Morphological Assessments of Root Apex of Permanent Mandibular First and Second Premolars in a Turkish Population

There is no apical morphological data being available for mandibular first or second premolars in the Turkish population. The aims of the study were (I) to assess apical morphological data of mandibular first and second premolars in a Turkish population at a young-adult age range (II) to analyze potential correlations between the size and position of the apical foramina (AF). Extracted sound teeth were collected from an adult volunteer population as willing to donate. Morphological data were obtained from specimens using a stereomicroscope. The number, size, shape, and position of AF and frequency of accessory foramina were quantified. Mann-Whitney U and Spearman's rank correlation tests were performed (α=0.05). A total of 237 teeth were investigated. The majority of the specimens had one major AF. The frequency of major AF was between 1–3 for both groups. The median AF size in mandibular first and second premolars were 55,180 µm2 and 67,483 µm2, respectively. The majority of foramina shape was irregular for the mandibular first premolars whereas, was oval for the second premolars. The median location of AF with respect to the anatomic apex was 664 µm in mandibular first premolars and 677 µm in mandibular second premolars. The size and location of AF mostly overlap between the mandibular first and second premolars. The shape of the AF might be the only relevant variation concerning the apical morphology between the mandibular first and second premolars in young adults. The interaction between the size and location of AF in mandibular premolars of young adults seems not significant

Evolvability in the fossil record

The concept of evolvability—the capacity of a population to produce and maintain evolutionarily relevant variation—has become increasingly prominent in evolutionary biology. Paleontology has a long history of investigating questions of evolvability, but paleontological thinking has tended to neglect recent discussions, because many tools used in the current evolvability literature are challenging to apply to the fossil record. The fundamental difficulty is how to disentangle whether the causes of evolutionary patterns arise from variational properties of traits or lineages rather than being due to selection and ecological success. Despite these obstacles, the fossil record offers unique and growing sources of data that capture evolutionary patterns of sustained duration and significance otherwise inaccessible to evolutionary biologists. Additionally, there exist a variety of strategic possibilities for combining prominent neontological approaches to evolvability with those from paleontology. We illustrate three of these possibilities with quantitative genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, and phylogenetic models of macroevolution. In conclusion, we provide a methodological schema that focuses on the conceptualization, measurement, and testing of hypotheses to motivate and provide guidance for future empirical and theoretical studies of evolvability in the fossil record.

Frailty variation models for susceptibility and exposure to SARS-CoV-2

Individual variation in susceptibility and exposure is subject to selection by force of infection, accelerating the natural acquisition of immunity, and reducing herd immunity thresholds and epidemic final sizes. This is a manifestation of a wider population phenomenon known as "frailty variation" in demography. Despite this theoretical understanding, public health policies continue to be guided by mathematical models that leave out most of the relevant variation and as a result inflate projected infection burdens. Here we focus on the trajectories of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in England and Scotland. We fit models to series of daily deaths and estimate relevant epidemiological parameters, including coefficients of variation which we find in agreement with direct measurements based on published contact surveys. Our estimates are robust to whether the data series encompass one or two pandemic waves. We conclude that herd immunity thresholds are being reached with a larger contribution of vaccination in Scotland than in England, where naturally acquired immunity is higher. These results are relevant to global vaccination policies.

Dorsal Spanning Plate for Perilunate Dislocations

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare radiographic outcomes in patients treated with the traditional method of open reduction, internal fixation (ORIF) and casting as compared with those treated with ORIF and dorsal spanning plate (DSP) fixation. We hypothesized that the application of a DSP to augment the repair of perilunate dislocations would maintain carpal stability while also allowing early loadbearing through the carpus. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective radiographic review of patients with a perilunate dislocation, who were treated with ORIF and casting or ORIF with a dorsal spanning plate between 2012–2018. Scapholunate (SL) and lunotriquetral (LT) intervals were measured immediately after the index surgery and after scheduled hardware removal. A total of 28 patients met inclusion criteria, including 13 cases with traditional treatment and 15 cases with dorsal spanning plate fixation. Results Comparison of the change in SL interval and LT interval between the 13 patients in the traditional treatment group and the 15 patients in the DSP group did not yield any clinically relevant variation after statistical analysis. Both groups demonstrated minimal change in the radiographic markers of carpal stability from postoperative radiographs obtained immediately after the index repair and after the removal of hardware. Conclusion DSP fixation placed at the index surgery with early loadbearing for the treatment of perilunate dislocation is not inferior to the current mainstay of treatment consisting of cast immobilization without loadbearing and does not confer any increased carpal instability in comparison to ORIF and casting.

PERIOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME OF HIP FRACTURES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

INTRODUCTION The pandemic caused by the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus has generated unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems. Higher mortality rates have been reported in elderly patients. Those with a hip fracture are especially vulnerable. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective study in which we analyzed the management and associated perioperative complications rate in patients aged over 65 years who attended a tertiary hospital in Spain with hip fracture during the COVID-19 first alarm status decree . We compared the results with a cohort of similar patients treated during the same period in 2019. RESULTS A total of 102 hip fractures were recorded in 2019, with a mean age of 85 years. 87.5% were treated surgically in our hospital, with mean waiting time of 4.6 days and mean stay of 11.3 days. In 2020, 107 hip fractures were recorded, with a mean age of 86 years. A total of 74.6% underwent surgery in our center, with a mean waiting time of 2.8 days and a mean hospital stay of 10.9 days. The rate of major complications and exitus was 8.9% and 6.7% respectively in 2019, and 9.4% and 7.8% in 2020. CONCLUSIONS The number of hip fractures increased despite the declaration of the state of alarm in comparison with the decrease in the rest of the trauma emergencies. During this period the mean waiting time for surgery was shorter. There was no relevant variation in the demographic characteristics of the patients, nor in the rate of complications and reported exitus.

Evolvability and the Fossil Record

The concept of evolvability—the capacity of a population to produce and maintain evolutionarily relevant variation—has become increasingly prominent in evolutionary biology. Although paleontology has a long history of investigating questions of evolvability, often invoking different but allied terminology, the study of evolvability in the fossil record has seemed intrinsically problematic. How can we surmount difficulties in disentangling whether the causes of evolutionary patterns arise from variational properties of traits or lineages rather than due to selection and ecological success? Despite these challenges, the fossil record is unique in offering growing sources of data that span millions of years and therefore capture evolutionary patterns of sustained duration and significance otherwise inaccessible to evolutionary biologists. Additionally, there are a variety of strategic possibilities for combining prominent neontological approaches to evolvability with those from paleontology. We illustrate three of these possibilities with quantitative genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, and phylogenetic models of macroevolution. In conclusion, we provide a methodological schema that focuses on the conceptualization, measurement, and testing of hypotheses to motivate and provide guidance for future empirical and theoretical studies of evolvability in the fossil record.

Personality and Morality

This chapter discusses the role and impact of personality on the vote. It reopens the question of what a notion of ‘personality’ entails, focusing on eight discrete personality traits: sensitivity, anxiety, alienation, freedom aspiration, extraversion, risk aversion, care, and confrontation. The chapter assess whether personality derivatives such as favourite colours and animal resemblances also help to explain differences in electoral behaviour. It then introduces a twist to the question of morality. While different people may be more, or less, vocal about their sense of morals, the most relevant variation in electoral politics pertains rather to moral hierarchization: different citizens prioritizing differently some moral principles over others. The chapter also reintroduces the notion of egocentrism and sociotropism in the vote. It identifies four dimensions of sociotropism: economic, social, safety, and misery.