Molecular and regulatory mechanisms of oxidative stress adaptation in Streptococcus mutans

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Molecular and regulatory mechanisms of oxidative stress adaptation in Streptococcus mutans via Molecular Oral Microbiology Abstract Dental caries is a chronic progressive disease, which destructs dental hard tissues under the influence of multiple factors, mainly bacteria. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the main cariogenic bacteria. However, its cariogenic virulence is affected by environmental stress such as oxidative stress, nutrient deficiency and low pH to some extent. Oxidative stress is one of the main stresses that S. mutans faces in oral cavity. But there are a variety of protective molecules to resist oxidative stress in S. mutans, including superoxide dismutase, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase, Dps-like peroxide resistance protein, alkyl-hydrogen peroxide reductase, thioredoxin, glutamate-reducing protein system and some metabolic substances. Additionally, some transcriptional regulatory factors (SloR, PerR, Rex, Spx, etc.) and two-component systems are also closely related to oxidative stress adaptation by modulating the expression of protective molecules. This review summarizes the research progress of protective molecules and regulatory mechanisms (mainly transcription factors) of oxidative stress adaptation of S. mutans. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved View on Web

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Transition Metals and Enterococcus faecalis: Homeostasis, Virulence and Perspectives

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Transition Metals and Enterococcus faecalis: Homeostasis, Virulence and Perspectives via Molecular Oral Microbiology Abstract Enterococcus faecalis, a Gram-positive bacterium is known to be a key player in several chronic infections as well as nosocomial, heart valve, urinary tract, surgical wound and dental root canal infections. The capability to sense different transition metal levels and tune its response accordingly endows it with the potential to thrive and cause infections in several host niches. Over the past decade, our knowledge of how transition metals play a critical role in maintaining homeostasis of E. faecalis has improved significantly. The aim of this review is to elucidate the roles of metals such as iron, manganese, zinc and copper in the physiology, metabolism, and pathogenicity of E. faecalis. These essential micronutrients contribute to energy production, redox stress response, expression of virulence determinants, and cooperation in polymicrobial communities. The review also highlights metal homeostasis systems in E. faecalis, which respond to fluctuatio ns in extracellular metal levels, and regulate the intracellular metal content. Regulation of intracellular metallome secures the tolerance of E. faecalis to oxidative stress and host-mediated metal sequestration strategies. Therapeutic interventions which deprive E. faecalis of its essential metal requirements or disrupt its homeostatic control have been proposed to combat E. faecalis infections. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved View on Web

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Institutional cisnormativity and educational injustice: Trans children's experiences in primary and early secondary education in the UK

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Institutional cisnormativity and educational injustice: Trans children's experiences in primary and early secondary education in the UK via British Journal of Educational Psychology Abstract Background Transgender children are known to face a wide range of barriers, difficulties and injustices at school. Few studies have focused on the educational experiences of trans pupils who socially transition at or before primary school, with no such studies in the UK. Aims To learn about the at-school experiences of transgender children who socially transitioned at or before primary school in the UK, listening to children's and parental accounts of navigating cisnormativity in UK primary and early secondary education. Sample The primary sample included 30 parents whose children had socially transitioned under the age of 11 in the UK. This sample was complemented with data directly from 10 of these trans children. The primary sample was accessed through six trans positive parenting groups in the UK, supplemented through snowball sampling. Methods Semi-structured interviews produced a rich and detailed qualitative data set, that was analysed through inductive thematic analysis. Results Three major themes are presented, highlighting experiences of (i) institutional cisnormativity in UK schools, (ii) a failure to protect trans children and (iii) evidence of educational injustice. The results demonstrate how institutional cisnormativity leaves trans pupils in unsafe educational environments, contributing to school drop-out and trauma. Conclusions Cisnormative attitudes normalize injustice, making it acceptable for trans children to lose access to education, or to experience trauma in school. Educators, schools and school leaders need to take action to protect trans children in our schools. View on Web

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Transfer effects from language processing to visual attention dynamics: The impact of orthographic transparency

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Transfer effects from language processing to visual attention dynamics: The impact of orthographic transparency via British Journal of Psychology Abstract The consistency between letters and sounds varies across languages. These differences have been proposed to be associated with different reading mechanisms (lexical vs. phonological), processing grain sizes (coarse vs. fine) and attentional windows (whole words vs. individual letters). This study aimed to extend this idea to writing to dictation. For that purpose, we evaluated whether the use of different types of processing has a differential impact on local windowing attention: phonological (local) processing in a transparent language (Spanish) and lexical (global) processing of an opaque language (English). Spanish and English monolinguals (Experiment 1) and Spanish–English bilinguals (Experiment 2) performed a writing to dictation task followed by a global–local task. The first key performance showed a critical dissociation between languages: the response times (RTs) from the Spanish writing to dictation task was modulated by word length, whereas the RTs from the English w riting to dictation task was modulated by word frequency and age of acquisition, as evidence that language transparency biases processing towards phonological or lexical strategies. In addition, after a Spanish task, participants more efficiently processed local information, which resulted in both the benefit of global congruent information and the reduced cost of incongruent global information. Additionally, the results showed that bilinguals adapt their attentional processing depending on the orthographic transparency. View on Web

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Use of Cold-Stored Whole Blood is Associated With Improved Mortality in Hemostatic Resuscitation of Major Bleeding: A Multicenter Study

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Use of Cold-Stored Whole Blood is Associated With Improved Mortality in Hemostatic Resuscitation of Major Bleeding: A Multicenter Study via Annals of Surgery - Most Popular Articles Objective: The aim of this study was to identify a mortality benefit with the use of whole blood (WB) as part of the resuscitation of bleeding trauma patients. Background: Blood component therapy (BCT) is the current standard for resuscitating trauma patients, with WB emerging as the blood product of choice. We hypothesized that the use of WB versus BCT alone would result in decreased mortality. Methods: We performed a 14-center, prospective observational study of trauma patients who received WB versus BCT during their resuscitation. We applied a generalized linear mixed-effects model with a random effect and controlled for age, sex, mechanism of injury (MOI), and injury severity score. All patients who received blood as part of their initial resuscitation were included. Primary outcome was mortality and secondary outcomes included acute kidney injury, deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, pulmonary complications, and bleeding complications. Results: A total of 1623 [WB: 1180 (74%), BCT: 443(27%)] patients who sustained penetrating (53%) or blunt (47%) injury were included. Patients who received WB had a higher shock index (0.98 vs 0.83), more comorbidities, and more blunt MOI (all P View on Web

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Tobacco smoke exacerbates Filifactor alocis pathogenicity

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Tobacco smoke exacerbates Filifactor alocis pathogenicity via Journal of Clinical Periodontology Abstract Aims Filifactor alocis has recently emerged as a periodontal pathobiont that appears to thrive in the oral cavity of smokers. We hypothesized that identification of smoke-responsive F. alocis genes would provide insight into adaptive strategies and that cigarette smoke would enhance F. alocis pathogenesis in vivo. Materials and Methods F. alocis was grown in vitro and cigarette smoke extract-responsive genes determined by RNAseq. Mice were exposed, or not, to mainstream 1R6F research cigarette smoke and infected with F. alocis, or not, in an acute ligature model of periodontitis. Key clinical, infectious, and immune data were collected. Results In culture, F. alocis growth was unaffected by smoke conditioning and only a small number of genes were specifically regulated by smoke exposure. Reduced murine mass, differences in F. alocis-cognizant antibody production and altered immune profiles as well as altered alveolar bone loss were all attributable to smoke exposure and/or F. alocis infection in vivo. Conclusions F. alocis is well-adapted to tobacco-rich conditions and its pathogenesis is enhanced by tobacco smoke exposure. A smoke-exposed ligature model of periodontitis shows promise as a tool with which to further unravel mechanisms underlying tobacco-enhanced, bacteria-induced disease. View on Web

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A Partial Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis With a Concentric Ball Joint in the Headplate

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader A Partial Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis With a Concentric Ball Joint in the Headplate via The Laryngoscope This study focuses on the development of the mCLIP ARC Partial Prosthesis, a new partial middle-ear prosthesis featuring a balanced, centered ball joint. The ball joint allows the headplate to adapt to the individual anatomical features of the reconstructed tympanic membrane and facilitates intraoperative handling. Objective In passive middle ear prosthetics, rigid implants have proven successful in reconstructing the ossicular chain. However, these cannot fully replicate the physiology of the ossicular chain. Pressure fluctuations cause high stresses in rigid passive prostheses, which can result in dislocation, protrusion, and pre-tension in the annular ligament resulting in unsatisfactory hearing results. Methods In collaboration with MED-EL, we developed a new passive middle ear prosthesis that features a balanced, centered ball joint between the headplate and shaft of the prosthesis. We compared the sound transmission properties of this new prosthesis with those of a standard rigid prosthesis. Using Laser-Doppler-Vibrometry, we measured the sound-induced velocity of the stapes footplate relative to a given acoustic stimulus. Results The new prosthesis showed equivalent sound transmission characteristics compared to the rigid prosthesis, whereas retaining the ability to compensate for pressure fluctuations due to its ball joint. This ensures good transmission properties even during displacements of the tympanic membrane. Conclusion This development is a further step toward a physiological reconstruction of the ossicular chain. Level of Evidence N/A Laryngoscope, 2022 View on Web

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Efficacy of Imaging Methods in the Detection and Diagnosis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Efficacy of Imaging Methods in the Detection and Diagnosis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea via The Laryngoscope We assess the diagnostic efficacy of various imaging methods in patients with suspected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea. This network meta-analysis demonstrates that intrathecal gadolinium-magnetic resonance cisternography is the most useful diagnostic method to detect CSF rhinorrhea. Objective To assess the diagnostic efficacy of various imaging methods in patients with suspected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea. Data Sources The PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Cochrane Trials, and Google Scholar databases were searched up to December 2021. Review Methods Diagnostic accuracy was compared among seven radiological methods: computed tomography (CT), CT cisternography (CTC), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance cisternography (MRC), CT + MRI, radionuclide cisternography, and intrathecal gadolinium (Gd)-MRC. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were used as outcomes of the analysis. Both a traditional pairwise meta-analysis and a network meta-analysis were performed. Results Twenty-three trials were included in the analysis. The results of a network meta-analysis performed on a network consisting of seven diagnostic methods showed that all imaging modalities had greater diagnostic accuracy than CT, with the exception of CTC, which had lower sensitivity. Only intrathecal Gd-MRC was significantly superior to other imaging methods with regard to sensitivity and accuracy. Gd-MRC also showed the greatest surface under the cumulative ranking curve values for all of the outcomes (sensitivity: 0.9200; specificity: 0.8364; accuracy: 0.8920). Conclusion This network meta-analysis demonstrates that intrathecal Gd-MRC is the most useful diagnostic method to detect CSF rhinorrhea. Laryngoscope, 2022 View on Web

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