A randomised clinical study to determine the effect of a toothpaste containing enzymes and proteins on plaque oral microbiome ecology

The numerous species that make up the oral microbiome are now understood to play a key role in establishment and maintenance of oral health. The ability to taxonomically identify community members at the species level is important to elucidating its diversity and association to health and disease. We report the overall ecological effects of using a toothpaste containing enzymes and proteins compared to a control toothpaste on the plaque microbiome. The results reported here demonstrate that a toothpaste containing enzymes and proteins can augment natural salivary defences to promote an overall community shift resulting in an increase in bacteria associated with gum health and a concomitant decrease in those associated with periodontal disease. Statistical analysis shows significant increases in 12 taxa associated with gum health including Neisseria spp. and a significant decrease in 10 taxa associated with periodontal disease including Treponema spp. The results demonstrate that a toothpaste containing enzymes and proteins can significantly shift the ecology of the oral microbiome (at species level) resulting in a community with a stronger association to health

Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) Foraging Efficiency Reduced by Fast Flows

Predators can strongly influence prey populations and the structure and function of ecosystems, but these effects can be modified by environmental stress. For example, fluid velocity and turbulence can alter the impact of predators by limiting their environmental range and altering their foraging ability. We investigated how hydrodynamics affected the foraging behavior of the green crab (Carcinus maenas), which is invading marine habitats throughout the world. High flow velocities are known to reduce green crab predation rates and our study sought to identify the mechanisms by which flow affects green crabs. We performed a series of experiments with green crabs to determine: 1) if their ability to find prey was altered by flow in the field, 2) how flow velocity influenced their foraging efficiency, and 3) how flow velocity affected their handling time of prey. In a field study, we caught significantly fewer crabs in baited traps at sites with fast versus slow flows even though crabs were more abundant in high flow areas. This finding suggests that higher velocity flows impair the ability of green crabs to locate prey. In laboratory flume assays, green crabs foraged less efficiently when flow velocity was increased. Moreover, green crabs required significantly more time to consume prey in high velocity flows. Our data indicate that flow can impose significant chemosensory and physical constraints on green crabs. Hence, hydrodynamics may strongly influence the role that green crabs and other predators play in rocky intertidal communities

Estudo da gastrinemia pré e pós-operatória em pacientes submetidos à gastroplastia vertical com banda e reconstrução em Y de Roux por obesidade mórbida

OBJETIVO: Avaliar as concentrações pré e pós-operatória da gastrina sérica, hormônio fundamental na produção do ácido clorídrico gástrico, correlacionando-as com as complicações cloridropépticas pós-cirúrgicas, em pacientes submetidos à gastroplastia vertical com banda e reconstrução em Y de Roux (GVBYR). MÉTODO: Foram incluídos neste estudo, 20 pacientes com Índice de Massa Corpórea (IMC) superior a 40 Kg/m² selecionados após rigorosa avaliação psicológica. A dosagem da gastrina foi realizada no pré e no pós-operatório. Neste mesmo período todos os pacientes forma também submetidos a exame endoscópico com biópsia para estudo histopatológico. RESULTADOS: As quantidades de gastrina produzidas antes e após o tratamento cirúrgico não diferiram significativamente (p= 0,4281). Nenhum paciente apresentou alteração endoscópica ou histológica até o 2º mês de pós-operatório. CONCLUSÃO: Após a realização da GVBYR ocorre uma adaptação do tubo digestivo, de modo a manter a sua fisiologia, conduzindo-nos à convicção da segurança dessa técnica no tratamento da obesidade mórbida

A unique mechanism of successful fertilization in a domestic bird

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