Dental caries prevention in pediatric patients with molar incisor hypomineralization: a scoping review.

This scoping review aims to summarize the available evidence on strategies employed in preventing caries in patients with molar incisor hypo-mineralization (MIH). MIH refers to an enamel defect involving opacities, and sometimes post-eruptive degradation due to enamel porosity; resulting in outcomes ranging from a mild atypical caries to severe coronary destruction. A systematic review was conducted for literature in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Epistemonikos and Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud (LILACS). The search was aimed at studies published between January 2010 and February 2022. Data were independently selected and extracted. 989 studies were found from the systematic search and 8 studies met the eligibility criteria. Most studies evaluated remineralization and cariogenic risk, both of which are crucial elements in caries prevention, as well as decreased sensitivity. The included studies investigated fluoride varnish, dental sealants, giomers, casein, and Icon as preventative methods for dental caries. Several methods for preventing dental caries in paediatric patients with MIH exist, but more research is needed to determine their effectiveness and safety. Any preventive intervention should consider the etiological aspects of the disease, the risk of caries, the type and extent of lesions, hypersensitivity level and patient's age. Collaboration between patients and carers is critical for disease diagnosis and caries prevention.

Identification and Characterization of Potato Zebra Chip Resistance Among Wild Solanum Species.

Potato zebra chip (ZC) disease, associated with the uncultured phloem-limited bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso), is transmitted by the potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli. Potato ZC disease poses a significant threat to potato production worldwide. Current management practices mainly rely on the control of the psyllid to limit the spread of CLso. The present study investigated new sources of ZC resistance among wild Solanum species. A taxonomically diverse collection of tuber-bearing Solanum species was screened; one ZC-resistant accession and three ZC-tolerant accessions were identified among the 52 screened accessions. Further characterization of the resistant accession showed that the resistance was primarily associated with antibiosis effects due to differences in leaf trichome density and morphology of the wild accession, which could limit the psyllid feeding and oviposition. This germplasm offers a good resource for further understanding ZC and psyllid resistance mechanisms, contributing to potato breeding efforts to develop ZC resistance cultivars. Alternatively, it could be used as a potential trap crop to manage psyllid and control ZC disease.

Mapping consent practices for outpatient psychiatric use of ketamine.

BACKGROUND: Given increasing community-based and off-label use of ketamine for psychiatric indications, we examined current informed consent processes from a convenience sample of outpatient ketamine clinics to identify areas of congruence with current evidence and opportunities for growth. METHODS: Using a rubric developed from existing practice guidelines, we conducted an exploratory analysis of informed consent documents (IC-Docs) from 23 American clinics offering ketamine as a psychiatric treatment. Domains assessed included clinical content, procedures, and syntax. RESULTS: Participating clinics (23/288) varied widely in their constitution, training, and services provided. We found that IC-Docs addressed a majority of consent elements, though did so variably on an item-level. Areas for improvement included communication around long-term adverse effects, treatment alternatives, medical/psychiatric evaluation prior to treatment, medical/psychological support during treatment, adjunctive psychological interventions, and subjective/dissociative-type effects. All forms were limited by poor readability. LIMITATIONS: Our study was limited by convenience sampling along with possible underestimation of verbal consent processes. CONCLUSIONS: As ketamine continues to emerge as a psychiatric intervention, both patients and providers will benefit from a deliberate consent process informed by scientific, ethical, and pragmatic factors toward the goal of shared decision-making regarding treatment.

Toward Synergies of Ketamine and Psychotherapy.

Ketamine is a dissociative drug that has been used medically since the 1970s primarily as an anesthetic agent but also for various psychiatric applications. Anecdotal reports and clinical research suggest substantial potential for ketamine as a treatment in conjunction with psychological interventions. Here, we review historical and modern approaches to the use of ketamine with psychotherapy, discuss the clinical relevance of ketamine's acute psychoactive effects, propose a unique model for using esketamine (one isomeric form of ketamine) with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and suggest considerations for moving medication-assisted psychotherapy forward as a field.

Potato Zebra Chip: An Overview of the Disease, Control Strategies, and Prospects.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food crop worldwide. As the demand for fresh and processed potato products is increasing globally, there is a need to manage and control devastating diseases such as zebra chip (ZC). ZC disease causes major yield losses in many potato-growing regions and is associated with the fastidious, phloem-limited bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) that is vectored by the potato-tomato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli Sulc). Current management measures for ZC disease mainly focus on chemical control and integrated pest management strategies of the psyllid vector to limit the spread of CLso, however, they add to the costs of potato production. Identification and deployment of CLso and/or the psyllid resistant cultivars, in combination with integrated pest management, may provide a sustainable long-term strategy to control ZC. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the ZC disease, epidemiology, current management strategies, and potential new approaches to manage ZC disease in the future.

A Sugarcane G-Protein-Coupled Receptor, ShGPCR1, Confers Tolerance to Multiple Abiotic Stresses.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a prominent source of sugar and serves as bioenergy/biomass feedstock globally. Multiple biotic and abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, and cold, adversely affect sugarcane yield. G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are components of G-protein-mediated signaling affecting plant growth, development, and stress responses. Here, we identified a GPCR-like protein (ShGPCR1) from sugarcane and energy cane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) and characterized its function in conferring tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses. ShGPCR1 protein sequence contained nine predicted transmembrane (TM) domains connected by four extracellular and four intracellular loops, which could interact with various ligands and heterotrimeric G proteins in the cells. ShGPCR1 sequence displayed other signature features of a GPCR, such as a putative guanidine triphosphate (GTP)-binding domain, as well as multiple myristoylation and protein phosphorylation sites, presumably important for its biochemical function. Expression of ShGPCR1 was upregulated by drought, salinity, and cold stresses. Subcellular imaging and calcium (Ca2+) measurements revealed that ShGPCR1 predominantly localized to the plasma membrane and enhanced intracellular Ca2+ levels in response to GTP, respectively. Furthermore, constitutive overexpression of ShGPCR1 in sugarcane conferred tolerance to the three stressors. The stress-tolerance phenotype of the transgenic lines corresponded with activation of multiple drought-, salinity-, and cold-stress marker genes, such as Saccharum spp. LATE EMBRYOGENESIS ABUNDANT, DEHYDRIN, DROUGHT RESPONSIVE 4, GALACTINOL SYNTHASE, ETHYLENE RESPONSIVE FACTOR 3, SALT OVERLY SENSITIVE 1, VACUOLAR Na+/H+ ANTIPORTER 1, NAM/ATAF1/2/CUC2, COLD RESPONSIVE FACTOR 2, and ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE 3. We suggest that ShGPCR1 plays a key role in conferring tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, and the engineered lines may be useful to enhance sugarcane production in marginal environments with fewer resources.

A biolistic-based genetic transformation system applicable to a broad-range of sugarcane and energycane varieties.

Sugarcane and energycane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) are prominent sources of sugar, ethanol, as well as high-value bioproducts globally. Genetic analysis for trait improvement of sugarcane is greatly hindered by its complex genome, limited germplasm resources, long breeding cycle, as well as recalcitrance to genetic transformation. Here, we present a biolistic-based transformation and bioreactor-based micro-propagation system that has been utilized successfully to transform twelve elite cane genotypes, yielding transformation efficiencies of up to 39%. The system relies on the generation of embryogenic callus from sugarcane and energycane apical shoot tissue, followed by DNA bombardment of embryogenic leaf roll discs (approximately one week) or calli (approximately 4 weeks). We present optimal criteria and practices for selection and regeneration of independent transgenic lines, molecular characterization, as well as a bioreactor-based micro-propagation technique, which can aid in rapid multiplication and analysis of transgenic lines. The cane transformation and micro-propagation system described here, although built on our previous protocols, has significantly accelerated the process of producing and multiplying transgenic material, and it is applicable to other varieties. The system is highly reproducible and has been successfully used to engineer multiple commercial sugarcane and energycane varieties. It will benefit worldwide researchers interested in genomics and genetics of sugarcane photosynthesis, cell wall, and bioenergy related traits.

Cold Responsive Gene Expression Profiling of Sugarcane and Saccharum spontaneum with Functional Analysis of a Cold Inducible Saccharum Homolog of NOD26-Like Intrinsic Protein to Salt and Water Stress.

Transcriptome analysis of sugarcane hybrid CP72-1210 (cold susceptible) and Saccharum spontaneum TUS05-05 (cold tolerant) using Sugarcane Assembled Sequences (SAS) from SUCEST-FUN Database showed that a total of 35,340 and 34,698 SAS genes, respectively, were expressed before and after chilling stress. The analysis revealed that more than 600 genes are differentially expressed in each genotype after chilling stress. Blast2Go annotation revealed that the major difference in gene expression profiles between CP72-1210 and TUS05-05 after chilling stress are present in the genes related to the transmembrane transporter activity. To further investigate the relevance of transmembrane transporter activity against abiotic stress tolerance, a S. spontaneum homolog of a NOD26-like major intrinsic protein gene (SspNIP2) was selected for functional analysis, of which expression was induced after chilling stress in the cold tolerant TUS05-05. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that SspNIP2 expression was increased ~2.5 fold at 30 minutes after cold treatment and stayed induced throughout the 24 hours of cold treatment. The amino acid sequence analysis of the cloned SspNIP2 confirmed the presence of six transmembrane domains and two NPA (Asn-Pro-Ala) motifs, signature features of major intrinsic protein families. Amino acid analysis confirmed that four amino acids, comprising the ar/R (aromatic residue/arginine) region responsible for the substrate specificity among MIPs, are conserved among monocot silicon transporters and SspNIP2. Salinity stress test on SspNIP2 transgenic tobacco plants resulted in more vigorous transgenic lines than the non-transgenic tobacco plants, suggesting some degree of tolerance to salt stress conferred by SspNIP2. SspNIP2-transgenic plants, exposed to 2 weeks of water stress without irrigation, developed various degrees of water stress symptom. The water stress test confirmed that the SspNIP2 transgenic lines had lower evapotranspiration rates than non-transgenic lines, suggesting that SspNIP2 transgenic lines showed a slight tolerance to the early water stress compared to wild type plants.