Evaluation of the surface characteristics and antibacterial properties of Titanium dioxide nanotube and methacryloyloxyethylphosphorylcholine (MPC) coated orthodontic brackets-a comparative invitro study.

OBJECTIVES: White spot lesions are the most common iatrogenic effect observed during orthodontic treatment. This study aimed to compare the surface characteristics and antibacterial action of uncoated and coated orthodontic brackets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty commercially available stainless steel brackets were coated with TiO2 nanotubes and methacryloyloxyethylphosphorylcholine. The sample was divided into Group 1: uncoated orthodontic brackets, Group 2: Stainless steel brackets with TiO2 nanotubes coating, Group 3: Stainless steel brackets with methacryloyloxyethylphosphorylcholine coating, and Group 4: Stainless steel brackets with TiO2 nanotubes combined with methacryloyloxyethylphosphorylcholine coating. Surface characterization was assessed using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Streptococcus mutans was selected to test the antibacterial ability of the orthodontic brackets, total bacterial adhesion and bacterial viability were assessed. The brackets were subjected to scanning electron microscopy to detect the presence of biofilm. RESULTS: The surface roughness was the greatest in Group 1 and least in Group 2 followed by Group 4 and Group 3 coated brackets. The optical density values were highest in Group 1 and lowest in Group 4. Comparison of colony counts revealed high counts in Group 1 and low counts in Group 4. A positive correlation between surface roughness and colony counts was obtained, however, was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The coated orthodontic brackets exhibited less surface roughness than the uncoated orthodontic brackets. Group 4 coated orthodontic brackets showed the best antibacterial properties. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Coated orthodontic brackets prevent adhesion of streptococcus mutans and reduces plaque accumulation around the brackets thereby preventing formation of white spot lesions during orthodontic treatment.

Hacking Acute Care: A Qualitative Study on the Health Care Impacts of Ransomware Attacks Against Hospitals.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Cyberattacks are an increasing threat to health care institutions which potentially impair patient outcomes. Current research is limited and focuses mainly on the technical consequences, whereas little is known about health care staff experiences and the effect on emergency care. This study aimed to explore the acute care effect of several large ransomware attacks against hospitals that occurred in Europe and the United States between 2017 and 2022. METHODS: This interview-based qualitative study assessed the experiences of emergency health care professionals and information technology (IT) staff and investigated the challenges during the acute and recovery phase of hospital ransomware attacks. The semistructured interview guideline was based on relevant literature and cybersecurity expert consultation. Transcripts were anonymized, and traceable information regarding participants and/or their organizations was removed for privacy purposes. RESULTS: Nine participants were interviewed, including emergency health care providers and IT-focused staff. Five themes were constructed from the data: effects and challenges regarding patient care continuity, challenges during the recovery process, personal effect on health care staff, preparedness and lessons identified, and future recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: According to the participants of this qualitative study, ransomware attacks have a significant effect on emergency department workflow, acute care delivery, and the personal well-being of health care providers. Preparedness for such incidents is limited, and many challenges are encountered during the acute and recovery phase of attacks. Although there was profound hesitancy among hospitals to participate in this study, the limited number of participants provided valuable information that can be used to develop response strategies for hospital ransomware attacks.

In Vivo Visualization of Spontaneous Activity in Neonatal Mouse Sensory Cortex at a Single-neuron Resolution.

The mammalian brain undergoes dynamic developmental changes at both the cellular and circuit levels throughout prenatal and postnatal periods. Following the discovery of numerous genes contributing to these developmental changes, it is now known that neuronal activity also substantially modulates these processes. In the developing cerebral cortex, neurons exhibit synchronized activity patterns that are specialized to each primary sensory area. These patterns markedly differ from those observed in the mature cortex, emphasizing their role in regulating area-specific developmental processes. Deficiencies in neuronal activity during development can lead to various brain diseases. These findings highlight the need to examine the regulatory mechanisms underlying activity patterns in neuronal development. This paper summarizes a series of protocols to visualize primary sensory areas and neuronal activity in neonatal mice, to image the activity of individual neurons within the cortical subfields using two-photon microscopy in vivo, and to analyze subfield-related activity correlations. We show representative results of patchwork-like synchronous activity within individual barrels in the somatosensory cortex. We also discuss various potential applications and some limitations of this protocol.

Ras GTPase-activating proteins control neuronal circuit development in barrel cortex layer 4.

The cerebral cortex comprises a complex and exquisite network of neuronal circuits that is formed during development. To explore the molecular mechanisms involved in cortical circuit formation, the tactile somatosensory pathway that connects the whiskers and cortex of rodents is a useful model. Here, we analyzed the roles of Ras GTPase-activating proteins (RasGAPs) in the circuit formation in the somatosensory cortex layer 4 (L4). We suppressed the function of RasGAPs in L4 neurons using Supernova RNAi, a plasmid vector-based sparse cell gene knockdown (KD) system. The results showed disrupted dendritic pattern formation of L4 spiny stellate neurons on the barrel edge by RasGAP KD. Furthermore, the number of presynaptic boutons on L4 neurons was reduced by RasGAP KD. These results demonstrate the essential roles of RasGAPs in circuit formation in the cerebral cortex and imply that developmental changes in dendrites and synapses in RasGAP KD neurons may be related to cognitive disabilities in RasGAP-deficient individuals, such as patients with neurofibromatosis type 1.

How COVID-19 impacted surplus food redistribution in the Netherlands: An explorative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to food security globally. The Netherlands, despite its advanced stage of development, saw a surge in food insecurity among its most vulnerable citizens. Dutch food aid is managed by private charities and social organisations that often aim to address the problems of food insecurity and food waste by redistributing surplus food that is safe to consume. This paper investigates how the pandemic impacted surplus food redistribution in the country by employing an Exploratory-Descriptive-Qualitative approach. This is done by analysing data from interviews with relevant stakeholders involved in redistributing surplus food in the Netherlands as well as media reports on the topic. Our findings indicate that the interviewed organisations experienced drastic fluctuations in supply and demand. To cope with these changes, rapid organisational and supply chain innovation was observed. Next to this, there seems to have been disproportionate negative impact on smaller charities in comparison to bigger, better established organisations. Based on our findings, we discuss what the future of surplus food distribution in the Netherlands might look like and why changes made during the pandemic must be well documented and carefully analysed.

Let Them Eat Fish!-Exploring the Possibility of Utilising Unwanted Catch in Food Bank Parcels in The Netherlands.

The Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union was reformed in 2013 with the aim of improving the sustainability of the fishing sector. The Landing Obligation, a cornerstone of this reform, requires fishers to land their unwanted catch instead of discarding it at sea. Existing literature pays little attention to what becomes of this unwanted catch once it is landed. To further the discourse on the sustainable valorisation of unwanted catch, this study explores whether unwanted catch that is safe for human consumption could be used for improving food security. The paper focuses on Dutch food banks, which deliver critical food aid to over 160,000 individuals yearly but struggle to provide all dependant recipients with nutritionally balanced food parcels. The research question is addressed in two ways. The food bank recipients' willingness to consume UWC is evaluated quantitatively through a survey. Next to this, data from interviews with relevant stakeholders are analysed qualitatively. Results indicate that the Food Bank Foundation and its recipients are willing to receive this fish if it is safe to consume and accessible. However, various factors such as existing infrastructure, lack of economic incentive to donate, competition from non-food and black markets, and the fishing industry's conflict with the landing obligation might pose barriers to this kind of valorisation. The dissonance between fisheries, food, and sustainability policies is discussed and identified as a key limiting factor. To bridge the differences between these policy areas, we propose public-private partnerships and voluntary agreements among involved stakeholders.

NMDA Receptor Enhances Correlation of Spontaneous Activity in Neonatal Barrel Cortex.

Correlated spontaneous activity plays critical role in the organization of neocortical circuits during development. However, cortical mechanisms regulating activity correlation are still elusive. In this study, using two-photon calcium imaging of the barrel cortex layer 4 (L4) in living neonatal mice, we found that NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in L4 neurons are important for enhancement of spontaneous activity correlation. Disruption of GluN1 (Grin1), an obligatory NMDAR subunit, in a sparse population of L4 neurons reduced activity correlation between GluN1 knock-out (GluN1KO) neuron pairs within a barrel. This reduction in activity correlation was even detected in L4 neuron pairs in neighboring barrels and most evident when either or both of neurons are located on the barrel edge. Our results provide evidence for the involvement of L4 neuron NMDARs in spatial organization of the spontaneous firing activity of L4 neurons in the neonatal barrel cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Precise wiring of the thalamocortical circuits is necessary for proper sensory information processing, and thalamus-derived correlated spontaneous activity is important for thalamocortical circuit formation. The molecular mechanisms involved in the correlated activity transfer from the thalamus to the neocortex are largely unknown. In vivo two-photon calcium imaging of the neonatal barrel cortex revealed that correlated spontaneous activity between layer four neurons is reduced by mosaic knock-out (KO) of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) obligatory subunit GluN1. Our results suggest that the function of NMDARs in layer four neurons is necessary for the communication between presynaptic and postsynaptic partners during thalamocortical circuit formation.

Elucidating mechanisms of neuronal circuit formation in layer 4 of the somatosensory cortex via intravital imaging.

The cerebral cortex has complex yet perfectly wired neuronal circuits that are important for high-level brain functions such as perception and cognition. The rodent's somatosensory system is widely used for understanding the mechanisms of circuit formation during early developmental periods. In this review, we summarize the developmental processes of circuit formation in layer 4 of the somatosensory cortex, and we describe the molecules involved in layer 4 circuit formation and neuronal activity-dependent mechanisms of circuit formation. We also introduce the dynamic mechanisms of circuit formation in layer 4 revealed by intravital two-photon imaging technologies, which include time-lapse imaging of neuronal morphology and calcium imaging of neuronal activity in newborn mice.

Responses of He-Ne laser irradiation on agronomical characters and chlorogenic acid content of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) var. Mattu Gulla.

Exposure to laser irradiation on seeds brings about the changes in agronomical characteristics of the plants. Solanum melongena L. var. Mattu Gulla, a variety of brinjal is of high economic value due to its unique colour and flavour. The aim of the study was to understand the influence of Helium-Neon (He-Ne) laser irradiation on agronomical characters of Solanum melongena L. var. Mattu Gulla in the field conditions. Various growth characteristics including seed germination percentage, survival rate, plant height, number of branches, and flowers and fruits were estimated during different developmental stages of the brinjal. In addition, the chlorogenic acid content of fruits obtained from the laser irradiated seeds were quantified using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP- HPLC). The plants from the seeds irradiated with different doses (20, 25 and 30J/cm2) of He-Ne laser showed significant enhancement on the growth characteristics when compared to the non-irradiated control groups. He-Ne laser irradiation also improved the yield characteristics of the plants significantly in in vivo conditions in comparison with control group. 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed using methanolic extract of matured fruit of Mattu Gulla on HepG2 and fibroblast cell lines. The IC50 values of fruit extract from laser irradiated groups were found to be similar to non-irradiated control groups. Chlorogenic acid content was found to be higher in 20J/cm2 and lower in 30J/cm2 treated fruit tissue. The current study thus elucidates the role of He-Ne laser as a biostimulator on brinjal var. Mattu Gulla not only in the in vitro conditions but also in the in vivo field conditions.