Retraction: Shin, J.-H.; Jeong, C.-W. Zipper Is Necessary for Branching Morphogenesis of the Terminal Cells in the Drosophila melanogaster's Tracheal System. Biology 2021, 10, 729.

The published article [...].

Zipper Is Necessary for Branching Morphogenesis of the Terminal Cells in the Drosophila melanogaster's Tracheal System.

Branching morphogenesis and seamless tube formation in Drosophila melanogaster are essential for the development of vascular and tracheal systems, and instructive in studying complex branched structures such as human organs. Zipper is a myosin II's actin-binding heavy chain; hence, it is important for contracting actin, cell proliferation, and cell sheet adhesion for branching of the tracheal system in post-larval development of the D. melanogaster. Nevertheless, the specific role of Zipper in the larva is still in question. This paper intended to investigate the specific role of Zipper in branching morphogenesis and lumenogenesis in early developmental stages. It did so by checking the localization of the protein in the cytoplasm of the terminal cells and also by analyzing the morphology of zipper RNAi loss-of-function mutants in regard to branching and lumen formation in the terminal cells. A rescue experiment of RNAi mutants was also performed to check the sufficiency of Zipper in branching morphogenesis. Confocal imaging showed the localization of Zipper in the cytoplasm of the terminal cells, and respective quantitative analyses demonstrated that zipper RNAi terminal cells develop significantly fewer branches. Such a result hinted that Zipper is required for the regulation of branching in the terminal cells of D. melanogaster. Nevertheless, Zipper is not significantly involved in the formation of seamless tubes. One hypothesis is that Zipper's contractility at the lateral epidermis' leading edge allows cell sheet movement and respective elongation; as a result of such an elongation, further branching may occur in the elongated region of the cell, hence defining branching morphogenesis in the terminal cells of the tracheal system.

The relationship between oral tori and bite force.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between bite force and torus palatinus or mandibularis remains to be explained. The major aim of this study was to determine the correlation between bite force and oral tori. METHODS: The bite force of 345 patients was measured with a bite force recorder; impressions of the shape and size of the oral tori were taken on plaster models prior to orthodontic treatments. Subsequently, the relationship between oral tori and bite force was analyzed. RESULTS: The size, shape, and incidence of torus palatinus was not significantly correlated with bite force. However, the size of torus mandibularis increased significantly in proportion to the bite force (p = 0.020). The occurrence of different types of oral tori was not correlated with the bite force. DISCUSSION: The size of torus mandibularis provides information about bite force and can thus be used to clinically assess occlusal stress.

Effects of a Hybrid Education Programme for Korean Mothers of Children with Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD), a common childhood skin disorder, can limit a child's learning and physical activities. South Korean mothers, as primary caregivers, experience anxiety and helplessness when caring for their ill children. The aim of this study was to develop a hybrid AD education programme (consisting of a face-to-face session followed by 8 online sessions) and evaluate its effects on anxiety, caregiving efficacy and caregiving behaviour among mothers of children with AD. Twenty mothers of patients with AD treated in a South Korean hospital received one on-site session and 8 weekly online modules. After the intervention, mothers' mean±standard deviation anxiety reduced (from 50.3 ± 14.2 to 31.7 ± 6.3 points, t = 5.75, p < 0.001). Their caregiving efficacy and caregiving behaviour improved significantly, from 18.3 ± 3.5 to 29.4 ± 3.2 points (t = -9.64, p < 0.001) and from 47.7 ± 7.7 to 78.8 ± 4.9 points (t = -14.4, p < 0.001), respectively. The effects of the hybrid education programme for this population were significant. Healthcare providers should consider examining the programme nationwide, including in rural areas, while investigating its long-term effects.

Conservative condylectomy alone for the correction of mandibular asymmetry caused by osteochondroma of the mandibular condyle: a report of five cases.

We describe our experience with conservative condylectomy for the correction of facial asymmetry in five patients with osteochondroma of the mandibular condyle. All five patients presented with malocclusion and facial asymmetry, which are common clinical findings of osteochondroma involving the mandibular condyle. We performed conservative condylectomy without additional orthognathic surgery for all five patients, preserving the vertical height of the condylar process as much as possible. Following surgery, intermaxillary traction using a skeletal anchorage system with rubber elastics was performed on all patients to improve occlusion, and, when necessary, additional minimal orthodontic treatment was performed. The mean follow-up period was 42 months. At the last follow-up visit, all patients exhibited satisfactory facial symmetry and remodeling of the remaining condyle, with stable health and no signs of recurrence. In conclusion, conservative condylectomy alone, without subsequent orthognathic surgery, is adequate for the restoration of facial symmetry and the preservation of vertical condylar height in select patients with condylar osteochondroma.

Contralateral recurrence of necrotizing sialometaplasia of the hard palate after five months: a case report.

Necrotizing sialometaplasia usually heals within 4 to 10 weeks with conservative treatment, and rarely recurs. When necrotizing sialometaplasia is present on the hard palate it may occur unilaterally or bilaterally. In this case, necrotizing ulceration occurred on the left hard palate of a 36-year-old woman after root canal treatment of the upper left first premolar under local anesthesia. After only saline irrigation the defect of the lesion completely healed and filled with soft tissue. After 5 months, however, a similar focal necrosis was found on the contralateral hard palate without any dental treatment having been performed on that side and progressed in similar fashion as the former lesion. We conducted an incisional biopsy and obtained a final pathological diagnosis for the palatal mass of necrotizing sialometaplasia. At the 3-year follow-up, the patient's oral mucosa of the hard palate was normal, without any signs and symptoms of the condition. We report a case of a second occurrence of necrotizing sialometaplasia on the contralateral side from the first, with a time lapse between the first and second occurrence.

Developmental changes affecting lectin binding in the vomeronasal organ of domestic pigs, Sus scrofa.

This study investigated the developmental changes of glycoconjugate patterns in the porcine vomeronasal organs (VNOs) and associated glands (Jacobson's glands) from prenatal (9 weeks of gestation) and postnatal (2 days after birth) to the sexually mature stage (6 months old). The VNO of pigs (Sus scrofa) was examined using the following: Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), Bandeiraea simplicifolia agglutinin isolectin B4 (BSI-B4), Triticum vulgaris agglutinin (WGA), Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA-I), and soybean agglutinin (SBA). At the fetal stage, all lectins examined were detected mainly in the free border of the vomeronasal epithelium, but few (WGA and UEA-I) and or absent in the VNO cell bodies. At the postnatal and sexually mature stages, the reactivity of some lectins, including WGA, UEA-I, DBA and SBA, were shown to increase in the VNO sensory epithelium as well as the free border. The increased reactivity of lectins as development progressed was also observed in Jacobson's gland acini. These findings suggest that binding sites of lectins, including those of WGA, UEA-I, DBA, and SBA, increase during development from fetal to postnatal growth, possibly contributing to the increased ability of chemoreception in the pig.

Immunohistochemical localization of protein kinase C (PKC) beta I in the pig retina during postnatal development.

In order to investigate the expression of protein kinase C (PKC) beta I in the retinas of pigs during postnatal development, we analyzed retinas sampled from 3-day-old and 6-month-old pigs by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Western blot analysis detected the expression of PKC beta I in the retinas of 3-day-old piglets and it was increased significantly in the retinas of 6-month-old adult pigs. Immunohistochemical staining showed PKC beta I in the retinas of both groups. Immunohistochemistry of 3-day-old retinas revealed weak PKC beta I reactivity in the ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer, inner nuclear cell layer, outer plexiform layer and rod and cone cell layer. In the 6-month-old pig retina, the cellular localization of PKC beta I immunostaining was similar to that of the 3-day-old retina, where PKC beta I was localized in some glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cells, glutamine synthetase-positive cells, parvalbumin-positive cells, and PKC alpha-positive cells in the retina. This is the first study to show the expression and cellular localization of PKC beta I in the retina of pigs with development, and these results suggest that PKC beta I, in accordance with PKC alpha, plays important roles in signal transduction pathways in the pig retina with development.

Immunohistochemical localization of cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-binding protein in the pig retina during postnatal development.

This study evaluated the cellular localization of cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein-binding protein (CBP) expression in pig retinas during postnatal development. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were performed on retinal tissue from 2-day-old, 5-week-old, and 6-month-old pigs. Western blot analysis detected the expression of CBP in the retinas of 2-day-old piglets and showed that it was significantly decreased in the retinas of 5-week-old and 6-month-old pigs. Immunohistochemically, CBP was intensely immunostained in protein kinase C alpha (PKCα)-positive-bipolar cells, glutamine synthetase-positive Müller cells, and in ganglion cells in 2-day-old piglets. CBP was detected weakly in the inner plexiform, outer nuclear, and rod and cone layers. CBP immunoreactivity in the ganglion cell layer was decreased in the retinas of 5-week-old and 6-month-old pigs, while clear CBP expression detected in the neurite of PKCα-positive bipolar cells in the inner nuclear layer. In addition, CBP immunoreactivity in Müller cells and glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive glial processes was particularly noteworthy in pig retinas, but not in rat retinas. The results indicate that CBP is expressed differentially in the retinal neurons and glial cells according to growth and animal species, and may play an important role in homeostasis in Müller cells, neurite extention in bipolar cells, and signal transduction in photoreceptor cells in the porcine retina.

Immunohistochemical study of netrin-1 in the spinal cord with rat experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

To investigate whether netrin-1 is involved in autoimmune injury of the central nervous system, the expression of netrin-1 protein was analyzed in the spinal cord of Lewis rats with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Western blot analysis revealed significantly increased content of netrin-1 in the spinal cords of rats at the peak stage of EAE, as compared with the levels in normal control animals (p < 0.01). Immunohistochemistry detected the netrin-1 protein in neurons, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and vascular endothelial cells in the spinal cords of normal controls. In EAE-affected spinal cords, netrin-1 immunoreactivity was detected in infiltrating inflammatory cells at the peak stage as well as in neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. These results suggest that netrin-1 is transiently increased in rat EAE lesions, where it contributes to the modulation of rat acute EAE.

Upregulation of erythropoietin in rat peripheral nervous system with experimental autoimmune neuritis.

The glycoprotein erythropoietin (EPO) is a multifunctional cytokine involved in erythropoiesis. Recent data have suggested that EPO and EPO receptors are expressed in the central nervous system, where EPO exerts neuroprotective effects. However, peripheral nervous system (PNS) EPO and EPO receptor expression has not been widely studied. EPO and EPO receptor expression was examined in the PNS in an experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) rat model in the present study to elucidate EPO/EPO-receptor binding pathway involvement in injured PNS tissue. Western blot analysis demonstrated that EPO was significantly increased in the PNS at the paralytic stage on day 14 post-immunization (PI); levels were significantly decreased at day 30 PI. EPO was identified in PNS-derived vascular endothelial cells, Schwann cells, and axons in normal control rats. Most inflammatory cells in EAN lesions were EPO immunopositive at day 14 PI. In addition, the intensity of EPO immunoreactivity in both Schwann and vascular endothelial cells was greater than that of normal controls at this stage; intensity declined at day 30 PI. These findings suggest that EPO is transiently upregulated in EAN lesions and that the EPO/EPO-receptor binding pathway is associated with neuroprotection in EAN-affected PNS tissues.

Immunohistochemical study of flotillin-1 in rat testis with ischemia/reperfusion injury.

To investigate the involvement of flotillin-1 in acute experimental testicular torsion, we examined the expression and cellular localization of flotillin-1 and cathepsin D in the rat testis with ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of flotillin-1 increased significantly 6h after I/R and that the level remained elevated for 48 h. Immunohistochemically, flotillin-1 was constitutively localized in some Sertoli cells, peritubular myoid cells, and interstitial cells in the normal testis. After I/R injury, Sertoli cells in the damaged tubules were intensely immunostained for flotillin-1 at 24 and 48 h after I/R. Flotillin-1 was also detected in some inflammatory cells in the interstitial space around damaged tubules. Furthermore, flotillin-1 was colocalized with cathepsin D, a lysosomal marker, in normal testis (mainly in Sertoli cells), and the colocalization was greater in Sertoli cells and macrophages in I/R injured testes. Therefore, we postulate that flotillin-1 immunoreactivity is increased in some Sertoli and inflammatory cells (especially in ED1-positive activated macrophages) in testicular torsion and that flotillin-1 in the injured testis associates with lysosomes in Sertoli cells and macrophages, activating subsequent signals in inflammatory macrophages and Sertoli cells after I/R.

Expression of CD44 adhesion molecule in rat testis with ischemia/reperfusion injury.

The expression pattern of CD44 was studied in the rat testis following ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury to elucidate the possible role of the CD44 adhesion molecule in acute experimental testicular torsion. Western blot analysis showed that CD44 expression began to increase significantly 24 hr after reperfusion, compared with the normal control; the increased expression persisted until 96 hr after I/R. Immunohistochemistry showed that, in the normal testis, CD44 was constitutively expressed mainly in ED2-positive resident macrophages in the interstitial space. After I/R, the majority of inflammatory cells in the interstitial space surrounding the damaged tubules were ED1-positive macrophages that were CD44-positive. These findings suggest that the significant increase in CD44 expression that occurs during the delayed phase after reperfusion originates from infiltrating macrophages possibly in anticipation of the migration and adhesion of additional macrophages into the affected testis.