Upper airway changes after rapid maxillary expansion: three-dimensional analyses

The objective of this study was to evaluate volumetric changes in the upper airway using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) in orthodontic patients with maxillary transversal hypoplasia undergoing maxillary disjunction. The influence of factors such as sex, age, and growth pattern on airway volumetric changes was also assessed. The sample consisted of 50 growing patients from the dental clinic of Cardenal Herrera CEU University of Valencia. Airway volume was measured in mm3 before treatment (T0) and after palatal disjunction (T1). The final sample included 37 subjects in the treatment group and 13 in the control group. The volume gained exclusively from the disjunction treatment was determined to differentiate it from natural growth. The control group showed a mean volume increase from 10,911.3 ± 1,249.6 mm3 to 13,168.9 ± 1,789.7 mm3, representing a mean increase of 2,257.6 mm3 or + 20.9%. The treatment group exhibited an increase from 14,126.3 ± 4,399.8 mm3 at T0 to 18,064.1 ± 4,565.9 mm3 at T1, corresponding to a gain of 3,937.8 mm3 or + 31.8%. Significant differences in airway volume were observed after palatal disjunction compared to the control group. The expansion of the maxilla led to a significant increase in airway volume in the treated patients, estimated at 5,183 mm3 (+ 41.5%).Odontologí

Bibliometric analysis in paediatric dental journals listed in journal citation reports. Current trends

Aim The aim of this study was to analyse articles published in paediatric dental journals included in Journal Citation Reports (JCR), to determine current trends in paediatric publishing. Methods Articles included in paediatric dentistry journals in 2020 JCR were selected, published during the period 2008– 2020. After applying inclusion criteria, author-based parameters (article title, first author’s name, institution, sex and number of authors, number of affiliations, first/last author’s origin and geographic origin), and article-based parameters (article type, main topic, research design) were registered for each article. Results A total of 3,027 articles were analysed. The percentage of female authors showed an increasing positive tendency over the decade and the top producing country was the USA (16.5%). Dental surgery was the most recurrent topic (23.4%). Regarding the origin of the first author’s affiliation, 51% proceeded from the paediatric dentistry departments belonging to public institutions, with a decreasing trend in non-academic/ private affiliations. Positive and negative correlations exist between citation count and other variables. Conclusions International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry were the four main journals in terms of production volume, USA being the most productive country. The most recurrent topic was dental surgery, and the most common design was observational studies. Study design, geographic origin of the articles, article type and main subject of the article might predict citation.Odontologí

Flipped Classroon en prácticas de ciencias de la salud

[ES] La introducción de nuevas metodologías pedagógicas en el ámbito de ciencias de la salud es una herramienta necesaria para los alumnos en formación. Flipped Classroom o aula invertida (FC) es una herramienta que proporciona una mayor autonomía para el alumno, así como una mayor asimilación de conocimientos. El objetivo principal del estudio fue la adquisición de competencias básicas de aplicación de conocimientos, comunicación e interpretación de datos relevantes para emitir juicios en estudiantes de ciencias de la salud. Los participantes en el estudio fueron n=1103 estudiantes de odontología, farmacia y enfermería, los cuales se dividieron en 2 grupos de estudio; Grupo A, aplicación de metodologías de clases magistrales (M) y Grupo B aplicación aula invertida “Flipped Classroom” (FC). Al final de las prácticas se realizó un cuestionario para la evaluación de la adquisición de conocimientos y el grado de satisfacción. Los resultados obtenidos demostraro un aumento significativo en el máximo número de preguntas correctamente contestadas (FC) y un mayor grado de satisfacción de los alumnos que realizaron las prácticas mediante FC. Como conclusión podríamos indicar que la aplicación de FC en ciencias de la salud presenta mejores resultados en la adquisición de conocimientos que las metodologías didácticas magistrales.[EN] New pedagogical methodologies in the health sciences area could be necessary for trainees. Flipped Classroom or inverted classroom (FC) is a tool that offers greater autonomy for the student, as well as better knowledge assimilation. The main objective of this study was the achievement of basic skills for the application of knowledge, communication, and interpretation of relevant data to make judgments for health sciences students. The number of students participating in the study was 1103 (n=1103), all of them from different degrees such as dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing. Students were distributed in 2 study groups: Group A, application of masterclass methodologies (M), and Group B, Flipped Classroom (FC) or inverted classroom method. At the end of the practical sessions, a test was used to evaluate the students' knowledge acquisition and their degree of satisfaction with the teaching methodology. The obtained results showed a significant increase in the maximum number of correctly-answered questions and a greater degree of satisfaction from those students who attended the practical lessons taught using the FC method. As a conclusion, the application of the FC method in health sciences leads to better results in the acquisition of the course competencies than the masterclass methodologies.Torres-Cuevas, I.; García Miralles, E.; Ribelles Llop, M.; Marqués Martínez, L. (2021). Flipped Classroon en prácticas de ciencias de la salud. En IN-RED 2020: VI Congreso de Innovación Educativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 184-192. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2020.2020.11982OCS18419

Protein nanoparticles are nontoxic, tuneable cell stressors

Aim: nanoparticle-cell interactions can promote cell toxicity and stimulate particular behavioral patterns, but cell responses to protein nanomaterials have been poorly studied. - Results: by repositioning oligomerization domains in a simple, modular self-assembling protein platform, we have generated closely related but distinguishable homomeric nanoparticles. Composed by building blocks with modular domains arranged in different order, they share amino acid composition. These materials, once exposed to cultured cells, are differentially internalized in absence of toxicity and trigger distinctive cell adaptive responses, monitored by the emission of tubular filopodia and enhanced drug sensitivity. - Conclusion: the capability to rapidly modulate such cell responses by conventional protein engineering reveals protein nanoparticles as tuneable, versatile and potent cell stressors for cell-targeted conditioning

Nanoparticulate architecture of protein-based artificial viruses is supported by protein DNA interactions

Aim & Methods: We have produced two chimerical peptides of 10.2 kDa, each contain four biologically active domains, which act as building blocks of protein-based nonviral vehicles for gene therapy. In solution, these peptides tend to aggregate as amorphous clusters of more than 1000 nm, while the presence of DNA promotes their architectonic reorganization as mechanically stable nanometric spherical entities of approximately 80 nm that penetrate mammalian cells through arginine–glycine–aspartic acid cell-binding domains and promote significant transgene expression levels. Results & Conclusion: The structural analysis of the protein in these hybrid nanoparticles indicates a molecular conformation with predominance of D-helix and the absence of cross-molecular, E-sheet-supported protein interactions. The nanoscale organizing forces generated by DNA–protein interactions can then be observed as a potentially tunable, critical factor in the design of protein-only based artificial viruses for gene therapy.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

Intrinsic functional and architectonic heterogeneity of tumor-targeted protein nanoparticles

Altres ajuts: CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (project NANOPROTHER) (to AV), Marató de TV3 foundation (TV32013-132031) (TV32013-133930). Protein production has been partially performed by the ICTS "NANBIOSIS", more specifically by the Protein Production Platform of CIBER in Bioengineering, Biomaterials & Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN)/IBB, at the UAB SepBioES scientific-technical service (http://www.nanbiosis.es/unit/u1-protein-production-platform-ppp/) and DLS measurements have been done at the Biomaterial Processing and Nanostructuring Unit of NANBIOSIS. We are also indebted to Fran Cortés from the Cell Culture and Cytometry Units of the Servei de CultiusCel·lulars, Producciód'AnticossosiCitometria (SCAC), and to the Servei de Microscòpia, both at the UAB. Strain KPM335 was kindly provided by Research Corporation Technologies, Tucson, AZ. AV received an ICREA ACADEMIA award.Self-assembling proteins are gaining attention as building blocks for application-tailored nanoscale materials. This is mostly due to the biocompatibility, biodegradability, and functional versatility of peptide chains. Such a potential for adaptability is particularly high in the case of recombinant proteins, which are produced in living cells and are suitable for genetic engineering. However, how the cell factory itself and the particular protein folding machinery influence the architecture and function of the final material is still poorly explored. In this study we have used diverse analytical approaches, including small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to determine the fine architecture and geometry of recombinant, tumor-targeted protein nanoparticles of interest as drug carriers, constructed on a GFP-based modular scheme. A set of related oligomers were produced in alternative Escherichia coli strains with variant protein folding networks. This resulted in highly regular populations of morphometric types, ranging from 2.4 to 28 nm and from spherical- to rod-shaped materials. These differential geometric species, whose relative proportions were determined by the features of the producing strain, were found associated with particular fluorescence emission, cell penetrability and receptor specificity profiles. Then, nanoparticles with optimal properties could be analytically identified and further isolated from producing cells for use. The cell's protein folding machinery greatly modulates the final geometry reached by the constructs, which in turn defines the key parameters and biological performance of the material

Biofabrication of functional protein nanoparticles through simple His-tag engineering

Altres ajuts: Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICWe have developed a simple, robust, and fully transversal approach for thea-la-cartefabrication of functional multimeric nanoparticles with potential biomedical applications, validated here by a set of diverse and unrelated polypeptides. The proposed concept is based on the controlled coordination between Znions and His residues in His-tagged proteins. This approach results in a spontaneous and reproducible protein assembly as nanoscale oligomers that keep the original functionalities of the protein building blocks. The assembly of these materials is not linked to particular polypeptide features, and it is based on an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach. The resulting nanoparticles, with dimensions ranging between 10 and 15 nm, are regular in size, are architecturally stable, are fully functional, and serve as intermediates in a more complex assembly process, resulting in the formation of microscale protein materials. Since most of the recombinant proteins produced by biochemical and biotechnological industries and intended for biomedical research are His-tagged, the green biofabrication procedure proposed here can be straightforwardly applied to a huge spectrum of protein species for their conversion into their respective nanostructured formats

In vivo Evaluation of Nanostructured Fibrin-Agarose Hydrogels With Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Peripheral Nerve Repair

The regenerative capability of peripheral nerves is very limited, and several strategies have been proposed to increase nerve regeneration. In the present work, we have analyzed the in vivo usefulness of a novel nanostructured fibrin-agarose bio-artificial nerve substitute (Nano) used alone or in combination with NeuraGen® collagen type I conduits (Coll-Nano) in laboratory rats with a 10-mm sciatic nerve defect. Control animals were subjected to the gold-standard autograft technique (Auto). Results first demonstrated that the percentage of self-amputations was lower in Nano and Coll-Nano groups as compared to the Auto group. Neurotrophic ulcers were more abundant in the Auto group (60%, with 66.6% of them being >2-mm) than Nano and Coll-Nano groups (0%) at 4 weeks, although Nano showed more ulcers after 12 weeks. Foot length was significantly altered in Auto animals due to neurogenic retraction, but not in Nano and Coll-Nano groups after 12 weeks. At the functional level, all animals showed a partial sensory recovery as determined by the pinch test, especially in Nano and Auto groups, but did not reach the levels of native animals. Toe-spread test revealed a partial motor function recovery only in Nano animals at 4 weeks and Auto and Nano at 12 weeks. Electromyography showed clear denervation signs in all experimental groups, with few differences between Auto and Nano animals. After 12 weeks, an important denervation decrease and an increase of the reinnervation process was found in Auto and Nano groups, with no differences between these groups. Histological analyses demonstrated an active peripheral nerve regeneration process with newly formed peripheral nerve fascicles showing S-100, GAP-43 and myelin in all experimental groups. The peripheral nerve regeneration process was more abundant in Auto group, followed by Nano group, and both were better than Coll-Nano group. Muscle histology confirmed the electromyography results and showed some atrophy and fibrosis signs and an important weight and volume loss in all groups, especially in the Coll-Nano group (56.8% weight and 60.4% volume loss). All these results suggest that the novel Nano substitutes used in in vivo were able to contribute to bridge a 10-mm peripheral nerve defect in rats

Prognostic implications of comorbidity patterns in critically ill COVID-19 patients: A multicenter, observational study

Background The clinical heterogeneity of COVID-19 suggests the existence of different phenotypes with prognostic implications. We aimed to analyze comorbidity patterns in critically ill COVID-19 patients and assess their impact on in-hospital outcomes, response to treatment and sequelae. Methods Multicenter prospective/retrospective observational study in intensive care units of 55 Spanish hospitals. 5866 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients had comorbidities recorded at hospital admission; clinical and biological parameters, in-hospital procedures and complications throughout the stay; and, clinical complications, persistent symptoms and sequelae at 3 and 6 months. Findings Latent class analysis identified 3 phenotypes using training and test subcohorts: low-morbidity (n=3385; 58%), younger and with few comorbidities; high-morbidity (n=2074; 35%), with high comorbid burden; and renal-morbidity (n=407; 7%), with chronic kidney disease (CKD), high comorbidity burden and the worst oxygenation profile. Renal-morbidity and high-morbidity had more in-hospital complications and higher mortality risk than low-morbidity (adjusted HR (95% CI): 1.57 (1.34-1.84) and 1.16 (1.05-1.28), respectively). Corticosteroids, but not tocilizumab, were associated with lower mortality risk (HR (95% CI) 0.76 (0.63-0.93)), especially in renal-morbidity and high-morbidity. Renal-morbidity and high-morbidity showed the worst lung function throughout the follow-up, with renal-morbidity having the highest risk of infectious complications (6%), emergency visits (29%) or hospital readmissions (14%) at 6 months (p<0.01). Interpretation Comorbidity-based phenotypes were identified and associated with different expression of in-hospital complications, mortality, treatment response, and sequelae, with CKD playing a major role. This could help clinicians in day-to-day decision making including the management of post-discharge COVID-19 sequelae. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd