Differences in pain thresholds elicited by intraoral electrical stimuli between individuals with and without diabetes mellitus.

There is little evidence of sensation in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the dental research field. We investigated whether pain thresholds (PTs) differ between individuals with and without DM (non-DM; NDM). To this end, we assessed whether PTs obtained from the oral cavity, hands, and feet differed from each other and across groups, and whether PTs differed for the three current frequencies used for testing (2000 Hz, 250 Hz, and 5 Hz). Pain threshold measurements were obtained from the oral mucosa and the tips of the fingers and toes of 56 volunteers, including 21 individuals with DM (12 men and 9 women, average age: 72.1 ± 4.7 years) and 35 NDM individuals (17 males and 18 females, average age: 51.2 ± 23.9 years) using the Neurometer CPT/C® device to deliver electrical stimulation. A single operator obtained PT measurements from around the left greater palatine foramen and from the tip of the left first finger and of the left great toe. Individuals with DM had significantly lower PT values than those without DM. The PT values for the oral cavity, hands, and feet differed significantly from each other (foot > hand, foot > oral cavity, hand > oral cavity). Moreover, there was a significant difference in the PT values for 5 Hz and 2000 Hz, as well as for 250 Hz and 2000 Hz. This study concluded that PT values derived from DM participants are lower than those from NDM participants, although PT measurements varied across regions and with current frequency.

Three-dimensional readout of flash x-ray images of living sperm in water by atomic-force microscopy.

The imaging of living specimens in water by x-ray microscopy can be greatly enhanced with the use of an intense flash x-ray source and sophisticated technologies for reading x-ray images. A subnanosecond [corrected] x-ray pulse from a laser-produced plasma was used to record the x-ray image of living sea urchin sperm in an x-ray resist. The resist relief was visualized at high resolution by atomic-force microscopy. Internal structure of the sperm head was evident, and the carbon density in a flagellum was estimated from the relief height.

An ionic polymer bead-supported lipid system.

In this paper, we report on the preparation of an ionic polymer bead-supported lipid system several hundred micrometers in diameter. The electrostatic attractive interactions between anionic lipids and cationic polymer beads served as a "molecular glue" to immobilize the lipids on the beads, and then the immobilized lipids prompted the spontaneous formation of lipid bilayer membranes. Confocal fluorescence microscopic techniques revealed that the lipid bilayer membranes were located along the outline of the beads. In addition, the integrity of the lipid bilayer membranes was microscopically confirmed by a low-molecular-weight dye (trypan blue) exclusion test.

Possible pharmacotherapy for nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth: 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid inhibits human gingival fibroblast growth.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This investigation aimed to establish the basis of a pharmacotherapy for nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth. Gingival overgrowth has been attributed to the enhanced growth of gingival fibroblasts. In this study, we investigated the effects of 18-α-glycyrrhetinic acid (18α-GA) on growth, the cell cycle, and apoptosis and on the regulators of these processes in gingival fibroblasts isolated from patients who presented with nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Gingival fibroblasts were cultured in medium containing 1% FBS with/without 10 µM 18α-GA for 24 or 48 h, and the cell number, cell cycle phase distribution, relative DNA content, apoptotic cell number and morphological characteristics of the cells undergoing apoptosis were measured together with the levels of proteins that regulate these processes and the level of caspase activity. KEY RESULTS: 18α-GA significantly decreased cell numbers and significantly increased the percentage of cells in the sub-G1 and G0 /G1 phases of the cell cycle and the number of apoptotic cells. Nuclear condensation and fragmentation of cells into small apoptotic bodies appeared in the fibroblasts treated with 18α-GA. In addition, 18α-GA significantly decreased the protein levels of cyclins A and D1, CDKs 2 and 6, phosphorylated Rb (ser(780) and ser(807/811)), Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 and increased the protein levels of p27, cytosolic cytochrome c, pro-caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-3 and the activities of caspases 3 and 9. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: 18α-GA inhibited gingival fibroblast growth by suppressing the G1 /S phase transition and inducing apoptosis. In conclusion, 18α-GA may be used as a pharmacotherapy for nifedipine-induced gingival overgrowth.

Effect of low-temperature degradation on the mechanical and microstructural properties of tooth-colored 3Y-TZP ceramics.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of low-temperature degradation (LTD) induced by autoclaving on the mechanical and microstructural properties of tooth-colored 3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (3Y-TZP). In total, 162 disc-shaped 3Y-TZP specimens were prepared. Two-thirds of the specimens were shaded by either the infiltration or powder mixing methods while the remaining specimens were used without coloring. The specimens were autoclaved at 134 °C for 0, 10, and 100 h to induce LTD (n=18 for each group). Chemical compositions were analyzed with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Biaxial flexural strength was measured using a piston-on-three-ball test. The surface fraction and penetration depth of the monoclinic phase were examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The tooth-colored 3Y-TZP specimens contained Fe2O3 and Er2O3 (infiltration technique), and Fe2O3 (powder mixing method) at concentrations of<0.5 wt%. The tooth-colored 3Y-TZP had higher strength than the non-colored material after 100 h of autoclaving. In terms of surface fraction and penetration depth, the generation of monoclinic phase was significantly lower in the tooth-colored 3Y-TZP than in the non-colored material. The tooth-colored 3Y-TZP possessed equivalent biaxial flexural strength to that of the non-colored material and higher resistance to LTD regardless of the coloring technique (infiltration technique or powder mixing method) when the coloring pigments were contained at concentrations used in the present study.

The shaping effects of three nickel-titanium rotary instruments in simulated S-shaped canals.

The purpose of this study was to compare the shaping effects of three nickel-titanium rotary instruments, ProTaper, K3, and RaCe, with emphasis on canal transportation. Simulated canals with an S-shaped curvature in clear resin blocks were prepared with a torque-control, low-speed engine. Canals were prepared using the crown-down technique to the size of #30. Canal aberrations were assessed by comparing the pre- and postinstrumentation images under a stereomicroscope. ProTaper instruments caused greater widening of canals compared to K3 or RaCe. Furthermore, ProTaper files showed a tendency to ledge or zip formation at the end-point of preparation. These canal aberrations may be caused by ProTaper finishing files, which appear to be less flexible than other files of the same tip-size, because of their greater taper-size. These results suggest that nickel-titanium file systems including less tapered, more flexible instruments, like K3 and RaCe should be used in the apical preparation of canals with a complicated curvature.

Nizatidine and cisapride enhance salivary secretion in humans.

BACKGROUND: Salivation plays an important role in the defence of the oesophageal mucosa against gastric acidic reflux and can be evoked by cholinergic stimulation. Both nizatidine and cisapride have been reported to increase acetylcholine concentrations in the cholinergic system. AIM: To investigate the effect of nizatidine and cisapride on salivary secretion, salivary epidermal growth factor and bicarbonate output. METHODS: The salivary volume and concentration of salivary epidermal growth factor and bicarbonate were measured after the administration of nizatidine (150 mg), famotidine (20 mg) and cisapride (5 mg) in 30 male healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Basal and stimulated salivary secretions were found to be increased after the administration of nizatidine and cisapride. In contrast, salivary secretion was not increased by famotidine. Although epidermal growth factor content was not augmented, nizatidine and cisapride administration also increased the bicarbonate output in mastication-stimulated saliva. CONCLUSIONS: Increased salivary secretion and bicarbonate output induced by nizatidine may be useful for the treatment of patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)-GH-somatic growth and luteinizing hormone (LH)RH-LH-ovarian axes in adult female transgenic mice expressing human GH gene.

We have examined alterations in the hypothalamo-pituitary GH-somatic growth axis and the hypothalamo-pituitary LH-ovarian axis in a line of transgenic ICR mice expressing human GH (hGH) under the influence of the whey acid protein promoter. Transgenic female mice weighed twice as much as control females and were infertile. The size of the anterior pituitary (AP) was 1/3 that of the controls. In transgenic mice, acinar cells in the mammary and mandibular glands displayed hGH-immunoreactivity, and plasma hGH was detected by radioimmunoassay. In the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) of transgenic females, the immunoreactive-GHRH level was decreased (P<0.01). There was a corresponding reduction in the number of GHRH-immunoreactive neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and in the immunostaining of GHRH nerve terminals in the median eminence. The level of somatostatin (SRIH) in the MBH was increased (P<0.05), and SRIH-immunoreactive neurons in the periventricular nucleus (PeV) were increased in size and number in transgenic mice. The MBH level of LHRH in transgenic animals was greater (P<0.01) than in controls, although there was no apparent difference in the number of LHRH-immunoreactive neurons or in LHRH level in the preoptic area. There are fewer SRIH- and LHRH-immunoreactive neurons in the ARC in transgenic mice. Cells in the AP for GH, PRL, and LH were fewer in transgenic mice. The ovary suffered disturbance of follicular development and of corpora lutea formation. These results demonstrate that chronic overproduction of hGH may profoundly affect the organization of the GHRH/SRIH-GH-somatic growth axis and the LHRH-LH-ovarian axis due to reduction of GHRH-, SRIH- and LHRH-neurons in the ARC and increase of SRIH-neurons in the PeV.

Resinous plate for permanent sternal splinting in patients with extracardiac conduits.

During operations on patients with extracardiac conduits, sternal reapproximation occasionally results in critical compression of the conduit and serious deterioration in hemodynamic function. Permanent splinting of the sternum with a methyl methacrylate resinous plate provides an adequate substernal space for the extracardiac conduit.

Successful conduit repair using aortic homograft in a Jehovah's Witness child.

A 10-year-old female child of the Jehovah's Witness faith presented with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (S,L,L), pulmonary atresia, and a ventricular septal defect. A successful surgical correction was performed using an aortic homograft as a valved extracardiac conduit without the use of homologous blood or blood products. We used permanent splinting of the sternum with a methyl methacrylate resin plate to prevent compression of the conduit.

Susceptibility of Bacteroides gingivalis to bactericidal activity of human serum.

Susceptibility of Bacteroides gingivalis strains to the complement-mediated bactericidal activity of human serum was examined under anaerobic conditions. Serum containing high concentrations of IgG antibody to B. gingivalis enhanced the bactericidal activity. No enhancement was found in serum which did not contain the specific antibody or in serum absorbed with intact cells. The sensitivity to the killing by pooled serum differed among B. gingivalis strains. Cells of B. gingivalis activated the pooled human serum complement not only through the classic pathway but also through an alternative pathway. It was found that the susceptibility of B. gingivalis to the bactericidal activity was classic-pathway-dependent.

7-Amino-2,4,6-trimethylquinoline as a mutagenic pyrolysate compound of polyurethane foam.

Commercial polyurethane foam was pyrolyzed by gas burners at 600-700 degrees C for 2 h with introduction of air (200 ml/min). Gaseous pyrolysate was trapped in water and 10% hydrochloric acid. Basic and neutral pyrolysates have a mutagenic activity (447 revertants/10 micrograms) in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 in the presence of a mammalian metabolic activation system. These pyrolysates contained 12.32 mg of amino compounds as diaminotoluene per g polyurethane foam, amounts which are 120 times higher than those in unpyrolysed polyurethane foam. Basic and neutral pyrolysates were subjected to silica gel column chromatography, and 6 fractions having mutagenic potency were obtained. The colorless needles (m.p. 200.5-202 degrees C) were separated from fraction 4. These needles have the most potent mutagenicity (678 revertants/2 micrograms) in basic and neutral pyrolysates in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 with 10% S9 mix. From the physicochemical data, the structure of the compound was estimated to be an aminoquinoline derivative, and was identified using synthesized 7-amino-2,4,6-trimethylquinoline by mixed melting point, thin-layer co-chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The effects of hemodialysis (HD) membranes on interleukin 1-beta (IL-1 beta) production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

Dialysis-related symptoms are thought to be mediated by monocyte/macrophage-derived inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 1-beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). We investigated the effect of hemodialysis (HD) membranes on IL-1 beta production using cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). PBMC were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the cell content and production of IL-1 beta were measured by ELISA. PBMC from a single healthy donor incubated with 5% of untreated plasma, and we found that HD patients plasma enhanced IL-1 beta production less than normal control plasma. The plasma obtained from the venous side of HD patients 15 minutes after starting a single HD (15-min HD plasma) did not enhance IL-1 beta production as much as the plasma from the arterial side, either before or upon completion of a single HD (pre-HD plasma, post-HD plasma). We studied IL-1 beta productivity when pre-HD plasma (arterial side) and 15-min HD plasma (venous side) were added to autologous PBMC. The IL-1 beta production by PBMC was less when the 15-min HD plasma was added to PBMC as compared to when the pre-HD plasma was added. This reduction tended to be greater when a dialyzer membrane used was a large-pore type made of regenerated cellulose (RC) or polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) than with a small-pore RC membrane. After HD for 2 weeks using a small-pore RC membrane, the same HD patient was then treated with a large-pore RC membrane. The PBMC IL-1 beta production level decreased with the use of the large-pore RC as compared to the case with the small-pore RC membranes. The present study suggests that large-pore dialyzer membranes remove middle molecules and low molecular weight proteins which enhance IL-1 beta production, and that this production may be regulated by some mechanism unrelated to complement activation.

Releasing severe adhesions around the eminence and the synovial portion of the TMJ: a clinical study of combined treatment using hydraulic lavage, arthroscopic surgery and rehabilitative therapy.

This paper evaluates the effects of treatment with a pumping technique and arthroscopic lysis and lavage, followed by rehabilitative training, on condylar head mobility of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). We studied 32 TMJs in 19 patients suffering from chronic closed lock with severe adhesion. The results were compared between cases with adhesions concentrated in two areas: mostly in the posterior and/or the anterior synovial portion of the upper TMJ compartment (11 joints) and mostly around the eminence (21 joints). The results showed a statistically significant improvement in condylar head movement for both groups between the initial and final stages of treatment. However, the results also suggested that patients with adhesion concentrated around the eminence are less likely to recover condylar head mobility to the same extent as those in the other group.

A new 68Ge/68Ga generator system using an organic polymer containing N-methylglucamine groups as adsorbent for 68Ge.

A macroporous styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer containing N-methylglucamine groups was selected for a new 68Ge/68Ga generator system. This resin packed into a column effectively adsorbed the parent nuclide 68Ge. The daughter 68Ga was eluted from the resin with a solution of a low-affinity gallium chelating ligand such as citric or phosphoric acid. The 68Ge leakage was less than 0.0004% of the 68Ge adsorbed on the resin. By simple mixing of transferrin and desferoxamine conjugated HSA and IgG with the eluate from the column, 68Ga-labeling was completed in high yield.

[MRSA infection concured and exsited and the examination of a home cases].

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection was admitted to 4 cases out of 171 cases that carried out the home medical treatment and exist to, period until to March, in 1998 with this hospital in April, in 1986. As for age, a sex distinction was a mal whichere from 63 years old to 78 years old. A cause disease that reached to home medical treatment was brain blood vessel obstract 2 cases, spine damage 1 case, pulmonary emphysema 1 case. MRSA disappeared with many times wound treatments and a calorie by intra venous hyper alimentary increase that a bed sore cases. An intestinal case was seen a sepsis and candida, MRSA dermatitis with MRSA dermatitis. Bthing servis of it passes, start vancomycin hydrochloride administration peculiar to transnasal tube with improved. The respiratory case pass under tracheostomy tube control with balloon and the detection of MRSA is not admitting with diabetes control with mouth ingestion. It exists and as for MRSA infection the risk of severe infection concurrence is few with only settlement unlike an in hospital a home medical treatment cases with. If an enfeebled persons inside a home are paid attention rigid control is unnecessary. Most important thing are control of local area and improvement of whole body, and whole body.

Mesenchymal stem/progenitor cell isolation from tooth extraction sockets.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (BMSCs) are commonly used in regeneration therapy. The current primary source of BMSCs is the iliac crest; however, the procedure is associated with various burdens on the patient, including the risk of pain and infection. Hence, the possibility to collect BMSCs from other, more accessible, sources would be an attractive approach. It is well known that stem cells migrate from surrounding tissues and play important roles in wound healing. We thus hypothesized that stem/progenitor cells could be isolated from granulation tissue in the dental socket, and we subsequently collected granulation tissue from dog dental socket 3 d after tooth extraction. After enzyme digestion of the collected tissue, the cells forming colonies constituted the dental socket-derived stem/progenitor cells (dDSCs). Next, dDSCs were compared with dog BMSCs (dBMSCs) for phenotype characterization. A flow cytometric analysis showed that dDSCs were positive for CD44, CD90, and CD271 but negative for CD34 and CD45, similar to dBMSCs. dDSCs also exhibited osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation ability, similar to dBMSCs, with a higher capacity for colony formation, proliferation, and motility than dBMSCs. In addition, an in vivo ectopic bone formation assay showed that dDSCs and dBMSCs both induced hard tissue formation, although only dDSCs formed a fibrous tissue-like structure connected to the newly formed bone. Finally, we tested the ability of dDSCs to regenerate periodontal tissue in a one-wall defect model. The defects in the dDSC-transplanted group (ß-TCP/PGA/dDSCs) were regenerated with cementum-like and periodontal ligament-like tissues and alveolar bone, whereas only bony tissue was observed in the control group (ß-TCP/PGA). In conclusion, we identified and characterized a population of stem/progenitor cells in granulation tissue obtained from the dental socket that exhibited several characteristics similar to those of BMSCs. Dental sockets could therefore be a novel source for isolating stem/progenitor cells from bone.