Toxicity of resin-matrix cements in contact with fibroblast or mesenchymal cells.

The main aim of this study was to perform an integrative review on the toxic effects of resin-matrix cements and their products in contact with fibroblasts or mesenchymal cells. A bibliographic search was performed on PubMed using the following search terms: "cytotoxicity" AND "fibroblast" OR "epithelial" OR "mesenchymal" AND "polymerization" OR "degree of conversion" OR "methacrylate" OR "monomer" AND "resin cement" OR "resin-based cement". The initial search in the available database yielded a total of 277 articles of which 21 articles were included in this review. A decrease in the viability of mouse fibroblasts ranged between 13 and 15% that was recorded for different resin-matrix cements after light curing exposure for 20 s. The viability of human fibroblasts was recorded at 83.11% after light curing for 20 s that increased up to 90.9% after light curing exposure for 40 s. Most of the studies linked the highest toxicity levels when the cells were in contact with Bis-GMA followed by UDMA, TEGDMA and HEMA. Resin-matrix cements cause a cytotoxic reaction when in contact with fibroblasts or mesenchymal cells due to the release of monomers from the polymeric matrix. The amount of monomers released from the resin matrix and their cytotoxicity depends on the polymerization parameters.

3DBionotes COVID-19 edition.

SUMMARY: The web platform 3DBionotes-WS integrates multiple web services and an interactive web viewer to provide a unified environment in which biological annotations can be analyzed in their structural context. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, new structural data from many viral proteins have been provided at a very fast pace. This effort includes many cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies, together with more traditional ones (X-rays, NMR), using several modeling approaches and complemented with structural predictions. At the same time, a plethora of new genomics and interactomics information (including fragment screening and structure-based virtual screening efforts) have been made available from different servers. In this context, we have developed 3DBionotes-COVID-19 as an answer to: (i) the need to explore multiomics data in a unified context with a special focus on structural information and (ii) the drive to incorporate quality measurements, especially in the form of advanced validation metrics for cryo-EM. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: https://3dbionotes.cnb.csic.es/ws/covid19. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Rasmussen's encephalitis and central precocious puberty. Neuroendocrinological characterization of three cases.

PURPOSE: Rasmussen's encephalitis (RE) is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by inflammation of the cerebral cortex, mainly unilateral, that leads to drug-resistant epilepsy and progressive neurological impairment. Central Precocious Puberty (CPP) is uncommon, albeit increased in frequency in patients with neurological conditions and the physiopathological bases of these associations remains unclear in most cases. Epilepsy has been proposed to play a role, as well as the accumulation of substances produced as a result of metabolism or tissue degeneration in some neurodegenerative diseases. However, CPP has not been previously described in patients with RE. METHODS: From a series of patients affected by RE followed-up at a referral center, an in-depth review of the characteristics of those who developed CCP was carried out. RESULTS: Three cases were identified, representing a relative frequency of 21.4 % for CPP. They were girls, of Caucasian ethnicity, without family history of CPP or any image-identified abnormalities in the hypothalamic area. In two cases CPP manifested immediately before the onset of the epilepsy (prior to the diagnosis of RE) and in the other, after epilepsy onset but coinciding with a worsening of the seizures. A GnRH test with pubertal response confirmed CPP in the three cases. CONCLUSION: The high proportion of CPP in patients affected by RE suggested a plausible relationship between these two entities. Various factors involved, including neuroinflammation, are hypothesized in the present study. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the pathophysiological bases, which could provide insight in the understanding of both entities.

[Do children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a diferent gait pattern? Relationship between idiopathic toe-walking and ADHD]. / ¿Caminan de manera diferente los niños con trastorno por déficit de atención hiperactividad (TDAH)? Relación entre marcha de puntillas idiopática y TDAH.

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic toe-walking (ITW) is described as a gait pattern with no contact between the heels and the ground in children older than 3years. The diagnosis is clinical, making it necessary to rule out other neurological and orthopaedic conditions. A relationship between ITW and vestibular dysfunction and/or proprioceptive sensibility has been proposed. Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (autism, language and cognitive disorders) often have ITW. OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of ITW in children with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (ADHD). PATIENTS AND METHOD: A study was conducted on children diagnosed with ADHD, with normal neurological examination, with no alterations in MRI scan, cognitive disorder or autism. A complete clinical anamnesis was performed and Achilles shortening was measured with a goniometer. RESULTS: The study included 312 children with a mean age of 11 years (73.7% boys). The ADHD combined subtype was the most frequent (53.8%), followed by the inattentive (44.9%), and hyperactive (1.3%). ITW was observed in 20.8% of patients, particularly in the combined subtype (P=.054). Only 32 of them (49.2%) had Achilles shortening. ITW was associated with sociability disorders (P=.01), absence of pain in legs (P=.022), and family history of ITW (P=.004). Only 11% had previously visited a doctor for this reason. CONCLUSIONS: As in other neurodevelopmental disorders, children with ADHD have frequently more ITW and Achilles shortening than controls, especially if they presented with a social communication disorder or a family history of ITW. An early diagnosis is essential to establish effective treatments.

Molecular Characterization and Risk Factors of Giardia duodenalis among School Children from La Habana, Cuba.

Giardia duodenalis is considered the most common protozoan infecting humans worldwide. Molecular characterization of G. duodenalis isolates has revealed the existence of eight groups (assemblages A to H) which differ in their host distribution. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 639 children from La Habana between January and December 2013. Two assemblage-specific PCRs were carried out for the molecular characterization. The overall prevalence of Giardia infection was 11.9%. DNA from 63 of 76 (82.9%) samples was successfully amplified by PCR-tpi, while 58 from 76 (76.3%) were detected by PCRE1-HF. Similar results by both PCRs were obtained in 54 from 76 samples (71%). According to these analyses, assemblage B and mixed assemblages A + B account for most of the Giardia infections in the cohort of children tested. Our current study identified assemblage B as predominant genotype in children infected with Giardia. Univariate analysis indicated that omission of washing hands before eating and keeping dogs at home were significant risk factors for a Giardia infection. In the future, novel molecular tools for a better discrimination of assemblages at the subassemblages level are needed to verify possible correlations between Giardia genotypes and symptomatology of giardiasis.

Hongos parásitos en plantas medicinales (III) / Parasite fungi in medicinal plants (III)

Se estudia la incidencia de algunos hongos patógenos que afectan diferentes especies de plantas medicinales en algunas regiones de nuestro país. Se ofrecen las sintomatologías de las enfermedades y las características morfológicas de los patógenos que las provocan

Sobre la micoflora de plantas medicinales: IV / On the mycoflore of medicinal plants: IV

Se informan 30 hongos fitopatógenos que afectan a 31 plantas medicinales que provocan diferentes enfermedades en las mismas; se ofrecen sus ubicaciones taxonómicas, grado de infección en los hospederos y parte afectada; estos hongos se incluyen en 13 géneros, de ellos 3 pertenecieron a los Basidiomycetes y 27 a los hongos imperfectos. Las muestras se colectaron en los viveros de la Estaciòn Experimental de Plantas Medicinales "Dr. Juan Tomás Roig" en zonas rurales de los muncipios de San Antonio de los Baños y Güira de Melena