ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to deduce the quality of the average dental record kept by Belgian dentists and to evaluate its potential use for forensic dental casework. The evaluated material originated from 598 Dutch speaking and 124 French speaking Belgian dentists who completed a questionnaire and returned it by mail or through the internet. The age of the participating dentists ranged from 22 to 72 years of age. The results of the inquiry were statistically analysed taking parameters such as language, gender, age, university and ZIP code into account. In general there was a tendency for the young dentists from the age category 22 to 34 years of age, especially those living in larger cities, to perform better on several of the questions asked such as completion of the dental record, storage of x-rays, working with digital x-rays and a digital dental record.
Subject(s)
Dental Records/standards , Dentistry/standards , Dentists/psychology , Documentation/standards , Practice Management, Dental/standards , Adult , Aged , Attitude of Health Personnel , Belgium , Child , Child Abuse/diagnosis , Data Collection , Dental Care for Children/standards , Dental Records/statistics & numerical data , Dentistry/statistics & numerical data , Documentation/statistics & numerical data , Female , Forms and Records Control/standards , Forms and Records Control/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Language , Male , Middle Aged , Practice Management, Dental/statistics & numerical data , Sex Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
We previously found that the stable overexpression of oestrogen receptor-alpha in the human endothelial cell line ECV304* inhibits its growth in vitro, and that this inhibition is possibly mediated through a down-regulation of the vasoactive agents endothelin-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor. Here we show an in vivo growth-inhibitory effect of oestrogen receptor-alpha overexpression in tumours initiated in nude mice from the same clone of ECV304. In addition, we show that this growth inhibition is accompanied by an alphavbeta3-mediated inhibition of cell migration in vitro, and a down-regulation of the integrin alphavbeta3, vascular endothelial growth factor and vascularization in vivo. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and integrin alphavbeta3, through their effect on cell growth and migration, contribute to the process of angiogenesis and to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cancer. The results shown here demonstrate that a higher level of oestrogen receptor-alpha in the cell, through its effect on certain angiogenic factors, may play a role in the control of angiogenesis.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue/metabolism , Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism , Animals , Antibodies/pharmacology , Cell Division/drug effects , Cell Division/genetics , Cell Line, Transformed , Cell Movement/drug effects , Clone Cells , Down-Regulation/drug effects , Down-Regulation/genetics , Endothelial Growth Factors/metabolism , Endothelial Growth Factors/pharmacology , Estradiol/pharmacology , Estrogen Receptor alpha , Female , Gene Expression/genetics , Humans , Imidazoles/pharmacology , Lymphokines/metabolism , Lymphokines/pharmacology , Mice , Mice, Nude , Neoplasm Transplantation , Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue/genetics , Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue/pathology , Neovascularization, Pathologic/metabolism , Neovascularization, Pathologic/physiopathology , Receptors, Estrogen/genetics , Receptors, Vitronectin/antagonists & inhibitors , Receptors, Vitronectin/metabolism , Transfection , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Vascular Endothelial Growth FactorsABSTRACT
A high level of estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) is believed to be favorable in the prognosis and treatment of certain female cancers. ER-alpha expression in the ER-negative breast cancer cell lines inhibits their proliferation and invasive, metastatic potential in vitro. We stably overexpressed the ER-alpha in the human endometrial cancer cell line Ishikawa and showed that, unlike estradiol, high levels of ER-alpha significantly inhibit the growth of tumors xenografted from the Ishikawa cells. Subsequent to ER-alpha overexpression, in vivo down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor was observed in tumor xenografts. In addition, these tumors showed an inhibition of vascularization and of the angiogenic agent, integrin alphavbeta3. Involvement of a switch in the angiogenic pathways during tumorigenesis has been a recent focus of interest. Our results indicate that a high level of ER-alpha may be beneficial in the control of female cancers because of its inhibitory effect on such angiogenic pathways.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms/drug therapy , Neovascularization, Pathologic/drug therapy , Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism , Animals , Down-Regulation , Endometrial Neoplasms/drug therapy , Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology , Endothelial Growth Factors/metabolism , Estrogen Receptor alpha , Female , Ligands , Lymphokines/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Nude , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Neoplasm Transplantation , Receptors, Vitronectin/metabolism , Time Factors , Tumor Cells, Cultured , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Vascular Endothelial Growth FactorsABSTRACT
An exceptionally low degree of melting of the upper mantle in the equatorial part of the mid-Atlantic Ridge is indicated by the chemical composition of mantle-derived mid-ocean ridge peridotites and basalts. These data imply that mantle temperatures below the equatorial Atlantic are at least approximately 150 degrees C cooler than those below the normal mid-Atlantic Ridge, suggesting that isotherms are depressed and the mantle is downwelling in the equatorial Atlantic. An equatorial minimum of the zero-age crustal elevation of the East Pacific Rise suggests a similar situation in the Pacific. If so, an oceanic upper mantle cold equatorial belt separates hotter mantle regimes and perhaps distinct chemical and isotopic domains in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Gravity data suggest the presence of high density material in the oceanic equatorial upper mantle, which is consistent with its inferred low temperature and undepleted composition. The equatorial distribution of cold, dense upper mantle may be ultimately an effect of the Earth's rotation.
