Prevalence and risks of sleep bruxism in children and adolescents presenting for orthodontic treatment.

Objectives: This study determined the prevalence and risks of definite sleep bruxism (SB) among children and adolescents presenting for orthodontic treatment.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 7-16-year-old subjects pursuing orthodontic treatment for the first time. The presence or absence of SB was determined using an overnight mandibular movement monitoring inertial measurement sensor, worn by each participant for two consecutive nights.

Facial Contouring Through Jaw Exercises: A Report of Two Cases Examining Efficacy and Consumer Expectations.

This study examines the efficacy of jaw exercising products for facial contouring. The two individuals used a commercially available jaw exerciser for approximately three months, following the provided instructions. Neither case reported noticeable changes in jaw appearance based on subjective measurements.

A Large Basal Cell Carcinoma Treated With Hedgehog Inhibitor: A Case Report.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most commonly diagnosed cutaneous cancer globally. Chronic exposure to environmental triggers and genetic predisposition are risk factors that contribute to the incidence of BCC. While most cases of BCC are treated surgically with curettage or simple excision, treatment options for advanced BCC, including metastatic BCC and locally advanced BCC, are limited as some may be considered unresectable.

LIFE CYCLE VARIATION AND HOST-PARASITE INTERACTIONS OF FOUR CONGENERIC SPECIES OF TURTLE ACANTHOCEPHALANS.

Turtle acanthocephalans in the genus Neoechinorhynchus have complex life cycles and are thought to involve an ostracod intermediate host and a turtle definitive host. For Neoechinorhynchus emydis, an additional snail paratenic host is part of its life cycle. However, how snails become infected and whether other species of Neoechinorhynchus can be found in snails remains unclear.

Sweet Taste Preference as a Moderator of Links Between Internalizing Symptoms and Alcohol Craving.

Objective: Strong positive links exist between mood, alcohol craving, and sweet taste preference. During alcohol abstinence, individuals have increased cravings for alcohol and sweets, in association with anxiety and depression symptoms. Research also suggests a substitution effect of alcohol with sweets.

Evaluation of intervention components to maximize yoga practice among people with chronic pain taking opioid agonist therapy: A factorial experiment using the multiphase optimization strategy framework.

Background: Chronic pain affects up to half of individuals taking opioid agonist therapy (OAT; i.e., methadone and buprenorphine) for opioid use disorder (OUD), and yoga-based interventions may be useful for decreasing pain-related disability.

Selection for oligotrophy among bacteria inhabiting host microbiomes.

Understanding how natural selection has historically shaped the traits of microbial populations comprising host microbiomes would help predict how the functions of these microbes may continue to evolve over space and time. Numerous host-associated microbes have been found to adapt to their host, sometimes becoming obligate symbionts, whereas free-living microbes are best known to adapt to their surrounding environment. Our study assessed the selective pressures of both the host environment and the surrounding external environment in shaping the functional potential of host-associated bacteria.

Identifying the core genome of the nucleus-forming bacteriophage family and characterization of Erwinia phage RAY.

We recently discovered that some bacteriophages establish a nucleus-like replication compartment (phage nucleus), but the core genes that define nucleus-based phage replication and their phylogenetic distribution were still to be determined. Here, we show that phages encoding the major phage nucleus protein chimallin share 72 conserved genes encoded within seven gene blocks. Of these, 21 core genes are unique to nucleus-forming phage, and all but one of these genes encode proteins of unknown function.

Identifying the core genome of the nucleus-forming bacteriophage family and characterization of phage RAY.

We recently discovered that some bacteriophages establish a nucleus-like replication compartment (phage nucleus), but the core genes that define nucleus-based phage replication and their phylogenetic distribution were unknown. By studying phages that encode the major phage nucleus protein chimallin, including previously sequenced yet uncharacterized phages, we discovered that chimallin-encoding phages share a set of 72 highly conserved genes encoded within seven distinct gene blocks. Of these, 21 core genes are unique to this group, and all but one of these unique genes encode proteins of unknown function.

SEASONAL OCCURRENCE OF NEOECHINORHYNCHUS EMYDIS (PHYLUM: ACANTHOCEPHALA) IN THE FRESHWATER SNAIL, PLANORBELLA CF. P. TRIVOLVIS, FROM OKLAHOMA.

The acanthocephalan Neoechinorhynchus emydis has a complex life cycle and infects turtle, ostracod, and snail hosts. However, little information is available on the seasonal distribution or the effects of N. emydis on freshwater snail hosts.

MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF JUVENILE NEOECHINORHYNCHUS SPP. (PHYLUM: ACANTHOCEPHALA) INFECTING OSTRACOD AND SNAIL HOSTS PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO ACANTHOCEPHALAN HOST USE.

The role of invertebrates in some acanthocephalan life cycles is unclear because juvenile acanthocephalans are difficult to identify to species using morphology. Most reports suggest acanthocephalans from turtle definitive hosts use ostracods as intermediate hosts and snails as paratenic hosts. However, laboratory studies of the life cycle suggest that ostracods and snails are both required hosts in the life cycle.

Rapid Maxillary Expansion May Improve Condyle-Fossa Relationship and Intercondylar Symmetry.

Article Title And Bibliographic Information: Effects of rapid maxillary expansion on temporomandibular joints: A systematic review. Torres D, Lopes J, Magno MB, Cople Maia L, Normando D, Leão PB. Angle Orthod.

Species Distribution Model of Trichinella Species in Cougars (Puma concolor) for the Southwestern Region of Colorado, USA.

Little information exists on the occurrence of Trichinella spp. in cougars (Puma concolor) throughout North and South America. However, species distribution models (SDM) can be used to predict suitable habitat for elusive species with limited occurrence data.

The Relationship Between Trust and Use Choice in Human-Robot Interaction.

Objective: To understand the influence of trust on use choice in human-robot interaction via experimental investigation.

Background: The general assumption that trusting a robot leads to using that robot has been previously identified, often by asking participants to choose between manually completing a task or using an automated aid. Our work further evaluates the relationship between trust and use choice and examines factors impacting choice.

Life-extending dietary restriction and ovariectomy each increase leucine oxidation and alter leucine allocation in grasshoppers.

Reduced reproduction and dietary restriction each extend lifespan in many animal models, but possible contributions of nutrient oxidation and allocation are largely unknown. Ovariectomy and eating 70% of ad libitum-feeding each extend lifespan in lubber grasshoppers. When feeding levels between the two groups are matched, ovariectomy increases fat and protein storage while dietary restriction reduces fat storage.

Extracellular matrix fiber microarchitecture is region-specific in bicuspid aortic valve-associated ascending aortopathy.

Objective: Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) commonly dilate asymmetrically compared with patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). This discrepancy in aneurysm geometry led us to hypothesize that microarchitectural differences underlie the observed asymmetric dilatation pattern. The purpose of this study was to characterize the microarchitectural distinctions of the extracellular matrix of the 2 phenotypes with a focus on the proportion of radially oriented elastin and collagen fibers in different circumferential aortic regions.

A custom image-based analysis tool for quantifying elastin and collagen micro-architecture in the wall of the human aorta from multi-photon microscopy.

The aorta possesses a micro-architecture that imparts and supports a high degree of compliance and mechanical strength. Alteration of the quantity and/or arrangement of the main load-bearing components of this micro-architecture--the elastin and collagen fibers--leads to mechanical, and hence functional, changes associated with aortic disease and aging. Therefore, in the future, the ability to rigorously characterize the wall fiber micro-architecture could provide insight into the complicated mechanisms of aortic wall remodeling in aging and disease.

Fiber micro-architecture in the longitudinal-radial and circumferential-radial planes of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm media.

It was recently demonstrated by our group that the delamination strength of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (ATAA) was lower than that of control (CTRL, non-aneurysmal) ascending thoracic aorta (ATA), and the reduced strength was more pronounced among bicuspid (BAV) vs. tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) patients, suggesting a different risk of aortic dissection for BAV patients. We hypothesized that aortic valve morphologic phenotype predicts fiber micro-architectural anomalies in ATA.