145 research outputs found
Dentofacial characteristics of women with oversized mandible and temporomandibular joint internal derangement
Introduction: To analyze dentofacial characteristics of temporomandibular joint internal derangement (TMJ ID) in orthodontic patients with oversized mandible (skeletal Class III pattern). Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 66 women whose mandibular body length to anterior cranial base ratio is greater than 1.12. They were divided into three groups based on magnetic resonance images of bilateral TMJs: bilateral normal disk position (BN), bilateral disk displacement with reduction (DDR), and bilateral disk displacement without reduction (DDNR). Thirty-five cephalometric variables regarding their lateral cephalograms were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test to evaluate differences in dentofacial morphology among the three groups. Results: Subjects with TMJ ID had a clockwise rotation of the ramus, with backward position of mandible, labial tipping of mandibular incisors, and protrusion of upper and lower lips. However, TMJ ID did not significantly influence vertical skeletal relationships. Most of the significant dentofacial changes were found between BN and DDR, and dentofacial changes between DDR and DDNR were minimal. Conclusions: This study suggests that dentofacial changes associated with TMJ ID begin to appear when TMJ ID develops to DDR from BN in patients with oversized mandible. (Angle Orthod. 2011;81:469-477.)
Progress in Understanding and Sequencing the Genome of Brassica rapa
Brassica rapa, which is closely related to
Arabidopsis thaliana, is an important crop and a
model plant for studying genome evolution via
polyploidization. We report the current understanding of the
genome structure of B. rapa and efforts for the
whole-genome sequencing of the species. The tribe
Brassicaceae, which comprises ca. 240 species,
descended from a common hexaploid ancestor with a basic genome
similar to that of Arabidopsis. Chromosome
rearrangements, including fusions and/or fissions, resulted in
the present-day “diploid” Brassica
species with variation in chromosome number and phenotype.
Triplicated genomic segments of B. rapa are
collinear to those of A. thaliana with InDels.
The genome triplication has led to an approximately 1.7-fold
increase in the B. rapa gene number compared to
that of A. thaliana. Repetitive DNA of B.
rapa has also been extensively amplified and has
diverged from that of A. thaliana. For its
whole-genome sequencing, the Brassica rapa Genome
Sequencing Project (BrGSP) consortium has developed suitable
genomic resources and constructed genetic and physical maps.
Ten chromosomes of B. rapa are being allocated to
BrGSP consortium participants, and each chromosome will be
sequenced by a BAC-by-BAC approach. Genome sequencing of
B. rapa will offer a new perspective for plant
biology and evolution in the context of polyploidization
Fully integrated lab-on-a-disc for simultaneous analysis of biochemistry and immunoassay from whole blood
We report a fully integrated device that can perform both multiple biochemical analysis and sandwich type immunoassay simultaneously on a disc. The whole blood is applied directly to the disposable "lab-on-a-disc" containing different kinds of freeze-dried reagents for the blood chemistry analysis as well as reagents required for the immunoassay. The concentrations of different kinds of analytes are reported within 22 min by simply inserting a disc to a portable device. Using the innovative laser irradiated ferrowax microvalves together with the centrifugal microfluidics, the total process of plasma separation, metering, mixing, incubation, washing, and detection is fully automated. The analyzer is equipped with an optical detection module to measure absorbances at 10 different wavelengths to accommodate the various kinds of reaction protocols. Compared to the conventional blood analysis done in clinical laboratories, it is advantageous for point-of-care applications because it requires a smaller amount of blood (350 mu L vs. 3 mL), takes less time (22 min vs. several days), does not require specially trained operators or expensive instruments to run biochemical analysis and immunoassay separately.close554
The first generation of a BAC-based physical map of Brassica rapa
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The genus <it>Brassica </it>includes the most extensively cultivated vegetable crops worldwide. Investigation of the <it>Brassica </it>genome presents excellent challenges to study plant genome evolution and divergence of gene function associated with polyploidy and genome hybridization. A physical map of the <it>B. rapa </it>genome is a fundamental tool for analysis of <it>Brassica </it>"A" genome structure. Integration of a physical map with an existing genetic map by linking genetic markers and BAC clones in the sequencing pipeline provides a crucial resource for the ongoing genome sequencing effort and assembly of whole genome sequences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A genome-wide physical map of the <it>B. rapa </it>genome was constructed by the capillary electrophoresis-based fingerprinting of 67,468 Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) clones using the five restriction enzyme SNaPshot technique. The clones were assembled into contigs by means of FPC v8.5.3. After contig validation and manual editing, the resulting contig assembly consists of 1,428 contigs and is estimated to span 717 Mb in physical length. This map provides 242 anchored contigs on 10 linkage groups to be served as seed points from which to continue bidirectional chromosome extension for genome sequencing.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The map reported here is the first physical map for <it>Brassica </it>"A" genome based on the High Information Content Fingerprinting (HICF) technique. This physical map will serve as a fundamental genomic resource for accelerating genome sequencing, assembly of BAC sequences, and comparative genomics between <it>Brassica </it>genomes. The current build of the <it>B. rapa </it>physical map is available at the <it>B. rapa </it>Genome Project website for the user community.</p
Chronic exposure to dexamethasone may not affect sugammadex reversal of rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade: an in vivo study on rats
Background Chronic glucocorticoid exposure is associated with resistance to nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents. Therefore, we hypothesized that sugammadex-induced recovery would occur more rapidly in subjects exposed to chronic dexamethasone compared to those who were not exposed. This study evaluated the sugammadex-induced recovery profile after neuromuscular blockade (NMB) in rats exposed to chronic dexamethasone. Methods Sprague–Dawley rats were allocated to three groups (dexamethasone, control, and pair-fed group) for the in vivo study. The mice received daily intraperitoneal dexamethasone injections (500 μg/kg) or 0.9% saline for 15 days. To achieve complete NMB, 3.5 mg/kg rocuronium was administered on the sixteenth day. The recovery time to a train-of-four ratio ≥ 0.9 was measured to evaluate the complete recovery following the sugammadex injection. Results Among the groups, no significant differences were observed in the recovery time to a train-of-four ratio ≥ 0.9 following sugammadex administration (P = 0.531). The time to the second twitch of the train-of-four recovery following rocuronium administration indicated that the duration of NMB was significantly shorter in Group D than that in Groups C and P (P = 0.001). Conclusions Chronic exposure to dexamethasone did not shorten the recovery time of sugammadex-induced NMB reversal. However, the findings of this study indicated that no adjustments to sugammadex dosage or route of administration is required, even in patients undergoing long-term steroid treatment
Complete Binocular Blindness as the First Manifestation of HIV-Related Cryptococcal Meningitis
Ocular complications of HIV-related cryptococcal meningitis are reasonably common, but complete binocular blindness as the first manifestation of HIV is extremely rare. A 58-year-old man presented with binocular blindness. He experienced blurred vision for 3 days before the blindness. Mild pleocytosis was present in the cerebrospinal fluid, from which Cryptococcus neoformans was cultured. Serology revealed positivity for HIV antibody. He was treated with antifungal and antiretroviral therapy. This case indicates that HIV-related cryptococcal meningitis should be taken into consideration when determining the cause of unexpected sudden binocular blindness
Genome-wide comparative analysis of the Brassica rapa gene space reveals genome shrinkage and differential loss of duplicated genes after whole genome triplication
Euchromatic regions of the Brassica rapa genome were sequenced and mapped onto the corresponding regions in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome
Kdm3b haploinsufficiency impairs the consolidation of cerebellum-dependent motor memory in mice
Histone modifications are a key mechanism underlying the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, which is critically involved in the consolidation of multiple forms of memory. However, the roles of histone modifications in cerebellum-dependent motor learning and memory are not well understood. To test whether changes in histone methylation are involved in cerebellar learning, we used heterozygous Kdm3b knockout (Kdm3b+/−) mice, which show reduced lysine 9 on histone 3 (H3K9) demethylase activity. H3K9 di-methylation is significantly increased selectively in the granule cell layer of the cerebellum of Kdm3b+/− mice. In the cerebellum-dependent optokinetic response (OKR) learning, Kdm3b+/− mice show deficits in memory consolidation, whereas they are normal in basal oculomotor performance and OKR acquisition. In addition, RNA-seq analyses revealed that the expression levels of several plasticity-related genes were altered in the mutant cerebellum. Our study suggests that active regulation of histone methylation is critical for the consolidation of cerebellar motor memory.This work was supported by grants to S.B.S. and Y.-S.L. (NRF2019R1A4A2001609), Y.-S.L. (NRF-2017M3C7A1026959), and S.J.K. (NRF2018R1A5A2025964) from the National Research Foundation of Korea
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