Dissociation and reaggregation of for studies of self-organization.

The remarkable regenerative abilities of the small cnidarian include the capacity to reassemble itself after dissociation into individual cells. Here, we present a robust protocol for the dissociation and reaggregation of tissue that addresses many common challenges encountered during the preparation and execution of the dissociation, as well as the formation and care of regenerating cellular aggregates. Analysis of the process provides insight into the mechanisms of nervous system self-organization.

Ensemble synchronization in the reassembly of Hydra's nervous system.

Although much is known about how the structure of the nervous system develops, it is still unclear how its functional modularity arises. A dream experiment would be to observe the entire development of a nervous system, correlating the emergence of functional units with their associated behaviors. This is possible in the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris, which, after its complete dissociation into individual cells, can reassemble itself back together into a normal animal.

Defined factors to reactivate cell cycle activity in adult mouse cardiomyocytes.

Adult mammalian cardiomyocytes exit the cell cycle during the neonatal period, commensurate with the loss of regenerative capacity in adult mammalian hearts. We established conditions for long-term culture of adult mouse cardiomyocytes that are genetically labeled with fluorescence. This technique permits reliable analyses of proliferation of pre-existing cardiomyocytes without complications from cardiomyocyte marker expression loss due to dedifferentiation or significant contribution from cardiac progenitor cell expansion and differentiation in culture.

Determining Recommendations for Improvement of Communication Skills Training in Dental Education: A Scoping Review.

Professional communication skills have a significant impact on dental patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Communication skills training has been shown to improve the communication skills of dental students. Therefore, strengthening communication skills training in dental education shows promise for improving dental patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Managing pain and fatigue in people with spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial feasibility study examining the efficacy of massage therapy.

Study Design: A randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of massage therapy (MT) as a treatment that could be implemented to reduce pain and fatigue in people with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Laboratory setting in Sydney, Australia.

Isolation, Culture and Transduction of Adult Mouse Cardiomyocytes.

Cultured cardiomyocytes can be used to study cardiomyocyte biology using techniques that are complementary to in vivo systems. For example, the purity and accessibility of in vitro culture enables fine control over biochemical analyses, live imaging, and electrophysiology. Long-term culture of cardiomyocytes offers access to additional experimental approaches that cannot be completed in short term cultures.

Assessment and Reporting of Driving Fitness in Patients with Dementia in Clinical Practice: Data from SveDem, the Swedish Dementia Registry.

Background: Driving constitutes a very important aspect of daily life and is dependent on cognitive functions such as attention, visuo-spatial skills and memory, which are often compromised in dementia. Therefore, the driving fitness of patients with dementia needs to be addressed by physicians and those that are deemed unfit should not be allowed to continue driving.

Objective: We aimed at investigating to what extent physicians assess driving fitness in dementia patients and determinant factors for revoking of their licenses.

PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of Miro inhibits synaptic growth and protects dopaminergic neurons in Drosophila.

Mutations in the mitochondrial Ser/Thr kinase PINK1 cause Parkinson's disease. One of the substrates of PINK1 is the outer mitochondrial membrane protein Miro, which regulates mitochondrial transport. In this study, we uncovered novel physiological functions of PINK1-mediated phosphorylation of Miro, using Drosophila as a model.

Developing a model of associations between chronic pain, depressive mood, chronic fatigue, and self-efficacy in people with spinal cord injury.

Unlabelled: Chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and depressive mood are prevalent conditions in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between these conditions in adults with SCI. Multivariate analysis of variance, contingency analyses, and hierarchical regression were used to determine the nature of the relationship, as well as the contribution to this relationship of self-efficacy, a potential mediator variable.

The meaning of mitochondrial movement to a neuron's life.

Cells precisely regulate mitochondrial movement in order to balance energy needs and avoid cell death. Neurons are particularly susceptible to disturbance of mitochondrial motility and distribution due to their highly extended structures and specialized function. Regulation of mitochondrial motility plays a vital role in neuronal health and death.

Mindfulness and professionalism in dentistry.

To improve the effectiveness of teaching professionalism, the authors propose introducing mindfulness practice into the dental curriculum. The qualities cultivated through mindfulness meditation practice closely resemble the global attitudes of professionalism. Professionalism and mindfulness are broad overlapping constructs with a common prosocial aim: letting go of selfish, short-sighted rewards and promoting the long-term common good.

Review of linear epidermal nevus with oral mucosal involvement--series of five new cases.

Introduction: Linear epidermal nevi are sporadic hamartomatous alterations of the epidermis and superficial dermis that clinically appear as verrucous papules and plaques distributed in a linear pattern following Blaschko's lines. Their extent varies from unilateral involvement (nevus unius lateris) to extensive bilateral involvement (ichthyosis hystrix). Oral mucosal lesions have rarely been described.

Rapid relaxation--practical management of preoperative anxiety.

Rapid relaxation (RR) is a brief set of suggestions, given while applying topical anesthetic, to reduce anxiety during local anesthesia and subsequent dental treatment. RR is recommended for managing mild dental anxiety, which is almost universal. RR combines elements of hypnosis, meditation and good basic chairside manner.

Assessment of anxiety in intensive care patients by using the Faces Anxiety Scale.

Background: Anxiety is difficult to detect in patients receiving mechanical ventilation because clinical signs are confounded and patients often cannot respond to validated anxiety measures. Most patients can respond to the single-item Faces Anxiety Scale.

Objectives: To assess the validity of the Faces Anxiety Scale, the frequency and severity of state anxiety, and correlates of anxiety in intensive care patients.

Impact of localized treatment in reducing risk of progression of low-grade oral dysplasia: molecular evidence of incomplete resection.

Currently, there is no consensus on the appropriate treatment for low-grade oral dysplasia. This is mainly due to the difficulty in predicting outcome for this heterogeneous group of lesions. In this study, we constructed a detailed clinical history of 66 mild and moderate dysplasias in order to determine how treatment affected outcome, and to evaluate the effect of treatment on lesions with different genetic profiles, which are defined by patterns of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) associated with low, intermediate and high risk of progression [Clin.

High frequency of allelic loss in dysplastic lichenoid lesions.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a common mucosal condition that is considered premalignant by some, whereas others argue that only lichenoid lesions with epithelial dysplasia are at risk of progressing into oral carcinoma. A recent study from this laboratory used microsatellite analysis to evaluate OLP for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at loci on three chromosomal arms (3p, 9p, and 17p) (Am J Path 1997;Vol151:Page323-Page327). Loss on these arms is a common event in oral epithelial dysplasia and has been associated with risk of progression of oral leukoplakia to cancer.

Use of allelic loss to predict malignant risk for low-grade oral epithelial dysplasia.

One of the best approaches to identifying genetic changes critical to oral cancer progression is to compare progressing and nonprogressing oral premalignant lesions. However, such samples are rare, and they require long-term follow-up. The current study used the large archive network and clinical database in British Columbia to study loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in cases of early oral premalignancies, comparing those with a history of progression to carcinoma in situ or invasive cancer and those without a history of progression (referred to as nonprogressing cases).

[Radiologic intervention in the biliary tract performed at a central hospital].

During the ten-year period 1987-96, 131 diagnostic percutaneous transhepatic cholangiographies (PTC) were performed in 103 patients due to obstructive jaundice. 54 cases of percutaneous transhepatic bile drainage (endoprosthesis) (PTBD) and 53 of percutaneous transhepatic external drainage (PTED) were also performed. In 89 patients (86%) the obstructive jaundice was caused by malignant disease.

Caliber-persistent labial artery. A common vascular anomaly.

Sixteen cases of caliber-persistent labial artery of the lips have been reported to date in the English literature. Six of these were clinically misdiagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma and treated with wedge resection. To date, we have seen 187 cases clinically and an additional 23 cases through our surgical oral pathology services.

Evaluation of serum and tissue levels of alpha-tocopherol.

This study was designed to test the effect of supplementation of several antioxidants, including alpha-tocopherol, on the clinical reduction of premalignant oral lesions. Samples of oral mucosa and serum were taken from baseline to 9 months of supplementation from patients with premalignant oral lesions and analyzed for alpha-tocopherol by HPLC. Statistical increases in both serum and tissue alpha-tocopherol were found after supplementation.

Salivary gland duct involvement in oral epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma.

The clinical implications and prognostic significance of oral dysplastic or cancerous epithelium involving salivary gland ducts have not been previously investigated. Screened routine tissue sections of 1216 cases of oral epithelial dysplasias and squamous cell carcinomas revealed 26 examples (2.14%) that exhibited unequivocal ductal involvement.

Use of antioxidant supplements in the treatment of human oral leukoplakia.

An increasing public awareness of antioxidants may prompt a patient's request to be treated without surgery if a leukoplakic lesion is discovered. However, surgical excision remains the treatment of choice for oral leukoplakia. The use of antioxidant supplements has shown some promise, but the predictability of success remains uncertain and long-term results are unavailable.