Biological effects of soft denture reline materials on L929 cells in vitro.

Soft denture reline materials have been developed to help patients when their oral mucosa is damaged or affected due to ill-fitting dentures or post-implant surgery. Although reports have indicated that these materials leach monomers and other components that do affect their biocompatibility, there is little information on what cell molecules may be implicated in these material/tissue interactions. The biocompatibility of six soft liners (Ufi Gel P, Sofreliner S, Durabase Soft, Trusoft, Softone and Coe Comfort) was evaluated using a mouse fibroblast cell line, L929. Within 2 h of material disc preparation, each of the materials was exposed by direct contact to L929 cells for periods of 24 and 48 h. The effect of this interaction was assessed by alamarBlue assay (for cell survival). The expression of integrin α5β1 and transforming growth factor β1 was also assessed using plate assays such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Trusoft, Softone and Coe Comfort showed significantly reduced cell survival compared with the other soft lining materials at each incubation period. Furthermore, there were significant differences with these same materials in the expression of both integrin α5β1 and transforming growth factor β1. Soft liner materials may affect cell viability and cellular proteins that have important roles in wound healing and the preservation of cell viability and function in the presence of environmental challenges and stresses

Informe de la Trigésima Novena Reunión Ordinaria del Comité Ejecutivo : San José, Costa Rica

The Thirty-ninth Regular Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) was held in accordance with the provisions contained in the Rules of Procedure of the Executive Committee. The 2019 Executive Committee comprised the following Member States: Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Uruguay and Venezuela.La Trente-neuvième réunion ordinaire du Comité exécutif de l’Institut interaméricain de coopération pour l’agriculture (IICA) se déroule conformément au Règlement de ce comité. Les États membres qui font partie du Comité exécutif 2019 sont les suivants: Bahamas, Brésil, Canada, Chili, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Pérou, Saint-Christophe-et-Niévès, Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines, Uruguay et Venezuela.A Trigésima Nona Reunião Ordinária do Comitê Executivo do Instituto Interamericano de Cooperação para a Agricultura (IICA) realizou-se em conformidade com o disposto no Regulamento deste Comitê. Os Estados membros que integram o Comitê Executivo de 2019 são Bahamas, Brasil, Canadá, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panamá, Peru, Saint Kitts e Nevis, São Vicente e Granadinas, Uruguai e Venezuela

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists eplerenone and spironolactone modify adrenal cortex morphology and physiology

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) are a class of anti-hypertensive drugs that act by blocking aldosterone action. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the MRAs spironolactone and eplerenone influence adrenal cortical physiology and morphology. Spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR, n = 18) and normotensive rats (WKY, n = 18) were randomly exposed to a daily dose of spironolactone (n = 6), eplerenone (n = 6), or no drug (n = 6) over 28 days. After that, aldosterone, corticosterone, and 11-deoxycorticosterone plasma concentrations were quantified. Adrenal glands were subjected to morphological analysis to assess lipid droplets content, capsular width, cell proliferation, and steroidogenic proteins expression. The adrenal cortex in untreated SHR showed higher lipid droplet content as than in WKY. In SHR, MRA treatment was associated with higher circulating aldosterone levels and Ki-67 expression in aldosterone-secreting cells. In WKY, the only difference observed after MRA spironolactone treatment was a narrower capsule. There was no difference in abundance of steroidogenic enzyme between groups. In conclusion, MRAs modify adrenal gland function and morphology in SHR. The effects observed within the adrenal glomerulosa with aldosterone-secreting cell proliferation and higher circulating aldosterone levels suggests that MRA treatment provokes activation of the renin angiotensin system. The prognostic value of hyperaldosteronism secondary to MRAs blockade requires further investigation.Funding: This research was funded by the Associação dos Amigos do Serviço de Endocrinologia do Hospital de São João (2020–2021). Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine (UMIB) is funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)-Portugal (UIDB/00215/2020 and UIDP/00215/2020—approval date: 2019)

Automatic Path Planning for Unmanned Ground Vehicle Using UAV Imagery

Field machines play an important role in the management of agricultural environments. Increasing use of automated machines in precision agriculture has gained significant attention of farmers and industries to minimize human work load to perform tasks such as land preparation, seeding, fertilizing, plant health monitoring and harvesting. Path planning is considered as a fundamental step for agricultural machines equipped with autonomous navigation system. For mountain vineyards, path planning is a big challenge due to terrain morphology and unstructured vineyards. This paper proposes a workflow to generate an automatic coverage path plan for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) using georeferenced imagery taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). First, image acquisition is performed over a vineyard to generate an orthomosaic and a digital surface model, which are then used to identify the vine rows and inter-row terrain. This information is then used by the algorithm to generate a path plan for UGV

Neural development features: Spatio-temporal development of the Caenorhabditis elegans neuronal network

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with information on neural connectivity, three-dimensional position and cell linage provides a unique system for understanding the development of neural networks. Although C. elegans has been widely studied in the past, we present the first statistical study from a developmental perspective, with findings that raise interesting suggestions on the establishment of long-distance connections and network hubs. Here, we analyze the neuro-development for temporal and spatial features, using birth times of neurons and their three-dimensional positions. Comparisons of growth in C. elegans with random spatial network growth highlight two findings relevant to neural network development. First, most neurons which are linked by long-distance connections are born around the same time and early on, suggesting the possibility of early contact or interaction between connected neurons during development. Second, early-born neurons are more highly connected (tendency to form hubs) than later born neurons. This indicates that the longer time frame available to them might underlie high connectivity. Both outcomes are not observed for random connection formation. The study finds that around one-third of electrically coupled long-range connections are late forming, raising the question of what mechanisms are involved in ensuring their accuracy, particularly in light of the extremely invariant connectivity observed in C. elegans. In conclusion, the sequence of neural network development highlights the possibility of early contact or interaction in securing long-distance and high-degree connectivity

The hidden burden of adult allergic rhinitis : UK healthcare resource utilisation survey

Funding Funding for this survey was provided by Meda Pharma.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Information inequalities and Generalized Graph Entropies

In this article, we discuss the problem of establishing relations between information measures assessed for network structures. Two types of entropy based measures namely, the Shannon entropy and its generalization, the R\'{e}nyi entropy have been considered for this study. Our main results involve establishing formal relationship, in the form of implicit inequalities, between these two kinds of measures when defined for graphs. Further, we also state and prove inequalities connecting the classical partition-based graph entropies and the functional-based entropy measures. In addition, several explicit inequalities are derived for special classes of graphs.Comment: A preliminary version. To be submitted to a journa

Perfil epidemiológico de parasitoses intestinais na microrregião de Itajaí/SC: Epidemiological profile of intestinal parasitosis in the microregion of Itajaí/SC

Introdução: As infecções parasitarias intestinais não são de caráter de notificação compulsória no Brasil o que resulta na falta do conhecimento epidemiológico, subdiagnóstico e dificulta a tomada de medidas terapêuticas efetivas. Objetivo: Determinar o perfil epidemiológico das enteroparasitoses da microrregião de Itajaí/SC, levando em consideração gênero e idade mais acometidos.  Materiais e Métodos: Trata-se de uma pesquisa do tipo descritiva analítica transversal não intervencionista a partir de análise dos dados de pacientes atendidos pelos laboratórios da microrregião de Itajaí no período de janeiro de 2015 à dezembro de 2017. Resultados: De 3016 laudos, 591 foram positivos para enteroparasitas e os agentes etiológicos mais prevalentes foram os protozoários: Giardia lamblia, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli e os helmintos: Ascaris lumbricoides seguido de Enterobius vermiculares. Discussão e Conclusão: Itajaí por ser um polo turístico que recebe um fluxo grande de pessoas é importante o engajamento de todos, como os órgãos governamentais, educadores, profissionais da saúde, pais ou responsáveis, bem como a comunidade em geral, buscando a melhoria das condições de saúde para a população. Como perspectiva, espera-se a continuação de estudos epidemiológicos que estimem a prevalência de parasitoses, buscando avaliar um maior número de pessoas e desenvolver ações de prevenção junto à comunidade

FRA2A is a CGG repeat expansion associated with silencing of AFF3

Folate-sensitive fragile sites (FSFS) are a rare cytogenetically visible subset of dynamic mutations. Of the eight molecularly characterized FSFS, four are associated with intellectual disability (ID). Cytogenetic expression results from CGG tri-nucleotide-repeat expansion mutation associated with local CpG hypermethylation and transcriptional silencing. The best studied is the FRAXA site in the FMR1 gene, where large expansions cause fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited ID syndrome. Here we studied three families with FRA2A expression at 2q11 associated with a wide spectrum of neurodevelopmental phenotypes. We identified a polymorphic CGG repeat in a conserved, brain-active alternative promoter of the AFF3 gene, an autosomal homolog of the X-linked AFF2/FMR2 gene: Expansion of the AFF2 CGG repeat causes FRAXE ID. We found that FRA2A-expressing individuals have mosaic expansions of the AFF3 CGG repeat in the range of several hundred repeat units. Moreover, bisulfite sequencing and pyrosequencing both suggest AFF3 promoter hypermethylation. cSNP-analysis demonstrates monoallelic expression of the AFF3 gene in FRA2A carriers thus predicting that FRA2A expression results in functional haploinsufficiency for AFF3 at least in a subset of tissues. By whole-mount in situ hybridization the mouse AFF3 ortholog shows strong regional expression in the developing brain, somites and limb buds in 9.5-12.5dpc mouse embryos. Our data suggest that there may be an association between FRA2A and a delay in the acquisition of motor and language skills in the families studied here. However, additional cases are required to firmly establish a causal relationship

Protocol for a multicentre, parallel-arm, 12-month, randomised, controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery versus conservative care for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FASHIoN)

Introduction Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome is a recognised cause of young adult hip pain. There has been a large increase in the number of patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery for FAI; however, a recent Cochrane review highlighted that there are no randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating treatment effectiveness. We aim to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of arthroscopic surgery versus best conservative care for patients with FAI syndrome. Methods We will conduct a multicentre, pragmatic, assessor-blinded, two parallel arm, RCT comparing arthroscopic surgery to physiotherapy-led best conservative care. 24 hospitals treating NHS patients will recruit 344 patients over a 26-month recruitment period. Symptomatic adults with radiographic signs of FAI morphology who are considered suitable for arthroscopic surgery by their surgeon will be eligible. Patients will be excluded if they have radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis, previous significant hip pathology or previous shape changing surgery. Participants will be allocated in a ratio of 1:1 to receive arthroscopic surgery or conservative care. Recruitment will be monitored and supported by qualitative intervention to optimise informed consent and recruitment. The primary outcome will be pain and function assessed by the international hip outcome tool 33 (iHOT-33) measured 1-year following randomisation. Secondary outcomes include general health (short form 12), quality of life (EQ5D-5L) and patient satisfaction. The primary analysis will compare change in pain and function (iHOT-33) at 12 months between the treatment groups, on an intention-to-treat basis, presented as the mean difference between the trial groups with 95% CIs. The study is funded by the Health Technology Assessment Programme (13/103/02). Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is granted by the Edgbaston Research Ethics committee (14/WM/0124). The results will be disseminated through open access peer-reviewed publications, including Health Technology Assessment, and presented at relevant conferences. Trial registration number ISRCTN64081839; Pre-results