[Online survey on dental anxiety results]. / Online enquête over behandelangst: de resultaten.

In the months leading up to this special on 'dental anxiety', an online survey was conducted on various aspects of the treatment of anxious patients. This survey was completed by 128 people, of whom approximately one third were men and two thirds were women. The results show that more than half of the respondents feel they haven't learned enough about treating anxious patients during the training. Yet more than two thirds of the respondents also indicated they did not refer anxious patients to a Centre for Special Dentistry. The reasons for this are not clear.

[Sexual trauma; treatability in the dental practice]. / Seksueel trauma; behandelbaarheid in de tandartspraktijk.

A patient with extreme fear of dental treatment and a history of sexual abuse as well presented at a Centre for Special Care Dentistry. A dentist specializing in dental anxiety and a clinical psychologist worked closely together during intake and treatment phases. The comorbid PTSS appeared to hamper the exposure therapy. In consultation with the patient, she was referred to a specialized inpatient unit for intensive trauma treatment. This trauma treatment took place parallel to the exposure treatment at the dentist's. When the trauma had been treated successfully, further treatment at the dentist's for anxiety counselling also proceeded much more smoothly. At the end of the anxiety treatment, the patient was referred back to the regular dental practice.

[Diagnosis and treatment of dental anxiety]. / Diagnostiek en behandeling van angst voor de tandheelkundige behandeling.

Fear of dental treatment is a common phenomenon. Every oral health care provider will have to treat a patient with this fear one day. Adequate diagnostics are essential for a correct assessment of the level of fear and how an anxious patient can best be helped. In cases of mild fear, lowering the state anxiety by teaching the patient coping skills, will suffice. In cases of extreme fear, reducing disposition anxiety (the core of the anxiety disorder) comes first, since this will not only reduce fear during the treatment, but will also halt avoidance behavior, which in the end will have a positive effect on the oral health care of the patient.

No priming, just fighting-endophytic yeast attenuates the defense response and the stress induced by Dutch elm disease in Ulmus minor Mill.

One century after the first report of Dutch elm disease (DED), there is still no practical solution for this problem threatening European and American elms (Ulmus spp.). The long breeding cycles needed to select resistant genotypes and the lack of efficient treatments keep disease incidence at high levels. In this work, the expression of defense-related genes to the causal agent of DED, Ophiostoma novo-ulmi Brasier, was analyzed in in vitro clonal plantlets from two DED-resistant and two DED-susceptible Ulmus minor Mill. trees. In addition, the effect of the inoculation of an endophytic pink-pigmented yeast (Cystobasidium sp.) on the plant's defense system was tested both individually and in combination with O. novo-ulmi. The multifactorial nature of the resistance to DED was confirmed, as no common molecular response was found in the two resistant genotypes. However, the in vitro experimental system allowed discrimination of the susceptible from the resistant genotypes, showing higher levels of oxidative damage and phenolic compounds in the susceptible genotypes after pathogen inoculation. Inoculation of the endophyte before O. novo-ulmi attenuated the plant molecular response induced by the pathogen and moderated oxidative stress levels. Niche competition, endophyte-pathogen antagonism and molecular crosstalk between the host and the endophyte are discussed as possible mechanisms of stress reduction. In sum, our results confirm the complex and heterogeneous nature of DED resistance mechanisms and highlight the possibility of using certain endophytic yeasts as biological tools to improve tree resilience against biotic stress.

Leptin relates to prolonged cardiovascular recovery after acute stress in Africans: The SABPA study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Heightened cardiovascular reactivity and delayed recovery to stress are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Africans, who are more prone to develop hypertension, show greater cardiovascular reactivity to stress. However, causal factors underlying individual and ethnic differences in stress reactivity and recovery remain largely unexplored. Leptin, which is known for its sympatho-activating effects, is higher in Africans compared to Caucasians for any given body mass index. We compared how cardiovascular reactivity and recovery relate to leptin in African (n = 200) and Caucasian (n = 209) teachers. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured leptin in serum and cardiovascular baseline and reactivity continuously with the Finometer device during the cold pressor test for 1 min, and recovery at intervals of 1, 3 and 5 min. Africans had higher body mass index, leptin and blood pressure (all P < 0.001). After full adjustment in multiple regression analyses, associations were seen mainly at the 5 min recovery interval. In Africans, cardiac output reactivity (ß = -0.335; P = 0.0018) and arterial compliance- (ß = -0.241; P = 0.048) associated negatively and total peripheral resistance- (ß = 0.227; P = 0.047) positively with leptin. In Caucasians, diastolic blood pressure correlated positively with leptin (ß = 0.200; P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: In Africans, higher circulating leptin levels associated with prolonged cardiovascular recovery after exposure to stress which could explain their increased vulnerability to hypertension development.

[Administration of intravenous sedation with midazolam by dentists is unsafe]. / Toediening van intraveneuze sedatie met midazolam door tandarts is onveilig.

In the December issue of the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Tandheelkunde (Dutch Journal of Dentistry) in 2014, an article was devoted to the use of light sedation with midazolam by dentists. A number of dentists who are active in the area of Special Dentistry (anxiety management, care of the disabled) and a anesthesiologist offer a response to the article and argue that the administration of intravenous sedation with midazolam by dentists is unsafe.

Cross activity of orthologous WRKY transcription factors in wheat and Arabidopsis.

WRKY proteins are transcription factors involved in many plant processes including plant responses to pathogens. Here, the cross activity of TaWRKY78 from the monocot wheat and AtWRKY20 from the dicot Arabidopsis on the cognate promoters of the orthologous PR4-type genes wPR4e and AtHEL of wheat and Arabidopsis, respectively, was investigated. In vitro analysis showed the ability of TaWRKY78 to bind a -17/+80 region of the wPR4e promoter, containing one cis-acting W-box. Moreover, transient expression analysis performed on both TaWRKY78 and AtWRKY20 showed their ability to recognize the cognate cis-acting elements present in the wPR4e and AtHEL promoters, respectively. Finally, this paper provides evidence that both transcription factors are able to cross-regulate the orthologous PR4 genes with an efficiency slightly lower than that exerted on the cognate promoters. The observation that orthologous genes are subjected to similar transcriptional control by orthologous transcription factors demonstrates that the terminal stages of signal transduction pathways leading to defence are conserved and suggests a fundamental role of PR4 genes in plant defence. Moreover, these results corroborate the hypothesis that gene orthology imply similar gene function and that diversification between monocot and dicot has most likely occurred after the specialization of WRKY function.

MYB72, a node of convergence in induced systemic resistance triggered by a fungal and a bacterial beneficial microbe.

Colonisation of plant roots by selected beneficial Trichoderma fungi or Pseudomonas bacteria can result in the activation of a systemic defence response that is effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens. In Arabidopsis thaliana, induced systemic resistance (ISR) triggered by the rhizobacterial strain Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r is regulated by a jasmonic acid- and ethylene-dependent defence signalling pathway. Jasmonic acid and ethylene also play a role in Trichoderma-induced resistance. To further investigate the similarities between rhizobacteria- and Trichoderma-induced resistance, we studied the response of Arabidopsis to root colonisation by Trichoderma asperellum T34. In many aspects T34-ISR was similar to WCS417r-ISR. First, colonisation of the roots by T34 rendered the leaves more resistant to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, the biotrophic oomycete Hyaloperonospora parasitica and the necrotrophic fungus Plectosphaerella cucumerina. Second, treatment of the roots with T34 primed the leaf tissue for enhanced jasmonic acid-responsive gene expression and increased formation of callose-containing papillae upon pathogen attack. Third, T34-ISR was fully expressed in the salicylic acid impaired mutant sid2, but blocked in the defence regulatory mutant npr1. Finally, we show that the root-specific transcription factor MYB72, which is essential in early signalling steps of WCS417r-ISR, is also required for T34-ISR. Together, these results indicate that the defence pathways triggered by beneficial Trichoderma and Pseudomonas spp. strains are highly similar and that MYB72 functions as an early node of convergence in the signalling pathways that are induced by these different beneficial microorganisms.

[Post-academic dental specialties 13. What are anxious dental patients most afraid of?]. / Beroepsdifferentiatie in de tandheelkunde 13. Waar zijn angstige patienten het meest bang voor?

What are the dental stimuli and situations that are experienced as more or less fear provoking by anxious dental patients?To investigate this question, 81 highly anxious patients, who were referred to a centre of special dental care were presented with a list of 76 potentially fear provoking objects and situations. The results showed that invasive dental procedures are considered as most terrifying by anxious patients, and that stimuli related to the dental office (dental chair), the dental team (dentist) and their equipment (protecting clothes) are considered as least fear provoking. Root canal treatments were rated as most fear provoking. The results emphasize the importance of assessing the whole range of potentially terrifying stimuli for each anxious patient. Only in this way an approach focused on the extinction of patients' dental fear can be successful.

Significance of inducible defense-related proteins in infected plants.

Inducible defense-related proteins have been described in many plant species upon infection with oomycetes, fungi, bacteria, or viruses, or insect attack. Several types of proteins are common and have been classified into 17 families of pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs). Others have so far been found to occur more specifically in some plant species. Most PRs and related proteins are induced through the action of the signaling compounds salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, or ethylene, and possess antimicrobial activities in vitro through hydrolytic activities on cell walls, contact toxicity, and perhaps an involvement in defense signaling. However, when expressed in transgenic plants, they reduce only a limited number of diseases, depending on the nature of the protein, plant species, and pathogen involved. As exemplified by the PR-1 proteins in Arabidopsis and rice, many homologous proteins belonging to the same family are regulated developmentally and may serve different functions in specific organs or tissues. Several defense-related proteins are induced during senescence, wounding or cold stress, and some possess antifreeze activity. Many defense-related proteins are present constitutively in floral tissues and a substantial number of PR-like proteins in pollen, fruits, and vegetables can provoke allergy in humans. The evolutionary conservation of similar defense-related proteins in monocots and dicots, but also their divergent occurrence in other conditions, suggest that these proteins serve essential functions in plant life, whether in defense or not.

The arabidopsis ISR1 locus controlling rhizobacteria-mediated induced systemic resistance is involved in ethylene signaling.

In Arabidopsis, the rhizobacterial strain Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r triggers an induced systemic resistance (ISR) response that is effective against different types of pathogens. The ISR signaling pathway functions independent of salicylic acid, but requires responsiveness to jasmonate (JA) and ethylene. Using the genetic variability of ISR inducibility between Arabidopsis accessions, we recently identified a locus (ISR1) on chromosome III that is involved in ISR signaling. Accessions RLD and Wassilewskija (Ws) are recessive at the ISR1 locus and are, therefore, unable to develop ISR. Here we investigated whether the ISR1 locus is involved in JA or ethylene signaling. Compared with the ISR-inducible accession Columbia (Col), accessions RLD and Ws were not affected in JA-induced inhibition of root growth and expression of the JA-responsive gene Atvsp, suggesting that the ISR1 locus is not involved in JA signaling. However, RLD and Ws showed an affected expression of the triple response and a reduced expression of the ethylene responsive genes Hel and Pdf1.2 after exogenous application of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate. Moreover, in contrast to Col, RLD and Ws did not develop resistance against P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 after treatment of the leaves with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate. Analysis of the F(2) and F(3) progeny of a cross between Col (ISR1/ISR1) and RLD (isr1/isr1) revealed that reduced sensitivity to ethylene cosegregates with the recessive alleles of the ISR1 locus. These results suggest that the ISR1 locus encodes a component of the ethylene response, which is required for the expression of rhizobacteria-mediated ISR.

Electrical stunning and exsanguination decrease the extracellular volume in the broiler brain as studied with brain impendance recordings.

Electrical stunning in the process of slaughtering poultry is used to induce unconsciousness and immobilize the animal for easier processing. Unconsciousness is a function of brain damage. Brain damage has been studied with brain impedance recordings under ischemic conditions. This experiment studies brain impedance as a response to a general epileptiform insult caused by electrical stunning and ischemia caused by exsanguination. Brain impedance was recorded in 10 broiler chickens for each of three killing methods: whole body electrical stunning, which induces cardiac arrest; head only electrical stunning followed by exsanguination; and exsanguination without stunning. Brain impedance was converted into relative extracellular volume (ECV) values. Results showed that, immediately after electrical stunning, the ECV decreased 5.5% from base ECV. With exsanguination only, the ECV decreased from base ECV only after 4 min after neck cutting. The ECV decrease after 10 min did not differ between treatments. With a time of 228 s to reach one-half of the ECV decrease found at 10 min, electrical stunning resulted in a much faster change in ECV than exsanguination only (373 s). Within the head only stunning group, six animals showed a response similar to that found with whole body stunning; the other four animals responded similarly to the animals that were exsanguinated only. It was concluded that brain impedance recordings used with electrical stunning reflect brain damage. This damage was both epileptic and ischemic in nature. Whole body stunning induced immediate brain damage, suggesting that an adequate stun was delivered. The dual response found with head only stunning might indicate that this stunning method does not always produce an adequate stun.

Enhancement of induced disease resistance by simultaneous activation of salicylate- and jasmonate-dependent defense pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The plant-signaling molecules salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) play an important role in induced disease resistance pathways. Cross-talk between SA- and JA-dependent pathways can result in inhibition of JA-mediated defense responses. We investigated possible antagonistic interactions between the SA-dependent systemic acquired resistance (SAR) pathway, which is induced upon pathogen infection, and the JA-dependent induced systemic resistance (ISR) pathway, which is triggered by nonpathogenic Pseudomonas rhizobacteria. In Arabidopsis thaliana, SAR and ISR are effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens, including the foliar pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst). Simultaneous activation of SAR and ISR resulted in an additive effect on the level of induced protection against Pst. In Arabidopsis genotypes that are blocked in either SAR or ISR, this additive effect was not evident. Moreover, induction of ISR did not affect the expression of the SAR marker gene PR-1 in plants expressing SAR. Together, these observations demonstrate that the SAR and the ISR pathway are compatible and that there is no significant cross-talk between these pathways. SAR and ISR both require the key regulatory protein NPR1. Plants expressing both types of induced resistance did not show elevated Npr1 transcript levels, indicating that the constitutive level of NPR1 is sufficient to facilitate simultaneous expression of SAR and ISR. These results suggest that the enhanced level of protection is established through parallel activation of complementary, NPR1-dependent defense responses that are both active against Pst. Therefore, combining SAR and ISR provides an attractive tool for the improvement of disease control.

Behavioral responses of broilers to different gaseous atmospheres.

This study was conducted to determine the differences in behavioral response of broilers when they come into contact for the first time with gas mixtures that can be used for stunning. The six test groups were divided into four experimental groups that were exposed to gas mixtures used for stunning and two control groups that were exposed to atmospheric air. The different gas mixtures and their concentrations were a) air, no flow (control-); b) circulating air, flowing (control+); c) >90% Ar in air; d) 60% CO2 in air; e) 40% CO2 and 30% O2 in air; and f) 70% Ar and 30% CO2 in air. The behavior of the broilers before entering the gas tunnel, the number of birds that moved into the gas mixture, and the behavior in the gas mixture were recorded on video and analyzed afterward. No differences among the groups were observed in the number of broilers that walked into the gas tunnel or in the number of birds that tried to return to the cage. Exposure of broilers to the 70% Ar and 30% CO2 mixture resulted in the fastest loss of posture. The number of broilers exhibiting headshaking and gasping was least in the >90% Ar in air mixture. Convulsions were rarely seen in the 40% CO2 and 30% O2 mixture; the other gas mixtures resulted in severe convulsions. The experiment did not indicate that broilers could detect or avoid increased CO2 or decreased O2 levels when they come into contact with such atmospheres for the first time.

[Review of the production of ostrich meat]. / Overzicht van de productie van struisvogelvlees.

Ostrich meat was originally considered to be a by-product of the leather industry. Ostrich farming focused on the production of good quality hides and was mainly based on experience. Since a few years there has been a move from hide production to meat production; however, little is known about ostrich meat production which has consequences for legislation. There is insufficient knowledge about the factors influencing muscle growth. The strong growth of ostrich meat production in the EU member states should be discussed because the climatic conditions are not optimal and the price of the meat may remain high compared to meat of broilers, pigs, and cattle. Information programmes have to be set up for all members in the production chain. The present method for stunning of ostriches has to be changed in most slaughterhouses. In this study the effects of electrical and mechanical stunning on unconsciousness, duration of unconsciousness, behaviour, and meat quality parameters were examined. At least 500 mA is needed to stun ostriches effectively, and they can be killed using a short-stick interval or a long stunning duration. A modified captive needle pistol, using air pressure, is an alternative to electrical head-only stunning.

Rhizobacteria-mediated induced systemic resistance (ISR) in Arabidopsis is not associated with a direct effect on expression of known defense-related genes but stimulates the expression of the jasmonate-inducible gene Atvsp upon challenge.

Selected strains of nonpathogenic rhizobacteria from the genus Pseudomonas are capable of eliciting broad-spectrum induced systemic resistance (ISR) in plants that is phenotypically similar to pathogen-induced systemic acquired resistance (SAR). In Arabidopsis, the ISR pathway functions independently of salicylic acid (SA) but requires responsiveness to jasmonate and ethylene. Here, we demonstrate that known defense-related genes, i.e. the SA-responsive genes PR-1, PR-2, and PR-5, the ethylene-inducible gene Hel, the ethylene- and jasmonate-responsive genes ChiB and Pdf1.2, and the jasmonate-inducible genes Atvsp, Lox1, Lox2, Pall, and Pin2, are neither induced locally in the roots nor systemically in the leaves upon induction of ISR by Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r. In contrast, plants infected with the virulent leaf pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) or expressing SAR induced by preinfecting lower leaves with the avirulent pathogen Pst(avrRpt2) exhibit elevated expression levels of most of the defense-related genes studied. Upon challenge inoculation with Pst, PR gene transcripts accumulated to a higher level in SAR-expressing plants than in control-treated and ISR-expressing plants, indicating that SAR involves potentiation of SA-responsive PR gene expression. In contrast, pathogen challenge of ISR-expressing plants led to an enhanced level of Atvsp transcript accumulation. The otherjasmonate-responsive defense-related genes studied were not potentiated during ISR, indicating that ISR is associated with the potentiation of specific jasmonate-responsive genes.

Identification of a locus in arabidopsis controlling both the expression of rhizobacteria-mediated induced systemic resistance (ISR) and basal resistance against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato.

Selected nonpathogenic rhizobacteria with biological disease control activity are able to elicit an induced systemic resistance (ISR) response that is phenotypically similar to pathogen-induced systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Ten ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana were screened for their potential to express rhizobacteria-mediated ISR and pathogen-induced SAR against the leaf pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst). All ecotypes expressed SAR. However, of the 10 ecotypes tested, ecotypes RLD and Wassilewskija (Ws) did not develop ISR after treatment of the roots with nonpathogenic Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r bacteria. This nonresponsive phenotype was associated with relatively high susceptibility to Pst infection. The F1 progeny of crosses between the non-responsive ecotypes RLD and Ws on the one hand, and the responsive ecotypes Columbia (Col) and Landsberg erecta (Ler) on the other hand, were fully capable of expressing ISR and exhibited a relatively high level of basal resistance, similar to that of their WCS417r-responsive parent. This indicates that the potential to express ISR and the relatively high level of basal resistance against Pst are both inherited as dominant traits. Analysis of the F2 and F3 progeny of a Col x RLD cross revealed that inducibility of ISR and relatively high basal resistance against Pst cosegregate in a 3:1 fashion, suggesting that both resistance mechanisms are monogenically determined and genetically linked. Neither the responsiveness to WCS417r nor the relatively high level of basal resistance against Pst were complemented in the F1 progeny of crosses between RLD and Ws, indicating that RLD and Ws are both affected in the same locus, necessary for the expression of ISR and basal resistance against Pst. The corresponding locus, designated ISR1, was mapped between markers B4 and GL1 on chromosome 3. The observed association between ISR and basal resistance against Pst suggests that rhizobacteria-mediated ISR against Pst in Arabidopsis requires the presence of a single dominant gene that functions in the basal resistance response against Pst infection.

Systemic resistance in Arabidopsis induced by rhizobacteria requires ethylene-dependent signaling at the site of application.

Root colonization of Arabidopsis thaliana by the nonpathogenic, rhizosphere-colonizing, biocontrol bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417r has been shown to elicit induced systemic resistance (ISR) against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst). The ISR response differs from the pathogen-inducible systemic acquired resistance (SAR) response in that ISR is independent of salicylic acid and not associated with pathogenesis-related proteins. Several ethylene-response mutants were tested and showed essentially normal symptoms of Pst infection. ISR was abolished in the ethylene-insensitive mutant etr1-1, whereas SAR was unaffected. Similar results were obtained with the ethylene-insensitive mutants ein2 through ein7, indicating that the expression of ISR requires the complete signal-transduction pathway of ethylene known so far. The induction of ISR by WCS417r was not accompanied by increased ethylene production in roots or leaves, nor by increases in the expression of the genes encoding the ethylene biosynthetic enzymes 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase. The eir1 mutant, displaying ethylene insensitivity in the roots only, did not express ISR upon application of WCS417r to the roots, but did exhibit ISR when the inducing bacteria were infiltrated into the leaves. These results demonstrate that, for the induction of ISR, ethylene responsiveness is required at the site of application of inducing rhizobacteria.

The effects of captive bolt and electrical stunning, and restraining methods on broiler meat quality.

The effects of captive bolt stunning using air pressure, compared to electrical water bath stunning, on broiler carcass and meat quality were evaluated. The birds were shackled or placed in a cone. Two trials were conducted using a total of 160 female broilers. The four stunning-restraining treatments were whole-body electrical stunning (10 s, 110 mA, 300 Hz) in a water bath or air pressure stunning (0.5 s, 2 atm) while broilers were shackled by their feet or placed in a cone. Air pressure stunning caused a higher (P < 0.01) degree of convulsions and a lower (P < 0.01) degree of blood loss than electrical stunning, and reduced the prevalence of broken clavicles (P < 0.05) and coracoids (P < 0.01). Blood loss of shackled broilers was slightly higher (P < 0.05) than those restrained in a cone. Air pressure stunning resulted in significantly (P < 0.01) lower pH values and hemorrhaging in filets and thigh muscles than electrical stunning. The incidence of thigh muscle hemorrhaging was significantly (P < 0.01) reduced when broilers were restrained in a cone compared to being shackled. The stunning and restraining treatments did not result in differences in cooking losses. The filets from shackled birds were judged more tender than the filets from cone-restrained birds. With respect to the effect of stunning method, the filets of air pressure stunned birds was judged more tender than the meat from electrically stunned birds. Captive bolt stunning using air pressure has benefits over electrical stunning; however, a suitable stunning and restraining device remains to be developed.