Identification of foliar diseases in cotton crop

The pathogens manifestation in plantations are the largest cause of damage in several cultivars, which may cause increase of prices and loss of crop quality. This paper presents a method for automatic classification of cotton diseases through feature extraction of leaf symptoms from digital images. Wavelet transform energy has been used for feature extraction while Support Vector Machine has been used for classification. Five situations have been diagnosed, namely: Healthy crop, Ramularia disease, Bacterial Blight, Ascochyta Blight, and unspecified disease. © 2012 Taylor & Francis Group.

Functional activity of neutrophils and systemic inflammatory response of Down's syndrome patients with periodontal disease

Periodontal disease (PD) is characterized as an inflammatory process that compromises the support and protection of the periodontium. Patients with Down's syndrome (DS) are prone to develop PD. Neutrophils (NE) are the first line of defense against infection and their absence sets the stage for disease. Aim: To compare the activity and function of NE in the peripheral blood from DS patients with and without PD, assisted at the Center for Dental Assistance to Patients with Special Needs affiliated with the School of Dentistry of Araçatuba, Brazil. Methods: Purified NE were collected from peripheral blood of 22 DS patients. NE were used to detect the 5-lypoxigenase (5-LO) expression by RT-PCR. Plasma from peripheral blood was collected to measure tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) by ELISA and nitrite (NO 3) using a Griess assay. Results: Data analysis demonstrated that DS patients with PD present high levels of TNF-a and IL-8 when compared with DS patients without PD. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the levels of NO 3 production between the groups. The levels of the inflammatory mediator 5-LO expression increased in DS patients with PD. Conclusions: According with these results, it was concluded that TNF-α and IL-8 are produced by DS patients with PD. Furthermore, DS patients with PD presented high levels of 5-LO expression, suggesting the presence of leukotriene B 4 (LTB 4) in PD, thus demonstrating that the changes in NE function due to the elevation of inflammatory mediators contribute to PD.

Gingival recession associated with noncarious cervical lesions: Combined periodontal-restorative approach and the treatment of long-term esthetic complications

The combined periodontalrestorative approach (that is, a connective tissue graft for root coverage and NCCL restoration with RMGI cement) has demonstrated significant root coverage and a good esthetic outcome. In some cases, though, the color of an RMGI restoration can change over time, compromising esthetics. In this situation, applying composite resin over an RMGI restoration can be a conservative approach to satisfy the patient's esthetic complaint. Long-term observation is necessary to evaluate the stability of the results and establish the success of this approach over time.

Advances in drug design based on the amino acid approach: Taurine analogues for the treatment of CNS diseases

Amino acids are well known to be an important class of compounds for the maintenance of body homeostasis and their deficit, even for the polar neuroactive aminoacids, can be controlled by supplementation. However, for the amino acid taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) this is not true. Due its special physicochemical properties, taurine is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. In addition of injured taurine transport systems under pathological conditions, CNS supplementation of taurine is almost null. Taurine is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory semi-essential amino acid extensively involved in neurological activities, acting as neurotrophic factor, binding to GABA A/glycine receptors and blocking the excitotoxicity glutamate-induced pathway leading to be a neuroprotective effect and neuromodulation. Taurine deficits have been implicated in several CNS diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy and in the damage of retinal neurons. This review describes the CNS physiological functions of taurine and the development of new derivatives based on its structure useful in CNS disease treatment.&; 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Combination of orthodontic movement and periodontal therapy for full root coverage in a miller class iii recession: A case report with 12 years of follow-up

One of the main purposes of mucogingival therapy is to obtain full root coverage. Several treatment modalities have been developed, but few techniques can provide complete root coverage in a class III Miller recession. Thus, the aim of this case report is to present a successful clinical case of a Miller class III gingival recession in which complete root coverage was obtained by means of a multidisciplinary approach. A 17-year-old Caucasian female was referred for treatment of a gingival recession on the mandibular left central incisor. The following procedures were planned for root coverage in this case: free gingival graft, orthodontic movement by means of alignment and leveling and coronally advanced flap (CAF). The case has been followed up for 12 years and the patient presents no recession, no abnormal probing depth and no bleeding on probing, with a wide attached gingiva band. A compromised tooth with poor prognosis, which would be indicated for extraction, can be treated by orthodontic movement and periodontal therapy, with possibility of 100% root coverage in some class III recessions.