Frequency of surgical bone augmentation methods complementary to dental implant placement: A study evaluated with cone beam computed tomography.

Background: The success of dental implants largely depends on the quantity and quality of available bone. Occasionally, it is necessary to perform additional surgical techniques alongside implant placement to increase the available bone volume and ensure the success and survival of treatments. The objective of this study was to evaluate, through cone beam computed tomography, the need for supplementary bone augmentation methods in implant placement. Additionally, the study aimed to assess the frequency of such techniques based on gender, anatomical sectors, and types of bone augmentation procedures. Material and Methods: The analysis included 106 cone beam computed tomography images obtained from 77 patients over the age of 18 who sought oral rehabilitation with implants at the University Clinic of the Master's Program in Oral Implantology at the European University of Valencia. Results: A total of 201 edentulous sextants were analyzed. It was observed that 63.68% of the sextants required a bone augmentation technique, and there was a statistically significant difference (p=0.039) regarding the need for supplementary techniques in women. The need for bone augmentation by sectors was most prevalent the horizontal type (48.11%) and in the mandible (29.41%). About crestal and lateral approaches for sinus elevation, there was a higher need for the lateral technique (49.38%), and a statistically significant difference was evident (p=0.015). Conclusions: A high frequency of bone augmentation need for implant placement was demonstrated. It was shown that some form of supplementary surgical method was required in implant placement (63.68%). The highest need for bone augmentation was observed in the posterior maxillary sector, primarily in the vertical type (29.27%), accompanied by lateral window sinus elevation technique (49.38%). Key words:Bone graft, Dental implant, Guided bone regeneration, Sinus floor augmentation, Cone beam computed tomography.

Gene duplication and the origins of morphological complexity in pancrustacean eyes, a genomic approach.

BACKGROUND: Duplication and divergence of genes and genetic networks is hypothesized to be a major driver of the evolution of complexity and novel features. Here, we examine the history of genes and genetic networks in the context of eye evolution by using new approaches to understand patterns of gene duplication during the evolution of metazoan genomes. We hypothesize that 1) genes involved in eye development and phototransduction have duplicated and are retained at higher rates in animal clades that possess more distinct types of optical design; and 2) genes with functional relationships were duplicated and lost together, thereby preserving genetic networks. To test these hypotheses, we examine the rates and patterns of gene duplication and loss evident in 19 metazoan genomes, including that of Daphnia pulex - the first completely sequenced crustacean genome. This is of particular interest because the pancrustaceans (hexapods+crustaceans) have more optical designs than any other major clade of animals, allowing us to test specifically whether the high amount of disparity in pancrustacean eyes is correlated with a higher rate of duplication and retention of vision genes. RESULTS: Using protein predictions from 19 metazoan whole-genome projects, we found all members of 23 gene families known to be involved in eye development or phototransduction and deduced their phylogenetic relationships. This allowed us to estimate the number and timing of gene duplication and loss events in these gene families during animal evolution. When comparing duplication/retention rates of these genes, we found that the rate was significantly higher in pancrustaceans than in either vertebrates or non-pancrustacean protostomes. Comparing patterns of co-duplication across Metazoa showed that while these eye-genes co-duplicate at a significantly higher rate than those within a randomly shuffled matrix, many genes with known functional relationships in model organisms did not co-duplicate more often than expected by chance. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, and when accounting for factors such as differential rates of whole-genome duplication in different groups, our results are broadly consistent with the hypothesis that genes involved in eye development and phototransduction duplicate at a higher rate in Pancrustacea, the group with the greatest variety of optical designs. The result that these genes have a significantly high number of co-duplications and co-losses could be influenced by shared functions or other unstudied factors such as synteny. Since we did not observe co-duplication/co-loss of genes for all known functional modules (e.g. specific regulatory networks), the interactions among suites of known co-functioning genes (modules) may be plastic at the temporal scale of analysis performed here. Other factors in addition to gene duplication - such as cis-regulation, heterotopy, and co-option - are also likely to be strong factors in the diversification of eye types.

Under the volcano: phylogeography and evolution of the cave-dwelling Palmorchestia hypogaea (Amphipoda, Crustacea) at La Palma (Canary Islands).

BACKGROUND: The amphipod crustacean Palmorchestia hypogaea occurs only in La Palma (Canary Islands) and is one of the few terrestrial amphipods in the world that have adapted to a strictly troglobitic life in volcanic cave habitats. A surface-dwelling closely related species (Palmorchestia epigaea) lives in the humid laurel forest on the same island. Previous studies have suggested that an ancestral littoral Orchestia species colonized the humid forests of La Palma and that subsequent drought episodes in the Canaries reduced the distribution of P. epigaea favouring the colonization of lava tubes through an adaptive shift. This was followed by dispersal via the hypogean crevicular system. RESULTS: P. hypogaea and P. epigaea did not form reciprocally monophyletic mitochondrial DNA clades. They showed geographically highly structured and genetically divergent populations with current gene flow limited to geographically close surface locations. Coalescence times using Bayesian estimations assuming a non-correlated relaxed clock with a normal prior distribution of the age of La Palma, together with the lack of association of habitat type with ancestral and recent haplotypes, suggest that their adaptation to cave life is relatively ancient. CONCLUSION: The data gathered here provide evidence for multiple invasions of the volcanic cave systems that have acted as refuges. A re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of the extant species of Palmorchestia is needed, as the division of the two species by habitat and ecology is unnatural. The information obtained here, and that from previous studies on hypogean fauna, shows the importance of factors such as the uncoupling of morphological and genetic evolution, the role of climatic change and regressive evolution as key processes in leading to subterranean biodiversity.

Floristic composition in ecotone forests in northern Brazilian Amazonia: preliminary data.

BACKGROUND: Ecotone has been defined as "a multi-dimensional environmentally stochastic interaction zone between ecological systems with characteristics defined in space and time, and by the strength of the interaction" (Hufkens et al. 2009). This is a known concept to define transitional zones between two or more ecological communities, ecosystems or biotic regions. Ecotone forests, dispersed in northern Brazilian Amazonia, are natural formations which have been largely affected by anthropogenic impacts, such as deforestation and fire. Maracá Ecological Station, State of Roraima, Brazil, is a protected area with extensive representations of ecotone forests in this region of the Amazonia. Forest inventories and floristic surveys are important as they extend our knowledge (1) of forest structure and tree species composition and (2) of tree and palm species ecology in this region of the Amazonia. Both improve our ability to predict changes in plant diversity, considering the future scenarios of climate change in comparison with previous surveys performed in Maracá. NEW INFORMATION: We present a forest inventory carried out in 129 plots (10 m x 50 m; 6.45 ha in total) dispersed in a grid (5 km x 5 km) located in a forest zone ecotone in the eastern part of Maracá Ecological Station. All stems (tree + palm) with diameter at breast height ≥ 10 cm were recorded, identified and measured. A total of 3040 stems were recorded (tree = 2815; palm = 225), corresponding to 42 botanic families and 140 identified species. Seven families and 20 genera contained unidentified taxa (12.2%). Sapotaceae (735 stems; 10 species), Leguminosae (409; 24) and Rubiaceae (289; 12) were the most abundant families. Peltogyne gracilipes Ducke (Leguminosae), Pradosia surinamensis (Eyma) T.D.Penn. (Sapotaceae) and Ecclinusa guianensis Eyma (Sapotaceae) were the species with the highest importance value index (~ 25%). The dominance (m2 ha-1) of these species corresponds to > 36% of the total value observed in the forest inventory. Our dataset provides complementary floristic and structure information on tree and palm in Maracá, improving our knowledge of this Amazonian ecotone forest.

Allometric models to estimate tree height in northern Amazonian ecotone forests / Modelos alométricos para estimar altura de árvores em florestas ecotonais do norte da Amazônia

Allometric models defining the relationship between stem diameter and total tree height in the Amazon basin are important because they refine the estimates of tree carbon stocks and flow in the region. This study tests different allometric models to estimate the total tree height from the stem diameter in an ecotone zone between ombrophilous and seasonal forests in the Brazilian state of Roraima, in northern Amazonia. Stem diameter and total height were measured directly in 65 recently fallen trees (live or dead). Linear and nonlinear regressions were tested to represent the D:H relation in this specific ecotone zone. Criteria for model selection were the standard error of the estimate (Syx) and the adjusted coefficient of determination (R²adj), complemented by the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Analysis of residuals of the most parsimonious nonlinear models showed a tendency to overestimate the total tree height for trees in the 20-40 cm diameter range. Application of our best fitted model (Michaelis-Menten) indicated that previously published general equations for the tropics that use diameter as the independent variable can either overestimate tree height in the study area by 10-29% (Weibull models) or underestimate it by 8% (climate-based models). We concluded that our site-specific model can be used in the ecotone forests studied in Roraima because it realistically reflects the local biometric relationships between stem diameter and total tree height. Studies need to be expanded in peripheral areas of northern Amazonia in order to reduce uncertainties in biomass and carbon estimates that use the tree height as a variable in general models. (AU)

Modelos alométricos que definem o relacionamento entre diâmetro do tronco e a altura total da árvore na bacia amazônica são importantes porque refinam as estimativas de fluxo e estoques de carbono arbóreo na região. Este estudo testou diferentes modelos alométricos para estimar a altura total de árvores a partir do diâmetro do tronco em uma zona de ecótono entre florestas ombrófilas e sazonais no estado de Roraima, norte da Amazônia. Diâmetro do tronco e altura total foram medidos de forma direta em 65 árvores tombadas recentemente (vivas e mortas). Regressões linear e não-linear foram testadas para representar a relação D:H nesta zona específica de ecótono. Os critérios de seleção dos modelos foram o erro padrão da estimativa (Syx), o coeficiente de determinação ajustado (R²adj) e o Critério de Informação de Akaike (AIC). A análise dos resíduos dos modelos não-lineares mais parcimoniosos mostrou uma tendência de superestimar a altura total para árvores entre 20-40 cm de diâmetro do tronco. A aplicação do modelo melhor ajustado (Michaelis-Menten) indicou que equações gerais publicadas previamente para os trópicos que usam diâmetro como variável independente podem superestimar em 10-29% (modelos Weibull) ou subestimar em 8% (modelos baseados no clima) a altura das árvores na área de estudo. Nós concluímos que o modelo de melhor ajuste pode ser usado nas florestas ecotonais estudadas em Roraima, porque ele reflete realisticamente o relacionamento biométrico local entre diâmetro do tronco e altura total da árvore. É necessário expandir os estudos para outras áreas periféricas do norte da Amazônia, com o intuito de reduzir as incertezas em estimativas de biomassa e carbono arbóreo que adotem altura da árvore como uma variável em modelos gerais.(AU)