Morphological study of four sections of genus Dendrobium Sw. (Orchidaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia

A morphological study of the four sections (Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle, and Bolbidium) of the genus Dendrobium (family Orchidaceae) was conducted by using 18 morphological characters. One of the three largest Orchid genera in Orchidaceae is genus Dendrobium. This genus is distributed from South- East Asia, west to the Himalayas, east to Japan, and south to the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia. Dendrobiums are one of the most popular orchids for their medicinal and commercial values. This plant occurs in the tropical regions with high annual rainfall and without a significant dry season for growth. In this study, 17 fresh samples of Dendrobium species were collected and identified upto the species level. The statistical analysis indicated he occurrence of two groups. The first group had four sections (Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle and Bolbidium) and the other group had three sections (Dendrobium, Callista and Latouria), which were closely related. The morphological analysis showed that the four sections formed a monophyletic group compared to three other sections Dendrobium, Callista and Lautoria. The results demonstrated that sections Aporum, Crumenata, and Strongyle were close to one another and were grouped into one clade. Although section Bolbidium was close to them but it formed a different clade by itself. The three other sections included in the analysis formed a separate clade from these four sections .In all, according to the cluster and cladistics analysis, these four sections (Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle and Bolbidium) can be put in the separate clade compared to the other sections of genus Dendrobium an can be named Aporum based on ICBN rules

CBCT Assessment of Root Dentine Removal by Gates-Glidden Drills and Two Engine-Driven Root Preparation Systems

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the dentine removing efficacy of Gates-Glidden drills with hand files, ProTaper and OneShape single-instrument system using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods and Materials: A total of 39 extracted bifurcated maxillary first premolars were divided into 3 groups (n=13) and were prepared using either Gates-Glidden drills and hand instruments, ProTaper and OneShape systems. Pre- and post-instrumentation CBCT images were obtained. The dentin thickness of canals was measured at furcation, and 1 and 2 mm from the furcation area in buccal, palatal, mesial and distal walls. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA test. Tukey’s post hoc tests were used for two-by-two comparisons. Results: Gates-Glidden drills with hand files removed significantly more (P<0.001) dentine than the engine-driven systems in all canal walls (buccal, palatal, mesial and distal). There were no significant differences between OneShape and ProTaper rotary systems (P>0.05). Conclusion: The total cervical dentine removal during canal instrumentation was significantly less with engine-driven file systems compared to Gates-Glidden drills. There were no significant differences between residual dentine thicknesses left between the various canal walls.Keywords: Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Maxillary First Premolar; Root Canal Preparation; Root Thicknes

Evaluation of the accuracy of panoramic radiograph in determining the location of the lingula

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of panoramic radiograph in locating the position of lingula as an index to estimate the location of mandibular foramen. Methods: The distance measurement in this study was carried out on 30 dry mandibles, composed of at least 2 first molars and one canine. Photography and panoramic radiography of the mandible was performed in a steady reproducible position. 10 lines (including 2 horizontal and 8 vertical) were drawn from the lingula to the anterior and posterior borders of ramus, the coronoid process and the lower border of the mandible. These lines were measured and compared in photographs and panoramic radiographs. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20 software, paired t-test, Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis. Results: Considering all different distances, there was no significant difference between the findings of panoramic radiographs and photographs with regard to 3 indices as follows: cd (posteroinferiormostpoint of mandibular foramen to the posterior border of the mandible); ln (5 mm behind the postero inferior most point of mandibular foramen to the lower border of mandible) gh( 5 mm ahead of superior most point of mandibular foramen to the coronoid notch). Whereas, a significant difference was observed in other indices. Conclusions: It seems that the Panoramic radiograph is an inaccurate guide to display the precise location of the lingula

A review on molecular systematic of the genus Dendrobium Sw.

One of the most important genera in the family Orchidaceae is genus Dendrobium with 800-1400 species in the world. This genus spreads from Korea and Japan through South- east Asia, west to Himalayas, east in to Philippines, and south through Indonesia, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia, with more than 150 species in New Guinea . Dendrobium plants are one of the most popular orchids for its medicinal and commercial value in potted and cut flower industries. Most of the orchids prefer the tropical regions with high annual rain fall and without drought season to grow. Malaysia has this climatic situation, so it is suitable area for orchids to thrive well. Previous morphological studies have not supported the systematic of this genus so it needs a deeper analysis and using more species. Problems associated with variability and plant habit could easily caused confusion in species identification. As a result, advance studies need to be performed for this genus using more robust characters than morphological characters. Molecular systematic and phylogenetic studies that have been done in last years and will be done in the feature research will provides comprehensive information to be used as a powerful tool for conservation of endemic and endangered species. This paper is a review of previous molecular studies that have been done on this important genus in the world that will help us to select the best method for molecular systematic studies of this genus in Malaysia for future researches

Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity effects of X-rays on the oral mucosa epithelium at different fields of view: a cone beam computed tomography technique

Background: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is considered a common examination for dentistry problems. Cellular biology can be affected by exposure to ionizing radiations procedures. In this study, we aimed to assess the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity effects of CBCT dental examinations at two different fields of view (FOVs) in exfoliated buccal epithelial cells. Methods: Sixty healthy adults participated in the current study. They were divided into two identical groups; CBCT with FOV of 6*6 cm2 and 8*11 cm2. Exfoliated oral mucosa cells were prepared immediately before and after 10-12 days of CBCT exposure. The cytological smears were stained with the Papanicolaou technique. The amounts of micronuclei and other cytotoxicity cellular changes (Pyknosis, Karyolysis, and Karyorrhexis) were evaluated. The variables of the parameters before and after CBCT examination in the two investigated FOVs were performed using Wilcoxon test and paired-samples t-test in SPSS software. Results: The micronuclei and other cytotoxic changes parameters before and after CBCT exposure for both FOVs (6*6 and 8*11 cm2) increased significantly (p<0.001). Furthermore, a significant difference (p<0.05) was observed between the investigated parameters at the two FOVs. Notably, the FOV of 8*11 cm2 had more side effects than that of 6*6 cm2. There were no statistically significant among males and females for both FOVs. Conclusion: CBCT examinations of dental disorders would increase the risks of inducing genetic damage. The cytotoxicity and chromosomal damage were considered in males and females in both investigated FOVs (6*6 and 8*11 cm2). In this regard, the use of CBCT must be following the ALARA principle

Vinca alkaloids

Vinca alkaloids are a subset of drugs obtained from the Madagascar periwinkle plant. They are naturally extracted from the pink periwinkle plant, Catharanthus roseus G. Don and have a hypoglycemic as well as cytotoxic effects. They have been used to treat diabetes, high blood pressure and have been used as disinfectants. The vinca alkaloids are also important for being cancer fighters. There are four major vinca alkaloids in clinical use: Vinblastine (VBL), vinorelbine (VRL), vincristine (VCR) and vindesine (VDS). VCR, VBL and VRL have been approved for use in the United States. Vinflunine is also a new synthetic vinca alkaloid, which has been approved in Europe for the treatment of second‑line transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium is being developed for other malignancies. Vinca alkaloids are the second‑most‑used class of cancer drugs and will stay among the original cancer therapies. Different researches and studies for new vinca alkaloid applications will be carried out in this regard

Comparative growth and physiological responses of tetraploid and hexaploid species of wheat to flooding stress

Present study is aimed to comparatively investigate the response of two ploidy levels of wheat including a tetraploid (Triticum turgidum L.) and a hexaploid (Triticum aestivum L.) wheat to different durations of flooding stress. Wheat seedlings were exposed to flooding stress for 0, 3, 6 and 9 days. Results showed that all flooding treatments significantly decreased the shoot and root length, and chlorophyll content of both species of wheat. The decrease in chlorophyll content of tetraploid wheat was more than that of hexaploid one. In both species, ADH activity of root was significantly increased under flooding stress, where the increase was more in hexaploid wheat. Flooding stress did not significantly affect root and shoot water content, root porosity, and shoot protein content of any wheat species. Tetraploid and hexaploid wheat used different mechanisms for better tolerance of flooding condition, where tetraploid wheat increased the proline content but in hexaploid wheat, an increase in soluble sugar content was observed.</p

Phylogenetics of four sections of genus Dendrobium sw. (Orchidaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia

A phylogenetic study of the four sections (Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle, and Bolbidium) of the genus Dendrobium (family Orchidaceae) was conducted by using molecular markers. One of the three largest orchid genera in the family Orchidaceae is the genus Dendrobium with an estimated 1580 species worldwide. In Malaysia, there are more than 250 species of which 86 species are found in Peninsular Malaysia. This genus is distributed from South- East Asia, west to the Himalayas, east to Japan, and south to the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia. Dendrobiums are one of the most popular orchids for their medicinal and commercial values. These plants favor the tropical regions with high annual rainfall and without a significant dry season for growth. Classifications based on morphological characters have not been able to clearly divide these four sections and neither do they support their monophyletic origins. Therefore, detailed analysis using molecular data is required to ascertain their status. In this study, 22 fresh samples of the Dendrobium species were collected and sixteen of them was identified to the species level, whereas the other six were not able to be identified due to the lack of flowering structures that can aid identification. To date, there is no study on the phylogenetic relationship among species of the four sections of the genus Dendrobium in Peninsular Malaysia. Therefore, morphological characters combined with molecular evidence were used to clarify their relationships either to lump them together into one section or to reduce them into two sections or to maintain them in their current sections. Morphological analyses were conducted on the species of the genus Dendrobium belonging to the four sections (Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle and Bolbidium) and the other belonging to the three sections (Dendrobium, Callista and Latouria), which are closely related to them. Molecular studies were carried out for the species of the genus Dendrobium using two phylogenetic analysis methods, Neighbor Joining Method (NJ) as the Distance method and Maximum Parsimony (MP), Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian analysis (BI) as character-based method. Seven nucleotide sequence data sets from three distinct genomes, chloroplast DNA genes (rbcL, matK, and trnL-F), nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS), and low copy nuclear gene (Xdh) were used to construct the cladograms. In addition, the nucleotide sequences of selected genetic markers for some species of the genus Dendrobium were also retrieved from the NCBI database to facilitate the analysis. The morphological analysis showed that sections Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle and Bolbidium formed a monophyletic group compared to three other sections Dendrobium, Callista and Lautoria. The results demonstrated that sections Aporum, Crumenata, and Strongyle were close to one another and were grouped into one clade. Although section Bolbidium was close to them, it formed a different clade by itself. The three other sections included in the analysis formed a separated clade from these four sections. Molecular data showed similar results that supported the four sections forming a monophyletic group, but the relationships among the sections were different when compared to the morphological result. Through molecular study, phylogenetic trees for chloroplast markers, nuclear gene markers and a combination of these markers were constructed based on different phylogenetic analysis methods (MP, ML, BI) using different softwares (PAUP*4.0 B 10, Mr Bayes 3.1.1. and Mega 5). Individual and combined analysis of the five gene regions (rbcL, matK, trnL-F, nrITS and Xdh) supported the monophyletic status (Boot strap Replicate and Posterior Probability more than 90%) of four sections (Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle and Bolbidium) compared to the other three sections (Dendrobium, Callista and Latouria). Most of the ML and BI trees were congruent, whereas the MP trees showed different results. The phylogenetic trees revealed differences among the four sections, but overall, the molecular analyses showed close relationships between sections Aporum and Stongyle, and sections Crumenata and Bolbidium. However, some analyses showed the closeness among three sections Aporum, Strongyle and Bolbidium or among sections Crumenata, Strongyle and Bolbidium. Nevertheless, it was observed that sections Aporum and Strongyle were grouped together in most of the trees. The combined results of two gene regions; Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and low copy nuclear gene (Xdh) showed that the nuclear genes are more reliable markers for the phylogenetic study of Dendrobium compared to the chloroplast DNA with a low level of resolution among the sections. The results from the nuclear markers suggested that the four sections are probably best considered as one section instead of four. Based on the ICBN rules, the name Aporum has a priority to be used for this new classification

Monophyly of four sections of genus Dendrobium (orchidaceae): evidence from nuclear ribosomal DNA intrenal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences

Evolutionary relationship among four sections of the genus Dendrobium (Aporum, Crumenata, Strongyle and Bolbidium) were inferred from nucleotide sequence variation in nuclear ribosomal DNA of Peninsular Malaysia species. The Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA from representative of 29 species of genus Dendrobium and two species of genus Bulbophyllum as out group were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing. Data analyses have been carried out using Maximum Parsimony (MP) as a character based method by different software (PAUP*4. 0 B 10 and Mega 5). Parsimony analyses of sequences resulted in a well-resolved phylogeny. The data suggested that Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) is a reliable marker for the phylogenetic study of Dendrobium compared to previous studies using chloroplast DNA with low resolution level among sections. The results demonstrated that the four sections formed a monophyletic group and that it is best to recognise only one section instead of four. Based on ICBN rules, the name Aporum has a priority to be used for this new classification

Effect of an education-support program on the quality of life, preventive behaviors, and fear of COVID-19 in pregnant women referred to health centers of zahedan, Iran, 2021

---Introduction: During the outbreak of an infectious disease such as Covid-19, pregnant women are considered a high-risk population due to physiological and anatomical changes during pregnancy.&nbsp; The rapid spread of the virus around the world has led to negative psychological consequences, including fear, especially in pregnant women.&nbsp; Mother's fear has been associated with consequences such as premature delivery or post-term delivery, low birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction.&nbsp; Studies have shown that the psychological consequences of this disease can also affect the quality of life of pregnant women and cause a decrease in the quality of life and affect the health of the mother and baby.&nbsp; People's preventive behaviors, including washing hands, not shaking hands, not kissing, home quarantine, etc., can eliminate the disease cycle. Materials and methods: In this experimental-interventional study, 49 people were assigned to each intervention and control group, and the participants were all mothers who met the conditions to enter the study and were between 16 and 28 weeks pregnant.&nbsp