Graduating European Dentist Curriculum Domain V: Research.

This commentary introduces the new Graduating European Dentist Curriculum Domain V-'Research', and outlines the international multi-stakeholder development and consultation process that was undertaken in order to develop the new Domain.

Impact of dioxins on reproductive health in female mammals.

Extensive research has been conducted to investigate the toxicological impact of dioxins on mammals, revealing profound effects on the female reproductive system in both humans and animals. Dioxin exposure significantly disrupts the intricate functions of the ovary, a pivotal organ responsible for reproductive and endocrine processes. This disruption manifests as infertility, premature ovarian failure, and disturbances in sex steroid hormone levels.

O-Health-Edu: A viewpoint into the current state of oral health professional education in Europe: Part 2: Curriculum structure, facilities, staffing and quality assurance.

Introduction: Oral health professional (OHP) education is likely to vary across Europe in accordance with an EU directive that is open to broad interpretation. It is not clear how OHP curricula are structured or delivered across Europe. The objectives of Part 2 of this paper series are: (i) to provide an overview of common practices in curriculum structure, the availability of facilities, staffing (faculty) and quality assurance processes and (ii) to consider how the existing programme structures align to stakeholder guidance documents.

O-HEALTH-EDU: A viewpoint into the current state of Oral Health Professional education in Europe: Part 1: Programme-level data.

Introduction: Current legislation leaves Oral Health Professional (OHP) education open to wide interpretation and may result in significant variation in educational practice and resultant professional attributes across Europe. Data regarding the current state of OHP education across Europe is limited. The aim of Part 1 of this series is to provide programme-level data for Primary Dental Degree Programmes, Dental Hygiene and Postgraduate Education.

Off-line two-dimensional LC-tandem MS of menaquinones from thermophilic bacteria.

Thermophilic bacteria of four genera in contrast to the commonly used production strains such as Bacillus subtilis, produce homologs other than menaquinone (MK) with seven isoprene units. The number of isoprene units and the configuration of double bonds are essential factors for their biological activity. The goal was to obtain a strain of bacteria that produces a wide range of MK homologs and only all-trans geometrical isomers, which was the strain G.

Female-to-male differential transcription patterns of miRNA-mRNA networks in the livers of dioxin-exposed mice.

Non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) have important roles in regulating the expression of liver mRNAs in response to xenobiotic-exposure, but their roles concerning dioxins such as TCDD (2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) are less clear. This report concerns the potential implication of liver (class I) and circulating (class II) miRNAs in hepatotoxicity of female and male mice after acute exposure to TCDD. The data show that, of a total of 38 types of miRNAs, the expression of eight miRNAs were upregulated in both female and male mice exposed to TCDD.

Archaeal lipids.

The major archaeal membrane glycerolipids are distinguished from those of bacteria and eukaryotes by the contrasting stereochemistry of their glycerol backbones, and by the use of ether-linked isoprenoid-based alkyl chains rather than ester-linked fatty acyl chains for their hydrophobic moieties. These fascinating compounds play important roles in the extremophile lifestyles of many species, but are also present in the growing numbers of recently discovered mesophilic archaea. The past decade has witnessed significant advances in our understanding of archaea in general and their lipids in particular.

Mammalian lipid droplets: structural, pathological, immunological and anti-toxicological roles.

Mammalian lipid droplets (LDs) are specialized cytosolic organelles consisting of a neutral lipid core surrounded by a membrane made up of a phospholipid monolayer and a specific population of proteins that varies according to the location and function of each LD. Over the past decade, there have been significant advances in the understanding of LD biogenesis and functions. LDs are now recognized as dynamic organelles that participate in many aspects of cellular homeostasis plus other vital functions.

Caleosin/peroxygenases: multifunctional proteins in plants.

Background: Caleosin/peroxygenases (CLO/PXGs) are a family of multifunctional proteins that are ubiquitous in land plants and are also found in some fungi and green algae. CLO/PXGs were initially described as a class of plant lipid-associated proteins with some similarities to the oleosins that stabilize lipid droplets (LDs) in storage tissues, such as seeds. However, we now know that CLO/PXGs have more complex structures, distributions and functions than oleosins.

Effects of dioxins on animal spermatogenesis: A state-of-the-art review.

The male reproductive system is especially affected by dioxins, a group of persistent environmental pollutants, resulting in irreversible abnormalities including effects on sexual function and fertility in adult males and possibly on the development of male offspring. The reproductive toxicity caused by dioxins is mostly mediated by an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). In animals, spermatogenesis is a highly sensitive and dynamic process that includes proliferation and maturation of germ cells.

O-Health-Edu: A vision for oral health professional education in Europe.

This consensus paper reports on the process of developing a renewed vision for Oral Health Professional (OHP) education across Europe, and forms part of a larger EU-funded collaborative Erasmus+ project, "O-Health-Edu." The vision aligns with the World Health Organisation milestones (2016) and resolutions (2021), and EU4Health programme (2020) objectives - and projects 20 years into the future, to 2040. This longitudinal vision takes a multi-stakeholder perspective to deliver OHP education that acts in the best interests of both students and patients, and sits within the context of a wider strategy for general health.

ARTICULATE: A European glossary of terms used in oral health professional education.

Introduction: The Erasmus+O-Health-EDU project aims to gain a comprehensive view of oral health professional (OHP) education in Europe, through the development of web-based surveys and online toolkits. A glossary to facilitate a common language through which academic teams could cooperate and communicate more accurately was identified as a key need within the project. The aim of ARTICULATE was thus to create a shared language, with a European focus, for terms and concepts used in the field of OHP education.

Oil palm in the 2020s and beyond: challenges and solutions.

Background: Oil palm, , is by far the most important global oil crop, supplying about 40% of all traded vegetable oil. Palm oils are key dietary components consumed daily by over three billion people, mostly in Asia, and also have a wide range of important non-food uses including in cleansing and sanitizing products.

Main Body: Oil palm is a perennial crop with a > 25-year life cycle and an exceptionally low land footprint compared to annual oilseed crops.

Functional involvement of caleosin/peroxygenase PdPXG4 in the accumulation of date palm leaf lipid droplets after exposure to dioxins.

Dioxins are highly injurious environmental pollutants with proven toxicological effects on both animals and humans, but to date their effects on plants still need to be studied in detail. We identified a dioxin-inducible caleosin/peroxygenase isoform, PdPXG4, that is mostly expressed in leaves of date palm seedlings and exhibits a specific reductase activity towards the 13-hydroperoxide of C18:2 and C18:3 (HpODE and HpOTrE, respectively). After exposure to TCDD, lipid droplets (LDs) isolated from TCDD-exposed leaves were about 6.

O-HEALTH-EDU: A scoping review on the reporting of oral health professional education in Europe.

Introduction: The variability in oral health professional education is likely to impact on the management of oral health needs across Europe. This scoping review forms the initial part of a larger EU-funded collaborative Erasmus + project, 'O-Health-Edu'. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate how oral health professional education in Europe is reported.

Involvement of hepatic lipid droplets and their associated proteins in the detoxification of aflatoxin B in aflatoxin-resistance BALB/C mouse.

The highly potent carcinogen, Aflatoxin B, induces liver cancer in many animals including humans but some mice strains are highly resistant. This murine resistance is due to a rapid detoxification of AFB. Hepatic lipid droplets (LDs) ultimately impact the liver functions but their potential role in AFB detoxification has not been addressed.

COVID-19: The immediate response of european academic dental institutions and future implications for dental education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an immediate and dramatic impact on dental education. The Association of Dental Education in Europe decided to carry out an investigation to assess the immediate response of European Academic Dental Institutions. An online survey was sent to both member and non-member dental schools to investigate the impact on non-clinical and clinical education, assessment and the well-being/pastoral care measures implemented.

Tackling the challenge of the impact of continuing education: An evidence synthesis charting a global, cross-professional shift away from counting hours.

Introduction: Health professionals worldwide are required to maintain their knowledge and skills through continuing education. However, there is limited evidence that the accumulation of hours of educational activity enhances practice. The aim of this study was to review evidence of the impact of continuing professional development (CPD), best educational practice and new models of CPD requirements.

Use of headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry to detect volatile fingerprints of palm fibre oil and sludge palm oil in samples of crude palm oil.

Objective: The addition of residual oils such as palm fibre oil (PFO) and sludge palm oil (SPO) to crude palm oil (CPO) can be problematic within supply chains. PFO is thought to aggravate the accumulation of monochloropropanediols (MCPDs) in CPO, whilst SPO is an acidic by-product of CPO milling and is not fit for human consumption. Traditional targeted techniques to detect such additives are costly, time-consuming and require highly trained operators.

Evolutionary, structural and functional analysis of the caleosin/peroxygenase gene family in the Fungi.

Background: Caleosin/peroxygenases, CLO/PXG, (designated PF05042 in Pfam) are a group of genes/proteins with anomalous distributions in eukaryotic taxa. We have previously characterised CLO/PXGs in the Viridiplantae. The aim of this study was to investigate the evolution and functions of the CLO/PXGs in the Fungi and other non-plant clades and to elucidate the overall origin of this gene family.

Identification of a dioxin-responsive oxylipin signature in roots of date palm: involvement of a 9-hydroperoxide fatty acid reductase, caleosin/peroxygenase PdPXG2.

Dioxins are highly hazardous pollutants that have well characterized impacts on both animal and human health. However, the biological effects of dioxins on plants have yet to be described in detail. Here we describe a dioxin-inducible caleosin/peroxygenase isoform, PdPXG2, that is mainly expressed in the apical zone of date palm roots and specifically reduces 9-hydroperoxide fatty acids.