ANCA-associated vasculitis.

The anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAVs) are a group of disorders involving severe, systemic, small-vessel vasculitis and are characterized by the development of autoantibodies to the neutrophil proteins leukocyte proteinase 3 (PR3-ANCA) or myeloperoxidase (MPO-ANCA). The three AAV subgroups, namely granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis and eosinophilic GPA (EGPA), are defined according to clinical features. However, genetic and other clinical findings suggest that these clinical syndromes may be better classified as PR3-positive AAV (PR3-AAV), MPO-positive AAV (MPO-AAV) and, for EGPA, by the presence or absence of ANCA (ANCA+ or ANCA-, respectively). Although any tissue can be involved in AAV, the upper and lower respiratory tract and kidneys are most commonly and severely affected. AAVs have a complex and unique pathogenesis, with evidence for a loss of tolerance to neutrophil proteins, which leads to ANCA-mediated neutrophil activation, recruitment and injury, with effector T cells also involved. Without therapy, prognosis is poor but treatments, typically immunosuppressants, have improved survival, albeit with considerable morbidity from glucocorticoids and other immunosuppressive medications. Current challenges include improving the measures of disease activity and risk of relapse, uncertainty about optimal therapy duration and a need for targeted therapies with fewer adverse effects. Meeting these challenges requires a more detailed knowledge of the fundamental biology of AAV as well as cooperative international research and clinical trials with meaningful input from patients

The role of polymerization cycle and post-pressing time on tooth movement in complete dentures

This study analyzed the influence of polymerization cycle and post-pressing time on tooth movement in complete dentures. Forty maxillary complete dentures were fabricated and randomly assigned to 8 groups (n = 5); the polymerization cycle (conventional long cycle in water bath, fast cycle in boiling water, and by microwave energy) and the post-pressing time (immediate and 6 hours) were varied. Metal reference pins were placed on the incisal border of the central incisors (RI and LI), on the buccal cusp of the first premolars (RP and LP), and on the mesiobuccal cusp of the second molars (RM and LM). Two transverse and 2 anteroposterior distances were measured with a linear optical microscope (Olympus Optical Co., Tokyo, Japan) with an accuracy of .0005 mm, before and after processing the complete dentures. The data collected were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey Test at a significance level of 5%. When Clássico, a conventional heat-polymerizable acrylic resin, was polymerized by microwave energy, tooth movement was statistically significant for 2 distances, with the highest value being observed for the 6-hour post-pressing time. Onda-Cryl microwave acrylic resin processed by microwave energy presented the lowest tooth movement for 2 distances, considering the 6-hour post-pressing time. QC-20 acrylic resin presented no statistically significant change considering both post-pressing times in each distance evaluated. Tooth movement showed an asymmetric behavior, so the mastering of the processing method is essential to the precise execution of all laboratory steps, irrespective of the polymerization cycle and post-pressing time used

Growth rates of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) reared in the field differed under contrasting temperatures

Aquatic insect growth is tightly linked to environmental temperature. Growth rate tends to increase with rising temperatures. Growth rate integrates different factors related to population fitness, being partly responsible for species distribution. We aim to estimate daily growth rates from mayfly nymphs reared under different thermal regimes in the field, during five different periods from 2016 to 2018. Twelve species of mayflies were reared in mesocosms in six streams (from three altitudinal levels with a mean elevation 725, 1069, and 1509 m.a.s.l.). Additionally, we transplanted nymphs between lowest and highest pairs of streams, thus rearing them under a different thermal regime. Temperature and other ambient variables were recorded at regular intervals. Daily growth rate (dgr) of most species resulted lower in the higher pair of streams (colder sites) than in the medium and lower streams (warmer sites). Transplant experiment also clearly showed this tendency: (1) nymphs transplanted to colder thermal regimes grew slower than those reared under their natural (warmer) regime and (2) nymphs transplanted to hotter thermal regimes grew faster than those reared under their original (colder) regime. Nymphs of three species (Americabaetis alphus, Leptohyphes eximius, and Cloeodes penai) did not show differences in growth among treatments. Our findings relating sensitiveness of Ephemeroptera nymphs to small temperature changes suggest that the distribution of some species will modify by increases in temperature derived from climatic change.Fil: Hankel, Guillermo Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical; ArgentinaFil: Molineri, Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical. Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical; Argentin