Short implants versus longer implants in vertically augmented atrophic mandibles: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials with a 5-year post-loading follow-up

Purpose: To compare the clinical outcome of fixed prostheses supported by 4 to 8 mmlong implants with prostheses supported by longer implants placed in vertically augmented atrophic mandibles after a follow-up of 5 years in function. Materials and methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and MEDLINE were searched up to 1 st September 2018 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with a follow up of at least 5 years in function comparing fixed prostheses supported by 4 to 8 mm-long implants with prostheses supported by longer implants placed in vertically augmented atrophic mandibles. Outcome measures were prosthesis failure, implant failures, augmentation procedure failures, complications, and peri-implant marginal bone level changes. Screening of eligible studies, assessment of the risk of bias and data extraction were conducted in duplicate and independently by two review authors. The statistical unit of the analysis was the prosthesis. Results were expressed as random-effects models using mean differences for continuous outcomes and risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Four eligible RCTs which included originally 135 patients were included. Two RCTs had a parallel group design and two a split-mouth design. Short implants were 5 to 6.6 mm long and were compared with longer implants placed in posterior mandibles augmented with interpositional blocks of bone substitutes. All trials were judged at unclear risk of bias. Twelve (14%) bone augmentation procedures failed to achieve the planned bone height to allow placement of implants with the planned length. Five years after loading 28 patients (21%) dropped from the four RCTs. There were no differences for patients having prosthesis (RR = 1.46; 95% CI 0.52 to 4.09; P = 0.47; Chi² = 1.35, df = 3 (P = 0.72); I² = 0%) or implant (RR = 1; 95% CI 0.31 to 3.21; P = 1.00; Chi² = 0, df = 3 (P = 1.00); I² = 0%) failures between the two interventions, but there were more patients experiencing complications (RR = 4.72; 95% CI 2.43 to 9.17; P < 0.00001; Chi² = 3.02, df = 3 (P = 0.39); I² = 0%) and peri-implant marginal bone loss (mean difference = 0.60 mm; 95% CI 0.36 to 0.83; P < 0.00001; Chi² = 5.47, df = 3 (P = 0.14); I² = 45%) at longer implants in augmented bone. Conclusions: Five years after loading, prosthetic and implants failures were similar between the two interventions, but complications and peri-implant marginal bone loss were higher and more severe at longer implants placed in vertically augmented mandibles. Larger trials and longer follow-ups up to 10 years after loading are needed to confirm or reject the present preliminary findings. However in the meantime short implants could be the preferable option

Digital Recording Platforms and Integrated Performance Assessments in Second/Foreign Language Learning

The teaching and learning of a new language can be daunting for both instructors and learners. Second/foreign language teachers must overcome a multitude of impediments in which to bring students to higher levels of language learning. Research using digital voice recording software indicates that by integrating such technology into the curriculum, there are multiple benefits for both instructors and students. In this chapter, the author discusses the challenges language teachers face and then outlines six free digital voice recorder options that are available to teachers. Afterward, the author advances a series of curricular and procedural considerations for the integration of digital voice recordings in the language-learning classroom before discussing findings from studies focused on the use of digital recordings for educational purposes. The chapter concludes with a discussion of best practices using digital voice recordings for integrated performance assessments and a discussion of new avenues for future research

Early-Onset Insulin-Resistant Diabetes in Obese Caucasians Has Features of Typical Type 2 Diabetes, but 3 Decades Earlier

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Platelet-rich plasma counteracts detrimental effect of high-glucose concentrations on mesenchymal stem cells from Bichat fat pad

Diabetic patients display increased risk of periodontitis and failure in bone augmentation procedures. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) represent a relevant advantage in tissue repair process and regenerative medicine. We isolated MSCs from Bichat's buccal fat pad (BFP) and measured the effects of glucose and PRP on cell number and osteogenic differentiation potential. Cells were cultured in the presence of 5.5-mM glucose (low glucose [LG]) or 25-mM glucose (high glucose [HG]). BFP–MSC number was significantly lower when cells were cultured in HG compared with those in LG. Following osteogenic differentiation procedures, calcium accumulation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression of osteogenic markers were significantly lower in HG compared with LG. Exposure of BFP–MSC to PRP significantly increased cell number and osteogenic differentiation potential, reaching comparable levels in LG and in HG. Thus, high-glucose concentrations impair BFP–MSC growth and osteogenic differentiation. However, these detrimental effects are largely counteracted by PRP

Natural factors and chemical contamination control the structure of macrobenthic communities in the Santos Estuarine System (SP, Brazil)

Abstract The Santos Estuarine System (SES) is a complex of bays, islands, estuarine channels, and rivers located on the Southeast coast of Brazil, in which multiple contaminant sources are situated in close proximity to mangroves and other protected areas. In this study, the composition and structure of the macrobenthic communities of SES were described and ninety-nine species were identified, with the predominance of polychaetes and bivalve mollusks. The benthic assemblages also showed strong signs of stress, as indicated by the low abundance, richness and diversity, and the dominance of opportunistic species. Integrated analysis including sediment characteristics related to natural and anthropogenic factors (e.g., sediment chemistry, and toxicity) indicated that benthic fauna from the inner portions of the SES and vicinities of the SSOS diffusers as Santos Bay were affected. Some locations at the mouths of Santos and Sao Vicente estuaries exhibited moderate disturbance. In other sites from the mouth of São Vicente and Bertioga channels, and Santos Bay, the benthic fauna were considered not degraded. Our results suggest that a combination of both environmental factors and contaminants were responsible for the benthic community structure

High-throughput 18K SNP array to assess genetic variability of the main grapevine cultivars from Sicily

The viticulture of Sicily, for its vocation, is one of the most important and ancient forms in Italy. Autochthonous grapevine cultivars, many of which known throughout the world, have always been cultivated in the island from many centuries. With the aim to preserve this large grapevine diversity, previous studies have already started to assess the genetic variability among the Sicilian cultivars by using morphological and microsatellite markers. In this study, simple sequence repeat (SSR) were utilized to verify the true-to-typeness of a large clone collection (101) belonging to 21 biotypes of the most 10 cultivated Sicilian cultivars. Afterwards, 42 Organization Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) descriptors and a high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping array (Vitis18kSNP) were applied to assess genetic variability among cultivars and biotypes of the same cultivar. Ampelographic traits and high-throughput SNP genotyping platforms provided an accuracy estimation of genetic diversity in the Sicilian germplasm, showing the relationships among cultivars by cluster and multivariate analyses. The large SNP panel defined sub-clusters unable to discern among biotypes, previously classified by ampelographic analysis, belonging to each cultivar. These results suggested that a very large number of SNP did not cover the genome regions harboring few morphological traits. Genetic structure of the collection revealed a clear optimum number of groups for K = 3, clustering in the same group a significant portion of family-related genotypes. Parentage analysis highlighted significant relationships among Sicilian grape cultivars and Sangiovese, as already reported, but also the first evidences of the relationships between Nero d’Avola and both Inzolia and Catarratto. Finally, a small panel of highly informative markers (12 SNPs) allowed us to isolate a private profile for each Sicilian cultivar, providing a new tool for cultivar identification

Analysis of high-identity segmental duplications in the grapevine genome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Segmental duplications (SDs) are blocks of genomic sequence of 1-200 kb that map to different loci in a genome and share a sequence identity > 90%. SDs show at the sequence level the same characteristics as other regions of the human genome: they contain both high-copy repeats and gene sequences. SDs play an important role in genome plasticity by creating new genes and modeling genome structure. Although data is plentiful for mammals, not much was known about the representation of SDs in plant genomes. In this regard, we performed a genome-wide analysis of high-identity SDs on the sequenced grapevine (<it>Vitis vinifera</it>) genome (PN40024).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrate that recent SDs (> 94% identity and >= 10 kb in size) are a relevant component of the grapevine genome (85 Mb, 17% of the genome sequence). We detected mitochondrial and plastid DNA and genes (10% of gene annotation) in segmentally duplicated regions of the nuclear genome. In particular, the nine highest copy number genes have a copy in either or both organelle genomes. Further we showed that several duplicated genes take part in the biosynthesis of compounds involved in plant response to environmental stress.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data show the great influence of SDs and organelle DNA transfers in modeling the <it>Vitis vinifera </it>nuclear DNA structure as well as the impact of SDs in contributing to the adaptive capacity of grapevine and the nutritional content of grape products through genome variation. This study represents a step forward in the full characterization of duplicated genes important for grapevine cultural needs and human health.</p