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Background: Clefts of the lip and palate (CLP) are facial deformities that require multiple surgical procedures during childhood. One of these steps consists of filling the alveolar space with bone graft, traditionally removed from the iliac crest. However, this procedure could be invasive in children. Aim: Here, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of GlassBONE™ graft, a bioactive glass used as a bone substitute, as an alternative to the deleterious autologous bone graft in children. Materials & methods: Retrospective monocentric study with 17 children aged 7.5 ± 2.2 yo [3.8–13.3 yo] carrying CLP. This technique has been established at La Timone Children hospital (Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille) since 2011. Clinical (scar, graft rejection and periodontal status) and radiological (both panoramic radiographs and cone beam-CT) follow-up was conducted one year after the graft. The primary outcome was the reduction of the cleft volume, and secondary was the eruption of the adjacent tooth through the graft. Results: GlassBONE™ permitted a significant reduction in the cleft volume by 42.4 ± 27.7% [0.6–81.1%] (p < 0.0001), corresponding to a filling of 57.6 ± 27.7% of the alveolar cleft. GlassBONE™ is well tolerated, ensuring satifactory clinical results (improvement in both scar and periodontal coverage), as well as the physiological evolution of the germs through the biomaterial. GlassBONE™ appears particularly suitable for small volumes, and we were able to determine a minimum volume of approximtely 0.259 + / − 0.155 cc required for a successful bone fusion. Conclusion: The bioactive glass GlassBONE™ could be safely used in children with small CLP cases, providing satisfactory clinical and radiological results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of International Journal of Computerized Dentistry is the property of Quintessence Publishing Company Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A more developed and modern technology replaced the old radiocarbon measuring methods in Hungary, based on isotope separation by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and not on activity measurements. In summer 2011, the EnvironMICADAS was successfully installed in the Laboratory of HEKAL, Debrecen, Hungary. In this project, a multipurpose gas-handling system was developed for the gas ion source of EnvironMICADAS at ETH Zürich, designed for the measurement of small environmental origin samples (<50 ?g carbon) with moderate precision requirements. The ultimate aim is an automated device for high sample throughput. Since its final installation and first year of operation, over 2000 graphite targets were analyzed. Long-term stability of the instrument is confirmed through measurements of the Ox-II standard and processed blank targets during the first half of 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinal progenitor sheet transplants have been shown to extend neuronal processes into a degenerating host retina and to restore visual responses in the brain. The aim of this study was to identify cells involved in transplant signals to retinal degenerate hosts using computational molecular phenotyping (CMP). S334 ter line 3 rats received fetal retinal sheet transplants at the age of 24-40 days. Donor tissues were incubated with slow-releasing microspheres containing brain-derived neurotrophic factor or glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor. Up to 265 days after surgery, eyes of selected rats were vibratome-sectioned through the transplant area (some slices stained for donor marker human placental alkaline phosphatase), dehydrated and embedded in Eponate, sectioned into serial ultrathin datasets and probed for rhodopsin, cone opsin, CRALBP (cellular retinaldehyde binding protein), l-glutamate, l-glutamine, glutathione, glycine, taurine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole). In large transplant areas, photoreceptor outer segments in contact with host retinal pigment epithelium revealed rod and cone opsin immunoreactivity whereas no such staining was found in the degenerate host retina. Transplant photoreceptor layers contained high taurine levels. Glutamate levels in the transplants were higher than in the host retina whereas GABA levels were similar. The transplant inner nuclear layer showed some loss of neurons, but amacrine cells and horizontal cells were not reduced. In many areas, glial hypertrophy between the host and transplant was absent and host and transplant neuropil appeared to intermingle. CMP data indicate that horizontal cells and both glycinergic and GABAergic amacrine cells are involved in a novel circuit between transplant and host, generating alternative signal pathways between transplant and degenerating host retina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether retinal progenitor layer transplants form synaptic connections with the host and restore vision. Donor retinal sheets, isolated from embryonic day 19 rat fetuses expressing human placental alkaline phosphatase (hPAP), were transplanted to the subretinal space of 18 S334ter-3 rats with fast retinal degeneration at the age of 0.8–1.3 months. Recipients were killed at the age of 1.6–11.8 months. Frozen sections were analysed by confocal immunohistochemistry for the donor cell label hPAP and synaptic markers. Vibratome slices were stained for hPAP, and processed for electron microscopy. Visual responses were recorded by electrophysiology from the superior colliculus (SC) in 12 rats at the age of 5.3–11.8 months. All recorded transplanted rats had restored or preserved visual responses in the SC corresponding to the transplant location in the retina, with thresholds between −2.8 and −3.4 log cd/m2. No such responses were found in age-matched S334ter-3 rats without transplants, or in those with sham surgery. Donor cells and processes were identified in the host by light and electron microscopy. Transplant processes penetrated the inner host retina in spite of occasional glial barriers between transplant and host. Labeled neuronal processes were found in the host inner plexiform layer, and formed apparent synapses with unlabeled cells, presumably of host origin. In conclusion, synaptic connections between graft and host cells, together with visual responses from corresponding locations in the brain, support the hypothesis that functional connections develop following transplantation of retinal layers into rodent models of retinal degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic trees based on mtDNA polymorphisms are often used to infer the history of recent human migrations. However, there is no consensus on which method to use. Most methods make strong assumptions which may bias the choice of polymorphisms and result in computational complexity which limits the analysis to a few samples/polymorphisms. For example, parsimony minimizes the number of mutations, which biases the results to minimizing homoplasy events. Such biases may miss the global structure of the polymorphisms altogether, with the risk of identifying a “common” polymorphism as ancient without an internal check on whether it either is homoplasic or is identified as ancient because of sampling bias (from oversampling the population with the polymorphism). A signature of this problem is that different methods applied to the same data or the same method applied to different datasets results in different tree topologies. When the results of such analyses are combined, the consensus trees have a low internal branch consensus. We determine human mtDNA phylogeny from 1737 complete sequences using a new, direct method based on principal component analysis (PCA) and unsupervised consensus ensemble clustering. PCA identifies polymorphisms representing robust variations in the data and consensus ensemble clustering creates stable haplogroup clusters. The tree is obtained from the bifurcating network obtained when the data are split into k = 2,3,4,..., k max clusters, with equal sampling from each haplogroup. Our method assumes only that the data can be clustered into groups based on mutations, is fast, is stable to sample perturbation, uses all significant polymorphisms in the data, works for arbitrary sample sizes, and avoids sample choice and haplogroup size bias. The internal branches of our tree have a 90% consensus accuracy. In conclusion, our tree recreates the standard phylogeny of the N, M, L0/L1, L2, and L3 clades, confirming the African origin of modern humans and showing that the M and N clades arose in almost coincident migrations. However, the N clade haplogroups split along an East-West geographic divide, with a “European R clade” containing the haplogroups H, V, H/V, J, T, and U and a “Eurasian N subclade” including haplogroups B, R5, F, A, N9, I, W, and X. The haplogroup pairs (N9a, N9b) and (M7a, M7b) within N and M are placed in nonnearest locations in agreement with their expected large TMRCA from studies of their migrations into Japan. For comparison, we also construct consensus maximum likelihood, parsimony, neighbor joining, and UPGMA-based trees using the same polymorphisms and show that these methods give consistent results only for the clade tree. For recent branches, the consensus accuracy for these methods is in the range of 1–20%. From a comparison of our haplogroups to two chimp and one bonobo sequences, and assuming a chimp-human coalescent time of 5 million years before present, we find a human mtDNA TMRCA of 206,000 ± 14,000 years before present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to study the feasibility of hyperbranched polymers as drug carriers by employing different microparticle formation methods and the influence of loading methods on release kinetics. Commercially available hyperbranched polyester (Perstorp) and three polyesteramides (DSM) were loaded with the pharmaceutical acetaminophen. The gas antisolvent precipitation (GAS), the coacervation, and the particles from gas saturated solutions (PGSS) are among conventional processes that were used to prepare microparticles of drug-loaded hyperbranched polyesters for the first time. For preparing solid dispersions of drug-loaded hyperbranched polyesteramides the solvent method was applied. Infrared (IR) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) studies suggest that acetaminophen is partly dissolved in the polymer matrix and partly crystallized outside the polymer matrix. For acetaminophen-loaded polyesters prepared by the GAS method, the presence of free drugs is predominant when compared to microparticles prepared by the coacervation method. This event disappears for microparticles prepared by the PGSS method. Moreover, the release of drug from drug-loaded Bol-GAS is biphasic, where the initial burst (48%), indicating the presence of unincorporated drugs, is followed by a slow-release phase, suggesting the diffusion of drug through polymer matrices. The release of drugs from drug-loaded Bol-PGSS do not show this behavior since the drug is better dissolved or dispersed in polymer matrices. In the case of drug-loaded polyesteramides, coevaporates prepared from 3 hyperbranched structures (H1690, H1200, and H1500) using the solvent method result in different release kinetics. The hydrophobic characteristic of hyperbranched polyesteramide H1500 shows the biphasic release kinetic whereas the drug released from hydrophilic matrices H1690 and H1200 exhibits fast release comparable to that of pure drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To investigate different in vitro model systems for retinal progenitor cell (RPC) isolation and expansion. Methods. RPCs were isolated from embryonic day IE) 17 Long Evans rat retinas. Three different culture media: (1) modified serum free defined media (2) serum-containing media and (3) embryonic stem cell (ES)-conditioned media were used for RPC isolation and long term expansion Expression of various cellular markers and cell morphologies were compared among the three culture systems at different passages by immunostaining and confocal microscopy. Results. All three culture systems could maintain RPCs as nestin-positive cells (78-87%) after long-term in vitro expansion. However, RPCs appeared to proliferate faster in the serum-free culture system. The ES-conditioned media provided the best RPC survival. Cells appeared smaller at early passages compared with later passages. This morphology change occurred at P9-P10 in the serum-free medium, and at P5-P6 in the other two culture systems. Conclusions.. The serum-free medium may be superior for preventing RPC differentiation during expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interferon alpha (IFN-α) represents an adjuvant therapy of proven effectiveness in increasing disease-free interval and survival in subgroups of melanoma patients. Since high doses of cytokine are required, the treatment is often accompanied by toxic side effects. Furthermore, naturally occurring insensitivity to IFN-α may hamper its therapeutic efficacy. Clinical, molecular or immunological markers enabling the selection of potential responders have not been identified so far. To explore the molecular basis of IFN-α responsiveness, we analysed the expression pattern of about 7000 genes in IFN-α sensitive and resistant cell lines and we compared the transcription profiles of cells cultured in the presence or absence of the cytokine using high-density oligonucleotide arrays. Melanoma cell lines were screened for their sensitivity to proliferation inhibition and HLA class I induction upon IFN-α treatment by standard 3H-thymidine incorporation and flow-cytometry. The study of 4 sensitive and 2 resistant cell lines allowed the identification of 4 genes (RCC1, IFI16, hox2 and h19) preferentially transcribed in sensitive cells and 2 (SHB and PKC-ζ) preferentially expressed in resistant cells. IFN-α stimulation resulted in the expression of a panel of 19 known inducible genes in sensitive but not in resistant cells. Moreover a group of 30 novel IFN-α inducible genes was identified. These data may provide a useful basis to develop diagnostic tools to select potential IFN-α responders eligible for treatment, while avoiding unnecessary toxicity to non-responders. Furthermore, by extending the knowledge of the polymorphic effects of IFN-α on gene expression, they offer novel clues to the study of its pleiotropic toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop a retinal degeneration model with selective photoreceptor loss and RPE sparing, to be used as recipient for evaluating retinal transplants. Methods: Albino rats were exposed to blue light, continuously, for 1–7 days (24–168 h) in a specially designed cage. Eyes were histologically analyzed at periods between 2 h and 8 months after the light exposure. Electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded from some rats at 12–216 days after exposure. Using behavioral methods, visual thresholds of some rats were determined before exposure and re-measured between 18 and 52 days following exposure. Results: Apoptotic nuclei appeared exclusively in the photoreceptor layer after 1–5 days exposure to blue light. Light microscopy revealed that 2–4 days of light exposure reduced the outer nuclear layer (normally eight to ten rows) to 1 row of cells in the central retina and to two to three rows in the periphery, both in the superior and the inferior retina. Average ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes of light-damaged rats were both reduced by about 98%. Visual performance in the behavioral test was substantially impaired. Conclusions: Continuous exposure of albino rats to moderate blue light for 2–5 days selectively eliminates most of the photoreceptors while leaving the RPE initially intact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study on the reconstruction of three-dimensional alveolar defects by using a customised lattice structure. The study reportedly involved an examination of customised lattice structure in patients with inserted implants. The results revealed that a customized titanium lattice structure is a successful and predictable procedure to rebuild an atrophied bone defect in complicated cases.

The article discusses a study which examines neurophysiological changes following dental implant placement associated with augmentation procedures using Quantitative Sensory Testing, a psychophysiological approach to detect and quantify sensory disturbances. The study include nine patients who obtained an implant placement with augmentation procedures. The study reveals no changes in the neurophysiological pathways as augmentation procedures did not increase sensory disturbances.

Presents a new optical-lobe technique based on light-scattering spectroscopy that is able to detect precancerous and early cancerous changes in cell-rich epithelia. Description of cell architecture at the dysplasia and carcinoma stages; Method and technique; Testing of the technique in vivo to diagnose dysplasia and carcinoma in situ in human organs; Results; Advantages over traditional detection techniques.