Erosive tooth wear in children.

Erosive tooth wear in children is a common condition. Besides the anatomical differences between deciduous and permanent teeth, additional histological differences may influence their susceptibility to dissolution. Considering laboratory studies alone, it is not clear whether deciduous teeth are more liable to erosive wear than permanent teeth. However, results from epidemiological studies imply that the primary dentition is less wear resistant than permanent teeth, possibly due to the overlapping of erosion with mechanical forces (like attrition or abrasion). Although low severity of tooth wear in children does not cause a significant impact on their quality of life, early erosive damage to their permanent teeth may compromise their dentition for their entire lifetime and require extensive restorative procedures. Therefore, early diagnosis of erosive wear and adequate preventive measures are important. Knowledge on the aetiological factors of erosive wear is a prerequisite for preventive strategies. Like in adults, extrinsic and intrinsic factors, or a combination of them, are possible reasons for erosive tooth wear in children and adolescents. Several factors directly related to erosive tooth wear in children are presently discussed, such as socio-economic aspects, gastroesophageal reflux or vomiting, and intake of some medicaments, as well as behavioural factors such as unusual eating and drinking habits. Additionally, frequent and excessive consumption of erosive foodstuffs and drinks are of importance.

Interactions between dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex underlie context-dependent stimulus valuation in goal-directed choice.

External circumstances and internal bodily states often change and require organisms to flexibly adapt valuation processes to select the optimal action in a given context. Here, we investigate the neurobiology of context-dependent valuation in 22 human subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects made binary choices between visual stimuli with three attributes (shape, color, and pattern) that were associated with monetary values. Context changes required subjects to deviate from the default shape valuation and to integrate a second attribute in order to comply with the goal to maximize rewards. Critically, this binary choice task did not involve any conflict between opposing monetary, temporal, or social preferences. We tested the hypothesis that interactions between regions of dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (dlPFC; vmPFC) implicated in self-control choices would also underlie the more general function of context-dependent valuation. Consistent with this idea, we found that the degree to which stimulus attributes were reflected in vmPFC activity varied as a function of context. In addition, activity in dlPFC increased when context changes required a reweighting of stimulus attribute values. Moreover, the strength of the functional connectivity between dlPFC and vmPFC was associated with the degree of context-specific attribute valuation in vmPFC at the time of choice. Our findings suggest that functional interactions between dlPFC and vmPFC are a key aspect of context-dependent valuation and that the role of this network during choices that require self-control to adjudicate between competing outcome preferences is a specific application of this more general neural mechanism.

Is intracranial aneurysm rupture related to solar activity?

Objective: A number of intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for the rupture of intracranial aneurysms have been identified. Still, the cause precipitating aneurysm rupture remains unknown in many cases. In addition, it has been observed that aneurysm ruptures are clustered in time but the trigger mechanism remains obscure. As solar activity has been associated with cardiovascular mortality and morbidity we decided to study ist association to aneurysm rupture in the Swiss population. Method: Patient data was extracted from the Swiss SOS database, at time of analysis covering 918 patients with angiography-proven aSAH treated at seven Swiss neurovascular centers between 01/01/2009 – 12/31/2011. The number of aneurysm rupture per day, week, month (Daily/Weekly/Monthly Rupture Frequency = RF) was measured and correlated to the absolute amount and the change in various parameters of interest representing continuous measurements of solar activity (radioflux (F10.7 index), solar proton flux, solar flare occurrence, planetary K-index/planetary A-index) using Poisson regression analysis. Results: Of a consecutive series of 918 cases of SAH, precise determination of the date of symptom onset was possible in 816 (88.9%). During the period of interest there were 517 days without recorded aneurysm rupture. There were 398, 139, 27 and 12 days with 1, 2, 3, and 4 ruptures per day. Five or 6 ruptures were only noted on a single day each. Poisson regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation of F10.7 index and aneurysm rupture (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.006303; standard error (SE) 0.0013201; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.003719 – 1.008894; p<0.001), according to which every 1-unit increase of the F10.7 index increased the count for an aneurysm to rupture by 0.63%. As the F10.7 index is known to correlate well with the Space Environment Services Center (SESC) sunspot number, we performed additional analyses on SESC sunspot number and sunspot area. Here, a likewise statistically significant relationship of both the SESC sunspot number (IRR 1.003413; SE 0.0007913; 95%CI 1.001864 – 1.004965; p<0.001) and the sunspot area (IRR 1.000419; SE 0.0000866; 95%CI 1.000249 – 1.000589; p<0.001) emerged. All other variables analyzed showed no correlation with RF. Conclusions: Using valid methods, we found higher radioflux, sunspot number and sunspot area to be associated with an increased count of aneurysm rupture. Since we were using rupture frequencies rather than incidences and because we cannot explain the physiological basis of this statistical association, the clinical meaningfulness of this statistical association must be interpreted carefully. Future studies are warranted to rule out a type-1 error.

Lymph node stromal cells negatively regulate antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses

Lymph node (LN) stromal cells (LNSCs) form the functional structure of LNs and play an important role in lymphocyte survival and the maintenance of immune tolerance. Despite their broad spectrum of function, little is known about LNSC responses during microbial infection. In this study, we demonstrate that LNSC subsets display distinct kinetics following vaccinia virus infection. In particular, compared with the expansion of other LNSC subsets and the total LN cell population, the expansion of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) was delayed and sustained by noncirculating progenitor cells. Notably, newly generated FRCs were preferentially located in perivascular areas. Viral clearance in reactive LNs preceded the onset of FRC expansion, raising the possibility that viral infection in LNs may have a negative impact on the differentiation of FRCs. We also found that MHC class II expression was upregulated in all LNSC subsets until day 10 postinfection. Genetic ablation of radioresistant stromal cell-mediated Ag presentation resulted in slower contraction of Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells. We propose that activated LNSCs acquire enhanced Ag-presentation capacity, serving as an extrinsic brake system for CD4(+) T cell responses. Disrupted function and homeostasis of LNSCs may contribute to immune deregulation in the context of chronic viral infection, autoimmunity, and graft-versus-host disease.

Functional lateralization of the anterior insula during feedback processing

Effective adaptive behavior rests on an appropriate understanding of how much responsibility we have over outcomes in the environment. This attribution of agency to ourselves or to an external event influences our behavioral and affective response to the outcomes. Despite its special importance to understanding human motivation and affect, the neural mechanisms involved in self-attributed rewards and punishments remain unclear. Previous evidence implicates the anterior insula (AI) in evaluating the consequences of our own actions. However, it is unclear if the AI has a general role in feedback evaluation (positive and negative) or plays a specific role during error processing. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a motion prediction task, we investigate neural responses to self- and externally attributed monetary gains and losses. We found that attribution effects vary according to the valence of feedback: significant valence × attribution interactions in the right AI, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the midbrain, and the right ventral putamen. Self-attributed losses were associated with increased activity in the midbrain, the ACC and the right AI, and negative BOLD response in the ventral putamen. However, higher BOLD activity to self-attributed feedback (losses and gains) was observed in the left AI, the thalamus, and the cerebellar vermis. These results suggest a functional lateralization of the AI. The right AI, together with the midbrain and the ACC, is mainly involved in processing the salience of the outcome, whereas the left is part of a cerebello-thalamic-cortical pathway involved in cognitive control processes important for subsequent behavioral adaptations.

Synchronization of two independently moving cameras without feature correspondences

In this work, a method that synchronizes two video sequences is proposed. Unlike previous methods, which require the existence of correspondences between features tracked in the two sequences, and/or that the cameras are static or jointly moving, the proposed approach does not impose any of these constraints. It works when the cameras move independently, even if different features are tracked in the two sequences. The assumptions underlying the proposed strategy are that the intrinsic parameters of the cameras are known and that two rigid objects, with independent motions on the scene, are visible in both sequences. The relative motion between these objects is used as clue for the synchronization. The extrinsic parameters of the cameras are assumed to be unknown. A new synchronization algorithm for static or jointly moving cameras that see (possibly) different parts of a common rigidly moving object is also proposed. Proof-of-concept experiments that illustrate the performance of these methods are presented, as well as a comparison with a state-of-the-art approach.

Expression of the vault RNA protects cells from undergoing apoptosis

Non-protein-coding RNAs are a functionally versatile class of transcripts exerting their biological roles on the RNA level. Recently, we demonstrated that the vault complex-associated RNAs (vtRNAs) are significantly upregulated in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected human B cells. Very little is known about the function(s) of the vtRNAs or the vault complex. Here, we individually express latent EBV-encoded proteins in B cells and identify the latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) as trigger for vtRNA upregulation. Ectopic expression of vtRNA1-1, but not of the other vtRNA paralogues, results in an improved viral establishment and reduced apoptosis, a function located in the central domain of vtRNA1-1. Knockdown of the major vault protein has no effect on these phenotypes revealing that vtRNA1-1 and not the vault complex contributes to general cell death resistance. This study describes a NF-κB-mediated role of the non-coding vtRNA1-1 in inhibiting both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways.

Comparison of the in vitro effects of saline, hypertonic hydroxyethyl starch, hypertonic saline, and two forms of hydroxyethyl starch on whole blood coagulation and platelet function in dogs.

OBJECTIVE To compare the in vitro effects of hypertonic solutions and colloids to saline on coagulation in dogs. DESIGN In vitro experimental study. SETTING Veterinary teaching hospital. ANIMALS Twenty-one adult dogs. INTERVENTIONS Blood samples were diluted with saline, 7.2% hypertonic saline solution with 6% hydroxyethylstarch with an average molecular weight of 200 kDa and a molar substitution of 0.4 (HH), 7.2% hypertonic saline (HTS), hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4 or hydroxyethyl starch 600/0.75 at ratios of 1:22 and 1:9, and with saline and HES at a ratio of 1:3. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Whole blood coagulation was analyzed using rotational thromboelastometry (extrinsic thromboelastometry-cloting time (ExTEM-CT), maximal clot firmness (MCF) and clot formation time (CFT) and fibrinogen function TEM-CT (FibTEM-CT) and MCF) and platelet function was analyzed using a platelet function analyzer (closure time, CTPFA ). All parameters measured were impaired by saline dilution. The CTPFA was prolonged by 7.2% hypertonic saline solution with 6% hydroxyethylstarch with an average molecular weight of 200 kDa and a molar substitution of 0.4 (HH) and HTS but not by HES solutions. At clinical dilutions equivalent to those generally administered for shock (saline 1:3, HES 1:9, and hypertonic solutions 1:22), CTPFA was more prolonged by HH and HTS than other solutions but more by saline than HES. No difference was found between the HES solutions or the hypertonic solutions. ExTEM-CFT and MCF were impaired by HH and HTS but only mildly by HES solutions. At clinically relevant dilutions, no difference was found in ExTEM-CFT between HTS and saline or in ExTEM-MCF between HH and saline. No consistent difference was found between the 2 HES solutions but HH impaired ExTEM-CFT and MCF more than HTS. At high dilutions, FibTEM-CT and -MCF and ExTEM-CT were impaired by HES. CONCLUSIONS Hypertonic solutions affect platelet function and whole blood coagulation to a greater extent than saline and HES. At clinically relevant dilutions, only CTPFA was markedly more affected by hypertonic solutions than by saline. At high dilutions, HES significantly affects coagulation but to no greater extent than saline at clinically relevant dilutions.

Does Climbing the ‘Social Ladder’ Increase Life Satisfaction? A Comparison of the UK and Switzerland

It is a widely held belief that status and wealth affect subjective well-being (SWB). This is reflected in the efforts of many people to climb up the ‘social ladder’ and to transcend their social background. By being upwardly mobile, they hope to benefit from various rewards they believe to be associated with desirable societal positions. However, findings from a range of disciplines provide evidence that these benefits are not to be taken for granted. Thus, we decided investigate the question of how upward social mobility impacts life satisfaction, the cognitive component of SWB.

Speciation in Freshwater Fishes

The extraordinary species richness of freshwater fishes has attracted much research on mechanisms and modes of speciation. We here review research on speciation in freshwater fishes in light of speciation theory, and place this in a context of broad-scale diversity patterns in freshwater fishes. We discuss several major repeated themes in freshwater fish speciation and the speciation mechanisms they are frequently associated with. These include transitions between marine and freshwater habitats, transitions between discrete freshwater habitats, and ecological transitions within habitats, as well as speciation without distinct niche shifts. Major research directions in the years to come include understanding the transition from extrinsic environment-dependent to intrinsic reproductive isolation and its influences on species persistence and understanding the extrinsic and intrinsic constraints to speciation and how these relate to broad-scale diversification patterns through time.

Public service motivation and rational choice modeling

While most previous research has considered public service motivation (PSM) as the only motivational factor predicting (public) job choice, the authors present a novel, rational choice-based model which includes three motivational dimensions: extrinsic, enjoyment-based intrinsic and prosocial intrinsic. Besides providing more accurate person-job fit predictions, this new approach fills a significant research gap and facilitates future theory building.

Registration And Visualisation Of Deformation Maps From Terrestrial Radar Interferometry Using Photogrammetry And Structure From Motion

This paper describes a general workflow for the registration of terrestrial radar interferometric data with 3D point clouds derived from terrestrial photogrammetry and structure from motion. After the determination of intrinsic and extrinsic orientation parameters, data obtained by terrestrial radar interferometry were projected on point clouds and then on the initial photographs. Visualisation of slope deformation measurements on photographs provides an easily understandable and distributable information product, especially of inaccessible target areas such as steep rock walls or in rockfall run-out zones. The suitability and error propagation of the referencing steps and final visualisation of four approaches are compared: (a) the classic approach using a metric camera and stereo-image photogrammetry; (b) images acquired with a metric camera, automatically processed using structure from motion; (c) images acquired with a digital compact camera, processed with structure from motion; and (d) a markerless approach, using images acquired with a digital compact camera using structure from motion without artificial ground control points. The usability of the completely markerless approach for the visualisation of high-resolution radar interferometry assists the production of visualisation products for interpretation.

How many species of cichlid fishes are there in African lakes?

The endemic cichlid fishes of Lakes Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria are textbook examples of explosive speciation and adaptive radiation, and their study promises to yield important insights into these processes. Accurate estimates of species richness of lineages in these lakes, and elsewhere, will be a necessary prerequisite for a thorough comparative analysis of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing rates of diversification. This review presents recent findings on the discoveries of new species and species flocks and critically appraises the relevant evidence on species richness from recent studies of polymorphism and assortative mating, generally using behavioural and molecular methods. Within the haplochromines, the most species-rich lineage, there are few reported cases of postzygotic isolation, and these are generally among allopatric taxa that are likely to have diverged a relatively long time in the past. However, many taxa, including many which occur sympatrically and do not interbreed in nature, produce viable, fertile hybrids. Prezygotic barriers are more important, and persist in laboratory conditions in which environmental factors have been controlled, indicating the primary importance of direct mate preferences. Studies to date indicate that estimates of alpha (within-site) diversity appear to be robust. Although within-species colour polymorphisms are common, these have been taken into account in previous estimates of species richness. However, overall estimates of species richness in Lakes Malawi and Victoria are heavily dependent on the assignation of species status to allopatric populations differing in male colour. Appropriate methods for testing the specific status of allopatric cichlid taxa are reviewed and preliminary results presented.

In vitro effects of 3 % hypertonic saline and 20 % mannitol on canine whole blood coagulation and platelet function.

BACKGROUND: Hyperosmolar therapy, using either mannitol or hypertonic saline (HTS), is considered the treatment of choice for intracranial hypertension. However, hyperosmolar agents may impair coagulation and platelet function, limiting their use in patients at risk for hemorrhage. Despite this, studies evaluating the effects of mannitol compared to other hyperosmolar agents in dogs are largely lacking. The aim of this study was to compare the in vitro effects on global hemostasis and platelet function of 20 % mannitol and 3 % HTS on canine blood. METHODS: Citrated whole blood from 15 healthy dogs was diluted with 0.9 % saline, 20 % mannitol and 3 % HTS in ratios of 1:16 and 1:8. Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) was used to assess clotting time (CT), clot formation time (CFT) and maximal clot firmness (MCF) following extrinsic activation (Ex-tem) and after platelet inhibition (Fib-tem). A platelet function analyzer (PFA-100) was used to assess closure time (CtPFA). RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between untreated whole blood and samples diluted with saline. Samples diluted with both mannitol and HTS were hypocoagulable compared to untreated whole blood samples. At a dilution of 1:16, no significant differences were found between any measured parameter in samples diluted with saline compared to mannitol or HTS. At a 1:8 dilution, CtPFA was prolonged in samples diluted with mannitol and HTS compared to saline, and CtPFA was prolonged more with mannitol than HTS. Ex-tem CT was increased at a 1:8 dilution with mannitol compared to HTS. Ex-tem CFT was prolonged at a 1:8 dilution with both agents compared to saline, and was prolonged more with mannitol than HTS. Ex-tem MCF was reduced at a 1:8 dilution with both agents compared to saline. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Data in this study indicate that both mannitol and HTS affect canine platelet function and whole blood coagulation in vitro in a dose-dependent fashion. The most pronounced effects were observed after high dilutions with mannitol, which impaired platelet aggregation, clot formation time, clot strength, and fibrin formation significantly more than HTS. Further in vivo studies are necessary before recommendations can be made

Job satisfaction of Swiss general practitioners with and without proficiency certificate in homeopathy

Introduction: Job satisfaction and therefore wellbeing of physicians is an important issue in high quality and safety of health care provision. The role of additional qualification in complementary medicine (CM) for job satisfaction of general practitioners (GPs), however, has not been explored. This study compared job satisfaction of conventional and homeopathic Swiss GPs. Methods: Participants of the Swiss Family Doctors Conference 2013 and members of the Swiss Association of Homeopathic Physicians participated in the survey. They indicated the extent of job satisfaction on 17 questions covering patient care, work-related burden, income-prestige, personal rewards, and professional relations. Results: Data of n = 125 GPs with homeopathic proficiency certificate and data of n = 143 GPs without any proficiency certificate in CM were analyzed. Overall job satisfaction was high and did not differ between the groups. However, due to lower number of patients per day, homeopathic GPs reported higher satisfaction in relations with patients and with workload, and lower satisfaction with income and in relations with peers compared to conventional GPs. Controlling for further confounding variables (e.g. working hours per week, practice setting), homeopathic GPs reported less satisfaction with their income than their conventional colleagues. Conclusions: Longer consultation time and lower number of patients homeopathic GPs see per day, may allowthem to unfold a deeper and more satisfying relationship with their patients and to lessen the workload. However, this comes along with financial discontent compared to conventional GPs. Certification in homeopathy and increased consultation time, respectively, may represent a way to enhance GPs’ job satisfaction.