Aim
To compare six reciprocating instruments regarding their geometric design, metallurgical characteristics, mechanical behaviour and ability to prepare root canals.
Methodology
A total of 246 new ...25‐mm NiTi instruments (41 per group) from six reciprocating systems (Reciproc, Reciproc Blue, One Files, One Files Blue, Reverso Silver, and WaveOne Gold) were evaluated throughout a multimethod approach regarding their design using stereomicroscopy (number of blades and helix angle) and scanning electron microscopy (blades symmetry, cross section and surface finishing), nickel‐titanium composition, phase transformation temperatures, mechanical performance (cyclic fatigue, torsional and bending resistance) and unprepared canal surface area on anatomically matched mandibular molars assessed by micro‐CT. One‐way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s or Mood's median tests were selected depending on sample distribution with significance level set at 5%.
Results
The instruments had similarities regarding their metal composition and unprepared canal area, whilst differences in phase transformation temperatures and geometric design (number of blades, surface finishing and tip geometry) were observed. Overall, no difference was observed regarding the maximum torque values (P > 0.05), whilst One Files (72 s) and One Files Blue (414 s) had the shortest and longest times to fracture, respectively (P < 0.05). Similar angles of rotation were observed in Reciproc (310°), One Files (285°) and Reverso Silver (318°) instruments (P > 0.05), which were significantly lower than Reciproc Blue (492°), One Files Blue (456°) and WaveOne Gold (492°; P < 0.05). Maximum bending load demonstrated that Reciproc Blue (201.3 gf) was significantly more flexible that the other instruments (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
Although there were similarities in metal composition and percentage of unprepared canal surface, the instruments had differences in the overall geometric design, phase transformation temperatures and in the four mechanical resistance parameters (time to fracture, maximum torque, angle of rotation and maximum bending load).
Summary
Advances in micro‐organism identification techniques have resulted in increased knowledge of the diversity of prokaryotes and eukaryotes in silage. Such knowledge has enhanced the ...understanding of how fermentation occurs in forage crops with different characteristics and how the process can be improved to enhance silage quality. Undesirable micro‐organisms can grow in silage when fermentation does not occur properly. Such micro‐organisms may be pathogenic and/or produce toxic metabolic compounds; however, information on the consequences of these metabolites on the health of animals that consume silage is still lacking. The major challenge of ensilage is to produce high‐quality feed that is nutritional, sanitary and stable, with a high dry matter recovery rate, in a process involving no interventions during fermentation and considerable variation in the characteristics of the substrates. It is important to note that each substrate has particularities and that we can only improve fermentation if we fully understand microbial diversity. This review is intended to update information related to the fermentation profile of silage, focusing on microbial diversity.
The effects of recruitment maneuvers and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) titration on clinical outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain uncertain.
To ...determine if lung recruitment associated with PEEP titration according to the best respiratory-system compliance decreases 28-day mortality of patients with moderate to severe ARDS compared with a conventional low-PEEP strategy.
Multicenter, randomized trial conducted at 120 intensive care units (ICUs) from 9 countries from November 17, 2011, through April 25, 2017, enrolling adults with moderate to severe ARDS.
An experimental strategy with a lung recruitment maneuver and PEEP titration according to the best respiratory-system compliance (n = 501; experimental group) or a control strategy of low PEEP (n = 509). All patients received volume-assist control mode until weaning.
The primary outcome was all-cause mortality until 28 days. Secondary outcomes were length of ICU and hospital stay; ventilator-free days through day 28; pneumothorax requiring drainage within 7 days; barotrauma within 7 days; and ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month mortality.
A total of 1010 patients (37.5% female; mean SD age, 50.9 17.4 years) were enrolled and followed up. At 28 days, 277 of 501 patients (55.3%) in the experimental group and 251 of 509 patients (49.3%) in the control group had died (hazard ratio HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.42; P = .041). Compared with the control group, the experimental group strategy increased 6-month mortality (65.3% vs 59.9%; HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.38; P = .04), decreased the number of mean ventilator-free days (5.3 vs 6.4; difference, -1.1; 95% CI, -2.1 to -0.1; P = .03), increased the risk of pneumothorax requiring drainage (3.2% vs 1.2%; difference, 2.0%; 95% CI, 0.0% to 4.0%; P = .03), and the risk of barotrauma (5.6% vs 1.6%; difference, 4.0%; 95% CI, 1.5% to 6.5%; P = .001). There were no significant differences in the length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, ICU mortality, and in-hospital mortality.
In patients with moderate to severe ARDS, a strategy with lung recruitment and titrated PEEP compared with low PEEP increased 28-day all-cause mortality. These findings do not support the routine use of lung recruitment maneuver and PEEP titration in these patients.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01374022.
Three known compounds, 20-deoxyphorbol-5β-hydroxy-12-tiglate-13-isobutyrate (1), 20-deoxyphorbol-5β-hydroxy-12-tiglate-13-phenylacetate (2), and 4-deoxy-4β-phorbol-12-tiglate-13-phenylacetate (3), ...were reisolated from the latex of Euphorbia umbellata through a bioguided fractionation process to target HIV-1 latency reactivation. The in vitro bioassay using infected T-cell lymphoblasts (J-Lat 10.6), complemented with surface CD4 receptor downregulation assessment, led to isolation of the compounds as a highly active ternary mixture. Effective purification of the individual compounds was achieved by first subjecting a phorbol-enriched fraction (previously prepared from crude latex) to MPLC, followed by semipreparative HPLC and characterization by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and (+)-HRESIMS. Compared with a positive control, the isolated compounds were effective in reactivating 68–75% of the virus latency in the range of 9.7–0.097 μM for compound 1, 8.85–0.088 μM for compound 2, and 9.1–0.091 μM for compound 3, with the latter maintaining steady effectiveness down to a 10–5 dilution. Accordingly, compound 3 may serve as a promising lead compound for the development of anti-HIV drugs based on latency reactivation therapy.
We compare the effects of Nordic walking training (NW) and Free walk (FW) on functional parameters (motor symptoms, balance) and functional mobility (Timed Up and Go at Self‐selected Speed – TUGSS, ...and at forced speed, TUGFS; Self‐selected Walking Speed, SSW; locomotor rehabilitation index, LRI) of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The study included 33 patients with clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD, and staging between 1 and 4 in the Hoehn and Yahr scale (H&Y) randomized into two groups: NW (N = 16) and FW (N = 17) for 6 weeks. Baseline characteristics were compared trough a one‐way ANOVA. Outcomes were analyzed using the Generalized Estimation Equations (GEE) with a Bonferroni post‐hoc. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.20.0. Improvements in UPDRS III (P < 0.001), balance scores (P < 0.035), TUGSS distance (P < 0.001), TUGFS distance (P < 0.001), SSW (P < 0.001), and LRI (P < 0.001) were found for both groups. However, the NW group showed significant differences (P < 0.001) when compared to the FW group for the functional mobility. We conclude the NW improves functional parameters and walking mobility demonstrating that NW is as effective as the FW, including benefits for FW on the functional mobility of people with PD.
The higher heating value (HHV) is an important parameter to indicate the energetic potential of biomass from different sources. Bomb calorimeter is the standard to obtain this data; however, in the ...absence of this equipment, estimative through proximate analysis aided with multiple regression formulas is an acceptable alternative. Still, this is a time-consuming technique and highly dependable of operator skills. In this context, thermogravimetric analysis has been used to obtain proximate analysis results with higher precision and demanding a small amount of samples. Here, a simple and effective method to estimate HHV from data obtained by thermogravimetric analysis using different sources of biomass is presented. The proposed method showed to be more accurate to estimate HHV than proximate analysis laboratory procedure. Greater correlation was observed between the HHV values obtained from calorimeter–thermogravimetry than the ones obtained from calorimeter–proximate analysis. Multiple regression analysis indicated that fixed carbon and ashes have an inverse influence over HHV, while the former is responsible for high calorific value and the latter affects energy release. Finally, the proposed method showed to be fast and accurate to estimate HHV of biochar samples and should be easily adaptable to other studies that require fast assessment of calorific value from biochar.
Aims
The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical and microbiological characteristics and to identify the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts involved in rehydrated corn kernel silage.
...Methods and Results
Four replicates for each fermentation time: 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, 150, 210 and 280 days were prepared. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and PCR‐based identification were utilized to identify LAB and yeasts. Eighteen bacteria and four yeast species were identified. The bacteria population reached maximum growth after 15 days and moulds were detected up to this time. The highest dry matter (DM) loss was 7·6% after 280 days. The low concentration of water‐soluble carbohydrates (20 g kg−1 of DM) was not limiting for fermentation, although the reduction in pH and acid production occurred slowly. Storage of the rehydrated corn kernel silage increased digestibility up to day 280.
Conclusions
This silage was dominated by LAB but showed a slow decrease in pH values. This technique of corn storage on farms increased the DM digestibility.
Significance and Impact of the Study
This study was the first to evaluate the rehydrated corn kernel silage fermentation dynamics and our findings are relevant to optimization of this silage fermentation.
Despite the health concerns and nutritional importance of fatty acids, there is a relative paucity of studies in the literature that report genetic or genomic parameters, especially in the case of ...sheep populations. To investigate the genetic architecture of fatty acid composition of sheep, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and estimated genomic heritabilities for fatty acid profile in Longissimus dorsi muscle of 216 male sheep.
Genomic heritability estimates for fatty acid content ranged from 0.25 to 0.46, indicating that substantial genetic variation exists for the evaluated traits. Therefore, it is possible to alter fatty acid profiles through selection. Twenty-seven genomic regions of 10 adjacent SNPs associated with fatty acids composition were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, each explaining ≥0.30% of the additive genetic variance. Twenty-three genes supporting the understanding of genetic mechanisms of fat composition in sheep were identified in these regions, such as DGAT2, TRHDE, TPH2, ME1, C6, C7, UBE3D, PARP14, and MRPS30.
Estimates of genomic heritabilities and elucidating important genomic regions can contribute to a better understanding of the genetic control of fatty acid deposition and improve the selection strategies to enhance meat quality and health attributes.
Taxonomists always have had intense discussions about how species should be delimited and recently many studies have used integrative approaches by combining molecular, morphological, and bioacoustic ...data. Although these studies are paramount for understanding species diversity, few of them actually formalize species delimitations to the final step of nomenclatural acts. Historically, the Neotropical frog genus Adenomera has been considered as a difficult taxonomic group because it comprises many morphologically similar species exhibiting high levels of intraspecific polymorphism. A recent work using molecular data shed light on the phylogenetic relationships within the genus and identified several lineages that may correspond to undescribed species but did not delimit species boundaries. In the Atlantic Forest, a clade formed by A. marmorata and two putative species (Adenomera sp. J and Adenomera sp. K) were identified. In this paper, we combine morphological, acoustic, and molecular data in order to evaluate species limits within this Atlantic Forest Adenomera clade. We provide a redescription of A. marmorata and restrict its type locality to the Tijuca Massif, in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our results do not support A. marmorata and the two candidate species as diagnosable distinct species. Therefore A. marmorata corresponds to a species with pronounced morphological and acoustic variation in the genus and a complex phylogeographic structure.
In order to effectively control and monitor schistosomiasis, new diagnostic methods are essential. Taking advantage of computational approaches provided by immunoinformatics and considering the ...availability of Schistosoma mansoni predicted proteome information, candidate antigens of schistosomiasis were selected and used in immunodiagnosis tests based on Enzime-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). The computational selection strategy was based on signal peptide prediction; low similarity to human proteins; B- and T-cell epitope prediction; location and expression in different parasite life stages within definitive host. Results of the above-mentioned analysis were parsed to extract meaningful biological information and loaded into a relational database developed to integrate them. In the end, seven proteins were selected and one B-cell linear epitope from each one of them was selected using B-cell epitope score and the presence of intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). These predicted epitopes generated synthetic peptides that were used in ELISA assays to validate the rational strategy of in silico selection. ELISA was performed using sera from residents of areas of low endemicity for S. mansoni infection and also from healthy donors (HD), not living in an endemic area for schistosomiasis. Discrimination of negative (NEG) and positive (INF) individuals from endemic areas was performed using parasitological and molecular methods. All infected individuals were treated with praziquantel, and serum samples were obtained from them 30 and 180 days post-treatment (30DPT and 180DPT). Results revealed higher IgG levels in INF group than in HD and NEG groups when peptides 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 were used. Moreover, using peptide 5, ELISA achieved the best performance, since it could discriminate between individuals living in an endemic area that were actively infected from those that were not (NEG, 30DPT, 180DPT groups). Our experimental results also indicate that the computational prediction approach developed is feasible for identifying promising candidates for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis and other diseases.
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