Development of a Machine-Learning Model for Anterior Knee Pain After Total Knee Arthroplasty With Patellar Preservation Using Radiological Variables.

BACKGROUND: Anterior knee pain (AKP) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with patellar preservation is a common complication that significantly affects patients' quality of life. This study aimed to develop a machine-learning model to predict the likelihood of developing AKP after TKA using radiological variables. METHODS: A cohort of 131 anterior stabilized TKA cases (105 patients) without patellar resurfacing was included. Patients underwent a follow-up evaluation with a minimum 1-year follow-up. The primary outcome was AKP, and radiological measurements were used as predictor variables. There were 2 observers who made the radiological measurement, which included lower limb dysmetria, joint space, and coronal, sagittal, and axial alignment. Machine-learning models were applied to predict AKP. The best-performing model was selected based on accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, and Kappa statistics. Python 3.11 with Pandas and PyCaret libraries were used for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 35 TKA had AKP (26.7%). Patient-reported outcomes were significantly better in the patients who did not have AKP. The Gradient Boosting Classifier performed best for both observers, achieving an area under the curve of 0.9261 and 0.9164, respectively. The mechanical tibial slope was the most important variable for predicting AKP. The Shapley test indicated that high/low mechanical tibial slope, a shorter operated leg, a valgus coronal alignment, and excessive patellar tilt increased AKP risk. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that global alignment, including sagittal, coronal, and axial alignment, is relevant in predicting AKP after TKA. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing TKA outcomes and reducing the incidence of AKP.

Effect of Microclimate on the Mass Emergence of Hypothenemus hampei in Coffee Grown under Shade of Trees and in Full Sun Exposure.

The rainfall regime has a significant impact on the microclimate and mass emergence of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (CBB). Little is known, however, about the shade tree-microclimate-CBB mass emergence interaction. The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of microclimate on the mass emergence of CBB in a full sun-exposed plot with a plot shaded by trees. The experiment was conducted on a Robusta coffee farm in southern Chiapas, Mexico. In each plot, 18 traps baited with an alcohol mixture were installed to capture flying females, collecting caught individuals every hour from 8:00 to 18:00 h. A meteorological station recorded several microclimatic variables on 13 weekly sampling dates from February to May 2022. Significantly more CBB females were captured in the shaded plot. The largest number of CBB captures was recorded between 14:00 and 16:00 h for the shade plot and between 15:00 and 17:00 h for the sun-exposed plot. The mass emergence of CBB showed a positive association with precipitation, dew point, and wind speed samples and a negative association with maximum air temperature, average relative humidity, ultraviolet radiation, wind speed, and equilibrium moisture content. Our observations show that the relationship between shade trees, microclimate, and mass emergence of CBB is complex and that its study helps us to gain deeper insight into CBB bioecology and advance control techniques against this important pest.

Functional response and mutual interference in the parasitoid Coptera haywardi (Oglobin) (Hymenoptera: Diapriidae) attacking Anastrepha ludens (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) pupae.

Functional response and mutual interference are important attributes of natural enemies that should be analysed in species with the potential to be used as biological control agents in order to increase the predictive power of the possible benefits and/or consequences of their release in the field. Our main objective was to determine the functional response and mutual interference of Coptera haywardi (Oglobin), a pupal parasitoid of economically important fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae). The functional response of C. haywardi on A. ludens pupae corresponded to a type II model, with an attack rate of 0.0134 host pupa/h and a handling time of 1.843 h, which reveals a meticulous selection process of pupal hosts. The effect of mutual interference among foraging females was negatively correlated with increased parasitoid density in the experimental arena, showing a gradual decline in attack rate per individual female. The increase in the number of foraging females also had an impact on the number of oviposition scars per pupa and the number of immature parasitoids per dissected pupa, but not on the percentage of adult emergence or the sex ratio. Our results suggest that C. haywardi could act as a complementary parasitoid in the control of fruit fly pupae, since the random distribution of these pupae in the soil would decrease the possibility of aggregation and mutual interference between foraging females.

Short-term clinical results with a trifocal diffractive toric intraocular lens using an optimized preoperative and intraoperative protocol.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the short-term clinical outcomes of a specific toric diffractive trifocal intraocular lens (IOL) implanted following an optimized clinical protocol in a large population. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 337 eyes of 231 patients (mean age, 62.2 years) undergoing cataract surgery with implantation of the trifocal diffractive IOL AT.LISA tri toric 939M/MP (Carl Zeiss Meditec). A strict and careful clinical protocol was followed, including an accurate measurement of corneal astigmatism, use of a latest generation IOL power calculator, photography-based method intraoperative control of IOL alignment and IOL reposition at 1 week postoperatively if needed. Clinical outcomes in terms of visual acuity, refraction, efficacy of astigmatic correction analysed by vector analysis and patient satisfaction were evaluated during a 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 82% and 98% of eyes achieved a postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity of 0.00 and 0.10 logMAR or better, respectively. Furthermore, 99.7%, and 100.0% of eyes showed a postoperative spherical equivalent within ± 0.50 D and ± 1.00 D, with 97.9% of eyes having a postoperative cylinder ≤ 0.50 D. Uncorrected near and intermediate visual acuities were 0.2 logMAR or better in 89.0% and 99.1% of eyes, respectively. Mean difference vector, magnitude of error and angle of error were 0.02 ± 0.14 D, 0.02 ± 0.13 D and 0.11 ± 1.18°. Patient satisfaction was referred as high or very high by 97.6% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The implantation of the trifocal toric IOL evaluated following a careful clinical protocol provides an efficacious visual rehabilitation and astigmatic correction, leading to high levels of patient satisfaction.

Theoretical study of ArcB and its dimerization, interaction with anaerobic metabolites, and activation of ArcA.

The complex metabolism of Escherichia coli has been extensively studied, including its response to oxygen availability. The ArcA/B two-component system (TCS) is the key regulator for the transition between these two environmental conditions and has been thoroughly characterized using genetic and biochemical approaches. Still, to date, limited structural data is available. The breakthrough provided by AlphaFold2 in 2021 has brought a reliable tool to the scientific community for assessing the structural features of complex proteins. In this report, we analyzed the structural aspects of the ArcA/B TCS using AlphaFold2 models. The models are consistent with the experimentally determined structures of ArcB kinase. The predicted structure of the dimeric form of ArcB is consistent with the extensive genetic and biochemical data available regarding mechanistic signal perception and regulation. The predicted interaction of the dimeric form of ArcB with its cognate response regulator (ArcA) is also consistent with both the forward and reverse phosphotransfer mechanisms. The ArcB model was used to detect putative binding cavities to anaerobic metabolites, encouraging testing of these predictions experimentally. Finally, the highly accurate models of other ArcB homologs suggest that different experimental approaches are needed to determine signal perception in kinases lacking the PAS domain. Overall, ArcB is a kinase with features that need further testing, especially in determining its crystal structure under different conditions.

Engaging the community served: a U.S. Cancer Center's Facebook live cancer awareness campaign for Spanish-speaking Latinos during COVID-19.

Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in U.S. Latino adults, a group with limited access to screening, higher rates of advanced disease, and prone to online misinformation. Our project created a Facebook Live social media video campaign on general cancer prevention, screening, risk, information, and resources, targeting Spanish-monolingual Latinos during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content was delivered in Spanish by fluent, ethnically concordant topic experts and cancer center staff. Four prerecorded and three livestream interview videos were produced, amassing over 161 shares, 1,000 engagements, 12,000 views, 19,000 people reached, and 34,000 impressions in a span of four months. Strengths of this project included developing community partnerships and collaborations, providing evidence-based cancer information in a culturally responsive manner to often-excluded community members during COVID-19 pandemic, and presenting our cancer center as an accessible resource to the wider community. Future directions include formalizing evaluation strategies to capture medical engagement via cancer screening and detection rates, delivering focused cancer discussions by disease sites, and further expanding audience base through mixed media formats.

Two-Component System Sensor Kinases from Asgardian Archaea May Be Witnesses to Eukaryotic Cell Evolution.

The signal transduction paradigm in bacteria involves two-component systems (TCSs). Asgardarchaeota are archaea that may have originated the current eukaryotic lifeforms. Most research on these archaea has focused on eukaryotic-like features, such as genes involved in phagocytosis, cytoskeleton structure, and vesicle trafficking. However, little attention has been given to specific prokaryotic features. Here, the sequence and predicted structural features of TCS sensor kinases analyzed from two metagenome assemblies and a genomic assembly from cultured Asgardian archaea are presented. The homology of the sensor kinases suggests the grouping of Lokiarchaeum closer to bacterial homologs. In contrast, one group from a Lokiarchaeum and a meta-genome assembly from Candidatus Heimdallarchaeum suggest the presence of a set of kinases separated from the typical bacterial TCS sensor kinases. AtoS and ArcB homologs were found in meta-genome assemblies along with defined domains for other well-characterized sensor kinases, suggesting the close link between these organisms and bacteria that may have resulted in the metabolic link to the establishment of symbiosis. Several kinases are predicted to be cytoplasmic; some contain several PAS domains. The data shown here suggest that TCS kinases in Asgardian bacteria are witnesses to the transition from bacteria to eukaryotic organisms.

Evolution in the Presence and Evidence Category of Radiation Therapy Treatment Recommendations in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology.

Purpose: The changes in the recommended use of radiation therapy (RT) in the presence of expanding systemic cancer therapies and technological advances are poorly characterized. We sought to understand the recommended utilization of RT across a broad range of malignancies by examining National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines. Methods and Materials: We conducted a comprehensive review and categorization of RT recommendations, with their subsequent supporting evidence categories, in 3 versions of NCCN Guidelines, specifically years 2000, 2009, and 2019. These NCCN Guidelines were individually examined for RT-specific recommendations among the 10 most common tumors. The presence of RT as a recommended modality was recorded for each tumor type in each guideline. Recommendation categories including Category 1, 2A, 2B, and 3 were tallied and compared with examine totals and percentage distributions in each tumor type. Results: A total of 3858 NCCN recommendations were individually reviewed. The presence of a recommendation inclusive of RT increased from incidence of 205 in the year 2000 to 992 in the year 2019 (383%). In the 2019 NCCN Guidelines, the most Category 1 RT recommendations were found within small cell lung (13%), non-small cell lung (5%), breast (5%), bladder (2%), rectal (2%), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (1%). Pancreatic, uterine, prostate, melanoma, kidney, and colon cancer guidelines had no Category 1 RT recommendations. Rectal cancer had 31 (27%) preferred recommendations. The majority (89%) of 2019 RT recommendations were for initial therapy, and 9% were specific to salvage therapy. Tumor sites with the highest proportion of RT Category 1 evidence were small cell lung (29%), non-small cell lung (24%), and breast cancer (24%). Conclusions: The frequency of recommendations for using RT in NCCN Guidelines has increased by >300% in the past 20 years among the 10 most common malignancies. Consideration of the quality of evidence supporting these recommendations by tumor type is useful to identify specific malignancies in need of higher-level evidence supporting the role of RT.

In Silico Pipeline to Identify Tumor-Specific Antigens for Cancer Immunotherapy Using Exome Sequencing Data.

Tumor-specific antigens or neoantigens are peptides that are expressed only in cancer cells and not in healthy cells. Some of these molecules can induce an immune response, and therefore, their use in immunotherapeutic strategies based on cancer vaccines has been extensively explored. Studies based on these approaches have been triggered by the current high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies. However, there is no universal nor straightforward bioinformatic protocol to discover neoantigens using DNA sequencing data. Thus, we propose a bioinformatic protocol to detect tumor-specific antigens associated with single nucleotide variants (SNVs) or "mutations" in tumoral tissues. For this purpose, we used publicly available data to build our model, including exome sequencing data from colorectal cancer and healthy cells obtained from a single case, as well as frequent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles in a specific population. HLA data from Costa Rican Central Valley population was selected as an example. The strategy included three main steps: (1) pre-processing of sequencing data; (2) variant calling analysis to detect tumor-specific SNVs in comparison with healthy tissue; and (3) prediction and characterization of peptides (protein fragments, the tumor-specific antigens) derived from the variants, in the context of their affinity with frequent alleles of the selected population. In our model data, we found 28 non-silent SNVs, present in 17 genes in chromosome one. The protocol yielded 23 strong binders peptides derived from the SNVs for frequent HLA class I alleles for the Costa Rican population. Although the analyses were performed as an example to implement the pipeline, to our knowledge, this is the first study of an in silico cancer vaccine using DNA sequencing data in the context of the HLA alleles. It is concluded that the standardized protocol was not only able to identify neoantigens in a specific but also provides a complete pipeline for the eventual design of cancer vaccines using the best bioinformatic practices. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43657-022-00084-9.

Comprehensive analysis of current epidemiology, clinical features and prognostic factors of puerperal endometritis: A retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Puerperal endometritis has not been recently investigated. We aimed to describe the current dimension of the endometritis in the context of other causes of puerperal fever and investigate the microbiology and need for curettage in these patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted based on a prospectively maintained database of patients with puerperal fever, (2014-2020) in which cases fulfilling criteria for endometritis were selected for further analysis. Description of clinical and microbiological features was performed and determination of the factors related with puerperal curettage requirement were studied using univariate and multivariate analysis through binary logistic regression. Results: From 428 patients with puerperal fever, endometritis was the main cause of puerperal fever (233 patients, 52.7 %). Curettage was required in 96 of them (41.2 %). Culture of endometrial samples were performed in 62 (64.5 %), of which 32 (51.6 %) yielded bacterial growth. Escherichia coli was the most common microorganism in curettage cultures (46.9 %). Multivariate analysis identified the following predictive factors for curettage: the presence of pattern compatible with retained products of conception (RPOC) in transvaginal ultrasonography (odds ratio [OR]: 17.6 [95 % confidence interval [CI]: 8.4-36.6]; P-value < 0.0001), fever during the first 14 days after delivery (OR:5.1; [95 % CI: 1.57-16.5]; P-value 0.007), abdominal pain (OR: 2.9; [95 % CI: 1.36-6.1]; P-value 0.012) and malodorous lochia (OR:3.5; [95 % CI: 1.25-9.9]; P-value 0.017). Scheduled cesarean delivery was protective (OR: 0.11 [95 % CI 0.01-1.2]; P-value 0.08). Conclusions: Endometritis is still the main cause of puerperal fever. Women requiring curettage typically presented with abdominal pain and foul-smelling lochia, an ultrasound image compatible with RPOC and fever in the first 14 days postpartum. Curettage culture is useful for the microbiological affiliation mostly yielding gram-negative enteric flora.

A practical guide for the diagnosis of abdominal angiostrongyliasis caused by the nematode Angiostrongylus costaricensis.

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis (AA) is a severe parasitic infection caused by the nematode Angiostrongylus costaricensis. This disease is characterized by abdominal pain, a strong inflammatory eosinophilic response in the blood and tissues, and eventually intestinal perforation. Diagnosis of AA is challenging since there are no commercially available serological kits for A. costaricensis, and thus, histopathological analysis remains the gold standard. Herein we provide a decision flowchart for clinicians to improve the diagnosis of AA based on a patient's clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, macroscopic observations of the gut lesions, as well as characteristic microscopic alterations in biopsies. A brief discussion of the available polymerase chain reaction and in-house serological methods is also presented. The aim of this mini-review is to improve the diagnosis of AA, which should lead to prompt detection of cases and better estimates of the epidemiology and geographical distribution of A. costaricensis.

Difference in mortality rates in hospitalized COVID-19 patients identified by cytokine profile clustering using a machine learning approach: An outcome prediction alternative.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causing an acute respiratory disease that can eventually lead to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). An exacerbated inflammatory response is characteristic of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which leads to a cytokine release syndrome also known as cytokine storm associated with the severity of the disease. Considering the importance of this event in the immunopathology of COVID-19, this study analyses cytokine levels of hospitalized patients to identify cytokine profiles associated with severity and mortality. Using a machine learning approach, 3 clusters of COVID-19 hospitalized patients were created based on their cytokine profile. Significant differences in the mortality rate were found among the clusters, associated to different CXCL10/IL-38 ratio. The balance of a CXCL10 induced inflammation with an appropriate immune regulation mediated by the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-38 appears to generate the adequate immune context to overrule SARS-CoV-2 infection without creating a harmful inflammatory reaction. This study supports the concept that analyzing a single cytokine is insufficient to determine the outcome of a complex disease such as COVID-19, and different strategies incorporating bioinformatic analyses considering a broader immune profile represent a more robust alternative to predict the outcome of hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Sensory and physicochemical analysis of honeys of nine stingless bee species of Mexico and Guatemala.

Honeys produced by species other than Apis mellifera are little known. The objective of this study was to carry out sensory and physicochemical analyses of 62 samples to characterize honeys from nine species of stingless bees from Mexico and Guatemala. Analyses were performed at the sensory level and at the physicochemical level. Qualitative and quantitative data were studied using the multivariate non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) statistical technique, with the Gower metric. According to the stress value (p > 0.2), the most significant parameters were at the sensory level, for visual evaluation, physical state, color, and appearance; for olfactory-taste evaluation, elemental sweet and acid tastes; for tactile evaluation, consistency, and crystallization, and for physicochemical evaluation, pH, electrical conductivity and reducing sugars. Data analysis showed that Melipona beecheii honeys formed a defined group, with similar sensory characteristics and physicochemical values, even taking into account their place of origin. Frieseomelitta nigra honeys also showed significant differences with the other honeys analyzed. Our work suggests that the entomological origin is the main factor that determines the characteristics of honey, and that the floral origin is the secondary factor, a hypothesis that should be verified in future works.

What lies behind the curtain: Cryptic diversity in helminth parasites of human and veterinary importance.

Parasite cryptic species are morphologically indistinguishable but genetically distinct organisms, leading to taxa with unclear species boundaries. Speciation mechanisms such as cospeciation, host colonization, taxon pulse, and oscillation may lead to the emergence of cryptic species, influencing host-parasite interactions, parasite ecology, distribution, and biodiversity. The study of cryptic species diversity in helminth parasites of human and veterinary importance has gained relevance, since their distribution may affect clinical and epidemiological features such as pathogenicity, virulence, drug resistance and susceptibility, mortality, and morbidity, ultimately affecting patient management, course, and outcome of treatment. At the same time, the need for recognition of cryptic species diversity has implied a transition from morphological to molecular diagnostic methods, which are becoming more available and accessible in parasitology. Here, we discuss the general approaches for cryptic species delineation and summarize some examples found in nematodes, trematodes and cestodes of medical and veterinary importance, along with the clinical implications of their taxonomic status. Lastly, we highlight the need for the correct interpretation of molecular information, and the correct use of definitions when reporting or describing new cryptic species in parasitology, since molecular and morphological data should be integrated whenever possible.

Escherichia coli transcription factors of unknown function: sequence features and possible evolutionary relationships.

Organisms need mechanisms to perceive the environment and respond accordingly to environmental changes or the presence of hazards. Transcription factors (TFs) are required for cells to respond to the environment by controlling the expression of genes needed. Escherichia coli has been the model bacterium for many decades, and still, there are features embedded in its genome that remain unstudied. To date, 58 TFs remain poorly characterized, although their binding sites have been experimentally determined. This study showed that these TFs have sequence variation at the third codon position G+C content but maintain the same Codon Adaptation Index (CAI) trend as annotated functional transcription factors. Most of these transcription factors are in areas of the genome where abundant repetitive and mobile elements are present. Sequence divergence points to groups with distinctive sequence signatures but maintaining the same type of DNA binding domain. Finally, the analysis of the promoter sequences of the 58 TFs showed A+T rich regions that agree with the features of horizontally transferred genes. The findings reported here pave the way for future research of these TFs that may uncover their role as spare factors in case of lose-of-function mutations in core TFs and trace back their evolutionary history.

Acceptance of a sterile male releases pilot project to reduce Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (Diptera: Culicidae) populations and its associated factors: A community-based cross-sectional survey in South Chiapas, Mexico.

Worldwide, vector-transmitted diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases and cause more than 700,000 deaths annually. The primary strategy to control the transmission of dengue, chikungunya and Zika focuses on the control of their vectors. Vector control programs depend mainly on the use of insecticides. However, these measures have failed to yield the desired results because the lack of proper control decreases their effectiveness over time. Also, the effect of insecticide use on non-target organisms, environmental contamination, and the development of insecticide resistance impose continuous challenges for insecticide-dependant control programs. The sterile insect technique, on the other hand, is a non-polluting and environment-friendly technique. The use of sterile insects is generally well established in agriculture, but human health interventions often require a consensus that combines social perceptions with scientific evidence. Factors associated with acceptance of the releases of sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were assessed with logistic regression models for two communities (Rio Florido and Hidalgo) in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. The favourable opinion of the respondents about the project workers, and the fact that the releases of sterile mosquitoes would be managed by the Secretaría de Salud, were found to be factors that supported the acceptance of sterile mosquito releases. Factors associated with disapproval were community (Rio Florido and Hidalgo) and the misbelief that sterile male mosquitoes can bite. The differences observed between the communities included in this study might be the result of experiences with the releases, of social and community organisation, and of leadership by social actors.

Low-Velocity Loss Induces Similar Strength Gains to Moderate-Velocity Loss During Resistance Training.

ABSTRACT: Galiano, C, Pareja-Blanco, F, Hidalgo de Mora, J, and Sáez de Villarreal, E. Low-velocity loss induces similar strength gains to moderate-velocity loss during resistance training. J Strength Cond Res 36(2): 340-345, 2022-This study aimed to analyze the effects of 2 velocity-based resistance training (VBT) programs that used the same relative loading but differed in the velocity loss (VL) throughout the set: 5% (VL5) vs. 20% (VL20). Twenty-eight physically active men (age: 23.0 ± 3.2 years; height: 175.8 ± 4.7 cm; body mass: 73.8 ± 10.8 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 groups: VL5 (n = 15) or VL20 (n = 13). Subjects followed a 7-week (14 sessions) VBT program using the squat exercise while repetition velocity was monitored. The following variables were assessed at pretest and posttest: estimated 1-repetition maximum (1RM); average velocity attained for all absolute loads common to pretest and posttest (AV); average velocity for those loads that were moved faster than 1 m·s-1 (AV > 1); average velocity for those loads that were moved slower than 1 m·s-1 (AV < 1); countermovement jump (CMJ); and 20-m running sprint time (T20). T20 and CMJ height were assessed before each training session to analyze their evolution during the training program. The VL5 group executed only 32.6% of the total repetitions performed by the VL20 group (156.9 ± 25.0 vs. 480.5 ± 162.0 rep). Both groups improved significantly (p < 0.01) in all variables analyzed (1RM, AV, AV > 1, AV < 1, CMJ, and T20) from pretest to posttest, with no significant differences between them. Therefore, a low VL (5%) induced similar gains in strength, jump, and sprint performance to a moderate VL of 20%, despite VL5 performing only 32.6% of the repetitions achieved by the VL20 group.

Keratinized mucosa changes around one-stage implants: A prospective case series.

BACKGROUND: The need of an adequate band of keratinized tissue (KT) to maintain periodontal health around teeth as well as around implants has been a debated topic over many years but still no conclusions have been drawn. OBJECTIVES: This prospective case series evaluates the changes undergone by the keratinized mucosa (KM) and the soft tissue volume around non-submerged implants before the prosthetic rehabilitation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 40 patients were included. The primary outcome was to analyze the width of the KM at both buccal and lingual aspects compared to the pre-existing KT in the edentulous ridge only in mandibular (pre)molar area. The mucogingival line was marked with a surgical pen and an intra-oral scanner was used to take the impression of the implant area the day of the surgery (T0, baseline) and before the crown placement (T1, 3 months). Buccal soft tissue volume was measured at 1, 3, and 5 mm apical to the healing abutment position and a comparison between T0 and T1 was performed. Student t-test was used according to the distribution of the data (Shapiro-Wilk). RESULTS: The mean KT width at baseline was 4.54 ± 1.31 mm at buccal side and 5.04 ± 1.88 mm at lingual side. After 3 months, the mean KM values were 3.15 ± 1.03 mm and 3.72 ± 1.56 mm at the buccal and lingual aspects, respectively. The differences, 30.6% of KM reduction buccally and 26.1% of reduction lingually, were statistically significant for both sides. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this investigation, it was observed that the KM width from the baseline to the 3 months follow up presented a significant dimensional change in both the buccal and lingual aspects, whereas buccal soft tissue volume showed an increase between baseline and follow up.

Does body size influence mating success? A morphometric study of two Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) fruit fly species.

Male mating success depends on various traits and factors, and correctly identifying these traits can be key in the context of pest management. For tephritid pests, controlled through the sterile insect technique (SIT) traits, such as male size, can be manipulated through mass-rearing procedures. Thus, it is particularly important to understand whether male size can favor mating success. Here, we evaluated mating success of males of different sizes in Anastrepha ludens and Anastrepha obliqua, two species controlled through SIT. For both species, a morphometric analysis was performed of mated and unmated mass-reared and wild males in field cages. In both A. ludens and A. obliqua, wild females did not discriminate their mates based on male size and mated more frequently with wild males regardless of size. For mass-reared males, we found no evidence of an advantage of the large males compared to small males in mating success. However, we did find differences between the morphometric traits of mass-reared and wild males. In A. ludens, traits associated to mating success were Face Width (FW), Head Width (HW), Thorax Length (TL) and Wing Length (WL), and for A. obliqua were FW, HW, WL and WW (Wing Width). Overall, FW and TL were more consistent predictors of mating success. In conclusion, female choice seems to suggest multivariate selection, confirming that overall body size (expressed as pupal diameter, which is highly correlated with weight) is not a decisive factor in male mating success in these two species. However, morphological traits such as FW, HW, TL, WL and WW may be relevant in mating preference of wild female.