Nicotine-Treated Fusobacterium nucleatum Binding to Collagen, Fibrinogen, and Fibronectin

poster abstractFusobacterium nucleatum, a gram-negative anaerobic bacterium found in dental plaque, causes periodontal diseases. Smoking is one of the risk factors that can increase periodontal problems and atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is initiated by oral bacteria (i.e., F. nucleatum) binding to surface proteins of endothelial cells, such as collagen, fibrinogen, and fibronectin. The main objective for this study was to test the binding of F. nucleatum to collagen, fibrinogen, and fibronectin under the effect of different concentrations of nicotine. F. nucleatum was grown overnight in brain-heart infusion (BHI) supplemented with yeast extract and 5% vitamin-K/hemin. Biofilm was grown for 48 hours in 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/mL of nicotine. Then, the biofilm cells were labeled with biotin 3-sulfo-N-hydroxy-succinimide ester sodium salt and fixed with 10% formaldehyde. A binding assay was conducted by coating a high-binding 96-well microtiter plate with 1 μg/mL of collagen, fibrinogen, or fibronectin. The plate was incubated overnight and blocked with 1% Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), followed by the biotinylated and nicotine-treated F. nucleatum cells. ExtrAvidin-Peroxidase and OPD Peroxidase Substrate was used to visualize the binding. Optical density (OD) was measured with a spectrophotometer at 490 nm. Collagen, fibrinogen, and fibronectin binding assays demonstrated significantly higher absorbance with 2 mg/mL nicotine-treated F. nucleatum cells compared to untreated cells. The results indicated that an increase in nicotine concentration leads to an increase in F. nucleatum binding to collagen, fibrinogen, and fibronectin. This means that smokers may have an increased risk for atherosclerosis. Supported by Life-Health and Sciences Internship (LHSI)

A Glimpse Inside: Considering the Impact of Curriculum Outcomes and Personal Ideology on Social Studies Pedagogy: A Study Summary

This article summarizes the research findings of a Master of Education thesis that aimed to find meaningful answers to the following central question: To what extent, if any, are there pedagogical differences between Social Studies educators who self-identify as ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative’? This study explored how those who self-identify as being on the left (liberal) of the so-called political spectrum would deliver specific social studies curriculum and conversely, how those who identify as being on the political right (conservative) would deliver course content. Ultimately, these questions will serve to present a clear understanding of the extent of political liberties taken by public school social studies teachers, their implications and potential impact on student learning and political understandings

INTERACTIONS OF HUMAN ORAL CELLS WITH ORAL BACTERIAL

poster abstractIntroduction: Streptococcus mutans is the main etiological cause of den-tal caries, and it has been shown that individuals who smoke have increased dental caries. S. mutans is known to bind to or interact with MG63 osteo-blasts. However, very little is known about the effects of tobacco directly on these bacteria on their ability to affect human pulp MG63 osteoblasts. We are hypothesizing that tobacco upregulates the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMPs to increase the pathogenic potential of S. mutans. The objective of this research project is to investigate the effects that nicotine, cigarette smoke condensate (CSC), and dissolvable smokeless tobacco (DST)-extract treated bacterial cells have on humanMG63 osteo-blasts, in respect to their release of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, as well as MMP expression. In addition, the effects of the S. mutans cells will be examined for the ability to affect MG63 osteoblast growth. The long-term goal is to develop treatment modalities to reduce the effects of smoking on dental caries. Materials and Methods: S. mutans UA159 was incubated in Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB), with the following concentrations: 2 mg/mL nicotine, 0.125 mg/mL CSC, 100 uL/3 mL DST-extract, and a 0 mg/mL control group. The cultures were grown in the presence of the tobacco products for 8 h at 37oC in 5% CO2, and centrifuged to isolate cells and supernatants. The cells were washed and heat-killed for 1 h at 60oC. Human MG63 osteoblasts were iso-lated from extracted teeth, and cell passages 3-8 will be used. The tobacco-treated S. mutans cells and supernatants will be incubated with the osteo-blasts in culture plates for 72 h and cytokine expression evaluated by re-verse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results: The protein concentration of each tobacco-treated sample was found. The undiluted concentrations of the nicotine- and CSC-treated cells were slightly lower and the DST-treated cells was slightly higher than the control cells. The undiluted nicotine (p<0.05) and DST-treated supernatants were higher than the control, while the CSC supernatant protein concentra-tion was lower. From our previous studies, it was found that nicotine in-creases bacteriocin production of S. mutans, so we might hypothesize that nicotine induces bacteriocin secretion, thus increasing dental caries

Three Flavor QCD at High Temperatures

We have continued our study of the phase diagram of high temperature QCD with three flavors of improved staggered quarks. We are performing simulations with three degenerate quarks with masses less than or equal to the strange quark mass m_s and with degenerate up and down quarks with masses m_{u,d} less than the strange quark mass. For the quark masses studied to date, we find a crossover that strengthens as m_{u,d} decreases, rather than a bona fide phase transition. We present new results for the crossover temperature extrapolated to the physical value of m_{u,d}, and for quark number susceptibilities.Comment: Poster presented at Lattice 2004 (non-zero), Fermilab, June 21-26, 2004, 3 pages, 3 figure

Heavy-light decay constants using clover valence quarks and three flavors of dynamical improved staggered quarks

Starting in 2001, the MILC Collaboration began a large scale calculation of heavy-light meson decay constants using clover valence quarks on ensembles of three flavor configurations. For the coarse configurations, with a=0.12 fm, eight combinations of dynamical light and strange quarks have been analyzed. For the fine configurations, with a=0.09 fm, three combinations of quark masses are studied. Since we last reported on this calculation, statistics have been increased on the fine ensembles, and, more importantly, a preliminary value for the perturbative renormalization of the axial-vector current has become available. Thus, results for f_B, f_{B_s}, f_D and f_{D_s} can, in principle, be calculated in MeV, in addition to decay-constant ratios that were calculated previously.Comment: Talk presented at Lattice2004(heavy), Fermilab, June 21-26, 2004; 3 pages, 3 color figure

Static hybrid quarkonium potential with improved staggered quarks

We are studying the effects of light dynamical quarks on the excitation energies of a flux tube between a static quark and antiquark. We report preliminary results of an analysis of the ground state potential and the $\Sigma^{\prime+}_g$ and $\Pi_u$ potentials. We have measured these potentials on closely matched ensembles of gauge configurations, generated in the quenched approximation and with 2+1 flavors of Asqtad improved staggered quarks.Comment: Lattice2002(heavyquark

High temperature QCD with three flavors of improved staggered quarks

We present an update of our study of high temperature QCD with three flavors of quarks, using a Symanzik improved gauge action and the Asqtad staggered quark action. Simulations are being carried out on lattices with Nt=4, 6 and 8 for the case of three degenerate quarks with masses less than or equal to the strange quark mass, $m_s$, and on lattices with Nt=6 and 8 for degenerate up and down quarks with masses in the range 0.2 m_s \leq m_{u,d} \leq 0.6 m_s, and the strange quark fixed near its physical value. We also report on first computations of quark number susceptibilities with the Asqtad action. These susceptibilities are of interest because they can be related to event-by-event fluctuations in heavy ion collision experiments. Use of the improved quark action leads to a substantial reduction in lattice artifacts. This can be seen already for free fermions and carries over into our results for QCD.Comment: Lattice2002(Non-zero temperature and density

O(4) texture with a cosmological constant

We investigate O(4) textures in a background with a positive cosmological constant. We find static solutions which co-move with the expanding background. There exists a solution in which the scalar field is regular at the horizon. This solution has a noninteger winding number smaller than one. There also exist solutions in which scalar-field derivatives are singular at the horizon. Such solutions can complete one winding within the horizon. If the winding number is larger than some critical value, static solutions including the regular one are unstable under perturbations.Comment: 25 pages, revtex, 6 eps figure

Brane world in a texture

We study five dimensional brane physics induced by an O(2) texture formed in one extra dimension. The model contains two 3-branes of nonzero tension, and the extra dimension is compact. The symmetry-breaking scale of the texture controls the particle hierarchy between the two branes. The TeV-scale particles are confined to the negative-tension brane where the observer sees gravity as essentially four dimensional. The effect of massive Kaluza-Klein gravitons is suppressed.Comment: 25 pages, revtex, 5 eps figures, Significant changes have been made for the tachyonic mode, One figure has been replaced, To appear in Physical Review

Correction to: The relevance of the interpersonal theory of suicide for predicting past-year and lifetime suicidality in autistic adults (Molecular Autism, (2022), 13, 1, (14), 10.1186/s13229-022-00495-5)

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported missing information in the ‘Acknowledgements’ section. The corrected ‘Acknowledgements’ section reads: We thank our participants for their generosity in taking part in the present research and for their helpful feedback towards this and future research. We would like to thank the ACORN panel at Bournemouth University for the funding this research, and our supportive colleagues. Special thanks goes to Rebecca Ellis for her patience in assisting with participant payments. We thank our colleagues at the Autism Research Centre who helped us recruit through their participant panel; the staff at Autistica who allowed us to advertise to their research network; moderators and owners of Facebook groups who were willing to let us advertise our study. Dr. Moseley thanks Dr. Sarah George, Dr. Helen Bolderston, and Dr. Cécile Bardon for their advice around ensuring the safety of participants, with especial thanks to Dr. Bardon for her warm encouragement. Finally, the authors remember all autistic people whose lives were lost to suicide, both within our participant cohort and the broader autistic community. The original article [1] has been updated