67 research outputs found

    Neurophysiological evidence for rapid processing of verbal and gestural information in understanding communicative actions

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    During everyday social interaction, gestures are a fundamental part of human communication. The communicative pragmatic role of hand gestures and their interaction with spoken language has been documented at the earliest stage of language development, in which two types of indexical gestures are most prominent: the pointing gesture for directing attention to objects and the give-me gesture for making requests. Here we study, in adult human participants, the neurophysiological signatures of gestural-linguistic acts of communicating the pragmatic intentions of naming and requesting by simultaneously presenting written words and gestures. Already at ~150 ms, brain responses diverged between naming and request actions expressed by word-gesture combination, whereas the same gestures presented in isolation elicited their earliest neurophysiological dissociations significantly later (at ~210 ms). There was an early enhancement of request-evoked brain activity as compared with naming, which was due to sources in the frontocentral cortex, consistent with access to action knowledge in request understanding. In addition, an enhanced N400-like response indicated late semantic integration of gesture-language interaction. The present study demonstrates that word-gesture combinations used to express communicative pragmatic intentions speed up the brain correlates of comprehension processes – compared with gesture-only understanding – thereby calling into question current serial linguistic models viewing pragmatic function decoding at the end of a language comprehension cascade. Instead, information about the social-interactive role of communicative acts is processed instantaneously

    Effect of autoclave sterilisation and heat activated sodium hypochlorite irrigation on the performance of nickel-titanium rotary files against cyclic fatigue

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    The present study aims to assess the impact of heat-activated sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and/or autoclave sterilisation on the cyclic fatigue resistance (CFR) of heat-treated nickel-titanium rotary files used in root canal treatment. The CFR of One Curve (OC) files was evaluated under the following conditions: as received (Group 1; control), immersion in NaOCl at 23 ± 1ºC (Group 2), immersion in NaOCl at 60 ± 1ºC (Group 3), autoclave sterilisation at 135 1ºC (Group 4), combined treatment of autoclave sterilisation and immersion in NaOCl at 23 ± 1ºC (Group 5), and combined treatment of autoclave sterilisation and immersion in NaOCl at 60 ± 1ºC (Group 6). A simulated root canal in a zirconia block was utilised to test the performance of the files. All the types of treatments resulted in significant reductions in fracture resistance of the OC files. Immersion of the files in NaOCl at 23ºC revealed the smallest reduction, while combined treatment of autoclaving and immersion in NaOCl at 60ºC caused the greatest reduction. Autoclave sterilisation or exposure of OC files to 2.5% NaOCl adversely affect the cyclic fatigue life and increasing solution temperature or combined treatment caused additionally significant reduction in CFR

    Validation of an automated assay for the measurement of cupric reducing antioxidant capacity in serum of dogs

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    BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to optimize and validate an automated method to assess the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in serum of dogs using the cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) methodology (TAC(c)) with bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt as chelating agent, evaluating also possible variations due to the use of two different automated analyzers. The method is based on the reduction of Cu(2+) into Cu(1+) by the action of the non-enzymatic antioxidants that are present in the sample. RESULTS: Imprecision was low in both apparatus utilized, and the results were linear across serial Trolox and canine serum samples dilutions. Lipids did not interfere with the assay; however, hemolysis increased the TAC(c) concentrations. When TAC(c) concentrations were determined in ten healthy (control) dogs and in twelve dogs with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), dogs with IBD had lower TAC(c) concentrations when compared with the healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS: The method validated in this paper is precise, simple, and fast and can be easily adapted to automated analyzers

    Condyle position in Class II Division 1 malocclusion patients: Correlation between MPI records and CBCT images

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    Background: This study was designed to test the hypothesis that condyle position, as measured by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), is correlated with the amount and direction of centric slide, determined using a mandibular position indicator (MPI). Methods: In this descriptive study, 40 Class II Division 1 patients with no signs or symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder were evaluated. Power centric registration and CBCT imaging were performed for each patient. Mandibular position registrations were performed using a mandibular position indicator (MPI). The concentric positions of the condyles were assessed using CBCT imaging. Results: Based on the MPI findings, 57.5% of the patients studied showed a centric relation-centric occlusion discrepancy of ?2 mm in at least one direction at the level of the condyles. Eighty-two percent of the condylar distractions were found to be in the vertical inferior direction. Based on CBCT image tracing, nearly 87.5% of the condyle positions were found to be nonconcentric for the right and left sides. Significant anterior positioning of the condyles was revealed. No relationship was found between the MPI findings and the CBCT measurements. Conclusions: The hypothesis was rejected. The concentricity of the condyle in the mandibular fossa as determined using CBCT measurements cannot be used to predict the centric relation-centric occlusion changes at the level of the condyles. © 2013 World Federation of Orthodontists

    Akut bronşiolit tedavisinde iki farkli bronkodilatörün etkinli?inin karşilaştirilmasi

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    Bronchiolitis is an acute inflammatory respiratory illness of children less than two years of age. Therapies used in the treatment of bronchiolitis include adequate hydration, supplementary oxygen, bronchodilators, ribavirin, corticosteroids, immune globulin, interferon alfa and vitamin A. We enrolled 34 infants who were hospitalized for bronchiolitis to evaluate the efficacy of two different bronchodilators. Thirty-four infants under two years of age were randomized to receive either nebulized salbutamol (Group I) or nebulized ipratropium bromide (Group II). Clinical severity was scored on admission and 12-hour intervals after the start of nebulization. The symptom score evaluated five items: respiratory rate, presence of wheezing, presence of retraction, presence of nasal flaring, and general appearance. No difference was observed between the two groups in the clinical improvement on hospital admission and at the 12th, 24th, 36th and 48th hours during treatment. The mean duration of hospital stay was not significantly different between the two groups. When the groups were evaluated independently, there was a significant difference in scores before treatment and at the 48th hour of nebulization. We conclude that, ipratropium bromide and salbutamol are equally effective in the clinical recovery of bronchiolitis. Because of the side effects of salbutamol, ipratropium bromide may be primarily preferred as a bronchodilator
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