The impact of erosive tooth wear related to masticatory quality in an indigenous Brazilian population: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to associate the impact of tooth wear with the perception of masticatory quality and eating habits in a Brazilian indigenous population. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out with 197 indigenous from the Macuxi tribe (Roraima, Brazil) divided into age groups (adolescents and adults). Tooth wear was determined by the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE). The masticatory quality was evaluated using the Quality of Masticatory Function Questionnaire (QMFQ). Study participants also answered questions regarding eating habits and frequency of food consumption. Logistic regression models and crude Odds Ratios were estimated with 95% confidence intervals. Variables with P<0.20 in simple analyses were tested in a multiple logistic regression model; those with P ≤ 0.05 remained in the model. RESULTS: Tooth wear was observed in 38.1% of the indigenous, and 48.2% of them reported having their masticatory function affected; banana was the most frequently consumed item (54.3%); there was a significant association between adulthood and the presence of tooth wear (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Tooth wear related to eating habits and poor masticatory quality did not impact the oral health condition of the studied indigenous population. However, adulthood was associated with tooth wear in this sample.

Botanical and chemical fungicides in the treatment of commercial seeds of Brachiaria brizantha and Panicum maximum.

Brazil is the largest producer, consumer, and exporter of forage seeds in the world. However, the high incidence of pathogens threatens the seed production system, resulting in decreases in production and quality. Currently, the emphasis has been placed on the use of alternative products as a way of maintaining productivity and environmental sustainability. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the mycoflora associated with the commercial seeds of Brachiaria brizantha and Panicum maximum treated with chemical and alternative fungicide. To test with chemical and alternative treatments, seeds were subjected to fluazinam + thiophanate-methyl, fludioxonil + metalaxyl-M, noni essential oil, rosemary pepper essential oil, sulfuric acid. There was also an untreated control. The most efficient products in the control of incident fungi were, in decreasing order, fluazinam + thiophanate-methyl, fludioxonil + metalaxyl-M, noni essential oil, rosemary pepper essential oil, and sulfuric acid. Fungicides mainly controlled the genera Alternaria, Aspergillus, Bipolaris, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Fusarium, Penicillium, Phoma and Rhizopus. Essential oils showed positive effects in controlling Bipolaris, Curvularia, and Fusarium. Sulfuric acid reduced the incidence of Bipolaris, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Fusarium, Phoma, and Rhizopus. Seed treatment is one of the promising strategies for obtaining seeds of a healthy quality. As a result, the fungicides and botanical components listed above were promising in reducing fungi associated with forage seeds and can be used for seed treatments and in the development of new products with a natural base through essential oils.

Esthetic impact of malocclusions in the anterior segment on children in the mixed dentition.

INTRODUCTION: To assess the esthetic subjective effect of malocclusions in the anterior segment on children in the mixed dentition. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a population-based sample of 787 children aged 8-10 years in the late mixed dentition (n = 787). Orthodontic Aesthetic Subjective Impact Score determined the esthetic subjective effect. For assessing the malocclusions in the anterior segment (anterior crowding, anterior spacing, diastema, anterior open bite, and anterior maxillary overjet), the following Dental Aesthetic Index criteria were used. Sex, family income, and education level were used as control variables. The variables were analyzed using a simple logistic regression model, estimating crude odds ratios. The variables with P <0.20 in the simple analyses were tested in multiple regression models, estimating adjusted odds ratios with the respective 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Increased overjet was 1.54 (95% CI: 1.08-2.17) times more likely to cause greater esthetic concern (P <0.05), especially in girls (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Increased overjet negatively affected children's esthetic self-perception in the mixed dentition.

Impact of anterior occlusal conditions in the mixed dentition on oral health-related quality-of-life item levels.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of anterior occlusal conditions in the mixed dentition on item-level analysis of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study of 787 children aged 8 to 10 years was conducted. The Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ8-10) was used to evaluate OHRQoL, and the analysis of item levels was performed on CPQ8-10 domains. Anterior occlusal characteristics were diagnosed according to the Dental Aesthetic Index criteria. Individual analyses were performed relating the outcome as independent variables. The variables with P < .20 in the individual analyses were tested in multiple logistic regression models, and those with P < .10 remained in the model. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) was estimated with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: No associations were found with regard to anterior occlusal characteristics (P < .001) after the variables of the previous determinants were adjusted for multivariate analysis. However, the following variables were significantly associated with negative impact on OHRQoL item levels: sex, in oral symptoms (OR = 1.42; CI, 1.07-1.89) and emotional well-being (OR = 1.34; CI, 1.00-1.79); race, in oral symptoms (OR = 1.48; CI, 1.10-1.98), emotional well-being (OR = 1.54; CI, 1.14-2.06), and social well-being (OR = 1.34; CI, 1.00-1.80); and family income in functional limitation (OR = 1.46; CI, 1.06-2.02), emotional well-being (OR = 1.71; CI, 1.21-2.42), and social well-being (OR = 1.59; CI, 1.14-2.21). CONCLUSIONS: Anterior occlusal conditions did not affect the levels of OHRQoL items.

Exploring the perception of orthodontic treatment need using the Dental Aesthetic Index and Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to explore the perception of orthodontic treatment need by using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) and the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a representative random sample (N = 248) of adolescents aged 12 years. The DAI and both components of IOTN were used to evaluate malocclusion. The association between the Dental Health Component of the IOTN with gender and ethnic group were analyzed by chi-square test. The concordances between the indexes were analyzed by the kappa statistic, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The prevalence of adolescents with high severity and orthodontic treatment need was 10.5% (95% CI, 6.7-14.3), 36.5% (95% CI, 32.3-44.3), and 73.4% (95% CI, 67.9-78.9) for the Aesthetic Component of the IOTN, Dental Health Component of the IOTN, and DAI, respectively. The indexes showed high agreement for the cases with low treatment need, whereas low concordance was observed for the cases with high treatment need. CONCLUSIONS: The perception of orthodontic treatment need was assessed differently using DAI and IOTN.

Influence of quality of life, self-perception, and self-esteem on orthodontic treatment need.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between normative and perceived orthodontic treatment need associated with quality of life, self-esteem, and self-perception. METHODS: The sample included 248 schoolchildren aged 12 years. The normative aspect of orthodontic treatment was assessed by the Dental Health Component and the Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need. The subjects were further evaluated for their oral health-related quality of life, self-esteem, and self-perception of oral esthetics. The Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need was considered as the response variable, and generalized linear models estimated by the GENMOD procedure (release 9.3, 2010; SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Model 1 was estimated with only the intercept, providing the basis for evaluating the reduction in variance in the other models studied; then the variables were tested sequentially, considering P ≤0.05 as the criterion for remaining in the model. RESULTS: In the model, self-perception and self-esteem were statistically significant in relation to the perceived need for treatment. The normative need was significantly associated with the outcome variable and was not influenced by independent variables. CONCLUSIONS: The normative need for orthodontics treatment was not overestimated by the perceived need, and the perceived need was not influenced by sex and the impact on quality of life.

Antiviral activity of fractions from leaves of Piper regnelli var. pallescens

This study investigated the antiviral potential of fractions and eupomatenoid-5 obtained from Piper regnelli (Miq.) C. DC., Piperaceae, leaves against bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) and poliovirus. VERO cell monolayers in 96-well cell culture plates were infected with BHV-1 or poliovirus and incubated in the presence and absence of samples for 48 h. The cells were then fixed and stained with sulforhodamine B, and the virus-induced cytopathic effect was measured in a 96-well plate reader at 530 nm. Cytotoxicity was assessed by incubating the cell monolayers with samples for 72 h. The hexane, chloroform, chloroform/ethyl acetate (19:1), and chloroform/ethyl acetate (9:1) fractions showed activity against BHV-1. The chloroform, chloroform/ethyl acetate (19:1), chloroform/ethyl acetate (9:1), chloroform/ethyl acetate (1:1), and ethyl acetate fractions were active against poliovirus. The chloroform/ethyl acetate (9:1) fraction presented the best selectivity index for both viruses. The present study reports the antiviral activity of the extract and fractions of P. regnelli leaves.

Synthesis and antiviral activity of beta-carboline derivatives bearing a substituted carbohydrazide at C-3 against poliovirus and herpes simplex virus (HSV-1).

Several novel 1,3-disubstituted beta-carboline derivatives bearing a substituted carbohydrazide group at C-3 were synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activity against vaccinal poliovirus (VP) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). The cytotoxicity and selectivity index of the active compounds were also evaluated. Among the synthesized derivatives, compounds 10 and 11 displayed potent activity against both vaccinal poliovirus and HSV-1 virus. Compound 10 presented the highest selectivity index (SI=2446.8) against HSV-1 virus and low cytotoxicity (CC(50)=1150.0+/-67.3 microM). The virus yield inhibition assay showed that compound 10 was able to inhibit HSV-1 plaque formation before and during the virus adsorption. The characteristic small plaque pattern observed in compound-treated cells suggested that compound 10 inhibited viral dissemination to neighboring cells. A computational study for prediction of ADME properties of the novel synthesized beta-carbolines derivatives was performed by determination of lipophilicity, topological polar surface area (TPSA), absorption (% ABS) and simple molecular descriptors, using Lipinski's rule.

Distinct expression profiles of TGF-beta1 signaling mediators in pathogenic SIVmac and non-pathogenic SIVagm infections.

BACKGROUND: The generalized T-cell activation characterizing HIV-1 and SIVmac infections in humans and macaques (MACs) is not found in the non-pathogenic SIVagm infection in African green monkeys (AGMs). We have previously shown that TGF-beta1, Foxp3 and IL-10 are induced very early after SIVagm infection. In SIVmac-infected MACs, plasma TGF-beta1 induction persists during primary infection 1. We raised the hypothesis that MACs are unable to respond to TGF-beta1 and thus cannot resorb virus-driven inflammation. We therefore compared the very early expression dynamics of pro- and anti-inflammatory markers as well as of factors involved in the TGF-beta1 signaling pathway in SIV-infected AGMs and MACs. METHODS: Levels of transcripts encoding for pro- and anti-inflammatory markers (tnf-alpha, ifn-gamma, il-10, t-bet, gata-3) as well as for TGF-beta1 signaling mediators (smad3, smad4, smad7) were followed by real time PCR in a prospective study enrolling 6 AGMs and 6 MACs. RESULTS: During primary SIVmac infection, up-regulations of tnf-alpha, ifn-gamma and t-bet responses (days 1-16 p.i.) were stronger whereas il-10 response was delayed (4th week p.i.) compared to SIVagm infection. Up-regulation of smad7 (days 3-8 p.i.), a cellular mediator inhibiting the TGF-beta1 signaling cascade, characterized SIV-infected MACs. In AGMs, we found increases of gata-3 but not t-bet, a longer lasting up-regulation of smad4 (days 1-21 p.i), a mediator enhancing TGF-beta1 signaling, and no smad7 up-regulations. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the inability to resorb virus-driven inflammation and activation during the pathogenic HIV-1/SIVmac infections is associated with an unresponsiveness to TGF-beta1.

Chimpanzee DC-SIGN alleles predict the existence of A and B isoforms, but do not support a role for resistance to HIV infection.

We report here the gene sequence for DC-SIGN (CD209) from chimpanzees. DC-SIGN is a C-type lectin expressed by dendritic cells. It is involved in DC-T cell interactions as well as in HIV-1 and SIV transmission. We have cloned two new alleles for chimpanzee DC-SIGN. The coding sequences are highly homologous to the two previously described chimpanzee alleles. We confirm the existence of a polymorphism within the repeat region of DC-SIGN. In humans polymorphisms in the repeat region have been associated with resistance to HIV infection. However, we have not been able to correlate the number of repeats with susceptibility of chimpanzees to HIV infection. The actual impact of DC-SIGN variability in HIV infection therefore remains to be determined.

Gene for chinese rhesus macaque DC-SIGN predicts the existence of A but not B isoforms of the protein.

We report here the gene for DC-SIGN from Chinese rhesus macaques. DC-SIGN is a C-type lectin expressed by dendritic cells (DCs). It is involved in the interaction of DCs with T cells, and in transmission to T cells of HIV-1 and SIV. Alternative splicing in human DC-SIGN yields A and B isoforms of the protein. The overall organization of the rhesus macaque gene is similar to that of the human gene. Translation of B isoforms cannot occur because of a point substitution. The coding sequence shows that we have cloned a fourth allele for rhesus macaque DC-SIGN. This allele shows high homology to the other rhesus macaque alleles. However, at the protein level, the homology is highest with the pigtail macaque protein. This suggests a convergent evolution of DC-SIGN in macaques living in China. The importance of DC-SIGN variability in the immune response remains to be investigated.