Solution Structure of Tubuliform Spidroin N-Terminal Domain and Implications for pH Dependent Dimerization.

The spidroin N-terminal domain (NT) is responsible for high solubility and pH-dependent assembly of spider silk proteins during storage and fiber formation, respectively. It forms a monomeric five-helix bundle at neutral pH and dimerizes at lowered pH, thereby firmly interconnecting the spidroins. Mechanistic studies with the NTs from major ampullate, minor ampullate, and flagelliform spidroins (MaSp, MiSp, and FlSp) have shown that the pH dependency is conserved between different silk types, although the residues that mediate this process can differ.

Knowledge, diagnosis and management of dentine hypersensitivity: a national survey of dentists in Nigeria.

Aim: To assess the knowledge of Nigerian dentists regarding dentine hypersensitivity (DH) and their methods of diagnosis and management.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study of dentists practicing in all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria was conducted. The questionnaire focussed on participant's demography, exposure to patients with DH, knowledge-based questions, diagnosis and management of DH.

Masticatory efficiency of shortened dental arch subjects with removable partial denture: A comparative study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the masticatory efficiency in subjects with shortened dental arch (SDA) before and after restoration with removable partial denture (RPD).

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective study carried out on 36 consecutive patients. The subjects were asked to chew 5 g of a measured portion of fresh raw carrot for 20 specified numbers of strokes.

Sociodemographic determinants of usage of removable partial denture in a tertiary hospital: A retrospective study.

Objective: To determine the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on pattern of removable partial denture use in a tertiary institution over a one-year period.

Methods: This was a retrospective study using records of partially dentate patients seeking replacement for their missing teeth within one-year duration. Information retrieved from the patients’ records included demographic characteristics such as gender, age, marital status, occupation, arch type, number and reasons for missing teeth and type of removable partial denture.

Hepatitis B virus resistance substitutions: long-term analysis by next-generation sequencing.

HBV phylogenetics and resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) were surveyed by next-generation sequencing of 21 longitudinal samples from seven patients entering antiviral therapy. The virus populations were dominated by a few abundant lineages that coexisted with substantial numbers of low-frequency variants. A few low-frequency RAMs were observed before treatment, but new ones emerged, and their frequencies increased during therapy.