Geochemical characterization of fluoride in water, table salt, active sediment, rock and soil samples, and its possible relationship with the prevalence of enamel fluorosis in children in four municipalities of the department of Huila (Colombia)

Fluoride is an element that affects teeth and bone formation in animals and humans. Though the use of systemic fluoride is an evidence-based caries preventive measure, excessive ingestion can impair tooth development, mainly the mineralization of tooth enamel, leading to a condition known as enamel fluorosis. In this study, we investigated the geochemical characterization of fluoride in water, table salt, active sediment, rock and soil samples in four endemic enamel fluorosis sentinel municipalities of the department of Huila, Colombia (Pitalito, Altamira, El Agrado and Rivera), and its possible relationship with the prevalence of enamel fluorosis in children. The concentration of fluoride in drinking water, table salt, active sediment, rock, and soil was evaluated by means of an ion selective electrode and the geochemical analyses were performed using X-ray fluorescence. Geochemical analysis revealed fluoride concentrations under 15 mg/kg in active sediment, rock and soil samples, not indicative of a significant delivery to the watersheds studied. The concentration of fluoride in table salt was found to be under the inferior limit (less than 180 μg/g) established by the Colombian regulations. Likewise, exposure doses for fluoride water intake did not exceed the recommended total dose for all ages from 6 months. Although the evidence does not point out at rocks, soils, fluoride-bearing minerals, fluoridated salt and water, the hypothesis of these elements as responsible of the current prevalence of enamel fluorosis cannot be discarded since, aqueducts might have undergone significant changes overtime

CariesCare International adapted for the pandemic in children: Caries OUT multicentre single-group interventional study protocol

Fil: Martignon, Stefania. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Douglas, Gail V. A. University of Leeds. Dental Public Health. Dental Institute; United Kingdom.Fil: Cortes, Andrea. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Newton, J. Timothy. King’s College. Faculty of Dentistry. Oral and Craniofacial Sciences; United Kingdom.Fil: Pitts, Nigel B. King’s College. Faculty of Dentistry. Oral and Craniofacial Sciences; United Kingdom.Fil: Ávila, Viviana. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Usuga Vacca, Margarita. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Usuga Vacca, Margarita. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Gamboa, Luis F. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Deery, Christopher. University of Sheffield. School of Clinical Dentistry; United Kingdom.Fil: Abreu - Placeres, Ninoska. Universidad Iberoamericana. Biomaterials and Dentistry Research Center. Academic Research Department; República Dominicana.Fil: Bonifacio, Clarisa. Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam. Department of Pediatric Dentistry; Países Bajos.Background: Comprehensive caries care has shown effectiveness in controlling caries progression and improving health outcomes by controlling caries risk, preventing initial-caries lesions progression, and patient satisfaction. To date, the caries-progression control effectiveness of the patient-centred risk-based cariesCare International (CCI) system, derived from ICCMS™ for the practice (2019), remains unproven. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic a previously planned multi-centre RCT shifted to this “Caries OUT” study, aiming to assess in a single-intervention group in children, the caries-control effectiveness of CCI adapted for the pandemic with non-aerosols generating procedures (non-AGP) and reducing in-office time. Methods: In this 1-year multi-centre single-group interventional trial the adapted-CCI effectiveness will be assessed in one single group in terms of tooth-surface level caries progression control, and secondarily, individual-level caries progression control, children’s oral-health behaviour change, parents’ and dentists’ process acceptability, and costs exploration. A sample size of 258 3–5 and 6–8 years old patients was calculated after removing half from the previous RCT, allowing for a 25% dropout, including generally health children (27 per centre). The single-group intervention will be the adapted-CCI 4D-cycle caries care, with non-AGP and reduced in-office appointments’ time. A trained examiner per centre will conduct examinations at baseline, at 5–5.5 months (3 months after basic management), 8.5 and 12 months, assessing the child’s CCI caries risk and oral-health behaviour, visually staging and assessing carieslesions severity and activity without air-drying (ICDAS-merged Epi); fillings/sealants; missing/dental-sepsis teeth, and tooth symptoms, synthetizing together with parent and external-trained dental practitioner (DP) the patient- and tooth-surface level diagnoses and personalised care plan. DP will deliver the adapted-CCI caries care. Parents’ and dentists’ process acceptability will be assessed via Treatment-Evaluation-Inventory questionnaires, and costs in terms of number of appointments and activities. Twenty-one centres in 13 countries will participate. Discussion: The results of Caries OUT adapted for the pandemic will provide clinical data that could help support shifting the caries care in children towards individualised oral-health behaviour improvement and tooth-preserving care, improving health outcomes, and explore if the caries progression can be controlled during the pandemic by conducting non-AGP and reducing in-office time.publishedVersionFil: Martignon, Stefania. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Douglas, Gail V. A. University of Leeds. Dental Public Health. Dental Institute; United Kingdom.Fil: Cortes, Andrea. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Newton, J. Timothy. King’s College. Faculty of Dentistry. Oral and Craniofacial Sciences; United Kingdom.Fil: Pitts, Nigel B. King’s College. Faculty of Dentistry. Oral and Craniofacial Sciences; United Kingdom.Fil: Ávila, Viviana. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Usuga Vacca, Margarita. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Usuga Vacca, Margarita. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Gamboa, Luis F. Universidad El Bosque. Caries Research Unit. Research Department; Colombia.Fil: Deery, Christopher. University of Sheffield. School of Clinical Dentistry; United Kingdom.Fil: Abreu - Placeres, Ninoska. Universidad Iberoamericana. Biomaterials and Dentistry Research Center. Academic Research Department; República Dominicana.Fil: Bonifacio, Clarisa. Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam. Department of Pediatric Dentistry; Países Bajos.Otras Ciencias de la Salu

Low stomatal sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit in irrigated common, lima and tepary beans

A limited transpiration rate under high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) could be used to conserve soil water for later use under drought conditions. Many crops show this behavior either as limited transpiration or decreases in stomatal conductance. However, little work has been done in Phaseolus. Four experiments evaluated stomatal closure across a range of VPD for well-watered plants, each experiment using varying combinations of genotypes of common (15), lima (6) and tepary beans (7 genotypes). A two-year experiment found genotypic variation in average stomatal conductance, but genotypes only had 14% stomatal closure between a VPD of 1–4kPa. In comparison, soybean, which is known to close stomata, had a 40% decrease for similar conditions in Davis, CA, USA. In a second field experiment and outdoor pot experiments, genotypes from the three species displayed, on average, a 34, 50–45% increase in stomatal conductance with increasing VPD. Six genotypes were statistically indistinguishable from a 40% decrease, but all had low probability (p<0.21) of having 40% closure, and some showed little closure in other experiments. The VPD range measured in this study was large relative to the range for hot, arid California, thus the results are generalizable: most Phaseolus beans are not expected to have appreciable stomatal closure under well-watered conditions. Thus, there is limited evidence that Phaseolus has somegenetic diversity in stomatal responses to VPD, relative to that shown in other species. However, there was constitutive genetic variation in species and genotypic stomatal conductance under low VPD conditions

Low stomatal sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit in irrigated common, lima and tepary beans

A limited transpiration rate under high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) could be used to conserve soil water for later use under drought conditions. Many crops show this behavior either as limited transpiration or decreases in stomatal conductance. However, little work has been done in Phaseolus. Four experiments evaluated stomatal closure across a range of VPD for well-watered plants, each experiment using varying combinations of genotypes of common (15), lima (6) and tepary beans (7 genotypes). A two-year experiment found genotypic variation in average stomatal conductance, but genotypes only had 14% stomatal closure between a VPD of 1–4kPa. In comparison, soybean, which is known to close stomata, had a 40% decrease for similar conditions in Davis, CA, USA. In a second field experiment and outdoor pot experiments, genotypes from the three species displayed, on average, a 34, 50–45% increase in stomatal conductance with increasing VPD. Six genotypes were statistically indistinguishable from a 40% decrease, but all had low probability (p<0.21) of having 40% closure, and some showed little closure in other experiments. The VPD range measured in this study was large relative to the range for hot, arid California, thus the results are generalizable: most Phaseolus beans are not expected to have appreciable stomatal closure under well-watered conditions. Thus, there is limited evidence that Phaseolus has somegenetic diversity in stomatal responses to VPD, relative to that shown in other species. However, there was constitutive genetic variation in species and genotypic stomatal conductance under low VPD conditions

Epidemiology of Erosive Tooth Wear, Dental Fluorosis and Molar Incisor Hypomineralization in the American Continent

Non-carious dental lesions such as developmental defects of enamel (DDE) and erosive tooth wear (ETW) are the subject of intensive research. This paper aims to give perspectives on both DDE, including dental fluorosis and molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH), and ETW, presenting epidemiological data from the Americas and associated diagnostic aspects. Besides, it is important to present evidence to guide the clinical assessment process, supporting the clinicians' management decisions towards better oral health of their patients. The overall increase in the worldwide prevalence of non-carious lesions discussed in this this paper may reflect the need of perceptual changes. Although the number of publications related to these conditions has been increasing in the last years, there is still a need for clinical diagnostic and management awareness to include these conditions in routine dental practice. Besides, it is important to provide recommendations for standardized clinical assessment criteria, improving the process and helping clinicians' adherence. In this sense, this paper discusses the most commonly implemented indices for each condition. Thus, despite the wide range of diagnostic indices, BEWE is proposed to be the index recommended for ETW assessment, Dean or Thylstrup & Fejerskov indices for fluorosis and preferably the EAPD criteria (or modified DDE index) for MIH. Overall, non-carious lesions are a growing concern, and it is important to implement preventive measures that control their severity and progression, and accurate diagnosis by the dental clinician

Root and shoot variation in relation to potential intermittent drought adaptation of Mesoamerican wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

BackgroundWild crop relatives have been potentially subjected to stresses on an evolutionary time scale prior to domestication. Among these stresses, drought is one of the main factors limiting crop productivity and its impact is likely to increase under current scenarios of global climate change. We sought to determine to what extent wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) exhibited adaptation to drought stress, whether this potential adaptation is dependent on the climatic conditions of the location of origin of individual populations, and to what extent domesticated common bean reflects potential drought adaptation.MethodsAn extensive and diverse set of wild beans from across Mesoamerica, along with a set of reference Mesoamerican domesticated cultivars, were evaluated for root and shoot traits related to drought adaptation. A water deficit experiment was conducted by growing each genotype in a long transparent tube in greenhouse conditions so that root growth, in addition to shoot growth, could be monitored.ResultsPhenotypic and landscape genomic analyses, based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms, suggested that beans originating from central and north-west Mexico and Oaxaca, in the driest parts of their distribution, produced more biomass and were deeper-rooted. Nevertheless, deeper rooting was correlated with less root biomass production relative to total biomass. Compared with wild types, domesticated types showed a stronger reduction and delay in growth and development in response to drought stress. Specific genomic regions were associated with root depth, biomass productivity and drought response, some of which showed signals of selection and were previously related to productivity and drought tolerance.ConclusionsThe drought tolerance of wild beans consists in its stronger ability, compared with domesticated types, to continue growth in spite of water-limited conditions. This study is the first to relate bean response to drought to environment of origin for a diverse selection of wild beans. It provides information that needs to be corroborated in crosses between wild and domesticated beans to make it applicable to breeding programmes

Posible alternancia del ciclo de reposo-actividad y comportamiento de vigilancia en macacos de cola de muñón macho periféricos (Macaca arctoides) en cautiverio exterior: un informe preliminar

En grupos de primates, la estructura social emerge como respuesta a las presiones del ambiente, la cual tiene un impacto importante sobre la detección de los depredadores, la ganancia en el alimento y la reproducción. A su vez, estas actividades se ven favorecidas por variables como las categorías de sexo y edad, lo que sugiere que en grupos socialmente establecidos de primates las actividades individuales dependen de la jerarquía social, el sexo y la edad. Lo anterior indica que el dominio es un factor que afecta la conducta. Con respecto a la noche, en especies diurnas, los arreglos y la distribución nocturnos de los miembros es una estrategia de antidepredación, que incrementa la identificación de los depredadores y la posibilidad de defensa en grupos extensos. El reconocimiento de una organización social en primates sugiere que durante el ciclo de reposo-actividad hay funciones asociadas con la vigilancia y que ésta probablemente se alterna entre sujetos. En este estudio examinamos las condiciones conductuales de reposoactividad de dos machos adultos periféricos de un grupo socialmente establecido de macacos cola de muñón (M. Arctoides). Cada sujeto fue monitoreado durante dos periodos continuos de 24 horas, para alcanzar un total de 96 horas de registro. Las condiciones de reposoactividad de ambos sujetos se agruparon en cuatro condiciones: Condición 1. Sujeto A reposo, sujeto B reposo; Condición 2. Sujeto A reposo, sujeto B activo; Condición 3. Sujeto A activo, sujeto B reposo; Condición 4. Sujeto A activo, sujeto B activo. Los valores obtenidos fueron comparados mediante una prueba de concordancia. Los resultados revelaron que los dos machos periféricos alternaron su ciclo de reposo-actividad. Esto es, cuando el sujeto A reposa, el sujeto B está activo. Los resultados se discuten en el sentido de que la alternancia de reposo-actividad es una adaptación natural, cuya función es cuidar al grupo de posibles ataques externos.Social structures emerge in primate groups mainly as a response to environmental pressures. Social structure impacts significantly on predator detection, food gathering and reproduction, and it is also an indicator of social condition and age and sex categories within the group. Differentiated activities which depend on social status, sex and age have been described in established social groups of primates. Dominance patterns influence the behavior of some species. It seems that the night-time spatial arrangement of members of a primate group is an anti-predation strategy, either by increasing detection and defensive capabilities in the case of large sleeping groups, or by emphasizing inconspicuousness in the case of more solitary sleepers. The persistence of social organization during rest-activity cycles in primate groups allows for the prediction that individuals in a group having the same monitoring needs may alternate their rest-activity condition to assure vigilance. In this study, we examined the rest and activity conditions of two peripheral individuals in an established social group of M. arctoides. Each subject was videorecorded twice for two continous periods of 24 hours each, totaling a videorecording of 96 hours. The rest and activity conditions observed in both subjects were grouped in the four possible conditions: Condition 1. Subject A resting, subject B resting; Condition 2. Subject A resting, subject B active; Condition 3. Subject A active, subject B resting; Condition 4. Subject A active, subject B active. These were compared with a concordance test. Results revealed that peripheral males alternated their rest-activity cycles. That is, while one subject was resting, the other remained active. The possibility that rest-activity alternation is an adaptation to maintain constant vigilance is discussed

Posible alternancia del ciclo de reposo-actividad y comportamiento de vigilancia en macacos de cola de muñón macho periféricos (Macaca arctoides) en cautiverio exterior: un informe preliminar

En grupos de primates, la estructura social emerge como respuesta a las presiones del ambiente, la cual tiene un impacto importante sobre la detección de los depredadores, la ganancia en el alimento y la reproducción. A su vez, estas actividades se ven favorecidas por variables como las categorías de sexo y edad, lo que sugiere que en grupos socialmente establecidos de primates las actividades individuales dependen de la jerarquía social, el sexo y la edad. Lo anterior indica que el dominio es un factor que afecta la conducta. Con respecto a la noche, en especies diurnas, los arreglos y la distribución nocturnos de los miembros es una estrategia de antidepredación, que incrementa la identificación de los depredadores y la posibilidad de defensa en grupos extensos. El reconocimiento de una organización social en primates sugiere que durante el ciclo de reposo-actividad hay funciones asociadas con la vigilancia y que ésta probablemente se alterna entre sujetos. En este estudio examinamos las condiciones conductuales de reposoactividad de dos machos adultos periféricos de un grupo socialmente establecido de macacos cola de muñón (M. Arctoides). Cada sujeto fue monitoreado durante dos periodos continuos de 24 horas, para alcanzar un total de 96 horas de registro. Las condiciones de reposoactividad de ambos sujetos se agruparon en cuatro condiciones: Condición 1. Sujeto A reposo, sujeto B reposo; Condición 2. Sujeto A reposo, sujeto B activo; Condición 3. Sujeto A activo, sujeto B reposo; Condición 4. Sujeto A activo, sujeto B activo. Los valores obtenidos fueron comparados mediante una prueba de concordancia. Los resultados revelaron que los dos machos periféricos alternaron su ciclo de reposo-actividad. Esto es, cuando el sujeto A reposa, el sujeto B está activo. Los resultados se discuten en el sentido de que la alternancia de reposo-actividad es una adaptación natural, cuya función es cuidar al grupo de posibles ataques externos.Social structures emerge in primate groups mainly as a response to environmental pressures. Social structure impacts significantly on predator detection, food gathering and reproduction, and it is also an indicator of social condition and age and sex categories within the group. Differentiated activities which depend on social status, sex and age have been described in established social groups of primates. Dominance patterns influence the behavior of some species. It seems that the night-time spatial arrangement of members of a primate group is an anti-predation strategy, either by increasing detection and defensive capabilities in the case of large sleeping groups, or by emphasizing inconspicuousness in the case of more solitary sleepers. The persistence of social organization during rest-activity cycles in primate groups allows for the prediction that individuals in a group having the same monitoring needs may alternate their rest-activity condition to assure vigilance. In this study, we examined the rest and activity conditions of two peripheral individuals in an established social group of M. arctoides. Each subject was videorecorded twice for two continous periods of 24 hours each, totaling a videorecording of 96 hours. The rest and activity conditions observed in both subjects were grouped in the four possible conditions: Condition 1. Subject A resting, subject B resting; Condition 2. Subject A resting, subject B active; Condition 3. Subject A active, subject B resting; Condition 4. Subject A active, subject B active. These were compared with a concordance test. Results revealed that peripheral males alternated their rest-activity cycles. That is, while one subject was resting, the other remained active. The possibility that rest-activity alternation is an adaptation to maintain constant vigilance is discussed

Root and shoot variation in relation to potential intermittent drought adaptation of Mesoamerican wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

BackgroundWild crop relatives have been potentially subjected to stresses on an evolutionary time scale prior to domestication. Among these stresses, drought is one of the main factors limiting crop productivity and its impact is likely to increase under current scenarios of global climate change. We sought to determine to what extent wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) exhibited adaptation to drought stress, whether this potential adaptation is dependent on the climatic conditions of the location of origin of individual populations, and to what extent domesticated common bean reflects potential drought adaptation.MethodsAn extensive and diverse set of wild beans from across Mesoamerica, along with a set of reference Mesoamerican domesticated cultivars, were evaluated for root and shoot traits related to drought adaptation. A water deficit experiment was conducted by growing each genotype in a long transparent tube in greenhouse conditions so that root growth, in addition to shoot growth, could be monitored.ResultsPhenotypic and landscape genomic analyses, based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms, suggested that beans originating from central and north-west Mexico and Oaxaca, in the driest parts of their distribution, produced more biomass and were deeper-rooted. Nevertheless, deeper rooting was correlated with less root biomass production relative to total biomass. Compared with wild types, domesticated types showed a stronger reduction and delay in growth and development in response to drought stress. Specific genomic regions were associated with root depth, biomass productivity and drought response, some of which showed signals of selection and were previously related to productivity and drought tolerance.ConclusionsThe drought tolerance of wild beans consists in its stronger ability, compared with domesticated types, to continue growth in spite of water-limited conditions. This study is the first to relate bean response to drought to environment of origin for a diverse selection of wild beans. It provides information that needs to be corroborated in crosses between wild and domesticated beans to make it applicable to breeding programmes