Relining of prosthesis with auto‐polymerizing hard denture reline resins: effect of post‐polymerization treatment on flexural strength

Background: It has been suggested that microwave irradiation and prosthesis immersion in hot water after its polymerization may improve mechanical and viscoelastic properties of acrylic resins. Purpose: This study was proposed to verify the influence of microwave post‐polymerization (PP) treatment over the flexural strength of thermo‐polymerizing acrylic resin specimens (QC‐20) relined or not with two different composition hard chairside auto‐polymerizing reliners [Kooliner (K) and New Truliner (NT)]. Materials and Methods: For this study, 50 specimens of 64 × 10 × 3.3 mm were polymerized and distributed into five groups. G1 (control) specimens without relining and PP; G2 specimens relined with K, without PP; G3 specimens relined with NT, without PP; G4 specimens relined with K, with PP (microwave irradiation with 650 W for 5 min); G5 specimens relined with NT, with PP. Tests were performed on a universal testing machine Instron 4411 with compression speed of 5 mm/min. Results: Specimens of K without PP did not show statistically different results (p < 0.05) when compared with control. However, when submitted to PP these specimens showed a significant increase in flexural strength. Specimens of NT showed the lowest flexural strength of all groups, with or without PP when compared with control and K groups. Conclusion: Microwave PP (650 W for 5 min) proved to be an effective method of improving the flexural strength of K relined prosthesis. However, it did not seem to affect NT specimens.     

Ontogenetic variation in parasite infracommunities of the clingfish Sicyases sanguineus (Pisces: Gobiesocidae)

This study analyzed the variation of the parasite infracommunities and their relationship with the diet and spatial distribution of the clingfish Sicyases sanguineus during its ontogeny. In total, 154 clingfish were collected from the intertidal and the upper subtidal zone of Pacific Ocean along the central Chilean coast. A wide range in body length (1.4-34.5 cm) was observed, including juvenile and adult specimens. Eleven parasite species were found in the clingfish, i.e., 2 Copepoda, 2 Hirudinea, 1 Monogenea, 5 Digenea, and 1 Cestoda. The prevalence, total abundance, Brillouin's diversity index, and the infracommunity species richness increased with fish body length. The parasite communities, the diet, and the spatial distribution changed during clingfish ontogeny, specifically between juveniles (<20 cm body length [BL]) and adults (>20 cm BL). When fish reached a 20-cm BL, a considerable increment in abundance and species richness of parasites was observed; this coincided with an increase in the number of prey items in the diet and with a change of the fish from the intertidal into the subtidal zone. Therefore, the ontogeny of S. sanguineus is important for the variation of parasite infracommunities, which also was associated with dietary and spatial distribution shifts of this fish.     

Genetic insights into the dark matter of the mammalian gut microbiota through targeted genome reconstruction

Whole metagenomic shotgun (WMS) sequencing has dramatically enhanced our ability to study microbial genomics. The possibility to unveil the genetic makeup of bacteria that cannot be easily isolated has significantly expanded our microbiological horizon. Here, we report an approach aimed at uncovering novel bacterial species by the use of targeted WMS sequencing. Employing in silico data retrieved from metabolic modelling to formulate a chemically defined medium (CDM), we were able to isolate and subsequently sequence the genomes of six putative novel species of bacteria from the gut of non-human primates.     

Environmental degradation of streams leads to the loss of ecomorphologically similar fish species

Hydrobiologia - Human activities change the environmental conditions of streams and alter their assemblages. However, the environmental factors associated with the change in the ecomorphological...     

Development of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cleruchoides noackae</Emphasis>, an egg-parasitoid of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thaumastocoris peregrinus</Emphasis>, in eggs laid on different substrates,with different ages and post-cold storage

Cleruchoides noackae Lin and Huber (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is an egg parasitoid of Thaumastocoris peregrinus Carpintero and Dellapé (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae). The parasitism and development of C. noackae was studied in T. peregrinus eggs of different ages, laid on eucalyptus leaves or paper towel and stored at 5 °C. The emergence, sex ratio and development of C. noackae and hatched nymphs of T. peregrinus were evaluated. This parasitoid had an emergence rate higher than 60% from zero to one, one to two, and two to three-day old eggs and lower than 10% for those 3–4 and 4–5 days old. The female proportion was 78% and the egg-adult period for C. noackae was 19.5 days. The use of T. peregrinus eggs up to three days old, laid on paper towel and stored at 5 °C for 14 days did not affect the biological parameters of C. nockae and should be used for mass rearing of this parasitoid.     

Genetic Determinants for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Related Metabolic Traits in Mexican Women

Epidemiological and physiological similarities among Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) suggest that both diseases, share a common genetic background. T2D risk variants have been associated to GDM susceptibility. However, the genetic architecture of GDM is not yet completely understood. We analyzed 176 SNPs for 115 loci previously associated to T2D, GDM and body mass index (BMI), as well as a set of 118 Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs), in 750 pregnant Mexican women. Association with GDM was found for two of the most frequently replicated T2D loci: a TCF7L2 haplotype (CTTC: rs7901695, rs4506565, rs7903146, rs12243326; P=2.16x10^-06; OR=2.95) and a KCNQ1 haplotype (TTT: rs2237892, rs163184, rs2237897; P=1.98x10^-05; OR=0.55). In addition, we found two loci associated to glycemic traits: CENTD2 (60’ OGTT glycemia: rs1552224, P=0.03727) and MTNR1B (HOMA B: rs1387153, P=0.05358). Remarkably, a major susceptibility SLC16A11 locus for T2D in Mexicans was not shown to play a role in GDM risk. The fact that two of the main T2D associated loci also contribute to the risk of developing GDM in Mexicans, confirm that both diseases share a common genetic background. However, lack of association with a Native American contribution T2D risk haplotype, SLC16A11, suggests that other genetic mechanisms may be in play for GDM.     

Population Genetic Structure of a Centipede Species with High Levels of Developmental Instability

European populations of the geophilomorph centipede Haplophilus subterraneus show a high proportion of individuals with morphological anomalies, suggesting high levels of developmental instability. The broad geographic distribution of this phenomenon seems to exclude local environmental causes, but the source of instability is still to be identified. The goal of the present study was to collect quantitative data on the occurrence of phenodeviants in different populations, along with data on the patterns of genetic variation within and between populations, in order to investigate possible association between developmental instability and genetic features. In a sample of 11 populations of H. subterraneus, distributed in western and central Europe, we looked for phenodeviants, in particular with respect to trunk morphology, and studied genetic variation through the genotyping of microsatellite loci. Overall, no support was found to the idea that developmental instability in H. subterraneus is related to a specific patterns of genetic variation, including inbreeding estimates. We identified a major genetic partition that subdivides French populations from the others, and a low divergence among northwestern areas, which are possibly related to the post-glacial recolonization from southern refugia and/or to recent anthropogenic soil displacements. A weak correlation between individual number of leg bearing segments and the occurrence of trunk anomalies seems to support a trade-off between these two developmental traits. These results, complemented by preliminary data on developmental stability in two related species, suggest that the phenomenon has not a simple taxonomic distribution, while it exhibits an apparent localization in central and eastern Europe.