Periodontal therapy and treatment of hypertension-alternative to the pharmacological approach. A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: Quantitative comparison of the effects of intensive (IPT) or conventional (CPT) periodontal treatment on arterial blood pressure, endothelial function and inflammatory/metabolic biomarkers. / Materials and methods: A systematic search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCT) of IPT (supra and subgingival instrumentation). Eight RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Difference in change of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) before and after IPT or CPT were the primary outcomes. The secondary outcomes included: endothelial function and selected inflammatory/anti-inflammatory (CRP, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ) and metabolic biomarkers (HDL, LDL, TGs). / Results: The overall effect estimates (pooled Weighted Mean Difference (WMD)) of the primary outcome for SBP and DBP was −4.3 mmHg [95%CI: −9.10–0.48], p = 0.08 and −3.16 mmHg [95%CI: −6.51–0.19], p = 0.06 respectively. These studies were characterized by high heterogeneity. Therefore, random effects model for meta-analysis was performed. Sub-group analyses confirmed statistically significant reduction in SBP [WMD = −11.41 mmHg (95%CI: −13.66, −9.15) P < 0.00001] and DBP [WMD = −8.43 mmHg (95%CI: −10.96,−5.91)P < 0.00001] after IPT vs CPT among prehypertensive/hypertensive patients, while this was not observed in normotensive individuals. The meta-analyses showed significant reductions in CRP and improvement of endothelial function following IPT at all analysed timepoints. / Conclusions: IPT leads to improvement of the cardiovascular health in hypertensive and prehypertensive individuals

Construct and face validity of SINERGIA laparoscopic virtual reality simulator

Purpose Laparoscopic techniques have nowadays become a gold standard in many surgical procedures, but they imply a more difficult learning skills process. Simulators have a fundamental role in the formative stage of new surgeons. This paper presents the construct and face validity of SINERGIA laparoscopic virtual reality simulator in order to decide whether it can be considered as an assessment tool. Methods Twenty people participated in this study, 14 were novices and 6 were experts. Five tasks of SINERGIA were included in the study: coordination, navigation, navigation and touch, precise grasping and coordinate traction. For each one of these tasks, a certain number of metrics are automatically recorded. All subjects accomplished each task only once and filled in two questionnaires. A statistical analysis was made and results from both groups were compared with the Mann–Whitney U-test, considering significant differences when P ≤ 0.05. Internal consistency of the system has been analyzed with the Cronbach’s alpha test. Results Novices and experts positively rated SINERGIA characteristics. At least one of the evaluated metrics of each exercise presented significant differences between both groups. Nevertheless, all metrics under study gave a better punctuation to the executions accomplished by experts (lower time, higher efficiency, fewer errors. . .) than to those made by novices. Conclusion SINERGIA laparoscopic virtual reality simulator is able to discriminate subjects according to their level of experience in laparoscopic surgery; therefore, it can be used within a training program as an assessment too

Evaluation of the Predictive Ability, Environmental Regulation and Pharmacogenetics Utility of a BMI-Predisposing Genetic Risk Score during Childhood and Puberty

The authors would like to thank the Spanish children and parents who participated in the study.Polygenetic risk scores (pGRSs) consisting of adult body mass index (BMI) genetic variants have been widely associated with obesity in children populations. The implication of such obesity pGRSs in the development of cardio-metabolic alterations during childhood as well as their utility for the clinical prediction of pubertal obesity outcomes has been barely investigated otherwise. In the present study, we evaluated the utility of an adult BMI predisposing pGRS for the prediction and pharmacological management of obesity in Spanish children, further investigating its implication in the appearance of cardio-metabolic alterations. For that purpose, we counted on genetics data from three well-characterized children populations (composed of 574, 96 and 124 individuals), following both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, expanding childhood and puberty. As a result, we demonstrated that the pGRS is strongly associated with childhood BMI Z-Score (B = 1.56, SE = 0.27 and p-value = 1.90 × 10−8 ), and that could be used as a good predictor of obesity longitudinal trajectories during puberty. On the other hand, we showed that the pGRS is not associated with cardio-metabolic comorbidities in children and that certain environmental factors interact with the genetic predisposition to the disease. Finally, according to the results derived from a weight-reduction metformin intervention in children with obesity, we discarded the utility of the pGRS as a pharmacogenetics marker of metformin response.Plan Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica, Desarrollo e Innovacion Tecnologica (I + D + I), Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Health Research Funding (FONDOS FEDER) PI1102042 PI1102059 PI1601301 PI1600871Spanish Ministry of Health, Social and Equality, General Department for Pharmacy and Health Products EC10-243 EC10-056 EC10-281 EC10-227Regional Government of Andalusia ("Plan Andaluz de investigacion, desarrollo e innovacion (2018)") P18-RT-2248Mapfre Foundation ("Research grants by Ignacio H. de Larramendi 2017")Instituto de Salud Carlos III IFI17/0004

Synergy between magneto-rheological fluids and aluminum foams. Prospective alternative for seismic damping

This is the accepted manuscript. Access to the published article can be gained at: http://jim.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/1045389X15596624v1.pdf?ijkey=SyFHNQwE4XMQqBF&keytype=finiteThis article presents the experimental study of a preliminary investigation of a seismic damper device aimed at improving the behavior of structures when subjected to earthquakes. The damper is the result of a binomial material formed by aluminum foam with pores 1 mm in diameter, wetted by a magnetorheological fluid (MRF). The objective of the present work is to explore the synergy between the two components in a magnetorheological test, and to evaluate the effect of the Al foam pores in the structure buildup of the fluid. The analysis is completed with a compressive test carried out on the MRF-filled foam in the presence of a magnetic field. This kind of test demonstrates that the deformation of the foam for very small loads is limited by the hardening of the fluid because of its MR response. The results of this research suggest that there is a mutual benefit between the components of the device, presumably leading to an enhanced dissipation of vibration energy.Proyectos PE2012-FQM694 (Junta de Andalucía, Spain), FIS2013-47666-C3-1-R (MINECO, Spain), SENER-CONACYT "151496" (UNAM Mexico), CONACYT National Quality Graduate Progra

Coxiella burnetii Phagocytosis Is Regulated by GTPases of the Rho Family and the RhoA Effectors mDia1 and ROCK

The GTPases belonging to the Rho family control the actin cytoskeleton rearrangements needed for particle internalization during phagocytosis. ROCK and mDia1 are downstream effectors of RhoA, a GTPase involved in that process. Coxiella burnetii, the etiologic agent of Q fever, is internalized by the host´s cells in an actin-dependent manner. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism involved in this process has been poorly characterized. This work analyzes the role of different GTPases of the Rho family and some downstream effectors in the internalization of C. burnetii by phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells. The internalization of C. burnetii into HeLa and RAW cells was significantly inhibited when the cells were treated with Clostridium difficile Toxin B which irreversibly inactivates members of the Rho family. In addition, the internalization was reduced in HeLa cells that overexpressed the dominant negative mutants of RhoA, Rac1 or Cdc42 or that were knocked down for the Rho GTPases. The pharmacological inhibition or the knocking down of ROCK diminished bacterium internalization. Moreover, C. burnetii was less efficiently internalized in HeLa cells overexpressing mDia1-N1, a dominant negative mutant of mDia1, while the overexpression of the constitutively active mutant mDia1-ΔN3 increased bacteria uptake. Interestingly, when HeLa and RAW cells were infected, RhoA, Rac1 and mDia1 were recruited to membrane cell fractions. Our results suggest that the GTPases of the Rho family play an important role in C. burnetii phagocytosis in both HeLa and RAW cells. Additionally, we present evidence that ROCK and mDia1, which are downstream effectors of RhoA, are involved in that processFil: Salinas Ojeda, Romina Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Ortiz Flores, Rodolfo Matias. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Distel, Jesús Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Aguilera, Milton Osmar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Colombo, Maria Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Beron, Walter. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; Argentin

Reaction rates and transport in neutron stars

Understanding signals from neutron stars requires knowledge about the transport inside the star. We review the transport properties and the underlying reaction rates of dense hadronic and quark matter in the crust and the core of neutron stars and point out open problems and future directions.Comment: 74 pages; commissioned for the book "Physics and Astrophysics of Neutron Stars", NewCompStar COST Action MP1304; version 3: minor changes, references updated, overview graphic added in the introduction, improvements in Sec IV.A.

Association of Mediterranean diet with survival after breast cancer diagnosis in women from nine European countries: results from the EPIC cohort study

BACKGROUND: The Mediterranean diet has been associated with lower risk of breast cancer (BC) but evidence from prospective studies on the role of Mediterranean diet on BC survival remains sparse and conflicting. We aimed to investigate whether adherence to Mediterranean diet prior to diagnosis is associated with overall and BC-specific mortality. METHODS: A total of 13,270 incident breast cancer cases were identified from an initial sample of 318,686 women in 9 countries from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Adherence to Mediterranean diet was estimated through the adapted relative Mediterranean diet (arMED), a 16-point score that includes 8 key components of the Mediterranean diet and excludes alcohol. The degree of adherence to arMED was classified as low (score 0-5), medium (score 6-8), and high (score 9-16). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the association between the arMED score and overall mortality, and Fine-Gray competing risks models were applied for BC-specific mortality. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 8.6 years from diagnosis, 2340 women died, including 1475 from breast cancer. Among all BC survivors, low compared to medium adherence to arMED score was associated with a 13% higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.13, 95%CI 1.01-1.26). High compared to medium adherence to arMED showed a non-statistically significant association (HR 0.94; 95% CI 0.84-1.05). With no statistically significant departures from linearity, on a continuous scale, a 3-unit increase in the arMED score was associated with an 8% reduced risk of overall mortality (HR3-unit 0.92, 95% CI: 0.87-0.97). This result sustained when restricted to postmenopausal women and was stronger among metastatic BC cases (HR3-unit 0.81, 95% CI: 0.72-0.91). CONCLUSIONS: Consuming a Mediterranean diet before BC diagnosis may improve long-term prognosis, particularly after menopause and in cases of metastatic breast cancer. Well-designed dietary interventions are needed to confirm these findings and define specific dietary recommendations

Enhancing the immunogenicity of tumour lysate-loaded dendritic cell vaccines by conjugation to virus-like particles

BACKGROUND: Tumour cell lysates are an excellent source of many defined and undefined tumour antigens and have been used clinically in immunotherapeutic regimes but with limited success. METHODS: We conjugated Mel888 melanoma lysates to rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus virus-like particles (VLP), which can act as vehicles to deliver multiple tumour epitopes to dendritic cells (DC) to effectively activate antitumour responses. RESULTS: Virus-like particles did not stimulate the phenotypic maturation of DC although, the conjugation of lysates to VLP (VLP-lysate) did overcome lysate-induced suppression of DC activation. Lysate-conjugated VLP enhanced delivery of antigenic proteins to DC, while the co-delivery of VLP-lysates with OK432 resulted in cross-priming of naïve T cells, with expansion of a MART1(+) population of CD8(+) T cells and generation of a specific cytotoxic response against Mel888 tumour cell targets. The responses generated with VLP-lysate and OK432 were superior to those stimulated by unconjugated lysate with OK432. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these results show that the combination of VLP-lysate with OK432 delivered to DC overcomes the suppressive effects of lysates, and enables priming of naïve T cells with superior ability to specifically kill their target tumour cells