Decalcifying efficacy of different irrigating solutions: effect of cetrimide addition.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate and compare the influence of cetrimide on decalcifying capability of different irrigating solutions. Fifteen maxillary central incisor teeth has been collected. The canals were prepared in order to obtain four samples from each root. The specimens were randomly divided into 6 experimental groups (n=10) according to tested irrigating agents. Irrigating agents consisted in different composition of EDTA and citric acid solutions, addicted or not with cetrimide. Each specimen was submitted to three successive 5-min immersions in each solution. After exposures, the concentration of Ca2+ extracted was measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Data were analysed by means of Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney tests. Significance was predetermined at p < 0.05. For all irrigants, the amounts of Ca2+ extracted from root canal dentin samples at 10 minutes were not significantly different from values reported after 15 minutes respectively. Therefore, for all irrigants tested, 10 minutes of application are sufficient to obtain maximum Ca2+ release. Moreover citric acid based agents observed a higher release of Ca2+. The addition of cetrimide did not affect the decalcifying capability of the EDTA and citric acid solutions.

The ecological and genetic basis of convergent thick-lipped phenotypes in cichlid fishes.

The evolution of convergent phenotypes is one of the most interesting outcomes of replicate adaptive radiations. Remarkable cases of convergence involve the thick-lipped phenotype found across cichlid species flocks in the East African Great Lakes. Unlike most other convergent forms in cichlids, which are restricted to East Africa, the thick-lipped phenotype also occurs elsewhere, for example in the Central American Midas Cichlid assemblage. Here, we use an ecological genomic approach to study the function, the evolution and the genetic basis of this phenotype in two independent cichlid adaptive radiations on two continents. We applied phylogenetic, demographic, geometric morphometric and stomach content analyses to an African (Lobochilotes labiatus) and a Central American (Amphilophus labiatus) thick-lipped species. We found that similar morphological adaptations occur in both thick-lipped species and that the 'fleshy' lips are associated with hard-shelled prey in the form of molluscs and invertebrates. We then used comparative Illumina RNA sequencing of thick vs. normal lip tissue in East African cichlids and identified a set of 141 candidate genes that appear to be involved in the morphogenesis of this trait. A more detailed analysis of six of these genes led to three strong candidates: Actb, Cldn7 and Copb. The function of these genes can be linked to the loose connective tissue constituting the fleshy lips. Similar trends in gene expression between African and Central American thick-lipped species appear to indicate that an overlapping set of genes was independently recruited to build this particular phenotype in both lineages.

Ecology of the scorpion, Microtityus jaumei in Sierra de Canasta, Cuba.

An assessment of the population dynamics of Microtityus jaumei Armas (Scorpiones: Buthidae) on the slopes south of Sierra de Canasta, Guantánamo Province, Cuba show an increase in activity over the year (≤ 0.05). The activity peak is related to the reproductive period from June to November. The abundance of scorpions was significantly related to density of the canopy and thickness of the substrate.