Impact of low intensity pulsed ultrasound on volumetric root resorption of maxillary incisors in patients treated with clear aligner therapy: A retrospective study

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the volumetric root resorption in maxillary incisors following clear aligner therapy (CAT) with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), and compare the results to CAT alone. Material and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated pretreatment (T0) and post-treatment (T1) cone-beam computed tomography imaging of 42 adult patients. Twenty-one patients (14 females, 7 males, mean age= 38.1±12.96 years) were treated using CAT with LIPUS device, whereas the other twenty-one matching controls patients (15 females, 6 males, mean age= 35.6±11.7 years) were treated using CAT alone. Images were analyzed and a segmentation protocol was applied on the maxillary incisors. Each segmented tooth volume was exported as a surface mesh in the Visualization Toolkit (VTK) file format. The VTK files for all maxillary incisors were coded and corresponding teeth volumes from T0 and T1 were superimposed. Clipping the crown of each tooth was done, then measurements of root volumes and differences between groups were performed. Changes in root volumes were assessed (p<0.05). Results: Root loss was evident in all teeth in both groups, but was significantly increased in all maxillary incisors of the control group (p<0.001) and in upper left central incisor of LIPUS group (p=0.009). When both groups were compared, there was statistically significant minimal volumetric root loss in LIPUS group (3.50-7.32 mm3), when compared to control group (11.48-12.95 mm3) (p<0.05). Conclusion: LIPUS group showed less volumetric root resorption compared to control group during the studied treatment time using clear aligners.

RESUMO Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar volumetricamente a reabsorção radicular em incisivos superiores após tratamento com alinhadores transparentes (CAT) com e sem uso adjuvante de ultrassom de baixa intensidade (LIPUS). Material e Métodos: Esse estudo retrospectivo avaliou imagens de tomografia computadorizada de feixe cônico pré-tratamento (T0) e pós-tratamento (T1) de 42 pacientes adultos: 21 pacientes (14 mulheres, 7 homens, idade média= 38,1±12,96 anos) foram tratados com CAT e LIPUS, enquanto os outros 21 pacientes controles correspondentes (15 mulheres, 6 homens, idade média= 35,6±11,7 anos) foram tratados apenas com CAT. As imagens foram analisadas e foi aplicado um protocolo de segmentação dos incisivos superiores. Os volumes de cada dente segmentado foram exportados como malhas de superfície, em arquivos no formato Visualization Toolkit (VTK). Os arquivos VTK de todos os incisivos superiores foram codificados e foram sobrepostos os volumes dos dentes correspondentes a T0 e T1. Foi realizada a clipagem da coroa de cada dente e, em seguida, foram realizadas medições dos volumes radiculares e comparadas as diferenças entre os grupos, avaliando-se as alterações nos volumes de raízes (p<0,05). Resultados: A perda radicular foi evidente em todos os dentes em ambos os grupos, mas foi significativamente maior em todos os incisivos superiores do grupo controle (p<0,001) e no incisivo central superior esquerdo do grupo LIPUS (p=0,009). Quando ambos os grupos foram comparados, houve perda volumétrica mínima estatisticamente significativa no grupo LIPUS (3,50-7,32 mm3), em comparação ao grupo controle (11,48-12,95 mm3) (p<0,05). Conclusão: O grupo LIPUS apresentou menor volume de reabsorção radicular, em comparação ao grupo controle, durante o tempo de tratamento estudado usando alinhadores transparentes.

Report of a novel mutation in the SLC26A2 gene found in a Colombian adult patient with diastrophic dysplasia / Reporte de una nueva mutación en el gen SLC26A2 en un paciente adulto colombiano con displasia diastrófica

Summary Background. Diastrophic dysplasia is an osteochondrodysplasia belonging to the group of dysplasias caused by mutations in the diastrophic dysplasia sulfate transporter. This sindrome is a micromelic dysplasia with multiple bone deformities of the hands, feet, knees and spine. Objective. Describe the first report of diastrophic displasia in Colombia Materials and methods. In this paper a Colombian adult patient with diastrophic dysplasia whose clinical diagnosis was confirmed at the molecular level is reported. Results. In this first report of diastrophic dysplasia in Colombia we found that the patient was compound heterozygote for the already reported Arg279Trp substitution and an unpublished mutation, a Ser157Thr substitution in the SLC26A2 gene. Conclusion. Bioinformatic analysis on the latter mutation suggested that it could correspond to a deleterious mutation because it is in a highly conserved domain of the sulfate transporter.

Resumen Antecedentes. La displasia diastrófica es una osteocondrodisplasia que pertenece al grupo de las enfermedades genéticas del esqueleto causadas por mutaciones en los transportadores de sulfato. Se presenta como una displasia micromélica con afectación de múltiples huesos y deformidades en manos, pies, rodillas y columna vertebral. Objetivo. Describir el primer reporte de displasia diastrófica en Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se reporta un adulto colombiano con esta displasia, con confirmación clínica, radiológica y molecular. Resultados. En este primer reporte colombiano, se encontró que la paciente presentó una mutación heterocigota compuesta, de Arg279Trp y Ser157Thr, esta última no reportada previamente, en el gen SLC26A2. Conclusión. El análisis bioinformático de la mutación nueva sugiere que podría corresponder a una mutación deletérea dado que el dominio afectado en el transportador de sulfatos es altamente conservado.

Dermatófitos: interação patógeno-hospedeiro e resistência a antifúngicos / Dermatophytes: host-pathogen interaction and antifungal resistance

As micoses cutâneas estão entre as infecções mais comuns em humanos e se tornaram um importante problema de saúde pública, principalmente por causarem infecções invasivas em pacientes imunodeprimidos. Durante a infecção, a interação dermatófito-hospedeiro desencadeia adaptações metabólicas específicas que permitem aos patógenos aderirem e penetrarem no tecido, remodelando seu metabolismo para captar nutrientes e superar os mecanismos de defesa do hospedeiro. Esse remodelamento metabólico e a inter-relação entre metabolismo, morfogênese e resposta ao estresse são importantes fatores que estão sendo intensamente avaliados em diversos patógenos. As células do hospedeiro também respondem aos estímulos do patógeno, ativando vias de sinalização intracelular que culminam no desencadeamento de uma resposta imune contra o agente infeccioso. O entendimento molecular dessas respostas metabólicas pode ajudar no estabelecimento de novas estratégias terapêuticas. Nesta revisão, são abordados diferentes aspectos da biologia dos dermatófitos, com ênfase na interação dermatófito-hospedeiro e nos mecanismos de resistência a antifúngicos.

Cutaneous mycoses are among the most common infections in humans and have become an important public health issue because they cause invasive infections in immunocompromised patients. During the infectious process, dermatophyte-host interactions trigger specific metabolic adaptations that allow the pathogen to adhere to and penetrate the host tissue, scavenge nutrients, and overcome the host defense mechanisms. This metabolic shift and the interplay between metabolism, morphogenesis and stress response are important factors that have been extensively studied in several pathogens. Host cells also respond to the pathogen stimuli by activating intracellular signaling pathways that trigger the immune response against the infectious agent. The comprehension of the molecular aspects of these responses may help to establish new therapeutical strategies. In this review, different aspects of the biology of dermatophytes are addressed, with emphasis on the dermatophyte-host interaction and the mechanisms of antifungal resistance.

Recomiendan personalizar la quimioterapia del cáncer de pulmón en ancianos / Chemotherapy of advanced non-small cell lung cancer in elderly patients

El cáncer de pulmón de células no pequeñas (CPCNP) es la principal causa de muerte asociada con el cáncer en el mundo y puede considerarse como característico de la ancianidad. La quimioterapia es el pilar principal del tratamiento, debido a que muchos pacientes se encuentran en un estadio avanzado de la enfermedad al momento del diagnóstico. En comparación con los más jóvenes, los pacientes ancianos toleran mal la quimioterapia a causa de la progresiva reducción de las funciones orgánicas y las enfermedades asociadas con la edad. Esto hace que los pacientes añosos frecuentemente no sean considerados elegibles para una quimioterapia agresiva basada en platino, el cual es el tratamiento estándar del CPCNP avanzado. A la fecha, en la práctica clínica, la quimioterapia con un solo agente, una droga de tercera generación, debe ser la opción recomendada para pacientes mayores no seleccionados con CPCNP avanzado. Sin embargo, la viabilidad de la quimioterapia basada en platino sigue siendo una cuestión no resuelta que debe probarse en estudios aleatorizados. Se debería dar una alta prioridad a la evaluación del papel que ocupan las llamadas terapias dirigidas mediante nuevas moléculas. Varios nuevos agentes biológicos se encuentran en diferentes etapas de investigación clínica en CPCNP avanzado y algunos de ellos han mostrado mejorías en varios parámetros. Su mejor tolerabilidad potencial los convierte en una alternativa atractiva para este subgrupo de pacientes. Incluso resulta obligatoria una evaluación geriátrica completa para la elección de un tratamiento individualizado del CPCNP en ancianos.

Uso de probiótico na prevenção de salmoneloses em frangos de corte / Alternatives in the prevention of salmoneloses in poultry

Dentre as principais zoonoses de origem bacteriana, transmitidas pelas aves, pode-se assinalar as salmoneloses causadas por salmonelas patogênicas, que causam toxinfecções alimentares e podem estar presentes em produtos e subprodutos de origem animal contaminados. Com o objetivo de buscar subsídios no sentido de aperfeiçoar os sistemas de prevenção e controle alternativos para esta zoonose, foi realizado um experimento com 780 frangos de corte, da linhagem Ross, abatidos aos 31 dias de idade, submetidos a três tratamentos, com 4 repetições de 65 aves cada. Os animais do tratamento um receberam o probiótico Mucosal starter culture e foram inoculados com Salmonella enteritidis (SPRING et al., 2000), na dose de 10(5) unidades formadoras de colônias, por mililitro. No tratamento dois-controle positivo-os animais somente foram inoculados com S. enteritidis, na mesma dose que no tratamento um. Os animais do tratamento três-controle negativo-não receberam inoculação de salmonelas e nem probiótico. Avaliou-se o peso vivo, o consumo de ração e foram estimadas a conversão alimentar, o fator de produção e a percentagem de contaminação por salmonela. Não foram detectadas diferenças significativas, entre os tratamentos, para os parâmetros zootécnicos e microbiológicos analisados. Os animais que receberam o probiótico não se mostraram mais eficientes quando inoculados com salmonelas patogênicas, mas apresentaram um melhor desempenho em relação ao padrão da linhagem Ross utilizada.

Salmoneloses are zoonoses cause by pathogenic salmonellas very common in products of infected birds. A experiment was made with the main aim to consider the need to search subsidy and perfectly for control and prevention systems in the growth of disease in public health. 780 chickens from Ross line are used, they were 31-day-old, and three treatments have been applied to 4 repetitions of 65 birds each. The animals of treatment one received the probiotic Mucosal starter culture and were inoculated with Salmonella enteritidis in 10(5) units group colony forms/ militer. The treatment two was considered positive control and the animal were inoculated with S. enteritidis the same way that treatment one. The animals of treatment three did not receive probiotics and nor inoculated with salmonella. Some parameters were analyzed such as weight, food conversion , production factor and the percent of the contamination by salmonellas. There were not differences to the zootechnical and microbiological parameters for everyone treatments analysed. The animals that received probiotic did not show more efficient when inoculated with S. enteritidis, but they presented best performance that status from Ross line used.

The dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum secretes an EDTA-sensitive alkaline phosphatase on high-phosphate medium

In this communication, we show that the growth of isolate H6 of the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum on non-buffered medium and under saturating phosphate conditions is dependent on the initial growth pH, with an apparent optimum at pH 4.0. In addition, irrespective of the initial growth pH, the pH of the medium alteredduring cultivation reaching values that ranged from 8.3 to 8.9. Furthermore, this isolate synthesized and secreted almost the same levels of an alkaline phosphatase with an apparent optimum pH ranging from 9.0 to 10.0 when grown on both low- and high-phosphate medium. Also, this alkaline phosphatase is activated by Mg2+ and is EDTA-sensitive. On the other hand, the very low levels of the enzyme retained by the mycelium grown on buffered medium at pH 5.0-5.2 suggest that this enzyme is encoded by an alkaline gene, i.e., a gene responsive to ambient pH signaling.

The synthesis of phosphate-repressible alkaline phosphatase do not appear to be regulated by ambient pH in the filamentous mould Neurospora crassa

In order to investigate further the adaptive response of moulds to ambient pH, we have measured by ELISA the pho-2-encoded Pi-repressible alkaline phosphatase synthesised by Neurospora crassa. We showed that the 74A and pho-2A strains of this mould secrete similar amounts of the pho-2-encoded enzyme irrespective of ambient pH, when both the preg and pgov genes are not functional, i.e., in strains nuc-2+ growing under Pi-starvation. This suggests that pho-2, which is responsive to Pistarvation via the action of genes nuc-2, preg, pgov and nuc-1, is not a gene responsive to ambient pH and that the differential glycosylation observed for the Pi-repressible alkaline phosphatase retained by the mycelium at pH 5.6 or secreted into the growth medium at pH 8.0 is the genetic response to ambient pH sensing in N. crassa.

A simplified method for the isolation of high molecular weight DNA from Aspergillus nidulans

We have developed a simple method for obtaining DNA from mycelium of the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. A single isopropanol preparation yields good quality high molecular weight DNA preparations that are not contaminated with proteins or salts, and that are easy to solubilize and to digest with restriction enzymes. High yields (approximately 1.6 mg DNA per gram of wet mycelium) are obtained. Contamination with RNA is minimal and there is no need to use RNase. It has been successfully used in our laboratory for many molecular biology experiments.