An In Vitro Study of the Durability of a Proprietary Decalcification Inhibiting Sealant

Plaque accumulation, although undesirable, is prevalent in orthodontic patients with poor oral hygiene and is linked with enamel decalcification. A proposed product designed to seal the tooth around the orthodontic bracket was tested for its durability. It also was evaluated for its ability to seal the enamel. We measured prepared areas of sixty bovine teeth that were divided equally into two groups: a control group, protected with light-cured Concise sealant, and a group treated with the test sealant, Odyssey, both by 3M Unitek. The teeth were thermocycled for 1000 cycles in alternating 5° C and 55° C waterbaths at 10-second intervals each, in order to simulate the intra-oral environment temperature changes. This cycle time is equal to 5.5 hrs. of temperature change. The two groups were then separated into three 10-sample subgroups. Each subgroup was brushed with a different abrasivity toothpaste, for 400 cycles, using the V-8 Crossbrushing machine and Oral B 40 toothbrushes. This process simulated the equivalent of two weeks of toothbrushing (twice a day, five minutes total). The toothpastes used were a high abrasive commercially available dentifrice (Aquafresh - 160 rda), a medium abrasive commercially available dentifrice (Crest - around 105 rda), and a low abrasive dentifrice (Rembrandt original - around 60 rda) The amount of sealant left after abrasion was quantified using NIH Image software and then the percentage of sealant remaining on each tooth was calculated. Additionally, the remaining sealant thickness was evaluated microscopically by comparing Odyssey & Concise SEM photographs of select representative teeth from each sample. Results are: Less of the Odyssey remained on the tooth (approximately 50%), after 2 weeks of simulated brushing compared to Concise (approximately 80% remaining.) There was no significant difference between toothpaste abrasivity (Low, Medium, or High) on wear of both Odyssey and Concise sealants. There were no statistically significant interactions between toothpaste and individual sealant. Under SEM there was no evidence of Odyssey remaining on the tooth surface

Positioning Europe for the EPITRANSCRIPTOMICS challenge

The genetic alphabet consists of the four letters: C, A, G, and T in DNA and C,A,G, and U in RNA. Triplets of these four letters jointly encode 20 different amino acids out of which proteins of all organisms are built. This system is universal and is found in all kingdoms of life. However, bases in DNA and RNA can be chemically modified. In DNA, around 10 different modifications are known, and those have been studied intensively over the past 20 years. Scientific studies on DNA modifications and proteins that recognize them gave rise to the large field of epigenetic and epigenomic research. The outcome of this intense research field is the discovery that development, ageing, and stem-cell dependent regeneration but also several diseases including cancer are largely controlled by the epigenetic state of cells. Consequently, this research has already led to the first FDA approved drugs that exploit the gained knowledge to combat disease. In recent years, the ~150 modifications found in RNA have come to the focus of intense research. Here we provide a perspective on necessary and expected developments in the fast expanding area of RNA modifications, termed epitranscriptomics.SCOPUS: no.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The Forward Physics Facility at the High-Luminosity LHC

High energy collisions at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produce a large number of particles along the beam collision axis, outside of the acceptance of existing LHC experiments. The proposed Forward Physics Facility (FPF), to be located several hundred meters from the ATLAS interaction point and shielded by concrete and rock, will host a suite of experiments to probe standard model (SM) processes and search for physics beyond the standard model (BSM). In this report, we review the status of the civil engineering plans and the experiments to explore the diverse physics signals that can be uniquely probed in the forward region. FPF experiments will be sensitive to a broad range of BSM physics through searches for new particle scattering or decay signatures and deviations from SM expectations in high statistics analyses with TeV neutrinos in this low-background environment. High statistics neutrino detection will also provide valuable data for fundamental topics in perturbative and non-perturbative QCD and in weak interactions. Experiments at the FPF will enable synergies between forward particle production at the LHC and astroparticle physics to be exploited. We report here on these physics topics, on infrastructure, detector, and simulation studies, and on future directions to realize the FPF's physics potential

The Forward Physics Facility at the High-Luminosity LHC

International audienceHigh energy collisions at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produce a large number of particles along the beam collision axis, outside of the acceptance of existing LHC experiments. The proposed Forward Physics Facility (FPF), to be located several hundred meters from the ATLAS interaction point and shielded by concrete and rock, will host a suite of experiments to probe Standard Model (SM) processes and search for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). In this report, we review the status of the civil engineering plans and the experiments to explore the diverse physics signals that can be uniquely probed in the forward region. FPF experiments will be sensitive to a broad range of BSM physics through searches for new particle scattering or decay signatures and deviations from SM expectations in high statistics analyses with TeV neutrinos in this low-background environment. High statistics neutrino detection will also provide valuable data for fundamental topics in perturbative and non-perturbative QCD and in weak interactions. Experiments at the FPF will enable synergies between forward particle production at the LHC and astroparticle physics to be exploited. We report here on these physics topics, on infrastructure, detector, and simulation studies, and on future directions to realize the FPF's physics potential