Influence of casting methods on marginal and internal discrepancies of complete cast crowns.

The relationship between the application of die-spacer prior to wax pattern fabrication and metal removal from the inner surface of the casting on marginal and internal discrepancies of complete cast crowns was evaluated. One hundred and twenty complete crowns were cast with palladium-silver alloy melted by gas-oxygen torch or electrical resistance and cast with a centrifuge casting machine. After casting, the crowns were seated on each type of different marginal configuration dies (90-degree shoulder, 20-degree beveled shoulder, and 45-degree chamfered shoulder) with a static load of 90 N during 1 min. Evaluation of the marginal fit of the specimens was made using a digital micrometer. The crowns were embedded in acrylic resin and longitudinally sectioned to verify the internal discrepancy that occurred in lateral and occlusal interfaces with a digital micrometer. The data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey's test with a significance level of 5%. The best marginal and inner fits were obtained with the gas-oxygen torch source. The 45-degree chamfered shoulder showed the best marginal and inner fit, and better internal relief was obtained in the crowns abraded with 50 microm Al2O3 particles

Genetic polymorphisms and coronary artery disease in the portuguese population: the GENEMACOR Study

PosterMultiple studies have showed an association between genetic polymorphisms and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Initially, studies focused mainly in variants acting in pathophysiological axis of CAD or its risk factors. Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) revealed other genes that, besides having an unknown mechanism, are statistically significant. The importance of these in the development of CAD in the Portuguese population is unknown. Objective: Analyze the genetic polymorphisms associated with the development of CAD in a Portuguese population. Methods: We performed a case-control study with 1321 consecutive coronary patients (mean age 53.4 ± 8.1 years, 78.8% male) and 1148 controls (adjusted for age and sex) selected from GENEMACOR Study, an ongoing study designed to analyze the genetic profile of a Portuguese population. We evaluated, in both groups, 29 genetic variants previously associated with CAD: ACE I/D, AGT235 M/T, ATIR A/C, MTHFR C/T and 1298 A/C, PON192 Q/R and 55 L/M,LPA T/C, APO E, Locus 9p21.3 (rs1333049), CDKN2B (rs4977574), GJA4 C/T, PCSK9 A/G, TAS2R50 A/G, KIF6 C/T, IGF2BP2 G/T, ADAMTS7 A/G, MC4R T/C, PPARG Pro12 Ala, ZNF259 C/G, SMAD3 C/T, MIA3 C/A, MTHFD1L A/G, SLC30A8 C/T, TCF7L2 C/T, HNF4 C/G, FTO A/C and ADIPOQ C/G. Allele and genotypic frequencies of individuals with and without CAD were compared and the strength of association was expressed by the OR as well as by CI 95%. Results: The variants rs4340 (ACE I/D), rs266729 (ADIPOQ C/G), rs458560 (PON55 L/M), rs429358 (APOE2), LPA T/C, rs1333049 (locus 9p21.3) and rs4977574 (CDKN2B A/G) were significantly associated with CAD (p<0.05) (Table). Conclusions: In our population, the genetic polymorphisms significantly related to CAD were: ACE, associated with hypertension; ADIPOQ, associated with obesity; PON55, associated with oxidation; APOE and LPA, associated with dyslipidemia and finally the locus 9p21.3 with a unclear mechanism so far.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing Adverse Events in Madeira Primary

In last three decades, several epidemiological studies have been developed in order to assess the magnitude, nature and type of adverse events (AEs). Most of these studies focus on hospital settings, where the activities are more standardised, but imultaneously more complex and involving higher risks. However, in the last years, there is a growing movement and strong evidence that point out the importance of studying other healthcare contexts, such as primary care and long-term care. In Portugal, studies on primary care setting are scarce and still in the early stages. In this article, the authors describe the AEs assessment in Portuguese Primary Health Care (PHC) units in Madeira Island/Portugal. This study was quantitative, cross-sectional, observational and analytical, with probability sampling. We quantify and analyse the AEs registered by healthcare providers using the APEAS-PT formulary. A link to the APEAS–PT form was sent to 520 healthcare professionals (111 specialist in Family Medicine, 27 medical students, 382 nurses) who worked in 32 PHC centres. These professionals identified and analysed 85 AEs and 42 incidents, which corresponds to a prevalence of 3.9 AEs per 10,000 visits,with a 95% confidence interval (CI) between 3.7 and 4 AE. Most of the AEs were preventable (96%). The most frequent causal factors of AEs were associated with medication (69%), health care provided to users (54%), communication (41%) and diagnosis (22%). This analysis of AEs in Madeira island PHC contributed to reinforce patient safety culture and to better understand quaternary prevention.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Identification of unannotated exons of low abundance transcripts in Drosophila melanogaster and cloning of a new serine protease gene upregulated upon injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The sequencing of the <it>D.melanogaster </it>genome revealed an unexpected small number of genes (~ 14,000) indicating that mechanisms acting on generation of transcript diversity must have played a major role in the evolution of complex metazoans. Among the most extensively used mechanisms that accounts for this diversity is alternative splicing. It is estimated that over 40% of <it>Drosophila </it>protein-coding genes contain one or more alternative exons. A recent transcription map of the <it>Drosophila </it>embryogenesis indicates that 30% of the transcribed regions are unannotated, and that 1/3 of this is estimated as missed or alternative exons of previously characterized protein-coding genes. Therefore, the identification of the variety of expressed transcripts depends on experimental data for its final validation and is continuously being performed using different approaches. We applied the Open Reading Frame Expressed Sequence Tags (ORESTES) methodology, which is capable of generating cDNA data from the central portion of rare transcripts, in order to investigate the presence of hitherto unnanotated regions of <it>Drosophila </it>transcriptome.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bioinformatic analysis of 1,303 <it>Drosophila </it>ORESTES clusters identified 68 sequences derived from unannotated regions in the current <it>Drosophila </it>genome version (4.3). Of these, a set of 38 was analysed by polyA⁺northern blot hybridization, validating 17 (50%) new exons of low abundance transcripts. For one of these ESTs, we obtained the cDNA encompassing the complete coding sequence of a new serine protease, named SP212. The <it>SP212 </it>gene is part of a serine protease gene cluster located in the chromosome region 88A12-B1. This cluster includes the predicted genes CG9631, CG9649 and CG31326, which were previously identified as up-regulated after immune challenges in genomic-scale microarray analysis. In agreement with the proposal that this <it>locus </it>is co-regulated in response to microorganisms infection, we show here that SP212 is also up-regulated upon injury.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Using the ORESTES methodology we identified 17 novel exons from low abundance <it>Drosophila </it>transcripts, and through a PCR approach the complete CDS of one of these transcripts was defined. Our results show that the computational identification and manual inspection are not sufficient to annotate a genome in the absence of experimentally derived data.</p

Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets

Beliefs and preferences regarding biological treatments for severe asthma

Background: Severe asthma is a serious condition with a significant burden on patients' morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. Some biological therapies targeting the IgE and interleukin-5 (IL5) mediated pathways are now available. Due to the lack of direct comparison studies, the choice of which medication to use varies. We aimed to explore the beliefs and practices in the use of biological therapies in severe asthma, hypothesizing that differences will occur depending on the prescribers’ specialty and experience. Methods: We conducted an online survey composed of 35 questions in English. The survey was circulated via the INterasma Scientific Network (INESNET) platform as well as through social media. Responses from allergists and pulmonologists, both those with experience of prescribing omalizumab with (OMA/IL5) and without (OMA) experience with anti-IL5 drugs, were compared. Results: Two hundred eighty-five (285) valid questionnaires from 37 countries were analyzed. Seventy-on percent (71%) of respondents prescribed biologics instead of oral glucocorticoids and believed that their side effects are inferior to those of Prednisone 5 mg daily. Agreement with ATS/ERS guidelines for identifying severe asthma patients was less than 50%. Specifically, significant differences were found comparing responses between allergists and pulmonologists (Chi-square test, p &lt; 0.05) and between OMA/IL5 and OMA groups (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusions: Uncertainties and inconsistencies regarding the use of biological medications have been shown. The accuracy of prescribers to correctly identify asthma severity, according to guidelines criteria, is quite poor. Although a substantial majority of prescribers believe that biological drugs are safer than low dose long-term treatment with oral steroids, and that they must be used instead of oral steroids, every effort should be made to further increase awareness. Efficacy as disease modifiers, biomarkers for selecting responsive patients, timing for outcomes evaluation, and checks need to be addressed by further research. Practices and beliefs regarding the use of asthma biologics differ between the prescriber's specialty and experience; however, the latter seems more significant in determining beliefs and behavior. Tailored educational measures are needed to ensure research results are better integrated in daily practice