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This study aimed at quantifying the annual transverse growth of the maxilla using skeletal landmarks in three different regions on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. CBCT scans taken before and after orthodontic treatment of 100 child and adolescent patients (50 male, 50 female) without maxillary transverse deficiencies were used to determine the transverse linear distances between the greater palatine foramina (GPFd), the lateral walls of the nasal cavity (NCd), and the infraorbital foramina (IOFd). We found that all distances increased significantly with growth in both genders ( p  < 0.001). The overall average annual change was 0.5 mm for GPFd, 0.3 mm for NCd, and 0.7 mm for IOFd. Males generally had greater annual changes than females for GPFd and IOFd, but not NCd. There were weak, statistically not significant ( p  > 0.05) correlations between patient age and the annual changes in GPFd, NCd, and IOFd. These results suggest that the positions of the greater palatine foramina, the lateral walls of the nasal cavity, and the infraorbital foramina change consistently with maxillary transverse growth. Clinicians can use the growth rates as population averages to more confidently estimate the amount of skeletal transverse deficiency or evaluate the long-term effects of maxillary expansion treatment.

The stamen, which consists of an anther and a filament, is the male reproductive organ in a flower. The specification of stamen identity in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is controlled by a combination of the B genes APETALA3 (AP3) and PISTILLATA, the C gene AGAMOUS (AG), and the E genes SEPALLATA1 (SEP1) to SEP4. The \"floral organ-building\" gene SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE (SPL/NZZ) plays a central role in regulating anther cell differentiation. However, much less is known about how \"floral organ identity\" and floral organ-building genes interact to control floral organ development. In this study, we report that ectopic expression of SPL/NZZ not only affects flower development in the wild-type background but also leads to the transformation of petal-like organs into stamen-like organs in flowers of ap2-1, a weak ap2 mutant allele. Moreover, our loss-of-function analysis indicates that the spl/nzz mutant enhances the phenotype of the ag weak allele ag-4. Furthermore, ectopic expression and overexpression of SPL/NZZ altered expression of AG, SEP3, and AP2 in rosette leaves and flowers, while ectopic expression of SPL/NZZ resulted in ectopic expression of AG and SEP3 in the outer whorls of flowers. Our results indicate that the SPL/NZZ gene is engaged in controlling stamen identity via interacting with genes required for stamen identity in Arabidopsis.

Introduction: Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) is a common procedure in adolescents to correct transverse discrepancies. Identifying and studying growth of easily identifiable skeletal landmarks associated with the maxilla could be helpful in RME research. Understanding how these structures change in the transverse dimension with growth and establishing transverse dimension norms may be valuable for clinicians when diagnosing and treatment planning. Aim: To quantify the annual transverse change between the lateral margins of the greater palatine foramina, lateral walls of the nasal cavity and the lateral margins of the infraorbital foramina during growth in an effort to determine if these anatomical landmarks are suitable for estimating the amount of skeletal expansion with RME treatment. Materials and Methods: Measurements on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans taken on 100 patients (50 male, 50 female) before and after orthodontic treatment were used to determine the transverse dimension between greater palatine foramina (GPFd), the nasal cavity (NCd), and the infraorbital foramina (IOFd). Results: Change per year for GPFd, NCd, and IOFd were statistically significant overall and for each gender. Males had more change per year than females for GPFd and IOFd but not NCd. Conclusions: GPFd, NCd, and IOFd changed during peak growth and are not stable landmarks to quantify precise skeletal expansion after RME; however, the amount these landmarks change with growth is consistent and predictable.

The stamen, which consists of an anther and a filament, is the male reproductive organ in a flower. The specification of stamen identity in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is controlled by a combination of the B genes APETALA3 (AP3) and PISTILLATA, the C gene AGAMOUS (AG), and the E genes SEPALLATA1 (SEP1) to SEP4. The \"floral organ-building\" gene SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE (SPL/NZZ) plays a central role in regulating anther cell differentiation. However, much less is known about how \"floral organ identity\" and floral organ-building genes interact to control floral organ development. In this study, we report that ectopic expression of SPL/NZZ not only affects flower development in the wild-type background but also leads to the transformation of petal-like organs into stamen-like organs in flowers of ap2-1, a weak ap2 mutant allele. Moreover, our loss-of-function analysis indicates that the spl/nzz mutant enhances the phenotype of the ag weak allele ag-4. Furthermore, ectopic expression and overexpression of SPL/NZZ altered expression of AG, SEP3, and AP2 in rosette leaves and flowers, while ectopic expression of SPL/NZZ resulted in ectopic expression of AG and SEP3 in the outer whorls of flowers. Our results indicate that the SPL/NZZ gene is engaged in controlling stamen identity via interacting with genes required for stamen identity in Arabidopsis.