Coupling vortex dynamics with collective excitations in Bose-Einstein Condensates

Here we analyze the collective excitations as well as the expansion of a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate with a vortex line at its center. To this end, we propose a variational method where the variational parameters have to be carefully chosen in order to produce reliable results. Our variational calculations agree with numerical simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The system considered here turns out to exhibit four collective modes of which only three can be observed at a time depending of the trap anisotropy. We also demonstrate that these collective modes can be excited using well established experimental methods such as modulation of the s-wave scattering length

Association or Causation? Exploring the Oral Microbiome and Cancer Links

Several epidemiological investigations have found associations between poor oral health and different types of cancer, including colorectal, lung, pancreatic, and oral malignancies. The oral health parameters underlying these relationships include deficient oral hygiene, gingival bleeding, and bone and tooth loss. These parameters are related to periodontal diseases, which are directly and indirectly mediated by oral bacteria. Given the increased accessibility of microbial sequencing platforms, many recent studies have investigated the link between the oral microbiome and these cancers. Overall, it seems that oral dysbiotic states can contribute to tumorigenesis in the oral cavity as well as in distant body sites. Further, it appears that certain oral bacterial species can contribute to carcinogenesis, in particular, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis, based on results from epidemiological as well as mechanistic studies. Yet, the strength of the findings from these investigations is hampered by the heterogeneity of the methods used to measure oral diseases, the treatment of confounding factors, the study design, the platforms employed for microbial analysis, and types of samples analyzed. Despite these limitations, there is an overall indication that the presence of oral dysbiosis that leads to oral diseases may directly and/or indirectly contribute to carcinogenesis. Proper methodological standardized approaches should be implemented in future epidemiological studies as well as in the mechanistic investigations carried out to explore these results. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 202

Relationships Among Gingival Crevicular Fluid Biomarkers, Clinical Parameters of Periodontal Disease, and the Subgingival Microbiota

Background The objectives were to measure the levels of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) biomarkers and subgingival bacterial species in periodontally healthy and periodontitis subjects in order to explore relations among these biomarkers, the subgingival microbiota, and clinical parameters of periodontal disease. Material and methods Clinical periodontal parameters were measured at 6 sites per tooth in 20 periodontitis and 20 periodontally healthy subjects. GCF and subgingival plaque samples were obtained from the mesiobuccal aspect of every tooth. GCF levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) and IL-8 were measured using checkerboard immunoblotting and the levels of 40 bacterial taxa quantified using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. A subset of “clinically healthy” (CH) sites from each group was analyzed separately. Significance of differences between groups was determined using the unpaired t-test or the Mann-Whitney test. Correlations among immunological, microbiological and clinical data were determined using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Results There were positive correlations among mean clinical parameters and mean levels of the 3 biomarkers and proportions of Orange and Red complex species (p\u3c0.05). CH sites from periodontitis subjects had higher levels of IL-1β and IL-8 and higher proportions of Orange and Red complex species (p\u3c0.05) than CH sites from periodontally healthy subjects. Red complex species were positively associated with the expression of all biomarkers (p\u3c0.05), while Purple and Yellow complex species had negative correlations with IL-1β and IL-8 (p\u3c0.05). Conclusions CH sites from periodontitis subjects present higher levels of GCF biomarkers and periodontal pathogens than CH sites from periodontally healthy subjects. Different microbial complexes demonstrated distinct associations with specific GCF biomarkers

Microbial Shifts During Dental Biofilm Re-Development in the Absence of Oral Hygiene in Periodontal Health and Disease

Aim to monitor microbial shifts during dental biofilm re-development Methods Supra and subgingival plaque samples were taken separately from 28 teeth in 38 healthy and 17 periodontitis subjects at baseline and immediately after tooth cleaning. Samples were taken again from 7 teeth in randomly selected quadrants during 1, 2, 4 and 7 days of no oral hygiene. Samples were analyzed using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. Species counts were averaged within subjects at each time point. Significant differences in counts between healthy and periodontitis subjects were sought using the Mann-Whitney test. Results Total supra and subgingival counts were significantly higher in periodontitis on entry and reached or exceeded baseline values after day 2. Supragingival counts of Veillonella parvula, Fusobacterium nucleatum ss vincentii and Neisseria mucosa increased from 2 to 7 days. Subgingival counts were greater for Actinomyces, green and orange complex species. Significant differences between groups in supragingival counts occurred for 17 of 41 species at entry, 0 at day 7; for subgingival plaque these values were 39/41 taxa at entry, 17/41 at day 7. Conclusions Supragingival plaque re-development was similar in periodontitis and health, but subgingival species recolonization was more marked in periodontitis

Exploring the Microbiome of Healthy and Diseased Peri-Implant Sites Using Illumina Sequencing

Aim To compare the microbiome of healthy (H) and diseased (P) peri-implant sites and determine the core peri-implant microbiome. Materials and Methods Submucosal biofilms from 32 H and 35 P sites were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing (MiSeq, Illumina), QIIME and HOMINGS. Differences between groups were determined using Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA), t-tests and Wilcoxon rank sum test and FDR-adjusted. The peri-implant core microbiome was determined. Results PCoA showed partitioning between H and P at all taxonomic levels. Bacteroidetes, Spirochetes and Synergistetes were higher in P, while Actinobacteria prevailed in H (p\u3c0.05). Porphyromonas and Treponema were more abundant in P and while Rothia and Neisseria were higher in H (p\u3c0.05). The core peri-implant microbiome contained Fusobacterium, Parvimonas and Campylobacter sp. T. denticola and P. gingivalis levels were higher in P, as well as F. alocis, F fastidiosum and T. maltophilum (p\u3c0.05). Conclusion The peri-implantitis microbiome is commensal-depleted and pathogen-enriched, harboring traditional and new pathogens. The core peri-implant microbiome harbors taxa from genera often associated with periodontal inflammation

Microbiota of Deciduous Endodontic Infections Analyzed by MDA and Checkerboard DNA-DNA Hybridization

Aims To evaluate the microbiota of endodontic infections in deciduous teeth by checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization after uniform amplification of DNA in samples by multiple displacement amplification (MDA). Methodology Forty samples from the root canal system of deciduous teeth exhibiting pulp necrosis with or without radiographically detectable periradicular/interadicular bone resorption were collected and 32 were analyzed, with 3 individuals contributing 2 samples; these were MDA- amplified and analyzed by Checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization for levels of 83 bacterial taxa. Two outcome measures were used: the percentage of teeth colonized by each species; and the mean proportion of each bacterial taxon present across all samples were computed. Results The mean amount of DNA in the samples prior to amplification was 5.2 (± 4.7) ng and 6.1 (± 2.3) μg after MDA. The mean number of species detected per sample was 19 (± 4) (range: 3–66) to the nearest whole number. The most prevalent taxa were Prevotella intermedia (96.9%), Neisseria mucosa (65.6%), Prevotella nigrescens (56.2%) and Tannerella forsythia (56.2%). Aggregatibacter (Haemophilus) aphrophilus and Helicobacter pylori were not detected. P. intermedia (10%), Prevotella tannerae (7%) and Prevotella nigrescens (4.3%) presented the highest mean proportions of the target species averaged across the positive samples. Conclusion Root canals of infected deciduous teeth had a diverse bacterial population. Prevotella sp were commonly found with P. intermedia, Prevotella tannerae and Prevotella nigrescens among the most prominent species detected

Quantum state tomography and quantum logical operations in a three qubits NMR quadrupolar system

In this work, we present an implementation of quantum logic gates and algorithms in a three effective qubits system, represented by a (I = 7/2) NMR quadrupolar nuclei. To implement these protocols we have used the strong modulating pulses (SMP). The various stages of each implementation were verified by quantum state tomography (QST). It is presented here the results for the computational base states, Toffolli logic gates, and Deutsch-Jozsa and Grover algorithms. Also, we discuss the difficulties and advantages of implementing such protocols using the SMP technique in quadrupolar systems.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figure

Pediatria do Neurodesenvolvimento. Levantamento Nacional de Recursos e Necessidades

As perturbações do neurodesenvolvimento são das patologias crónicas mais frequentes da infância e com tendência a aumentar nas sociedades modernas. Têm na grande maioria dos casos um percurso crónico e com limitação da aprendizagem necessária para a integração na sociedade de um modo autónomo. A Sociedade de Pediatria do Neurodesenvolvimento da Sociedade Portuguesa de Pediatria procedeu em 2008 e 2009 ao levantamento de recursos, movimento e necessidades na área assistencial do neurodesenvolvimento no universo de 49 hospitais portugueses com Pediatria, referente a 31 de Dezembro de 2007. Responderam 42 (85.7%) hospitais. O número total de consultas de desenvolvimento representou 10.7% das de Pediatria, e foi- -lhe imputada uma mediana de tempo de 20 horas por semana. Dedicavam-se ao desenvolvimento 82 pediatras, mas mais de dois terços só o fazia a tempo parcial. Outros profissionais (fisiatras, psicólogos, terapeutas da fala, terapeutas ocupacionais, fisioterapeutas, docentes e técnicos de Serviço Social) faziam parte das equipas do desenvolvimento, mas em menor número que os pediatras, e de igual modo só raramente a tempo completo. Aguardava por consulta de desenvolvimento uma mediana de 185 crianças, e o tempo de espera variou entre um e 18 meses(mediana de seis). No seu conjunto os hospitais a curto prazo recrutariam 34 Pediatras para se dedicarem à área do neurodesenvolvimento,metade em regime de tempo completo. Dos outros profissionais requisitados [psicólogos (21), terapeutas da fala (20), docentes (20), terapeutas ocupacionais (14), fisioterapeutas (8) e técnicos do Serviço Social (6)], solicitavam-nos a tempo inteiro. Concluí-se que o movimento assistencial específico desta área no contexto global da Pediatria representa já um número significativo de consultas. Ainda assim, a resposta na área do neurodesenvolvimento revelou-se insuficiente e as equipas não funcionavam na generalidade em trabalho multidisciplinar. Contudo, os pedidos solicitados de recursos humanos médicos e não médicos e a preferência de que a dedicação ao neurodesenvolvimento fosse a tempo completo reflecte uma evolução positiva a curto prazo, caso estes recrutamentos se venham a concretizar

Relationships Between Subgingival Microbiota and GCF Biomarkers in Generalized Aggressive Periodontitis

Aim To examine relationships between subgingival biofilm composition and levels of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) cytokines in periodontal health and generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAP). Materials and methods Periodontal parameters were measured in 25 periodontally healthy and 31 GAP subjects. Subgingival plaque and GCF samples were obtained from 14 sites from each subject. 40 subgingival taxa were quantified using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization and the concentrations of 8 GCF cytokines measured using Luminex. Cluster analysis was used to define sites with similar subgingival microbiotas in each clinical group. Significance of differences in clinical, microbiological and immunological parameters among clusters was determined using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results GAP subjects had statistically significantly higher GCF levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (p\u3c0.001), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (p\u3c0.01), and IL-1β/IL-10 ratio (p\u3c0.001) and higher proportions of Red and Orange complex species than periodontally healthy subjects. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean proportion of cytokines among clusters in the periodontally healthy subjects, while the ratio IL-1β/IL-10 (p\u3c0.05) differed significantly among clusters in the aggressive periodontitis group. Conclusions Different subgingival biofilm profiles are associated with distinct patterns of GCF cytokine expression. Aggressive periodontitis subjects were characterized by a higher IL-1β/IL-10 ratio than periodontally healthy subjects, suggesting an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in aggressive periodontitis