Inward-Inclined Implant Platform for the Amplified Platform-Switching Concept: 18-Month Follow-up Report of a Prospective Randomized Matched-Pair Controlled Trial

Purpose: This prospective randomized matched-pair controlled trial aimed to evaluate marginal bone levels and soft tissue alterations at implants restored according to the platform-switching concept with a new inward-inclined platform and compare them with external-hexagon implants. Materials and Methods: Traditional external-hexagon (control group) implants and inward-inclined platform implants (test group), all with the same implant body geometry and 13 mm in length, were inserted in a standardized manner in the posterior maxillae of 40 patients. Radiographic bone levels were measured by two independent examiners after 6, 12, and 18 months of prosthetic loading. Buccal soft tissue height was measured at the time of abutment connection and 18 months later. Results: After 18 months of loading, all 80 implants were clinically osseointegrated in the 40 participating patients. Radiographic evaluation showed mean bone losses of 0.5 +/- 0.1 mm (range, 0.3 to 0.7 mm) and 1.6 +/- 0.3 mm (range, 1.1 to 2.2 mm) for test and control implants, respectively. Soft tissue height showed a significant mean decrease of 2.4 mm in the control group, compared to 0.6 mm around the test implants. Conclusions: After 18 months, significantly greater bone loss was observed at implants restored according to the conventional external-hexagon protocol compared to the platform-switching concept. In addition, decreased soft tissue height was associated with the external-hexagon implants versus the platform-switched implants. INT J ORAL MAXILLOFAC IMPLANTS 2012;27:927-934.

A Sib-Pair analysis of impulsivity in bipolar disorder type I

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare impulsivity among patients with bipolar disorder, their siblings, and healthy controls in order to examine whether impulsivity in bipolar disorder is related to genetic liability for the illness. METHODS: Using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, we assessed 204 subjects: 67 euthymic outpatients with bipolar disorder type I, 67 siblings without bipolar disorder, and 70 healthy controls. RESULTS: Impulsivity scores were higher among patients with bipolar disorder than among healthy controls. Siblings showed higher motor impulsivity scores than did healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that motor impulsivity may be a vulnerability marker for bipolar disorder. Our data may contribute to further improve preventive strategies in subjects at high risk for bipolar disorder.

Impact of FLT3 Internal Tandem Duplication on the Outcome of Related and Unrelated Hematopoietic Transplantation for Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia in First Remission: A Retrospective Analysis

Purpose Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and FLT3/internal tandem duplication (FLT3/ITD) have poor prognosis if treated with chemotherapy only. Whether this alteration also affects outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) remains uncertain. Patients and Methods We analyzed 206 patients who underwent HLA-identical sibling and matched unrelated HSCTs reported to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation with a diagnosis of AML with normal cytogenetics and data on FLT3/ITD (present: n = 120, 58%; absent: n = 86, 42%). Transplantations were performed in first complete remission (CR) after myeloablative conditioning. Results Compared with FLT3/ITD-negative patients, FLT3/ITD-positive patients had higher median leukocyte count at diagnosis (59 v 21 x 10(9)/L; P < .001) and shorter interval from CR to transplantation (87 v 99 days; P = .04). Other characteristics were similar in the two groups. At 2 years, relapse incidence (RI; +/- standard deviation) was higher (30% +/- 5% v 16% +/- 5%; P = .006) and leukemia-free survival (LFS) lower (58% +/- 5% v 71% +/- 6%; P = .04) in FLT3/ITD-positive compared with FLT3/ITD-negative patients. In multivariate analyses, FLT3/ITD led to increased RI (hazard ratio [HR], 3.4; 95% CI, 1.46 to 7.94; P = .005), as did older age, female sex, shorter interval between CR and transplantation, and higher number of chemotherapy courses before achieving CR. FLT3/ITD positivity was associated with decreased LFS (HR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.73; P = .002), along with older age and higher number of chemotherapy courses before achieving CR. Conclusion FLT3/ITD adversely affected the outcome of HSCT in the same direction it does after chemotherapy; despite this, more than half of the patients harboring this mutation who received transplants were alive and leukemia free at 2 years. To further improve the results, use of FLT3 inhibitors before or after HSCT deserves investigation.

Genome-Wide Analysis in Brazilian Xavante Indians Reveals Low Degree of Admixture

Characterization of population genetic variation and structure can be used as tools for research in human genetics and population isolates are of great interest. The aim of the present study was to characterize the genetic structure of Xavante Indians and compare it with other populations. The Xavante, an indigenous population living in Brazilian Central Plateau, is one of the largest native groups in Brazil. A subset of 53 unrelated subjects was selected from the initial sample of 300 Xavante Indians. Using 86,197 markers, Xavante were compared with all populations of HapMap Phase III and HGDP-CEPH projects and with a Southeast Brazilian population sample to establish its population structure. Principal Components Analysis showed that the Xavante Indians are concentrated in the Amerindian axis near other populations of known Amerindian ancestry such as Karitiana, Pima, Surui and Maya and a low degree of genetic admixture was observed. This is consistent with the historical records of bottlenecks experience and cultural isolation. By calculating pair-wise F-st statistics we characterized the genetic differentiation between Xavante Indians and representative populations of the HapMap and from HGDP-CEPH project. We found that the genetic differentiation between Xavante Indians and populations of Ameridian, Asian, European, and African ancestry increased progressively. Our results indicate that the Xavante is a population that remained genetically isolated over the past decades and can offer advantages for genome-wide mapping studies of inherited disorders.

Intervention Based Exclusively on Stage- Matched Printed EducationalMaterials Regarding Healthy Eating Does Not Result in Changes to Adolescents' Dietary Behavior

Purpose. To assess the impact of a six-month stage-based intervention on fruit and vegetable intake, regarding perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy among adolescents. Design. Randomized treatment-control, pre-post design. Subjects/ Setting. Schools were randomized between control and experimental groups. 860 adolescents from ten public schools in Bras ' ilia, Federal District, Brazil were evaluated at baseline; 771 (81%) completed the study. Intervention. Experimental group received monthly magazines and newsletters aimed at promotion of healthy eating. Measures. Self-reported fruit and vegetable intake, stages of change, self-efficacy and decisional balance scores were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention in both groups. Analysis. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated using the analysis of covariance model (ANCOVA) and repeated measurement analysis by means of weighted least squares. Comparison between the proportions of adolescents who advanced through the stages during the intervention was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test. Results. After adjusting for sex and age, study variables showed no modifications through the proposed intervention. There was no statistical difference in participant mobility in the intervention and control groups between the stages of change, throughout the study. Conclusion. A nutritional intervention based exclusively on distribution of stage-matched printed educational materials was insufficient to change adolescents' dietary behavior.

Present bounds on new neutral vector resonances from electroweak gauge boson pair production at the LHC

Several extensions of the standard model predict the existence of new neutral spin-1 resonances associated with the electroweak symmetry breaking sector. Using the data from ATLAS (with integrated luminosity of L = 1.02 fb(-1)) and CMS (with integrated luminosity of L = 1.55 fb(-1)) on the production of W+W- pairs through the process pp --> l(+)l(-)' is not an element of(T), we place model independent bounds on these new vector resonances masses, couplings, and widths. Our analyses show that the present data exclude new neutral vector resonances with masses up to 1-2.3 TeV depending on their couplings and widths. We also demonstrate how to extend our analysis framework to different models with a specific example.

Ultra-low friction coefficient in alumina-silicon nitride pair lubricated with water

In a ball-on-disc wear test, an alumina ceramic body sliding against a silicon nitride ceramic body in water achieved an ultra-low friction coefficient (ULFC) of 0.004. The profilometer and EDX measurements indicated that the ULFC regime in this unmated Al2O3-Si3N4 pair was achieved because of the formation of a flat and smooth interface of nanometric roughness, which favored the hydrodynamic lubrication. The triboreactions formed silicon and aluminum hydroxides which contributed to decrease roughness and shear stress at the contact interface. This behavior enables the development of low energy loss water-based tribological systems using oxide ceramics. 13 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The use of Open Reading frame ESTs (ORESTES) for analysis of the honey bee transcriptome

Abstract Background The ongoing efforts to sequence the honey bee genome require additional initiatives to define its transcriptome. Towards this end, we employed the Open Reading frame ESTs (ORESTES) strategy to generate profiles for the life cycle of Apis mellifera workers. Results Of the 5,021 ORESTES, 35.2% matched with previously deposited Apis ESTs. The analysis of the remaining sequences defined a set of putative orthologs whose majority had their best-match hits with Anopheles and Drosophila genes. CAP3 assembly of the Apis ORESTES with the already existing 15,500 Apis ESTs generated 3,408 contigs. BLASTX comparison of these contigs with protein sets of organisms representing distinct phylogenetic clades revealed a total of 1,629 contigs that Apis mellifera shares with different taxa. Most (41%) represent genes that are in common to all taxa, another 21% are shared between metazoans (Bilateria), and 16% are shared only within the Insecta clade. A set of 23 putative genes presented a best match with human genes, many of which encode factors related to cell signaling/signal transduction. 1,779 contigs (52%) did not match any known sequence. Applying a correction factor deduced from a parallel analysis performed with Drosophila melanogaster ORESTES, we estimate that approximately half of these no-match ESTs contigs (22%) should represent Apis-specific genes. Conclusions The versatile and cost-efficient ORESTES approach produced minilibraries for honey bee life cycle stages. Such information on central gene regions contributes to genome annotation and also lends itself to cross-transcriptome comparisons to reveal evolutionary trends in insect genomes.

cDNA-AFLP analysis of Psidium guajava L. cultivars under water stress and mechanical injury: methodological implications

Studies involving amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) have often used polyacrylamide gels with radiolabeled primers in order to establish best primer combinations, to analyze, and to recover transcript-derived fragments. Use of automatic sequencer to establish best primer combinations is convenient, because it saves time, reduces costs and risks of contamination with radioactive material and acrylamide, and allows objective band-matching and more precise evaluation of transcript-derived fragments intensities. This study aimed at examining the gene expression of commercial cultivars of P. guajava subjected to water and mechanical injury stresses, combining analyses by automatic sequencer and fluorescent kits for polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Firstly, 64 combinations of EcoRI and MseI primers were tested. Ten combinations with higher number of polymorphic fragments were then selected for transcript-derived fragments recovering and cluster analysis, involving 45 saplings of P. guajava. Two groups were obtained, one composed by the control samplings, and another formed by samplings undergoing stress, with no clear distinction between stress treatments. The results revealed the convenience of using a combination of automatic sequencer and fluorescent kits for polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses to examine gene expression profiles. The Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean analysis using Euclidean distances points out a similar induced response mechanism of P. guajava undergoing water stress and mechanical injury.

Expression analysis and in silico characterization of intronic long noncoding RNAs in renal cell carcinoma: emerging functional associations

Abstract Background Intronic and intergenic long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging gene expression regulators. The molecular pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still poorly understood, and in particular, limited studies are available for intronic lncRNAs expressed in RCC Methods Microarray experiments were performed with custom-designed arrays enriched with probes for lncRNAs mapping to intronic genomic regions. Samples from 18 primary RCC tumors and 11 nontumor adjacent matched tissues were analyzed. Meta-analyses were performed with microarray expression data from three additional human tissues (normal liver, prostate tumor and kidney nontumor samples), and with large-scale public data for epigenetic regulatory marks and for evolutionarily conserved sequences. Results A signature of 29 intronic lncRNAs differentially expressed between RCC and nontumor samples was obtained (false discovery rate (FDR) <5%). A signature of 26 intronic lncRNAs significantly correlated with the RCC five-year patient survival outcome was identified (FDR <5%, p-value ≤0.01). We identified 4303 intronic antisense lncRNAs expressed in RCC, of which 22% were significantly (p <0.05) cis correlated with the expression of the mRNA in the same locus across RCC and three other human tissues. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of those loci pointed to 'regulation of biological processes’ as the main enriched category. A module map analysis of the protein-coding genes significantly (p <0.05) trans correlated with the 20% most abundant lncRNAs, identified 51 enriched GO terms (p <0.05). We determined that 60% of the expressed lncRNAs are evolutionarily conserved. At the genomic loci containing the intronic RCC-expressed lncRNAs, a strong association (p <0.001) was found between their transcription start sites and genomic marks such as CpG islands, RNA Pol II binding and histones methylation and acetylation. Conclusion Intronic antisense lncRNAs are widely expressed in RCC tumors. Some of them are significantly altered in RCC in comparison with nontumor samples. The majority of these lncRNAs is evolutionarily conserved and possibly modulated by epigenetic modifications. Our data suggest that these RCC lncRNAs may contribute to the complex network of regulatory RNAs playing a role in renal cell malignant transformation.

Pair approximation for a model of vertical and horizontal transmission of parasites.

We apply Stochastic Dynamics method for a differential equations model, proposed by Marc Lipsitch and collaborators (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 260, 321, 1995), for which the transmission dynamics of parasites occurs from a parent to its offspring (vertical transmission), and by contact with infected host (horizontal transmission). Herpes, Hepatitis and AIDS are examples of diseases for which both horizontal and vertical transmission occur simultaneously during the virus spreading. Understanding the role of each type of transmission in the infection prevalence on a susceptible host population may provide some information about the factors that contribute for the eradication and/or control of those diseases. We present a pair mean-field approximation obtained from the master equation of the model. The pair approximation is formed by the differential equations of the susceptible and infected population densities and the differential equations of pairs that contribute to the former ones. In terms of the model parameters, we obtain the conditions that lead to the disease eradication, and set up the phase diagram based on the local stability analysis of fixed points. We also perform Monte Carlo simulations of the model on complete graphs and Erdös-Rényi graphs in order to investigate the influence of population size and neighborhood on the previous mean-field results; by this way, we also expect to evaluate the contribution of vertical and horizontal transmission on the elimination of parasite. Pair Approximation for a Model of Vertical and Horizontal Transmission of Parasites.

Dynamics of cell and tissue genesis in the male reproductive system of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) and Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas, 1772): a comparative analysis

Ticks are classified into three families: Argasidae, Ixodidae, and Nutalliellidae. The taxonomy and phylogeny within Ixodidae are still discussed by the specialists, thus requiring further studies. Amblyomma cajennese and Amblyomma aureolatum (Brazil) belong to two species complexes known as “cajennese” and “ovale”, respectively, and are directly related to the transmission of the Brazilian spotted fever. This confirms the medical and veterinary significance of these species, as well as the need for further morphological studies that will bring a better understanding of their taxonomy, phylogeny, and control. In this context, the present study aimed to characterize the morphology of the male reproductive system of A. cajennese and A. aureolatum when unfed and after 4 days of feeding, thereby seeking to: (a) distinguish the two species or “complexes”, and (b) study an internal system which has the potential to be targeted by acaricides. Therefore, males from both species (unfed and after 4 days of feeding) were cold-anesthetized, dissected, and had their reproductive systems removed for histological analysis. The results showed that the morphology of the male reproductive system is generally similar between both species, like in other Ixodidae ticks, exhibiting a multilobed accessory gland complex related to seminal fluid secretion, a pair of vasa deferentia and a pair of testes housing germ cells (spermatocytes) in different stages. The main differences were found in the development of the accessory gland complex cells and germ cells, showing that the maturation of the male reproductive system starts later in A. aureolatum, when compared to A. cajennese. However, during the blood meal, A. aureolatum development is increased, thus making germ cell maturation and gland complex activity higher than in A. cajennese. This study shows the differences in the development of the male reproductive systems of both species, while providing information that can assist in the establishment of new control methods.