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The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a genetic region in jawed vertebrates that contains key genes involved in the immune response. Associations between the MHC and avian malaria infections in wild birds have been observed and mainly explored in the Northern Hemisphere, while a general lack of information remains in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we investigated the associations between the MHC genes and infections with Plasmodium and Haemoproteus blood parasites along a latitudinal gradient in South America. We sampled 93 rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) individuals from four countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, and estimated MHC-I and MHC-II allele diversity. We detected between 1-4 (MHC-I) and 1-6 (MHC-II) amino acidic alleles per individual, with signs of positive selection. We obtained generalized additive mixed models to explore the associations between MHC-I and MHC-II diversity and latitude. We also explored the relationship between infection status and latitude/biome. We found a non-linear association between the MHC-II amino acidic allele diversity and latitude. Individuals from north Chile presented a lower MHC genetic diversity than those from other locations. We also found an association between deserts and xeric shrublands and a lower prevalence of Haemoproteus parasites. Our results support a lower MHC genetic in arid or semi-arid habitats in the region with the lower prevalence of Haemoproteus parasites.

Background: The aim of this review was to evaluate the effects of periodontal disease (PD) treatment in pregnant women to reduce the risk of preterm birth (PB) and low birth weight (LBW) by conducting an umbrella review. Methods: A comprehensive search for the literature up to April 2024 was conducted across multiple databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, EMBASE, Scielo, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, and OpenGrey. We specifically targeted systematic reviews (SRs) with or without meta-analyses, irrespective of language or time constraints, focusing on primary studies examining the effect of PD treatment in pregnant women to reduce the risk of PB and LBW. Various types of non-systematic reviews, intervention studies, observational studies, preclinical and basic research, summaries, comments, case reports, protocols, personal opinions, letters, and posters were excluded from consideration. The quality and overall confidence of the included studies were assessed using the AMSTAR–2 tool. Results: After the initial search, 232 articles were identified, of which only 24 met the selection criteria after exclusion. The majority of these studies indicated that periodontal treatment reduces the risk of PB and LBW. Conclusions: According to the findings and conclusions drawn from the SRs with a high overall confidence level, PD treatment in pregnant women reduces the risk of PB and LBW.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of serratiopeptidase in third molar surgery. Materials and Methods: A bibliographic search was carried out until April 2022, in the biomedical databases: Pubmed/Medline, Cochrane Central Registry of Clinical Trials, Scopus, Scielo and Google Scholar. Studies reporting the ef-ficacy of serratiopeptidase in third molar surgery, which were randomized clinical trials, in English and without time limits, were included. The RoB 2.0 tool was used to assess the risk of the included studies and the GRADEPro GDT tool to assess Results: The preliminary search yielded a total of 116 articles, discarding those that did not meet the selection criteria, leaving only 10 articles. Six articles entered a meta-analysis and found that serratiopeptidase reduces trismus but not reduce inflammation and pain after third molar surgery. Conclusions: The literature reviewed suggests that ser-ratiopeptidase is effective in reducing trismus after third molar surgery.

Repeated exposure to traffic noise may be perceived as a succession of stressors, and therefore, noisy urban environments could lead to a state of chronic stress. In developing animals, glucocorticoids can have organizational effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in addition to the classic activation effects, so evaluating the effect of traffic noise during development is urgently needed. To our knowledge, to date six studies have investigated the effects of traffic noise on baseline corticosterone (CORT) and/or the stress response in birds during development; however, these studies were performed in nestling (altricial species), where confounding factors (e.g. communication between nestlings and parents) could mask the real impact of traffic noise on stress. In this study, we evaluated the effect of traffic noise (traffic noise group vs. rural noise group) on baseline levels of CORT and stress responses in chicks of a precocial bird species, the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Because CORT can also decrease glutathione (GSH) levels (antioxidant and neurotransmitter/modulator), secondly by means of path analysis we investigated whether the strength of the association between CORT levels, GSH levels and tonic immobility (TI) varied in relation to treatment. We observed (i) similar baseline levels of CORT in both groups, (ii) a trend toward higher stress response in the traffic noise group (P = 0.08), (iii) similar TI duration in both groups, (iv) higher GSH levels in the traffic noise group and (v) differences in the strength and sign of the associations in relation to the treatment (traffic vs. rural). We conclude that the acoustic environment perceived during development has implications for physiology and behaviour; as more research is done on this topic, the need for sustainable urban planning will become clearer.

Studies that concurrently investigate the functional benefits of group living in multiple populations of the same species are rare. Over a 3‐year period (2014–2016), we examined two ecologically contrasting populations to test multiple hypotheses for the adaptive significance of group living in the communally breeding rodent Octodon degus. We quantified the size of social units (number of adults, number of adult females), edible vegetation at burrow systems, and per capita offspring weaned (PCOW) in each population. Contrary to expectations, we did not observe population‐specific associations between group size and edible vegetation or PCOW nor universal benefits of group living. In one population, PCOW increased in mid‐sized groups with more edible vegetation. However, this trend was not consistent across years. Notably, we observed a complete reproductive failure in one population during the first year of study, one that was characterized by low rainfall and no detectable edible vegetation. This result is important because reproductive failure occurred regardless of group size, suggesting that communal living may not buffer degus against the harshest of environmental conditions. Examining how social organization shapes individual reproductive success under extreme variation in food availability is an important step towards understanding how populations will respond to a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the survival rate of fixed space maintainers used in Dentistry. Material and Methods: A literature search was carried out, following the guidelines of the PRISMA standards, until March 2020, in the biomedical databases: Pubmed, Embase, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus, SIGLE, LILACS, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Central Registry of Clinical Trials. The selection criteria of the studies were defined as: clinical trials, without language restriction, up to 10 years old and that report the survival rate of fixed space maintainers used in dentistry. Study risk of bias was analyzed using the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Results: The search strategy resulted in 159 articles, of which 10 were ultimately included for the present study. All included articles reported that the overall survival rate of the fixed space maintainers used in Dentistry was between 20% and 95%; the one with the highest survival rate is the crown and loop with 86.3%. When comparing the fiber-reinforced composite space maintainers with the band and loop it was observed that there is no difference between them; when comparing the crown and loop with the band and loop, a difference was observed, favoring the crown and loop. Conclusion: The reviewed literature suggests that the overall survival rate of fixed space maintainers used in dentistry ranges from 20 to 86.3% with a follow-up time of 6 to 18 months.

Objective: To determine, by means of a systematic review and meta-analysis, the clinical effectiveness of pre-treatment with chlorhexidine (CHX) in adhesive dental restorations. Material and Methods: A literature search was conducted until February 2020, in the biomedical databases: Pubmed, Embase, Scielo, Science Direct, Scopus, SIGLE, LILACS, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Central Registry of Clinical Trials. The selection criteria of the studies were defined, which were: randomized and controlled clinical trials, without language and time restrictions, and reporting the clinical effects (retention, marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation, postoperative sensitivity and secondary caries) of pre-CHX treatment in adhesive dental restorations. Study risk of bias was analyzed using the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Results: The search strategy resulted in six articles of which five entered a meta-analysis. The studies reported that there was no difference in retention, marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation, postoperative sensitivity, and secondary caries from pre-treatment with CHX in adhesive dental restorations. Conclusion: The reviewed literature suggests that pretreatment with CHX does not influence the clinical effectiveness in adhesive dental restorations.

BackgroundEnvironmental stressors increase the secretion of glucocorticoids that in turn can shorten telomeres via oxidative damage. Modification of telomere length, as a result of adversity faced early in life, can modify an individual's phenotype. Studies in captivity have suggested a relationship between glucocorticoids and telomere length in developing individuals, however less is known about that relationship in natural populations.MethodsIn order to evaluate the effect of early environmental stressors on telomere length in natural populations, we compared baseline corticosterone (CORT) levels and telomere length in nestlings of the same age. We collected blood samples for hormone assay and telomere determination from two geographically distinct populations of the Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) that differed in brood size; nestlings body mass and primary productivity. Within each population we used path analysis to evaluate the relationship between brood size, body mass, baseline CORT and telomere length.ResultsWithin each distinct population, path coefficients showed a positive relationship between brood size and baseline CORT and a strong and negative correlation between baseline CORT and telomere length. In general, nestlings that presented higher baseline CORT levels tended to present shorter telomeres. When comparing populations it was the low latitude population that presented higher levels of baseline CORT and shorter telomere length.ConclusionsTaken together our results reveal the importance of the condition experienced early in life in affecting telomere length, and the relevance of integrative studies carried out in natural conditions.

Background: The purpose of this review is to determine the association between the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight in newborns and periodontal disease in pregnant women. Methods: A bibliographic search was carried out until November 2021 in the following biomedical databases: PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scielo, LILACS and Google Scholar. Studies reporting the association between the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight in newborns with periodontal disease in pregnant women, which were systematic reviews, in English and without time limits were included. AMSTAR-2 was used to assess the risk of the included studies, and the GRADEPro GDT tool was used to assess the quality of the evidence and the strength of the recommendation of the results. Results: The preliminary search yielded a total of 161 articles, discarding those that did not meet the selection criteria, leaving only 15 articles. Seven articles were entered into a meta-analysis, and it was found that there is an association between the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight in newborns with periodontal disease in pregnant women. Conclusions: There is an association between the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight in newborns with periodontal disease in pregnant women.

Recent evidence indicates that individual behavioural variation in animals, defined as consistent individual differences in behaviour across contexts and time, influence ecological and evolutionary processes, and a growing number of studies demonstrate that individual behavioural variation can play a large role in shaping grouping dynamics among social animals. We studied the common degu, Octodon degus , a social rodent, to evaluate whether individual behavioural variation underlies social organization and the reproductive success of individuals within groups. We examined social groups in a population in central-north Chile during one breeding season, tested 67 adults in an open field test (i.e., the propensity to explore an unfamiliar environment) and 62 adults in a poke test (i.e., the propensity to charge an object) to quantify individual behavioural variation, determined assortment based on individual behavioural differences across 19 social groups, and performed genetic analyses to assess reproductive success. We found that the response to the poke test was repeatable, while none of the behaviours from an open field test were. The repeatable behaviour during the poke test was not associated to components of social organization (group composition), or to reproductive success. These findings imply that individual behavioural variation did not affect grouping patterns or direct fitness in this degu population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Periodontal disease is a chronic multifactorial infectious inflammatory condition characterized by inflammation of soft periodontal tissue. In advanced stages (periodontitis) it causes progressive destruction of hard periodontal tissue, leading to eventual tooth loss if not treated. Objective: Determine the clinical and radiographic effectiveness of statins in the treatment of periodontitis. Methods: A search was carried out in the literature published until April 2019 in the biomedical databases PubMed, Embase, SciELO, Science Direct, Scopus, System for Information on Gray Literature in Europe, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials. The following selection criteria were defined for the studies: randomized clinical trials published in the last five years and reporting on clinical and radiographic effects (probing depth, clinical insertion level, plaque index, bleeding index, gingival index, intraosseous defect and defect depth) of statins in the treatment of periodontitis. Bias risk analysis was based on the Cochrane manual of systematic reviews of interventions. Results: A total 19 papers were retrieved, of which 100% reported differences in the probing depth, clinical insertion level, plaque index, bleeding index, gingival index, intraosseous defect and defect depth of statins in the treatment of periodontitis. Conclusions: The literature review conducted suggests that the use of statins is clinically and radiographically effective in the treatment of periodontitis.

Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders are a group of dysfunctions which affect the temporomandibular joint and/or associated musculoskeletal tissues. Objective: Determine the effectiveness of platelet concentrates in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. Methods: A bibliographic search was conducted from January 2014 to April 2019 in the biomedical databases PubMed, Embase, SciELO, Scopus, Science Direct, System for Information on Gray Literature in Europe, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials. The following selection criteria were defined for the studies: randomized clinical trials published in the last five years and reporting on the effectiveness (pain reduction and maximum opening increase) of platelet concentrates in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. Bias risk analysis was based on the Cochrane manual of systematic reviews of interventions. Results: Nine papers were retrieved, of which 100% reported no differences in pain reduction or maximum opening increase resulting from the use of platelet concentrates in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders. Conclusions: The literature review conducted suggests that there is slight evidence of the potential benefits of intra-articular injections of platelet concentrates in patients with temporomandibular disorders. However, a standardized protocol should be established for the preparation and application of these concentrates.

Objective: To compare, through a systematic review and a meta-analysis, the clinical effect of the adhesive strategies of universal adhesives (UA) in the treatment of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs). Material and Method: A search of the literature was carried out up to January 2018, in the biomedical databases: Pubmed, Embase, Scielo, Science Direct, SIGLE, LILACS, BBO, Google Scholar and the Central Register of Cochrane Clinical Trials. The selection criteria of the studies were as: randomized clinical trials, with a maximum age of 5 years and which report the clinical effects (marginal adaptation, discoloration or marginal staining, presence of secondary caries, postoperative sensitivity, retention and fractures) of the UA in the treatment of NCCLs. The risk of study bias was analyzed through the Cochrane Handbook of systematic reviews of interventions. Results: The search strategy resulted in eight articles that reported no difference in marginal adaptation, discoloration or marginal staining, presence of secondary caries and postoperative sensitivity among the adhesive strategies of the UA; however they reported a difference between the retention and the presence of fractures, with the conventional adhesive strategy resulting in a better clinical effect. Conclusion: The reviewed literature suggests that the conventional adhesive strategy of UAs results in greater retention and absence of fractures in the treatment of NCCLs.

Social interactions among conspecifics are a fundamental and adaptively significant component of the biology of numerous species. Such interactions give rise to group living as well as many of the complex forms of cooperation and conflict that occur within animal groups. Although previous conceptual models have focused on the ecological causes and fitness consequences of variation in social interactions, recent developments in endocrinology, neuroscience, and molecular genetics offer exciting opportunities to develop more integrated research programs that will facilitate new insights into the physiological causes and consequences of social variation. Here, we propose an integrative framework of social behavior that emphasizes relationships between ultimate-level function and proximate-level mechanism, thereby providing a foundation for exploring the full diversity of factors that underlie variation in social interactions, and ultimately sociality. In addition to identifying new model systems for the study of human psychopathologies, this framework provides a mechanistic basis for predicting how social behavior will change in response to environmental variation. We argue that the study of non-model organisms is essential for implementing this integrative model of social behavior because such species can be studied simultaneously in the lab and field, thereby allowing integration of rigorously controlled experimental manipulations with detailed observations of the ecological contexts in which interactions among conspecifics occur.

Haematocrit, the proportion of blood comprising erythrocytes, is often used as a proxy of individual condition. Nestling haematocrit is influenced by several factors but ambient temperature is generally agreed as a key driver. It is unclear which day(s) in embryonic or nestling development are most influential in determining pre‐fledgling haematocrit. This is important, because if we are able to identify what day(s) nestlings are physiologically most vulnerable to climatic conditions, this may inform future conservation management and help mitigate the effects. We investigated the effect of ambient temperature, precipitation, body size, brood size, age, food abundance and habitat on nestling haematocrit in Aphrastura spinicauda (thorn‐tailed rayaditos). We collected this data from two climatically different locations in Chile: northern Patagonia (Pucón) and Sub‐Antarctic Patagonia (Navarino Island), located ~ 1800 km further south. We aimed to identify the key drivers of nestling haematocrit and find when nestlings are physiologically most vulnerable to climatic conditions. We confirm that ambient temperature is the key driver of nestling haematocrit, with increasing ambient temperatures nestling haematocrit decreased. However, precipitation also affected haematocrit in the late incubation stage. At low and high precipitation, nestling haematocrit was low and is optimum in light rainfall. Our results show a delayed effect of ambient temperature and precipitation in late incubation and on the day of hatching which can determine pre‐fledgling haematocrit, which may cause lower post‐fledgling fitness. We found that climatic conditions on the day haematocrit was collected was not important in determining haematocrit. We found that haematocrit was higher in the sub‐Antarctic area and that higher temperatures and precipitation on the day of hatching will result in lower nestling haematocrit and poorer pre‐fledgling condition. As atmospheric temperatures rise, nestling fitness is at risk. This is a threat to many bird species, especially those in locations vulnerable to climate breakdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]