Methods: Participants were personally interviewed and variables were submitted

to X(2) or Fisher’s exact test. Results: Hand washing before and after each patient find more was reported by 86.7% of dentists, but private practitioners used liquid soap and paper towels more often than their public colleagues (p<0.001). Most of the study population (97.8%) used gloves routinely during clinical sessions, but 8.2% reused them. Dry-heat was the main method employed for sterilisation of heat-stable devices by 80.0% of dentists, but adequate temperature and time of exposure was accomplished by only 32.1% of public and 70.0% of private professionals (p<0.001). Heat-sensitive devices were disinfected with an adequate substance by 60.0% of both affiliation dentists (p=0.908). Conclusions: There is a large gap between infection control recommendations and practices observed among the study population, and the situation is worse in public services. To reverse that situation, infection

control issues must be openly debated by professional associations, dental schools and health authorities.”
“In eukaryotic Na+/Ca2+ exchangers (NCX) the Ca2+ binding CBD1 and CBD2 domains form a two-domain regulatory tandem (CBD12). An allosteric Ca2+ sensor (Ca3-Ca4 sites) is located on CBD1, whereas CBD2 contains a splice-variant segment. Recently, a Ca2+-driven interdomain switch has been described, PCI-34051 albeit how it couples Ca2+ binding with signal propagation Ferroptosis assay remains unclear. To resolve the dynamic features of Ca2+-induced conformational transitions we analyze here distinct splice variants and mutants of isolated CBD12 at varying temperatures by using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and equilibrium Ca-45(2+) binding assays. The ensemble optimization method SAXS analysis demonstrates that the apo and Mg2+-bound forms of CBD12 are highly flexible, whereas Ca2+ binding to the Ca3-Ca4 sites results in a population shift of conformational landscape to more rigidified states. Population shift occurs even under conditions in which no effect of Ca2+ is

observed on the globally derived D-max (maximal interatomic distance), although under comparable conditions a normal [Ca2+]-dependent allosteric regulation occurs. Low affinity sites (Ca1-Ca2) of CBD1 do not contribute to Ca2+-induced population shift, but the occupancy of these sites by 1 mM Mg2+ shifts the Ca2+ affinity (K-d) at the neighboring Ca3-Ca4 sites from similar to 50 nM to similar to 200 nM and thus, keeps the primary Ca2+ sensor (Ca3-Ca4 sites) within a physiological range. Thus, Ca2+ binding to the Ca3-Ca4 sites results in a population shift, where more constraint conformational states become highly populated at dynamic equilibrium in the absence of global conformational transitions in CBD alignment.