Screening of Fixed Prosthodontic Dentures after Five Years of Use in Relation to Material and Construction

The aim of this study was to screen patients with fixed prosthodontic appliances that were in oral cavity for a period of 5 years or more and to assess clinically and radiologically root caries, gingival recession, pocket formation, alveolar ridge resorption, as well as gingival (GI) and plaque index (PI). The aim also was to find out the differences between materials and constructions, between abutment and non-abutment teeth, and to find out the need for replacement. A total of 260 patients and their orthopantomograms were examined, with a total of 2,265 teeth, 610 being bridge abutments and 246 being crowns. The most frequent were metal+ acrylic veneer crowns or bridges. Root caries was found under the abutments in 10–20%; however abutments with ceramic crowns had the lowest percentage of caries (p<0.01). Alveolar ridge resorption, pocket formation deeper than 3 mm and gingival recession of various degree was found in 50% of the cases, again with the lowest percentage of ceramic-fused-to-metal appliances (p<0.01). Pocket depth was registered in significantly higher percentage in metal-acrylic veneer appliances compared to natural teeth (p<0.01), while there was no significant difference between metal-ceramic appliances and natural teeth (p>0.05). Although the worst findings were recorded for metal-+acrylic veneer crowns for PI, no significant difference existed between crowns of different material or non-abutment teeth (p>0.05). There was statistically significant difference between abutments with metal + acrylic veneer crowns, full metal crowns, metal ceramic crowns and non-abutments for GI scores. Higher percentage of scores 0 and 1 was recorded for metal ceramic crowns and non-abutments and significantly higher percentage of scores 2 and 3 was recorded for metal + acrylic veneer crowns and full metallic crowns. Almost 50% of metal-ceramic abutments had no pathologic findings. Almost 30% of the patients needed replacement, or even some abutments to be extracted and therefore a new prosthodontic appliance

Increased number of intestinal villous M cells in levamisole -pretreated weaned pigs experimentally infected with F4ac+ enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain

Immunoprophylaxis of porcine postweaning colibacillosis (PWC) caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) expressing F4 fimbriae is an unsolved problem. Just as ETEC strains can exploit intestinal microfold (M) cells as the entry portal for infection, their high transcytotic ability make them an attractive target for mucosally delivered vaccines, adjuvants and therapeutics. We have developed a model of parenteral/oral immunization of 4-weeks-old pigs with either levamisole or vaccine candidate F4ac+ non-ETEC strain to study their effects on de novo differentiation of antigen-sampling M cells. Identification, localization and morphometric quantification of cytokeratin 18 positive M cells in the ileal mucosa of 6-weeks-old pigs revealed that they were: 1) exclusively located within villous epithelial layer, 2) significantly numerous (P< 0.01) in levamisole pretreated/challenged pigs, and 3) only slightly, but not significantly numerous in vaccinated/challenged pigs compared with non-pretreated/challenged control pigs. The fact that levamisole may affect the M cells frequency by increasing their numbers, makes it an interesting adjuvant to study development of an effective M cell-targeted vaccine against porcine PWC

Effect of crop rotation on weed seed bank

Knowledge of weed soil seed bank is of great importance for forecasting weediness for next years. Crop rotation and tillage are two primary practices that have an impact on soil seed bank. In our study, soil samples were taken in order to evaluate the size and species composition of the weed seed bank in the soil on plots under different growing systems: monoculture of corn of about 40 years, crop rotation of corn, wheat and soybeans with different variations of fertilization. Samples were collected during October, using probe (diameter 5 cm) in a layer of 15 cm. Four soil samples collected from 10 sampling points were taken from each of 7 plots. Seeds were extracted from the soil by washing and were determined and counted. Next year (during August) weediness (abundance and species composition) evaluated in the same plots. The weed seed bank was dominated by Chenopodium album, Amaranthus retroflexus, Datura stramonium, Sorghum halepense in all treatments. In the plots which were under wheat in the previous year, beside the listed species, seeds of species characteristic for grain crops were also present as dominant. The higher number of seeds was observed in treatments where manure was applied. In the unfertilized treatments the seed bank was higher and represented by a higher number of weed species than in other plots. Composition of weed species emerged in the next year were in accordance with results of seed bank analysis and the fact that the investigated plots were seeded to maize. In fact, the dominant species were those typical of row crops

Generalized Arago-Fresnel laws: The EME-flow-line description

We study experimentally and theoretically the influence of light polarization on the interference patterns behind a diffracting grating. Different states of polarization and configurations are been considered. The experiments are analyzed in terms of electromagnetic energy (EME) flow lines, which can be eventually identified with the paths followed by photons. This gives rise to a novel trajectory interpretation of the Arago-Fresnel laws for polarized light, which we compare with interpretations based on the concept of "which-way" (or "which-slit") information.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Towards elucidating carnosic acid biosynthesis in Lamiaceae: Functional characterization of the three first steps of the pathway in Salvia fruticosa and Rosmarinus officinalis

Carnosic acid (CA) is a phenolic diterpene with anti-tumour, anti-diabetic, antibacterial and neuroprotective properties that is produced by a number of species from several genera of the Lamiaceae family, including Salvia fruticosa (Cretan sage) and Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary). To elucidate CA biosynthesis, glandular trichome transcriptome data of S. fruticosa were mined for terpene synthase genes. Two putative diterpene synthase genes, namely SfCPSand SfKSL, showing similarities to copalyl diphosphate synthase and kaurene synthase-like genes, respectively, were isolated and functionally characterized. Recombinant expression in Escherichia coli followed by in vitro enzyme activity assays confirmed that SfCPS is a copalyl diphosphate synthase. Coupling of SfCPS with SfKSL, both in vitro and in yeast, resulted in the synthesis miltiradiene, as confirmed by 1D and 2D NMR analyses (1H, 13C, DEPT, COSY H-H, HMQC and HMBC). Coupled transient in vivo assays of SfCPS and SfKSL in Nicotiana benthamiana further confirmed production of miltiradiene in planta. To elucidate the subsequent biosynthetic step, RNA-Seq data of S. fruticosa and R. officinalis were searched for cytochrome P450 (CYP) encoding genes potentially involved in the synthesis of the first phenolic compound in the CA pathway, ferruginol. Three candidate genes were selected, SfFS, RoFS1 and RoFS2. Using yeast and N. benthamiana expression systems, all three where confirmed to be coding for ferruginol synthases, thus revealing the enzymatic activities responsible for the first three steps leading to CA in two Lamiaceae genera

Galectin-1 Is Part of Human Trophoblast Invasion Machinery - A Functional Study In Vitro

Interactions of glycoconjugates with endogenous galectins, have been long proposed to participate in several reproductive processes including implantation. In human placenta gal-1, gal-3, gal-8, and gal-13 proteins are known to be present. Each of them has been proposed to play multiple functions, but so far no clear picture has emerged. We hypothesized that gal-1 participates in trophoblast invasion, and conducted Matrigel invasion assay using isolated cytotrophoblast from first trimester placenta and HTR-8/SVneo cell line to test it.<0.001) by Ox-gal-1 at 1 µg/ml. Both sets of results confirmed involvement of gal-1 in trophoblast invasion. Galectin profile of isolated cytotrophoblast and HTR-8/SVneo cells was established using RT-PCR and real-time PCR and found to consist of gal-1, gal-3 and gal-8 for both cell types. Only gal-1 was located at the trophoblast cell membrane, as determined by FACS analysis, which is consistent with the results of the functional tests.These findings qualify gal-1 as a member of human trophoblast cell invasion machinery

Long-term fertilization and crop rotation effects on weed seedbanks

Weed seed banks may reflect the status of weed population in the present and the past, and could be regarded as an indicator of the impact of soil and crop management. Crop rotation and fertlization system are among the many agronomic variables that interact with weed management to affect the size and composition of the weed seedbank. Knowledge of the effects of agricultural practices on weed seedbank dynamics is essential for predicting future problems in weed management. The aim of this study was to determine how the impact of the different growing system: monocultures of maize, 2-year crop rotation (maize, wheat) and 3-year crop rotation (wheat, maize, soyabeans) and the application of different fertilization systems: 2-year crop rotation (unfertilazation and fertilization with NPK) and 3-year crop rotation (unfertilization, fertilization with manure and fertilization with NPK) affects the composition of the weed seed bank. For these surveys the plots of stationary experiment "Plodoredi", Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia (N 45° 19', E 19° 50') were used (plots were established in 1969/70). In each fertlized crop rotation was used 100 kg ha-1 mineral N (50 kg in autumn and 50 kg in spring). In order to determine the weed seed bank, soil samples were taken for three years (2014-2017) in the autumn (after harvest) and spring (before sowing) and from three depths: 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm and 30-40 cm. The seedling emergence method was used to assess the emergence of the 432 soil samples. The method was carried out under controlled conditions of largest number of seedling was observed between 3 and 6 weeks, in samples taken from the ploughlayer (0-15 cm). It was concluded that the smallest number of species present (8) in maize monoculture samples was recorded (at the depth 0-15 cm there were 6 species, at 15-30 cm 5 species and at 30-40 cm 4 species). While the change in maize with wheat increased the number of weed species to 12 (0-15 cm: 11 species; 15-30 cm: 9 species; 30-40 cm: 5 species) and 17 respectively in the rotation of maize, wheat and soyabeans (0-15 cm: 10 species; 15-30 cm: 9 species; 30-40 cm: 7 species). There are 14 weed species (0-15 cm: 9 species; 15- 30 cm: 9 species; 30-40 cm: 8 species) on the plots of the 2-year crop rotation where no fertilizer is applied, and in the fertilizer variant with NPK nutrients 12. In the samples with three plots of the 3-year crop rotation and different varieties of fertilization, a similar number of weed species were observed, but they differ in the floristic manner. Thus, in the non-fertilizer samples (0-15 cm: 12 species; 15-30 cm: 10 species; 30-40 cm: 7 species) the most important species were Ajuga chamaepytus L., Anagalis arvensis L., Sorghum halepense L., Stachys annua L. In the plots where a manure is applied every three years in the amount of 40 t ha-1 Ambrosia artemiisifolia L., Chenopodium hybridum L., Chenopodium album L. Veronica hederifoila L. are dominated. At the depth 0-15 cm there were 8 species, at 15-30 cm 12 species and at 30-40 cm 7 species. Only during the using samples at this locality, a large populations of invasive species Helianthus tuberosus L. is observed. In the area of Serbia in occational years when climatic conditions permit this species is propagated generatively. Normally it is maintained in the form of tubers in the soil weed seedbank. In the samples where only NPK fertilizer was applied, the state of weed species was similar (17 species) but Datura stramonium L., Polygonum aviculare L., Portulaca oleraceae L. occured, too

Phonocardiography-based mitral valve prolapse detection using an artificial neural network

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is the most common valve anomaly and the most frequent cause of isolated mitral insuffi-ciency. MVP has a mostly benign course and prognosis in childhood; however, complications, such as severe mitral regurgitation, infectious endocarditis, pulmonary embolism, arrhythmia and sudden death, occur more often in elderly people, demonstrating the need for prompt diagnostics and prevention. Due to its frequent occurrence, failures in diagnosing MVP and the clinical importance of early MVP detection, the aim of this study was to develop an original, non-invasive and easily applicable diagnostic method for MVP detection in children and adolescents by using an artificial neural network (ANN). Cardiac sounds were recorded by auscultation using electronic stethoscope in 48 children with MVP, 49 healthy children and 38 children with a pathological heart murmur from atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), ductus arteriosus persistence (DAP), aortic stenosis (AS), pulmonic stenosis (PS), aortic coarctation (ACo), mitral regurgitation (MR), mitral insufficiency (MI) and tricuspid insufficiency (TI). In electronic stethoscopes, the sound is archived in the internal memory of the stethoscope and then transmitted to a computer by a transmitter. Basic software for the check-up and sound analysis is provided along with the electronic stethoscopes and provides a phonocardiograph and spectral presentation of auscultative findings. For further qualitative analysis, the digital form (format *. e4k) of the phonocardiogram is transformed into standard *.wav format, which is the first step in the processing of the digital signal for studying and testing with an ANN. The obtained precision of MVP classification category was 71.2%. These results may be interesting for the phonocardiograph diagnosis of MVP in children and adolescents