Generating, manipulating and measuring entanglement and mixture with a reconfigurable photonic circuit

Entanglement is the quintessential quantum mechanical phenomenon understood to lie at the heart of future quantum technologies and the subject of fundamental scientific investigations. Mixture, resulting from noise, is often an unwanted result of interaction with an environment, but is also of fundamental interest, and is proposed to play a role in some biological processes. Here we report an integrated waveguide device that can generate and completely characterize pure two-photon states with any amount of entanglement and arbitrary single-photon states with any amount of mixture. The device consists of a reconfigurable integrated quantum photonic circuit with eight voltage controlled phase shifters. We demonstrate that for thousands of randomly chosen configurations the device performs with high fidelity. We generate maximally and non-maximally entangled states, violate a Bell-type inequality with a continuum of partially entangled states, and demonstrate generation of arbitrary one-qubit mixed states.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Effect of venlafaxine on bone loss associated with ligature-induced periodontitis in Wistar rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The present study investigated the effects of venlafaxine, an antidepressant drug with immunoregulatory properties on the inflammatory response and bone loss associated with experimental periodontal disease (EPD).</p> <p>Materials and Methods</p> <p>Wistar rats were subjected to a ligature placement around the second upper left molar. The treated groups received orally venlafaxine (10 or 50 mg/kg) one hour before the experimental periodontal disease induction and daily for 10 days. Vehicle-treated experimental periodontal disease and a sham-operated (SO) controls were included. Bone loss was analyzed morphometrically and histopathological analysis was based on cell influx, alveolar bone, and cementum integrity. Lipid peroxidation quantification and immunohistochemistry to TNF-α and iNOS were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Experimental periodontal disease rats showed an intense bone loss compared to SO ones (SO = 1.61 ± 1.36; EPD = 4.47 ± 1.98 mm, p < 0.001) and evidenced increased cellular infiltration and immunoreactivity for TNF-α and iNOS. Venlafaxine treatment while at low dose (10 mg/kg) afforded no significant protection against bone loss (3.25 ± 1.26 mm), a high dose (50 mg/kg) caused significantly enhanced bone loss (6.81 ± 3.31 mm, p < 0.05). Venlafaxine effectively decreased the lipid peroxidation but showed no significant change in TNF-α or iNOS immunoreactivity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The increased bone loss associated with high dose venlafaxine may possibly be a result of synaptic inhibition of serotonin uptake.</p

Impact of supragingival therapy on subgingival microbial profile in smokers versus non-smokers with severe chronic periodontitis

The aim of this study was to assess subgingival microbiological changes in smokers versus non-smokers presenting severe chronic periodontitis after supragingival periodontal therapy (ST).Non-smokers (n=10) and smokers (n=10) presenting at least nine teeth with probing pocket depth (PPD) (&#x2265;5 mm), bleeding on probing (BoP), and no history of periodontal treatment in the last 6 months were selected. Clinical parameters assessed were plaque index (PI), BoP, PPD, relative gingival margin position (rGMP) and relative clinical attachment level (rCAL). Subgingival biofilm was collected before and 21 days after ST. DNA was extracted and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified with the universal primer pair, 27F and 1492R. Amplified genes were cloned, sequenced, and identified by comparison with known 16S rRNA sequences. Statistical analysis was performed by Student&#x0027;s t and Chi-Square tests (&#x03B1;=5%).Clinically, ST promoted a significant reduction in PI and PPD, and gain of rCAL for both groups, with no significant intergroup difference. Microbiologically, at baseline, data analysis demonstrated that smokers harbored a higher proportion of Porphyromonas endodontalis, Bacteroidetes sp., Fusobacterium sp. and Tannerella forsythia and a lower number of cultivated phylotypes (p&#60;0.05). Furthermore, non-smokers featured significant reductions in key phylotypes associated with periodontitis, whereas smokers presented more modest changes.Within the limits of the present study, ST promoted comparable clinical improvements in smokers and non-smokers with severe chronic periodontitis. However, in smokers, ST only slightly affected the subgingival biofilm biodiversity, as compared with non-smokers

Evaluation of an automated method for arterial input function detection for first-pass myocardial perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance

ABSTRACT: Background: Quantitative assessment of myocardial blood flow (MBF) with first-pass perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) requires a measurement of the arterial input function (AIF). This study presents an automated method to improve the objectivity and reduce processing time for measuring the AIF from first-pass perfusion CMR images. This automated method is used to compare the impact of different AIF measurements on MBF quantification.Methods: Gadolinium-enhanced perfusion CMR was performed on a 1.5 T scanner using a saturation recovery dual-sequence technique. Rest and stress perfusion series from 270 clinical studies were analyzed. Automated image processing steps included motion correction, intensity correction, detection of the left ventricle (LV), independent component analysis, and LV pixel thresholding to calculate the AIF signal. The results were compared with manual reference measurements using several quality metrics based on the contrast enhancement and timing characteristics of the AIF. The median and 95 % confidence interval (CI) of the median were reported. Finally, MBF was calculated and compared in a subset of 21 clinical studies using the automated and manual AIF measurements.Results: Two clinical studies were excluded from the comparison due to a congenital heart defect present in one and a contrast administration issue in the other. The proposed method successfully processed 99.63 % of the remaining image series. Manual and automatic AIF time-signal intensity curves were strongly correlated with median correlation coefficient of 0.999 (95 % CI [0.999, 0.999]). The automated method effectively selected bright LV pixels, excluded papillary muscles, and required less processing time than the manual approach. There was no significant difference in MBF estimates between manually and automatically measured AIFs (p = NS). However, different sizes of regions of interest selection in the LV cavity could change the AIF measurement and affect MBF calculation (p = NS to p = 0.03).Conclusion: The proposed automatic method produced AIFs similar to the reference manual method but required less processing time and was more objective. The automated algorithm may improve AIF measurement from the first-pass perfusion CMR images and make quantitative myocardial perfusion analysis more robust and readily available

Experimental Animal Models in Periodontology: A Review

In periodontal research, animal studies are complementary to in vitro experiments prior to testing new treatments. Animal models should make possible the validation of hypotheses and prove the safety and efficacy of new regenerating approaches using biomaterials, growth factors or stem cells. A review of the literature was carried out by using electronic databases (PubMed, ISI Web of Science). Numerous animal models in different species such as rats, hamsters, rabbits, ferrets, canines and primates have been used for modeling human periodontal diseases and treatments. However, both the anatomy and physiopathology of animals are different from those of humans, making difficult the evaluation of new therapies. Experimental models have been developed in order to reproduce major periodontal diseases (gingivitis, periodontitis), their pathogenesis and to investigate new surgical techniques. The aim of this review is to define the most pertinent animal models for periodontal research depending on the hypothesis and expected results

Evidence that metyrapone in the presence of inflammation modulates cytokine mRNA expression

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Objective: Metyrapone (MT) has been used clinically to decrease glucocorticoid levels in human and animal studies. However, the potential effects of MT in the presence of inflammation are poorly understood. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the administration of MT on the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the presence of inflammation induced by the well-established model of ligature-induced periodontitis in rats. Material and methods: Sixty animals were randomly assigned into three experimental groups of 20 rats each: G1-control; G2-periodontal disease (PD) induced by cotton ligature; G3-PD associated with 3 daily doses of MT (50 mg/kg/3 x 3 h). After 30 days, all animals were killed by decapitation. Blood samples were taken and the concentrations of corticosterone and catecholamines measured. Marginal tissues around ligated and non-ligated teeth were harvested and gene expression was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique (qPCR). Moreover, the area of interradicular bone loss (ABL) was histometrically determined. Results: Data analysis showed that: (i) ligature placement resulted in a significant ABL, as compared to non-ligated sites of G1 group; (ii) mRNA levels of all the pro-inflammatory factors assessed (INF-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and IL-6) were increased in the PD group (G2) (p < 0.05) when compared to G1; (iii) there were no significant differences in corticosterone and catecholamine plasmatic levels between the three groups; (iv) MT administration, in the presence of inflammation, induces an increased ABL and significantly increased mRNA levels of all pro-inflammatory cytokines analyzed (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, it can be concluded that MT in the presence of inflammation may modulate expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, regardless of its effect on plasma corticosterone levels. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.523184189Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [04/14361-6, 04/14363-9

Chronic stress may modulate periodontal disease: A study in rats

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate whether chronic stress (CS) affects ligature-induced periodontal disease and to investigate the impact of CS on the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, -1 receptor antagonist, -6, and -10, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin in the gingival tissues of rats. Methods: Sixty male Wistar rats were assigned randomly to three groups: G1 (control; non-ligated sites), G2 (periodontal disease), and G3 (periodontal disease associated with restraint stress for 12 hours/day for the entire study). After 30 days, all animals were sacrificed by decapitation. Blood samples were taken, and the concentrations of corticosterone and catecholamines were measured as biomarkers of CS. Marginal tissues around ligated and non-ligated teeth were harvested, and gene expression was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, the area of bone loss (ABL) was determined histometrically. Results: Data analysis showed that CS increased serum levels of stress biomarkers (P <0.05), ligature placement resulted in a significant ABL compared to non-ligated sites, CS significantly increased the amount of ABL in inflamed sites (P <0.001), and CS significantly increased mRNA levels of proinflammatory (ILAP and -6 and IFN-gamma) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines and proresorptive factor (RANKL) in ligated sites (P<0.05). Conclusion: CS significantly increased bone loss resulting from ligature-induced periodontitis by a local increase in proinflammatory and proresorptive factors.79469770