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Objectives: This study aims to assess whether antibiotic prophylaxis for dental implant placement is commonly used by dentists in Portugal. Materials and Methods: This cross‐sectional survey study was based on a web survey with 22 questions divided into 5 parts. The 1st part focused on demographic details, work experience, and academic expertise, whereas the 2nd and 3rd parts were about the pre‐ and postoperative antibiotic prescriptions. The 4th and 5th parts focused on dentists' motivation for using/avoiding antibiotic prophylaxis and the use of a protocol, respectively. Data interpretation included descriptive analysis and statistical inference via cross‐tabling with chi‐square adjusted standardised for residual effects. Results: Of the 204 valid surveys, at least one was received from every large Portuguese city which ensured the national coverage of the survey. Most respondents are not specialist dentists (72%). Sixty‐four percent of the respondents always use antibiotic prophylaxis, while 29% adopt it only when grafting materials are employed. Most respondents use both pre‐ and postoperative regimens (55%). Amoxicillin 875 mg + clavulanic acid 125 mg is the most prescribed antibiotic (57%). Finally, the risk reduction of postoperative infection is the most frequent justification for the use of antibiotic prophylaxis (60%). Conclusions: The results highlight that most of the respondents do not follow the consensual international guidelines for prophylactic antibiotherapy in dental implant placement surgeries. This finding should serve as a rationale to increase the dissemination of those guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and total deforestation of the Amazon on extreme rainfall events in the Amazon basin. In order to quantify these impacts, numerical experiments were performed with the Eta regional climate model forced from initial and boundary conditions from the BESM, HadGEM2‐ES, and MIROC5 earth system models. In the experiment related to the increase in GHGs, numerical simulations were performed according to the IPCC RCP8.5 scenario. The effect of deforestation was quantified via an experiment in which the forest in the Amazon basin was replaced by areas of degraded pasture in the Eta model. For the analyses of the changes in extreme rainfall events, the multi‐model ensemble technique was used. The results were evaluated in terms of anomalies relative to the sensitivity and control experiments. In the results, it was observed that in an RCP8.5‐type GHG emission scenario there is a statistically significant increase in the maximum number of consecutive days without rain, a reduction in the maximum number of consecutive rainy days, reduction in total annual precipitation, and reduction in maximum annual precipitation accumulated over one and 5 days, respectively. The results for the scenario with increased GHGs and large‐scale deforestation in the Amazon basin are similar to the RCP8.5 scenario, but the intensity of changes in climate indices is significantly greater. It was also verified that the changes in the climatic indices are strongly associated with alterations in the energy balances at the surface and, consequently, in the large‐scale circulation. In general, it can be highlighted that the climate in the Amazon region is strongly dependent on the presence of the forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Background One of the biggest concerns in transfusion medicine is to avoid red blood cell alloimmunization. We evaluated the rate of alloimmunization in two groups of chronically transfused patients (A - not phenotyped and B - phenotyped for Rh/K antigens before the first transfusion) with primary haematological disorders and its distribution among the main haematological diseases, in order to adopt an efficient transfusional strategy. Study design and methods As methodology, we used the SIBAS and SAM databases for the retrospective study of all patients with primary haematological disorder between January 2011 and April 2013. Results A statistical difference in the rate of alloimmunization comparing groups A and B was found ( P <0·0001). We also observed that alloimmunization was not homogeneously distributed in all primary haematological diseases. Conclusions The Rh/K phenotype should be performed on all patients diagnosed with bone marrow failure, plasma cell dyscrasia and myelodysplastic syndrome in order to avoid alloimmunization. In patients with acute leukaemia and lymphoma it seems not necessary to perform it. In patients with haemoglobinopathy and myeloproliferative disorders, a larger group of patients is needed to decide its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of new catechol- O-methyltransferase inhibitors has led to an improvement in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, despite the fact that the soluble isoform has been extensively investigated, few studies have been published concerning membrane isoform chromatographic recovery and bioactivity levels. In this work, chromatographic profiles of both catechol- O-methyltransferase isoforms were compared using quaternary amine as a ligand to evaluate its activity levels and recovery rates. Results show that both proteins required different conditions for adsorption; the soluble isoform adsorption was performed at low ionic strength, while the membrane isoform required increasing linear salt gradient. However, the application of 0.5% Triton X-100 promoted membrane isoform adsorption even at low ionic strength. Indeed, chromatographic conditions of both isoforms became similar when detergents were applied. The developed methods also appear to be highly effective in bioactivity recovery, presenting rates of 107% for soluble protein and 67 and 91% for membrane isoform without and with detergents, respectively. The chromatographic strategies with and without detergents resulted in a 4.3- and sevenfold purification, respectively, corresponding to specific activity values of 331 and 496 nmol/h/mg. Thus, the use of Q-sepharose as anion exchanger was effective in the recovery of both enzymes, which is a requirement for further kinetic and pharmacological trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Handley PS, Correia FF, Russell K, Rosan B, DiRienzo JM. Association of a novel high molecular weight, serine-rich protein (SrpA) with fibril-mediated adhesion of the oral biofilm bacteriumStreptococcus cristatus.Oral Microbiol Immunol 2005: 20: 131–140.© Blackwell Munksgaard, 2005.The surface of the oral plaque bacteriumStreptococcus cristatusis decorated with a lateral tuft of fibrils. The fibrillar tuft functions in the adhesion ofS. cristatusto heterologous bacterial species in the plaque biofilm. The tuft typically consists of a densely packed fringe of shorter fibrils 238 ± 19 nm long with longer, less abundant fibrils 403 ± 66 nm long projecting through the fringe of short fibrils. The two types of fibrils in the tufts ofS. cristatushave been refractory to biochemical separation, complicating their characterization. A hexadecane partition assay was used to enrich for subpopulations ofS. cristatusCR311 (type strain NCTC 12479) having distinct fibrillar morphotypes. Negative staining in the TEM revealed that cells of a hydrophobic subpopulation ofS. cristatus(CR311var1) carried only the long fibrils (395 ± 32 nm). A hydrophilic subpopulation ofS. cristatus(CR311var3) consisted of mixed morphotypes having no fibrils or remnant short fibrils (223 ± 49 nm). No long fibrils were observed on any cells in the CR311var3 subpopulation. The CR311var3 morphotype, unlike the wild-type strain and CR311var1, was not able to form corncobs with eitherCorynebacterium matruchotiiorFusobacterium nucleatum. Variant CR311var3 did not express the novel genesrpA, which encodes a high molecular weight (321,882 Da) serine-rich protein, SrpA. The SrpA protein contains two extensive repeat motifs of 17 and 71 amino acids and a gram-positive cell wall anchor consensus sequence (LPNTG). The unusual properties of SrpA most closely resemble those of Fap1, the fimbrial-associated adhesin protein ofStreptococcus parasanguis.The association of long fibrils, high surface hydrophobicity, ability to form corncob formations, and expression of thesrpAgene suggest that SrpA is a long fibril protein inS. cristatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the effects of privatization on the diversity of Portugal's higher educational system. Background on Portuguese higher educational system; Difficulty for private institutions to attract students due to competition and the quality of education from public schools; Creation of a polytechnic sub-system to offer specialized training programs and to confer degrees with legal equivalence to universities.

Intermicrobial binding plays an important role in the ecology of the oral cavity because it represents one mechanism by which specific bacteria colonize dental plaque. The formation of "corncobs", a morphologically distinct microbial unit composed of Streptococcus crista and Fusobacterium nucleatum, is a highly specific binding interaction that depends on the presence of polar tufts of fimbriae on the streptococci. We have used a genetic approach to examine the role of streptococcal cell surface components involved in the binding of S. crista to F. nucleatum. Such binding may be an important component of corncob formation. A method for the genetic transformation of S. crista was used to transfer the broad host range transposon, Tn916, into the bacteria. Cells were grown to early log phase in brain heart infusion broth containing 10% fetal calf serum. The competent cells were mixed with purified DNA from pDL916, a plasmid construct consisting of Tn916 and the streptococcal/Escherichia coli shuttle vector pDL278. Over 300 transformants were screened for a reduction in binding to F. nucleatum. Five of the transformants showed a change in binding ranging from 59% to 29% of the positive control values. Southern blots revealed that the binding-deficient transformants contained the Tn916 element integrated into one of 4 different sites in the chromosome. The transposon, integrated into 4 different sites, appeared to be stable in the absence of selective pressure. Based on these findings, it appears that some strains of S. crista are naturally competent and that insertional inactivation methods can be used to facilitate the study of binding receptors in this group of oral streptococci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cochlear implant surgery is guided by principles of atraumatic insertion as to protect the inner ear. Previous studies suggest the potential benefit of steroids in patients undergoing cochlear implantation (CI), although the optimal route of administration has yet to be determined. We aim to systematically review the human studies of hearing and vestibular function preservation in patients undergoing CI receiving perioperative steroids and to discuss their role., Data Sources: Search performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases in December 2023., Review Methods: Studies comparing several methods of steroid delivery and conventional management for patients undergoing CI were identified. Primary outcomes included hearing and vestibular function preservation. Secondary outcomes included reported adverse events, routes of steroid administration, and the presence of a control group without steroid administration., Results: A total of 15 studies (N = 659) met inclusion criteria. Methodology, doses, route of steroid administration, and follow-up duration differed between most studies. Audiometric, vestibular, and hearing preservation (HP) results were inconsistent. In 12 studies, perioperative steroids were associated with either increased HP or vestibular function preservation. Only two studies reported adverse events related to oral corticosteroid therapy., Conclusions: There is a tendency for perioperative steroids to have a positive impact, at least in the short term, on hearing and vestibular function preservation in CI. Topical corticosteroid therapy appears to have a superior risk-benefit profile. There is a need for future carefully designed randomized controlled trials to determine the ideal route of steroid administration and its real impact in the long term. Laryngoscope, 134:3458-3465, 2024., (© 2024 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)