A high salivary calcium concentration is a protective factor for caries development during orthodontic treatment

This research aimed to evaluate the salivary concentrations of fluoride (F-), calcium (Ca2+), and phosphate (Pi) after brackets bonding, and to identify the role of [F-], [Ca2+], and [Pi] on the development of active caries lesion (ACL) in individuals under fixed orthodontic treatment. A longitudinal investigation with twenty-two individuals from 11 to 22 years of age was performed in four phases (baseline and after 1, 3, and 6 months). Analyses were carried out considering the salivary concentration of [F-], [Ca2+], and [Pi], as well as the caries index. Data were analyzed using the Friedman test, followed by the Wilcoxon test and the multivariate Cox model (p?0.05). 1 and 3 months after appliance bonding, the [Ca2+] was statistically lower than after 6 months (p<0.0083). On the other hand, salivary [F-] and [Pi] did not show any significant difference during the follow-up. The Cox model demonstrated that the increase of 1 µg/mL in Ca2+ decreased the risk of ACL development by 27%. In conclusion, the levels of Ca2+ changed during orthodontic treatment. A high Ca2+ level in the saliva is a protective factor for ACL development over time

Tradução e adaptação brasileira do Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ)

The aim of this study was to translate the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) into Brazilian Portuguese and to make the necessary cultural adaptations for use in the Brazilian parent population. The whole translation process consisted of translation, back-translation and committee review. In the pre-testing stage, a sample of 20 parents answered the questionnaire in order to check for errors and deviations in the translations. Furthermore, in each question the alternative "I didn't understand" was added to identify the questions that were not understood by the parents, i.e. questions considered culturally inappropriate. The findings suggested that the instrument is adequate to the Portuguese language and to the Brazilian cultural identity. In the pre-testing stage, 20 subjects answered the questionnaire and showed good understanding of the instrument, since no question was considered incomprehensible by 15% or more of the parents. The Portuguese version of the P-CPQ proved to be easily understandable by the Brazilian parental population.O objetivo deste estudo foi traduzir o instrumento Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ) para a língua portuguesa do Brasil e realizar a adaptação cultural para aplicação na população de pais brasileiros. A tradução obedeceu às etapas de tradução, tradução reversa e revisão por um comitê de especialistas. No pré-teste, uma amostra de 20 pais respondeu ao questionário para avaliar os erros e desvios das traduções. Além disso, foi acrescentada a cada questão a alternativa "não entendi" para identificar questões que não fossem compreendidas pelos pais, isto é, consideradas culturalmente inadequadas. Os achados sugerem adequação do processo de adaptação cultural do instrumento para a língua portuguesa. No pré-teste, 20 indivíduos responderam ao questionário e apresentaram uma boa compreensão do instrumento, uma vez que nenhuma questão foi considerada incompreensível por 15% ou mais dos pais. A versão em português do P-CPQ mostrou ser de fácil compreensão pela população de pais brasileiros

Randomized in vivo evaluation of photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy on deciduous carious dentin

The aim of this randomized in vivo study was to compare antimicrobial chemotherapies in primary carious dentin. Thirty-two participants ages 5 to 7 years underwent partial caries removal from deep carious dentin lesions in primary molars and were subsequently divided into three groups: control [chlorhexidine and resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC)], LEDTB [photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) with light-emitting diode associated with toluidine blue solution and RMGIC], and LMB [PACT with laser associated with methylene blue solution and RMGIC]. The participants were submitted to initial clinical and radiographic examinations. Demographic features and biofilm, gingival, and DMFT/DMFS indexes were evaluated, in addition to clinical and radiographic followups at 6 and 12 months after treatments. Carious dentin was collected before and after each treatment, and the number of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus casei, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Atopobium rimae, and total bacteria was established by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. No signs of pain or restoration failure were observed. All therapies were effective in reducing the number of microorganisms, except for S. sobrinus. No statistical differences were observed among the protocols used. All therapies may be considered as effective modern approaches to minimal intervention for the management of deep primary caries treatment2010FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP#2010/07212-5; #2011/08392-

NITROGÊNIO E Azospirillum brasilense NO DESENVOLVIMENTO INICIAL DA CANA-DE-AÇÚCAR

The use of plant growth promoting bacteria and nitrogen fertilization can improve the growth and development of sugarcane plants due to improved nitrogen acquisition by plants. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of the interaction between inoculation of Azospirillum brasilense and the application of N on the initial growth of sugarcane plants (Saccharum spp.). Twenty-day-old plants from 3.0 cm long mini-stems of the RB 86-7515 sugarcane variety, produced in plastic trays containing commercial substrate were used. The plants were transplanted to 12 L plastic pots. The experimental design was a randomized block design, arranged in a 2 × 5 factorial scheme, with four replications. The treatments were constituted by inoculation or not of seedlings with Azospirillum brasilense and the application of five nitrogen rates (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mg dm–3 of N). At 60 days after plant transplantation, leaf number (NF), number of tillers (NP), plant height (AP), stem diameter (DC), shoot dry matter yield (MSPA) were evaluated. and from the roots (MSR). The results showed that the application of Azospirillum brasilense inoculant during the initial phase of plant growth has a beneficial effect on sugarcane development only when associated with high doses of nitrogen in cover. In the absence of nitrogen fertilization, sugarcane variety RB 86-7515 has negative response to plant inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense.O uso de bactérias promotoras de crescimento de plantas e a adubação nitrogenada pode melhorar o crescimento e o desenvolvimento das plantas de cana-de-açúcar devido à melhoria na aquisição de nitrogênio pelas plantas. Este estudo foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos da interação entre a inoculação de Azospirillum brasilense e a aplicação de nitrogênio em cobertura no crescimento inicial das plantas de cana-de-açúcar (Saccharum spp.). Foram utilizadas plantas de 25 dias, oriundas de minirrebolos de 3 cm de comprimento da variedade de cana-de-açúcar RB 86-7515, produzidas em bandejas plásticas contendo substrato comercial. As plantas foram transplantadas para vasos plásticos de 12 L. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados, disposto em esquema fatorial 2 × 5, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos pela inoculação ou não das mudas com Azospirillum brasilense e pela aplicação de cinco doses de nitrogênio em cobertura (0, 30, 60, 90 e 120 mg dm–3 de N). Aos 60 dias após o transplante das plantas, foram avaliadas o número de folhas (NF), número de perfilhos (NP), altura de planta (AP), diâmetro do colmo (DC), produção de matéria seca da parte aérea (MSPA) e das raízes (MSR). Os resultados evidenciaram que a aplicação de inoculante contendo Azospirillum brasilense durante a fase de crescimento inicial das plantas tem efeito benéfico no desenvolvimento da cana-de-açúcar somente quando associado com altas doses de nitrogênio em cobertura. Na ausência de adubação nitrogenada, a variedade de cana‑de‑açúcar RB 86-7515 tem resposta negativa à inoculação das plantas com Azospirillum brasilense

Incipient parallel evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Deltacron variant in South Brazil

With the coexistence of multiple lineages and increased international travel, recombination and gene flow are likely to become increasingly important in the adaptive evolution of SARS-CoV-2. These processes could result in genetic introgression and the incipient parallel evolution of multiple recombinant lineages. However, identifying recombinant lineages is challenging, and the true extent of recombinant evolution in SARS-CoV-2 may be underestimated. This study describes the first SARS-CoV-2 Deltacron recombinant case identified in Brazil. We demonstrate that the recombination breakpoint is at the beginning of the Spike gene. The 5′ genome portion (circa 22 kb) resembles the AY.101 (Delta), and the 3′ genome portion (circa 8 kb nucleotides) is most similar to the BA.1.1 (Omicron). Furthermore, evolutionary genomic analyses indicate that the new strain emerged after a single recombination event between lineages of diverse geographical locations in December 2021 in South Brazil. This Deltacron, AYBA-RS, is one of the dozens of recombinants described in 2022. The submission of only four sequences in the GISAID database suggests that this lineage had a minor epidemiological impact. However, the recent emergence of this and other Deltacron recombinant lineages (XD, XF, and XS) suggests that gene flow and recombination may play an increasingly important role in the COVID-19 pandemic. We explain the evolutionary and population genetic theory that supports this assertion, concluding that this stresses the need for continued genomic surveillance. This monitoring is vital for countries where multiple variants are present, as well as for countries that receive significant inbound international travel

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries(1,2). However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world(3) and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health(4,5). However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol-which is a marker of cardiovascular riskchanged from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million-4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.Peer reviewe

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks