Stunted root development: a rare dental complication of Stevens-Johnson syndrome

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe cutaneous reaction seen rarely in clinical practice. Most often, it occurs as an adverse reaction to certain drugs. When it affects children at a very young age, arrested tooth root development may also be seen. We present a case of a 13 year old boy who suffered from SJ syndrome at the age of 7 years. Incomplete root development was observed in all teeth, as demonstrated by panaromic radiography. Clinical features of this condition and its management are further discussed. We aim to emphasise on the need for dental practitioners to be aware of the potential dental complications of SJS and enable them to recognise and manage the condition at the earliest so as to avoid any undesirable sequelae

The Technological Revolution in Sport and Exercise Science: Impacts on Performance

A revolution in the field of sport and exercise science has been ushered in by the rapid growth of technology. This revolution has had a significant impact on performance and has redefined the concept of the athletic body. This article investigates the transformative role that technology plays in sports, with a particular emphasis on the effect that it has on improving performance. In this paper, we will delve into the concepts of technology and the goal of enhanced athletic achievements. We will then analyse the many different forms of sport technologies that have transformed the landscape of modern sports. However, the extensive use of technology also brings with it feelings of irritation and ambivalence. This is because the pervasiveness of technological improvements frequently obscures the true degree of their influence and creates questions over the role that they play in sports. It is essential for many stakeholders in the sport industry, such as managers, players, and coaches, to make educated judgements regarding the technologies' selection and application in order to fully exploit the potential offered by these innovations. This article provides a thoughtful review of the benefits and drawbacks associated with technological advancements in sports, challenging readers to make educated decisions that will propel athletic performance to new heights

Tuberculosis masquerading carcinoma cervix and carcinoma endometrium: 2 case reports

Tuberculosis is a common infection in developing countries but genital tuberculosis is less common, confused with malignancy and difficult to diagnose at times. We present 2 cases of genital tuberculosis where a clinical diagnosis of malignancy was made and tuberculosis surprised us once again. This case report is intended to emphasize to suspect tuberculosis in young patients on the basis of history and examination to be later supported by investigations.

Elaboration and properties of plasticised chitosan-based exfoliated nano-biocomposites

A series of plasticised chitosan-based materials and nanocomposites were successfully prepared by thermomechanical kneading. During the processing, the montmorillonite (MMT) platelets were fully delaminated. The nanoclay type and content and the preparation method were seen to have an impact on the crystallinity, morphology, glass transition temperature, and mechanical properties of the samples. When higher content (5%) of MMT–Na+ or either content (2.5% or 5%) of chitosan-organomodified MMT (OMMT–Ch) was used, increases in crystallinity and glass transition temperature were observed. Compared to the neat chitosan, the plasticised chitosan-based nano-biocomposites showed drastically improved mechanical properties, which can be ascribed to the excellent dispersion and exfoliation of nanoclay and the strong affinity between the nanoclay and the chitosan matrix. The best mechanical properties obtained were Young's modulus of 164.3 MPa, tensile strength of 13.9 MPa, elongation at break of 62.1%, and energy at break of 0.671 MPa. While the degree of biodegradation was obviously increased by the presence of glycerol, a further increase might be observed especially by the addition of unmodified nanoclay. This could surprisingly contribute to full (100%) biodegradation after 160 days despite the well-known antimicrobial property of chitosan. The results in this study demonstrate the great potential of plasticised chitosan-based nano-biocomposites in applications such as e.g., biodegradable packaging materials

Phylum Verrucomicrobia representatives share a compartmentalized cell plan with members of bacterial phylum Planctomycetes

BACKGROUND: The phylum Verrucomicrobia is a divergent phylum within domain Bacteria including members of the microbial communities of soil and fresh and marine waters; recently extremely acidophilic members from hot springs have been found to oxidize methane. At least one genus, Prosthecobacter, includes species with genes homologous to those encoding eukaryotic tubulins. A significant superphylum relationship of Verrucomicrobia with members of phylum Planctomycetes possessing a unique compartmentalized cell plan, and members of the phylum Chlamydiae including human pathogens with a complex intracellular life cycle, has been proposed. Based on the postulated superphylum relationship, we hypothesized that members of the two separate phyla Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia might share a similar ultrastructure plan differing from classical prokaryote organization. RESULTS: The ultrastructure of cells of four members of phylum Verrucomicrobia – Verrucomicrobium spinosum, Prosthecobacter dejongeii, Chthoniobacter flavus, and strain Ellin514 – was examined using electron microscopy incorporating high-pressure freezing and cryosubstitution. These four members of phylum Verrucomicrobia, representing 3 class-level subdivisions within the phylum, were found to possess a compartmentalized cell plan analogous to that found in phylum Planctomycetes. Like all planctomycetes investigated, they possess a major pirellulosome compartment containing a condensed nucleoid and ribosomes surrounded by an intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM), as well as a ribosome-free paryphoplasm compartment between the ICM and cytoplasmic membrane. CONCLUSION: A unique compartmentalized cell plan so far found among Domain Bacteria only within phylum Planctomycetes, and challenging our concept of prokaryote cell plans, has now been found in a second phylum of the Domain Bacteria, in members of phylum Verrucomicrobia. The planctomycete cell plan thus occurs in at least two distinct phyla of the Bacteria, phyla which have been suggested from other evidence to be related phylogenetically in the proposed PVC (Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobia-Chlamydiae) superphylum. This planctomycete cell plan is present in at least 3 of 6 subdivisions of Verrucomicrobia, suggesting that the common ancestor of the verrucomicrobial phylum was also compartmentalized and possessed such a plan. The presence of this compartmentalized cell plan in both phylum Planctomycetes and phylum Verrucomicrobia suggest that the last common ancestor of these phyla was also compartmentalized

Detection and Cultivation of Soil Verrucomicrobia

Only one isolate each of the class “Spartobacteria” (subdivision 2 of the phylum Verrucomicrobia) and of subdivision 3 of Verrucomicrobia have previously been reported to grow in laboratory culture. Using media that had been used successfully in other studies to isolate members of diverse groups of soil bacteria, we generated a collection of over 1,200 isolates from soil from a pasture. An oligonucleotide probe that targets the 16S rRNA genes of verrucomicrobia was used to screen this collection, and 14 new verrucomicrobia were identified. Nine of these belonged to the class “Spartobacteria” and were related to “Chthoniobacter flavus.” Five further isolates were members of subdivision 3 and were related to the only known isolate of this subdivision. The differences in the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the new isolates and previously described isolates, of up to 10%, indicated that the new isolates represent new species and genera. All but two of the verrucomicrobial isolates were from colonies that first became visible one or more months after inoculation of plates with soil, but subcultures grew more rapidly. Analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes in the pasture soil showed that members of the class “Spartobacteria” were more numerous than members of subdivision 3. Isolates of subdivision 3 were only found on plates receiving an inoculum that yielded a mean of 29 colonies per plate, while members of the class “Spartobacteria” were only found on plates receiving a more dilute inoculum that resulted in a mean of five colonies per plate. This suggested that colony development by members of the class “Spartobacteria” was inhibited by other culturable bacteria

Chthoniobacter flavus gen. nov., sp. nov., the First Pure-Culture Representative of Subdivision Two, Spartobacteria classis nov., of the Phylum Verrucomicrobia

The phylum Verrucomicrobia is increasingly recognized as an environmentally significant group of bacteria, particularly in soil habitats. At least six subdivisions of the Verrucomicrobia are resolved by comparative analysis of 16S rRNA genes, mostly obtained directly from environmental samples. To date, only two of these subdivisions (1 and 4) have characterized pure-culture representatives. We have isolated and characterized the first known pure-culture representative of subdivision 2. Strain Ellin428 is an aerobic heterotrophic bacterium that is able to grow with many of the saccharide components of plant biomass but does not grow with amino acids or organic acids other than pyruvate. Cells are yellow, rod-shaped, nonmotile, and gram-stain negative, and they contain peptidoglycan with direct cross-linkages of the A1γ meso-Dpm type. The isolate grows well at 25°C on a variety of standard biological media, including some used in the routine cultivation of bacteria from soil. The pH range for growth is 4.0 to 7.0. Low levels of menaquinones MK-10 and MK-11 were detected. The major cellular fatty acids are C(14:0), a-C(15:0), C(16:1ω7c), and/or 2OH i-C(15:0), and C(16:0). The G+C content of the genomic DNA is 61 mol%. We propose a new genus and species, Chthoniobacter flavus gen. nov., sp. nov., with isolate Ellin428 as the type strain, and a new class for the subdivision to which it belongs, Spartobacteria classis nov. Environmental sequences indicate that the class Spartobacteria is largely represented by globally distributed, abundant, and active soil bacteria

Phase Transition of Waxy and Normal Wheat Starch Granules during Gelatinization

The phase transition of waxy and normal wheat starches was systematically studied by light microscopy (LM) with a hot-stage, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). While being heated in water, waxy wheat starch showed a higher gelatinization enthalpy than that for the normal starch, which was also verified by the changes in birefringence. As confirmed by LM and CLSM, starch granules displayed an increased swelling degree with temperature increasing, and the gelatinization initially occurred at the hilum (botanical center) of the granules and then spread rapidly to the periphery. While the temperature range of birefringence was narrower than that of granule size change, the crystalline structure was melted at lower temperatures than those for the molecular orders. These results indicate that starch gelatinization was a complex process rather than a simple order-to-disorder granule transition

Tuberculosis masquerading carcinoma cervix and carcinoma endometrium: 2 case reports

Tuberculosis is a common infection in developing countries but genital tuberculosis is less common, confused with malignancy and difficult to diagnose at times. We present 2 cases of genital tuberculosis where a clinical diagnosis of malignancy was made and tuberculosis surprised us once again. This case report is intended to emphasize to suspect tuberculosis in young patients on the basis of history and examination to be later supported by investigations.