Situación de caries, gingivitis e higiene oral en gestantes y no gestantes en hospitales del Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Introduction: Dental care during pregnancy is an opportunity to promote health and prevent oral disease related to delivery complications. Objective: To describe the differences or similarities in the prevalence of caries, gingivitis and oral hygiene in pregnant and non-pregnant women in 13 municipalities of Valle del Cauca in Colombia between 2009 and 2011. Materials and methods: The database of the priority oral health project of Valle del Cauca 2009-2011, which had 2243 records of a random sample of users cared in dental services of the participating hospitals, was analyzed. The 22.4% of the records were in women in reproductive age and, from these, 17.3 % were pregnant at the time of the review. Indicators related with caries, gingivitis and plaque were measured, exploring the probability of occurrence with 95% confidence interval. Results: 502 users of dental services were evaluated. The average age of pregnant women was 21.9 (5.3 standard deviation) and 27.6 (8.6 standard deviation) in non-pregnant. A higher prevalence of caries and gingivitis was found in pregnant women. There were no significant differences between the two groups in relation to the history of caries and the Decay-missing-filled index (DMF). Similarly, no significant differences were observed to acceptable dental plaque and good practices of oral hygiene. Pregnant women had greater knowledge about oral health. Conclusions: There are differences between pregnant and non-pregnant women in terms of age, gingivitis prevalence, percentage of bacterial plaque, DMF index, knowledge on oral health and consumption of food between meals

Sloths host Anhanga virus‐related phleboviruses across large distances in time and space

Sloths are genetically and physiologically divergent mammals. Phleboviruses are major arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) causing disease in humans and other animals globally. Sloths host arboviruses, but virus detections are scarce. A phlebovirus termed Anhanga virus (ANHV) was isolated from a Brazilian Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) in 1962. Here, we investigated the presence of phleboviruses in sera sampled in 2014 from 74 Hoffmann's two-toed (Choloepus hoffmanni, n = 65) and three-toed (Bradypus variegatus, n = 9) sloths in Costa Rica by broadly reactive RT-PCR. A clinically healthy adult Hoffmann's two-toed sloth was infected with a phlebovirus. Viral load in this animal was high at 8.5 × 107 RNA copies/ml. The full coding sequence of the virus was determined by deep sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses and sequence distance comparisons revealed that the new sloth virus, likely representing a new phlebovirus species, provisionally named Penshurt virus (PEHV), was most closely related to ANHV, with amino acid identities of 93.1%, 84.6%, 94.7% and 89.0% in the translated L, M, N and NSs genes, respectively. Significantly more non-synonymous mutations relative to ANHV occurred in the M gene encoding the viral glycoproteins and in the NSs gene encoding a putative interferon antagonist compared to L and N genes. This was compatible with viral adaptation to different sloth species and with micro-evolutionary processes associated with immune evasion during the genealogy of sloth-associated phleboviruses. However, gene-wide mean dN/dS ratios were low at 0.02–0.15 and no sites showed significant evidence for positive selection, pointing to comparable selection pressures within sloth-associated viruses and genetically related phleboviruses infecting hosts other than sloths. The detection of a new phlebovirus closely-related to ANHV, in sloths from Costa Rica fifty years after and more than 3,000 km away from the isolation of ANHV confirmed the host associations of ANHV-related phleboviruses with the two extant species of two-toed sloths

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Gradual emergence followed by exponential spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Africa.

The geographic and evolutionary origins of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (BA.1), which was first detected mid-November 2021 in Southern Africa, remain unknown. We tested 13,097 COVID-19 patients sampled between mid-2021 to early 2022 from 22 African countries for BA.1 by real-time RT-PCR. By November-December 2021, BA.1 had replaced the Delta variant in all African sub-regions following a South-North gradient, with a peak Rt of 4.1. Polymerase chain reaction and near-full genome sequencing data revealed genetically diverse Omicron ancestors already existed across Africa by August 2021. Mutations, altering viral tropism, replication and immune escape, gradually accumulated in the spike gene. Omicron ancestors were therefore present in several African countries months before Omicron dominated transmission. These data also indicate that travel bans are ineffective in the face of undetected and widespread infection

Retraction.

This is a retraction of 'Gradual emergence followed by exponential spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Africa' 10.1126/science.add873

Biological Earth observation with animal sensors

Space-based tracking technology using low-cost miniature tags is now delivering data on fine-scale animal movement at near-global scale. Linked with remotely sensed environmental data, this offers a biological lens on habitat integrity and connectivity for conservation and human health; a global network of animal sentinels of environmen-tal change

Trastornos de la articulación temporomandibular en escolares de 5 a 14 años de un centro educativo de Cali

To evaluate the prevalence of signs and symptoms related to the craneo-mandibular disfunction among children between 5 and 14 years old in the city of Cali, 170 students were selected with healthy as diagnoses on the absence of cavities, early lost of temporary or permanent teeth. The total of selected population was divided in accordance with the quality of dentition and it was found that 139 (81.8%) patients had mixed dentition, 22 permanent dentition and 9 had exclusively temporary dentition. At the evaluation of temporo mandibular joint TMJ, 45.9% (78 patients) had mandibular deviation during mouth closing movement, while 41.7% had it during opening movement. In 14 (18.2%) patients of the groups with mixed dentition and only permanent dentition which were ausculted with an stethoscope, were found variated and severe articular noises during mouth opening, mouth closing and lateral movements. In 9 (5.3%) patients pain during palpation of the masticatory muscles and suprahyoid was found

Trastornos de la articulación temporomandibular en escolares de 5 a 14 años de un centro educativo de Cali

En el diagnóstico del desarrollo y funcionamiento de las articulaciones temporomandibulares (ATM) en niños, el odontólogo encuentra circunstancias complejas que pueden generar problemas en los adultos cuando no se estudian y corrigen en la niñez. Para evaluar la prevalencia de signos y síntomas relacionados con la disfunción en la ATM, en niños y niñas de 5 a 14 años de edad, de estrato 2 en Cali, se realizó un estudio en una población total de 710 niños en un centro educativo. Del total, se identificaron 170 estudiantes diagnosticados como “sanos” por ausencia de enfermedades dentales, gingivales y periodontales y, además presentaron su dentadura completa según la edad. Como el tipo de dentición condiciona las alteraciones en el funcionamiento de la ATM, el total de estudiantes seleccionados se subdividió según que presentaran dentición temporal, o mixta o sólo dentición permanente. A estos niños, así agrupados, se les practicó un examen estático y funcional del sistema estomatognático para demostrar signos y síntomas de alteraciones en las ATMs. Se pudo descubrir desviación mandibular y limitación durante los movimientos de apertura, cierre y lateralidad de la boca en una proporción considerable. En algunos de los niños con dentición mixta y dentición permanente se encontraron ruidos articulares variados y severos durante tales movimientos. Al palpar la musculatura masticatoria principal (músculos temporales, maseteros y pterigoideos) y de la musculatura suprahiodea, apareció dolor en un número mínimo de los niños. To evaluate the prevalence of signs and symptoms related to the craneomandibular disfunction among children between 5 and 14 years old in the city of Cali, 170 students were selected with “healthy” as diagnoses on the absence of cavities, early lost of temporary or permanent teeth. The total of selected population was divided in accordance with the quality of dentition and it was found that 139 (81.8%) patients had mixed dentition, 22 permanent dentition and 9 had exclusively temporary dentition. At the evaluation of temporo mandibular joint TMJ, 45.9% (78 patients) had mandibular deviation during mouth closing movement, while 41.7% had it during opening movement. In 14 (18.2%) patients of the groups with mixed dentition and only permanent dentition which were ausculted with an stethoscope, were found variated and severe articular noises during mouth opening, mouth closing and lateral movements. In 9 (5.3%) patients pain during palpation of the masticatory muscles and suprahyoid was found

Genetic analysis and antimicrobial susceptibility of Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis (syn. F. asiatica) isolates from fish

Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis (syn. F. asiatica) (Fno) is an emergent fish pathogen that causes acute to chronic disease in a wide variety of freshwater, brackish and marine fish. Due to the emergent nature of this bacterium, established protocols to measure antimicrobial susceptibility are lacking. In this project we compare three different methods to examine the antimicrobial susceptibility (Etest, broth microdilution and disk diffusion) of 10 different isolates of Fno from two different fish species and four different geographic outbreaks from 2006 to 2010. PCR mediated genomic fingerprinting (rep-PCR) performed on the different isolates confirmed genetic homogeneity amongst the different isolates. The in vitro susceptibility data presented here provides important baseline data for future research monitoring the development of antibiotic resistance among Fno isolates as well as provides invaluable data for the development of potential therapeutics

Frecuencia de hábitos orales en escolares de 5 a 14 años en la ciudad de Santiago de Cali

173 niños de los centros educativo Rufino José Cuervo y Alvaro Echeverry Perea; con edades entre los 5 y los 14 años cumplidos hicieron parte del estudio; estos pacientes fueron diagnosticados sanos ya que no presentaron caries, perdida prematura de dientes temporales o permanentes. Noventa niños correspondientes al 52% de los pacientes presentaron alguna clase de hábito y en algunos casos presentaban hasta dos clases de hábitos. De estos pacientes se encontró onicofagia en cincuenta pacientes (55.5%), hábito de succión digital en 23 pacientes (25.5%), deglución atipica en 14 pacientes (15.5%), respirador oral en dos pacientes (2.2%), objetos en boca seis pacientes (6.6%), hábito de lengua en ocho pacientes (8.9%), labio inferior en un paciente (1.1%) y tetero en un paciente (l.l%). Un numero elevado de pacientes presentaron alguna clase de hábito y el hábito que se presentó con mayor frecuencia fue onicofagia