Evaluation of Alveolar Bone Dimensions and Root Positioning of Anterior Teeth in the Maxilla.

Buccal bone walls present significant resorption after tooth extraction, possibly related to the smaller bone thickness, length, and the sagittal position of the root, as well as the bone morphology. The goal of the present study was to measure the thickness of the cortical bone of the vestibular and palatal walls in the anterior maxilla by means of CBCT images. Measurements were taken from CBCT scans of 300 maxillary anterior teeth from 50 patients (25 women, 25 men) aged 18 to 30 years.

Million-fold sensitivity enhancement in proteopathic seed amplification assays for biospecimens by Hofmeister ion comparisons.

Recent work with prion diseases and synucleinopathies indicates that accurate diagnostic methods for protein-folding diseases can be based on the ultrasensitive, amplified measurement of pathological aggregates in biospecimens. A better understanding of the physicochemical factors that control the seeded polymerization of such aggregates, and their amplification in vitro, should allow improvements in existing assay platforms, as well as the development of new assays for other proteopathic aggregates. Here, we systematically investigated the effects of the ionic environment on the polymerization of tau, α-synuclein, and the prion protein (PrP) induced by aggregates in biospecimens.

Cell-free prion protein conversion assays in screening for anti-prion drug candidates.

The search for medications to treat prion diseases has lasted more than 30 years but no clinically validated treatments for prion diseases of humans or livestock have been realized. A primary strategy has been to identify molecules that can inhibit the formation of pathological forms of prion protein, for example, protease-resistant forms called PrPres. Such inhibitors can prolong the lives of experimental animals inoculated peripherally with prions, but the practical therapeutic efficacy of known inhibitors against ongoing brain infections has so far been limited by toxicity, insufficient bioavailability to the CNS, and/or strain specificities.

Consumption Patterns of Energy Drinks in Portuguese Adolescents from A City in Northern Portugal.

Introduction: Energy drinks are youth-targeted beverages that contain high amounts of caffeine and other stimulants. A number of deleterious health effects associated with consumption of these drinks have already been reported. Despite the health concerns, energy drinks research has been sparse, especially at younger ages.

Diversity of plasmids and transmission of high-level mupirocin mupA resistance gene in Staphylococcus haemolyticus.

The coagulase-negative staphylococci are known for their ability to acquire resistance genes, which limits the choice of therapeutic options for the treatment of infections caused by these microorganisms. In this study, the diversity of high-level mupirocin resistance plasmids (Mup(R) ) was investigated in four strains of Staphylococcus haemolyticus belonging to different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types or subtypes, isolated in a Brazilian hospital. These strains harbor the mupA gene in large plasmids.

A strategy to increase and assess vaccine coverage in the north of Portugal.

In the Northern Health Region of Portugal, vaccine coverage is measured by checking and studying individual vaccination records in health centres. Each year from 2001-2004, birth cohorts completing 2, 6 and 14 years of age were selected for assessment. Data collection occurred on January the following year and meetings with district immunisation coordinators took place every March.