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Journal of Taibah University Medical... Jun 2024With the advancements in dental science and the growing need for improved dental health, it has become imperative to develop new implant materials which possess better... (Review)
Review
With the advancements in dental science and the growing need for improved dental health, it has become imperative to develop new implant materials which possess better geometrical, mechanical, and physical properties. The oral environment is a corrosive environment and the relative motion between the teeth also makes the environment more hostile. Therefore, the combined corrosion and tribology commonly known as tribocorrosion of implants needs to be studied. The complex shapes of the dental implants and the high-performance requirements of these implants make manufacturing difficult by conventional manufacturing processes. With the advent of additive manufacturing or 3D-printing, the development of implants has become easy. However, the various requirements such as surface roughness, mechanical strength, and corrosion resistance further make the manufacturing of implants difficult. The current paper reviews the various studies related to3D-printed implants. Also, the paper tries to highlight the role of 3D-Printing can play in the area of dental implants. Further studies both experimental and numerical are needed to devise optimized conditions for 3D-printing implants to develop implants with improved mechanical, corrosion, and biological properties.
PubMed: 38807965
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2024.05.004 -
Scientific Reports May 2024Members of the family Trichomeriaceae, belonging to the Chaetothyriales order and the Ascomycota phylum, are known for their capability to inhabit hostile environments...
Members of the family Trichomeriaceae, belonging to the Chaetothyriales order and the Ascomycota phylum, are known for their capability to inhabit hostile environments characterized by extreme temperatures, oligotrophic conditions, drought, or presence of toxic compounds. The genus Knufia encompasses many polyextremophilic species. In this report, the genomic and morphological features of the strain FJI-L2-BK-P2 presented, which was isolated from the Mars 2020 mission spacecraft assembly facility located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The identification is based on sequence alignment for marker genes, multi-locus sequence analysis, and whole genome sequence phylogeny. The morphological features were studied using a diverse range of microscopic techniques (bright field, phase contrast, differential interference contrast and scanning electron microscopy). The phylogenetic marker genes of the strain FJI-L2-BK-P2 exhibited highest similarities with type strain of Knufia obscura (CBS 148926) that was isolated from the gas tank of a car in Italy. To validate the species identity, whole genomes of both strains (FJI-L2-BK-P2 and CBS 148926) were sequenced, annotated, and strain FJI-L2-BK-P2 was confirmed as K. obscura. The morphological analysis and description of the genomic characteristics of K. obscura FJI-L2-BK-P2 may contribute to refining the taxonomy of Knufia species. Key morphological features are reported in this K. obscura strain, resembling microsclerotia and chlamydospore-like propagules. These features known to be characteristic features in black fungi which could potentially facilitate their adaptation to harsh environments.
Topics: Phylogeny; Mars; Spacecraft; Ascomycota; Genome, Fungal; Genomics
PubMed: 38806503
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61115-1 -
International Journal of Qualitative... Dec 2024In 2017, the Gulf crisis led to a blockade that severely restricted Qatar's air, land, and sea access. This political crisis had far-reaching consequences, particularly...
In 2017, the Gulf crisis led to a blockade that severely restricted Qatar's air, land, and sea access. This political crisis had far-reaching consequences, particularly affecting cross-national families and children. This qualitative analysis explores the effects of the blockade's political instability on individuals and families, specifically for Qatari citizens married to non-Qatari spouses and their cross-national children. Applying the General Aggression Model and Social Learning Theory, we interviewed 24 individuals residing in Qatar from nations directly affected by the crisis (Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). Two main themes emerged: first, the characteristics of aggressive and bullying behaviour, and second, the impacts on the well-being of cross-national families. The results showed that Qatari women and their children suffered disproportionately due to gender-based citizenship rights issues. The impacts on their well-being included heightened anxiety, depression, feelings of danger, uncertainty, and division within individuals, families, and communities. Recommendations include increasing collaborative efforts between governments, educational institutions, and community-based organizations, which are crucial to addressing aggressive and bullying behaviour across all age groups fostering a more harmonious and resilient society.
Topics: Humans; Bullying; Qatar; Female; Aggression; Male; Adult; Politics; Hostility; Middle Aged; Qualitative Research; Child; Young Adult; Anxiety; Depression; Adolescent
PubMed: 38803196
DOI: 10.1080/17482631.2024.2359267 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... May 2024serovar Typhimurium causes acute diarrhea upon oral infection in humans. The harsh and proteolytic environment found in the gastrointestinal tract is the first obstacle...
UNLABELLED
serovar Typhimurium causes acute diarrhea upon oral infection in humans. The harsh and proteolytic environment found in the gastrointestinal tract is the first obstacle that these bacteria face after infection. However, the mechanisms that allow to survive the hostile conditions of the gut are poorly understood. The gene is found in an extensive range of known phyla of bacteria and it encodes a protein that has been shown to inhibit serine proteases. Thus, in the present work we studied the role of of Typhimurium in host-pathogen interactions. We found that Typhimurium Δ strain exhibited lower inflammation in a murine model of induced colitis. The Δ mutant was more susceptible to the action of pancreatin and purified pancreatic elastase. In addition, the lack of led to impaired adhesion to Caco-2 and HT-29 cell lines, related to the proteolytic activity of brush border enzymes. Besides, Δ showed higher susceptibility to lysosomal proteolytic content and intracellular replication defects in macrophages. In addition, we found Ecotin to have a crucial role in against the microbicide action of granules released and neutrophil extracellular traps from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Thus, the work presented here highlights the importance of in as countermeasures against the host proteolytic defense system.
IMPORTANCE
The gastrointestinal tract is a very complex and harsh environment. is a successful food borne pathogen, but little is known about its capacity to survive against the proteolysis of the gut lumen and intracellular proteases. Here, we show that Ecotin, a serine protease inhibitor, plays an important role in protecting against proteases present at different sites encountered during oral infection. Our results indicate that Ecotin is an important virulence factor in , adding another tool to the wide range of features this pathogen uses during oral infection.
PubMed: 38798423
DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.15.594389 -
Cells May 2024Spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in the permanent loss of mobility, sensation, and autonomic function. Secondary degeneration after SCI both initiates and propagates... (Review)
Review
Spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in the permanent loss of mobility, sensation, and autonomic function. Secondary degeneration after SCI both initiates and propagates a hostile microenvironment that is resistant to natural repair mechanisms. Consequently, exogenous stem cells have been investigated as a potential therapy for repairing and recovering damaged cells after SCI and other CNS disorders. This focused review highlights the contributions of mesenchymal (MSCs) and dental stem cells (DSCs) in attenuating various secondary injury sequelae through paracrine and cell-to-cell communication mechanisms following SCI and other types of neurotrauma. These mechanistic events include vascular dysfunction, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, apoptosis and cell loss, neuroinflammation, and structural deficits. The review of studies that directly compare MSC and DSC capabilities also reveals the superior capabilities of DSC in reducing the effects of secondary injury and promoting a favorable microenvironment conducive to repair and regeneration. This review concludes with a discussion of the current limitations and proposes improvements in the future assessment of stem cell therapy through the reporting of the effects of DSC viability and DSC efficacy in attenuating secondary damage after SCI.
Topics: Spinal Cord Injuries; Humans; Animals; Stem Cells; Stem Cell Transplantation; Mesenchymal Stem Cells
PubMed: 38786039
DOI: 10.3390/cells13100817 -
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024We explored teachers' understanding of children with aggressive or socially withdrawn behaviour in their classes and we associated our findings with a status of...
We explored teachers' understanding of children with aggressive or socially withdrawn behaviour in their classes and we associated our findings with a status of rejected, neglected, or popular, as provided by peer nominations. Five kindergarten and elementary school teachers scored their 143 pupils with the Child Behaviour Checklist for Withdrawal and Aggression. Subsequently, only those children whose scores were 1 standard deviation above the mean for withdrawal or for aggression were included in the final sample ( = 46; M = 6.5 years, = 1.7; age range = 4-9 years). The final sample included 31 children (21.67%; females = 16) who were assessed as displaying withdrawn behaviour, and 15 (10.48%; females = 5) displaying aggressive behaviour. An open-ended semi-structured interview was administered to teachers, who described children with socially withdrawn behaviour as introverted and untalkative, children with aggressive behaviour as hostile, rule-breaking and highly active, and children with socially withdrawn or aggressive behaviour as isolated, even though different reasons were provided. The results of the sociometric status in children with socially withdrawn or aggressive behaviour are discussed.
PubMed: 38785903
DOI: 10.3390/bs14050412 -
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2024Three-phase induction motors are widely used in various industrial sectors and are responsible for a significant portion of the total electrical energy consumed. To...
Three-phase induction motors are widely used in various industrial sectors and are responsible for a significant portion of the total electrical energy consumed. To ensure their efficient operation, it is necessary to apply control systems with specific algorithms able to estimate rotation speed accurately and with an adequate response time. However, the angular speed sensors used in induction motors are generally expensive and unreliable, and they may be unsuitable for use in hostile environments. This paper presents an algorithm for speed estimation in three-phase induction motors using the chaotic variable of maximum density. The technique used in this work analyzes the current signals from the motor power supply without invasive sensors on its structure. The results show that speed estimation is achieved with a response time lower than that obtained by classical techniques based on the Fourier Transform. This technique allows for the provision of motor shaft speed values when operated under variable load.
PubMed: 38785611
DOI: 10.3390/e26050361 -
Violence Against Women May 2024Hostility toward women is frequently examined as a risk factor for violence against women, but research on its antecedents is sparse. The aim of this study was to...
Hostility toward women is frequently examined as a risk factor for violence against women, but research on its antecedents is sparse. The aim of this study was to explore the developmental and psychological antecedents associated with hostility toward women in a Canadian sample of sexual aggressors of women. Drawing on Malamuth's confluence model of sexual aggression, we developed a multifactorial model of hostility toward women, using structural equation modeling. The results indicate the presence of three trajectories, all starting from childhood victimization and leading to hostility toward women, involving antisocial characteristics, emotional negativity, anxiety, and depression.
PubMed: 38783777
DOI: 10.1177/10778012241254851 -
PLOS Global Public Health 2024Attacks on health care are part of the spectrum of threats that health care endures during conflict. Protecting health care services against attacks depends on...
Attacks on health care are part of the spectrum of threats that health care endures during conflict. Protecting health care services against attacks depends on understanding the nature and types of attacks that occur during conflict. The World Health Organisation has implemented the Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) in Ukraine since 2020, and the system has continued to monitor and report on attacks on health care during the war in Ukraine. This study aims to analyse the data reported through the SSA for the first 18 months of the war. This paper involves a retrospective, descriptive study based on the analysis of publicly available SSA data of all incidents of attacks on health care in Ukraine reported through the SSA between February 24th 2022 and August 24th 2023. Out of the 1503 verified attacks, 37% occurred in the initial six weeks of the war. Attacks involving violence with heavy weapons were among the most common incidents reported (83%). The reported attacks were associated with a total of 113 deaths and 211 injuries among health care workers and patients: 32 (2%) attacks were associated with a death of a health care worker or patient, and 63 (4%) were associated with an injury. Health transports facing attacks had a higher probability of experiencing casualties than other health resources (p<0.0001, RR 3.1, 95%CI 1.9-4.9). In conclusion, the burden of attacks on health care in Ukraine was high and sustained over the course of the first 18 months of the war. Reported casualties were not homogenously distributed among attack incidents, but occurred in a set of high-casualty incidents. Health transports were found to be particularly vulnerable. In addition to continued calls for a cessation of hostilities, prevention, protection, mitigation, and reconstruction strategies are urgently required.
PubMed: 38781240
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003064 -
Horticulture Research May 2024How plants find a way to thrive in alpine habitats remains largely unknown. Here we present a chromosome-level genome assembly for an alpine medicinal herb,...
How plants find a way to thrive in alpine habitats remains largely unknown. Here we present a chromosome-level genome assembly for an alpine medicinal herb, (Caprifoliaceae), and 13 transcriptomes from other species of Dipsacales. We detected a whole-genome duplication event in that occurred prior to the diversification of Dipsacales. Preferential gene retention after whole-genome duplication was found to contribute to increasing cold-related genes in . A series of genes putatively associated with alpine adaptation (e.g. s, s, and ) exhibited higher expression levels in than in its low-elevation relative, . Comparative genomic analysis among five pairs of high- vs low-elevation species, including a comparison of and , indicated that the gene families related to disease resistance experienced a significantly convergent contraction in alpine plants compared with their lowland relatives. The reduction in gene repertory size was largely concentrated in clades of genes for pathogen recognition (e.g. s, s, and XII s), while the clades for signal transduction and development remained nearly unchanged. This finding reflects an energy-saving strategy for survival in hostile alpine areas, where there is a tradeoff with less challenge from pathogens and limited resources for growth. We also identified candidate genes for alpine adaptation (e.g. , , and ) that were under convergent positive selection or that exhibited a convergent acceleration in evolutionary rate in the investigated alpine plants. Overall, our study provides novel insights into the high-elevation adaptation strategies of this and other alpine plants.
PubMed: 38779140
DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae077