SiO-induced thermal instability and interplay between graphite and SiO in graphite/SiO composite anode.

Silicon monoxide (SiO), which exhibits better cyclability compared to silicon while delivering higher capacity than that of graphite, is an adequate material for the development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) having higher energy densities. However, incorporating silicon-based materials including SiO into stable graphite anode inevitably degrades not only cycle life but also calendar life of LIBs, while little is known about their aging mechanisms. Here, SiO-induced thermal instability of the graphite/SiO composite anode is investigated. We reveal that under thermal exposure, SiO accelerates the loss of lithium inventory and concomitantly facilitates the lithium de-intercalation from graphite. This self-discharge phenomenon, which is weakly observed in the graphite anode without SiO, is the result of preferential parasitic reaction on the SiO interface and spontaneous electron and lithium-ion migration to equilibrate the electron energy imbalance between graphite and SiO. Understanding this underlying electron-level interplay between graphite and SiO in the composite anode will contribute toward improving shelf life of SiO-containing LIBs in actual operating conditions.

Assessment of Zinc-Bound Phosphate-Based Glass-Coated Denture-Relining Material with Antifungal Efficacy for Inhibiting Denture Stomatitis.

This study investigated the surface properties, biocompatibility, and antifungal activity against Candida albicans of a denture-relining material coated with zinc-bound phosphate-based glass. First, zinc-bound phosphate-based glass was fabricated. A polymerized denture-relining disk was coated with zinc-bound phosphate-based glass (2%, 4%, and 6%). The surface properties of the control and experimental groups were measured, including the wettability, microhardness, color difference, and gloss. The biocompatibility was evaluated using the MTT assay according to ISO 10993-5. The antifungal activity was investigated by counting the number of colony-forming units of Candida albicans. The results were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p = 0.05). The results of this study indicate that, despite the antimicrobial effect of zinc-bound phosphate-based glass, a coated denture-relining material does not degrade the surface properties and biocompatibility. Therefore, this novel material is considered promising for use as a dental material with antimicrobial properties that can potentially prevent denture stomatitis.

Osteogenic differentiation and inflammatory response of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in human maxillary sinus membrane-derived cells.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the osteogenic potential of human maxillary sinus membrane (hMSM)-derived cells, and the role of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in the inflammatory response of hMSM-derived cells and gingival fibroblasts following sinus floor elevation procedure (SFE). hMSM-derived cells from the samples were isolated, subcultured, and analyzed using immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry. The hMSM-derived cells obtained from passage 6 were used for Alizarin Red staining and quantitative reverse transcription-quantitative PCR to observe its osteogenic activity and inflammatory reaction upon supplementation with rhBMP-2. The hMSM-derived cells were shown to be heterogeneous, as indicated by their positive expression of human mesenchymal stem cell markers (STRO-1, high mobility group AT-hook 2, CD44, CD105 and OCT-3/4), fibroblast cell marker (fibroblast-specific protein 1) and epithelial cell marker (epithelial cell adhesion molecule). Calcium nodules were found to be more notably evident in the rhBMP-2 group, following osteogenic differentiation. The gene expression of osteogenic markers was significantly upregulated in the cells supplemented with rhBMP-2. Supplementation with rhBMP-2 also enhanced the expression of inflammatory markers in hMSM-derived cells and gingival fibroblasts; however, NF-κB and TNF-α expression was not significantly increased compared with the control in the hMSM-derived cells. hMSM contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) capable of differentiating into osteogenic cells. The supplementation of rhBMP-2 enhanced osteogenic differentiation and induced an inflammatory response which was greater in gingival fibroblasts compared with hMSM-derived cells. In summary, the hMSM is a potential contributor to the osteogenic process following SFE, and the use of rhBMP-2 may increase the inflammatory response accordingly. The gingival tissue may be responsible for the increased inflammatory response by rhBMP-2 and postoperative complications.

Novel Dental Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) Containing Phytoncide for Antifungal Effect and Inhibition of Oral Multispecies Biofilm.

Despite the many advantages of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a dental polymer, its antifungal and antibacterial effects remain limited. Here, phytoncide was incorporated into PMMA to inhibit fungal and biofilm accumulation without impairing the basic and biological properties of PMMA. A variable amount of phytoncide (0 wt % to 5 wt %) was incorporated into PMMA, and the basic material properties of microhardness, flexural strength and gloss were evaluated. In addition, cell viability was confirmed by MTT assay. This MTT assay measures cell viability via metabolic activity, and the color intensity of the formazan correlates viable cells. The fungal adhesion and viability on the PMMA surfaces were evaluated using Candida albicans (a pathogenic yeast). Finally, the thickness of saliva-derived biofilm was estimated. The flexural strength of PMMA decreased with increasing phytoncide contents, whereas there were no significant differences in the microhardness and gloss (p > 0.05) and the cell viability (p > 0.05) between the control and the phytoncide-incorporated PMMA samples. The amounts of adherent Candida albicans colony-forming unit (CFU) counts, and saliva-derived biofilm thickness were significantly lower in the phytoncide-incorporated PMMA compared to the control (p < 0.05). Hence, it was concluded that the incorporation of appropriate amounts of phytoncide in PMMA demonstrated antifungal effects while maintaining the properties, which could be a possible use in dentistry application such as denture base resin.

Changes in the physical properties and color stability of aesthetic restorative materials caused by various beverages.

This study investigates the effects of various beverages on the wettability, microhardness, and color stability of aesthetic dental restorative materials. A contact angle analyzer, Vickers hardness tester, and spectrophotometer were used to characterize the properties of the materials and a total of 225 specimens were prepared: 75 each for a resin composite, compomer, and giomer. Ingestion of energy drinks and cola caused the greatest deterioration in wettability and microhardness, and coffee caused the most significant color change. In addition, the change in the resin composite was lower than that of the other restorative materials. The extent of change in the restorative materials increased with duration and frequency of contact with the beverages, so a reduction in the frequency of ingestion of these beverages is recommended.

Hydrogen peroxide inhibits Ca2+ efflux through plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase in mouse parotid acinar cells.

Intracellular Ca2+ mobilization is closely linked with the initiation of salivary secretion in parotid acinar cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to be related to a variety of oxidative stress-induced cellular disorders and believed to be involved in salivary impairments. In this study, we investigated the underlying mechanism of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on cytosolic Ca2+ accumulation in mouse parotid acinar cells. Intracellular Ca2+ levels were slowly elevated when 1 mM H2O2 was perfused in the presence of normal extracellular Ca2+. In a Ca2+-free medium, 1 mM H2O2 still enhanced the intracellular Ca2+ level. Ca2+ entry tested using manganese quenching technique was not affected by perfusion of 1 mM H2O2. On the other hand, 10 mM H2O2 induced more rapid Ca2+ accumulation and facilitated Ca2+ entry from extracellular fluid. Ca2+ refill into intracellular Ca2+ store and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (1 µM)-induced Ca2+ release from Ca2+ store was not affected by 1 mM H2O2 in permeabilized cells. Ca2+ efflux through plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) was markedly blocked by 1 mM H2O2 in thapsigargin-treated intact acinar cells. Antioxidants, either catalase or dithiothreitol, completely protected H2O2-induced Ca2+ accumulation through PMCA inactivation. From the above results, we suggest that excessive production of H2O2 under pathological conditions may lead to cytosolic Ca2+ accumulation and that the primary mechanism of H2O2-induced Ca2+ accumulation is likely to inhibit Ca2+ efflux through PMCA rather than mobilize Ca2+ ions from extracellular medium or intracellular stores in mouse parotid acinar cells.

Effect of culture medium type on canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and developmental competence of interspecies cloned embryos.

Canine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) are promising as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). It has been suggested that different cell cultures possess different capacities to support pre-implantation development of SCNT embryos. The aim of this study is to investigate whether two culture medium (RCMEP, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium [DMEM]) affect gene expression of ASCs, subsequent development of interspecies SCNT (iSCNT) and gene expression of cloned embryos. The RCMEP-cultured cells contained significantly greater amounts of SOX2, NANOG, OCT4, DNMT1, and MeCP2 than DMEM-cultured cells (P < 0.05). In iSCNT, the use of DMEM medium for culturing cells resulted in similar development to the blastocyst stage than those derived from RCMEP cultured cells (4.5% and 3.2%, respectively; P > 0.05). The expression of all transcripts except for DNMT1 in cloned blastocysts from RCMEP cultured cells followed those of cloned blastocysts derived from DMEM cultured cells. The alteration of gene expression in ASCs by culture medium was not manifested in the iSCNT embryos derived from these cells. Although the culture medium can induce changes of gene expression by ASCs, such alterations in donor cells did not affect the developmental competence or gene expression patterns of iSCNT embryos.

Activation of calcium signaling by hepatitis B virus-X protein in liver cells.

Hepatitis B virus x gene product (HBx) is known to be a transactivator of transcriptional elements that regulate the expression of a variety of genes associated with the growth, differentiation, survival and the apoptosis of cells. However, the exact mechanism of the activation and inhibition of cellular events by HBx remains uncertain. The present study was designed to measure the effect of HBx, on the signal transduction pathways associated with intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization following HBx transfection in the stable Chang liver cells (CHL-X). Enhanced cell proliferation by HBx in CHL-X was confirmed by MTT assay and by the immunodetection of PCNA. The transactivation of AP-1 by HBx induced in CHL-X was inhibited by cyclosporin A (CsA), a mitochondrial Ca(2+) channel blocker and by BAPTA-AM, a cytosolic Ca(2+) blocker. Activation of the SAPK/JNK signaling pathway by HBx was evidenced by the increased phosphorylations of c-Jun (Ser63) and of JNK (Thr183/Tyr185). Increased phospho-Erk/Erk and phospho-Raf1/Raf in HBx-induced CHL-X indicated that HBx might stimulate the MAPK pathway. PI3K activity and cytosolic free Ca(2+) levels were elevated in HBx-induced CHL-X. These results imply that HBx transactivates both JNK and MAPK signal transduction pathways in association with the mobilization of cytosolic Ca(2+).

Immune reactivity of recombinant group 2 allergens of house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and Dermatophagoides farinae.

The group 2 allergens of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) are the major source of allergens for patients allergic to house dust mites (HDMs). Previous studies have reported the existence of several polymorphic residues of Der p 2 and Der f 2. In this study, recombinant group 2 allergens of Der p (rDer p 2) and Der f (rDer f 2) were produced in E. coli from the major isoforms of each cDNA, in order to evaluate their usefulness for the detection and standardization of allergens, and for the immunotherapy of patients allergic to HDMs in Korea. cDNAs of the major isoforms of Der p 2 and Der f 2 were prepared from HDMs found in -Korean houses. The IgE-binding activities of the prepared rDer p 2 and rDer f 2 were analyzed using a Western blot immunodetection system and ELISA in the pooled sera of 10 patients allergic to HDM. Both rDer p 2 and rDer f 2 bound to IgE in the pooled sera, and their activities were comparable to that of Der p 2 in HDMs. The rDer p 2-specific IgE level was higher than the rDer f 2-specific IgE level in patients' sera. The specificity of the monoclonal antibodies raised against both isoforms was analyzed by ELISA and immunogenicities of the antibodies were evaluated. Two out of four clones of rDer p 2-specific mouse monoclonal antibodies (IgG) reacted with both rDer p 2 and rDer f 2, whereas the other two did not react with rDer f 2. rDer f 2-specific monoclonal antibody reacted with both rDer f 2 and rDer p 2. The cross-reactivity of rDer p 2 and rDer f 2-specific monoclonal antibodies with both recombinant allergens indicates that epitopes responding to these antibodies are present. rDer p 2 and rDer f 2 may be useful for the detection and standardization of group 2 allergens of HDM and for the diagnosis and immunotherapy of patients allergic to HDM in Korea.

Expression and characterization of a mutant recombinant blood coagulation factor VIII (rFVIII (m)).

In an earlier study, a site directed mutant rFVIII (rFVIII(m), Arg(336) --> Gln(336)) expressed in baculovirus-insect cell (Sf9) system was found to sustain high level activity during incubation at 37 degrees celsius for 24 h while the cofactor activity of normal plasma was declined steadily. In this study, a mutant B-domain deleted rFVIII(m), Arg(336) --> Gln(336) expressed in baculovirus-insect cell (Sf9) system was characterized for its enzymatic and chemical properties. The expressed rFVIII(m) and plasma FVIII (pFVIII) were purified by immunoaffinity column chromatography and identified by Western blot analysis. The partially purified rFVIII(m) exhibited cofactor specific activity of 2.01 x 10(3)units/mg protein. The molecular weight of rFVIII(m) ranged between 40 to 150 kDa with a major band at 150 kDa. Treatment of both rFVIII(m) and pFVIII with thrombin increased their cofactor activity in a similar pattern. Treatment of both the activated rFVIII(m) and native FVIII with APC decreased their cofactor activities, however, the former exhibited a slower decrease than the latter, although no significant difference was present. rFVIII(m) formed a complex with vWF, resulting in a stabilized form, and the lag period of thrombin-mediated activating was extended by vWF association. These results implicated that rFVIII(m) expressed in baculovirus-insect cell system had a comparable capacity as FVIII cofactor activity and might be a good candidate for the FVIII replacement therapy for hemophilia A patients.