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To investigate the effect of morphine as an exogenous opioid on orthodontic tooth movement. Naltrexone will be used as an opioid antagonist to confirm the results.

In recent years, dermatologists in India have alerted the medical community to the wide spread of recalcitrant extensive dermatophytosis across the country. Clinically, extensive dermatophytosis is characterized by tinea cruris, [...]

Human gnathostomiasis is a foodborne parasitic zoonosis caused by spiruroid nematodes of the genus Gnathostoma (1). There are 13 species of Gnathostoma, including 6 from Asia and 7 from the [...]

We evaluated lethal temperatures and times for killing bed bugs in diverse covered and uncovered conditions simulating their natural habitats. A total of 5400 adult bed bugs were collected alive from 17 infested locations in Paris. They were morphologically identified in laboratory as Cimex lectularius. They were then distributed in multiple sets of 30 specimens to examine in covered (tissue, furniture, mattress or blanket) and uncovered (direct exposure) conditions and in diverse step-function temperatures (50, 55 and 60°C) and times (15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes), replicated three times. Effective mortality was observed in 1080 specimens exposed directly to 50°C for 60 minutes. In specimens covered by tissue (1080 specimens), furniture (1080) or mattress (1080), all were dead at 60°C within 60 minutes. The specimens covered by blanket (1080) at the same temperature were dead after 120 minutes. A 60-minutes delay in reaching to lethal temperature within blanket compared to uncovered thermometer was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the accurate age of malaria vectors is crucial to measure the risk of malaria transmission. A group of fluorescent chemicals derived from a pyrimidine-pyrazine ring structure known as pteridines from the head, thorax and whole body of adult female Anopheles stephensi were identified and evaluated as a tool for chronological and physiological age determination of malaria vectors. The female mosquitoes were collected from an insectary colony at an interval of every 5 days, up to 30 days, and the pteridines of head, thorax and whole body were detected fluorometrically by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) using excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 and 455 nm, respectively. In addition, alteration of the pteridines compounds was compared between blood and sugar fed mosquito groups. Although four pteridines including pterin-6-carboxylic acid, biopterin, xanthopterin and isoxanthopterin were detected, some of them were absent in the head or thorax of mosquitoes. Levels of all four pteridines were similarly decreased in a linear manner throughout 30 days. No significant difference in alteration of pteridine compounds was observed between the two groups of blood or sugar fed mosquitoes. This result indicates that diet has a little effect on pteridines alteration. Age determination based on pteridines, as an age-grading technique, could be used for field collected mosquitoes, which have either sugar or blood meal. In addition, analyzing total pteridine fluorescence from only whole body could be a convenient method to estimate the age.

This study investigated the effect of photobiomodulation (PBM) with 980 nm diode laser as monotherapy and in combination with compressive and tensile orthodontic forces on expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor‐κB ligand (RANKL), sclerostin (SOST) and periostin (POSTN), by human periodontal ligament cells. Isolated cells were cultured and subjected to either tensile (10% elongation) or compressive forces (25 g cm−2) for 24 and 48 h. Subsequently, the cells received PBM (100 mW power, 3 or 6 J cm−2 energy density) immediately after load cycle. RT‐PCR was applied to assess the genes expression. Data were analyzed by one‐way ANOVA, followed by post hoc Tukey test (P ≤ 0.05). We found that PBM in combination with orthodontic forces led to upregulation of bone resorption genes (RANKL and SOST) at the pressure side and their downregulation at the tension side. The expression of osteogenic genes (OPG and POSTN) increased at the tension side and decreased at the pressure side. PBM alone did not affect gene expression. In conclusion, these findings suggest that this PBM protocol may be effective in enhancement of the gene expression in favor of bone remodeling acceleration that should be confirmed in future animal and human studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Introduction: Osteoclasts and osteoblasts are responsible for regulating bone homeostasis during which the trace element zinc has been shown to exert a cumulative effect on bone mass by stimulating osteoblastic bone formation and inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of zinc (Zn) on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) in a rat model. Material and Methods: A total of 44 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups of 11 animals each and received 0, 1.5, 20 and 50 ppm Zn in distilled water for 60 days. In the last 21 days of the study, nickel-titanium closed coil springs were ligated between maxillary right incisors and first molars of all rats, and tooth movement was measured at the end of this period. Histological analysis of hematoxylin/eosin slides was performed to assess root resorption lacunae, osteoclast number and periodontal ligament (PDL) width. Results: Mean OTM was calculated as 51.8, 49.1, 35.5 and 45 µm in the 0, 1.5, 20 and 50 ppm zinc-receiving groups, respectively. There were no significant differences in neither OTM nor histological parameters among the study groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results obtained in the current investigation, increase in supplementary zinc up to 50 ppm does not affect the rate of OTM neither bone and root resorption in rats.