Effect of thermocycling on hardness, absorption, solubility and colour change of soft liners

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Colour change of soft denture liners after storage in coffee and coke

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Increase in severity of molar-incisor hypomineralization and its relationship with the colour of enamel opacity: a prospective cohort study

Background. Predicting risk of posteruptive enamel breakdown (PEB) of molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) opacity is a difficult but important clinical task. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate these aspects through longitudinal studies.Objective. The aim of this longitudinal study was to analyse the relationship between colours of MIH opacity of children aged 6-12 (baseline) and other clinical and demographic variables involved in the increase in severity of MIH.Materials and methods. A blinded prospective 18-month follow-up was conducted with 147 individuals presenting mild MIH. Tooth-based incidence of increase in severity of MIH (PEB or atypical restorations) was used as dependent measurement. Enamel opacities were recorded according to colour shades of white, yellow and brown, allowing assessment of susceptibility to structural loss over time, according to colour of MIH opacity. Poisson regression models were used to adjust the results for demographic and clinical variables.Results. Brown and yellow MIH opacities were at higher risk for PEB and atypical restorations than those of white ones, even after adjustment for clinical and demographic variables.Conclusion. Teeth presenting mild MIH severity associated with yellow and brown enamel opacities were at high risk for increase in severity of MIH than lighter ones. This result could help clinicians determine a risk-based treatment for children with MIH.

Detection of the single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2227307) in the human interleukin 8 gene using a pcr-rflp assay

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Lack of Association of a Functional Polymorphism in the Interleukin 8 Gene with Susceptibility to Periodontitis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic polymorphism of Streptococcus mutans in Brazilian family members

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Hierarchical status and colour preference in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

We studied the colour preference of isolated Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and whether previous residence or body size can affect environmental colour choice. In the first phase, a cylindrical tank was divided into five differently coloured compartments (yellow, blue, green, white and red), a single fish was introduced into the tank and the frequency at which this fish visited each compartment was recorded over a 2-day study period. An increasingly larger fish (approx +2 cm in length each time) was then added into the tank on each of days 3, 5 and 7 (=four fish in the tank by day 7), and the frequency at which each fish visited the different compartments of the tank was observed twice a day to obtain visit frequency data on the differently sized fishes. This experiment was replicated six times. In the first phase, the solitary fish established residence inside the yellow compartment on the first and second days. Following the introduction of a larger fish, the smaller fish was displaced from the occupied compartment. Nile tilapia possibly shows this preference for yellow as a function of its visual spectral sensitivity and/or the spectral characteristics of its natural environment. Moreover, body size is an important factor in determining hierarchical dominance and territorial defence, and dominant fish chose the preferred environmental colour compartment as their territory.

Cyclin D1 gene polymorphism as a risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive system in non-alcoholics

Squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) is associated with environmental factors, especially tobacco and alcohol consumption. Genetic factors, including cyclin D1 (CCND1) polymorphism have been suggested to play an important rote in tumorigenesis and progression of UADT cancer. To investigate the relationship between CCND1 polymorphism on susceptibility for UADT cancers, 147 cancer and 135 non-cancer subjects were included in this study. CCND1 genotype at codon 242(G870A) in exon 4 was undertaken using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and DNA sequencing. Significant odds ratio (OR) of the AA + GA genotypes [OR = 7.5 (95% Cl: 1.4-39.7)] was observed in non-drinkers but for non-smokers a non-significant [OR = 5.4 (95% Cl: 0.9-31.4)] was found in the adjusted model. These results suggest that allele A may be a risk factor for UADT cancer, especially in non-alcoholics. However, further epidemiological studies are needed to establish the exact role of CCND1 polymorphism and the development of UADT cancers. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acid phosphatase polymorphism within and among populations of Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var botrytis)

Eighty-one lines of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) from 12 populations used to produce commercial hybrids in Brazil were screened for polymorphism in the acid phosphatase system, in order to evaluate the usefulness of this marker for the determination of the parental contamination level in hybrid seeds. Little polymorphism was detected in the examined lines, but the system appeared to be very useful for hybrid identification, since the only condition required was polymorphism between the two parental lines. If the analyzed lines were used for hybrid production, 8.4% and 12.3% of the possible crosses would result in hybrids which can be positively identified using the APS-1 and B1 loci, respectively. If only one plant of each homozygous type (SS or FF) was analyzed in each population, 41% and 50% of the possible crosses would result in hybrids which can be positively identified using the APS-1 and B1 loci, respectively.

Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism and heteroplasmy in populations of Aedes aegypti in Brazil

The tropical mosquito Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is the most important domestic vector of urban yellow fever and dengue viruses. Ae. aegypti originated from Africa and was probably introduced into Brazil during the colonial period through embarkations, and dengue epidemics soon followed. Genetic analysis of 12 Ae. aegypti populations from five states in Brazil was conducted based on two mitochondrial DNA fragments: cytochrome oxidase I and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4. Analyses comparing individual haplotypes indicated the existence of two well-defined clades, probably representing two mitochondrial lineages. Analysis of molecular variance showed significant variability in genetic structure among collections within groups. Mantel regression analysis showed a correlation between genetic and geographic distances, mainly because of northern and northeastern populations, in comparison with those in the southeast. The population from Santos, the largest port in Brazil, showed the greatest diversity, with 10 unique haplotypes, an indication of recent introductions that have not yet spread to other Brazilian cities. Different mitochondrial DNA sequences were found in three specimens, indicating the presence of heteroplasmy.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Markers in Aedes aegypti Populations in Brazil

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were investigated in eighteen genes of sixteen populations of Aedes aegypti in Brazil. Eight SNP markers were selected in nine genes and surveyed in A. aegypti populations of three localities in different geographical locations. SNPs revealed significant genetic differentiation among populations recently analyzed by mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) and represented by a single genetic group (lineage). Results suggest that a haplotype derived from mtDNA analysis could be represented by different Aedes lineages revealed by SNP characterization. Genetic distances (pairwise F(ST)), AMOVA and cluster analyses indicated a high genetic structure for the A. aegypti populations investigated by SNPs. This set of SNP markers represents a useful tool for genetic studies in A. aegypti populations

Characterization of eight single nucleotide polymorphism markers in Aedes aegypti

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effects of forest fragmentation, anthropogenic edges and fruit colour on the consumption of ornithocoric fruits

We investigated effects of fruit colour (red, black or white), habitat (anthropogenic edges and forest interior) and fragment size on the removal of artificial fruits in semideciduous forests in south-east Brazil. Eight forest fragments ranging from 251 to 36,000 ha were used. We used artificial fruits, which were placed on shrubs between I and 2 m in height and checked after 48 and 96 h for peck marks in the fruits. All three variables affected the probability of consumption of our fruit models. Red and black fruits were statistically more pecked than the white fruits. The probability of fruit consumption was lower in the interior than at the edge and less in small than in large fragments. However, the decrease fruit consumption in small compared with large fragments was more accentuated for red and black fruits than for white fruits. Our results show that habitat reduction and edges affect the chances of a fruit being eaten by birds, which may ultimately affect plant fitness in forest fragments. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geographic patterns in fruit colour diversity: do leaves constrain the colour of fleshy fruits?

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Influence of eNOS gene polymorphism on cardiometabolic parameters in response to physical training in postmenopausal women

The health-promoting effects of exercise training (ET) are related to nitric oxide (NO) production and/or its bioavailability. The objective of this study was to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphism of the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) gene at positions -786T>C, G894T (Glu298Asp) and at the variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) Intron 4b/a would interfere with the cardiometabolic responses of postmenopausal women submitted to physical training. Forty-nine postmenopausal women were trained in sessions of 30-40 min, 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Genotypes, oxidative stress status and cardiometabolic parameters were then evaluated in a double-blind design. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were significantly reduced after ET, which was genotype-independent. However, women without eNOS gene polymorphism at position -786T>C (TT genotype) and Intron 4b/a (bb genotype) presented a better reduction of total cholesterol levels (-786T>C: before = 213 ± 12.1, after = 159.8 ± 14.4, Δ = -24.9% and Intron 4b/a: before = 211.8 ± 7.4, after = 180.12 ± 6.4 mg/dL, Δ = -15%), and LDL cholesterol (-786T>C: before = 146.1 ± 13.3, after = 82.8 ± 9.2, Δ = -43.3% and Intron 4b/a: before = 143.2 ± 8, after = 102.7 ± 5.8 mg/dL, Δ = -28.3%) in response to ET compared to those who carried the mutant allele. Superoxide dismutase activity was significantly increased in trained women whereas no changes were observed in malondialdehyde levels. Women without eNOS gene polymorphism at position -786T>C and Intron 4b/a showed a greater reduction of plasma cholesterol levels in response to ET. Furthermore, no genotype influence was observed on arterial blood pressure or oxidative stress status in this population.