Analysis of Representativeness of the Paramo Ecosystem in the Conservation Modalities of the Chimborazo Province

The paramo ecosystem has ecological, social, cultural and economic importance due to the ecosystemic services of supply, regulation, support and culture that it provides to local populations for their well-being, therefore, it needs to be conserved and managed from an ecosystemic approach. The objective of this work is to analyze the conservation modalities that protect the paramo ecosystem in the Chimborazo province. To conduct the research, a systematic review of 30 cartographic sources was carried out, and documentary information on 7 variables of the paramo ecosystem was made, provided by institutions in charge of managing the province's natural resources, and found in articles consulted in scientific and academic databases. Additionally, gray literature has been included through manual search. The results indicate that the Chimborazo province has 17.93% of its extension under conservation modality, through 121 protected natural spaces, distributed in 3 modalities. The paramo ecosystem represents 36.40% of the province's size, and is made up of 9 vegetation formations. 15.10% of this ecosystem are under conservation modality, however, only 3 of the 121 spaces have planning documents for the management of these spaces. Keywords: paramo ecosystem, ecosystem services, conservation modalities. Resumen El ecosistema páramo tiene importancia ecológica, social, cultural y económica por los servicios ecosistémicos de abastecimiento, regulación, soporte y culturales que suministra a las poblaciones locales para su bienestar, por tanto, requiere ser conservado y manejado desde un enfoque ecosistémico. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las modalidades de conservación que protegen el ecosistema páramo en la provincia de Chimborazo. Para llevar a cabo la investigación se realizó una revisión sistémica de 30 fuentes de información cartográfica y documental sobre 7 variables del ecosistema páramo, facilitadas por instituciones encargadas del manejo de los recursos naturales de la provincia, y encontradas en artículos consultados en bases de datos científicas y académicas, adicionalmente se ha incluido literatura gris mediante la búsqueda manual. Los resultados indican que la provincia de Chimborazo tiene 17,93% de su extensión bajo modalidad de conservación, a través de 121 espacios naturales protegidos, distribuidos en 3 modalidades. El ecosistema páramo representa el 36,40% de la extensión de la provincia y está conformada por 9 formaciones vegetales. El 15,10% de éste ecosistema se encuentran bajo modalidad de conservación, sin embargo, únicamente 3 de los 121 espacios poseen documentos para el manejo de estos espacios. Palabras clave: ecosistema páramo, servicios ecosistémicos, modalidades de conservación

In Vitro Biocompatibility of Several Children's Toothpastes on Human Gingival Fibroblasts

The European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry has recommended fluoride toothpastes from the eruption of the first teeth in children. Toothpastes stay in the mouth in contact with human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) for a long time. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the cytotoxicity of five different commonly used children's toothpastes: Oral B Kids +3 (Procter & Gamble, Alicante, Spain), Fluor Kin Calcium (Kin, Madrid, Spain), PHB Junior (PHB, Barcelona, Spain), Colgate +3 (Colgate Palmolive, Madrid, Spain) and Vitis Kids (Dentaid, Valencia, Spain) on hGFs. The children's toothpastes were exposed to hGFs at different concentrations (1:1, 1:2, 1:4). Afterwards, several tests were performed: MTT assays, cell cycle analyses, cell cytoskeleton staining assays, apoptosis/necrosis assays, and ICP-MS and ion chromatography. Oral B displayed the lowest cytotoxicity and was the toothpaste with the highest fluoride ion release; meanwhile, the other toothpastes were cytotoxic (*** p < 0.0001); Fluor Kin being the one with the lowest fluoride ion release. Among all the toothpastes analyzed, Oral B exhibited the best results in vitro in terms of biocompatibility. Future evaluations, both in vitro and in vivo, are required to confirm the biocompatibility of sodium lauryl sarcosinate and sodium lauryl sulfate containing toothpastes

Comparative cytocompatibility and mineralization potential of Bio-C Sealer and TotalFill BC Sealer.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the cytocompatibility and mineralization potential of two premixed hydraulic endodontic sealers compared with an epoxy resin-based root canal sealer. The cellular responses and mineralization capacity were studied in human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) that were exposed to premixed hydraulic sealers, Bio-C Sealer (Angelus, Londrína, PR, Brazil), TotalFill BC Sealer (FKG Dentaire SA, La-Chaux-de-fonds, Switzerland) and an epoxy resin-based material, AH Plus (Dentsply De Trey, Konstanz, Germany). Non-exposed cultures served as the control. The endodontic sealers were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). Statistical analyses were done using Analisis of Variance (ANOVA), with Bonferroni adjusted pairwise comparison (p = 0.05). AH Plus reduced cell viability and cell migration, whereas increased cell viability and cell migration were observed in the Bio-C Sealer and the TotalFill BC Sealer (p < 0.05). The lowest cell attachment and spreading were observed for all concentrations of AH Plus, whereas the highest were observed for TotalFill BC Sealer. At the end of 21 days, only the Bio-C Sealer and the TotalFill BC Sealer supported matrix mineralization (p < 0.05). Additionally, SEM-EDX revealed high content of calcium, oxygen, and silicon in the Bio-C Sealer and the TotalFill BC Sealer. Based on the results from this study, Bio-C Sealer and TotalFill BC Sealer demonstrated better cytocompatibility in terms of cell viability, migration, cell morphology, cell attachment, and mineralization capacity than AH Plus

In Vitro Effect of Putty Calcium Silicate Materials on Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells

New bioactive materials have been developed for retrograde root filling. These materials come into contact with vital tissues and facilitate biomineralization and apical repair. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cytocompatibility and bioactivity of two bioactive cements, Bio-C Repair (Angelus, Londrina, Pr, Brazil) and TotalFill BC RRM putty (FGK, Dentaire SA, La-Chaux-de-fonds, Switzerland). The biological properties in human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) that were exposed to Bio-C Repair and TotalFill BC RRM putty were studied. Cell viability, migration, and cell adhesion were analyzed. Moreover, qPCR and mineralization assay were performed to evaluate the bioactivity potential of these cements. The results were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and the Tukey test (p < 0.05). It was observed that cell viability and cell migration in Bio-C Repair and TotalFill BC RRM putty were similar to the control without statistically significant differences, except at 72 h when TotalFill BC RRM putty was slightly lower (p < 0.05). Excellent cell adhesion and morphology were observed with both Bio-C Repair and TotalFill BC RRM putty. Both cements promoted the osteo- and cementogenic differentiation of hPDLSCs. These results suggest that Bio-C Repair and TotalFill BC RRM putty are biologically appropriate materials to be used as retrograde obturation material

A new perspective on Copper Age technology, economy and settlement: grinding tools at the Valencina mega‑site

Activity patterns at large prehistoric sites are often difficult to interpret, as they frequently combine productive, domestic and funerary components. Valencina, the largest of the Copper Age mega-sites in Iberia, has proved particularly challenging in this regard. Macrolithic tool assemblages have been generally neglected in these debates but can provide specific insight into the nature and patterning of activities. In this study, 185 grinding tools from seven separate excavations across this 450 ha mega-site were subjected to multiple lines of analysis including quantification, morphology, raw material, use-wear and depositional context. A surprising feature of this assemblage is the high degree of fragmentation, with more than half of the items representing less than 25% of the original artefact and only a small minority of them (< 10%) complete. The absence of intact quernstones is particularly striking. The results indicate a ritualization of deposition at Valencina, and throw new light on the interpretation of this complex site. Furthermore, they emphasize the central role that grinding technology should play in future discussion of European prehistoric mega-sites

Influencing Factors in Autotransplantation of Teeth with Open Apex: A Review of the Literature

Dental autotransplantation is the process by which a tooth located in its natural socket is extracted and relocated to another socket in which the tooth is missing or has been extracted due to various reasons such as trauma, extensive caries or periapical pathology, among other reasons. This proposed technique offers a more conservative alternative for patients in comparison with prosthetic or implant techniques, especially in young patients where implants are contraindicated until their maxillary bone system’s growth ends. Thus, the objective of this review was to present a qualitative synthesis of the risk factors that influence the results of open apex dental autotransplantation in humans. After confirming that there are various factors that influence dental autotransplantation, it was concluded that the extra-alveolar time of the donor tooth and the periodontal damage of the root of the donor tooth are the factors of greatest interest in the literature, both closely linked to the use of 3D replication of the transplanted toot

Astrophysics at n-TOF facility

Heavy elements with Z ≥ 30 are made by neutron capture reactions during stellar He burning and presumably in supernovae. This contribution deals mainly with the slow neutron capture (s) process which is responsible for about one half of the abundances in the mass region between Fe and Bi. The slow time scale implies that the reaction path of this process involves mostly stable isotopes which can be studied in detail in laboratory experiments. The neutron time of flight (n_TOF) facility at CERN is a neutron spallation source, its white neutron energy spectrum ranges from thermal to several MeV, covering the full energy range of interest for nuclear astrophysics, in particular for measurements of the neutron capture cross section required in s-process nucleosynthesis. This contribution gives an overview on the astrophysical program made at n_TOF facility, the results and the implications will be considered.European Commission (EC) FIKW-CT-2000-0010