Comparison of dentoskeletal and soft tissue changes between tooth-borne and tooth-bone-borne hybrid nonsurgical rapid maxillary expansions in adults: a retrospective observational study

Abstract Background Despite the gradual increase in the use of rapid maxillary expansion (RME), specifically RME with the aid of skeletal anchorage in adults, there have been no reports comparing dentoskeletal and soft tissue changes between nonsurgical tooth-borne and tooth-bone-borne RMEs in adults. This study aimed to analyse differences in dentoskeletal and soft tissue changes between tooth-borne and tooth-bone-borne RMEs using a similar appliance design and the same expansion protocol in adult patients. Methods Twenty-one patients with tooth-borne expansion (a conventional expansion screw with two premolars and two molar bands for dental anchorage [T-RME]) and the same number of patients with tooth-bone-borne hybrid expansion (a conventional expansion screw with two premolar and two molar bands for dental anchorage and four mini-implants in the palate for skeletal anchorage [H-RME]) were included. Dentoskeletal and soft tissue variables at pretreatment (T1) and after expansion (T2) were measured using posteroanterior and lateral cephalograms and frontal photographs. The sex distribution of the two groups was analysed using the chi-square test, and the change after RME in each group was evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Differences in pretreatment age, expansion duration, post-expansion duration, and dentoskeletal and soft tissue changes after RME between the two groups were determined using the Mann–Whitney U test. Results There were no significant differences in the expansion protocol, pretreatment conditions, and sex distribution between the two groups. Despite similar degrees of dental expansion at the crown level between the two groups, H-RME induced increased skeletal and parallel expansion of the maxilla compared to T-RME. After expansion, H-RME demonstrated increased forward displacement of the maxilla without significant changes in the vertical dimension, while T-RME exhibited increased backward displacement of the mandible, increased vertical dimension, and decreased overbite. Both groups showed significant retroclination and extrusion of the maxillary incisors without significant intergroup differences. There were no significant soft tissue changes between the two groups. Conclusion This study suggests that using skeletal anchorage in RME may induce increased skeletal and parallel expansion of the maxilla without significant effects on the vertical dimension

Infantile Marfan syndrome in a Korean tertiary referral center

PurposeInfantile Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a rare congenital inheritable connective tissue disorder with poor prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular manifestations and overall prognosis of infantile MFS diagnosed in a tertiary referral center in Korea.MethodsEight patients diagnosed with infantile MFS between 2004 and 2014 were retrospectively evaluated.ResultsTheir median age at the time of diagnosis was 2.5 months (range, 0–20 months). The median follow-up period was 25.5 months (range, 0–94 months). The median length at birth was 50.0 cm (range, 48–53 cm); however, height became more prominent over time, and the patients were taller than the 97th percentile at the time of the study. None of the patients had any relevant family history. Four of the 5 patients who underwent DNA sequencing had a fibrillin 1 gene mutation. All the patients with echocardiographic data of the aortic root had a z score of >2. All had mitral and tricuspid valve prolapse, and various degrees of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. Five patients underwent open-heart surgery, including mitral valve replacement, of whom two required multiple operations. The median age at mitral valve replacement was 28.5 months (range, 5–69 months). Seven patients showed congestive heart failure before surgery or during follow-up, and required multiple anti-heart failure medications. Four patients died of heart failure at a median age of 12 months.ConclusionThe prognosis of infantile MFS is poor; thus, early diagnosis and timely cautious treatment are essential to prevent further morbidity and mortality

Functional role of aspartic proteinase cathepsin D in insect metamorphosis

BACKGROUND: Metamorphosis is a complex, highly conserved and strictly regulated development process that involves the programmed cell death of obsolete larval organs. Here we show a novel functional role for the aspartic proteinase cathepsin D during insect metamorphosis. RESULTS: Cathepsin D of the silkworm Bombyx mori (BmCatD) was ecdysone-induced, differentially and spatially expressed in the larval fat body of the final instar and in the larval gut of pupal stage, and its expression led to programmed cell death. Furthermore, BmCatD was highly induced in the fat body of baculovirus-infected B. mori larvae, suggesting that this gene is involved in the induction of metamorphosis of host insects infected with baculovirus. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated BmCatD knock-down inhibited programmed cell death of the larval fat body, resulting in the arrest of larval-pupal transformation. BmCatD RNAi also inhibited the programmed cell death of larval gut during pupal stage. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, we concluded that BmCatD is critically involved in the programmed cell death of the larval fat body and larval gut in silkworm metamorphosis

A New Method for Designing Lightweight S-boxes with High Differential and Linear Branch Numbers, and Its Application

Bit permutations are efficient linear functions often used for lightweight cipher designs. However, they have low diffusion effects, compared to word-oriented binary and MDS matrices. Thus, the security of bit permutation-based ciphers is significantly affected by differential and linear branch numbers (DBN and LBN) of nonlinear functions. In this paper, we introduce a widely applicable method for constructing S-boxes with high DBN and LBN. Our method exploits constructions of S-boxes from smaller S-boxes and it derives/proves the required conditions for smaller S-boxes so that the DBN and LBN of the constructed S-boxes are at least 3. These conditions enable us to significantly reduce the search space required to create such S-boxes. In order to make cryptographically good and efficient S-boxes, we propose a unbalanced-Bridge structure that accepts one 3-bit and two 5-bit S-boxes, and produces 8-bit S-boxes. Using the proposed structure, we develop a variety of new lightweight S-boxes that provide not only both DBN and LBN of at least 3 but also efficient bitsliced implementations including at most 11 nonlinear bitwise operations. The new S-boxes are the first that exhibit these characteristics. Moreover, we propose a block cipher PIPO based on one of the new S-boxes, which supports a 64-bit plaintext and a 128 or 256-bit key. Our implementations demonstrate that PIPO outperforms existing block ciphers (for the same block and key lengths) in both side-channel protected and unprotected environments, on an 8-bit AVR. The security of PIPO has been scrutinized with regards to state-of-the-art cryptanalysis

Mutations at codons 178, 200-129, and 232 contributed to the inherited prion diseases in Korean patients

Background: Polymorphisms of the human prion protein gene (PRNP) contribute to the genetic determinants of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Numerous polymorphisms in the promoter regions as well as the open reading frame of PRNP were investigated. Greater than 90% of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese carry the homozygote 129 MM codon. In Korea, polymorphisms have not been comprehensively studied, except codons 129 and 219 in PRNP among Korean CJD cases. Although polymorphisms at codons 129 and 219 play an important role in susceptibility to sporadic CJD, patients with other polymorphisms in PRNP exhibited critical distinctions of clinical symptoms. Methods: The genetic analyses of PRNP were carried out among probable CJD patients in comparison with the results from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG). Results: The molecular analyses revealed that three mutations at codons D178N, E200K, and M232R in heterozygosity. Patients with the D178N and M232R mutations had a 129MM codon, whereas the patient with the E200K mutation showed 129MV heterozygosity. They all revealed strong 14-3-3 positive signals. The 67-year-old patient with the D178N-129M mutation showed progressive gait disturbance and dysarthria was in progress. The 58-year-old patient with the E200K mutation coupled to the 129MV codon had gait disturbance, dysarthria, agitation, and ataxic gait, and progressed rapidly to death 3 months from the first onset of symptoms. The 65-year-old patient with the M232R mutation showed rapidly progressive memory decline and gait disturbance, and died within 16 months after onset of symptoms. Conclusion: Despite differences in ethnicity, the clinical and pathological outcomes were similar to the respective mutations around the world, except absence of insomnia in D178N-129M subject.This research was funded by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, Korea (grant number, 4800-4835-301-210).Shiga Y, 2007, J NEUROL, V254, P1509, DOI 10.1007/s00415-007-0540-9Kovacs GG, 2005, HUM GENET, V118, P166, DOI 10.1007/s00439-005-0020-1Zarranz JJ, 2005, J NEUROL NEUROSUR PS, V76, P1491, DOI 10.1136/jnnp.2005.056606KONG Q, 2004, PRION BIOL DIS, P673Spacey SD, 2004, ARCH NEUROL-CHICAGO, V61, P122Huang N, 2003, NEUROLOGY, V61, P354Kovacs GG, 2002, J NEUROL, V249, P1567, DOI 10.1007/s00415-002-0896-9Collinge J, 2001, ANNU REV NEUROSCI, V24, P519Schroter A, 2000, ARCH NEUROL-CHICAGO, V57, P1751Wong NKC, 2000, J MOL GRAPH MODEL, V18, P126Taniwaki Y, 2000, J NEUROL NEUROSUR PS, V68, P388Wiltfang J, 1999, J NEUROCHEM, V73, P2485Hainfellner JA, 1999, ANN NEUROL, V45, P812Swietnicki W, 1998, J BIOL CHEM, V273, P31048Riek R, 1998, P NATL ACAD SCI USA, V95, P11667, DOI 10.1073/pnas.95.20.11667Zerr I, 1998, ANN NEUROL, V43, P32ZEIDLER M, 1998, WHO MANUAL STRENGTHERosenmann H, 1997, NEUROLOGY, V49, P593Hoque MZ, 1996, ACTA NEUROPATHOL, V92, P441Nagayama M, 1996, NEUROLOGY, V47, P1313Steinhoff BJ, 1996, ARCH NEUROL-CHICAGO, V53, P162PARCHI P, 1995, CURR OPIN NEUROL, V8, P286BROWN P, 1994, ANN NEUROL, V35, P513PRUSINER SB, 1994, ANN NEUROL, V35, P385GABIZON R, 1994, PHILOS T ROY SOC B, V343, P385HITOSHI S, 1993, J NEUROL SCI, V120, P208GOLDFARB LG, 1992, SCIENCE, V258, P806BROWN P, 1991, EUR J EPIDEMIOL, V7, P469STAHL N, 1990, BIOCHEMISTRY-US, V29, P8879BROWN P, 1986, ANN NEUROL, V20, P597

Air quality evaluation of London Paddington train station

Enclosed railway stations hosting diesel trains are at risk of reduced air quality as a result of exhaust emissions that may endanger passengers and workers. Air quality measurements were conducted inside London Paddington Station, a semi-enclosed railway station where 70% of trains are powered by diesel engines. Particulate matter (PM2.5) mass was measured at five station locations. PM size, PM number, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were measured at two station locations. Paddington Station’s hourly mean PM2.5 mass concentrations averaged 16 μg/m3 [min 2, max 68]. Paddington Station’s hourly mean NO2 concentrations averaged 73 ppb [49, 120] and SO2 concentrations averaged 25 ppb [15, 37]. While UK train stations are not required to comply with air quality standards, there were five instances where the hourly mean NO2 concentrations exceeded the EU hourly mean limits (106 ppb) for outdoor air quality. PM2.5, SO2, and NO2 concentrations were compared against Marylebone, a busy London roadside 1.5 km from the station. The comparisons indicated that train station air quality was more polluted than the nearby roadside. PM2.5 for at least one measurement location within Paddington Station was shown to be statistically higher (P-value < 0.05) than Marylebone on 3 out of 4 days. Measured NO2 within Paddington Station was statistically higher than Marylebone on 4 out of 5 days. Measured SO2 within Paddington Station was statistically higher than Marylebone on all 3 days.We thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/F034350/1) for funding the Energy Efficient Cities Initiative and the Schiff Foundation for doctoral studentship funding.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from IOP via http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/09401

UBR2 of the N-End Rule Pathway Is Required for Chromosome Stability via Histone Ubiquitylation in Spermatocytes and Somatic Cells

The N-end rule pathway is a proteolytic system in which its recognition components (N-recognins) recognize destabilizing N-terminal residues of short-lived proteins as an essential element of specific degrons, called N-degrons. The RING E3 ligases UBR2 and UBR1 are major N-recognins that share size (200 kDa), conserved domains and substrate specificities to N-degrons. Despite the known function of the N-end rule pathway in degradation of cytosolic proteins, the major phenotype of UBR2-deficient male mice is infertility caused by arrest of spermatocytes at meiotic prophase I. UBR2-deficient spermatocytes are impaired in transcriptional silencing of sex chromosome-linked genes and ubiquitylation of histone H2A. In this study we show that the recruitment of UBR2 to meiotic chromosomes spatiotemporally correlates to the induction of chromatin-associated ubiquitylation, which is significantly impaired in UBR2-deficient spermatocytes. UBR2 functions as a scaffold E3 that promotes HR6B/UbcH2-dependent ubiquitylation of H2A and H2B but not H3 and H4, through a mechanism distinct from typical polyubiquitylation. The E3 activity of UBR2 in histone ubiquitylation is allosterically activated by dipeptides bearing destabilizing N-terminal residues. Insufficient monoubiquitylation and polyubiquitylation on UBR2-deficient meiotic chromosomes correlate to defects in double strand break (DSB) repair and other meiotic processes, resulting in pachytene arrest at stage IV and apoptosis. Some of these functions of UBR2 are observed in somatic cells, in which UBR2 is a chromatin-binding protein involved in chromatin-associated ubiquitylation upon DNA damage. UBR2-deficient somatic cells show an array of chromosomal abnormalities, including hyperproliferation, chromosome instability, and hypersensitivity to DNA damage-inducing reagents. UBR2-deficient mice enriched in C57 background die upon birth with defects in lung expansion and neural development. Thus, UBR2, known as the recognition component of a major cellular proteolytic system, is associated with chromatin and controls chromatin dynamics and gene expression in both germ cells and somatic cells

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació