Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused much anxiety and confusion in the community and affected the delivery of ...vital health care services, including dental care. We reviewed current evidence related to the impact of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 on dental care and oral health with the aim to help dental professionals better understand the risks of disease transmission in dental settings, strengthen protection against nosocomial infections, and identify areas of COVID-19–related oral health research. When compared with other recent pandemics, COVID-19 is less severe but spreads more easily, causing a significantly higher number of deaths worldwide. Protection of dental patients and staff during COVID-19 is challenging due to the existence of patients who are infectious yet asymptomatic. Dental professionals are ill prepared for the pandemic, as they are not routinely fitted for the N95 respirators now required for preventing contagion during dental treatments. Biological and clinical evidence supports that oral mucosa is an initial site of entry for SARS-CoV-2 and that oral symptoms, including loss of taste/smell and dry mouth, might be early symptoms of COVID-19, presenting before fever, dry cough, fatigue, shortness breath, and other typical symptoms. Oral health researchers may play a more active role in early identification and diagnosis of the disease through deciphering the mechanisms of dry mouth and loss of taste in patients with COVID-19. Rapid testing for infectious diseases in dental offices via saliva samples may be valuable in the early identification of infected patients and in disease progress assessment.
Knowledge Transfer Statement:
This commentary provides a timely evidence-based overview on the impact of COVID-19 on dental care and oral health and identifies gaps in protection of patients and staff in dental settings. Oral symptoms are prominent before fever and cough occur. Dental professionals may play an important role in early identification and diagnosis of patients with COVID-19.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The 12th president of the American Association for Dental Research (now the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research) and the 65th president of the International Association ...for Dental Research, Dr. William D. McHugh was one of the longest-serving directors of the Eastman Institute for Oral Health in Rochester, New York. His exceptional leadership was evident throughout his career, and he continually strived to strengthen the science base of the future dentist.
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CMK, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The first ionization potential (IP) and electron affinity (EA) of the gold atom have been determined to an unprecedented accuracy using relativistic coupled cluster calculations up to the pentuple ...excitation level including the Breit and QED contributions. We reach meV accuracy (with respect to the experimental values) by carefully accounting for all individual contributions beyond the standard relativistic coupled cluster approach. Thus, we are able to resolve the long-standing discrepancy between experimental and theoretical IP and EA of gold.
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CMK, CTK, FMFMET, IJS, NUK, PNG, UM
The chemical properties of an element are primarily governed by the configuration of electrons in the valence shell. Relativistic effects influence the electronic structure of heavy elements in the ...sixth row of the periodic table, and these effects increase dramatically in the seventh row--including the actinides--even affecting ground-state configurations. Atomic s and p1/2 orbitals are stabilized by relativistic effects, whereas p3/2, d and f orbitals are destabilized, so that ground-state configurations of heavy elements may differ from those of lighter elements in the same group. The first ionization potential (IP1) is a measure of the energy required to remove one valence electron from a neutral atom, and is an atomic property that reflects the outermost electronic configuration. Precise and accurate experimental determination of IP1 gives information on the binding energy of valence electrons, and also, therefore, on the degree of relativistic stabilization. However, such measurements are hampered by the difficulty in obtaining the heaviest elements on scales of more than one atom at a time. Here we report that the experimentally obtained IP1 of the heaviest actinide, lawrencium (Lr, atomic number 103), is 4.96(+0.08)(-0.07) electronvolts. The IP1 of Lr was measured with (256)Lr (half-life 27 seconds) using an efficient surface ion-source and a radioisotope detection system coupled to a mass separator. The measured IP1 is in excellent agreement with the value of 4.963(15) electronvolts predicted here by state-of-the-art relativistic calculations. The present work provides a reliable benchmark for theoretical calculations and also opens the way for IP1 measurements of superheavy elements (that is, transactinides) on an atom-at-a-time scale.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The changes in the mean-square charge radius (relative to 209Bi), magnetic dipole, and electric quadrupole moments of 187, 188, 189, 191Bi were measured using the in-source resonance-ionization ...spectroscopy technique at ISOLDE (CERN). A large staggering in radii was found in 187, 188, 189Big, manifested by a sharp radius increase for the ground state of 188Bi relative to the neighboring 187, 189Big. A large isomer shift was also observed for 188Bim. Both effects happen at the same neutron number, N = 105 , where the shape staggering and a similar isomer shift were observed in the mercury isotopes. Experimental results are reproduced by mean-field calculations where the ground or isomeric states were identified by the blocked quasiparticle configuration compatible with the observed spin, parity, and magnetic moment.
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Until recently, ground-state nuclear moments of the heaviest nuclei could only be inferred from nuclear spectroscopy, where model assumptions are required. Laser spectroscopy in combination with ...modern atomic structure calculations is now able to probe these moments directly, in a comprehensive and nuclear-model-independent way. Here we report on unique access to the differential mean-square charge radii of ^{252,253,254}No, and therefore to changes in nuclear size and shape. State-of-the-art nuclear density functional calculations describe well the changes in nuclear charge radii in the region of the heavy actinides, indicating an appreciable central depression in the deformed proton density distribution in ^{252,254}No isotopes. Finally, the hyperfine splitting of ^{253}No was evaluated, enabling a complementary measure of its (quadrupole) deformation, as well as an insight into the neutron single-particle wave function via the nuclear spin and magnetic moment.
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The radioactive element astatine exists only in trace amounts in nature. Its properties can therefore only be explored by study of the minute quantities of artificially produced isotopes or by ...performing theoretical calculations. One of the most important properties influencing the chemical behaviour is the energy required to remove one electron from the valence shell, referred to as the ionization potential. Here we use laser spectroscopy to probe the optical spectrum of astatine near the ionization threshold. The observed series of Rydberg states enabled the first determination of the ionization potential of the astatine atom, 9.31751(8) eV. New ab initio calculations are performed to support the experimental result. The measured value serves as a benchmark for quantum chemistry calculations of the properties of astatine as well as for the theoretical prediction of the ionization potential of superheavy element 117, the heaviest homologue of astatine.
Background
The mechanisms underlying sex‐based differences in pain and analgesia are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated gene expression changes in trigeminal ganglia (TG) of male and ...female rats exposed to infraorbital nerve chronic constriction injury (IoN‐CCI).
Methods
Somatosensory assessments were performed prior to IoN‐CCI and at selected time points postsurgery. Selected gene expression changes were examined with real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) in ipsilateral TG at 21 days postsurgery.
Results
Rats exposed to IoN‐CCI developed significant mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia on days 19 and 21 postsurgery. During this period, females developed significantly more allodynia but not hyperalgesia compared to males. At 21 days postsurgery, expression levels of 44 of the 84 investigated pain‐related genes in ipsilateral TG were significantly regulated relative to naïve rats in either sex. Csf1 and Cx3cr1 were up‐regulated in both sexes, but the magnitude of regulation was significantly higher in females (p = 0.02 and p = 0.001, respectively). Htr1a and Scn9a were down‐regulated in both sexes, but the down‐regulation was significantly more pronounced in males (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively). Additionally, Cck, Il1a, Pla2g1b and Tnf genes were significantly regulated in females but not in males, and Chrna4 gene was significantly down‐regulated in males but not in females.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest sex‐dependent gene regulation in response to nerve injury, which may contribute to sex dimorphism of trigeminal neuropathic pain. Further studies are needed to establish gene expression changes over time and correlate these with hormonal and other physiological parameters in male and female.
Significance
We present novel sex‐specific transcriptional regulation in trigeminal ganglia that may contribute to male‐/female‐based differences in trigeminal neuropathic pain. These findings are expected to open new research horizons, particularly in male versus female targeted therapeutic regimens.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim was to apply diagnostic criteria, as published by the International Headache Society (IHS), to the diagnosis of orofacial pain. A total of 328 consecutive patients with orofacial pain were ...collected over a period of 2 years. The orofacial pain clinic routinely employs criteria published by the IHS, the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOP) and the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDCTMD). Employing IHS criteria, 184 patients were successfully diagnosed (56%), including 34 with persistent idiopathic facial pain. In the remaining 144 we applied AAOP/RDCTMD criteria and diagnosed 120 as masticatory myofascial pain (MMP) resulting in a diagnostic efficiency of 92.7% (304/328) when applying the three classifications (IHS, AAOP, RDCTMD). Employing further published criteria, 23 patients were diagnosed as neurovascular orofacial pain (NVOP, facial migraine) and one as a neuropathy secondary to connective tissue disease. All the patients were therefore allocated to predefined diagnoses. MMP is clearly defined by AAOP and the RDCTMD. However, NVOP is not defined by any of the above classification systems. The features of MMP and NVOP are presented and analysed with calculations for positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV). In MMP the combination of facial pain aggravated by jaw movement, and the presence of three or more tender muscles resulted in a PPV = 0.82 and a NPV = 0.86. For NVOP the combination of facial pain, throbbing quality, autonomic and/or systemic features and attack duration of > 60 min gave a PPV = 0.71 and a NPV = 0.95. Expansion of the IHS system is needed so as to integrate more orofacial pain syndromes.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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