Comparison within a dental disease (caries) in two historical populations in the Roman southern Spain: Cortijo Nuevo and Cortijo Coracho (3-8th centuries AD)

Two populations excavated in the region of Lucena (Córdoba, Spain) are presented here, in which the presence and frequency of caries has been analyzed in two samples of individuals older than 20 years: a population of Late Roman period, Cortijo Nuevo (3-4th centuries AD), with 9 individuals and 112 dental crowns analyzed; and the Late Antiquity population of Cortijo Coracho (4-8 centuries AD), with 160 individuals and 1681 dental crowns analyzed. It has been possible to determine that there is a tendency towards the appearance of the caries in the posterior teeth of the same ones, mainly in the molars. The analysis performed with the Chi square statistic, in the Cortijo Coracho sample, showed that its presence in the posterior teeth, especially in the molars, is significant. On the other hand, after analyzing various parameters (the frequency of teeth with caries and the Individuals Frequency with caries or IFC), it was possible to determine that the economy of the population of Cortijo Nuevo was based on a mixed diet with non-cariogenic products, where there were abundant non-cereal vegetables and animal proteins from hunting and/or livestock. Similarly, the population of Cortijo Coracho would present an economy based on a cariogenic diet with fermentable, non-protein products, mostly from cereals. These types of diets correspond to the type and frequency of oral lesions caused by caries observed in the samples of teeth analyzed

Comparison within a dental disease (caries) in two historical populations in the Roman southern Spain: Cortijo Nuevo and Cortijo Coracho (3-8th centuries AD)

Two populations excavated in the region of Lucena (Córdoba, Spain) are presented here, in which the presence and frequency of caries has been analyzed in two samples of individuals older than 20 years: a population of Late Roman period, Cortijo Nuevo (3-4th centuries AD), with 9 individuals and 112 dental crowns analyzed; and the Late Antiquity population of Cortijo Coracho (4-8 centuries AD), with 160 individuals and 1681 dental crowns analyzed. It has been possible to determine that there is a tendency towards the appearance of the caries in the posterior teeth of the same ones, mainly in the molars. The analysis performed with the Chi square statistic, in the Cortijo Coracho sample, showed that its presence in the posterior teeth, especially in the molars, is significant. On the other hand, after analyzing various parameters (the frequency of teeth with caries and the Individuals Frequency with caries or IFC), it was possible to determine that the economy of the population of Cortijo Nuevo was based on a mixed diet with non-cariogenic products, where there were abundant non-cereal vegetables and animal proteins from hunting and/or livestock. Similarly, the population of Cortijo Coracho would present an economy based on a cariogenic diet with fermentable, non-protein products, mostly from cereals. These types of diets correspond to the type and frequency of oral lesions caused by caries observed in the samples of teeth analyzed

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Effects of Once-Weekly Exenatide on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular effects of adding once-weekly treatment with exenatide to usual care in patients with type 2 diabetes are unknown. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with type 2 diabetes, with or without previous cardiovascular disease, to receive subcutaneous injections of extended-release exenatide at a dose of 2 mg or matching placebo once weekly. The primary composite outcome was the first occurrence of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. The coprimary hypotheses were that exenatide, administered once weekly, would be noninferior to placebo with respect to safety and superior to placebo with respect to efficacy. RESULTS: In all, 14,752 patients (of whom 10,782 [73.1%] had previous cardiovascular disease) were followed for a median of 3.2 years (interquartile range, 2.2 to 4.4). A primary composite outcome event occurred in 839 of 7356 patients (11.4%; 3.7 events per 100 person-years) in the exenatide group and in 905 of 7396 patients (12.2%; 4.0 events per 100 person-years) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83 to 1.00), with the intention-to-treat analysis indicating that exenatide, administered once weekly, was noninferior to placebo with respect to safety (P<0.001 for noninferiority) but was not superior to placebo with respect to efficacy (P=0.06 for superiority). The rates of death from cardiovascular causes, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal or nonfatal stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, and hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome, and the incidence of acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, medullary thyroid carcinoma, and serious adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with type 2 diabetes with or without previous cardiovascular disease, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events did not differ significantly between patients who received exenatide and those who received placebo. (Funded by Amylin Pharmaceuticals; EXSCEL ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01144338 .)

Contribution des paramètres magnétiques à l'identification des niveaux stratigraphiques et de la pédogenèse (Grotte del Angel, Espagne)

The Angel cave, dated between the middle to the base of the Upper Pleistocene, contains importantlithic and faunal material, and is of exceptional interest in the Iberian Peninsula. Because of its importance,and in the framework of an European research project (N°IDPH/ER/05), a multidisciplinary study includingpalaeomagnetism, was undertaken on the sedimentary deposit and the archaeological material. The studyof the magnetic properties of the cave sediments reveals the presence of two magnetostratigraphic units.The lower stratigraphic unit is characterized by an important concentration of magnetic grains with a con-siderable percentage of superparamagnetic grains (SP). The magnetic minerals are of secondary origin,fine grained, magnetically soft and dominated by magnetite and maghemite. The latter have undergone animportant post-depositional geochemical evolution (marked pedogenesis). On the contrary, the upper unitis characterized by weaker magnetic parameters and the magnetic minerals are harder, of detrital origin,dominated by hematite.La grotte d'Angel, datée du Pléistocène moyen et de la base du Pléistocène supérieur, a livré un important matériel lithique et faunistique, et présente un intérêt exceptionnel dans la Péninsule Ibérique. Vu son importance, et dans le cadre d'un programme de recherche européen (N°IDPH/ER/05), une étude pluridisciplinaire a été réalisée sur le remplissage sédimentologique et les vestiges archéologiques. Nous présentons dans cet article les résultats de l'étude des propriétés magnétiques du remplissage de la grot- te. Cette approche a révélé la présence de deux unités magnétostratigraphiques. L'unité stratigraphique inférieure se caractérise par une forte concentration en grains magnétiques, parmi lesquels un fort pour- centage en grains superparamagnétiques (SP). Les minéraux magnétiques sont d'origine secondaire, de petite taille, de nature douce et dominés par la magnétite et la maghémite. Ces derniers ont subi une évo- lution géochimique post-dépositionnelle importante (forte pédogenèse). Au contraire, dans l'unité supérieure, les valeurs des différents paramètres magnétiques sont faibles et les minéraux magnétiques sont d'origine détritique et se caractérisent par une force coercitive élevée, conforme à la présence d'hématite