Convergence of developmental mutants into a single tomato model system: 'Micro-Tom' as an effective toolkit for plant development research

Background: The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plant is both an economically important food crop and an ideal dicot model to investigate various physiological phenomena not possible in Arabidopsis thaliana. Due to the great diversity of tomato cultivars used by the research community, it is often difficult to reliably compare phenotypes. The lack of tomato developmental mutants in a single genetic background prevents the stacking of mutations to facilitate analysis of double and multiple mutants, often required for elucidating developmental pathways. Results: We took advantage of the small size and rapid life cycle of the tomato cultivar Micro-Tom (MT) to create near-isogenic lines (NILs) by introgressing a suite of hormonal and photomorphogenetic mutations (altered sensitivity or endogenous levels of auxin, ethylene, abscisic acid, gibberellin, brassinosteroid, and light response) into this genetic background. To demonstrate the usefulness of this collection, we compared developmental traits between the produced NILs. All expected mutant phenotypes were expressed in the NILs. We also created NILs harboring the wild type alleles for dwarf, self-pruning and uniform fruit, which are mutations characteristic of MT. This amplified both the applications of the mutant collection presented here and of MT as a genetic model system. Conclusions: The community resource presented here is a useful toolkit for plant research, particularly for future studies in plant development, which will require the simultaneous observation of the effect of various hormones, signaling pathways and crosstalk.

High Carbon Ferro-chromium Production by Self-reducing Process: Effects of Fe-Si and Fluxing Agent Additions

The technology of self-reducing pellets for ferro-alloys production is becoming an emerging process due to the lower electric energy consumption and the improvement of metal recovery in comparison with the traditional process. This paper presents the effects of reduction temperature, addition of ferro-silicon and addition of slag forming agents for the production of high carbon ferro-chromium by utilization of self-reducing pellets. These pellets were composed of Brazilian chromium ore (chromite) concentrate, petroleum coke, Portland cement, ferro-silicon and slag forming components (silica and hydrated lime). The pellets were processed at 1 773 K, 1 823 K and 1 873 K using an induction furnace. The products obtained, containing slag and metallic phases, were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and chemical analyses (XEDS). A large effect on the reduction time was observed by increasing the temperature from 1 773 K to 1 823 K for pellets without Fe-Si addition: around 4 times faster at 1 823 K than at 1 773 K for reaction fraction close to one. However, when the temperature was further increased from 1 823 K to 1 873 K the kinetics improved by double. At 1 773 K, the addition of 2% of ferro-silicon in the pellet resulted in an increasing reaction rate of around 6 times, in comparison with agglomerate without it. The addition of fluxing agents (silica and lime), which form initial slag before the reduction is completed, impaired the full reduction. These pellets became less porous after the reduction process.

On the solubility of proteins as a function of pH: Mathematical development and application

Thermodynamic relations between the solubility of a protein and the solution pH are presented in this work. The hypotheses behind the development are that the protein chemical potential in liquid phase can be described by Henry`s law and that the solid-liquid equilibrium is established only between neutral molecules. The mathematical development results in an analytical expression of the solubility curve, as a function of the ionization equilibrium constants, the pH and the solubility at the isoelectric point. It is shown that the same equation can be obtained either by directly calculating the fraction of neutral protein molecules or by integrating the curve of the protein average charge. The methodology was successfully applied to the description of the solubility of porcine insulin as a function of pH at three different temperatures and of bovine beta-lactoglobulin at four different ionic strengths. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Randomized Clinical Evaluation of a One- and Two-step Self-etch Adhesive Over 24 Months

Objective: To evaluate the performance of All Bond SE used in a one- or two-step protocol in a 24-month randomized clinical study. Methods: Thirty-three patients with two similarly sized non-carious cervical lesions participated in this study. A total of 66 restorations were placed, half using the one-step All Bond SE protocol (SE-1) and the other half using the two-step All Bond SE protocol (SE-2). The restorations were evaluated at baseline and after 6, 12 and 24 months following the modified USPHS criteria and analyzed by the McNemar`s test and Fisher`s exact test (alpha=0.05). Results: After 24 months, six SE-1 and four SE-2 restorations were rated as Bravo in marginal discoloration The retention rates for SE-1 and SE-2 were 84.8% and 90.9%, respectively, after 24 months. Compared to baseline, the retention rate for SE-1 was statistically lower. Conclusions: All Bond SE used in the one- or two-step protocol resulted in high retention rates after 24 months.

Physical disability, recent illnesses and health self-assessment in a population-based study in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Objectives. To investigate health self-assessment and to estimate the prevalence of chronic diseases and recent illnesses in people with and without physical disabilities (PD) in the state of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Study design. A Cross-sectional study comprising two population-based health surveys conducted in 2002 and 2003. Methods. A total of 8317 persons (165 with PD) were interviewed in the two studies. Variables concerning to health self-assessment; chronic disease and recent illness were compared in the people with and without PD. Negative binomial regression was used in the analysis. Results. Subjects with PD more often assessed their health as poor/very poor compared to non-disabled ones. They reported more illnesses in the 15 days prior to interview as well as more chronic diseases (skin conditions, anaemia, chronic kidney disease, stroke, depression/anxiety, migraine/headache, pulmonary diseases, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis/arthrosis/rheumatic conditions and heart disease). This higher disease prevalence can be either attributed to disability itself or be associated to gender, age and schooling. Conclusions. Subjects with PD had more recent illnesses and chronic diseases and poorer health self-assessment than non-disabled ones. Age, gender, schooling and disability have individual roles in disease development among disabled people.

Self-reported Body Changes and Associated Factors in Persons Living with HIV

The study aimed at verifying the associated factors of self-perceived body changes in adults living with HIV in highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This cross-sectional study was conducted among people living with HIV on HAART for at least three months. A standardized questionnaire was used for assessing self-perceived body changes. Associated factors relating to self-reported body changes in people living with HIV (PLHIV) were assessed with Student`s t-test and chi-square test. In total, 507 patients were evaluated. The mean time since diagnosis was 6.6 years [standard deviation (SD)+/-4.1], and the mean duration of HAART was 5.1 years (SD+/-3.3). Self-perceived body changes were reported by 79.5% of the participants and were associated with viral load and duration of HAART. Fibre intake was lower among males who gained in abdominal fat (p=0.035). HAART-related body changes were reported by the large majority of the population and were associated with demographic and clinical variables.

Enhanced Neural Progenitor/Stem Cells Self-Renewal via the Interaction of Stress-Inducible Protein 1 with the Prion Protein

Prion protein (PrPC), when associated with the secreted form of the stress-inducible protein 1 (STI1), plays an important role in neural survival, neuritogenesis, and memory formation. However, the role of the PrP(C)-STI1 complex in the physiology of neural progenitor/stem cells is unknown. In this article, we observed that neurospheres cultured from fetal forebrain of wild-type (Prnp(+/+)) and PrP(C)-null (Prnp(0/0)) mice were maintained for several passages without the loss of self-renewal or multipotentiality, as assessed by their continued capacity to generate neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The homogeneous expression and colocalization of STI1 and PrP(C) suggest that they may associate and function as a complex in neurosphere-derived stem cells. The formation of neurospheres from Prnp(0/0) mice was reduced significantly when compared with their wild-type counterparts. In addition, blockade of secreted STI1, and its cell surface ligand, PrP(C), with specific antibodies, impaired Prnp(+/+) neurosphere formation without further impairing the formation of Prnp(0/0) neurospheres. Alternatively, neurosphere formation was enhanced by recombinant STI1 application in cells expressing PrP(C) but not in cells from Prnp(0/0) mice. The STI1-PrP(C) interaction was able to stimulate cell proliferation in the neurosphere-forming assay, while no effect on cell survival or the expression of neural markers was observed. These data suggest that the STI1-PrP(C) complex may play a critical role in neural progenitor/stem cells self-renewal via the modulation of cell proliferation, leading to the control of the stemness capacity of these cells during nervous system development. STEM CELLS 2011;29:1126-1136

Texture analysis using graphs generated by deterministic partially self-avoiding walks

Texture is one of the most important visual attributes for image analysis. It has been widely used in image analysis and pattern recognition. A partially self-avoiding deterministic walk has recently been proposed as an approach for texture analysis with promising results. This approach uses walkers (called tourists) to exploit the gray scale image contexts in several levels. Here, we present an approach to generate graphs out of the trajectories produced by the tourist walks. The generated graphs embody important characteristics related to tourist transitivity in the image. Computed from these graphs, the statistical position (degree mean) and dispersion (entropy of two vertices with the same degree) measures are used as texture descriptors. A comparison with traditional texture analysis methods is performed to illustrate the high performance of this novel approach. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pharmacogenetics of Warfarin: Development of a Dosing Algorithm for Brazilian Patients

A dosing algorithm including genetic (VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genotypes) and nongenetic factors (age, weight, therapeutic indication, and cotreatment with amiodarone or simvastatin) explained 51% of the variance in stable weekly warfarin doses in 390 patients attending an anticoagulant clinic in a Brazilian public hospital. The VKORC1 3673G>A genotype was the most important predictor of warfarin dose, with a partial R(2) value of 23.9%. Replacing the VKORC1 3673G>A genotype with VKORC1 diplotype did not increase the algorithm`s predictive power. We suggest that three other single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (5808T>G, 6853G>C, and 9041G>A) that are in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with 3673G>A would be equally good predictors of the warfarin dose requirement. The algorithm`s predictive power was similar across the self-identified ""race/color"" subsets. ""Race/color"" was not associated with stable warfarin dose in the multiple regression model, although the required warfarin dose was significantly lower (P = 0.006) in white (29 +/- 13 mg/week, n = 196) than in black patients (35 +/- 15 mg/week, n = 76).

Self-perception and malocclusion and their relation to oral appearance and function

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between malocclusion and self-perception of oral appearance/function, in 12/15-year-old Brazilian adolescents. The cluster sample consisted of 717 teenagers attending 24 urban public (n=611) and 5 rural public (n=107) schools in Maringá/PR. Malocclusion was measured using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), in accordance with WHO recommendations. A parental questionnaire was applied to collect information on esthetic perception level and oral variables related to oral health. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Multiple logistic regression confirmed that for 12-year-old, missing teeth (OR=2.865) and presence of openbite (open occlusal relationship) (OR=2.865) were risk indicators for speech capability. With regard to 15-year-old, presence of mandibular overjet (horizontal overlap) (OR=4.016) was a risk indicator for speech capability and molar relationship (OR=1.661) was a risk indicator for chewing capability. The impact of malocclusion on adolescents' life was confirmed in this study. Speech and chewing capability were associated with orthodontic deviations, which should be taken into consideration in oral health planning, to identify risk groups and improve community health services.

Importância do fonoaudiólogo no acompanhamento de indivíduos com hipotireoidismo congênito

TEMA: o hipotireoidismo congênito é uma alteração metabólica que traz conseqüência graves para indivíduos não tratados e mesmo as crianças que realizam o tratamento podem apresentar distúrbios do desenvolvimento. O Programa Nacional de Triagem Neonatal, instituído pelo Ministério da Saúde, prevê o acompanhamento longitudinal de indivíduos com equipe multidisciplinar. Entretanto, a Fonoaudiologia não é incluída nesta equipe. Deste modo, considerando a ocorrência de distúrbios da comunicação nestes indivíduos, realizou-se levantamento bibliográfico nas bases de dados Lilacs, MedLine e PubMed, no período de 1987 a 2007, referente às alterações em habilidades do desenvolvimento decorrentes do hipotireoidismo congênito. OBJETIVO: verificar, na literatura científica, presença de alterações do desenvolvimento em indivíduos com hipotireoidismo congênito e refletir sobre a importância da atuação fonoaudiológica, em conjunto com equipe multidisciplinar especializada, no acompanhamento dos mesmos. CONCLUSÃO: a literatura relata alterações nas habilidades do desenvolvimento (motoras, cognitivas, lingüísticas e de autocuidados) e destaca que crianças com hipotireoidismo congênito são de risco para alterações no desenvolvimento lingüístico e, portanto, necessitam do acompanhamento longitudinal do desenvolvimento comunicativo. Torna-se evidente a importância da atuação do fonoaudiólogo nos Programas de Triagem Neonatal credenciados pelo Ministério da Saúde. Ressalta-se ainda a necessidade de investigações referentes às outras alterações metabólicas contempladas nestes programas, nas quais o fonoaudiólogo pode atuar de modo a prevenir, habilitar e reabilitar os distúrbios da comunicação, contribuindo para o trabalho em equipe, promovendo saúde nesta população.

Shear bond strength of self-etch and total-etch bonding systems at different dentin depths

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dentin shear bond strength of four adhesive systems (Adper Single Bond 2, Adper Prompt L-Pop, Magic Bond DE and Self Etch Bond) in regards to buccal and lingual surfaces and dentin depth. Forty extracted third molars had roots removed and crowns bisected in the mesiodistal direction. The buccal and lingual surfaces were fixed in a PVC/acrylic resin ring and were divided into buccal and lingual groups assigned to each selected adhesive. The same specimens prepared for the evaluation of superficial dentin shear resistance were used to evaluate the different depths of dentin. The specimens were identified and abraded at depths of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mm. Each depth was evaluated by ISO TR 11405 using an EMIC-2000 machine regulated at 0.5 mm/min with a 200 Kgf load cell. We performed statistical analyses on the results (ANOVA, Tukey and Scheffé tests). Data revealed statistical differences (p < 0.01) in the adhesive and depth variation as well as adhesive/depth interactions. The Adper Single Bond 2 demonstrated the highest mean values of shear bond strength. The Prompt L-Pop product, a self-etching adhesive, revealed higher mean values compared with Magic Bond DE and Self Etch Bond adhesives, a total and self-etching adhesive respectively. It may be concluded that the shear bond strength of dentin is dependent on material (adhesive system), substrate depth and adhesive/depth interaction.

Oral health in Brazil - Part II: Dental Specialty Centers (CEOs)

The concepts of health promotion, self-care and community participation emerged during the 1970s and, since then, their application has grown rapidly in the developed world, showing evidence of effectiveness. In spite of this, a major part of the population in the developing countries still has no access to specialized dental care such as endodontic treatment, dental care for patients with special needs, minor oral surgery, periodontal treatment and oral diagnosis. This review focuses on a program of the Brazilian Federal Government named CEOs (Dental Specialty Centers), which is an attempt to solve the dental care deficit of a population that is suffering from oral diseases and whose oral health care needs have not been addressed by the regular programs offered by the SUS (Unified National Health System). Literature published from 2000 to the present day, using electronic searches by Medline, Scielo, Google and hand-searching was considered. The descriptors used were Brazil, Oral health, Health policy, Health programs, and Dental Specialty Centers. There are currently 640 CEOs in Brazil, distributed in 545 municipal districts, carrying out dental procedures with major complexity. Based on this data, it was possible to conclude that public actions on oral health must involve both preventive and curative procedures aiming to minimize the oral health distortions still prevailing in developing countries like Brazil.

Bond strength of a pit-and-fissure sealant associated to etch-and-rinse and self-etching adhesive systems to saliva-contaminated enamel: individual vs. simultaneous light curing

This study evaluated in vitro the shear bond strength (SBS) of a resin-based pit-and-fissure sealant [Fluroshield (F), Dentsply/Caulk] associated with either an etch-and-rinse [Adper Single Bond 2 (SB), 3M/ESPE] or a self-etching adhesive system [Clearfil S3 Bond (S3), Kuraray Co., Ltd.] to saliva-contaminated enamel, comparing two curing protocols: individual light curing of the adhesive system and the sealant or simultaneous curing of both materials. Mesial and distal enamel surfaces from 45 sound third molars were randomly assigned to 6 groups (n=15), according to the bonding technique: I - F was applied to 37% phosphoric acid etched enamel. The other groups were contaminated with fresh human saliva (0.01 mL; 10 s) after acid etching: II - SB and F were light cured separately; III - SB and F were light cured together; IV - S3 and F were light cured separately; V - S3 and F were light cured simultaneously; VI - F was applied to saliva-contaminated, acid-etched enamel without an intermediate bonding agent layer. SBS was tested to failure in a universal testing machine at 0.5 mm/min. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Fisher's test (α=0.05).The debonded specimens were examined with a stereomicroscope to assess the failure modes. Three representative specimens from each group were observed under scanning electron microscopy for a qualitative analysis. Mean SBS in MPa were: I-12.28 (±4.29); II-8.57 (±3.19); III-7.97 (±2.16); IV-12.56 (±3.11); V-11.45 (±3.77); and VI-7.47 (±1.99). In conclusion, individual or simultaneous curing of the intermediate bonding agent layer and the resin sealant did not seem to affect bond strength to saliva-contaminated enamel. S3/F presented significantly higher SBS than the that of the groups treated with SB etch-and-rinse adhesive system and similar SBS to that of the control group, in which the sealant was applied under ideal dry, noncontaminated conditions.

Influence of sodium hypochlorite and edta on the microtensile bond strength of a self-etching adhesive system

Chemical substances used during biomechanical preparation of root canals can alter the composition of dentin surface and affect the interaction with restorative materials. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the microtensile bond strength (µTBS) of a self-etching adhesive system to dentin irrigated with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty human third molars were sectioned 3 mm below the occlusal surface, polished with 600- to 1200-grit silicon carbide papers, and randomly divided into 3 groups: G1 (control): no irrigating solution; G2: 1% NaOCl; and G3: 1% NaOCl followed by the application of 17% EDTA. The specimens received the self-etching adhesive system (XENO III - Dentsply), restored with microhybrid composite resin (Z250 - 3M ESPE), sectioned and trimmed to create 4 hourglass-shaped slabs of each tooth. The slabs were tested in microtensile strength in a universal testing machine (Emic DL 2000) at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min until fracture. The results were analyzed statistically by ANOVA and Newman-Keuls test. RESULTS: Mean µTBS values and standard deviations in MPa were: G1 = 11.89 ± 4.22; G2 = 19.41 ± 5.32; G3 = 11.34 ± 4.73. 1% NaOCl increased the adhesive resistance significantly (p<0.001/F=22.5763). The application of 1% NaOCl/17% EDTA resulted in statistically similar µTBS to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: None of the irrigants affected negatively the µTBS of XENO III to dentin. The use of 1% NaOCl alone resulted in higher bond strength than the other treatments. The combination of 1% NaOCl and 17% EDTA produced similar bond strength to that of untreated dentin.