Reconciling green synthesis, sustainability and production of pigments for protection of solar radiation is a continuous topic of search for unique, versatile and environmental compatible methods. In ...this perspective, we present the green synthesis of inorganic pigments with reflective properties of infrared radiation in the NIR region. Green powder pigments described by CoxZn1-xO, were obtained via the gelatinization method of starch colloidal suspension with inorganic salts (zinc and cobalt), calcined at different temperatures. Structural, morphological and spectroscopic characterization showed the pigments present Wurtzite crystalline phase with compact hexagonal structure, and monophasic when obtained at a calcination temperature above 800 °C. Colorimetric measurements obtained by the CIEL*a*b* method presented values related to green pigments attributed to cobalt ions, which replace the zinc ions in the Wurtzite matrix and corroborate the composition estimated by X-ray fluorescence analysis for Co0.1Zn0.9O. The pigments' NIR reflectivity increased with the calcination temperature increasing, with R% > 35%; and when the pigment is dispersed in a white paint the increase is R% > 50%. Therefore, our green pigments present great potential to be used as an active material in cold coatings and in solar devices.
Procedure used to prepare green cool pigments, CoxZn1-xO. Display omitted
•Synthesis clean and without generating waste.•Cool green pigments inherent in the CoxZn1-xO composition.•Shades influenced by cobalt precursor salt.•Reflectivity NIR greater than 30%.
The periodontal disease (PD) etiology is mainly associated with some bacterial strains, such as
Porphyromonas gingivalis
(
P. gingivalis
). Nonsurgical root scaling (e.g., antibiotics) may achieve a ...temporary decrease in the
P. gingivalis
level, yet it cannot eradicate the microorganism. Moreover, antibiotics can lead to bacterial resistance and undesirable side effects. This systematic review was performed to identify animal data defining antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PACT) role on experimental PD models in the treatment of
P. gingivalis
. Embase, MEDLINE, and PubMed were examined for studies published from January 1980 to August 2018. MeSH terms and Scopus data were used to find more related keywords. Four studies were selected and reviewed by two independent researches with a structured tool for rating the research quality. The beneficial effect of PACT included reductions in
P. gingivalis
counts, bleeding on probing, redness, and inflammation on multiple sites (i.e., first molar, dental implants; subgingival; and mandibular premolars). Although our results suggest that PACT displays antimicrobial action on
P. gingivalis
, thus improving the PD, a nonuniformity in the PACT protocol and the limited number of studies included lead to consider that the bactericidal efficacy of PACT against periodontal pathogens in PD remains unclear.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the cervico-occlusal dimensions of brackets used in lingual orthodontics for maxillary and mandibular central and lateral incisors, to compare them with the ...numbers informed by the manufacturer.
The brackets were placed in a template and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), evaluating the images with the aid of a software that allowed determination of reference points, tracing of lines on the bracket images and measurement of the distances.
Brackets manufactured by Dm Ceosa Hiro, Tecnident PSWb and Dentaurum Magic did not present statistically significant differences between the mean values of slot heights and the values informed by manufacturers. Conversely, the brands Ormco 7th generation, Ormco STb, GAC Innovation L, ORJ-ORG, Tecnident, Ormco STb LSW and Adenta evolution STL exhibited statistically significant differences.
In general, there was a deficiency in the standar-dization of cervico-occlusal measurements of slots of the brackets analyzed.
Manufacturers should be attentive to the quality control of their materials. Future studies will analyze the actual clinical influence of these findings on the orthodontic mechanics.
Aim
To evaluate whether Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) inoculation could induce cardiac remodelling in rats.
Materials and Methods
The study was conducted on 33 Wistar rats, which were ...distributed in the following experimental groups: not inoculated; inoculated with 1 × 108 CFU/ml of bacteria; inoculated with 3 × 108 CFU/ml of bacteria. The animals were inoculated at baseline and on the 15th day of follow‐up. Blood collection was performed at baseline and 60 min after each inoculation. At 29 days, the animals were subjected to echocardiography and at 30 days to haemodynamic studies before sacrificing them.
Results
Impact of the bacteria was more evident in rats that received higher P. gingivalis concentration. Thus, 3 × 108 CFU/ml of bacteria increased the rectal temperature and water content in the lung as well as myocardial necrosis and fibrosis. P. gingivalis induced the intensification of DNA fragmentation and increased the levels of malondialdehyde, oxidized proteins, and macrophage expression in the myocardium. These findings were associated with lower LV isovolumetric relaxation time, +dP/dt, –dP/dt, and higher end‐diastolic pressure.
Conclusions
P. gingivalis bacteraemia is significantly associated with adverse cardiac remodelling and may play a biological role in the genesis of heart failure.
This study evaluated the effects of light-emitting diode (LED) on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). An electronic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science database for articles ...published from 1980 to February 2020. Ten articles met the search criteria and were included in this review. The risk of bias was evaluated to report quality, safety, and environmental standards. MSCs were derived from adipose tissue, bone marrow, dental pulp, gingiva, and umbilical cord. Protocols for cellular irradiation used red and blue light spectrum with variations of the parameters. The LED has been shown to induce greater cellular viability, proliferation, differentiation, and secretion of growth factors. The set of information available leads to proposing a complex signaling cascade for the action of photobiomodulation, including angiogenic factors, singlet oxygen, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, Janus kinase/signal transducer, and reactive oxygen species. In conclusion, although our results suggest that LED can boost MSCs, a nonuniformity in the experimental protocol, bias, and the limited number of studies reduces the power of systematic review. Further research is essential to find the optimal LED irradiation parameters to boost MSCs function and evaluate its impact in the clinical setting.
Mitochondria harbor multiple copies of a maternally inherited nonnuclear genome. Point mutations, deletions, or depletion of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are associated with various human diseases. ...mtDNA defects are currently studied using Sanger sequencing, Southern blot, and long and quantitative PCR. However, these technologies are expensive and are limited in speed, throughput, and sensitivity. Recently, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been used to study mtDNA defects; however, its potential applications still need to be fully validated. We analyzed mtDNA from 16 control samples and 33 affected samples, which were previously investigated by traditional techniques. Different NGS approaches were tested, using classic library preparation based on PCR amplifications and an innovative PCR-free protocol, defining their suitability and utility for: i) generating full accurate mtDNA sequence, ii) assessing heteroplasmy for single point mutations with high accuracy, and iii) detecting break positions and heteroplasmy of single large deletions. This study confirmed that PCR-based library preparations are appropriate for the first two points and showed that a new PCR-free method gave the best results for the third aim. This study tested different approaches and describes an innovative PCR-free protocol, suitable for detection and heteroplasmy quantification of mtDNA single large deletions. NGS may become the method of choice for genetic analysis on mtDNA.
Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes (MDS) are a group of rare autosomal recessive disorders with early onset and no cure available. MDS are caused by mutations in nuclear genes involved in ...mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) maintenance, and characterized by both a strong reduction in mtDNA content and severe mitochondrial defects in affected tissues. Mutations in
, a nuclear gene encoding a mitochondrial inner membrane protein, have been associated with hepatocerebral forms of MDS. The zebrafish
null mutant lacks the guanine-based reflective skin cells named iridophores and represents a promising model to clarify the role of Mpv17. In this study, we characterized the mitochondrial phenotype of
larvae and found early and severe ultrastructural alterations in liver mitochondria, as well as significant impairment of the respiratory chain, leading to activation of the mitochondrial quality control. Our results provide evidence for zebrafish Mpv17 being essential for maintaining mitochondrial structure and functionality, while its effects on mtDNA copy number seem to be subordinate. Considering that a role in nucleotide availability had already been postulated for MPV17, that embryos blocked in pyrimidine synthesis do phenocopy
knockouts (KOs) and that
KOs have impaired Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase activity, we provided
mutants with the pyrimidine precursor orotic acid (OA). Treatment with OA, an easily available food supplement, significantly increased both iridophore number and mtDNA content in
mutants, thus linking the loss of Mpv17 to pyrimidine
synthesis and opening a new simple therapeutic approach for
-related MDS.
The genetic causes of epilepsies and developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) with onset in early childhood are increasingly recognized. Their outcomes vary from benign to severe ...disability. In this paper, we wished to retrospectively review the clinical, genetic, EEG, neuroimaging, and outcome data of patients experiencing the onset of epilepsy in the first three years of life, diagnosed and followed up in four Italian epilepsy centres (Epilepsy Centre of San Paolo University Hospital in Milan, Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit of AUSL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Pediatric Neurology Unit of Vittore Buzzi Children's Hospital, Milan, and Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia). We included 168 patients (104 with monogenic conditions, 45 with copy number variations (CNVs) or chromosomal abnormalities, and 19 with variants of unknown significance), who had been followed up for a mean of 14.75 years. We found a high occurrence of generalized seizures at onset, drug resistance, abnormal neurological examination, global developmental delay and intellectual disability, and behavioural and psychiatric comorbidities. We also documented differing presentations between monogenic issues versus CNVs and chromosomal conditions, as well as atypical/rare phenotypes. Genetic early-childhood-onset epilepsies and DEE show a very wide phenotypic and genotypic spectrum, with a high risk of complex neurological and neuropsychiatric phenotypes.
The study of human cortical development has major implications for brain evolution and diseases but has remained elusive due to paucity of experimental models. Here we found that human embryonic stem ...cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), cultured without added morphogens, recapitulate corticogenesis leading to the sequential generation of functional pyramidal neurons of all six layer identities. After transplantation into mouse neonatal brain, human ESC-derived cortical neurons integrated robustly and established specific axonal projections and dendritic patterns corresponding to native cortical neurons. The differentiation and connectivity of the transplanted human cortical neurons complexified progressively over several months in vivo, culminating in the establishment of functional synapses with the host circuitry. Our data demonstrate that human cortical neurons generated in vitro from ESC/iPSC can develop complex hodological properties characteristic of the cerebral cortex in vivo, thereby offering unprecedented opportunities for the modeling of human cortex diseases and brain repair.
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► Cortical neurogenesis from human ESC/iPSC without added morphogens ► Specific axonal and dendritic patterns of grafted human ESC-derived neurons ► Functional synapses between transplanted neurons and the host cortex ► Human ESC/iPSC corticogenesis recapitulates species-specific temporality
The study of human cortical development has major implications for brain evolution and diseases. Espuny-Camacho et al. describe how human pluripotent stem cells can be converted in vitro into functional pyramidal neurons, which after transplantation integrate like native neurons into the mouse brain circuits.
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