Neutron Time-of-Flight Measurements of Charged-Particle Energy Loss in Inertial Confinement Fusion Plasmas.

Neutron spectra from secondary ^{3}H(d,n)α reactions produced by an implosion of a deuterium-gas capsule at the National Ignition Facility have been measured with order-of-magnitude improvements in statistics and resolution over past experiments. These new data and their sensitivity to the energy loss of fast tritons emitted from thermal ^{2}H(d,p)^{3}H reactions enable the first statistically significant investigation of charged-particle stopping via the emitted neutron spectrum. Radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, constrained to match a number of observables from the implosion, were used to predict the neutron spectra while employing two different energy loss models. This analysis represents the first test of stopping models under inertial confinement fusion conditions, covering plasma temperatures of k_{B}T≈1-4 keV and particle densities of n≈(12-2)×10^{24} cm^{-3}. Under these conditions, we find significant deviations of our data from a theory employing classical collisions whereas the theory including quantum diffraction agrees with our data.

Interdental plaque reduction after use of different devices in young subjects with intact papilla: A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of 4 different oral hygiene regimens involving adjunctive interdental cleaning devices in unsupervised young subjects with intact interdental papilla. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty periodontally healthy subjects were randomly allocated to 4 groups following different oral hygiene regimens (T-7): use of manual toothbrush alone; manual toothbrush plus dental floss; manual toothbrush plus interdental brushes; and manual toothbrush plus rubber interdental picks. Oral hygiene instructions (OHI) were given. One week after (T0), professional supragingival scaling and polishing was performed, and subjects were then reseen every 2 weeks (T14 and T28). At T-7, T0, T14 and T28, full-mouth plaque score (FMPS), full-mouth bleeding score (FMBS) and angulated bleeding index (AngBI) were taken. RESULTS: During the first week (T-7/T0 unclean phase), FMPS decreased significantly in all groups except the group using dental floss. At T28, a significant decrease in FMPS (P < .001, all groups) and FMBS (P < .05, all groups except the group using flossing P < .001) was noted. Interdental FMPS showed significantly lower values in subjects treated with interdental brushes or rubber interdental picks vs toothbrushing alone (P < .05). The use of interdental picks was associated with reduced interdental FMBS when compared to flossing (P < .05). CONCLUSION: In young subjects, with no interdental attachment loss, toothbrushing or toothbrushing and adjunctive interdental cleaning devices such as dental floss, interdental brushes or interdental rubber picks can significantly reduce both plaque and gingival inflammation. Use of interdental brushes or rubber picks reduces more interdental plaque in comparison with toothbrushing alone.

Ruminococcus gnavus E1 modulates mucin expression and intestinal glycosylation.

AIMS: The molecular cross-talk between commensal bacteria and the gut play an important role in the maintenance of the intestinal homeostasis and general health. Here, we studied the impact of a major Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium of the human gut microbiota, that is, Ruminococcus gnavus on the glycosylation pattern and the production of intestinal mucus by the goblet cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: Our results showed that R. gnavus E1 specifically increases the expression and the glycosylation level of the intestinal glyco-conjugates by goblet cells in the colonic mucosa of mono-associated mice with R. gnavus E1 as well as in human HT29-MTX cells. Such an effect was mediated through induction of the level of mRNA encoding for the major intestinal gel-forming mucin such as MUC2 and various glycosyltransferase enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates for the first time that R. gnavus E1 possess the ability to modulate the glycosylation profile of the glyco-conjugate molecules and mucus in goblet cells. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Furthermore, we demonstrated that R. gnavus E1 modified specifically the glycosylation pattern and MUC2 expression by means of a small soluble factor of peptidic nature (<3 kDa) and heat stable in the HT29-MTX cell.

Measurement of charged-particle stopping in warm dense plasma.

We measured the stopping of energetic protons in an isochorically heated solid-density Be plasma with an electron temperature of ∼32 eV, corresponding to moderately coupled [(e^{2}/a)/(k_{B}T_{e}+E_{F})∼0.3] and moderately degenerate [k_{B}T_{e}/E_{F}∼2] "warm-dense matter" (WDM) conditions. We present the first high-accuracy measurements of charged-particle energy loss through dense plasma, which shows an increased loss relative to cold matter, consistent with a reduced mean ionization potential. The data agree with stopping models based on an ad hoc treatment of free and bound electrons, as well as the average-atom local-density approximation; this work is the first test of these theories in WDM plasma.

The influence of educational level and oral hygiene behaviours on DMFT index and CPITN index in an adult Italian population: an epidemiological study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the influence of educational level and oral hygiene behaviours on the prevalence and severity of dental caries and periodontal disease in an adult Italian population attending the Oral Hygiene department of a public Dental Clinic. METHODS: Dental caries was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization criteria. The DMFT index (decayed, missing, filled tooth) was used to record the dental caries' experience. The periodontal status was assessed using the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). Questionnaires on educational level and oral hygiene behaviours were also collected. RESULTS: A total of 350 patients were enrolled. The mean DMFT value reported was 4.37 ± 3.06, and higher values were observed for male patients (P < 0.05). Increased CPITN scores and DMFT values were significantly correlated with lower level of education (P < 0.05). Subjects of high educational status showed significantly better oral hygiene habits (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The oral health status, in terms of periodontal disease and dental caries, appears correlated with patients' educational level.

Global longitudinal strain for prediction of mortality in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and aortic stenosis patients: two sides of the same coin.

OBJECTIVE: Global longitudinal strain (GLS) predicts major adverse events in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and aortic stenosis (AS). Different cut-off values and different end-points have been proposed for prognostic stratification. We aimed to verify whether a single GLS cut-off value can be used to identify increased risk of all-cause death in STEMI and AS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One-hundred- seventeen successfully treated first STEMI (age 63.8±12.5 yrs, 70% men) and 64 AS (age 80.3±6.9 yrs, 44% men) patients, undergoing echocardiography before discharge and before AS treatment, respectively, were retrospectively analyzed. GLS was analyzed, together with pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), Killip class and Genereux stage. End-point was all-cause death at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: All-cause death occurred in 4 (3.4%) STEMI and 5 (7.8%) AS patients (p=ns). AS patients who died had GLS similar to died STEMI patients (9.7±2.1 vs. 11.3±1.7, p=ns). GLS cut-off ≤12% predicted death with 89% sensitivity and 70% specificity (AUC 0.84, p=0.001): STEMI and AS patients with GLS ≤12% had worse survival than STEMI and AS patients with GLS >12% (log-rank p=0.001). At multivariate Cox regression analysis, lower GLS values independently predicted death (HR 0.667, 95% CI 0.451-0.986, p=0.042), and the prediction model was improved when GLS was added to old age, significant comorbidities, PASP and Killip/Genereux stage (χ2 6.691 vs. 1.364, p=0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Died patients with STEMI and AS show similar values of GLS. A unique cut-off value of GLS can reliably be used to stratify the risk of all-cause death at 6-month follow-up in both two clinical settings.

Electrocardiogram analysis in Anderson-Fabry disease: a valuable tool for progressive phenotypic expression tracking.

Background: Electrocardiogram (ECG) has proven to be useful for early detection of cardiac involvement in Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD); however, little evidence is available on the association between ECG alterations and the progression of the disease. Aim and Methods: To perform a cross sectional comparison of ECG abnormalities throughout different left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) severity subgroups, providing ECG patterns specific of the progressive AFD stages. 189 AFD patients from a multicenter cohort underwent comprehensive ECG analysis, echocardiography, and clinical evaluation. Results: The study cohort (39% males, median age 47 years, 68% classical AFD) was divided into 4 groups according to different degree of left ventricular (LV) thickness: group A ≤ 9 mm (n = 52, 28%); group B 10-14 mm (n = 76, 40%); group C 15-19 mm (n = 46, 24%); group D ≥ 20 mm (n = 15, 8%). The most frequent conduction delay was right bundle branch block (RBBB), incomplete in groups B and C (20%,22%) and complete RBBB in group D (54%, p < 0.001); none of the patients had left bundle branch block (LBBB). Left anterior fascicular block, LVH criteria, negative T waves, ST depression were more common in the advanced stages of the disease (p < 0.001). Summarizing our results, we suggested ECG patterns representative of the different AFD stages as assessed by the increases in LV thickness over time (Central Figure). Patients from group A showed mostly a normal ECG (77%) or minor anomalies like LVH criteria (8%) and delta wave/slurred QR onset + borderline PR (8%). Differently, patients from groups B and C exhibited more heterogeneous ECG patterns: LVH (17%; 7% respectively); LVH + LV strain (9%; 17%); incomplete RBBB + repolarization abnormalities (8%; 9%), more frequently associated with LVH criteria in group C than B (8%; 15%). Finally, patients from group D showed very peculiar ECG patterns, represented by complete RBBB + LVH and repolarization abnormalities (40%), sometimes associated with QRS fragmentation (13%). Conclusions: ECG is a sensitive tool for early identification and long-term monitoring of cardiac involvement in patients with AFD, providing "instantaneous pictures" along the natural history of AFD. Whether ECG changes may be associated with clinical events remains to be determined.

Stopping-power enhancement from discrete particle-wake correlations in high-energy-density plasmas.

Three-dimensional (3D) simulations of electron beams propagating in high-energy-density plasmas using the quasistatic Particle-in-Cell (PIC) code QuickPIC demonstrate a significant increase in stopping power when beam electrons mutually interact via their wakes. Each beam electron excites a plasma wave wake of wavelength ∼2πc/ω_{pe}, where c is the speed of light and ω_{pe} is the background plasma frequency. We show that a discrete collection of electrons undergoes a beam-plasma-like instability caused by mutual particle-wake interactions that causes electrons to bunch in the beam, even for beam densities n_{b} for which fluid theory breaks down. This bunching enhances the beam's stopping power, which we call "correlated stopping," and the effect increases with the "correlation number" N_{b}≡n_{b}(c/ω_{pe})^{3}. For example, a beam of monoenergetic 9.7 MeV electrons with N_{b}=1/8, in a cold background plasma with n_{e}=10^{26}cm^{-3} (450 g cm^{-3} DT), has a stopping power of 2.28±0.04 times the single-electron value, which increases to 1220±5 for N_{b}=64. The beam also experiences transverse filamentation, which eventually limits the stopping enhancement.

Dog-related activities and human well-being in Brazilian dog owners: A framework and cross-cultural comparison with a British study.

Despite the abundance of studies investigating the benefits of having a dog, the specific aspects of dog ownership that impacts human well-being are not well understood. This study used a qualitative approach to create a framework of the main dog-related activities perceived by Brazilian owners to impact their well-being and compared the findings with those of a similar study in England. Thirty-two Brazilian dog owners from the five regions of the country were remotely interviewed. The thematic analysis of the transcripts generated a total of 58 dog-related activities, organised into 13 themes. Most activities were reported to have a positive effect on participants' well-being, accounting for 76.8% of the total number of mentions in the interviews. 'Playing with dog' and 'Dog presence' were the themes most frequently associated with positive well-being outcomes, whereas 'Unwanted behaviours' and 'Failing to meet dog's needs' were the most commonly associated with negative outcomes. The dog-related activities reported by Brazilian dog owners and the well-being outcomes linked to those activities were consistent with the previous British sample in the framework that emerged. These findings suggest reliability between the two methods used to gather data (remote interview versus focus group) and, most importantly, provide consistent cross-cultural evidence for how certain activities impact dog owner's well-being.

Eccentric reinforcement of the ankle evertor muscles after lateral ankle sprain.

To compare two methods of ankle evertor muscle reinforcement after ankle sprain: concentric vs eccentric reinforcement. Eighteen subjects practising sport with first episode of ankle sprain. The first randomized group underwent conventional physical therapy including concentric reinforcement of the evertor ankle muscles [concentric group (CG)]. The second randomized group underwent eccentric reinforcement [eccentric group (EG)]. At the end of the physical therapy, the strength of the evertor muscles was tested using an isokinetic dynamometer. The measurements were peak torques in the concentric and eccentric modes; ankle strength deficits, expressed as percentages of the healthy ankle values recorded in the concentric and eccentric modes; ratios between concentric/eccentric values. After the concentric reinforcement, in the CG group, there is both significant concentric strength deficit and an eccentric strength deficit on the injured side in comparison with the healthy side. After the eccentric reinforcement in the EG group, the muscle strength was significantly greater during concentric movements. Eccentric rehabilitation therefore restored the strength of the injured evertor muscles. These results show the value of this method, especially as the weakness of these muscles after sprains is one of the main risk factors contributing to instability and the recurrence of sprains.

COVID-19 Transmission in Dental Practice: Brief Review of Preventive Measures in Italy.

The outbreak and diffusion of SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has caused an emergency in the health system worldwide. After a first development in Wuhan, China, the virus spread in other countries, with Italy registering the second highest number of cases in Europe on the 7th of April 2020 (135,586 in total). The World Health Organization declared the pandemic diffusion of COVID-19, and restrictive measures to limit contagion have been taken in several countries. The virus has a predominantly respiratory transmission through aerosol and droplets. The importance of infection control is therefore crucial in limiting the effects of virus diffusion. We aim to discuss the risks related to dental practice and current recommendations for dental practitioners. A literature search was performed to retrieve articles on the management of COVID-19 diffusion in dental practice. The documented clinical experience, the measures of professional prevention, and the actual Italian situation were reported and described. Four articles were retrieved from the literature search. Among the eligible articles, 3 reported measures to contrast COVID-19 diffusion. The infection management protocols suggested were reviewed. Finally, recommendations based on the Italian experience in terms of patient triage, patients' entrance into the practice, dental treatment, and after-treatment management are reported and discussed. COVID-19 is a major emergency worldwide, which should not be underestimated. Due to the rapidly evolving situation, further assessment of the implications of COVID-19 outbreak in dental practice is needed.

Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Diseases. Consensus Report.

Background: In Europe cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for 3.9 million deaths (45% of deaths), being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, hypertension (leading to heart failure) the major cause of these CVD related deaths. Periodontitis is also a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) with a high prevalence, being severe periodontitis, affecting 11.2% of the world's population, the sixth most common human disease. Material and Methods: There is now a significant body of evidence to support independent associations between severe periodontitis and several NCDs, in particular CVD. In 2012 a joint workshop was held between the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) and the American Academy of Periodontology to review the literature relating periodontitis and systemic diseases, including CVD. In the last five years important new scientific information has emerged providing important emerging evidence to support these associations. Results and Conclusions: The present review reports the proceedings of the workshop jointly organised by the EFP and the World Heart Federation (WHF), which has updated the existing epidemiological evidence for significant associations between periodontitis and CVD, the mechanistic links and the impact of periodontal therapy on cardiovascular and surrogate outcomes. This review has also focused on the potential risk and complications of periodontal therapy in patients on anti thrombotic therapy and has made recommendations for dentists, physicians and for patients visiting both the dental and medical practices.

Nup154, a new Drosophila gene essential for male and female gametogenesis is related to the nup155 vertebrate nucleoporin gene.

The Nup154 gene of Drosophila encodes a protein showing similarity with known nucleoporins: rat Nup155 and yeast Nup170 and Nup157. Hypomorphic mutant alleles of Nup154 affected female and male fertility, allowing investigation of the gene function in various steps of oogenesis and spermatogenesis. Nup154 was required in testes for cyst formation, control of spermatocyte proliferation and meiotic progression. In ovaries, Nup154 was essential for egg chamber development and oocyte growth. In both the male and female germ line, as well as in several other cell types, the Nup154 protein was detected at the nuclear membrane, but was also present inside the nucleus. Intranuclear localization has not previously been described for rat Nup155 or yeast Nup170 and Nup157. In mutant egg chambers the Nup154 protein accumulated in the cytoplasm, while it was only barely detected at the nuclear envelopes. FG repeats containing nucleoporins detected with mAb414 antibody were also mislocalized to a certain extent in Nup154 mutant alleles. This suggests that Nup154 could be required for localizing other nucleoporins within the nuclear pore complex, as previously demonstrated for the yeast Nup170. On the other hand, no evident defects in lamin localization were observed, indicating that Nup155 mutations did not affect the overall integrity of the nuclear envelope. However, ultrastructural analyses revealed that in mutant cells the morphology of the nuclear envelope was altered near the nuclear pore complexes. Finally, the multiplicity of phenotypes observed in Nup154 mutant alleles suggests that this gene plays a crucial role in cell physiology.

Diagnostic role of echocardiography in patients admitted to the emergency room with suspect no-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether echocardiography may help identify, among patients admitted with a suspect of non-ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), those with athero-thrombotic coronary artery disease (CAD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied consecutive patients admitted with a clinical suspect of first NSTEMI. Echocardiography was assessed within 24 hours from admission. Patients were divided into two groups, according to the results of coronary angiography: 1) patients with obstructive stenosis (≥ 50%) and/or images of thrombosis in one or more coronary arteries (CAD group); 2) patients with no evidence of obstructive coronary arteries (NOCAD group). RESULTS: Of 101 patients enrolled in the study, 53 (52.5%) showed obstructive CAD and 48 (47.5%) NOCAD. At echocardiographic examination, regional wall motion abnormalities were found in 52.8% of patients in the CAD group and 43.7% in the NOCAD group (p=0.43). Left ventricle ejection fraction was 56.4±6.8 vs. 54.7±9.8% (p=0.30) and wall motion score index was 1.16±0.26 vs. 1.21±0.32 (p=0.39) in the two groups, respectively. A multivariable logistic regression independent predictors of obstructive CAD included age, male gender, typical angina, diabetes and hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that, in patients with acute chest pain and increased serum troponin T concentration, routine standard echocardiography does not significantly improve the diagnostic accuracy for the presence of obstructive CAD.

Orthopedia, a novel homeobox-containing gene expressed in the developing CNS of both mouse and Drosophila.

A novel homeobox-containing gene has been identified. Its name, Orthopedia (Otp), exemplifies the homology shared by both the orthodenticle and Antennapedia homeodomains. Otp is highly conserved in evolution. In mouse, Otp is expressed only in restricted domains of the developing forebrain, hindbrain, and spinal cord. In Drosophila, otp first appears at gastrulation in the ectodermal proctodeum and later in the hindgut, anal plate, and along the CNS. Here, we compare the Otp-, Distal-less homeobox 1-(DIx1-), Orthodenticle homolog 1-(Otx1-), Otx2-, and Empty spiracles homolog 2-expressing domains. Our results indicate that Otp is expressed along the CNS both in mouse and Drosophila; Otp could specify regional identities in the development of the forebrain and spinal cord; transcription of Otp and DIx1 takes place in alternating hypothalamic regions reminiscent of a segment-like pattern; and the structural and functional conservation could correspond to a conserved function maintained in evolution.

Molecular dynamics simulations of temperature equilibration in dense hydrogen.

The temperature equilibration rate between electrons and protons in dense hydrogen has been calculated with molecular dynamics simulations for temperatures between 10 and 600eV and densities between 10;{20}cm;{-3}to10;{24}cm;{-3} . Careful attention has been devoted to convergence of the simulations, including the role of semiclassical potentials. We find that for Coulomb logarithms L greater, similar1 , a model by Gericke-Murillo-Schlanges (GMS) [D. O. Gericke, Phys. Rev. E 65, 036418 (2002)] based on a T -matrix method and the approach by Brown-Preston-Singleton [L. S. Brown, Phys. Rep. 410, 237 (2005)] agrees with the simulation data to within the error bars of the simulation. For smaller Coulomb logarithms, the GMS model is consistent with the simulation results. Landau-Spitzer models are consistent with the simulation data for L>4 .

Systemic Inflammation after Third Molar Removal: A Case-Control Study.

Third molar extraction is one of the most frequent interventions in dentistry. Nevertheless, there is scarce evidence on the host response of individuals with impacted or semi-impacted third molars and the possible effects of surgical removal. A case-control study of 40 patients was designed to evaluate 1) the differences in biomarkers of systemic inflammation, vascular function, and metabolism (high-sensitive C-reactive protein, lipids, fibrinogen, oxidative stress, and endothelial function analysis) and 2) the acute and short-term effects of surgical removal in patients with bilateral impacted or semi-impacted third molars compared to controls with no third molars. Patients undergoing third molar extraction exhibited greater levels of systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, and triglycerides than controls. Raised white blood cell counts as well as peaks of serum levels of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen were noticed in the first postoperative week. Three months after the extraction, all markers returned to baseline values. Malondialdehyde, an indicator of oxidative stress indicator, was significantly reduced after third molar removal. Semi-impacted or impacted third molars are associated with higher systemic inflammation, and their removal may represent a useful human model to study acute inflammation and determine beneficial systemic effects ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03048175).

Perioperative dexamethasone reduces post-surgical sequelae of wisdom tooth removal. A split-mouth randomized double-masked clinical trial.

The effect of endo-alveolar and sub-mucosal administration of dexamethasone sodium phosphate to prevent inflammatory sequelae after surgical removal of lower third molars was studied. Forty-three patients underwent bilateral extractions of lower third molars and were randomly assigned to receive either dexamethasone 4 mg (group A) or 10 mg (group B) as endo-alveolar powder or 10 mg as sub-mucosal injection (group C) unilaterally. The controlateral site served as control and did not receive any steroid administration. Facial edema, trismus and pain perception were evaluated at the 2nd and 7th postoperative day. A multivariate analysis revealed that treatment and ostectomy time were both significantly positively associated with the degree of postoperative trismus and edema. Other baseline classification variables (e.g., molar classification) were also predictive of the degree of change in all clinical parameters. Test sites treated (any steroid application) showed greater reductions in all clinical parameters recorded compared to control. No statistically significant differences were observed between the three test groups. Both sub-mucosal and endo-alveolar administration of dexamethasone are effective in reducing postoperative sequelae of surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth.

Conservative surgical management of patients with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: a series of 120 patients.

We evaluated retrospectively the efficacy of local resection for patients who presented with bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ). We studied 120 subjects with who required local resection of 129 BRONJ lesions that had not responded to medical treatment. The primary outcomes were improvement of the clinical stage of BRONJ and resolution of disease, and the secondary outcome was the influence of the surgeon's experience on the healing of the lesions. Age, sex, underlying diseases, smoking, and coexisting conditions were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was used to isolate factors that could potentially affect the outcome. Most of the lesions (n=107, 84%) improved postoperatively, 20 showed no change, and one got worse. One patient died. Stratification indicated complete healing and total resolution of disease for all 26 stage I lesions, improvement for 67 of the 77 stage II lesions, and for 14 of the 25 stage III lesions. The disease resolved in 67 of the 69 stage II lesions, and 14 of the stage III cases. Logistic regression indicated that smoking and the stage of disease could affect the outcome. Analysis of the surgeons' learning curve showed that performance improved significantly over time. Complete healing after local resection increased from 40% to 80% over a period of eight years (p<0.001). We conclude that local resection may be the treatment of choice in BRONJ stages I and II. Stage III might be better treated with either resection or clinical monitoring according to the condition of the patient.

A cDNA clone homologous to Drosophila F elements from an imaginal discs poly(A)+ library.

A cDNA clone (F-id1) homologous to Drosophila F elements has been isolated from a cDNA library prepared from poly(A)+ RNA derived from imaginal discs. The F-id1 insert is identical to the 3' end terminus of Fw, an element inserted at the white locus upon irradiation. The isolation of F-id1 provides the first evidence that F elements are expressed in the fruit fly life.