Transition from failing dentition to full-arch fixed implant-supported prosthesis with a staged approach using removable partial dentures: a case series.

The present retrospective case series is aimed at evaluating a staged approach using a removable partial denture (RPD) as an interim prosthesis in treatment to correct a failing dentition until such time as a full-arch fixed implant-supported prosthesis may be inserted. Eight patients, who had undergone maxillary full-arch rehabilitation with dental implants due to poor prognosis of their dentitions, were analyzed. All treatment included initial periodontal therapy and a strategic order of extraction of hopeless teeth.

Effect of compost and biodegradable chelate addition on phytoextraction of copper by Oenothera picensis grown in Cu-contaminated acid soils.

Oenothera picensis plants (Fragrant Evening Primrose) grow in the acid soils contaminated by Cu smelting in the coastal region of central Chile. We evaluated the effects of compost, at application rate of 5 kg m(-2), and biodegradable chelate MGDA (methylglycinediacetic acid), at application rate of 6 mmol plant(-1), on Cu phytoextraction by O. picensis, in field plots.

Development of the scale of psychosocial factors in food allergy (SPS-FA).

Background: Food allergy (FA) is a growing condition among children and it's psychological impact over the patients and their caregivers is well known, establishing a vicious circle that perpetuates stress levels. However, psychosocial factors are not commonly included in allergy treatments. Based on the lack of evidence of records about a scale that indicates the level of interaction between biopsychosocial factors in the patient-caregivers dyad for FA, the present research aims to develop a scale with these characteristics as a helpful tool to achieve a more comprehensive system of health care.

Heartbeat-driven pericardiac fluid forces contribute to epicardium morphogenesis.

Background: Hydrodynamic forces play a central role in organ morphogenesis. The role of blood flow in shaping the developing heart is well established, but the role of fluid forces generated in the pericardial cavity surrounding the heart is unknown. Mesothelial cells lining the pericardium generate the proepicardium (PE), the precursor cell population of the epicardium, the outer layer covering the myocardium, which is essential for its maturation and the formation of the heart valves and coronary vasculature.

Multiple mutant T alleles cause haploinsufficiency of Brachyury and short tails in Manx cats.

Most mammals possess a tail, humans and the Great Apes being notable exceptions. One approach to understanding the mechanisms and evolutionary forces influencing development of a tail is to identify the genetic factors that influence extreme tail length variation within a species. In mice, the Tailless locus has proven to be complex, with evidence of multiple different genes and mutations with pleiotropic effects on tail length, fertility, embryogenesis, male transmission ratio, and meiotic recombination.

Genetic insights into common pathways and complex relationships among immune-mediated diseases.

Shared aetiopathogenic factors among immune-mediated diseases have long been suggested by their co-familiality and co-occurrence, and molecular support has been provided by analysis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes and genome-wide association studies. The interrelationships can now be better appreciated following the genotyping of large immune disease sample sets on a shared SNP array: the 'Immunochip'. Here, we systematically analyse loci shared among major immune-mediated diseases.

Sinus floor bone failures in maxillary sinus floor augmentation: a case-control study.

Background: Extreme bone resorption in posterior maxilla may lead to absence of part of the sinus floor. This phenomenon has been termed sinus floor bone failure, and may compromise sinus floor augmentation.

Purpose: The present article aims to evaluate risk factors related to sinus floor bone failures and to evaluate the influence of these failures in sinus floor augmentation outcomes in patients with severely atrophic posterior maxilla.

Epigenetic switches in clag3 genes mediate blasticidin S resistance in malaria parasites.

Malaria parasites induce changes in the permeability of the infected erythrocyte membrane to numerous solutes, including toxic compounds. In Plasmodium falciparum, this is mainly mediated by PSAC, a broad-selectivity channel that requires the product of parasite clag3 genes for its activity. The two paralogous clag3 genes, clag3.

Using PLINK for Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and data analysis.

Within this chapter we introduce the basic PLINK functions for reading in data, applying quality control, and running association analyses. Three worked examples are provided to illustrate: data management and assessment of population substructure, association analysis of a quantitative trait, and qualitative or case-control association analyses.

Identification of multiple risk variants for ankylosing spondylitis through high-density genotyping of immune-related loci.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a common, highly heritable inflammatory arthritis affecting primarily the spine and pelvis. In addition to HLA-B*27 alleles, 12 loci have previously been identified that are associated with ankylosing spondylitis in populations of European ancestry, and 2 associated loci have been identified in Asians. In this study, we used the Illumina Immunochip microarray to perform a case-control association study involving 10,619 individuals with ankylosing spondylitis (cases) and 15,145 controls.

Development of a proof of concept immunochromatographic lateral flow assay for point of care diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Despite major public health initiatives and the existence of efficacious treatment regimes, tuberculosis (TB) remains a threat, particularly in resource-limited settings. A significant part of the problem is the difficulty of rapidly identifying infected individuals, and as a result, there has been renewed interest in developing better diagnostics for infection or disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Many of the existing tools, however, have limitations such as poor sensitivity or specificity, or the need for well-equipped laboratories to function effectively.

Drought tolerance in wild plant populations: the case of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Reliable estimations of drought tolerance in wild plant populations have proved to be challenging and more accessible alternatives are desirable. With that in mind, an ecological diversity study was conducted based on the geographical origin of 104 wild common bean accessions to estimate drought tolerance in their natural habitats. Our wild population sample covered a range of mesic to very dry habitats from Mexico to Argentina.

Cocaine inhibits dopamine D2 receptor signaling via sigma-1-D2 receptor heteromers.

Under normal conditions the brain maintains a delicate balance between inputs of reward seeking controlled by neurons containing the D1-like family of dopamine receptors and inputs of aversion coming from neurons containing the D2-like family of dopamine receptors. Cocaine is able to subvert these balanced inputs by altering the cell signaling of these two pathways such that D1 reward seeking pathway dominates. Here, we provide an explanation at the cellular and biochemical level how cocaine may achieve this.

Brief report: high-throughput sequencing of IL23R reveals a low-frequency, nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism that is associated with ankylosing spondylitis in a Han Chinese population.

Objective: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a highly heritable common inflammatory arthritis that targets the spine and sacroiliac joints of the pelvis, causing pain and stiffness and leading eventually to joint fusion. Although previous studies have shown a strong association of IL23R with AS in white Europeans, similar studies in East Asian populations have shown no association with common variants of IL23R, suggesting either that IL23R variants have no role or that rare genetic variants contribute. The present study was undertaken to screen IL23R to identify rare variants associated with AS in Han Chinese.

The effects of abnormal blood pressure on arterial sampler filling times.

Background: Sampler filling time begins with the initial flash of blood in the needle hub until the preset sampler volume is obtained. Previous studies have shown statistically significant differences between arterial and venous sampler filling times, but included only a few subjects with abnormal blood pressures.

Objective: To determine whether the time required to fill a vented arterial sampler is an accurate indication of a successful arterial blood sample in adults with abnormal blood pressure.

Molecularly imprinted polymer-based catalytic micromotors for selective protein transport.

We demonstrate an attractive nanomachine "capture and transport" target isolation strategy based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). MIP-based catalytic microtubular engines are prepared by electropolymerization of the outer polymeric layer in the presence of the target analyte (template). Tailor-made selective artificial recognition sites are thus introduced into the tubular microtransporters through complementary nanocavities in the outer polymeric layer.

Homodimerization of adenosine A₁ receptors in brain cortex explains the biphasic effects of caffeine.

Using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer and proximity ligation assays, we obtained the first direct evidence that adenosine A₁ receptors (A₁Rs) form homomers not only in cell cultures but also in brain cortex. By radioligand binding experiments in the absence or in the presence of the A₁Rs allosteric modulator, adenosine deaminase, and by using the two-state dimer receptor model to fit binding data, we demonstrated that the protomer-protomer interactions in the A₁R homomers account for some of the pharmacological characteristics of agonist and antagonist binding to A₁Rs. These pharmacological properties include the appearance of cooperativity in agonist binding, the change from a biphasic saturation curve to a monophasic curve in self-competition experiments and the molecular cross-talk detected when two different specific molecules bind to the receptor.

Selective inhibition of an apicoplastic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase from Plasmodium falciparum.

The resistance of malaria parasites to available drugs continues to grow, and this makes the need for new antimalarial therapies pressing. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are essential enzymes and well-established antibacterial targets and so constitute a promising set of targets for the development of new antimalarials. Despite their potential as drug targets, apicoplastic ARSs remain unexplored.

Resequencing and fine-mapping of the chromosome 12q13-14 locus associated with multiple sclerosis refines the number of implicated genes.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Susceptibility to the disease is affected by both environmental and genetic factors. Genetic factors include haplotypes in the histocompatibility complex (MHC) and over 50 non-MHC loci reported by genome-wide association studies.

Protective immunity against Echinostoma caproni in rats is induced by Syphacia muris infection.

Syphacia muris (Nematoda: Oxyuridae) is a ubiquitous nematode that commonly infects rats in the laboratory and can interfere with the development of unrelated biological assays. In this context, we analysed the effect of a patent S. muris infection in Wistar rats on a superimposed infection with the intestinal trematode, Echinostoma caproni (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae).

Low-level laser reduces the production of TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-10 induced by OVA.

Delayed, or type IV, hypersensitivity reactions are a useful model to study the effects of new substances on the immune system. In this study, the experimental model of the delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction to ovalbumin (OVA) was used to evaluate the immunomodulating effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT), which is used as an adjuvant therapy in medicine, dentistry, and physical therapy because of its potential anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects observed in several studies. The effects of LLLT (λ 780 nm, 0.

Detection of receptor heteromers involving dopamine receptors by the sequential BRET-FRET technology.

Until very recently, dopamine receptors, like other G-protein-coupled receptors, were believed to function as individual units on the cell surface. Now it has been described by several groups including ours that dopamine receptors not only function as homomers but also form heteromers with other receptors at the membrane level. Bioluminescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (BRET and FRET) based techniques have been very useful to determine the interaction between two receptors, but to demonstrate the existence of higher-order complexes involving more than two molecules requires more sophisticated techniques.

First WNK4-hypokalemia animal model identified by genome-wide association in Burmese cats.

Burmese is an old and popular cat breed, however, several health concerns, such as hypokalemia and a craniofacial defect, are prevalent, endangering the general health of the breed. Hypokalemia, a subnormal serum potassium ion concentration ([K(+)]), most often occurs as a secondary problem but can occur as a primary problem, such as hypokalaemic periodic paralysis in humans, and as feline hypokalaemic periodic polymyopathy primarily in Burmese. The most characteristic clinical sign of hypokalemia in Burmese is a skeletal muscle weakness that is frequently episodic in nature, either generalized, or sometimes localized to the cervical and thoracic limb girdle muscles.