OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND Sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP) is a hydrophilic and stable L-ascorbic acid derivative, being converted by the cell phosphatases into free ascorbic acid (AA), which allows its sustained release in the medium. AA participates in the maintenance and healing of the periodontium. It presents a regulatory role of the osteoblastic activity, stimulating the deposition of collagen extracellular matrix followed by the induction of genes associated with the osteoblastic phenotype. It also acts in the elimination of reactive oxygen species, abundantly produced by defense cells in periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of SAP on osteoblast viability and differentiation. METHODS Mouse preosteoblastic cells of the MC3T3-E1 strain were used. Cell viability was assessed by the trypan blue dye exclusion assay and the expression of genes related to osteoblast differentiation by quantitative PCR. Collagen I secretion was evaluated by ELISA, and mineralized matrix formation was assayed by Alizarin red S staining. RESULTS The results showed that SAP at concentrations from 50 to 500 µmol/L does not influence preosteoblast cell viability, but stimulates their differentiation, observed by the induction of RUNX2, COL1A1, and BGLAP2; by the higher secreted levels of collagen I; and also by the increase in the mineralization of the extracellular matrix in cells exposed to this agent at 200 or 400 µmol/L, compared with those not exposed. CONCLUSION By its stability and capacity to induce preosteoblastic cell differentiation, our results indicate that the incorporation of SAP into local release devices, membranes/scaffolds or biomaterials, could favor bone tissue formation and therefore periodontal healing. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to characterize functional competence (measure of assistance needed for independence) on Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS) Cognitively Mediated Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (C-IADL), in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). It aims to determine (1) the association of functional competence on PASS C-IADL tasks with neurocognitive test performance in aMCI, (2) its ability to discriminate individuals with aMCI from healthy control (HC) individuals, and (3) its added value in discriminating aMCI from HC individuals when combined with neurocognitive test performance. DESIGN Cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data from a cohort of individuals enrolled in a clinical trial (NCT02386670). SETTING Five university-affiliated outpatient clinics in Toronto, Canada. PARTICIPANTS aMCI (N = 137) and HC (N = 51) participants, all aged 60 years or older. METHODS We assessed the relationship between functional competence on thrhen combined with neurocognitive tests. Thus, PASS appears to be a promising tool for assessment of functional competence in aMCI in clinical or research settings. © 2020 The American Geriatrics Society.Recently, ADAMTS19 was identified as a novel causative gene for heart valve disease (HVD), affecting mainly the aortic and pulmonary valves. Exome sequencing and data repository (CentoMD) analyses were performed to identify patients with ADAMTS19 variants (two families). A third family was recognized based on cardiac phenotypic similarities and SNP array homozygosity. Three novel loss of function (LoF) variants were identified in six patients from three families.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/resatorvid.html  Clinically, all patients presented anomalies of the aortic/pulmonary valves, which included thickening of valve leaflets, stenosis and insufficiency. Three patients had (recurrent) subaortic membrane, suggesting that ADAMTS19 is the first gene identified related to discrete subaortic stenosis. One case presented a bi-commissural pulmonary valve. All patients displayed some degree of atrioventricular valve insufficiency. Other cardiac anomalies included atrial/ventricular septal defects, persistent ductus arteriosus, and mild dilated ascending aorta. Our findings confirm that biallelic LoF variants in ADAMTS19 are causative of a specific and recognizable cardiac phenotype. We recommend considering ADAMTS19 genetic testing in all patients with multiple semilunar valve abnormalities, particularly in the presence of subaortic membrane. ADAMTS19 screening in patients with semilunar valve abnormalities is needed to estimate the frequency of the HVD related phenotype, which might be not so rare. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Much of the scholarship concerning African American culture is premised on the notion that it is a legacy of African origins but there has been essentially no attempt to document that relationship empirically. This paper briefly reviews existing evidence for cultural continuity in the Diaspora and then compares the responses of Black and Coloured South African and African Americans on measures of culture emic to African American populations. The observed patterns of psychometric performance, participants' responses, and the predictive utility of the measures employed were consistent with the thesis that despite inevitable variation, these three groups of the African Diaspora share similar orientations on the cultural themes assessed. This research hopes to initiate empirical work on the continuity thesis as it applies to connecting African American culture with a legacy of Africa and as related more broadly to the study of global Diasporas. © 2020 International Union of Psychological Science.Rates of climatic niche evolution vary widely across the tree of life and are strongly associated with rates of diversification among clades. However, why the climatic niche evolves more rapidly in some clades than others remains unclear. Variation in life history traits often plays a key role in determining the environmental conditions under which species can survive, and therefore, could impact the rate at which lineages can expand in available climatic niche space. Here, we explore the relationships among life-history variation, climatic niche breadth, and rates of climatic niche evolution. We reconstruct a phylogeny for the genus Desmognathus, an adaptive radiation of salamanders distributed across eastern North America, based on nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Using this phylogeny, we estimate rates of climatic niche evolution for species with long, short, and no aquatic larval stage. Rates of climatic niche evolution are unrelated to the mean climatic niche breadth of species with different life histories.