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Abstract: Lactobacillus buchneri was investigated as a silage inoculant and as a probiotic on feed intake, apparent digestibility, and ruminal fermentation and microbiology in wethers fed low‐dry‐matter (DM) whole‐crop maize silage. Maize forage (279 g/kg DM) was ensiled without inoculant (untreated) and with L. buchneri CNCM I‐4323 at 1 × 105 cfu/g fresh forage (inoculated). Six cannulated wethers were arranged in a double 3 × 3 Latin square and assigned to one of three diets: (i) untreated maize silage (untreated), (ii) inoculated maize silage (inoculated), and (iii) untreated maize silage with a daily dose of L. buchneri (1 × 107 cfu/g supplied silage) injected directly into the rumen (LB‐probiotic). Wethers fed the inoculated diet had a higher (p = .050) DM intake (1.30% body weight [BW]) than wethers fed untreated and LB‐probiotic diets (1.17% and 1.18% BW respectively). The relative proportion of Ruminococcus flavefaciens (proportion of total estimated rumen bacterial 16S rDNA) in the rumen of wethers fed inoculated and LB‐probiotic diets (both 0.42%) tended (p = .098) to be lower than in the untreated diet (0.83%). Lactobacillus buchneri as a silage inoculant or as a probiotic had little effect on the variables measured in wethers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Type IV cylinders for gas storage is becoming more widespread in various sectors, especially in transportation, owing to the lightweight nature of this type of cylinder, which is composed of a polymeric liner that exerts a barrier effect and an outer composite material shell that primarily imparts mechanical strength. In this work, the failure analysis of an HDPE liner in a Type IV cylinder for high-pressure storage was carried out. The breakdown occurred during a cyclic pressure test at room temperature and manifested in the hemispherical head area, as cracks perpendicular to the liner pinch-off line. The failed sample was thoroughly investigated and its characteristics were compared with those of other liners at different stages of production of a Type IV cylinder (blow molding, curing of the composite material). An examination of the liner showed that no significant chemical and morphological changes occurred during the production cycle of a Type IV cylinder that could justify the liner rupture, and that the most likely cause of failure was a design-related fatigue phenomenon.

Lipid crystallization under moderate hydrostatic pressure treatments (200 MPa, 20 °C, 1-24 h) was studied in palm kernel stearin (PS 100%) and its blends with sunflower oil (PS 80, 90 % w/w). Hyperbarically-crystallized samples exhibited significantly higher firmness, elastic modulus and critical stress values as compared to those of the samples crystallized at atmospheric pressure. These data indicate that moderate hydrostatic pressure favored the formation of a higher amount of small palm kernel stearin crystals as compared to those formed at atmospheric pressure. Pressurization did not affect fat polymorphism, but was able to enhance nucleation instead of crystal growth. This work clearly demonstrated the efficacy of moderate hydrostatic pressure in steering lipid crystallization, opening interesting possible applications of high-pressure processing technology in the fat manufacturing sector., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Most crowding measures in public transportation are usually aggregated at a service level. This type of aggregation does not help to analyze microscopic behavior such as exposure risk to viruses. To bridge such a gap, our paper proposes four novel crowding measures that might be well suited to proxy virus exposure risk at public transport. In addition, we conduct a case study in Santiago, Chile, using smart card data of the buses system to compute the proposed measures for three different and relevant periods of the COVID-19 pandemic: before, during, and after Santiago's lockdown. We find that the governmental policies diminished public transport crowding considerably for the lockdown phase. The average exposure time when social distancing is not possible passes from 6.39 min before lockdown to 0.03 min during the lockdown, while the average number of encountered persons passes from 43.33 to 5.89. We shed light on how the pandemic impacts differ across various population groups in society. Our findings suggest that poorer municipalities returned faster to crowding levels similar to those before the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The identification of a "low-voltage bridge" to guide ablation of atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) has been described as a safe and effective strategy in children. We investigated the presence of a low-voltage bridge in adult patients undergoing AVNRT ablation, to evaluate its anatomical correspondence with the successful ablation site. We also investigated the possible correlations between Koch's triangle anatomy and patients' biometric characteristics., Methods: This observational registry prospectively collected data from 200 patients undergoing AVNRT ablation, guided by 3D electroanatomical mapping system, in 6 electrophysiology centers. Koch's triangle voltage map was collected; then, the anatomical correspondence between the low-voltage bridge and the successful ablation site was evaluated. Koch's triangle anatomical dimensions were subsequently drawn from the mapping system and correlated to patients' gender, age, and weight., Results: The low-voltage bridge was identified in 159 over 200 procedures (79.5%). When the low-voltage bridge was identified, its anatomical correspondence with the successful ablation site has been proved in 137 over 159 cases (86%), with a reduction of radiofrequency deployment time. No strict correlations were found, on the other side, between Koch's triangle anatomy and patients' biometric data., Conclusions: The identification of the low-voltage bridge has proved to be a helpful strategy to guide AVNRT ablation in a large cohort of adult patients. Targeting the low-voltage bridge during AVNRT ablation helps to reduce RF application time. Koch's triangle morphological characteristics cannot be predicted on the base of patients' biometric data., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The COVID-19 pandemic strongly affected the mobility of people. Several studies have quantified these changes, for example, measuring the effectiveness of quarantine measures and calculating the decrease in the use of public transport. Regarding the latter, however, a low level of understanding persists as to how the pandemic affected the distribution of trip purposes, hindering the design of policies aimed at increasing the demand for public transport in a post-pandemic era. To address this gap, in this article, we study how the purposes of trips made by public transport evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Santiago, Chile. For this, we develop an XGBoost model using the latest available origin-destination survey as input. The calibrated model is applied to the information from smart payment cards during one week in 2018, 2020, and 2021. The results show that during the week of maximum restriction, that is, during 2020, the distribution of trips by purpose varied considerably, with the proportion of trips to work increasing, recreational trips decreasing, and trips for health purposes remaining unchanged. In sociodemographic terms, in the higher-income communes, the decrease in the proportion of trips for work purposes was much greater than that in the communes with lower income. Finally, with the gradual return to in-person activities in 2021, the distribution of trip purposes returned to values similar to those before the pandemic, although with a lower total amount, which suggests that unless relevant measures are taken, the low use of public transportation could be permanent., (© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: We declare no competing interests.

The possibility to apply hyperbaric storage (HS) at room temperature (20 °C) as a sustainable approach for preservation of raw skim milk was studied. Samples were stored at 200 and 150 MPa for up to 6 days. Optimal pressure for milk HS was found to be 150 MPa, since no clotting was detected for up to 6 days. 150 MPa-HS caused the irreversible inactivation of inoculated Escherichia coli (5.13 ± 0.33 logCFU mL -1 ) and Staphylococcus aureus (5.66 ± 0.93 logCFU mL -1 ) within 2 and 6 days, respectively. Inactivation of total and faecal coliforms (3.0 log reductions) below the detection limit was achieved after just 2 days, whereas lactic acid bacteria and coagulase-positive Staphylococci were inactivated after 6 days. Pressurized storage also caused an increase in proteose peptones and the release of submicelles from casein micelles. Micelles progressively aggregated with pressure-unfolded β-Lactoglobulin. These phenomena led to milk presenting up to 4-fold better foaming capacity, probably due to β-Lactoglobulin unfolding or higher proteose peptones content. This work demonstrated the capability of HS to guarantee milk preservation during storage, and brought attention on the opportunity to consider the technology for milk pasteurization and functionality improvement., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Transformative utopian impulse for planetary health is people's propensity to have thoughts and engage in actions of which the purpose is to transform the current society into a better one in the future by addressing existing global issues. We aimed to develop a well-validated scale that can measure the transformative utopian impulse for planetary health and uncover its role in societal transformation., Methods: We developed a scale to measure the transformative utopian impulse for planetary health across 11 studies with 6248 participants from the USA (from the MTurk database) and the UK (from the Prolifico.co database). Participants were eligible take part in the studies if they completed the consent form. Participants who did not pass the seriousness check or did not accurately answer all instructed response items were excluded from statistical analyses. We used exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to determine the factor structure of the Transformative Utopian Impulse for Planetary Health Scale (TUIPHS). Then we analysed the TUIPHS' nomological network (ie, the relationships between TUIPHS and various constructs ranging from personality traits and values to economic, social, and political attitudes and beliefs). We then examined the scale's incremental predictive validity by testing whether it predicts various attitudes and behaviours relevant to social change beyond scales that measure competing constructs (this part of the study is registered at OSF Registries [https://osf.io/ztj2f]). Finally, we examined the TUIPHS' longitudinal predictive validity by probing whether it predicts people's future support for social change., Findings: Data were collected between Oct 8, 2018, and July 6, 2020. We established that TUIPHS has a four-factor structure and can also be scored as a single general factor, indicating that it captures an overarching theoretical construct (ie, the transformative utopian impulse for planetary health). We then showed that the scale is related to various specific individual difference measures that capture diverse aspects of people's propensity to actively engage in thoughts and actions oriented toward the betterment of society. Moreover, TUIPHS predicted, above and beyond 20 competing scales highly correlated (r ≥0·50) with it, a series of 19 self-reported behavioural and attitudinal constructs pertaining to social change. Finally, participants' past TUIPHS scores predicted their support, a few months later, for social movements that aim to build a more just and resilient society than in the current day., Interpretation: This research lays the groundwork for future theoretical and empirical research into the psychological and behavioural processes attached to the transformative utopian impulse for planetary health as a source of transformative social change toward a better way of being and living., Funding: The London School of Economics and Political Science., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests FB and DK were awarded £4996 from the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), to contribute toward paying research participants for the studies reported in the article. LSE Research Online covered all article processing charges. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

As expressed by the "Healthy is Up" metaphor, conceptual metaphor theory argues that the representation of health is commonly associated with high verticality because, typically, people stay upright when they are healthy whereas illness may force them to lie down. Along this line of argument, this research is the first to empirically explore the metaphorical representation of healthy food in terms of verticality. Across five experiments (N = 714), this article first demonstrates that people are faster to pair healthy food with up than down in an implicit association test (Study 1, supporting a metaphorical congruency effect). Then, it shows that people associate healthy food with high verticality and unhealthy food with low verticality by placing healthy food up high and unhealthy food low down along the vertical axis, and by preferring a food pyramid that depicts healthy food at the top rather than at the bottom (Studies 2a, 2b and 3, supporting an abstract-to-concrete effect). Last, this research finds that people judge a food product as healthier when it is pictured from an upward-looking angle than when it is pictured from a downward-looking angle (Study 4, supporting a concrete-to-abstract effect). Further analyses test the interaction between individual differences in self-control and the effects of the "Healthy is Up" metaphor in Studies 2a, 2b, 3 and 4. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of this research., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In road safety, real-time crash prediction may play a crucial role in preventing such traffic events. However, much of the research in this line generally uses data aggregated every five or ten minutes. This article proposes a new image-inspired data architecture capable of capturing the microscopic scene of vehicular behavior. In order to achieve this, an accident-prediction model is built for a section of the Autopista Central urban highway in Santiago, Chile, based on the concatenation of multiple-input Convolutional Neural Networks, using both the aggregated standard traffic data and the proposed architecture. Different oversampling methodologies are analyzed to balance the training data, finding that the Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Networks technique with random undersampling presents better results when generating synthetic instances that permit maximizing the predictive performance. Computational experiments suggest that this model outperforms other traditional prediction methodologies in terms of AUC and sensitivity values over a range of false positives with greater applicability in real life., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Context: Recent studies have suggested a connection between low back pain (LBP) and urinary tract infections (UTI). These disturbances could be triggered via visceral-somatic pathways, and there is evidence that kidney mobility is reduced in patients suffering from nonspecific LBP. Manual treatment of the perinephric fascia could improve both kidney mobility and LBP related symptoms., Objectives: To assess whether manual treatment relieves UTI and reduces pain in patients with nonspecific LBP through improvement in kidney mobility., Methods: Records from all patients treated at a single physical therapy center in 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included if they were 18 years of age or older, had nonspecific LBP, and experienced at least one UTI episode in the 3 months before presentation. Patients were excluded if they had undergone manipulative treatment in the 6 months before presentation, if they had one of several medical conditions, if they had a history of chronic pain medication use, and more. Patient records were divided into two groups for analysis: those who were treated with manipulative techniques of the fascia with thrust movement (Group A) vs those who were treated without thrust movement (Group B). Kidney Mobility Scores (KMS) were analyzed using high resolution ultrasound. Symptoms as reported at patients' 1 month follow up visits were also used to assess outcomes; these included UTI relapse, lumbar spine mobility assessed with a modified Schober test, and lumbar spine pain., Results: Of 126 available records, 20 patients were included in this retrospective study (10 in Group A and 10 in Group B), all of whom who completed treatment and attended their 1 month follow up visit. Treatments took place in a single session for all patients and all underwent ultrasound of the right kidney before and after treatment. The mean (± standard deviation) KMS (1.9 ± 1.1), mobility when bending (22.7 ± 1.2), and LBP scores (1.2 ± 2.6) of the patients in Group A improved significantly in comparison with the patients in Group B (mean KMS, 1.1 ± 0.8; mobility when bending, 21.9 ± 1.1; and LBP, 3.9 ± 2.7) KMS, p<0.001; mobility when bending, p=0.003; and LBP, p=0.007). At the 1 month follow up visit, no significant statistical changes were observed in UTI recurrence (secondary outcome) in Group A (-16.5 ± 4.3) compared with Group B (-20.4 ± 7) (p=0.152)., Conclusions: Manual treatments for nonspecific LBP associated with UTI resulted in improved mobility and symptoms for patients in this retrospective study, including a significant increase in kidney mobility., (© 2021 Francesca Lo Basso et al., published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston.)

The feasibility of producing food-grade hydrophobic bio-aerogels by supercritical-carbon dioxide (SC-CO 2 ) extraction of oil from oleogels was investigated for the first time. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) oil was gelled using ethylcellulose (EC) at increasing concentration (10, 15, 20% w/w) and grade (EC20, 45, 100), eventually in combination with fillers. Different SC-CO 2 oil extraction procedures were tested. The acquired results show that both oleogel formulation and extraction conditions can steer the EC scaffold structure. The increase in EC concentration and grade resulted in oleogels more structurally stable to SC-CO 2 extraction. The application of a pulsed extraction procedure allowed obtaining a low-density (0.39 ​g/cm 3 ) EC scaffold presenting 60% oil. Addition of freeze dried lettuce powder improved macrostructure homogeneity. The obtained results lay the foundations for developing food-grade hydrophobic bio-aerogels, which are expected to present unique oil absorption and bioactive delivery features., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Background: Catheter-delivered radiofrequency (RF) lesion formation is a complex phenomenon, and few studies have explored the effect of catheter orientation on lesion size and catheter orientation behavior during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedures. We evaluated the influence of catheter orientation on lesion dimensions in an in vitro experimental setting and investigated the catheter orientation behavior during PVI., Methods and Results: 72 lesions were created in vitro on a porcine heart using a contact force catheter in a parallel, oblique, and perpendicular tip to tissue orientation. The superficial lesion length (SLL) increased shifting the catheter from perpendicular to parallel orientation. The intratissue absolute maximal lesion length (AML) was greater with an oblique catheter orientation. The lesion depth (LD) and the superficial lesion width (SLW) resulted similar with any orientation. Data from 21 PVI procedures in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation using the "wide antral circumferential RF ablation" (WACA) technique were retrospectively analyzed. The mean contact angle among 1130 RF lesions was 28 ± 20°. A prevalent parallel orientation was noted in the anterior WACA segments, whereas it resulted more perpendicular in the posterior segments. Significant differences in catheter orientation between the three operators were found only in few WACA segments., Conclusions: In an in vitro setting, catheter orientation affects SLL and AML, but not LD and SLW. During PVI procedures, catheter orientation resulted mostly parallel to the endocardium. Catheter orientation varied among different WACA segments, but only small differences were found between three operators when considering similar WACA segments., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Word-level reading is strongly associated with phonological processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of cognitive and environmental variables on word reading performance. Our sample consisted of 185 fourth-grade students. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate the role of the following variables as potential predictors of word reading accuracy and fluency: phonological processing (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and phonological memory); verbal fluency; working memory; socioeconomic status and an indicator of school quality (IDEB) in Brazil. Phonological awareness and rapid automatic naming were the best predictors of reading, supporting the role of phonological processing as a key contributor to the lexical aspects of reading, beyond the early years of literacy acquisition. Environmental variables were significant predictors of irregular word reading (socioeconomic status) and fluency (IDEB), corroborating multicomponent models of reading performance. The present findings demonstrate the complex interplay of factors underlying reading performance and highlight the importance of a multidimensional approach to the study of reading.

Previous real-time crash prediction models have scarcely used data disaggregated by vehicle type such as light, heavy and motorcycles. Thus, little effort has been made to quantify the impact of flow composition variables as crash precursors. We analyze the advantages of having access to this data by analyzing two scenarios, namely, with aggregated and disaggregated data. For each case, we build Logistics Regressions and Support Vector Machines models to predict accidents in a major urban expressway in Santiago, Chile. Our results show that having access to disaggregated data by vehicle type increases the prediction power up to 30 % providing, at the same time, much better intuition about the actual traffic conditions that may lead to accidents. These results may be useful when evaluating technology investments and developments in urban freeways., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Why do people befriend animals, yet don't feel conflicted about eating some of them? Previous research on the "meat paradox" suggests that the dehumanization of meat animals plays a crucial role in attenuating the negative affective states that consumers may experience when consuming meat. However, relatively little is known about how the converse process, namely anthropomorphism, influences meat consumption. The current research provides evidence that anthropomorphizing meat animals through the friendship metaphor, "animals are friends", can alter (omnivorous) consumers' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward meat eating, and induce feelings of guilt. More specifically, our experimental findings reveal that anthropomorphism has a negative effect on consumers' attitudes toward the food served in a restaurant and their intentions to patronize it when (pork) meat is on offer. This effect holds whether consumers are invited to consider themselves (Study 1a) or staff members (Study 1b) as taking part in a friendly human-animal interaction. We also demonstrate a similar effect of anthropomorphism on attitudes toward a (pork) meat product and their intentions to buy it, when consumers consider animal-animal friendship or human-animal friendship (Study 2). Last, we show that the negative effect of anthropomorphism on consumers' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward (pork) meat consumption is mediated by increased feelings of anticipatory guilt (Studies 3a and 3c). Nevertheless, no such effect was found with another kind of meat (beef), which indicates that anthropomorphizing meat animals through the friendship metaphor cannot be successfully applied to all commonly eaten species (Study 3b). Implications of these results for meat consumption are discussed., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) on the release of free radicals, bleaching effectiveness, and indirect cytotoxicity of a 35% hydrogen peroxide (HP) bleaching gel., Methods and Materials: First, HP degradation rates and free radical release were evaluated for 35% HP in contact or not with HRP (10 mg/mL). The bleaching gel associated or not with HRP was then applied (3 × 15 minutes) to enamel/dentin discs adapted to artificial pulp chambers, and the culture medium in contact with dentin surfaces (extract) was collected and exposed to cultured odontoblast-like cells. Membrane damage and viability of cells as well as oxidative stress were evaluated. Residual HP/free radical diffusion was quantified, and bleaching effectiveness (ΔE) was assessed. Unbleached discs served as negative controls., Results: The addition of HRP to the 35% HP bleaching gel enhanced the release of free radicals in comparison with plain HP gel. The 35% HP-mediated cytotoxicity significantly decreased with HRP in the bleaching gel and was associated with reduced HP/free radical diffusion through the enamel/dentin discs. ΔE values increased every bleaching session for HRP-containing gel relative to positive control, accelerating the whitening outcome., Conclusion: The enzymatic activation of a 35% HP bleaching gel with HRP accelerated HP degradation mediated by intensification of free radical release. This effect optimized whitening outcome as well as minimized residual HP and free radical diffusion through enamel and dentin, decreasing the harmful effects on odontoblast-like cells.

Every day, people are exposed to images of appetizing foods that can lead to high-calorie intake and contribute to overweight and obesity. Research has documented that manipulating the visual perspective from which eating is viewed helps resist temptation by altering the appraisal of unhealthy foods. However, the neural basis of this effect has not yet been examined using neuroimaging methods. Moreover, it is not known whether the benefits of this strategy can be observed when people, especially overweight, are not explicitly asked to imagine themselves eating. Last, it remains to be investigated if visual perspective could be used to promote healthy foods. The present work manipulated camera angles and tested whether visual perspective modulates activity in brain regions associated with taste and reward processing while participants watch videos featuring a hand grasping (unhealthy or healthy) foods from a plate during functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI). The plate was filmed from the perspective of the participant (first-person perspective; 1PP), or from a frontal view as if watching someone else eating (third-person perspective; 3PP). Our findings reveal that merely viewing unhealthy food cues from a 1PP (vs. 3PP) increases activity in brain regions that underlie representations of rewarding (appetitive) experiences (amygdala) and food intake (superior parietal gyrus). Additionally, our results show that ventral striatal activity is positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) during exposure to unhealthy foods from a 1PP (vs. 3PP). These findings suggest that unhealthy foods should be promoted through third-person (video) images to weaken the reward associated with their simulated consumption, especially amongst overweight people. It appears however that, as such, manipulating visual perspective fails to enhance the perception of healthy foods. Their promotion thus requires complementary solutions., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The present study aims for a better understanding of how individuals' behavior in monetary price negotiations differs from their behavior in bartering situations. Two contrasting hypotheses were derived from endowment theory and current negotiation research to examine whether negotiators are more susceptible to anchoring in price negotiations versus in bartering transactions. In addition, past research found that cues of coldness enhance cognitive control and reduce anchoring effects. We attempted to replicate these coldness findings for price anchors in a distributive negotiations scenario and to illuminate the potential interplay of coldness priming with a price versus bartering manipulation. Participants ( N = 219) were recruited for a 2 × 2 between-subjects negotiation experiment manipulating (1) monetary focus and (2) temperature priming. Our data show a higher anchoring susceptibility in price negotiations than in bartering transactions. Despite a successful priming manipulation check, coldness priming did not affect participants' anchoring susceptibility (nor interact with the price/bartering manipulation). Our findings improve our theoretical understanding of how the focus on negotiation resources frames economic transactions as either unidirectional or bidirectional, and how this focus shapes parties' susceptibility to the anchoring bias and negotiation behavior. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Objectives: This paper aims to assess the whitening effectiveness and toxicity of tooth-bleaching protocols applied to enamel/dentin disks simulating mandibular incisors (ICs) and premolars (PMs)., Materials and Methods: A 10% hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) gel was applied for 3 × 15, 1 × 15, or 1 × 5 min to enamel/dentin disks simulating mandibular ICs and PMs, and the trans-enamel and trans-dentinal diffusion products were applied to human dental pulp cells (1 h). Professional therapy (35% H 2 O 2 -3 × 15 min) was used as positive control, and non-bleached samples were used as negative control. Cell viability and morphology, oxidative stress generation, and odontoblastic marker expression were assessed. The H 2 O 2 diffusion and enamel color change (ΔE) were also analyzed., Results: The 10% H 2 O 2 gel induced significant cell viability reduction only when applied 3 × 15 min, with the intensity of oxidative stress and down-regulation of odontoblastic markers being higher in the IC group. The other experimental bleaching protocols caused slight alterations regarding the cell parameters evaluated, with intensity being related to enamel/dentin thickness. These effects were also correlated with higher H 2 O 2 diffusion in the IC group. ΔE values similar as positive control were found for the 10% 3 × 15 and 1 × 15 protocols on IC group, after 4 and 6 sessions., Conclusion: Application of a 10% H 2 O 2 bleaching gel for 15 or 45 min to thin dental substrate significantly minimizes cell toxicity in comparison with highly concentrated gels associated with similar esthetic outcomes by increasing the number of bleaching sessions., Clinical Relevance: Bleaching gels with 10% H 2 O 2 applied in small teeth for short periods may be an interesting alternative to obtain whitening effectiveness without causing toxicity to pulp cells, which may be able to reduce the tooth hypersensitivity claimed by patients.

Background: Some nursing programmes offer night shifts for students while others do not, mainly due to the lack of evidence regarding their effectiveness on clinical learning., Objectives: The principal aims of the study were to describe nursing students' perceptions and to explore conditions influencing effectiveness on learning processes during night shifts., Design: An explanatory mixed-method study design composed of a cross-sectional study (primary method, first phase) followed by a descriptive phenomenological study design (secondary method, second phase) in 2015., Setting: Two bachelor of nursing degree programmes located in Northern Italy, three years in length and requiring night shifts for students starting in the second semester of the 1st year, were involved., Participants: First phase: all nursing students ending their last clinical placement of the academic year attended were eligible; 352 out the 370 participated. Second phase: a purposeful sample of nine students among those included in the first phase and who attended the highest amount of night shifts were interviewed., Methods: First phase: a questionnaire composed of closed and open-ended questions was adopted; data was analyzed through descriptive statistical methods. Second phase: an open-ended face-to-face audio-recorded interview was adopted and data was analyzed through content analysis., Results: Findings from the quantitative phase, showed that students who attended night shifts reported satisfaction (44.7%) less frequently than those who attended only day shifts (55.9%). They also reported boredom (23.5%) significantly more often compared to day shift students (p=0001). Understanding of the nursing role and learning competence was significantly inferior among night shift students as compared to day shift students, while the perception of wasting time was significantly higher among night shift students compared to their counterparts. Night shift students performed nursing rounds (288; 98.2%), non-nursing tasks (247; 84.3%) and/or less often managed clinical problems (insomnia 37; 12.6% and disorientation/confusion 32; 10.9%). Findings from the qualitative phase showed night shifts are experienced by students as a "time potentially capable of generating clinical learning": learning is maximized when students play an active role, encounter patients' clinical problems and develop relationships with patients, caregivers and staff., Conclusions: Night shifts remains ambiguous from the students' perspective and their introduction in nursing education should be approached with care, considering the learning aims expected by students in their clinical placements and the education of clinical mentors education who should be capable of effectively involving students in the process of night care by avoiding non-nursing tasks., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We evaluated the suitability of a porcine acellular dermal matrix for the development of a 3-dimensional oral mucosal equivalent using an ex vivo-produced oral mucosal equivalent (EVPOME). Oral keratinocytes were seeded in a submerged model, and then in an air-liquid interphase model, using Transwell ® inserts. EVPOME showed good cell viability and increased glucose consumption over time. Histological evaluation showed that stratified differentiated epithelium had formed in all matrices., (Copyright © 2016 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study evaluated the photoinactivation of Candida albicans in a murine model of oral candidiasis using chloro-aluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlP) encapsulated in cationic nanoemulsions (NE) and chloro-aluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlP) diluted in DMSO (DMSO) as photosensitizer (PS). Seventy-five 6-week-old female Swiss mice were immunosuppressed and inoculated with C. albicans to induce oral candidiasis. PDT was performed on the tongue by the application of the photosensitizers and LED light (100 J cm(-2) -660 nm). Twenty-four hours and 7 days after treatments, microbiological evaluation was carried out by recovering C. albicans from the tongue of animals (CFU ml(-1) ). Then, mice were sacrificed and the tongues were surgically removed for histological and biomolecular analysis of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Data were analyzed by ANOVA followed by Tukey's post hoc test. ClAlP-NE-mediated PDT reduced 2.26 log10 of C. albicans recovered from the tongue when compared with the control group (P-L-) (P < 0.05). PDT did not promote adverse effects on the tongue tissue. Seven days after treatment, all animals were completely healthy. In summary, PDT mediated by chloro-aluminum phthalocyanine entrapped in cationic nanoemulsions was effective in reducing C. albicans recovered from the oral lesions of immunocompromised mice., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) in the treatment of oral candidiasis in a murine model using Photodithazine® (PDZ). This model of oral candidiasis was developed to allow the monitoring of the infection and the establishment of the aPDT treatment. Six-week-old female mice were immunosuppressed and inoculated with C. albicans to induce oral candidiasis. PDZ-mediated aPDT and nystatin treatment were carried out for 5 consecutive days with one application per day. The macroscopic evaluation of oral lesions was performed. After each treatment, the tongue was swabbed to recover C. albicans cells. Viable colonies were quantified and the number of CFU/ml determined. The animals were sacrificed 24 hours and 7 days after treatment and the tongues were surgically removed for histological analysis and analysis of inflammatory cytokines expression (IL-1, TNF-α and IL-6) by RT-qPCR. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA. PDZ-mediated aPDT was as effective as Nystatin (NYS group) in the inactivation of C. albicans, reducing 3 and 3.2 logs10 respectively, 24 h after treatment (p<0.05). Animals underwent PDZ-mediated aPDT showed complete remission of oral lesions, while animals treated with NYS presented partial remission of oral lesions in both periods assessed. Histological evaluation revealed mild inflammatory infiltrate in the groups treated with aPDT and NYS in both periods assessed. The aPDT induced the TNF-α expression when compared with the control (P-L-) (p<0.05), 24 h and 7 days after treatment. In summary, the murine model developed here was able to mimic the infection and PDZ-mediated aPDT was effective to treat mice with oral candidiasis.

Previous studies have demonstrated that high biostimulation takes place when cells under stress are subjected to phototherapy by laser or light-emitting-diode (LED) devices. Several studies selected nutritional deprivation by reducing the concentration of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the culture medium or the exposure of cultured cells to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an in vitro cellular stress condition. However, there are no data certifying that these stimuli cause stressful conditions for cultured cells. This investigation assessed the induction of cellular stress by decreasing the concentration of FBS or adding LPS to culture medium. Odontoblast-like cells (MDPC-23) were cultured in complete culture medium (DMEM) containing 10% FBS. After a 12-hour incubation period, the DMEM was replaced by fresh medium containing 10% FBS (control), low concentrations of FBS (0, 0.2, 0.5, 2, or 5%) or LPS from Escherichia coli (10μg/ml). After an additional 12-hour incubation, cell viability, total cell-counting, total protein production, and gene expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) were assessed. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA complemented by the Tukey test, with 5% considered significant. Cell viability was negatively affected only for 0% FBS, while reduced viable cell numbers and total protein production were detected for FBS concentrations lower than 2%. Higher HSP70 gene expression was also observed for FBS concentrations lower than 2% and for cells exposed to LPS. The nutritional deprivation model with culture medium lower than 2% of FBS can be safely used to induce cellular stress for in vitro photobiomodulation studies., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Food imitating products are chemical consumer items used frequently in the household for cleaning and personal hygiene (e.g., bleach, soap, and shampoo), which resemble food products. Their containers replicate elements of food package design such as possessing a shape close in style to drinking product containers or bearing labels that depict colorful fruits. In marketing, these incongruent forms are designed to increase the appeal of functional products, leading to chemical consumer product embellishment. However, due to the resulting visual ambiguity, food imitating products may expose consumers to the risk of being poisoned from ingestion. Thus, from a public health perspective, food imitating products are considered dangerous chemical products that should not be sold, and may merit being recalled for the safety of consumers. To help policymakers address the hazardous presence of food imitating products, the purpose of this article is to identify the specific design features that generate most ambiguity for the consumer, and therefore increase the likelihood of confusion with foodstuffs. Among the visual elements of food packaging, the two most important features (shape and label) are manipulated in a series of three lab studies combining six Implicit Association Tests (IATs) and two explicit measures on products' drinkability and safety. IATs were administered to assess consumers' implicit association of liquid products with tastiness in a within-subject design in which the participants (N = 122) were presented with two kinds of food imitating products with a drink shape or drink label compared with drinks (experiential products with congruent form) and classic chemical products (hygiene products) (functional products with congruent form). Results show that chemical consumer products with incongruent drink shapes (but not drink labels) as an element of food package design are both implicitly associated with tastiness and explicitly judged as safe and drinkable. These results require confirmation in other studies involving different shapes and labels. Notwithstanding, due to the misleading effect of this ambiguity, public health authorities are thus well advised to focus their market surveillance on chemical products emulating a food or drink shape.

Scope: The aim of our study was to investigate dose-dependent effects of isoflavone (ISO) exposure during adolescence on the androgen sensitivity of various physiological end points in male Wistar rats., Methods and Results: During embryogenesis and adolescence, rats were exposed to an ISO-depleted diet (IDD) or one of two diets enriched with different concentrations of a soy-based ISO extract causing plasma concentrations observed averagely (ISO-rich diet [IRD]low) and maximally (IRDhigh) in Asian men. Most of the rats were orchiectomized at postnatal day (PND) 81 and were treated with testosterone propionate (TP) or vehicle from PND 89 to 99. In intact rats (PND 99) body weight, food intake, and fat mass were not influenced by ISO, but serum triglycerides and hepatic fatty acid synthase expression were decreased. Trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) was reduced in IRDlow, but not in IRDhigh rats. Orchiectomy (ORX) induced loss of BMD, which was antagonized by IRDhigh. ISO increased androgen sensitivity of seminal vesicle and levator ani. Besides, ISO plasma levels were reduced by ORX compared to intact and TP-treated rats., Conclusion: In summary, the results of this study indicate that exposure to ISO during adolescence affects bone homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and modulates androgen sensitivity in young adult male rats., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Background: Dialysate fluid connection to the membrane in continuous dialysis may affect solute clearance. Although circuit connections are routinely made counter-current to blood flow in intermittent dialysis, no study has assessed the effect of this dialysate fluid flow direction on removal of small solutes creatinine and urea during treatment using continuous veno-venous haemodialysis (CVVHD)., Aims: To assess if dialysate flow direction during CVVHD affects small solute removal., Methods: This ethics-approved study recruited a convenience sample of 26 adult ICU patients requiring continuous dialysis to assess urea and creatinine removal for con-current vs. counter-current dialysate flow direction. The circuit was adjusted from continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration to CVVHD 20 min prior to sampling with no fluid removal. Blood (b) and spent dialysate fluid (f) were taken in both concurrent and counter-current fluid flow at 1 (T1) and 4 (T4) hours with a new treatment. Blood flow was 200 ml/min. Dialysate flow 33 ml/min. Removal of urea and creatinine was expressed as the diafiltrate/plasma concentration ratio: Uf/b and Cf/b respectively. Data lacking normal distribution are presented as median with 25th and 75th interquartile ranges (IQR), otherwise as mean with SD and assessed with the independent t test for paired data. p < 0.5 was considered significant., Results: Fifteen male patients were included with a median (IQR) age of 67 years (52-75), and APACHE x0399;x0399; score 17 (14-19) with all patients meeting RIFLE criteria 'F'. At both times, the counter-current dialysate flow was associated with higher mean (SD) diafiltrate/plasma concentration ratios: T1 0.87 (0.16) vs. 0.77 (0.10), p = 0.006; T2 0.96 (0.16) vs. 0.76 (0.09), p < 0.001 for creatinine and T1 0.98 (0.09) vs. 0.81 (0.09), p < 0.001; T2 0.99 (0.07) vs. 0.82 (0.08), p < 0.001 for urea., Conclusion: Counter-current dialysate flow during CVVHD for ICU patients is associated with an approximately 20% increase in removal of small solutes creatinine and urea. Video Journal Club 'Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco' at http://www.karger.com/?doi=441270., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify and quantify the factors driving patient and physician preferences for treatments of genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection in the UK., Methods: A web survey was conducted, including 100 patients (50 treatment-naive and 50 treatment-experienced patients) and 50 physicians (gastroenterologists/ hepatologists and infectious disease specialists). A discrete-choice experiment was conducted to elicit the participants' preferences on the basis of seven attributes with four levels each: efficacy, that is probability of reaching sustained virologic response, treatment duration, treatment convenience (i.e. number of pills and/or injections), gastrointestinal problems, anaemia, dermatological problems and neuropsychological problems. The statistical analysis applied a mixed logit model to estimate preference weights and relative importance scores., Results: Results indicated that the sustained virologic response rate was the most important attribute to participants. Physicians placed an even greater weight on the efficacy of treatments with a relative importance score of 9.33 [95% confidence interval: (6.93-11.91)], as compared with 6.16 [95% confidence interval: (4.34-8.15)] for patients. Neuropsychological problems ranked second for patients and physicians, and were more important to treatment-naive patients than to treatment-experienced patients or physicians. Gastrointestinal problems, anaemia and dermatological problems were of minor importance to all participants. These findings may be explained by the improvement in the management of physical adverse reactions over the last few years, thus making treatment easier to tolerate., Conclusions: This study is the first conjoint analysis assessing and comparing the preferences of patients and physicians in hepatitis C virus.

Objective: Several local factors can affect the wound-healing process, delaying its progression and postponing tissue homeostasis. It is known that local inflammation is related to wound healing; however, the maintenance of the inflammatory reaction can impair the proliferation and migration of oral mucosal cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the viability and chemokine expression of epithelial cells and gingival fibroblasts exposed to long-term lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment., Design: Epithelial cells (HaCaT, Cell Lines Service, 300493) and human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) were seeded (1×10(5) cells/well) in 24-well plates and incubated for 24h. To simulate the responses of cells to a local chronic oral mucosal inflammation, we added LPS of Escherichia coli (10 μg/ml) to Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), kept in contact with fibroblasts and epithelial cells for 24, 48, and 72h. Then the cells were assessed for viability (alamarBlue assay), number (trypan blue assay), and expression of CCL2 and CCL5 inflammatory chemokines (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)). Data were statistically analyzed by nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests at a significance level of 5%., Results: Cell treatment with LPS caused significant decrease in viability for both cell lines. No time-dependent effect was observed for epithelial cells. However, reduction in fibroblast viability was greater at 48 and 72 h. CCL2 and CCL5 synthesis was significantly increased for both LPS-treated cells, and this expression decreased with time., Conclusion: The maintenance of an inflammatory cell stimulus by LPS decreases the number and viability of cultured oral mucosal cells, which may be related to delayed wound healing., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of the oxidative stress on human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) promoted by toxic concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on its odontoblastic differentiation capability through time., Methods: HDPCs were exposed to two different concentrations of H2O2 (0.1 and 0.3μg/ml) for 30min. Thereafter, cell viability (MTT assay) and oxidative stress generation (H2DCFDA fluorescence assay) were immediately evaluated. Data were compared with those for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (thymolphthalein assay) and mineralized nodule deposition (alizarin red) by HDPCs cultured for 7 days in osteogenic medium., Results: A significant reduction in cell viability and oxidative stress generation occurred in the H2O2-treated cells when compared with negative controls (no treatment), in a concentration-dependent fashion. Seven days after H2O2 treatment, the cells showed significant reduction in ALP activity compared with negative control and no mineralized nodule deposition., Conclusion: Both concentrations of H2O2 were toxic to the cells, causing intense cellular oxidative stress, which interfered with the odontogenic differentiation capability of the HDPCs., Clinical Significance: The intense oxidative stress on HDPCs mediated by H2O2 at toxic concentrations promotes intense reduction on odontoblastic differentiation capability in a 7-day evaluation period, which may alter the initial pulp healing capability in the in vivo situation., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate the cytotoxicity of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the repair-related activity of cultured odontoblast-like MDPC-23 cells., Methods: Solutions with different concentrations of DMSO (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 mM), diluted in culture medium (DMEM), were placed in contact with MDPC-23 cells (5 × 104 cells/cm(2)) for 24 h. Eight replicates (n = 8) were prepared for each solutions for the following methods of analysis: violet crystal dye for cell adhesion (CA), quantification of total protein (TP), alizarin red for mineralization nodules formation (MN) and cell death by necrosis (flow cytometry); while twelve replicates (n = 12) were prepared for viable cell number (Trypan Blue) and cell viability (MTT assay). Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey or Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney's tests (p < 0.05)., Results: Cell viability, adhesion and percentage of cell death by necrosis were not affected by DMSO at any concentration, with no statistical significant difference among the groups. A significant reduction in total protein production was observed for 0.5 and 1.0 mM of DMSO compared to the control while increased mineralized nodules formation was seen only for 1.0 mM DMSO., Significance: DMSO caused no or minor cytotoxic effects on the pulp tissue repair-related activity of odontoblast-like cells., (Copyright © 2015 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the transdentinal cytotoxicity of three different concentrations of carbodiimide (EDC) or 5% glutaraldehyde (GA) on MDPC-23 cells., Methods: Seventy 0.4-mm-thick dentin disks obtained from human molars were adapted to artificial pulp chambers. MDPC-23 cells were seeded on the pulpal surface of the disks. After 48 hours, the occlusal dentin was acid-etched and treated for 60 seconds with one of the following solutions (n=10): no treatment (negative control); 0.1 M, 0.3 M, or 0.5 M EDC; 5% GA; Sorensen buffer; or 29% hydrogen peroxide (positive control). Cell viability and morphology were assessed by methyltetrazolium assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The eluates were collected after the treatments and applied on MDPC-23 seeded in a 24-well plate to analyze cell death, total protein (TP), and collagen production. The last two tests were performed 24 hours and seven days after the challenge. Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (p<0.05)., Results: EDC at all test concentrations did not reduce cell viability, while 5% GA did increase cell metabolism. Cell death by necrosis was not elicited by EDC or 5% GA. At the 24-hour period, 0.3 M and 0.5 M EDC reduced TP production by 18% and 36.8%, respectively. At seven days, increased TP production was observed in all groups. Collagen production at the 24-hour period was reduced when 0.5 M EDC was used. After seven days, no difference was observed among the groups. SEM showed no alteration in cell morphology or number, except in the hydrogen peroxide group., Conclusions: Treatment of acid-etched dentin with EDC or GA did not cause transdentinal cytotoxic effects on odontoblast-like cells.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of transdentinal irradiation with different light-emitting diode (LED) parameters on odontoblast-like cells (MDPC-23)., Methods and Materials: Human dentin discs (0.2 mm thick) were obtained, and cells were seeded on their pulp surfaces with complete culture medium (Dulbecco modified Eagle medium). Discs were irradiated from the occlusal surfaces with LED at different wavelengths (450, 630, and 840 nm) and energy densities (0, 4, and 25 J/cm(2)). Cell viability (methyltetrazolium assay), alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP), total protein synthesis (TP), and cell morphology (scanning electron microscopy) were evaluated. Gene expression of collagen type I (Col-I) was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test with a 5% significance level., Results: Higher cell viability (21.8%) occurred when the cells were irradiated with 630 nm LED at 25 J/cm(2). Concerning TP, no statistically significant difference was observed between irradiated and control groups. A significant increase in ALP activity was observed for all tested LED parameters, except for 450 nm at 4 J/cm(2). Quantitative PCR showed a higher expression of Col-I by the cells subjected to infrared LED irradiation at 4 J/cm(2). More attached cells were observed on dentin discs subjected to irradiation at 25 J/cm(2) than at 4 J/cm(2)., Conclusion: The infrared LED irradiation at an energy density of 4 J/cm(2) and red LED at an energy density of 25 J/cm(2) were the most effective parameters for transdentinal photobiomodulation of cultured odontoblast-like cells.

A Food Imitating Product (FIP) is a household cleaner or a personal care product that exhibits food attributes in order to enrich consumption experience. As revealed by many cases worldwide, such a marketing strategy led to unintentional self-poisonings and deaths. FIPs therefore constitute a very serious health and public policy issue. To understand why FIPs are a threat, we first conducted a qualitative analysis on real-life cases of household cleaners and personal care products-related phone calls at a poison control center followed by a behavioral experiment. Unintentional self-poisoning in the home following the accidental ingestion of a hygiene product by a healthy adult is very likely to result from these products being packaged like foodstuffs. Our hypothesis is that FIPs are non-verbal food metaphors that could fool the brain of consumers. We therefore conducted a subsequent functional neuroimaging (fMRI) experiment that revealed how visual processing of FIPs leads to cortical taste inferences. Considered in the grounded cognition perspective, the results of our studies reveal that healthy adults can unintentionally categorize a personal care product as something edible when a food-like package is employed to market nonedible and/or dangerous products. Our methodology combining field (qualitative) and laboratory (behavioral and functional neuroimaging) findings could be of particular relevance for policy makers, as it can help screening products prior to their market release--e.g. the way they are packaged and how they can potentially confuse the mind of consumers--and therefore save lives.

Background: Several methods have been developed to assess the hydration status in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to compare body bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) with ultrasound (US) lung comet score (ULCs), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and inferior vena cava diameter (IVCD) by US for the estimation of dry weight before and after HD and to analyze all methods in terms of fluid status variations induced by HD. An additional aim of this study was to establish the interoperator reproducibility of these methods., Methods: Two nephrologists evaluated BIS, ULCs, IVCD during inspiration (min) and expiration (max), the inferior vena cava collapsibility index (IVCCI) as well as BNP before and after HD in 30 patients. The same operators measured BIS, ULCs and IVCD in 28 HD patients in a blinded fashion., Results: There was a significant reduction in BIS, ULCs, IVCD and BNP after HD (p < 0.001), but a less significant reduction in IVCCI (p = 0.13). There was a significant correlation between BIS and ULCs, BNP and indexed IVCD (IVCDi)min (p < 0.05) before and after HD, and between BIS and IVCDimax only before HD., Conclusion: All methods were able to describe hyperhydration before and after HD, except for IVCCI after HD. All techniques correlated with BIS before HD. After HD, ULCs correlated better with BIS than IVCD in terms of evaluation of fluid status. It could be expected that the ULCs can give a real-time evaluation of interstitial water. The reproducibility of the measurement of BIS, IVCD and ULCs between the two operators was high.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a highly potent bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid (ZOL), on cultured odontoblast-like cells MDPC-23. The cells (1.5×10(4)cells/cm(2)) were seeded for 48h in wells of 24-well dished. Then, the plain culture medium (DMEM) was replaced by fresh medium without fetal bovine serum. After 24h, ZOL (1 or 5μM) was added to the medium and maintained in contact with the cells for 24h. After this period, the succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) enzyme production (cell viability - MTT assay), total protein (TP) production, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and gene expression (qPCR) of collagen type I (Col-I) and ALP were evaluated. Cell morphology was assessed by SEM. Five μM ZOL caused a significant decrease in SDH production. Both ZOL concentrations caused a dose-dependent significant decrease in TP production and ALP activity. ZOL also produced discret morphological alterations in the MDPC-23 cells. Regarding gene expression, 1μM ZOL caused a significant increase in Col-I expression. Although 5μM ZOL did not affect Col-I expression, it caused a significant alteration in ALP expression (ANOVA and Tukey's test, p<0.05). ZOL presented a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on the odontoblast-like cells, suggesting that under clinical conditions the release of this drug from dentin could cause damage to the pulpo-dentin complex., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Fluid balance disorders are a relevant risk factor for morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Volume assessment in the intensive care unit (ICU) is thus of great importance, but there are currently few methods to obtain an accurate and timely assessment of hydration status. Our aim was to evaluate the hydration status of ICU patients via bioelectric impedance vector analysis (BIVA) and to investigate the relationship between hydration and mortality., Methods: We evaluated 280 BIVA measurements of 64 patients performed daily in the 5 days following their ICU admission. The observation period ranged from a minimum of 72 h up to a maximum of 120 h. We observed the evolution of the hydration status during the ICU stay in this population, and analyzed the relationship between mean and maximum hydration reached and mortality--both in the ICU and at 60 days--using logistic regression., Results: A state of overhydration was observed in the majority of patients (70%) on admission, which persisted during the ICU stay. Patients who required continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) were more likely to be overhydrated starting from the 2nd day of observation. Logistic regression showed a strong and significant correlation between mean/maximum hydration reached and mortality, both independently and correcting for severity of prognosis., Conclusions: Fluid overload measured by BIVA is a frequent condition in critically ill patients--whether or not they undergo CRRT--and a significant predictor of mortality. Hence, hydration status should be considered as an additional prognosticator in the clinical management of the critically ill patient., Key Messages: (i) On the day of ICU admittance, patients showed a marked tendency to overhydration (>70% of total). This tendency was more pronounced in patients on CRRT. (ii) Hyperhydration persisted during the ICU stay. Patients who underwent CRRT showed significantly higher hyperhydration from the 2nd day of hospitalization. (iii) Nonsurvivors showed worse hyperhydration patterns in comparison to survivors in logistic univariate analysis (p < 0.05). This relationship between hydration and mortality is confirmed even when controlling for the effect of a worse prognosis approximated by any of three ICU scoring systems (APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA). Mean and maximum hydration levels present a stronger correlation with mortality than with mean and maximum cumulative fluid balance reached during the observation period., (© 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

We report a 63-year-old female patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome revealed after posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. The onset was characterized by hypertension, headache, and cortical blindness, followed a few days later by progressive limb and facial paresis, dysautonomia, and respiratory failure. Treatment with plasmapheresis led to a rapid improvement of the clinical picture and the disappearance of magnetic resonance abnormalities. This report reviews the literature on this unusual association and discusses possible pathophysiological mechanisms., (© 2012 Peripheral Nerve Society.)

Neuroimaging allows to estimate brain activity when individuals are doing something. The location and intensity of this estimated activity provides information on the dynamics and processes that guide choice behaviour and associated actions that should be considered a complement to behavioural studies. Decision neuroscience therefore sheds new light on whether the brain evaluates and compares alternatives when decisions are made, or if other processes are at stake. This work helped to demonstrate that the situations faced by individuals (risky, uncertain, delayed in time) do not all have the same (behavioural) complexity, and are not underlined by activity in the cerebral networks. Taking into account brain dynamics of people (suffering from obesity or not) when making food consumption decisions might allow for improved strategies in public health prevention, far from the rational choice theory promoted by neoclassical economics., (© 2011 médecine/sciences – Inserm / SRMS.)