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By-products from fruit industrialization retain nutritional and functional components; thus, they may find use in animal feeding. This study aimed to assess the effects of dietary fruit industrial by-products on the tilapias blood biochemical and oxidative parameters and on the composition and lipid peroxidation of their fillets. Four diets were supplied to the tilapias: a C-control diet, with no fruit meal, and three diets containing 5% of either acerola (ACM), apple (APM) or grape (GRM) meal. The phenolic compounds and the carotenoids in the meals and their antioxidant capacities were measured. Fish were weighed and measured for the calculation of the growth performance data, their blood was analyzed for health and oxidative status biomarkers and their fillets were analyzed for proximal composition and lipid peroxidation. Grape meal had the highest concentration of phenolics and carotenoids and the highest antioxidant activity, followed by acerola and apple meals. The productive performance was similar among the treatments. The fruit by-product diets either maintained or improved the biochemical biomarkers of health and improved the oxidative status of the fish. The fruit by-product diets increased the concentration of lipids in the fillets and slowed down the onset of the lipid peroxidation during frozen storage.

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AIM: To evaluate the expression of genes involved in chronic pain conditions in apical periodontitis (AP) tissues. METHODOLOGY: An electronic search was performed in Scopus and MEDLINE (via PubMed) databases to identify articles (n = 173) related to genes involved in chronic pain conditions. Full-text reviews of the selected articles allowed the prioritization of 16 genes to be investigated with regards to their expression in AP tissues. Periapical lesions (n = 42) were collected during surgical endodontic procedures and processed for mRNA extraction and investigation of target genes via RT-qPCR. Healthy periodontal ligament tissues obtained from third molar extractions were used as controls. Relative levels of target gene expression in AP and control tissues were normalized to GAPDH expression and compared using the 2-ΔΔCt method. Data analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test with a statistical significance threshold set at p < .05. RESULTS: mRNA expression levels of MMP9, TIMP1, TNFA, CAMK4 and COMT were significantly increased in AP tissue samples compared with controls (p < .05). Positive correlations were observed between the expression of TIMP1 with COMT and CAMK4, TNFA with TIMP1 and CAMK4, COMT with CAMK4. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the upregulation of MMP9, TIMP1, TNFA in AP tissues and reports for the first time, the expression of CAMK4 and COMT as suggestive of their involvement in AP pathogenesis.

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We report the experimental implementation of optically-powered wireless sensor nodes based on the power-over-fiber (PoF) technology, aiming at Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. This technique employs optical fibers to transmit power and is proposed as a solution to address the hazardous industrial environment challenges, e.g., electromagnetic interference and extreme temperatures. The proposed approach enables two different IIoT scenarios, in which wireless transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) nodes are powered by a PoF system, enabling local and remote temperature data monitoring, with the purpose of achieving an intelligent and reliable process management in industrial production lines. In addition, the system performance is investigated as a function of the delivered electrical power and power transmission efficiency (PTE), which is the primary performance metric of a PoF system. We report 1.4 W electrical power deliver with PTE = 24%. Furthermore, we carry out a voltage stability analysis, demonstrating that the PoF system is capable of delivering stable voltage to a wide range of applications. Finally, we present a comparison of temperature measurements between the proposed approach and a conventional industrial programmable logic controller (PLC). The obtained results demonstrate that PoF might be considered as a potential technology to power and enhance the energy efficiency of IIoT sensing systems.

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INTRODUCTION: Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, can modify gene expression patterns without changing the DNA sequence, comprising a tool that cells use to lock genes in the "off" position. Variations in the methylation profile have been correlated to a variety of human diseases. Here, we hypothesize that DNA methylation in immune response-related genes may contribute to the development of periapical lesions. METHODS: The DNA methylation patterns of 22 immune response-related gene promoters were evaluated in 137 human periapical granulomas, 8 apical cysts, and 31 healthy gingival tissues from 2 independent cohorts using a pathway-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction array (EpiTect Methyl II; Qiagen Inc, Valencia, CA). Messenger RNA expression analysis by qualitative polymerase chain reaction was also performed. SABiosciences's hierarchical clustering and methylation (Qiagen, Valencia, CA) and Prism6 software (GraphPad Software, Inc, La Jolla, CA) were used for data analysis. RESULTS: FOXP3 gene promoter showed the highest level of methylation in both periapical granulomas and apical cysts (P < .001), and methylation levels were inversely correlated with FOXP3 messenger RNA expression in the lesions. Furthermore, FOXP3 expression was prevalent in inactive lesions and was positively correlated with interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor beta levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that FOXP3 acts as a master switch governing the development and function of T-regulatory cells, whose functions include the inhibition of immune responses and temper inflammation. The observed differential methylation patterns of FOXP3 in periapical lesions may be crucial in determining its suppressive activity and may be involved in periapical lesion development.

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INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the influence of different features of canal curvature geometry on the number of cycles to fracture of a rotary nickel-titanium endodontic instrument subjected to a cyclic fatigue test. METHODS: BioRaCe BR4C instruments (FKG Dentaire, La Chaux-de Fonds, Switzerland) were tested in 4 grooves simulating curved metallic artificial canals, each one measuring 1.5 mm in width, 20 mm in total length, and 3.5 mm in depth with a U-shaped bottom. The parameters of curvature including the radius and arc lengths and the position of the arc differed in the 4 canal designs. Fractured surfaces and helical shafts of the separated instruments were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: The Student's t test showed that a significantly lower number of cycles to fracture values were observed for instruments tested in canals with the smallest radius, the longest arc, and the arc located in the middle portion of the canal. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of the fracture surfaces revealed morphologic characteristics of ductile fracture. Plastic deformation was not observed in the helical shaft of the fractured instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Curvature geometry including the radius and arc lengths and the position of the arc along the root canal influence the number of cycles to fracture of rotary nickel-titanium instruments subjected to flexural load.

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INTRODUCTION: This study compared the mechanical properties of 3 pathfinding endodontic instruments. METHODS: The test instruments were subjected to mechanical tests to evaluate resistance to bending (flexibility), buckling, cyclic fatigue, and torsional load in clockwise rotation. Data were statistically evaluated by analysis of variance and the Student-Newman-Keuls test for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: In the buckling resistance test, the highest values were observed for C-Pilot files (VDW, Munich, Germany) and the lowest for Scout RaCe (FKG Dentaire, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) instruments. In the bending resistance test, the lowest flexibility was observed for the C-Pilot instrument, and no significant difference was observed between Scout RaCe and PathFile (Maillefer/Dentsply, Ballaigues, Switzerland) instruments. The ranking in the fatigue resistance test was the following: PathFile > Scout RaCe > C-Pilot, with statistically significant differences observed in the number of cycles to fracture between all the instruments. In the torsional assay, the angular deflection to fracture decreased in the following order: Scout RaCe > PathFile > C-Pilot. As for the maximum torque values, the ranking was as follows: C-Pilot > PathFile > Scout RaCe. CONCLUSIONS: Findings revealed that the stainless-steel C-Pilot instrument showed increased resistance to buckling but decreased flexibility and cyclic fatigue resistance when compared with nickel-titanium pathfinding instruments. PathFile instruments showed the highest resistance to cyclic fatigue, and Scout RaCe files exhibited the highest angular deflection to fracture. The different mechanical behavior of the instruments indicates that the combined use of stainless steel hand instruments and rotary nickel-titanium instruments during the exploration of narrow curved canals may be necessary to exploit the best performance of each pathfinding instrument.

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INTRODUCTION: This study compared the buckling resistance of the following endodontic pathfinding instruments: C-Pilot file (VDW, Munich, Germany), C+ file (Maillefer/Dentsply, Ballaigues, Switzerland), and PathFile (Maillefer/Dentsply). METHODS: The test instruments were subjected to a devised buckling resistance test, which consisted of the application of an increasing load in the axial direction of the instrument by using a universal testing machine. The maximum load required to generate a lateral elastic displacement of 1 mm was recorded for each instrument. RESULTS: The results indicated that the buckling resistance decreased in the following order: C+ file > C-Pilot file > PathFile. The difference was statistically significant (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The stainless steel instruments (C+ and C-Pilot) were more resistant to buckling than the nickel-titanium instrument (PathFile). Considering that buckling resistance may influence the performance of instruments during the negotiation of constricted canals, the C+ files showed significantly better results than the other instruments tested.

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INTRODUCTION: This in vitro study aimed to investigate the antibacterial effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with methylene blue (MB) or toluidine blue (TB) (both at 15 microg/mL) as a supplement to instrumentation/irrigation of root canals experimentally contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis. METHODS: Seventy extracted teeth had their root canals contaminated with an endodontic strain of E. faecalis for 7 days, instrumented with nickel-titanium instruments and irrigated either with 2.5% NaOCl or with 0.85% NaCl, and then randomly distributed into four experimental groups: MB/NaOCl (PDT with MB and NaOCl as the irrigant), TB/NaOCl (PDT with TB and NaOCl as the irrigant), MB/NaCl (PDT with MB and NaCl as the irrigant), and TB/NaCl (PDT with TB and NaCl as the irrigant). For PDT, the photosensitizer remained in the canal for 2 minutes before exposed to red light emitted from a diode laser for 4 minutes. Samples were taken before and after instrumentation/irrigation and following the specific PDT procedure for each group, plated onto Mitis-salivarius agar and the colony forming units counted. RESULTS: Regardless of the irrigant used (NaOCl or NaCl), instrumentation significantly reduced bacterial counts in comparison to the baseline (p < 0.001). NaOCl as the irrigant was significantly more effective than NaCl, and this difference persisted after PDT, irrespective of the photosensitizer used (p < 0.05). PDT with either MB or TB did not significantly enhance disinfection after chemomechanical preparation using NaOCl as irrigant (p > 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the two photosensitizers (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: These in vitro results suggest that PDT with either MB or TB may not exert a significant supplemental effect to instrumentation/irrigation procedures with regard to intracanal disinfection. Further adjustments in the PDT protocol may be required to enhance predictability in bacterial elimination before clinical use is recommended.

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INTRODUCTION: Several irrigation techniques have been recently introduced with the main objective of improving root canal disinfection. This in vitro study aimed at comparing the intracanal bacterial reduction promoted by chemomechanical preparation with 3 different irrigation techniques. METHODS: Root canals from extracted teeth were contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 for 7 days and then randomly distributed into 3 experimental groups of 20 teeth each: group 1, conventional irrigation with NaviTip needles inserted up to 3 mm short of the working length; group 2, same as group 1, but supplemented with final irrigant activation by the EndoActivator system; and group 3, irrigation with the EndoVac system. NaOCl and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were the irrigants used in all experimental groups. The overall preparation time was kept constant for the groups, but the total volume ranged from 20 mL (groups 1 and 2) to 43 mL (group 3). The control group was irrigated with saline solution (total volume, 43 mL). Samples taken before and after chemomechanical procedures were cultured, and the colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted. RESULTS: Reduction in the bacterial populations was highly significant for all groups. The 3 experimental groups with NaOCl and EDTA as irrigants were significantly more effective than the control group with saline in reducing CFU counts. There were no significant differences between the 3 techniques tested. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evident antibacterial superiority of any of the irrigation techniques evaluated in the present in vitro model.

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