Head Orientation in CBCT-generated Cephalograms

To determine the reliability of obtaining two-dimensional cephalometric measurements using two virtual head orientations from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) models

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Amyloid and tau pathology associations with personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle in the preclinical phases of sporadic and autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease

Background Major prevention trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are now focusing on multidomain lifestyle interventions. However, the exact combination of behavioral factors related to AD pathology remains unclear. In 2 cohorts of cognitively unimpaired individuals at risk of AD, we examined which combinations of personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle (years of education or lifetime cognitive activity) related to the pathological hallmarks of AD, amyloid-β, and tau deposits. Methods A total of 115 older adults with a parental or multiple-sibling family history of sporadic AD (PREVENT-AD [PRe-symptomatic EValuation of Experimental or Novel Treatments for AD] cohort) underwent amyloid and tau positron emission tomography and answered several questionnaires related to behavioral attributes. Separately, we studied 117 mutation carriers from the DIAN (Dominant Inherited Alzheimer Network) study group cohort with amyloid positron emission tomography and behavioral data. Using partial least squares analysis, we identified latent variables relating amyloid or tau pathology with combinations of personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle. Results In PREVENT-AD, lower neuroticism, neuropsychiatric burden, and higher education were associated with less amyloid deposition (p = .014). Lower neuroticism and neuropsychiatric features, along with higher measures of openness and extraversion, were related to less tau deposition (p = .006). In DIAN, lower neuropsychiatric burden and higher education were also associated with less amyloid (p = .005). The combination of these factors accounted for up to 14% of AD pathology. Conclusions In the preclinical phase of both sporadic and autosomal dominant AD, multiple behavioral features were associated with AD pathology. These results may suggest potential pathways by which multidomain interventions might help delay AD onset or progression

Flutuação das variáveis séricas em cabras e estudo comparativo da absorção de anticorpos em cabritos recém-nascidos utilizando colostro bovino e caprino Fluctuation of serum variables in goats and comparative study of antibody absorption in new-born kids using cattle and goat colostrum

Objetivou-se determinar a flutuação no nível de anticorpos séricos em cabras nos períodos pré e pós-parto e a eficiência do processo de aquisição de imunidade passiva em cabritos recém-nascidos utilizando colostros bovino e caprino, visando à avaliação de uma alternativa de manejo de colostro. Foram utilizadas 18 cabras e suas respectivas crias, num total de 33 animais. A coleta de sangue das cabras foi iniciada 45 dias antes da data prevista para o parto e foi realizada em intervalos de cinco dias até o 5º dia após o parto. Os cabritos foram distribuídos em dois grupos: um grupo recebeu colostro caprino e o outro colostro bovino. As coletas de sangue foram feitas às 0, 12, 24 e 48 horas e aos 5, 10, 15, 17, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50 e 60 dias de vida. Foram analisadas as concentrações séricas de proteína total e imunoglobulinas, além da concentração de imunoglobinas no colostro. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado e as variáveis séricas analisadas como medidas repetidas. A ausência de queda na concentração sérica de proteínas totais e imunoglobinas no período pré-parto indica que a mobilização de anticorpos para glândula mamária ocorre em concentrações que permitem o animal manter essas variáveis sem grandes alterações. No grupo que recebeu colostro bovino, a data de concentração máxima de proteínas totais (7,16 ± 0,28 g/dL) foi verificada às 48,68 ± 0,70 horas de vida e a de imunoglobinas, às 48,75 ± 0,73 horas, com média de 37,56 ± 2,38 unidades ZST (turvação por sulfato de zinco). No grupo que recebeu colostro caprino, os valores máximos de proteínas totais e imunoglobinas séricas ocorreram mais tardiamente, aos 20,05 ± 1,36 e 20,11 ± 1,72 dias de vida, com médias de 5,91 ± 0,22 g/dL e 28,17 ± 2,05 unidades ZST, respectivamente. O colostro caprino pode ser substituído pelo colostro bovino, que promove melhor aquisição inicial de imunoglobulinas aos neonatos.<br>The objective of this study was to determine the fluctuation of serum antibodies in goats in the period before and immediately after kidding and the passive immunity acquisition efficiency in kids fed bovine and goat colostrum, to assess an alternative for colostrum management. Eighteen goats and their offspring were used in a total of 33 animals. Goat blood samples started to be collected 45 days before the predicated kidding date, at five-day intervals until the 5th day post kidding. The kids were distributed in two groups: one group received goat colostrum and the other cattle colostrums. Blood collections were made 0, 12, 24 and 48 hours, and at 5, 10, 15, 17, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60 days of age. The serum concentration of total protein (TP) and immunoglobulins (Ig), and the colostrum IgG concentration were analyzed. A randomized complete design was used and the serum variables were analyzed as repeated measurements. The absence of fall in TP and Ig serum concentration in the pre partum period, indicated that the mobilization of serum antibodies to mammary gland occurred in concentrations that allow the animals to keep these variables without great alterations. In the group that received cattle colostrum, the highest concentration data for TP was observed at 48.68 ± 0.79 hours after birth, with mean of 7.16 ± 0.28 g/dL, and the highest concentration date for Ig at 48 ± 0.73, with mean of 37.56 ± 2.38 ZST units (zinc sulfate turbidity). In the group that received goat colostrum, the maximum values for serum TP and Ig occurred later, at 20.05 ± 1.36 and 20.11 ± 1.72 days after birth, with means of 5.91 ± 0.22 g/dL and 28.17 ± 2.05 ZST units (zinc sulphate turbidity), respectively. Goat colostrum can be substituted by cattle colostrums, that promotes better initial immunoglobulin acquisition by the neonates