LGB prevalence in schools is associated with unhealthy weight-control behaviors in lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth: a multilevel analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found that a school climate of more heteronormativity is associated with adverse effects on the mental health of LGB students. Accordingly, our aim was to assess the association between lower LGB prevalence in schools and unhealthy weight-control behaviors among LGB youth. METHODS: A cross-sectional, multilevel study based in public high schools in the city of Olinda, Northeast Brazil. A multilevel logistic regression was performed, including 2500 adolescents enrolled in 27 schools. The contextual variable was the prevalence of LGB youth in each school (as a proxy for heteronormativity in schools), while the outcome was unhealthy weight-control behaviors (fasting, purging, and taking diet pills). We controlled for socioeconomic characteristics (age, sex, receiving a family allowance), obesity, and self-reported happiness. RESULTS: Lower LGB prevalence in schools was associated with higher odds of engaging in unhealthy weight-control behaviors (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.0, 2.2) among all youth, regardless of sexual orientation. No cross-level interactions between school context and individual characteristics were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Lower LGB prevalence in schools was associated with a higher risk of unhealthy weight-control behaviors in youth regardless of sexual orientation, which may reflect either the contextual influence of school climate, or may be due to residual confounding.

A Tomato Tocopherol-Binding Protein Sheds Light on Intracellular α-Tocopherol Metabolism in Plants.

Tocopherols are non-polar compounds synthesized in the plastids, which function as major antioxidants of the plant cells and are essential in the human diet. Both the intermediates and final products of the tocopherol biosynthetic pathway must cross plastid membranes to reach their sites of action. So far, no protein with tocopherol binding activity has been reported in plants. Here, we demonstrated that the tomato SlTBP protein is targeted to chloroplasts and able to bind α-tocopherol. SlTBP-knockdown tomato plants exhibited reduced levels of tocopherol in both leaves and fruits. Several tocopherol deficiency phenotypes were apparent in the transgenic lines, such as alterations in photosynthetic parameters, dramatic distortion of thylakoid membranes and significant variations in the lipid profile. These results, along with the altered expression of genes related to photosynthesis, and tetrapyrrole, lipid, isoprenoid, inositol/phosphoinositide and redox metabolism, suggest that SlTBP may act in conducting tocopherol (or its biosynthetic intermediates) between the plastid compartments and/or at the interface between chloroplast and endoplasmic reticulum membranes, affecting interorganellar lipid metabolism.

Silencing of the tomato sugar partitioning affecting protein (SPA) modifies sink strength through a shift in leaf sugar metabolism.

Limitations in our understanding about the mechanisms that underlie source-sink assimilate partitioning are increasingly becoming a major hurdle for crop yield enhancement via metabolic engineering. By means of a comprehensive approach, this work reports the functional characterization of a DnaJ chaperone related-protein (named as SPA; sugar partition-affecting) that is involved in assimilate partitioning in tomato plants. SPA protein was found to be targeted to the chloroplast thylakoid membranes. SPA-RNAi tomato plants produced more and heavier fruits compared with controls, thus resulting in a considerable increment in harvest index. The transgenic plants also displayed increased pigment levels and reduced sucrose, glucose and fructose contents in leaves. Detailed metabolic and enzymatic activities analyses showed that sugar phosphate intermediates were increased while the activity of phosphoglucomutase, sugar kinases and invertases was reduced in the photosynthetic organs of the silenced plants. These changes would be anticipated to promote carbon export from foliar tissues. The combined results suggested that the tomato SPA protein plays an important role in plastid metabolism and mediates the source-sink relationships by affecting the rate of carbon translocation to fruits.

Transcriptional regulation of tocopherol biosynthesis in tomato.

Tocopherols, compounds with vitamin E (VTE) activity, are potent lipid-soluble antioxidants synthesized only by photosynthetic organisms. Their biosynthesis requires the condensation of phytyl-diphosphate and homogentisate, derived from the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) and shikimate pathways (SK), respectively. These metabolic pathways are central in plant chloroplast metabolism and are involved in the biosynthesis of important molecules such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, aromatic amino-acids and prenylquinones. In the last decade, few studies have provided insights into the regulation of VTE biosynthesis and its accumulation. However, the pathway regulatory mechanism/s at mRNA level remains unclear. We have recently identified a collection of tomato genes involved in tocopherol biosynthesis. In this work, by a dedicated qPCR array platform, the transcript levels of 47 genes, including paralogs, were determined in leaves and across fruit development. Expression data were analyzed for correlation with tocopherol profiles by coregulation network and neural clustering approaches. The results showed that tocopherol biosynthesis is controlled both temporally and spatially however total tocopherol content remains constant. These analyses exposed 18 key genes from MEP, SK, phytol recycling and VTE-core pathways highly associated with VTE content in leaves and fruits. Moreover, genomic analyses of promoter regions suggested that the expression of the tocopherol-core pathway genes is trancriptionally coregulated with specific genes of the upstream pathways. Whilst the transcriptional profiles of the precursor pathway genes would suggest an increase in VTE content across fruit development, the data indicate that in the M82 cultivar phytyl diphosphate supply limits tocopherol biosynthesis in later fruit stages. This is in part due to the decreasing transcript levels of geranylgeranyl reductase (GGDR) which restricts the isoprenoid precursor availability. As a proof of concept, by analyzing a collection of Andean landrace tomato genotypes, the role of the pinpointed genes in determining fruit tocopherol content was confirmed. The results uncovered a finely tuned regulation able to shift the precursor pathways controlling substrate influx for VTE biosynthesis and overcoming endogenous competition for intermediates. The whole set of data allowed to propose that 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase and GGDR encoding genes, which determine phytyl-diphosphate availability, together with enzyme encoding genes involved in chlorophyll-derived phytol metabolism appear as the most plausible targets to be engineered aiming to improve tomato fruit nutritional value.

Galacturonosyltransferase 4 silencing alters pectin composition and carbon partitioning in tomato.

Pectin is a main component of the plant cell wall and is the most complex family of polysaccharides in nature. Its composition is essential for the normal growth and morphology pattern, as demonstrated by pectin-defective mutant phenotypes. Besides this basic role in plant physiology, in tomato, pectin structure contributes to very important quality traits such as fruit firmness. Sixty-seven different enzymatic activities have been suggested to be required for pectin biosynthesis, but only a few genes have been identified and studied so far. This study characterized the tomato galacturonosyltransferase (GAUT) family and performed a detailed functional study of the GAUT4 gene. The tomato genome harbours all genes orthologous to those described previously in Arabidopsis thaliana, and a transcriptional profile revealed that the GAUT4 gene was expressed at higher levels in developing organs. GAUT4-silenced tomato plants exhibited an increment in vegetative biomass associated with palisade parenchyma enlargement. Silenced fruits showed an altered pectin composition and accumulated less starch along with a reduced amount of pectin, which coincided with an increase in firmness. Moreover, the harvest index was dramatically reduced as a consequence of the reduction in the fruit weight and number. Altogether, these results suggest that, beyond its role in pectin biosynthesis, GAUT4 interferes with carbon metabolism, partitioning, and allocation. Hence, this cell-wall-related gene seems to be key in determining plant growth and fruit production in tomato.

Association between adolescents who are victims of bullying and weapon possession.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the association between victims of bullying and weapon possession among school adolescents. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out with 2,296 high school students aged 14-19 years. An instrument containing questions from the validated Youth Risk Behavior Survey questionnaire and the National School Health Survey was used. To describe the profile of interviewees, absolute and relative frequencies were calculated, and the chi-square test was applied to verify the existence of associations. To test the association of bullying with weapon possession, Poisson logistic regression (univariate and multivariate) was used. The significance level used for all analyses was 5%. RESULTS: Among adolescents interviewed, 23.1% reported being victims of bullying. Among victims of bullying, 37.6% (PR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.30 - 2.17) reported having already carried some type of weapon (knife, revolver, or truncheon) in the last 30 days, while the reported firearm possession was 38% (PR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.16 - 2.40) and 47.5% of these adolescents carried some type of weapon (knife, revolver or truncheon) in the school environment (PR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.50 - 2.93). CONCLUSIONS: It could be observed that adolescents who are victims of bullying are twice as likely of carrying some type of weapon (knife, revolver, or truncheon) to the school environment, and are also more likely of carrying a firearm.

Genomic analysis of wild tomato introgressions determining metabolism- and yield-associated traits.

With the aim of determining the genetic basis of metabolic regulation in tomato fruit, we constructed a detailed physical map of genomic regions spanning previously described metabolic quantitative trait loci of a Solanum pennellii introgression line population. Two genomic libraries from S. pennellii were screened with 104 colocated markers from five selected genomic regions, and a total of 614 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)/cosmids were identified as seed clones. Integration of sequence data with the genetic and physical maps of Solanum lycopersicum facilitated the anchoring of 374 of these BAC/cosmid clones. The analysis of this information resulted in a genome-wide map of a nondomesticated plant species and covers 10% of the physical distance of the selected regions corresponding to approximately 1% of the wild tomato genome. Comparative analyses revealed that S. pennellii and domesticated tomato genomes can be considered as largely colinear. A total of 1,238,705 bp from both BAC/cosmid ends and nine large insert clones were sequenced, annotated, and functionally categorized. The sequence data allowed the evaluation of the level of polymorphism between the wild and cultivated tomato species. An exhaustive microsynteny analysis allowed us to estimate the divergence date of S. pennellii and S. lycopersicum at 2.7 million years ago. The combined results serve as a reference for comparative studies both at the macrosyntenic and microsyntenic levels. They also provide a valuable tool for fine-mapping of quantitative trait loci in tomato. Furthermore, they will contribute to a deeper understanding of the regulatory factors underpinning metabolism and hence defining crop chemical composition.

Genetic dissection of vitamin E biosynthesis in tomato.

Vegetables are critical for human health as they are a source of multiple vitamins including vitamin E (VTE). In plants, the synthesis of VTE compounds, tocopherol and tocotrienol, derives from precursors of the shikimate and methylerythritol phosphate pathways. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for α-tocopherol content in ripe fruit have previously been determined in an Solanum pennellii tomato introgression line population. In this work, variations of tocopherol isoforms (α, ß, γ, and δ) in ripe fruits of these lines were studied. In parallel all tomato genes structurally associated with VTE biosynthesis were identified and mapped. Previously identified VTE QTL on chromosomes 6 and 9 were confirmed whilst novel ones were identified on chromosomes 7 and 8. Integrated analysis at the metabolic, genetic and genomic levels allowed us to propose 16 candidate loci putatively affecting tocopherol content in tomato. A comparative analysis revealed polymorphisms at nucleotide and amino acid levels between Solanum lycopersicum and S. pennellii candidate alleles. Moreover, evolutionary analyses showed the presence of codons evolving under both neutral and positive selection, which may explain the phenotypic differences between species. These data represent an important step in understanding the genetic determinants of VTE natural variation in tomato fruit and as such in the ability to improve the content of this important nutriceutical.

Prevalence of banding and bonding molar brackets in orthognathic surgery cases.

PURPOSE: Orthodontic treatment in the orthognathic surgical patient commonly involves banding or bonding of erupted molars. Appliance displacement during surgery is a potentially serious complication. However, limited data exist about the prevalence of banding or bonding and the frequency of appliance failure in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of banding and bonding and appliance failure in a large cohort of patients undergoing orthognathic surgery at a single institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent orthognathic surgery from 2004 to 2006 at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center were identified, and preoperative and postoperative radiographs were retrospectively reviewed. Study variables included age at time of surgery, gender, date and type of surgery, Angle classification of occlusion, type of orthodontic appliance (band or bond) on erupted molar teeth, and failure as detected from postoperative imaging. RESULTS: In the 1,003 patients there was a greater overall prevalence of molar bands (74.3%) than bonds (19.2%) with the vast majority (84.4%) of first molars and fewer (64.2%) second molars having banded appliances. The prevalence of bonded first and second molars was lowest in 2004 and highest in 2006. Appliance failure occurred in 19 patients (1.9%), most often involving maxillary second molars, and all were bonds. Of the 19 failed bonds, 2 were displaced into the mandibular osteotomy site and 1 was displaced into the posterior pharynx. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of bonded molars in surgical patients increased from 2004 to 2006. Appliance malfunction occurred most often in bonded maxillary second molars. Although rare, failure and displacement of bonded appliances may have significant consequences.

Treatment of posterior crossbite comparing 2 appliances: a community-based trial.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this community-based trial was to compare the effectiveness of the quad-helix appliance and removable plates for treating posterior crossbite. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: quad-helix, expansion plate, and untreated. All subjects were in the mixed dentition, had posterior crosssbite, no sucking habits, no previous orthodontic treatment, and no Class III malocclusion. The following aspects were evaluated: posterior crossbite correction, maxillary and mandibular intermolar and intercanine expansions, length of treatment, cost-benefit analysis, success rate, and number of complications. RESULTS: The length of treatment and the costs were higher in the expansion plate group than in the quad-helix group. The success rates were similar for the quad-helix and the expansion plate groups, and the number of complications was higher in the quad-helix group. No self-correction was observed in the untreated group, and relapses occurred in both experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: The average treatment time was significantly shorter and 11% less expensive than in the quad-helix group, making it the more cost-effective choice for treatment.

Demand for health services or professionals among adolescents: a multilevel study. / Procura por serviços ou profissionais de saúde entre adolescentes: um estudo multinível.

This study aimed to analyze the demand for health services or professionals by adolescents with individual determinants and contextual variables (school teaching modality and Social Vulnerability Index). Data were collected from March to June 2018, in state public schools in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil, through a structured questionnaire with questions from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the National School Health Survey (PeNSE). Among the 2,454 adolescents, the proportion of those looking for a health service was higher among women; in adolescents whose mothers had a minimum of nine schooling years; in the physically active; and whose parents did not receive a family aid (Bolsa Família). We observed that the contextual variables did not influence the demand for health services among adolescents. In the third model of the multilevel analysis, which analyzed the individual variables, we observed that only females (OR=1,80), having a mother with schooling greater than or equal to 9 years of study (OR=1,30), not receiving Bolsa Família (OR=1,23), and physically active (OR=1,32) were associated with an increased demand for health services or professionals.

O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a procura por serviços ou profissionais de saúde pelos adolescentes com determinantes individuais e com variáveis contextuais, modalidade de ensino da escola e Índice de Vulnerabilidade Social. Os dados foram coletados no período de março a junho de 2018, em escolas públicas estaduais de Olinda, Pernambuco, através de um questionário estruturado com questões do Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) e da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE). Dentre os 2.454 adolescentes, a proporção daqueles que procuram por um serviço de saúde foi maior: no sexo feminino; em adolescentes cujas as mães tivessem escolaridade mínima de nove anos; naqueles fisicamente ativos; e cujos responsáveis não recebiam Bolsa Família. Observou-se que as variáveis contextuais não influenciaram a procura por serviços de saúde entre os adolescentes. No terceiro modelo da análise multinível, que analisou as variáveis individuais, observou-se que apenas o sexo feminino (OR=1,80), ter mãe com escolaridade maior ou igual a nove anos de estudo (OR=1,30), não receber Bolsa Família (OR=1,23) e ser ativo fisicamente (OR=1,32) foram associados a uma maior procura por serviços ou profissionais de saúde.

School academic climate and oral health (tooth loss) in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Preventing tooth loss depends on oral health maintenance behaviors. This study hypothesized that adolescents with educational aspirations have greater motivation to invest in the future, including maintenance of oral health status. AIM: To analyze the association between a school academic climate of educational aspirations and tooth loss (first permanent molars) among adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed to include 2,500 adolescents (aged 14-19 years) enrolled in public high schools of Olinda located in Northeast Brazil. Multilevel Poisson regression random intercept models were conducted with tooth loss (first permanent molars) as the outcome. The primary cohort of interest was school academic climate, as measured by the proportion of students taking the national high school exams. RESULTS: Tooth loss of the first permanent molars (assessed by clinical exam) was more prevalent in adolescents from more disadvantaged backgrounds (receiving family allowance, low maternal education). However, after controlling for a wide range of individual characteristics, adolescents enrolled in schools with lower academic climate had a higher prevalence of tooth loss (PR 1.42, 95%CI: 1.09,1.85). CONCLUSION: The school academic climate is associated with tooth loss, suggesting that educational aspirations are linked to adolescent oral health maintenance behaviors.

Orthodontic bracket lost in the airway during orthognathic surgery.

In orthodontic treatment before orthognathic surgery, all erupted molars should be banded or bonded to prevent the creation of an occlusal step. Bonded attachments are often used rather than bands because it is easier to bond to partially erupted teeth, there is no need for orthodontic separation or cementation, and they offer improved periodontal health and patient comfort. However, bonded brackets can fail during conventional orthodontic treatment, and the chance of failure might be greater during surgical procedures. Our purpose in this article was to report an intraoperative second-molar bracket failure in the airway during orthognathic surgery. Although there are advantages of bonding relative to banding for molars, the technique should be used with caution in patients who will require surgery because of the high failure rate of molar bonds and the potential for serious consequences associated with failure during surgery, including contamination or infection.

Association between adolescents who are victims of bullying and weapon possession

Abstract Objective To verify the association between victims of bullying and weapon possession among school adolescents. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out with 2,296 high school students aged 14-19 years. An instrument containing questions from the validated Youth Risk Behavior Survey questionnaire and the National School Health Survey was used. To describe the profile of interviewees, absolute and relative frequencies were calculated, and the chi-square test was applied to verify the existence of associations. To test the association of bullying with weapon possession, Poisson logistic regression (univariate and multivariate) was used. The significance level used for all analyses was 5%. Results Among adolescents interviewed, 23.1% reported being victims of bullying. Among victims of bullying, 37.6% (PR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.30 - 2.17) reported having already carried some type of weapon (knife, revolver, or truncheon) in the last 30 days, while the reported firearm possession was 38% (PR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.16 - 2.40) and 47.5% of these adolescents carried some type of weapon (knife, revolver or truncheon) in the school environment (PR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.50 - 2.93). Conclusions It could be observed that adolescents who are victims of bullying are twice as likely of carrying some type of weapon (knife, revolver, or truncheon) to the school environment, and are also more likely of carrying a firearm.

Biofeedback no controle do bruxismo: uma revisão de escopo / Biofeedback for the control of bruxism: a scoping review

Objetivo: Compreender como os diversos tipos de biofeedback agem, e se são eficazes no controle do bruxismo do sono e vigília. Métodos: trata-se de uma revisão de escopo, com busca em três bases de dados, Medline (Pubmed e BVS), PEDRo e Cochrane, e redigida de acordo com as diretrizes do PRISMA-ScR. Resultados: Foram encontradas 595 referências. Após a remoção das duplicatas e da aplicação dos critérios de elegibilidade, trinta e cinco artigos foram incluídos. A maioria investigou o bruxismo do sono e o uso de placas orais integradas a sistemas de biofeedback, principalmente através de estímulos exteroceptivos. Na maioria dos artigos, o biofeedback foi efetivo a curto prazo para o bruxismo do sono, reduzindo a duração dos episódios, mas não alterando o número de episódios do bruxismo, mas com retorno aos níveis do pré-tratamento. O uso do biofeedback foi mais efetivo para o bruxismo de vigília e nos estudos que investigaram ambos os tipos de bruxismo, mas, com o uso do biofeedback apenas no período diurno, foi possível observar uma redução tanto nos eventos do bruxismo de vigília como nos do sono. Conclusão: A maioria das pesquisas se utilizou do biofeedback por meio de estímulo exteroceptivo, com reforço negativo a um estímulo aversivo; poucos estudos utilizaram o biofeedback com o propósito de condicionamento motor ou de mudança comportamental, sendo esses mais eficazes, mesmo após a retirada do estímulo.

Aim:To comprehend the functioning of various biofeedback types and their effectiveness in controlling sleep and awake bruxism. Methods: This is a scoping review, conducted in three databases: Medline (Pubmed and VHL), PEDRo, and Cochrane, and was written according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Results: Our study found 595 references; after removing duplicates and applying the eligibility criteria, thirty-five articles were included. Most studies examined the effectiveness of biofeedback systems that integrated oral splints, primarily through the use of exteroceptive stimuli, to manage sleep bruxism. Although biofeedback was found to reduce the duration of bruxism episodes in the short term in most articles, it did not significantly change the number of episodes, which reverted to pre-treatment levels. The use of biofeedback was more effective for awake bruxism. Moreover, in the studies that investigated both types of bruxism, but with the use of biofeedback only during the day, it was possible to observe a reduction in both the events of awake and sleep bruxism. Conclusion: Most studies used biofeedback with negative reinforcement through exteroceptive stimulation to an aversive stimulus. Few studies use biofeedback for motor conditioning or behavioral change. The latter approaches proved to be more effective, even after discontinuing the stimulus.

Procura por serviços ou profissionais de saúde entre adolescentes: um estudo multinível / Demand for health services or professionals among adolescents: a multilevel study

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a procura por serviços ou profissionais de saúde pelos adolescentes com determinantes individuais e com variáveis contextuais, modalidade de ensino da escola e Índice de Vulnerabilidade Social. Os dados foram coletados no período de março a junho de 2018, em escolas públicas estaduais de Olinda, Pernambuco, através de um questionário estruturado com questões do Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) e da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE). Dentre os 2.454 adolescentes, a proporção daqueles que procuram por um serviço de saúde foi maior: no sexo feminino; em adolescentes cujas as mães tivessem escolaridade mínima de nove anos; naqueles fisicamente ativos; e cujos responsáveis não recebiam Bolsa Família. Observou-se que as variáveis contextuais não influenciaram a procura por serviços de saúde entre os adolescentes. No terceiro modelo da análise multinível, que analisou as variáveis individuais, observou-se que apenas o sexo feminino (OR=1,80), ter mãe com escolaridade maior ou igual a nove anos de estudo (OR=1,30), não receber Bolsa Família (OR=1,23) e ser ativo fisicamente (OR=1,32) foram associados a uma maior procura por serviços ou profissionais de saúde.

Abstract This study aimed to analyze the demand for health services or professionals by adolescents with individual determinants and contextual variables (school teaching modality and Social Vulnerability Index). Data were collected from March to June 2018, in state public schools in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil, through a structured questionnaire with questions from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the National School Health Survey (PeNSE). Among the 2,454 adolescents, the proportion of those looking for a health service was higher among women; in adolescents whose mothers had a minimum of nine schooling years; in the physically active; and whose parents did not receive a family aid (Bolsa Família). We observed that the contextual variables did not influence the demand for health services among adolescents. In the third model of the multilevel analysis, which analyzed the individual variables, we observed that only females (OR=1,80), having a mother with schooling greater than or equal to 9 years of study (OR=1,30), not receiving Bolsa Família (OR=1,23), and physically active (OR=1,32) were associated with an increased demand for health services or professionals.

Malocclusion and treatment need in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of malocclusion and treatment need in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the sample size comprised 35 five-year-old children and 36 adolescents of both sexes, aged between 12 to 18 years, with SCD. Dental occlusion was assessed using two indexes: the Malocclusion Index (World Health Organization) and the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). RESULTS: The prevalence of malocclusion in the preschool children was 62.9%. The main malocclusions observed in this age group were Class II (37.1%), increased overjet (28.6%), reduced overbite (28.6%), and open bite (17.1%). In the 12- to 18-year-old subjects, the prevalence of malocclusion was 100%, and the most prevalent types of malocclusion were maxillary overjet (63.9%) and maxillary misalignment (58.3%). It is noteworthy that the majority of adolescents (80.6%) had very severe or disabling malocclusions. CONCLUSION: The results revealed a high prevalence of malocclusion in children and adolescents with SCD. According to DAI score, the majority of the sample presented with very severe malocclusion and a compulsory treatment need.

Functional characterization of sugarcane mustang domesticated transposases and comparative diversity in sugarcane, rice, maize and sorghum.

Transposable elements (TEs) account for a large portion of plant genomes, particularly in grasses, in which they correspond to 50%-80% of the genomic content. TEs have recently been shown to be a source of new genes and new regulatory networks. The most striking contribution of TEs is referred as "molecular domestication", by which the element coding sequence loses its movement capacity and acquires cellular function. Recently, domesticated transposases known as mustang and derived from the Mutator element have been described in sugarcane. In order to improve our understanding of the function of these proteins, we identified mustang genes from Sorghum bicolor and Zea mays and performed a phenetic analysis to assess the diversity and evolutionary history of this gene family. This analysis identified orthologous groups and showed that mustang genes are highly conserved in grass genomes. We also explored the transcriptional activity of sugarcane mustang genes in heterologous and homologous systems. These genes were found to be ubiquitously transcribed, with shoot apical meristem having the highest expression levels, and were downregulated by phytohormones. Together, these findings suggest the possible involvement of mustang proteins in the maintenance of hormonal homeostasis.

Temporomandibular disorders and associated factors in Brazilian teenagers: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and associated variables among adolescents from 16 to 18 years of age in their senior year of high school in the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, in 2005. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The studied variables were gender, self-esteem and nervous behavior, type of occlusion, and use of orthodontic appliances. In this cross-sectional study, the nonpatient population comprised 410 adolescents attending private and state schools. The data collection was conducted using 2 questionnaires, the first of which was used to evaluate the prevalence of TMD and the second to assess self-esteem. A clinical examination was conducted for the occlusion aspect of the evaluation. RESULTS: The prevalence of TMD was 16.3% in the study group and there was no statistical difference between occlusions judged as normal or as malocclusions (P = .1148). There was a statistically significant association between students who had previously undergone orthodontic treatment and TMD (P = .0033, odds ratio: 3.08). The students classified in the low self-esteem group showed a significant increase in TMD (P= .0140). The group that classified themselves as nervous also showed an increase (P = .0034), with a higher prevalence also found in females (P = .0021). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that low self-esteem and gender may be more frequently related than dental factors to TMD in adolescents.

Dor miofacial e ruídos articulares em adolescentes – Recife/PE / Myofacial pain and temporomandibular soundsin adolescents – Recife-PE

Com o objetivo de verificar se disfunções da ATM se constituem em um problema entre adolescentes brasileiros,este estudo investigou, através de auto-relatos, a prevalência dos ruídos articulares e da dor miofacial emuma população de adolescentes com 16 e 17 anos de idade, na cidade do Recife. Mil duzentos e oitenta e sete(1287) alunos participaram da pesquisa, a qual foi feita através de um formulário com perguntas fechadas. Para a obtenção dos cálculos estatísticos, foi utilizado o programa SAS (Statistical Analysis System) na versão8.0. Para a análise dos dados, foram obtidas distribuições absolutas e percentuais apresentados em gráficos e tabelas (Técnicas de Estatística Descritiva). O teste Qui-quadrado de independência, considerando-se o nível de significância de 5,0 por cento. Contatou-se que 54,9 por cento dos pesquisados não relataram nem dor miofacial e nem ruídos articulares, 11,3 por cento relataram dor miofacial e ruídos articulares, 23,5 por cento relataram ruídos articulares e 10.3 por cento relataram dor miofacial, levando-nos a concluir que a prevalência de, pelo menos, um dos sintomas pesquisados (dor miofacial e ruídos articulares), encontrada nestes adolescentes, é alta, 45,1 por cento, o que alertapara a importância da melhoria do diagnóstico e tratamento destas disfunções.