Evaluation of dental enamel caries assessment using Quantitative Light Induced Fluorescence and Optical Coherence Tomography

An in vitro study of morphological alterations between sound dental structure and artificially induced white spot lesions in human teeth, was performed through the loss of fluorescence by Quantitative Light‐Induced Fluorescence (QLF) and the alterations of the light attenuation coefficient by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). To analyze the OCT images using a commercially available system, a special algorithm was applied, whereas the QLF images were analyzed using the software available in the commercial system employed. When analyzing the sound region against white spot lesions region by QLF, a reduction in the fluorescence intensity was observed, whilst an increase of light attenuation by the OCT system occurred. Comparison of the percentage of alteration between optical properties of sound and artificial enamel caries regions showed that OCT processed images through the attenuation of light enhanced the tooth optical alterations more than fluorescence detected by QLF System.

QLF versus OCT imaging of enamel caries: a photonics assessment     

Effects of Methadone on the Minimum Anesthetic Concentration of Isoflurane,and Its Effects on Heart Rate,Blood Pressure and Ventilation during Isoflurane Anesthesia in Hens (Gallus gallus domesticus)

The aim of this study was to measure the temporal effects of intramuscular methadone administration on the minimum anesthetic concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in hens, and to evaluate the effects of the isoflurane-methadone combination on heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure and ventilation. Thirteen healthy adult hens weighing 1.7 ± 0.2 kg were used. The MAC of isoflurane was determined in each individual using the bracketing method. Subsequently, the reduction in isoflurane MAC produced by methadone (3 or 6 mg kg^-1, IM) was determined by the up-and-down method. Stimulation was applied at 15 and 30 minutes, and at 45 minutes if the bird had not moved at 30 minutes. Isoflurane MAC reduction was calculated at each time point using logistic regression. After a washout period, birds were anesthetized with isoflurane and methadone, 6 mg kg^-1 IM was administered. Heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, blood gas values and invasive blood pressure were measured at 1.0 and 0.7 isoflurane MAC, and during 45 minutes after administration of methadone once birds were anesthetized with 0.7 isoflurane MAC. Fifteen minutes after administration of 3 mg kg^-1 of methadone, isoflurane MAC was reduced by 2 (-9 to 13)% [logistic regression estimate (95% Wald confidence interval)]. Administration of 6 mg kg^-1 of methadone decreased isoflurane MAC by 29 (11 to 46)%, 27 (-3 to 56)% and 10 (-8 to 28)% after 15, 30 and 45 minutes, respectively. Methadone (6 mg kg^-1) induced atrioventricular block in three animals and ventricular premature contractions in two. Methadone caused an increase in arterial blood pressure and arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide, while heart rate and pH decreased. Methadone, 6 mg kg^-1 IM significantly reduced isoflurane MAC by 30% in hens 15 minutes after administration. At this dose, methadone caused mild respiratory acidosis and increase in systemic blood pressure.     

Novel point mutations in the ERG11 gene in clinical isolates of azole resistant Candida species

The azoles are the class of medications most commonly used to fight infections caused by Candida sp. Typically, resistance can be attributed to mutations in ERG11 gene (CYP51) which encodes the cytochrome P450 14α-demethylase, the primary target for the activity of azoles. The objective of this study was to identify mutations in the coding region of theERG11 gene in clinical isolates of Candidaspecies known to be resistant to azoles. We identified three new synonymous mutations in the ERG11 gene in the isolates of Candida glabrata (C108G, C423T and A1581G) and two new nonsynonymous mutations in the isolates of Candida krusei - A497C (Y166S) and G1570A (G524R). The functional consequence of these nonsynonymous mutations was predicted using evolutionary conservation scores. The G524R mutation did not have effect on 14α-demethylase functionality, while the Y166S mutation was found to affect the enzyme. This observation suggests a possible link between the mutation and dose-dependent sensitivity to voriconazole in the clinical isolate of C. krusei. Although the presence of the Y166S in phenotype of reduced azole sensitivity observed in isolate C. kruseidemands investigation, it might contribute to the search of new therapeutic agents against resistant Candida isolates.     

Topological persistency found in aggregations of coastal sea skater,Halobates japonicus Esaki, 1924 (Hemiptera: Gerridae), based on genetic relationships amongst three aggregations in Ishigaki Island,Japan

Sea skaters, genus Halobates Eschscholtz, 1822, are the only marine insects living in mangrove beds and the tide pools of coral reefs, both of which provide dramatically variable habitats daily by virtue of tide-driven changes in surface level. Females of H. japonicus Esaki, 1924 were collected from three distinct aggregations in a single bay (24°27′5″N, 124°8′40″E) on 1–5 November 2006. Two aggregations were formed in respective tide pools of the coral reef and one was formed in the mangrove beds. Amplified fragment length polymorphism markers were used to detect the persistency of each aggregation at a mesoscale. The results suggested that H. japonicus repeatedly immigrated from outside the bay to establish a meta-population of several deme groups. Aggregations along the coastline had some persistency to the line itself and had little tendency to cross to the opposite shore, even when the distance was short.     

Information and redundancy in the burial folding code of globular proteins within a wide range of shapes and sizes

Recent ab initio folding simulations for a limited number of small proteins have corroborated a previous suggestion that atomic burial information obtainable from sequence could be sufficient for tertiary structure determination when combined to sequence‐independent geometrical constraints. Here, we use simulations parameterized by native burials to investigate the required amount of information in a diverse set of globular proteins comprising different structural classes and a wide size range. Burial information is provided by a potential term pushing each atom towards one among a small number L of equiprobable concentric layers. An upper bound for the required information is provided by the minimal number of layers L^min still compatible with correct folding behavior. We obtain L^min between 3 and 5 for seven small to medium proteins with 50 ≤ N_r ≤ 110 residues while for a larger protein with N_r = 141 we find that L ≥ 6 is required to maintain native stability. We additionally estimate the usable redundancy for a given L ≥ L^min from the burial entropy associated to the largest folding‐compatible fraction of “superfluous” atoms, for which the burial term can be turned off or target layers can be chosen randomly. The estimated redundancy for small proteins with L = 4 is close to 0.8. Our results are consistent with the above‐average quality of burial predictions used in previous simulations and indicate that the fraction of approachable proteins could increase significantly with even a mild, plausible, improvement on sequence‐dependent burial prediction or on sequence‐independent constraints that augment the detectable redundancy during simulations. Proteins 2016; 84:515–531. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

sdm: a reproducible and extensible R platform for species distribution modelling

sdm is an object‐oriented, reproducible and extensible, platform for species distribution modelling. It uses individual species and community‐based approaches, enabling ensembles of models to be fitted and evaluated, to project species potential distributions in space and time. It provides a standardized and unified structure for handling species distributions data and modelling techniques, and supports markedly different modelling approaches, including correlative, process‐based (mechanistic), agent‐based, and cellular automata. The object‐oriented design of software is such that scientists can modify existing methods, extend the framework by developing new methods or modelling procedures, and share them to be reproduced by other scientists. sdm can handle spatial and temporal data for single or multiple species and uses high performance computing solutions to speed up modelling and simulations. The framework is implemented in R, providing a flexible and easy‐to‐use GUI interface.     

Analysis of isoflavones and coumestrol in soybean sprouts

High-performance liquid chromatography analysis is used to examine the distribution of isoflavones in different parts of soybean sprouts. Between the seed leaf and hypocotyl, the ratio of isoflavones differs depending on the aglycone type. Glycitein exists predominantly in the hypocotyl. Three compounds isolated from 4-day-old seed coats were identified as coumestrol and its glycosides.     

Can the modeling for simplification of a dental implant surface affect the accuracy of 3D finite element analysis?

The aim of this study was to assess stress/strain of different implant modeling simplifications by 3D-FEA. Three variation of external hexagon implant (Ø3.75?×?10 mm) supporting one molar crown were simulated: A (no threads); B (slightly threads simplification); C (original design). 200 N (axial) and 100 N (oblique) were applied. Cortical bone was evaluated by maximum principal stress and microstrain qualitatively and quantitatively (ANOVA and Tukey post hoc (p < 0.05)). Higher stress levels (p < 0.05) were observed in model A. Models B and C presented similar stress transmission. It was possible to conclude that slightly simplification should be used for studies evaluating stress transferring for bone tissue.     

Benzyl propionate synthesis by fed-batch esterification using commercial immobilized and lyophilized Cal B lipase

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - In this work, a fed-batch approach was adopted to overcome propionic acid lipase inactivation effects in the benzyl propionate direct esterification mediated...