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Objectives: This prospective observational study aimed to evaluate discomfort after extraction of deciduous teeth under local anesthesia. The primary objective was to describe the prevalence of post‐extraction pain (PEP), post‐extraction bleeding (PEB), post‐extraction biting injury (PEBI), and analgesic usage in children. The secondary objective was to define whether it is possible to determine a profile of patients or a type of extraction procedure predictive to PEP, administration of analgesics, PEB, or PEBI. Methods: One hundred and twenty‐five children, aged 3–13 years, with indications of at least one deciduous tooth extraction, were included. Immediately after extraction, information concerning the patient and the extraction were collected. Eighteen to 32 hr after extraction, parents were called by phone to request reports concerning the onset and intensity of PEP assessed using the Wong‐Baker Faces (WBF) scale, the administration of paracetamol (acetaminophen) to their children, and the appearance of PEB and/or PEBI. Results: Of the children, 37.3% reported PEP (WBF ≥2), but 23.3% of these children did not receive any analgesic drugs to help relieve pain. Pain appeared before 3 hr after extraction in 69% of the children. Higher incidences of PEP and usage of analgesics were found both in the group of children with unfavorable socioeconomic level compared to favorable level and in the group with pre‐operative pain compared to no pre‐operative pain (p <.05). Conclusions: About a third of the children reported pain after extraction, but the instructions for pain relief were not followed by all parents. The socioeconomic level of the young patient and the pain felt during the extraction were important predictors of discomfort. Therefore, our study could help the dentist to provide information on predicted post‐operative discomfort and to allow suitable care depending on the patient's profile or procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sponges are important but often‐neglected organisms. The absence of classical animal traits (nerves, digestive tract, and muscles) makes sponges challenging for non‐specialists to work with and has delayed getting high quality genomic data compared to other invertebrates. Yet analyses of sponge genomes and transcriptomes currently available have radically changed our understanding of animal evolution. Sponges are of prime evolutionary importance as one of the best candidates to form the sister group of all other animals, and genomic data are essential to understand the mechanisms that control animal evolution and diversity. Here we review the most significant outcomes of current genomic and transcriptomic analyses of sponges, and discuss limitations and future directions of sponge transcriptomic and genomic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY The Frizzled proteins (FZDs) are a family of trans-membrane receptors that play pivotal roles in Wnt pathways and thus in animal development. Based on evaluation of the Amphimedon queenslandica genome, it has been proposed that two Fzd genes may have been present before the split between demosponges and other animals. The major purpose of this study is to go deeper into the evolution of this family of proteins by evaluating an extended set of available data from bilaterians, cnidarians, and different basally branching animal lineages (Ctenophora, Placozoa, Porifera). The present study provides evidence that the last common ancestor of metazoans did possess two Fzd genes, and that the last common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians may have possessed four Fzd. Furthermore, amino acid analyses revealed an accurate diagnostic motif for these four FZD subfamilies facilitating the assignation of Frizzled paralogs to each subfamily. By highlighting conserved amino acids for each FZD subfamily, our study could also provide a framework for further research on the precise mechanisms that have driven FZD neo-functionalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity of all cells to respond to stimuli implies the conduction of information at least over short distances. In multicellular organisms, more complex systems of integration and coordination of activities are necessary. In most animals, the processing of information is performed by a nervous system. Among the most basal taxa, sponges are nerveless so that it is traditionally assumed that the integrated neuro-sensory system originated only once in Eumetazoa, a hypothesis not in agreement with some recent phylogenomic studies. The aim of this review is to show that recent data on sponges might provide clues for understanding the origin of this complex system. First, sponges are able to react to external stimuli, and some of them display spontaneous movement activities. These coordinated behaviors involve nervous system-like mechanisms, such as action potentials and/or neurotransmitters. Second, genomic analyses show that sponges possess genes orthologous to those involved in the patterning or functioning of the neuro-sensory system in Eumetazoa. Finally, some of these genes are expressed in specific cells (flask cells, choanocytes). Together with ultrastructural data, this gives rise to challenging hypotheses concerning cell types that might play neuro-sensory-like roles in sponges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the features of Oscarella lobularis, a member of the Homoscleromorph sponge family. This species dwells in dark submarine caves and coralligenous areas in the Mediterranean Region. It is an ovoviviparous species which undergoes several reproductive stages. It has a unique eumetazoan-like characteristics which are not found in other sponges. The study reveals that this species can provide links on the evolution of metazoan species and developmental researches.

Despite several investigations, the transcriptional mechanisms which regulate the expression of both type I collagen genes (COL1A1 and COL1A2) in either physiological or pathological situations, such as scleroderma, are not completely known. In this study, we determined the effects of both native ichtyan chondroïtin sulphate (CS) and its derived hydrolytic fragments (CSf) on human normal (NF) and scleroderma (SF) fibroblasts. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that CS and CSf exert an inhibitory effect on type I collagen protein synthesis and decrease the corresponding mRNA steady-state levels of COL1A1 and COL1A2 in NF and SF. These glycosaminoglycan molecules repress COL1A1 gene transcription through a -112/-61 bp sequence upstream the start site of transcription and imply hc-Krox and Sp1 transcription factors. In addition, CS and CSf induced a down-regulation of TβRI expression. As a conclusion, our findings highlight a possible new role for CS and CSf as anti-fibrotic molecules and could help in elucidating the mechanisms of action by which CS and CSf exert their inhibitory effect on type I collagen synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several investigations, the transcriptional mechanisms which regulate the expression of both type I collagen genes (COL1A1 and COL1A2) in either physiological or pathological situations, such as scleroderma, are not completely known. In this study, we determined the effects of both native ichtyan chondroïtin sulphate (CS) and its derived hydrolytic fragments (CSf) on human normal (NF) and scleroderma (SF) fibroblasts. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that CS and CSf exert an inhibitory effect on type I collagen protein synthesis and decrease the corresponding mRNA steady-state levels of COL1A1 and COL1A2 in NF and SF. These glycosaminoglycan molecules repress COL1A1 gene transcription through a -112/-61 bp sequence upstream the start site of transcription and imply hc-Krox and Sp1 transcription factors. In addition, CS and CSf induced a down-regulation of TbetaRI expression. As a conclusion, our findings highlight a possible new role for CS and CSf as anti-fibrotic molecules and could help in elucidating the mechanisms of action by which CS and CSf exert their inhibitory effect on type I collagen synthesis.