UC-177 Day Easy Phone Application

DayEasy is a phone application that is designed to promote clean eating and workout habits by providing services such as a calendar, workout planner, hydration and calorie journal, pedometer, fasting timer, and a meal planner. The application will have the functions to: • The user will be able to create an account. • The user will be able to change their password when they forget it. This will be done by sending an email. • The user will be able to save their sign in credentials. • The user will be able to view their daily schedule. • The user will be able to create new tasks. • These tasks are repeatable. • The user will be able to add how much water they drink in oz/ml • The user can set a daily drinking goal. • The user will be able to see how many steps they have taken. • The user can set a daily step goal. • The user will be able to plan their workout by selecting various customized movements. • The user will be able to select a movement (possibly a GIF) and see information about it. • The user will be able to go to muscle option and select a muscle part they want to work on and plan their workout. • The user will be able to plan their meals by keeping a journal. This journal will include calories. • The user will be able to pick a customized meal plan based on dietary selections. • The user will be able to add up their calories. • The user will be able to set a daily calorie goal

A Rhizobium meliloti lipopolysaccharide mutant altered in competitiveness for nodulation of alfalfa

A transposon Tn5-induced mutant of Rhizobium meliloti Rm2011, designated Rm6963, showed a rough colony morphology on rich and minimal media and an altered lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Major differences from the wild-type LPS were observed in (i) hexose and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate elution profiles of crude phenol extracts chromatographed in Sepharose CL-4B, (ii) silver-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns of crude and purified LPS fractions, and (iii) immunoreactivities otherwise present in purified LPS of the parental strain Rm2011. In addition, Rm6963 lost the ability to grow in Luria-Bertani medium containing the hydrophobic compounds sodium deoxycholate or SDS and showed a decrease in survival in TY medium supplemented with high calcium concentrations. The mutant also had altered symbiotic properties. Rm6963 formed nodules that fixed nitrogen but showed a delayed or even reduced ability to nodulate the primary root of alfalfa without showing changes in the position of nodule distribution profiles along the roots. Furthermore, 2 to 3 weeks after inoculation, plants nodulated by Rm6963 were smaller than control plants inoculated with wild-type bacteria in correlation with a transient decrease in nitrogen fixation. In most experiments, the plants recovered later by expressing a full nitrogen-fixing phenotype and developing an abnormally high number of small nodules in lateral roots after 1 month. Rm6963 was also deficient in the ability to compete for nodulation. In coinoculation experiments with equal bacterial numbers of both mutant and wild-type rhizobia, only the parent was recovered from the uppermost root nodules. A strain ratio of approximately 100 to 1 favoring the mutant was necessary to obtain an equal ratio (1:1) of nodule occupancy. These results show that alterations in Rm6963 which include LPS changes lead to an altered symbiotic phenotype during the association with alfalfa that affects the timing of nodule emergence, the progress of nitrogen fixation, and the strain competitiveness for nodulation.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

Oral Administration of GW788388, an Inhibitor of Transforming Growth Factor Beta Signaling, Prevents Heart Fibrosis in Chagas Disease

Cardiac damage and dysfunction are prominent features in patients with chronic Chagas disease, which is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) and affects 10–12 million individuals in South and Central America. Our group previously reported that transforming growth factor beta (TGFß) is implicated in several regulatory aspects of T. cruzi invasion and growth and in host tissue fibrosis. In the present work, we evaluated the therapeutic action of an oral inhibitor of TGFß signaling (GW788388) administered during the acute phase of experimental Chagas disease. GW788388 treatment significantly reduced mortality and decreased parasitemia. Electrocardiography showed that GW788388 treatment was effective in protecting the cardiac conduction system, preserving gap junction plaque distribution and avoiding the development of cardiac fibrosis. Inhibition of TGFß signaling in vivo appears to potently decrease T. cruzi infection and to prevent heart damage in a preclinical mouse model. This suggests that this class of molecules may represent a new therapeutic tool for acute and chronic Chagas disease that warrants further pre-clinical exploration. Administration of TGFß inhibitors during chronic infection in mouse models should be further evaluated, and future clinical trials should be envisaged

Effect of the Nd:YAG laser on sealer penetration into root canal surfaces: a confocal microscope analysis

Objectives: The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the use of the Neodymium:Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser as part of the root canal treatment on the penetration of sealer into dentinal tubules. Methods: Eighty extracted lower premolars were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 40 each): Control group (CG), subjected to a conventional protocol of endodontic instrumentation and obturation; and Laser group (LG), in which Nd:YAG laser irradiations were combined with conventional preparation and obturation. Endodonted samples were sectioned at 3 and 5 mm from the apex and observed under a confocal scanning microscope (CLSM). The penetration depth into the dentinal tubules and the extension of the intracanal perimeter infiltrated by sealer were measured. The Student-Newman Keuls test was run for between-group comparisons (α=.05). Results: The depth of sealer penetration into dentinal tubules did not differ among groups. LG samples showed the significantly highest percentage of penetrated perimeter at 3 mm from the root apex. Within each group, the greatest depth of penetration (P=.0001), and the major percentage of penetrated perimeter (P <.001), were recorded at 5 mm. Conclusions: The application of the Nd:YAG laser after instrumentation did not improve the depth of sealer penetration into the dentinal tubules. The laser enlarged the total penetrable perimeter near the ape

'Pre-prosthetic use of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) membranes treated with oxygen plasma and TiO2 nanocomposite particles for guided bone regeneration processes'

[Objectives] Guided bone regeneration (GBR) processes are frequently necessary to achieve appropriate substrates before the restoration of edentulous areas. This study aimed to evaluate the bone regeneration reliability of a new poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) membrane after treatment with oxygen plasma (PO) and titanium dioxide (TiO) composite nanoparticles.[Methods] Circumferential bone defects (diameter: 10 mm; depth: 3 mm) were created on the parietal bones of eight experimentation rabbits and were randomly covered with control membranes (Group 1: PLGA) or experimental membranes (Group 2: PLGA/PO/TiO). The animals were euthanized two months afterwards, and a morphologic study was then performed under microscope using ROI (region of interest) colour analysis. Percentage of new bone formation, length of mineralised bone formed in the grown defects, concentration of osteoclasts, and intensity of osteosynthetic activity were assessed. Comparisons among the groups and with the original bone tissue were made using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The level of significance was set in advance at a = 0.05.[Results] The experimental group recorded higher values for new bone formation, mineralised bone length, and osteoclast concentration; this group also registered the highest osteosynthetic activity. Bone layers in advanced formation stages and low proportions of immature tissue were observed in the study group.[Conclusions] The functionalised membranes showed the best efficacy for bone regeneration.[Clinical significance] The addition of TiO nanoparticles onto PLGA/PO membranes for GBR processes may be a promising technique to restore bone dimensions and anatomic contours as a prerequisite to well-supported and natural-appearing prosthetic rehabilitations.This study is supported by the research project P09CTS 5189

DNA Methylation and Stress-induced Reversions from Asexual to Sexual Seed Formation in Boechera (Brassicacea)

Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction that occurs in many plants and animals. Eggs of apomictic plants and animals form by apomeiosis, which means they do not become genetically reduced. Furthermore, these eggs develop into embryos without fertilization. Apomictic plants and animals generally reproduce quickly by making genetic copies of themselves, a trait that would be economically beneficial for perpetuating hybrid vigor if introduced into major seed crops. Metabolic stress induces a reversion from apomixis to sex in many apomicts, and this was recently shown to occur in species of the plant genus Boechera. 1 Transcriptome studies strongly suggest that this switch involves epigenetic reprogramming of the genome. I have drought-stressed cultured buds of apomictic Boechera in vitro to varying levels to determine an optimum treatment for inducing the switch from apomeiosis to meiosis. I have also exposed clusters of very immature floral buds to a DNA analogue that prevents DNA methylation (Fig. 1). This research is designed to allow me to determine the extent to which genome reprogramming, which involves DNA methylation, is involved in the switch from apomeiosis to meiosis

In vivo comparative model of oxygen plasma and nanocomposite particles on PLGA membranes for guided bone regeneration processes to be applied in pre-prosthetic surgery: A pilot study

Objectives: To evaluate the bone regeneration potential of a new membrane fabricated with polyglycolide acid (PLGA) after being treated with oxygen plasma (PO2), and/or being functionalized with silicon dioxide (SiO2) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. Methods: Bone defects (5 mm × 3 mm) were produced on the top of 3 experimentation rabbits’ skulls and were covered with variously modified PLGA scaffolds. After the animals were sacrificed, neoformed bone (%), mineralized bone (mm), bone resorption (%), osteoclasts/mm2, and intensity of osteosynthetic activity, were assessed under microscope. Results: The following groups were formed depending on the type of membrane: PLGA (control); PLGA/PO2; PLGA/SiO2; PLGA/TiO2; PLGA/PO2/SiO2; and PLGA/PO2/TiO2. The histological sections showed bone layers in advanced stages of formation. The highest percentages of neoformed bone corresponded to PLGA/PO2/SiO2 membranes (59.07%; p = 0.31) followed by PLGA/PO2 barriers (50.27%). The controls showed the lowest mineralization (13.89 mm; p = 0.24). PLGA/TiO2 scaffolds exhibited the least bone resorption (4.45%; p = 0.77) and osteoclasts/mm2 (1.58; p = 0.86). PLGA/SiO2 and PLGA/TiO2 membranes stimulated the maximum osteosynthetic activity. Conclusions: The treatment of PLGA barriers with PO2 increased bone regeneration in rabbits. When comparing the effect of PO2/SiO2 and PO2/TiO2, higher percentages of neoformed bone were encountered after silicon-dioxide coating. Clinical significance: The incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles onto PO2-treated PLGA membranes was the most promising technique out of those investigated to promote bone formation in rabbits. The addition of SiO2 or TiO2 layers to PLGA substrates may stimulate the osteosynthetic activity, which might be useful to restore bone dimensions in preparation for naturally appearing dental prostheses

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortiu (INICC) report, data summary of 43 countries for 2007-2012. Device-associated module

We report the results of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2007-December 2012 in 503 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the 6-year study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) U.S. National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care–associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 605,310 patients hospitalized in the INICC's ICUs for an aggregate of 3,338,396 days. Although device utilization in the INICC's ICUs was similar to that reported from ICUs in the U.S. in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals: the pooled rate of central line–associated bloodstream infection in the INICC's ICUs, 4.9 per 1,000 central line days, is nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.9 per 1,000 central line days reported from comparable U.S. ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher (16.8 vs 1.1 per 1,000 ventilator days) as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.5 vs 1.3 per 1,000 catheter days). Frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (42.8% vs 10%) and imipenem (42.4% vs 26.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (71.2% vs 28.8%) and imipenem (19.6% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC's ICUs compared with the ICUs of the CDC's NHSN