Decontamination of Dental Implant Surfaces by the Er:YAG Laser Beam: A Comparative in Vitro Study of Various Protocols.

Oral rehabilitation with dental implants has revolutionized the field of dentistry and has been proven to be an effective procedure. However, the incidence of peri-implantitis has become an emerging concern. The efficacy of the decontamination of the implant surface, by means of lasers, is still controversial.

Treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity by means of Nd:YAP Laser: a preliminary in vitro study.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Nd:YAP laser to seal dentinal tubules at different parameters.

Material And Methods: 24 caries-free human wisdom impacted molars were used. The crowns were sectioned transversally in order to totally expose the dentin.

Crucial role of gamma interferon-producing CD4+ Th1 cells but dispensable function of CD8+ T cell, B cell, Th2, and Th17 responses in the control of Brucella melitensis infection in mice.

Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular bacterial pathogens responsible for brucellosis, a worldwide zoonosis that causes abortion in domestic animals and chronic febrile disease associated with serious complications in humans. There is currently no approved vaccine against human brucellosis, and antibiotic therapy is long and costly.

The use of survey data to study migration-environment relationships in developing countries: alternative approaches to data collection.

Growing interest in the environmental aspects of migration is not matched by research on their interrelationships, due partly to the lack of adequate data sets on the two together. Focusing on the microlevel, we describe the data required to effectively investigate these interrelationships. Data sources are discussed, be collected, focusing on household surveys and remote sensing.

Assessment of DFT Exchange-Correlation Functionals for Evaluating the Multipolar Contributions to the Quadratic Nonlinear Optical Responses of Small Reference Molecules.

The hyper-Rayleigh scattering responses as well as the multipolar contributions to the first hyperpolarizabilities are calculated by means of density functional theory for a series of reference molecules (acetonitrile, dichloromethane, trichloroacetonitrile, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride), covering the whole range of dipolar/octupolar character. The performance of various exchange-correlation functionals is addressed by comparison to CCSD(T) calculations. The best functionals turn out to be LC-BLYP, M05-2X, and M06-2X.

Nonlinear optical molecular switches as selective cation sensors.

This work demonstrates that the recognition of cations by molecular switches can give rise to large contrasts of the second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, which can therefore be used as a powerful and multi-usage detection tool. The proof of concept is given by evidencing, by means of ab initio calculations, the ability of spiropyran/merocyanine systems to selectively detect alkali, alkaline earth, and transition-metal cations.

Systematic review of efficacy of nutraceuticals to alleviate clinical signs of osteoarthritis.

Background: Various treatments of osteoarthritis (OA) have been described, including use of nutraceuticals.

Objectives: To review systematically the literature about the effects of nutraceuticals on clinical signs of pain or abnormal locomotion in horses, dogs, and cats, and to discuss methodological aspects of trials and systematic reviews.

Methods: A systematic search of controlled trials evaluating the impact of nutraceuticals on OA in horses, dogs, and cats was performed, using Medline, CAB Abstracts, and Google Scholar.

Tantalum oxide/carbon nanotubes composite coatings on titanium, and their functionalization with organophosphonic molecular films: a high quality scaffold for hydroxyapatite growth.

Nowadays, titanium is a very commonly used biomaterial for the preparation of orthopedic and dental implants. Its excellent mechanical and biochemical bulk properties are nevertheless counterbalanced by its propensity to long term degradation in physiological conditions and its weak osseointegrative capacities. In this context, surface modifications can significantly hinder titanium weaknesses.

Chemoresistance to Valproate Treatment of Bovine Leukemia Virus-Infected Sheep; Identification of Improved HDAC Inhibitors.

We previously proved that a histone deacetylase inhibitor (valproate, VPA) decreases the number of leukemic cells in bovine leukemia virus (BLV)-infected sheep. Here, we characterize the mechanisms initiated upon interruption of treatment. We observed that VPA treatment is followed by a decrease of the B cell counts and proviral loads (copies per blood volume).

Specific interactions in complexes formed by DNA and conducting polymer building blocks: guanine and 3,4-(ethylenedioxy)thiophene.

In the present paper we report direct experimental evidence of the existence of hydrogen bonds between poly(3,4-(ethylenedioxy)thiophene) (PEDOT) and DNA complexes and bring deeper knowledge about how such interactions can take place in such species. To this end, we used both experimental and theoretical methodologies to examine the interactions between the building blocks composing these two macromolecules. The specific interaction natures between 3,4-(ethylenedioxy)thiophene (EDOT, E) and doubly protonated guanine (GH(2)(2+)) monomers have been investigated using UV-vis spectroscopy.

Poynting vector in transfer-matrix formalism for the calculation of light absorption profile in stratified isotropic optical media.

In spite of the fact that solutions to Maxwell's equations in stratified isotropic optical media are well known, it appears that an explicit expression of the Poynting vector flux spatial evolution inside such a medium has not been derived so far. Based on exact electromagnetic field solutions in the transfer-matrix formalism, I derive such an expression and show that, due to the presence of counterpropagating waves in the medium, an additional contribution to the flux appears that exists only in optically absorbing layers and arises from the interference between these waves. Based on this theory, the concept of incremental absorption is introduced for the calculation of the light absorption profile along the stratification direction.

Theoretical investigation of Raman optical activity signatures of Tröger's base.

The Raman and VROA spectra of (S,S)-Tröger's base are simulated. We mainly discuss the peaks in the 1140-1400 cm(-1) wavenumber range where an intense VROA signature is found. In this range, nearly all of the Raman-active bands belong to the irreducible representation A (C(2) point group), whereas no such observation is made for the VROA spectrum.

Effects of the nature and length of the π-conjugated bridge on the second-order nonlinear optical responses of push-pull molecules including 4,5-dicyanoimidazole and their protonated forms.

Theoretical and experimental methods of characterization have been employed to investigate a series of six push-pull molecules containing a 4,5-dicyanoimidazole acceptor (A) unit, a N,N-dimethylamino donor (D) group, and systematically enlarged π-conjugated linkers (π) with the view of assessing their first hyperpolarizabilities (β) as well as their variations upon protonation. The results demonstrated that protonation occurred at the N,N-dimethylamino function, which led to disruption of the electronic charge-transfer delocalization: the A-π-D pattern of the neutral species with large β values was transformed into an A-π-A' pattern, which displayed much smaller β values. This feature makes these systems applicable as pH-triggered nonlinear optics (NLO) switches.

Centrality measures and thermodynamic formalism for complex networks.

In the study of small and large networks it is customary to perform a simple random walk where the random walker jumps from one node to one of its neighbors with uniform probability. The properties of this random walk are intimately related to the combinatorial properties of the network. In this paper we propose to use the Ruelle-Bowens random walk instead, whose probability transitions are chosen in order to maximize the entropy rate of the walk on an unweighted graph.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling studies of quinolonyl diketo acid derivatives: new structural insight into the HIV-1 integrase inhibition.

New quinolonyl diketo acid compounds bearing various substituents at position 6 of the quinolone scaffold were designed and synthesized as potential HIV-1 integrase inhibitors. These new compounds were evaluated for their antiviral and anti-integrase activity and showed inhibitory potency similar to that of 6-bromide analog 2. Molecular modeling and docking studies were performed to rationalize these data and to provide a detailed understanding of the mechanism of inhibition for this class of compounds.

Binding of cationic conjugated polymers to DNA: atomistic simulations of adducts involving the Dickerson's dodecamer.

We here describe the investigation at the atomistic level of the structure, stability, and dynamics of several complexes resulting from the interaction of oxidized poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) with the well-known Dickerson's dodecamer sequence. Four specific arrangements have been selected as referential structures for molecular dynamics simulations, and the resulting independent trajectories tend to converge in two distinguishable models with the strongest interactions. The first one presents a coiled DNA strand enveloping the oligomer chain, whereas in the second model, the conducting polymer chain and the disorganized DNA strand are facing side-by-side.

Electron correlation effects on the first hyperpolarizability of push-pull π-conjugated systems.

The first hyperpolarizability (β) of representative push-pull π-conjugated compounds has been calculated at several levels of approximation to assess the effects of electron correlation. First, the 6-31+G(d) basis set has been shown to give the best balance between accuracy and computational resources for a polyene linker whereas for polyyne linker, the 6-31G(d) basis set is already an optimal choice. As a result of cancellations between higher order contributions, the MP2 method turns out to be the method of choice to predict β of push-pull π-conjugated systems since it closely reproduces the values obtained with the reference CCSD(T) scheme.

Role of FlbT in flagellin production in Brucella melitensis.

It was recently demonstrated that the pathogen Brucella melitensis produces a polar sheathed flagellum under the control of the master regulator FtcR. However, the regulatory mechanism controlling the flagellar assembly remains unknown. In this work, we investigate the flagellar hierarchy of B.

RpoE1, an extracytoplasmic function sigma factor, is a repressor of the flagellar system in Brucella melitensis.

The genome of Brucella melitensis contains genes coding for the sigma factors RpoD, RpoN, RpoH1, RpoH2, RpoE1 and RpoE2. Previously published data show that B. melitensis is flagellated and that an rpoE1 mutant overexpresses the flagellar protein FlgE.

Synthesis and evaluation of β-carboline derivatives as potential monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

Previous studies have shown that harmine is a reversible inhibitor of human monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). Moreover, the crystal structure of human MAO-A in complex with harmine has been recently solved. This crystal structure shows that close to the methoxy group of the harmine moiety, a lipophilic pocket is left vacant within the binding site of human MAO-A.

Morphological analysis of the sheathed flagellum of Brucella melitensis.

Background: It was recently shown that B. melitensis is flagellated. However, the flagellar structure remains poorly described.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the structural and spectroscopic properties of coumarin 343 fluoroionophores.

A joint theoretical-experimental investigation has been carried out to unravel the details of the complexation of cations by fluoroionophores based on coumarin 343 and to interpret the modifications in the ligand and also in the coumarin structural, electronic, magnetic, and vibrational properties. It is confirmed that C343-dea (1) complexes the cations by both the lactone and the amide oxygen atoms whereas for C343-crown (2) and C343-dibenzocrown (3), the cations are complexed by the oxygen atoms of the lactone as well as those of the crown ligand. These complexations induce geometric modifications, which are delocalized over the coumarin backbone and are related to electronic reorganizations that modify the spectroscopic signatures.

Hybrid dithienylethene-naphthopyran multi-addressable photochromes: an ab initio analysis.

Using ab initio tools, we investigate the structural and electronic properties as well as the NMR spectra of hybrid dithienylethene-naphthopyran photochromes synthesised by Frigoli and Mehl (Angew. Chem. Int.

A differential proteomic approach to assess the effects of chemotherapeutics and production management strategy on giant tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon.

The intensification of shrimp farming has been related to the increasing use of chemotherapeutics and potentially suboptimal rearing conditions. For the purpose of assessing the stress level of cultured giant tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon, a proteomic analysis (2D-DIGE) was performed on hemolymph. On the one hand, shrimp were exposed for 7 days to the antibiotics enrofloxacin or furazolidone via feed (4 g kg(-1)) under laboratory conditions.

On the Performances of the M06 Family of Density Functionals for Electronic Excitation Energies.

We assessed the accuracy of the four members of the M06 family of functionals (M06-L, M06, M06-2X, and M06-HF) for the prediction of electronic excitation energies of main-group compounds by time-dependent density functional theory. This is accomplished by comparing the predictions both to high-level theoretical benchmark calculations and some experimental data for gas-phase excitation energies of small molecules and to experimental data for midsize and large chromogens in liquid-phase solutions. The latter comparisons are carried out using implicit solvation models to include the electrostatic effects of solvation.