Clinical patterns, causes, and treatment of torus palatinus

There are two types of tori, including torus palatinus and torus mandibularis. Evidence shows that these lesions usually progress slowly, and a spontaneous growth stop is usually another characteristic. Affected patients are usually asymptomatic. However, symptoms might be reported in edentulous patients and cases when the lesion is huge. In the present study, we elaborated on the causes, clinical patterns, and treatment of torus palatinus. The etiology of the condition is unclear, and different theories were reported in the literature, suggesting that the etiology of these cases is usually attributed to environmental and genetic predisposition. It has been defined as a benign tumor that presents in the maxillary bone and is usually asymptomatic. Therefore, the diagnosis of the condition is usually easy. However, it is recommended to conduct a differential diagnosis with other relevant malignant lesions in this area. Surgical interventions are not usually needed as the condition is usually discovered accidentally. However, in cases of tori-related prosthetic or functional discomfort, surgery can be conducted.

Variation in Properties of Pre-Nucleation Calcium Carbonate Clusters Induced by Aggregation: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Numerous studies have speculated calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nucleation induced by pre-nucleation clusters (PNCs) aggregation. However, it is challenging for experiments to directly obtain the relationship between PNCs aggregation and nucleation. Herein, we employ molecular dynamics simulations to explore the variation during PNCs aggregation, which can describe the beginning stage of CaCO3 nucleation induced by PNCs aggregation in supersaturated solutions. The results reveal that the formation of CaCO3 nucleus consists of PNCs spontaneous growth, PNCs solubility equilibrium, and aggregation of PNCs inducing nucleation. The PNCs aggregation, accompanied by the variation in the configuration and stability of CaCO3 aggregate, breaks the solubility equilibrium of PNCs and creates conditions for the formation of the more stable nucleus. Besides, the CaCO3 nucleus with the higher coordination number and the lower hydration number form when decreasing the CaCO3 concentration or increasing the temperature. This work not only sheds light on the formation of the CaCO3 nucleus but also contributes to the explanation for CaCO3 polymorphism.

Effect of Planting Density in Two Thistle Species Used for Vegetable Rennet Production in Marginal Mediterranean Areas

In Mediterranean cropping systems, it is important to utilize marginal lands for the cultivation of non-food crops. Spontaneous thistle genera such as Cynara cardunculus L. and Onopordum tauricum Willd. are native to southern Europe. Previous research has focused on their spontaneous growth in the environment or ability to supply biofuel. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of two different planting densities on the flower differentiation, vegetable rennet production and weed control of O. tauricum Willd. and C. cardunculus L. in rainfed unfertilized Mediterranean cropping systems. The results showed that plant density influenced most of the biomass parameters for O. tauricum Willd. but no significant differences were observed for C. cardunculus L. Higher densities of both species were beneficial for weed control. We recommend the use of C. cardunculus L. and O. tauricum Willd. as suitable species for vegetable rennet production in Mediterranean organic cropping systems.

Abstract 16284: Patient Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cells as a Model to Unravel New Mechanisms of Coronary Artery Disease

Introduction: Endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) are progenitor cells that can differentiate into mature endothelial cells. Ability to culture these cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) make them a suitable tool for investigation into individual susceptibility to coronary artery disease (CAD). We hypothesise that patient-derived ECFCs provide a model to study endothelial cell signalling in patients with CAD. Here we aim to identify biasing factors in spontaneous growth of ECFCs, and confirm whether they retain an “imprint” of patient disease burden. Methods: ECFCs were purified from patient samples in the BioHEART-CT biobank. Mitochondrial ROS assays (MitoSOX) were performed and protein lysate was collected to determine expression of redox signalling proteins by immunoblotting. CT coronary angiograms were analysed using Gensini scores to determine the burden of disease. Results: Spontaneous growth of ECFCs occurred in 178 of the 828 patients (21.50%). Spontaneous growth was lower in those with obesity (BMI ≥ 30: 15.7%, n = 30/191 vs BMI < 30: 23.2%, n = 148/637, p = 0.03) and higher in hypertensive patients (25.4% n = 81/319 vs normotensive 19.1% n = 97/509, p = 0.03), although growth was not affected by presence of CAD (21.0% n = 59/281 vs CAD- 21.8% n = 119/547, p = 0.8). ECFCs expressed endothelial markers such as CD31 and eNOS, validating their differentiation into endothelial cells. However, ECFCs of patients with CAD expressed higher NADPH oxidase-2 protein level (1.9±0.4 fold-change vs CAD-, n = 13, p = 0.02) and were associated with higher mitochondrial superoxide production (Pearson correlation= 0.66, n = 18, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Spontaneous growth is affected by obesity and hypertension however the impact of this is reasonably small. The biochemical characteristics identified in these cells correlate with the patient’s disease state indicating that they are a helpful tool to further investigate individual susceptibility to CAD.