A new method for chlorhexidine (CHX) determination: CHX release after application of differently concentrated CHX-containing preparations on artificial fissures

Aims of the study were (1) to establish a method for quantification of chlorhexidine (CHX) in small volumes and (2) to determine CHX release from differently concentrated CHX-containing preparations, varnishes, and a CHX gel applied on artificial fissures. CHX determination was conducted in a microplate reader using polystyrene wells. The reduced intensity of fluorescence of the microplates was used for CHX quantification. For verification of the technique, intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were calculated for graded series of CHX concentrations, and the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was determined. Additionally, artificial fissures were prepared in 50 bovine enamel samples, divided into five groups (A–E, n = 10) and stored in distilled water (7 days); A: CHX-varnish EC40; B: CHX-varnish Cervitec; C: CHX-gel Chlorhexamed; D: negative control, no CHX application; and E: CXH-diacetate standard (E1, n = 5) or CHX-digluconate (E2, n = 5) in the solution. The specimens were brushed daily, and CHX in the solution was measured. The method showed intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation of <10 and <20%, respectively; LLOQ was 0.91–1.22 nmol/well. The cumulative CHX release (mean ± SD) during the 7 days was: EC40 (217.2 ± 41.8 nmol), CHX-gel (31.3 ± 8.5 nmol), Cervitec (18.6 ± 1.7 nmol). Groups A–C revealed a significantly higher CHX release than group D and a continuous CHX-release with the highest increase from day 0 to 7 for EC40 and the lowest for Chlorhexamed. The new method is a reliable tool to quantify CHX in small volumes. Both tested varnishes demonstrate prolonged and higher CHX release from artificial fissures than the CHX-gel tested

Relationships between serum adiponectin and soluble TNF-α receptors and glucose and lipid oxidation in lean and obese subjects

Insulin resistance might be associated with an impaired ability of insulin to stimulate glucose oxidation and inhibit lipid oxidation. Insulin action is also inversely associated with TNF-α system and positively related to adiponectin. The aim of the present study was to analyze the associations between serum adiponectin, soluble TNF-α receptors concentrations and the whole-body insulin sensitivity, lipid and glucose oxidation, non-oxidative glucose metabolism (NOGM) and metabolic flexibility in lean and obese subjects. We examined 53 subjects: 25 lean (BMI < 25 kg × m−2) and 28 with overweight or obesity (BMI > 25 kg × m−2) with normal glucose tolerance. Hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp and indirect calorimetry were performed. An increase in respiratory exchange ratio in response to insulin was used as a measure of metabolic flexibility. Obese subjects had lower insulin sensitivity, adiponectin and higher sTNFR1 (all P < 0.001) and sTNFR2 (P = 0.001). Insulin sensitivity was positively related to adiponectin (r = 0.49, P < 0.001) and negatively related to sTNFR1 (r = −0.40, P = 0.004) and sTNFR2 (r = −0.52, P < 0.001). Adiponectin was related to the rate of glucose (r = 0.47, P < 0.001) and lipid (r = −0.40, P = 0.003) oxidation during the clamp, NOGM (r = 0.41, P = 0.002) and metabolic flexibility (r = 0.36, P = 0.007). Serum sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 were associated with the rate of glucose (r = −0.45, P = 0.001; r = −0.51, P < 0.001, respectively) and lipid (r = 0.52, P < 0.001; r = 0.46, P = 0.001, respectively) oxidation during hyperinsulinemia, NOGM (r = −0.31, P = 0.02; r = −0.43, P = 0.002, respectively) and metabolic flexibility (r = −0.47 and r = −0.51, respectively, both P < 0.001) in an opposite manner than adiponectin. Our data suggest that soluble TNF-α receptors and adiponectin have multiple effects on glucose and lipid metabolism in obesity

Diffusion of peroxides through dentine in vitro with and without prior use of a desensitizing varnish

Different bleaching regimens are used in dentistry possibly penetrating the dentine and affecting the pulp. The aim of the present study was to investigate peroxide diffusion through dentine pre-treated with a desensitizing varnish (Vivasens®) in a standardized in vitro setup during application of different bleaching materials. The penetration was tested using 1.3-mm-thick bovine dentine slabs. The following bleaching materials were tested with and without prior application of the desensitizing varnish on the external side of the dentine slabs: Vivastyle, Whitestrips, Simply White, Opalescence (external bleaching), and sodium perborate (internal bleaching, only tested without varnish; n = 8 samples per subgroup). The penetration of peroxides was measured photometrically using 4-aminoantipyrin as a substrate, the penetration of peroxides was monitored over 240 min. All bleaching agents yielded a diffusion of peroxides through the dentine, the kinetics of penetration were approximately linear for all materials tested. The significantly highest diffusion of peroxides was observed with Opalescence, the lowest with sodium perborate. The adoption of the desensitizing varnish reduced the diffusion of peroxides significantly for all external bleaching materials. Peroxides penetrated the dentine during application of bleaching materials; the penetration of peroxides can be reduced by application of a desensitizing agent

Long-term follow-up and treatment of congenital alveolar proteinosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and outcome of molecularly defined congenital pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) due to mutations in the GM-CSF receptor are not well known.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 2 1/2 years old girl was diagnosed as having alveolar proteinosis. Whole lung lavages were performed with a new catheter balloon technique, feasible in small sized airways. Because of some interstitial inflammation in the lung biopsy and to further improve the condition, empirical therapy with systemic steroids and azathioprin, and inhaled and subcutaneous GMCSF, were used. Based on clinical measures, total protein and lipid recovered by whole lung lavages, all these treatments were without benefit. Conversely, severe respiratory viral infections and an invasive aspergillosis with aspergilloma formation occurred. Recently the novel homozygous stop mutation p.Ser25X of the GMCSF receptor alpha chain was identified in the patient. This mutation leads to a lack of functional GMCSF receptor and a reduced response to GMCSF stimulation of CD11b expression of mononuclear cells of the patient. Subsequently a very intense treatment with monthly lavages was initiated, resulting for the first time in complete resolution of partial respiratory insufficiency and a significant improvement of the overall somato-psychosocial condition of the child.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The long term management from early childhood into young adolescence of severe alveolar proteinosis due to GMCSF receptor deficiency requires a dedicated specialized team to perform technically demanding whole lung lavages and cope with complications.</p

Using an insect mushroom body circuit to encode route memory in complex natural environments

Ants, like many other animals, use visual memory to follow extended routes through complex environments, but it is unknown how their small brains implement this capability. The mushroom body neuropils have been identified as a crucial memory circuit in the insect brain, but their function has mostly been explored for simple olfactory association tasks. We show that a spiking neural model of this circuit originally developed to describe fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster) olfactory association, can also account for the ability of desert ants (Cataglyphis velox) to rapidly learn visual routes through complex natural environments. We further demonstrate that abstracting the key computational principles of this circuit, which include one-shot learning of sparse codes, enables the theoretical storage capacity of the ant mushroom body to be estimated at hundreds of independent images

Reconciling the stratigraphy and depositional history of the Lycian orogen-top basins, SW Anatolia

Terrestrial fossil records from the SWAnatolian basins are crucial both for regional correlations and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. By reassessing biostratigraphic constraints and incorporating new fossil data, we calibrated and reconstructed the late Neogene andQuaternary palaeoenvironments within a regional palaeogeographical framework. The culmination of the Taurides inSWAnatolia was followed by a regional crustal extension from the late Tortonian onwards that created a broad array of NE-trending orogen-top basins with synchronic associations of alluvial fan, fluvial and lacustrine deposits. The terrestrial basins are superimposed on the upper Burdigalian marine units with a c. 7 myr of hiatus that corresponds to a shift from regional shortening to extension. The initial infill of these basins is documented by a transition from marginal alluvial fans and axial fluvial systems into central shallow-perennial lakes coinciding with a climatic shift from warm/humid to arid conditions. The basal alluvial fan deposits abound in fossil macro-mammals of an early Turolian (MN11–12; late Tortonian) age. The Pliocene epoch in the region was punctuated by subhumid/humid conditions resulting in a rise of local base levels and expansion of lakes as evidenced by marsh-swamp deposits containing diverse fossilmammal assemblages indicating late Ruscinian (lateMN15; late Zanclean) ageWe are grateful for the support of the international bilateral project between The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and The Russian Scientific Foundation (RFBR) with grant a number of 111Y192. M.C.A. is grateful to the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) for a GEBIP (Young Scientist Award) grant. T.K. and S.M. are grateful to the Ege University Scientific Research Center for the TTM/002/2016 and TTM/001/2016 projects. M.C.A., H.A., S.M. and M.B. have obtained Martin and Temmick Fellowships at Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden). F.A.D. is supported by a Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Scientific Research Grant. T.A.N. is supported by an Alexander-von-Humboldt Scholarship. L.H.O. received support from TUBITAK under the 2221 program for visiting scientists

Rapid learning dynamics in individual honeybees during classical conditioning

Associative learning in insects has been studied extensively by a multitude of classical conditioning protocols. However, so far little emphasis has been put on the dynamics of learning in individuals. The honeybee is a well-established animal model for learning and memory. We here studied associative learning as expressed in individual behavior based on a large collection of data on olfactory classical conditioning (25 datasets, 3298 animals). We show that the group-averaged learning curve and memory retention score confound three attributes of individual learning: the ability or inability to learn a given task, the generally fast acquisition of a conditioned response (CR) in learners, and the high stability of the CR during consecutive training and memory retention trials. We reassessed the prevailing view that more training results in better memory performance and found that 24 h memory retention can be indistinguishable after single-trial and multiple-trial conditioning in individuals. We explain how inter-individual differences in learning can be accommodated within the Rescorla Wagner theory of associative learning. In both data-analysis and modeling we demonstrate how the conflict between population-level and single-animal perspectives on learning and memory can be disentangled