneration to that of a resorbable collagen membrane. Overall, the magnesium membrane demonstrated all of the ideal qualities for a barrier membrane used in GBR treatment.

An ideal fixation system for guided bone (GBR) regeneration in oral surgery must fulfil several criteria that includes the provision of adequate mechanical fixation, complete resorption when no longer needed, complete replacement by bone, as well as be biocompatible and have a good clinical manageability. For the first time, a biodegradable magnesium fixation screw made of the magnesium alloy WZM211 with a MgF2 coating has been designed and tested to fulfill these criteria. Adequate mechanical fixation was shown for the magnesium fixation screw in several benchtop tests that directly compared the magnesium fixation screw with an equivalent polymeric resorbable device. Results demonstrated slightly superior mechanical properties of the magnesium device in comparison to the polymeric device even after 4 weeks of degradation. Biocompatibility of the magnesium fixation screw was demonstrated in several in vitro and in vivo tests. Degradation of the magnesium screw was investigated in in vitro and in vivo tests, where it was found that the screw is resorbed slowly and completely after 52 weeks, providing adequate fixation in the early critical healing phase. Overall, the magnesium fixation screw demonstrates all of the key properties required for an ideal fixation screw of membranes used in guided bone regeneration (GBR) surgeries.

Abstract Background The knee replacement (KR) surgery aims to restore the activity level and reduce the risk of experiencing disabilities. The outcomes of this surgery are evaluated mainly with subjective tools or low validity objective tools. However, the effect of the surgery on activity level using high validity objective accelerometer is still in question. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the benefit of KR surgery alone to enhance physical activity recommendations based on high validity accelerometer. Two independent reviewers evaluated five electronic databases (Cochrane-Central-Register-of-Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) to find relative studies between January 2000 and October 2021. The quality assessments and risk of bias assessments were examined. Results Three articles were included with 202 participants (86 males, 116 females), with an average age of 64 years and an average 32 kg/m2 body mass index. The results found that the number of steps was significantly improved up to 36.35 and 45.5% after 6-months and 1-year of the surgery, respectively. However, these changes did not meet the recommended activity level guideline and could be related to the patients’ health status and their activity level before the surgery. No significant changes were seen in sedentary time, standing time, and upright time after 6-months and 1-year follow-ups. Heterogeneity among studies was low to moderate (0–63%). Conclusion Knee replacement surgery is an effective treatment for improving patients’ quality of life with severe knee injuries. However, various factors impact the success of surgical and achieving maximum benefit of the surgery. One factor, sedentary time, can be reduced by implementing pre-and post-surgery exercise or physical activity recommendations. Further studies are needed to understand the benefit of surgery with or without rehabilitation assessed using high validity monitors.

Along with the rapidly growing scale of relational database (RDB), how to construct domain-related ontologies from various databases effectively and efficiently has been a bottleneck of the ontology-based integration. The traditional methods for constructing ontology from RDB are mainly based on the manual mapping and transformation, which not only requires a lot of human experience but also easily leads to the semantic loss during the transformation. Ontology learning from RDB is a new paradigm to (semi-)automatically construct ontologies from RDB by borrowing the techniques of machine learning, it provides potential opportunities for integrating heterogeneous data from various data sources efficiently. This paper surveys the recent methods and tools of the ontology learning from RDB, and highlights the potential opportunities and challenges of using ontology learning in semantic information integration. Initially, the previous surveys on the topic of the ontology-based integration and ontology learning were summarized, and then the limitations of previous surveys were identified and analyzed. Furthermore, the methods and techniques of ontology learning from RDB were investigated by classifying into three categories: reverse engineering, mapping, and machine learning. Accordingly, the opportunities and possibility of using ontology learning from RDB in semantic information integration were discussed based on the mapping results between the bottlenecks of ontology-based integration and the features of ontology learning.a aThis paper is an extension of our prior work [C. Ma and B. Molnár, Use of ontology learning in information system integration: A literature survey, in Intelligent Information and Database Systems, eds. P. Sitek, M. Pietranik, M. Krótkiewicz and C. Srinilta, Communications in Computer and Information Science, Vol. 1178 (Springer, Singapore, 2020), pp. 342–353]

The recent classification of pediatric thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA) takes into consideration mechanisms of disease for guidance to targeted therapies. We present our experience with seven patients with antibody mediated atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Five children had aHUS with antibodies against complement factor H (CFH-ab) and two with TTP with antibodies against metalloproteinase ADAMTS13. In the aHUS cases diagnosed and treated before the eculizumab era, CFH-ab was detected using the ELISA assay. Mutational analysis of selected complement genes was performed. TTP was diagnosed if, in addition to microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, ischemic organ involvement and severe deficiency in ADAMTS13 activity were present. Treatment protocol consisted of plasma exchanges (PE) and steroid pulses, followed by the combination of cyclophosphamide and rituximab to achieve long-term immunosuppression. Four patients with CFH-ab and the TTP patients with ADAMTS13 antibodies came into sustained remission. After a median follow-up of 11.7 (range 7.7–12.9) years without maintenance therapy, no disease recurrence was observed; nevertheless, six patients, two had hypertension and two had proteinuria as a late consequence. One patient, with late diagnosis of CFH-ab and additional genetic risk factors who was treated only with PE and plasma substitution, reached end-stage renal disease and was later successfully transplanted using eculizumab prophylaxis. In the cases of antibody-mediated TMAs, PE and early immunosuppressive treatment may result in sustained remission with preserved kidney function. Further data are needed to establish optimal treatment of anti-FH antibody-associated HUS.

It is no exaggeration to say that the digital transformation can be seen as both a paradigm shifts and a real technological revolution (Perez, 2010, Mergel, et al., 2019). In order to get to know the preparedness of the Hungarian automotive industry players in the topic, we conducted an empirical research in October - December 2020. The main goal was to determine the level of automotive actors in the digital transformation process. Company leaders were primarily asked about their progress in the digital transition process, its opportunities and challenges, organizational culture, and potential human resource management responses. This study focuses on the digital transition concentrating on the following dimensions: strategy and leadership, human resources, business processes, supply chain, manufacturing, products and services. Based on the results, we classified the examined Hungarian automotive industry actors into clusters.

Abstract Background The Knee valgus brace is one of the accepted conservative interventions for patients with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis to correct the knee varus and increase functional activity level. Nevertheless, comprehensive overview of the effects of using this brace on self-reported pain activity level over time is not available. Thus, this study aimed to systematically review the effect of using this brace on pain and activity levels in the last 20 years in patients with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. Methods Five databases were searched to find articles from the year 2000 to the end of November 2020: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Two reviewers independently evaluated the available articles for eligibility and assessed quality. The risk of bias in each study was assessed by two reviewers independently according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology tool (STROBE) for the non-randomized controlled studies and the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for the randomized controlled studies. Results Seven randomized controlled studies and 17 cohort studies (in total 579 participants) were included in the systematic review. Most of these studies found using a knee valgus brace effective in reducing pain and improving activity level over different time intervals. The majority of the included studies (14 studies) evaluated the impact of the brace for a considerably short-term (less than 6 months). Thus, limited evidence is available on the long-term use of the knee valgus brace and its associated complications. Conclusion The knee valgus brace is an effective conservative intervention to improve the quality of life and reduce pain during daily activities for some patients. However, the long term of using this brace is still not very convenient, and the patients who benefit most from using the brace should be identified with high methodological quality studies.

Data structures and especially the relationship among the data entities have changed in the last couple of years. The network-like graph representations of data-model are becoming more and more common nowadays, since they are more suitable to depict these, than the well-established relational data-model. The graphs can describe large and complex networks — like social networks — but also capable of storing rich information about complex data. This was mostly of relational data-model trait before. This also can be achieved with the use of the knowledge representation tool called “hypergraphs”. To utilize the possibilities of this model, we need a practical way to store and process hypergraphs. In this paper, we propose a way by which we can store hypergraphs model in the SAP HANA in-memory database system which has a “Graph Core” engine besides the relational data model. Graph Core has many graph algorithms by default however it is not capable to store or to work with hypergraphs neither are any of these algorithms specifically tailored for hypergraphs either. Hence in this paper, besides the case study of the two information systems, we also propose pseudo-code level algorithms to accommodate hypergraph semantics to process our IS model.

Strain CCMM B554, also known as FSM-MA, is a soil dwelling and nodule forming, nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the nodules of the legume Medicago arborea L. in the Maamora Forest, Morocco. The strain forms effective nitrogen fixing nodules on species of the Medicago, Melilotus and Trigonella genera and is exceptional because it is a highly effective symbiotic partner of the two most widely used accessions, A17 and R108, of the model legume Medicago truncatula Gaertn. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence, multilocus sequence and average nucleotide identity analyses, FSM-MA is identified as a new Ensifer meliloti strain. The genome is 6,70 Mbp and is comprised of the chromosome (3,64 Mbp) harboring 3574 predicted genes and two megaplasmids, pSymA (1,42 Mbp) and pSymB (1,64 Mbp) with respectively 1481 and 1595 predicted genes. The average GC content of the genome is 61.93%. The FSM-MA genome structure is highly similar and co-linear to other E. meliloti strains in the chromosome and the pSymB megaplasmid while, in contrast, it shows high variability in the pSymA plasmid. The large number of strain-specific sequences in pSymA as well as strain-specific genes on pSymB involved in the biosynthesis of the lipopolysaccharide and capsular polysaccharide surface polysaccharides may encode novel symbiotic functions explaining the high symbiotic performance of FSM-MA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic musculoskeletal disease that is associated with mortality, disability, and low quality of life. In Hungary, the number of patients diagnosed with severe knee osteoarthritis is dramatically increasing yearly. Objective: This study aims to assess the quality of life among patients with severe knee osteoarthritis who undergo knee replacement surgery after one month to assess their quality of life (QoL). Material and Method: Ten patients (6 female, 4 male, 70±4 years, 30.7±3.4 kg/m2) with severe knee osteoarthritis were included from an orthopedic clinic in Pécs, Hungary. The SF-36 questionnaire (Hungarian version) was used to assess QoL of the patients one month prior to knee replacement surgery. Results: The participants with severe knee OA reported allow overall average of pain (40.95%), role limitations due to physical health (42.5%), and role limitations due to emotional problems (46.7%) that reduced their QoL. In addition, there are significant differences between women and men in some domains. Women had significantly lower physical functioning and role limitations due to emotional problems than men, by 42.8% (p=0.03) and 73.3% (P=0.005), respectively. Moreover, women had a higher feeling of pain than men; however, the differences was insignificant. Conclusions: Patients with severe knee osteoarthritis have low quality of life and severe pain during daily activities. Furthermore, women with severe knee OA had significantly higher pain and lower quality of life than men due to their emotional status. Further studies with large sample sizes are needed. Received 2022 June 30; Revised 2022 July 15; Accepted 2022 July 21; Available online 2022 June 30; Available print 2022 August 30.

Introduction: Balneotherapy and hydrotherapy treatments with a proven therapeutic effect are of great help to patients in early recovery. Objective: The aim of our study is to assess patient satisfaction in two health care institutions in Hungary. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey among the patients of two spas and other hospitals (H1: n=69 H2: n=59) in Hungary in 2019. The obtained results were evaluated with SPSS 25.0 software. Results: 74.22% of the respondents were female (n=95) and 25.78% were male (n=33), of whom 46.78% (n=60) were between 61 and 70 years of age. 71.88% (n=92) of the respondents were informed about the discounted treatments by their specialist and the majority were patients who return annually (n=106), who come again mainly (43.75%) for previous good experiences. They thought they would discover an 88.5% improvement in both the quality of care and treatments. Results of H1 and H2 hospital staff: help (H1: 6.61, H2: 6.05, p=0.001), pain relief (H1: 6.08, H2: 4.95, p=0.015) problem solving (H1: 6.16, H2: 5.46 p=0.009), information provision (H1: 5.82, H2: 5.05, p=0.050) were significantly higher in H1 hospital than in H2 hospital. In the overall picture of the institution, H2 achieved a higher result in terms of health improvement, despite the former lower evaluations, but there was no significance (H1: 5.86, H2: 6.00, p=0.584). Conclusions: Learning the use of treatments and patient satisfaction, constructive suggestions can be made to improve the quality of patient care. Received: 2022 March 05; Revised: 2022 March 25; Accepted: 2022 March 28; Available online: 2022 May 5; Available print: 2022 May 30.

Abstract Background Osteoporosis is one of the most common chronic musculoskeletal diseases. Osteoporosis-related knowledge is an important contributor in to prevent osteoporosis. There is no validated reliable questionnaire to measure the knowledge in Hungary. The aim of the study was to validate the Osteoporosis Knowledge Assessment Tool (OKAT) Hungarian version. Methods The research was a randomized validation study of a new Hungarian language instrument. The questionnaire was administered to 557 randomly selected healthy women (age between 25 and 44 years) from December 2018 to July 2019 in Baranya county, Hungary. The reliability was examined by the Flesch reading ease and McNemar’s test. We examined item discrimination and item-total correlations, inter-item consistency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient) and principal component factor analysis. Results Significant differences (p

Abstract Background The active arterial-to-arterial collaterals are a significant factor in the prevention of ischemia and extensive tissue necrosis in the case of arterial blockage of various tissues. The present study investigates the mucogingival vasculature in the maxillary esthetic zone mucosa in human cadavers and functionally evaluates the area, which is supplied by the terminal arterioles, on the individual level. Methods In the human cadaver study, macroscopic arterial analyses of the anterior maxillary vestibule in 7 specimens were scrutinized by latex milk injection. The tracks of the mucosal branches in relation to the mucogingival junction were investigated. In the functional study, individual gingival blood flow (GBF) changes were measured by laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) in 31 young subjects with healthy gingiva before and during 30-s compressions. This was conducted with a ball-shaped condenser. The data was analyzed by the linear mixed model. Results The vertically aligned branches of the superior labial artery (SLA) divided into small, slightly deviating sub-branches near the mucogingival junction. These arteries created collateral plexuses and supplied the attached gingiva. The compression of these branches resulted in ischemia coronally with significant individual variation. The ischemia was either apico-mesial, apico-distal, or straight apical to the compression. A significant correlation was found between the ischemic area and the magnitude of the decrease in GBF (r = 0.81, p

Abstract Background The shrinkage of alveolar bone dimensions after tooth extraction is a well-known issue. This clinical phenomenon poses a challenge for clinicians aiming at implant-prosthetic treatment. BonMaker® ATB is a novel autogenous bone grafting material, produced by the mechanical and chemical processing of natural teeth. This pilot case report aims at providing a clinical, radiographical, and histological evaluation of the safety and efficacy of Bonmaker ATB powder in the treatment of EDS class 3–4 postextraction sockets with alveolar ridge preservation. Methods A total of 9 teeth were extracted from 5 patients. The extracted teeth were prepared immediately with the Bonmaker® device. The extraction sockets were filled up with ATB powder. Six months after extraction, standardized intraoral x-rays and CBCT scans were performed. Re-entry was performed under local anaesthesia. Core biopsies were harvested for histological analysis and implants were placed. Results Horizontal alveolar dimension loss occurred, even though ARP was performed, but the horizontal shrinkage was moderate. Vertical dimensions did not show loss of volume, but increased defect fill. Core biopsies showed ATB particles surrounded by newly formed bone and connective tissue. According to histomorphometric analysis, the harvested samples contained 56% of newly formed bone on average, and only a mean of 7% of non-remodelled ATB material was observed. Conclusion The preliminary clinical, radiographical, and histological results of Bonmaker® autogenous tooth graft therapy indicate that ATB may be safely and successfully used as a grafting material for ARP. Optimal graft incorporation and histologically proven effective remodelling, as well as uneventful wound healing support the clinical application of ATB to minimize post-extraction hard tissue loss. Further research is needed to exploit the full potential of ATB and to evaluate the long-term peri-implant hard and soft tissue stability of ATB-treated post-extraction sites.

In 2014 a catastrophic ice storm occurred in the forests of Börzsöny Mts., Hungary. In this study we analyzed the potential of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, complemented, and compared with optical imagery, in mapping this event. Great emphasis was put on reference data: three types of field-based reference datasets were used and the damaged patches were delineated manually based on the visual interpretation of pre- and post-event orthophotos. Four classifications with different set-ups were carried out by applying the eXtreme Gradient Boosting method. Combinations of radar backscatter coefficients, polarimetric descriptors, interferometric coherence, and optical data variables were tested. All classifications were suitable for identifying uprooted trees properly (1–11% underestimation), but none of them could detect crown loss accurately (55–58% overestimation), based on the validation of the most damaged area. Proper differentiation of healthy forests with various levels of canopy closure in the reference data seems crucial for accurate canopy loss estimation. In the case of methods using only Sentinel-1 imagery, interferometric coherence together with polarimetric descriptors provided the best results (OA: 65.7%). This setup can be useful for immediate uproot damage detection for planning salvage logging if a natural disturbance happens outside the vegetation period.

Intestinal cancer stem cells (CSC) are associated with colon cancer. Here, the authors show that Wnt/beta-catenin signalling in CSC requires the epigenetic regulator Mll1 to promote stemness and tumourigenesis in murine and human colon cancer models.