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This was to evaluate the effectiveness of plaque disclosure as an auxiliary method for early childhoods’ oral hygiene. The study was performed with 20 mothers and their children (aged 6–36 months), members of a preventive programme, which two groups used one of two approaches: conventional oral hygiene/group I (tooth brushing) and plaque disclosure with subsequent oral hygiene/group II (tooth brushing with prior plaque disclosure). Ten mothers started the study in group I and the other 10 in group II, after one month interval they changed to be in the alternate group. Each group consisted of baseline and three additional visits at weekly intervals. The effectiveness of oral hygiene was assessed in a blind fashion by plaque quantity estimation, using the Green Vermilion index for smooth surfaces and the plaque thickness index for occlusal surfaces. Statistical comparisons were performed using repeated measures ANOVA/Fisher’s post hoc test and paired t-test (p < 0.05). For smooth and occlusal surfaces at first and second visits, group II recorded significantly lower plaque indices when compared with group I. Additionally, when considering the mean dental plaque index of all visits, group II also presented lower plaque scores than group I. Dental plaque disclosure before toothbrushing helps mothers to enhance the effectiveness of early childhood oral hygiene. RBR-7fyc7g; Avaliação do Treinamento e de Métodos Auxiliares na Efetividade da Escovação Dentária Materna em Bebês. Where the full trial protocol can be accessed: http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.

Comparar los resultados clínicos intra y postoperatorios tempranos entre la enucleación transuretral con láser de tulio de la próstata (ThuLEP) y la resección bipolar transuretral de la próstata (TURis) para el tratamiento de la hiperplasia prostática benigna (HBP) en un ensayo prospectivo aleatorizado.

In recent years, increasing interest has been devoted to the susceptibility gene polymorphisms in type 1 diabetes (T1D) as well as in other autoimmune diseases. Among these, a nucleotide polymorphism of the gene encoding for the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (PTPN22) has been associated with T1D in several studies. The aim of this study is to define the frequency of the C1858T polymorphism in the PTPN22 gene in a cohort of 113 Caucasian patients (58 males and 55 females) with T1D, and to assess a possible correlation with a group of clinically relevant variables: age at onset, gender, diabetes-related autoantibodies, residual β-cell function and daily insulin requirement (IR) 6 months after diagnosis. Using a PCR-RFLP approach, we evidenced a 17.7% frequency of the PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism in diabetic patients, higher than the frequency showed in the general population. A statistically significant correlation between this polymorphism and higher levels of C-peptide at diagnosis and lower IR at 6 months from diagnosis was observed (P=0.001 and P=0.04). Moreover, 1858T variant carriers were more frequently positive for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) autoantibodies at diagnosis than wild-type subjects (P=0.19). On the other hand, no significant difference regarding age at onset, gender distribution, insulinoma-associated 2 molecule (IA2) and islet cell antibodies (ICA) positivity was found. These findings, if adequately confirmed in the future and extended to larger samples, may characterize a subset of T1D patients with a defined genetic pattern, who may be eligible for trials aimed to preserve residual β-cell function in the coming years.

Hydrophobic (HO) and hydrophilic (HI) fractions of dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from several substrates including a source separated urban waste compost, a mechanically separated urban waste compost, an anaerobically digested municipal sewage sludge, a composted sewage sludge and a cow slurry were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), monodimensional fluorescence spectroscopy in the emission, excitation and synchronous scan modes, tridimensional excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The FT-IR spectra indicated that the HI fractions were rich in both aromatic and aliphatic structures, whereas the HO fractions were rich in carboxylic groups and polysaccharides. The synchronous scan spectra of HO fractions showed the main peak at a wavelength much longer than that of the HI fractions, which indicated a greater molecular complexity of the HO fractions with respect to HI fractions. The 1H-NMR data indicated a great percentage of aliphatic structures in all samples, whereas the HO samples were also characterised by the presence of aromatic structures. The DSC curves confirmed the more distinct aromatic nature of HO fractions, as compared to the corresponding HI fractions.

Plants have evolved with roots in close contact with the solid phase of the soil. Therefore, root exudates may be a better medium for extracting low molecular size (LMS) organic fractions than currently used alkaline solutions. Our objective was to compare the chemical and biological activity of LMS extracts using maize (Zea maysL.), Picea abies, and Pinus sylvestrisroot exudates to humic substances (HS) extracted with alkaline solution. Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) spectra revealed that the LMS fractions had a greater variety of fatty acids than the HS. Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectra of LMS fractions also indicated different amounts of functional groups by comparison with HS. The possible biological role of LMS fractions with respect to HS was assessed by measuring hormone‐like activity and nitrate uptake in P. sylvestrisseedlings. The LMS fractions from agricultural soil stimulated nitrate uptake and nitrate reductase (NR) and glutamine synthetase (GS) activities, whereas those from a forest soil increased ammonium uptake, NR, and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activities. The stimulation of nitrate and ammonium uptake via a NR‐GS or NR‐GDH metabolic pattern was consistent with the different chemical composition of the LMS fractions. This indicates LMS fractions in soil have consequential affects on the plant's capacity to adapt to different environmental conditions.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was applied to the study of material composted from sawdust, used coffee, farmyard manure and the organic fraction of domestic solid waste. Composting trials were carried out in Morocco and samples were collected after different periods of composting. The results obtained provided evidence that sawdust substrate is not a suitable source for composting due to the high content of lignin; samples from used coffee are characterized by a degree of aromaticity that is lower and a functional group heterogeneity that is higher than those of organic wastes from manure and the organic fraction of domestic wastes. The latter organic waste substrates appear to be easily degraded and humified and to give DSC curves that at the end of composting are vary close to those of native soil humic acids.

Differential Scanning Calorimetry combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, was applied to the study of a number of fulvic and humic acids extracted from soils, peat, river and seawater. The thermal patterns obtained were related to the nature and origin of samples. The low-temperature endotherms were attributed to dehydration and loss of peripheral polysaccharide chains. The endotherm at 250°C observed for soil FA was ascribed to partial decarboxylation of more labile surface COOH groups, whereas the high-temperature exotherms at about 500°C were related to the degree of polycondensation of the aromatic network of the humic molecules.

Samples of pulp and paper mill biosludges with different maturation ages (fresh biosludge and composts collected after 3 weeks, 1 year and 2 years of composting) and their corresponding humic acids were analyzed by thermal analysis with DSC in association with FT-IR spectroscopy. The DSC curves obtained exhibited endotherms in the low-temperature region, assigned to dehydration processes, exotherms at around 370°C, attributed to the loss of peptidic structures, and high-temperature exotherms, assigned to the loss of functional groups; the lignins were thermostable, regardless of the maturation age of the compost. The results obtained provided evidence that, during composting, the organic matter evolved in the direction of higher molecular complexity and stability, leading to a more homogeneous product closely resembling humic-like substances.

Utilizing sophisticated equipment, densimetric and viscosimetric measurements were carried out on samples of ground-waters of Apulia.Experimental data, utilized to check if simple equations can evaluate the density and the viscosity of multicomponent solutions, confirm the validity of the hypothesis.

Some chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides were analyzed monthly (January-May 1981) to evaluate their residues in water for irrigation purposes. It has been discussed if the high concentration of proscribed chemicals detected are consequence of old or new treatments.