Serum, Saliva, and Gingival Crevicular Fluid Osteocalcin: Their Relation to Periodontal Status and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women

Background: Periodontitis and osteoporosis are characterized by the loss of bone mass. Osteocalcin levels have been postulated as a marker of inhibition of bone formation. The aim of the present study was to assess plasma, saliva, and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of osteocalcin and correlate them with periodontitis and osteoporosis. Methods: Seventy-three postmenopausal women, over 35 years old, were recruited for the study. Serum, saliva, and GCF osteocalcin were measured. Vertebral bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Differences between groups were assessed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square test, and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Thirty-four (46.6%) were classified in the normal healthy bone group, 11 women (15.1%) in the osteopenic group, and 28 women (38.4%) in the osteoporotic group. No statistically significant differences between these densitometric groups were observed in probing depth (P = 0.24); clinical attachment level (P = 0.11); or mean osteocalcin concentrations in serum, saliva, and GCF. Twenty-seven (37.0%) of the women were classified without periodontitis (NPG) and 63.0% (N = 46) with periodontal disease (PG). There were no statistical differences in serum and saliva osteocalcin concentrations between these two groups. GCF osteocalcin concentrations were significantly higher in the PG women than in the NPG group (P = 0.008). Mean probing depth correlated significantly with GCF osteocalcin concentrations (r = 0.35; P = 0.002). Conclusion: The results further support the concept that osteocalcin levels in GCF correlates with periodontal but not with osteoporosis status

AMPK Phosphorylation Modulates Pain by Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome

Impairment in adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity and NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation are associated with several metabolic and inflammatory diseases. In this study, we investigated the role of AMPK/NLRP3 inflammasome axis in the molecular mechanism underlying pain perception. Results: Impairment in AMPK activation induced by compound C or sunitinib, two AMPK inhibitors, provoked hyperalgesia in mice ( p < 0.001) associated with marked NLRP3 inflammasome protein activation and increased serum levels of interleukin-1b (IL-1b) (24.56 – 0.82 pg/ml) and IL-18 (23.83 – 1.882 pg/ml) compared with vehicle groups (IL-1b: 8.15 – 0.44; IL-18:4.92 – 0.4). This effect was rescued by increasing AMPK phosphorylation via metformin treatment ( p < 0.001), caloric restriction diet ( p < 0.001), or NLRP3 inflammasome genetic inactivation using NLRP3 knockout (nlrp3-/ - ) mice ( p < 0.001). Deficient AMPK activation and overactivation of NLRP3 inflammasome axis were also observed in blood cells from patients with fibromyalgia (FM), a prevalent human chronic pain disease. In addition, metformin treatment (200 mg/daily), which increased AMPK activation, restored all biochemical alterations examined by us in blood cells and significantly improved clinical symptoms, such as, pain, fatigue, depression, disturbed sleep, and tender points, in patients with FM. Innovation and Conclusions: These data suggest that AMPK/NLRP3 inflammasome axis participates in chronic pain and that NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition by AMPK modulation may be a novel therapeutic target to fight against chronic pain and inflammatory diseases as FM. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 24, 157–170.Junta de Andalucía CTS11

Manufacturing processes in the textile industry. Expert Systems for fabrics production

 The textile industry is characterized by the economic activity whose objective is the production of fibres, yarns, fabrics, clothing and textile goods for home and decoration, as well as technical and industrial purposes. Within manufacturing, the Textile is one of the oldest and most complex sectors which includes a large number of sub-sectors covering the entire production cycle, from raw materials and intermediate products, to the production of final products. Textile industry activities present different subdivisions,each with its own traits. The length of the textile process and the variety of its technicalprocesses lead to the coexistence of different sub-sectors in regards to their business structure and integration. The textile industry is developing expert systems applicationsto increase production, improve quality and reduce costs. The analysis of textile designs or structures includes the use of mathematical models to simulate the behavior of the textile structures (yarns, fabrics and knitting). The Finite Element Method (FEM) has largely facilitated the prediction of the behavior of that textile structure under mechanical loads. For classification problems Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have proved to be a very effective tool as a quick and accurate solution. The Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) method proposed in this study complements the results of the finite element simulation, mathematical modeling and neural networks methods

Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy activation in blood mononuclear cells of fibromyalgia patients: implications in the pathogenesis of the disease

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.[Introduction]: Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome with unknown etiology. Recent studies have shown some evidence demonstrating that oxidative stress may have a role in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia. However, it is still not clear whether oxidative stress is the cause or the effect of the abnormalities documented in fibromyalgia. Furthermore, the role of mitochondria in the redox imbalance reported in fibromyalgia also is controversial. We undertook this study to investigate the role of mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and mitophagy in fibromyalgia. [Methods]: We studied 20 patients (2 male, 18 female patients) from the database of the Sevillian Fibromyalgia Association and 10 healthy controls. We evaluated mitochondrial function in blood mononuclear cells from fibromyalgia patients measuring, coenzyme Q10 levels with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mitochondrial membrane potential with flow cytometry. Oxidative stress was determined by measuring mitochondrial superoxide production with MitoSOX™ and lipid peroxidation in blood mononuclear cells and plasma from fibromyalgia patients. Autophagy activation was evaluated by quantifying the fluorescence intensity of LysoTracker™ Red staining of blood mononuclear cells. Mitophagy was confirmed by measuring citrate synthase activity and electron microscopy examination of blood mononuclear cells. [Results]: We found reduced levels of coenzyme Q10, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, increased levels of mitochondrial superoxide in blood mononuclear cells, and increased levels of lipid peroxidation in both blood mononuclear cells and plasma from fibromyalgia patients. Mitochondrial dysfunction was also associated with increased expression of autophagic genes and the elimination of dysfunctional mitochondria with mitophagy. [Conclusions]: These findings may support the role of oxidative stress and mitophagy in the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia.This work was supported by grants FIS PI080500 and FIS EC08/00076, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain. The authors dedicate this manuscript to FM patients and AFIBROSE (Asociación de Fibromialgia de Sevilla) for their unconditional help.Peer Reviewe

Manufacturing processes in the textile industry. Expert Systems for fabrics production

The textile industry is characterized by the economic activity whose objective is the production of fibres, yarns, fabrics, clothing and textile goods for home and decoration,as well as technical and industrial purposes. Within manufacturing, the Textile is one of the oldest and most complex sectors which includes a large number of sub-sectors covering the entire production cycle, from raw materials and intermediate products, to the production of final products. Textile industry activities present different subdivisions, each with its own traits. The length of the textile process and the variety of its technical processes lead to the coexistence of different sub-sectors in regards to their business structure and integration. The textile industry is developing expert systems applications to increase production, improve quality and reduce costs. The analysis of textile designs or structures includes the use of mathematical models to simulate the behavior of the textile structures (yarns, fabrics and knitting). The Finite Element Method (FEM) has largely facilitated the prediction of the behavior of that textile structure under mechanical loads. For classification problems Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) haveproved to be a very effective tool as a quick and accurate solution. The Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) method proposed in this study complements the results of the finite element simulation, mathematical modeling and neural networks methods

Prevalencia de caries en la población escolar del suroeste de Badajoz

Objetivo. Determinar la prevalencia de caries y los índices CAO-D, co-d, CAO-S, co-s y CAO-M en la población escolar de 4 a 14 años de edad del suroeste de Badajoz. Diseño. Estudio epidemiológico descriptivo transversal. Población y métodos. Doscientos veinte y cinco niños de seis localidades rurales del suroeste de la provincia de Badajoz, seleccionados mediante muestreo aleatorio estratificado por aulas en los 9 colegios existentes. La distribución por edades fue la siguiente: 48 de 4 años (21,3%), 57 de 7 años (25,3%), 63 de 11 años (28%) y 57 de 14 años (25,3%). El 52% eran niños y el 48% niñas. Se realizó una exploración bucodental siguiendo los criterios establecidos por la OMS en su encuesta de salud bucodental. El examinador fue previamente calibrado, encontrándose una buena concordancia interexaminador (coeficiente k > 90%). Se determinaron la prevalencia de caries y los índices CAO-D, co-d, CAO-S, co-s y CAO-M. Resultados. La prevalencia de caries para el total de la muestra fue del 80,4 ± 5,7%, siendo del 75,3 ± 4,8% y del 52,7 ±4,2% en las denticiones definitiva y temporal, respectivamente. Los índices medios encontrados para el total de la muestra fueron los siguientes: CAO-D = 3,0 co-d = 1,9, CAO-S = 5,5, co-s = 3,8, CAO-M = 2,3. El 26,6% de los niños explorados tenían los primeros molares libres de caries. Conclusiones. La prevalencia de caries entre la población infantil escolarizada del suroeste de la provincia de Badajoz es moderada y superior a la de otras zonas de España, debiéndose establecer programas preventivos para disminuirla.Objective. To determine the prevalence of dental caries and the indices DMF-T, df-t, DMF-S, df-s, and DMF-M among the school children 4-14 year-old of the southwest of Badajoz. Design. Cross-sectional and descriptive epidemiological study. Population and methods. 225 school-children selected randomly among the students of 9 schools in 6 rural villages in the sudwest of the province of Badajoz. The ages were as follows: 48 children were 4-year-old (21.3%), 57 were 7-year-old (25.3%), 63 were 11-year-old (28%) and 57 were 14-year-old (25.3%). 52% were boys and 48% girls. We carried out a dental examination following the criteria of WHO. The prevalence of dental caries and the caries indices DMF-T, df-t, DMF-S, df-s and DMF-M were determined. Results. Caries prevalence in the total sample was 80.4 ± 5.7%, being 75.3 ± 4.8% and 52.7 ± 4.2% in the primary and permanent dentitions, respectively. Caries indices found in the total sample were as follows: DMF-T = 3.0, df-t = 1.9, DMF-S = 5.5, df-s = 3.8, DMF-M = 2.3. The first permanent molars of 26.6% of the school-children were caries-free. Conclusions. Caries prevalence among the school-children of the sudwest of the province of Badajoz is moderate, but is higher than the prevalence found in other regions of Spain. Preventive programs must be carried out to decrease the caries prevalence in this region

Efecto de la motivación sobre la higiene oral: valoración mediante el índice de placa de Quigley-Hein modificado por Turesky

Objetivo. Estudiar el efecto de una intensa motivación sobre la higiene oral de los pacientes. Pacientes. Cuarenta y seis alumnos del primer curso del ciclo superior “Higiene Bucodental” del IES Santa Aurelia de Sevilla, 10 hombres (21,73%) y 36 mujeres (78,26%), con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y 30 años.Material y métodos. Se ha utilizado como índice de higiene oral el índice de placa de Quigley-Hein modificado por Turesky (IPQHT). La motivación se mantuvo de forma muy intensa (al menos 3 horas diarias) a lo largo de todo el estudio. Los alumnos estuvieron 48 horas sin cepillarse antes del primer registro y, tras éste, utilizaron su técnica habitual de cepillado durante todo el estudio. Resultados. El IPQHT medio basal fue de 3,11 +- 0,54. A las 48 horas del inicio de la motivación el QHT se había reducido hasta 1,50 +- 0,50 (p <0,05 vs basal), a los siete días había caído hasta 1,31 +- 0,49 (p <0,05 vs basal) y a los 21 días el QHT medio era de 1,40 +- 0,54 (p <0,05 vs basal). Conclusiones. Una buena motivación, incluso sin la introducción de nuevas técnicas de cepillado dental, puede reducir de forma muy significativa los niveles de placa, estimulando las prácticas habituales de higiene oral en los pacientes.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an intense motivation on the oral hygiene of 46 dental hygienist students. To assess oral hygiene the Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein plaque index was used. After 48 h without any oral hygiene procedure, baseline scores of the plaque index of the patients were registered. Then, strongly motivation was maintained during three hours/day and the patients used their normal toothbrushing practices. The plaque index was determined after 2, 7 and 21 days. The mean baseline score of plaque index was 3,11 +- 0.54. After 2 days the mean plaque index decreased to 1.50 +- 0,50 (p< 0.05 vs basal), after 7 days still reduced to 1.31 +- 0.49 (p< 0,05 vs basal), and after 21 days the mean plaque index was 1.40 +- 0.54 (p<0.05 vs basal). We conclude that intense and maintained motivation can reduce significantly plaque index without introducing any new toothbrushing technique