Thoracic aortic iIntra-mural haematoma progression to dissection demonstrated on multi-slice CT imaging: don't forget the follow-up scan!
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Aorta, Thoracic↗
Biomedical subjects
S J Robinson
Publications and source records attributed to S J Robinson.
2nd to 4th digit ratio and a universal mean for prenatal testosterone in homosexual men.
Male homosexuals are said to have experienced high prenatal testosterone, and testosterone may have deleterious effects on the immune system. The question of the prenatal androgen status of male homosexuals is therefore of importance. There is evidence that the relative length of the 2nd and 4th digit (2D:4D) is negatively correlated with prenatal testosterone. We review the available literature, and provide further data on 2D:4D in male heterosexuals and homosexuals. Normative values of male mean 2D:4D ratio vary between 0.94 to 1.00 across populations. However, mean 2D:4D ratio is relatively constant among male homosexuals from different populations, with a mean of 0.96 to 0.97. Therefore homosexuals appear to be more androgenised (lower 2D:4D) than heterosexuals in some populations, while in others they appear to be less androgenised (higher 2D:4D) than heterosexuals. Speculations regarding the effect of early sex steroids on the health of male homosexuals should therefore focus on the effects of prenatal testosterone levels associated with 2D:4D ratios of between 0.96 and 0.97.
Female↗
What causes inefficient transmission of male-killing Wolbachia in Drosophila?
Selfish genetic elements that distort the sex ratio are common in arthropods. Theory predicts they will invade and spread to fixation if they are vertically transmitted with perfect fidelity, potentially leading to host extinction. For inherited microorganisms that distort the sex ratio, inefficient vertical transmission or incomplete sex ratio distorting ability is required for host persistence. However, the relative roles of genetic and environmental factors in permitting the survival of male hosts and preventing parasite transmission are poorly understood. We examined the causes of transmission infidelity and male survival for a male-killing Wolbachia strain in Drosophila bifasciata. Under standard laboratory conditions (18 degrees C), in its standard genetic background, males are produced very rarely, and no case of reversion has been observed in 20 generations of laboratory rearing. To investigate the role of host genetic factors, Wolbachia was crossed into 27 different inbred lines of D. bifasciata, but in no case was reversion observed at preferred environmental temperatures. The role of elevated temperature in inducing inefficient transmission was examined. Whilst vertical transmission was perfect over three generations of maintenance at 23.5 degrees, transmission infidelity was observed at 25 degrees. We conclude that there is no evidence for the presence of either fixed or polymorphic host genes that repress transmission at standard environmental temperatures. However, severe temperature treatment does make vertical transmission imperfect. We suggest that the case of Wolbachia in D. bifasciata is one that is naturally balanced, the population being maintained polymorphic without the evolution of host resistance genes.
Animals↗
Patient education initiatives at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.
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Canada↗
Stress distribution in the single-unit osseointegrated dental implant: finite element analyses of axial and off-axial loading.
Occlusal overload may contribute to the extensive crestal bone loss often noted around late-failure dental implants. A particularly high risk of traumatic overload occurs with the posterior single-unit implant restoration because the restoration itself is usually wider than the implant, creating the potential for a cantilever effect with high bending moments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the simulated effects of axial and off-axial vertical loads on stress gradients at the implant/bone interface of a single-unit osseointegrated root-form endosseous dental implant. A two-dimensional finite element model was generated. A 490-N load was applied at 0, 2, 4, and 6 mm from the vertical axis of the implant. Off-axis loading resulted in greatly increased compressive stresses within the crestal cortical bone on the side to which the load was applied and similarly increased tensile stresses on the side opposite the load. These stresses increased considerably with each mm increase off axis of the applied load. These data suggest that off-axis loading of single-unit implant restorations provides a significant contribution to increased stresses at the implant/cortical bone interface. The distance off axis at which the load is applied is also significant.
Bite Force↗
Starvation resistance and adult body composition in a latitudinal cline of Drosophila melanogaster.
Latitudinal geographic variation in Drosophila melanogaster is pervasive. Parallel clines in traits such as body size, egg size, ovariole number, and development time have been found on several continents throughout the world. However, a cline in starvation resistance and fat content in D. melanogaster has so far been found only in India. Here we investigate starvation resistance and fat content in 10 populations from South America, in which clines in body size, egg size, and development time have previously been found. We find no evidence for a cline in starvation resistance or fat content in South America. We therefore suggest that the cline in starvation resistance in India may have evolved in response to specific climatic variation found only in India.
Animals↗
Agape and moral meaning in pastoral counseling.
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Child↗
Body composition of preterm infants during infancy.
AIMS: To examine body composition in preterm infants. METHODS: Body composition was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at hospital discharge, term, 12 weeks, and at 6 and 12 months corrected age in 125 infants (birthweight < or = 1750 g, gestational age < or = 34 weeks). RESULTS: Body weight derived by DEXA accurately predicted that determined by conventional scales. In both sexes lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM), %FM, bone area (BA), bone mineral mass (BMM), and bone mineral density (BMD) increased rapidly during the study; significant changes were detectable between discharge and term. At 12 months, LM, BA, and BMM, but not FM, %FM, or BMD were greater in boys than in girls. Corrected for age, LM was less than those of the reference term infant; FM and %FM were similar; BMM was greater. Corrected for weight, LM was similar to those of the reference infant, while the FM and %FM of study infants were slightly greater. CONCLUSIONS: DEXA accurately measures body mass. Body composition in preterm boys and girls differs. Interpretation of DEXA values may depend on whether age or body weight are regarded as the appropriate reference.
Absorptiometry, Photon↗
A TEM study of two water-based adhesive systems bonded to dry and wet dentin.
To keep the exposed collagen scaffold penetrable to resin, it has been recommended that the conditioned dentin surface be maintained in a visibly moist condition, a clinical technique commonly referred to as wet bonding. In this study, resin-dentin interfaces produced with two water-based adhesive systems--OptiBond (OPTI, Kerr) and Scotchbond Multi-Purpose (SBMP, 3M)--were compared by transmission electron microscopy, following the application of either a dry- or a wet-bonding technique. The hypothesis advanced was that the ultramorphology of the hybrid layer would differ depending on which bonding method was applied. A morphologically well-organized hybrid layer of collagen fibrils intermingled with resin in tiny interfibrillar channels was consistently formed by the OPTI system. The SBMP system was found to produce a hybrid layer with a more variable ultrastructure, less distinctly outlined collagen fibrils, and a characteristic electron-dense phase located at its surface. No major differences in hybrid layer ultrastructure were observed when the two adhesive systems investigated were bonded to either dry or wet dentin. When the adhesives were dry-bonded, no ultrastructural evidence of collapsed demineralized collagen, incompletely or not at all infiltrated by resin, could be detected. In addition, when the two adhesives were bonded to wet dentin, no signs of overwetting phenomena, that would have indicated that water was ineffectively removed, were apparent. It has been hypothesized that the amount of water provided with the hydrophilic primer solution of either of the two adhesive systems investigated suffices to re-hydrate and re-expand the gently air-dried and collapsed collagen network. Further research should be directed to determine whether this hypothesized self-rewetting effect can be extrapolated to other adhesive systems that provide water-based primers.
Adhesives↗
Feeding preterm infants after hospital discharge: effect of dietary manipulation on nutrient intake and growth.
The objective of this study was to compare formula intake, the time of weaning, and growth in preterm infants (< or = 1750-g birth weight, < or = 34-wk gestation) fed a standard term or preterm infant formula after initial hospital discharge. Infants were randomized at hospital discharge to be fed a preterm infant formula from discharge to 6 mo corrected age (group A), a term formula from discharge to 6 mo (group B), or the preterm formula (discharge to term) and the term formula (term to 6 mo (group C). Infants were seen biweekly (discharge to term) and monthly (term to 6 mo), when intake was measured and anthropometry and blood sampling were performed. The results were analyzed using ANOVA. Although nutrient intake was similar, at 6 mo girls were lighter (6829 versus 7280 g) and shorter (64.4 versus 66.0 cm) than boys (p < 0.05). Patient characteristics were similar between the treatment groups. Although the volume of intake differed (B > C > A; p < 0.001), energy intake was similar in the groups. Because of differences in formula composition, protein, calcium, and phosphorus intakes differed (B < C < A; p < 0.001). Lower protein intakes were related to lower blood urea nitrogen levels (B < C < A; p < 0.001). At 6 mo, infant boys in B and C were lighter (6933, 6660 < 7949 g), shorter (65.3, 64.9 < 67.1 cm), and had a smaller head circumference (43.7, 43.7 < 44.8 cm; p < 0.05) than infants in group A. Preterm infants were found to increase their volume of intake to compensate for differences in energy density between formulas. After hospital discharge, infant boys fed a preterm formula grew faster than infant girls fed a preterm formula or infant boys fed a term formula.
Blood Urea Nitrogen↗
Epoxy-embedded versus nonembedded TEM examination of the resin-dentin interface.
When transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used to evaluate resin-dentin interface specimens for completeness of hybridization, the epoxy resin embedding medium that normally facilitates ultrathin sectioning may produce a secondary or artifactual hybrid layer. This secondary hybrid layer, composed of epoxy resin rather than adhesive resin, may fill the pores that remain as evidence of incomplete resin infiltration, obscuring the fact that they ever existed. In this study, resin-dentin interfaces produced by two dentin adhesive systems, Optibond (OPTI, Kerr) and Scotchbond Multi-Purpose (SBMP, 3M), were comparatively investigated by TEM in epoxy-embedded and nonembedded nondemineralized sections. The hypothesis advanced was that no difference in ultramorphology of the hybrid layer would result from either specimen preparation method. The two adhesive systems were applied to four mid-coronal dentin disks per manufacturer's instructions. One half of each sample was processed following common procedures for TEM sample preparation with epoxy embedding, whereas the other half was not embedded but instead immersed in hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), dried and mounted so that it protruded from a base of cold-cure acrylic resin. Each sample was then sectioned using a diamond knife in an ultramicrotome. With either means of preparation, a hybrid layer with a relatively uniform electron density and a loose collagen fibril arrangement with electron lucent interfibrillar channels was formed by OPTI. At the base of the hybrid layer, collagen fibrils were anchored in the underlying unaffected dentin, and no microporosities or gaps were observed. Similarly, whether SBMP was embedded or nonembedded, it was found to have a hybrid layer of variable electron density and an electron dense phase localized at the surface of the hybrid layer. No porosities were evident at the base of the hybrid layer. Thus, with either of the two adhesive systems, no ultrastructural difference in hybrid layer formation was observed between epoxy-embedded and nonembedded sections, and no direct evidence of ineffective resin-infiltration of the demineralized collagen scaffold was found.
Acid Etching, Dental↗
Current concepts on adhesion to dentin.
This review examines fundamental concepts in bonding to dentin. Emphasis is placed on the structure and permeability characteristics of dentin and how they may influence its interaction with adhesive resin. Several new techniques to examine the interfaces between resin and dentin are reviewed along with some of their limitations. The advantages and disadvantages of acid etchants/conditioners vs. self-etching conditioners/primers are discussed. The problems of matching the surface tension of resin-bonding systems to the surface energy of the substrate are reviewed in terms of wetting the various components of dentin. The problems associated with matching the permeability of intertubular dentin to the diffusibility of bonding reagents are explored. Speculation is advanced on how to ensure polymerization and wetting of dentinal collagen. Theoretical problems associated with dentin bonding and with bond testing are reviewed to encourage future research in this rapidly developing area.
Adhesives↗
Correlative transmission electron microscopy examination of nondemineralized and demineralized resin-dentin interfaces formed by two dentin adhesive systems.
The resin-dentin interface formed by two dentin adhesives, Optibond (OPTI, Kerr) and Scotchbond Multi-Purpose (SBMP, 3M), was ultramorphologically examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ultrastructural information from nondemineralized and demineralized sections was correlated. It was hypothesized that the different chemical formulations of the two adhesives would result in a different morphological appearance of the hybrid layer. Ultrastructural TEM examination proved that each of the two dentin adhesive systems was able to establish a micromechanical bond between dentin and resin with the formation of a hybrid layer. However, the interfacial hybridization process that took place to produce this resin-dentin bond appeared to be specifically related to the chemical composition and application modes of both systems. OPTI consistently presented with a hybrid layer with a relatively uniform ultrastructure, electron density, and acid resistance. These three parameters were found to be more variable for the hybrid layer formed by SBMP. Characteristic of SBMP was the identification of an amorphous phase deposited at the outer surface of the hybrid layer. Although both adhesive systems investigated follow a total-etch concept, their specific chemical formulations result in different interfacial ultrastructures that are probably related to different underlying bonding mechanisms. The clinical significance of these morphological findings, however, is still unknown.
Acid Etching, Dental↗
Quantitative analysis of the dentin adhesive interface by Auger spectroscopy.
The ultimate success of a dentin adhesive bond is dependent in large part on specific conditions at the interface between the tooth and the adhesive. Most current dentin adhesive systems use some sort of pre-treatment to demineralize the first few microns of the dentin surface, leaving a meshwork of collagen into which the adhesive resin can penetrate, infiltrate, and polymerize. The general hypothesis tested in this experiment was that the penetration and distribution of adhesive resin into the demineralized zone are a function of the conditioner used as a pre-treatment for the adhesive application. Four commercially available adhesive systems were modified to incorporate hydroxyethylthiomethacrylate (HETMA), a sulfur-substituted, traceable analogue of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA), thereby allowing for a qualitative measurement of the amount and distribution of monomer in the treated dentin substrate by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and a quantitative measurement by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The dentin pre-treatments investigated were: (1) 10% citric acid/3% ferric chloride, (2) 10% maleic acid, (3) 2.5% nitric acid, and (4) an alcoholic solution of HEMA with a phosphorus acid ester. These pre-treatments were applied to freshly extracted teeth that had been sectioned to expose the dentin and ground to simulate the smeared layer. After the appropriate pre-treatment was applied, a 10% (v/v) solution of HETMA in acetone was applied to the surface, followed by the corresponding adhesive resin, which was then polymerized. The samples were then processed for observation by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), AES, and STEM/EDS analysis. The results indicated significant differences in the ability of HETMA to penetrate the dentin surface conditioned by the four pretreatments investigated here. This study also demonstrated that AES and STEM/EDS could be used in a correlative fashion to determine the distribution of HETMA within or adjacent to the treated dentin surface.
Dentin-Bonding Agents↗
Motility, acrosome integrity and fertility of frozen ram spermatozoa treated with caffeine, pentoxifylline, cAMP, 2-deoxyadenosine and kallikrein.
The motility, acrosome integrity and fertility of ram spermatozoa were examined after treatment with five compounds (caffeine, pentoxifylline, cAMP, 2-deoxyadenosine and kallikrein). Semen was extended with a Tris-based medium and frozen in pellet form. The compounds were added at various concentrations to the semen before freezing or after thawing. Motility and acrosome characteristics were assessed over a 6-h post-thaw period of incubation at 37 degrees C. Of the five compounds examined, only pentoxifylline, when added after thawing, stimulated motility but had not effect on the acrosome integrity of spermatozoa. Pregnancy rates for ewes inseminated in the uterus with semen treated after thawing with Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, control) or PBS containing pentoxifylline (15 mM in the thawed semen), were 16/39 (41%) and 22/42 (52%) respectively. Motility characteristics of spermatozoa assessed by image analysis (Hamilton-Thorne analyser) were initially better after treatment of thawed semen with pentoxifylline than with PBS ("percent motility', "percent progressive motility', "percent rapid', "percent moderate' and "percent static', P < 0.01 or P < 0.001), but there was a greater deterioration in these characteristics during post-thaw incubation in semen treated with pentoxifylline than in the controls. The deterioration in motility characteristics occurred within 4 h of thawing and this may have been responsible for the modest improvement in fertility of spermatozoa treated with pentoxifylline.
Acrosome↗
Scanning transmission electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis of the dentin adhesive interface using a labeled 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate analogue.
In an attempt to compare the morphology of the dentin adhesive interface and the wetting and penetration of the adhesive in relation to the dentin surface, we studied four dentin adhesive systems using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). 2-Hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA), a monomer common to many commercial dentin adhesive systems, was altered to produce a thiolated analogue (HETMA). Sulfur, traceable by EDS and STEM, was substituted for the oxygen atom in the backbone of the HEMA molecule. The resulting analogue, with solubility parameters and other wetting and physical properties very similar to those of HEMA, was applied to four sets of tooth specimens, each pre-treated with a different primer or etchant. Three separate pre-treatments--nitric acid, maleic acid, and citric acid/ferric chloride--created a demineralized zone approximately 1 to 3 microns thick at the dentin surface. The HETMA was found to permeate freely into this zone when either of the latter two pre-treatments was used. However, the band of dentin that was demineralized by the nitric acid pre-treatment appeared impermeable to the HETMA. The fourth pre-treatment, an alcohol-based solution including the phosphorus acid ester PENTA and HEMA, modified the smear layer of the tooth slightly and did not appear to demineralize the dentin. HETMA applied to the specimens pre-treated with PENTA and HEMA was clearly in intimate contact with the dentin or modified smear layer; however, it did not penetrate or diffuse into these areas. It did flow into the dentinal tubules, as was also evident with each of the other systems. It was concluded that the acid pre-treatment of the dentin greatly influenced the wetting behavior of the dentin adhesive and thus could substantially affect the resultant bond strength of the dentin adhesive systems.
Acid Etching, Dental↗
Molecular diversity at the self-incompatibility locus is a salient feature in natural populations of wild tomato (Lycopersicon peruvianum).
A cDNA encoding a stylar protein was cloned from flowers of self-incompatible wild tomato (Lycopersicon peruvianum). The corresponding gene was mapped to the S locus, which is responsible for self-incompatibility. The nucleotide sequence was determined for this allele, and compared to other S-related sequences in the Solanaceae. The S allele was used to probe DNA from 92 plants comprising 10 natural populations of Lycopersicon peruvianum. Hybridization was conducted under moderate and permissive stringencies in order to detect homologous sequences. Few alleles were detected, even under permissive conditions, underscoring the great sequence diversity at this locus. Those alleles that were detected are highly homologous. Sequences could not be detected in self-incompatible Nicotiana alata, self-compatible L. esculentum (cultivated tomato) or self-compatible L. hirsutum. However, hybridization to an individual of self-incompatible L. hirsutum revealed a closely related sequence that maps to the S locus in this reproductively isolated species. This supports the finding that S locus polymorphism predates speciation. The extraordinarily high degree of sequence diversity present in the gametophytic self-incompatibility system is discussed in the context of other highly divergent systems representing several kingdoms.
Alleles↗