The Effects of Aluminablasting on Bond Durability Between Universal Adhesives and Tooth Substrate.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of aluminablasting on the bond durability of universal adhesives and adherent surface characteristics. Adhese Universal (Ivoclar Vivadent), All-Bond Universal (Bisco), Bondmer Lightless (Tokuyama Dental), G-Premio Bond (GC), and Scotchbond Universal (3M ESPE) were used in self-etch mode. The prepared bovine enamel and dentin specimens were divided into two groups based on whether they received an aluminablasting prior to application of the universal adhesives. The resin composite bonded specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours, following which the shear bond strength (SBS) of half of the specimens was measured (24-hour group). The other half was subjected to 30,000 thermal cycles between 5 and 55°C before SBS measurement (TC group). Surface roughness (Ra) and surface free energy (SFE) of the adherent surfaces were also measured, and scanning electron microscopy observation and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray analysis were carried out. Most of the adhesives did not show any significant differences in enamel SBS values between the two pretreatment groups, regardless of the storage condition. However, the dentin SBS values were significantly lower in specimens that underwent aluminablasting compared with those that did not, irrespective of their storage conditions. Significantly higher Ra and SFE values were observed in the enamel and dentin of specimens that underwent aluminablasting. Although aluminablasting increased the Ra and SFE values of enamel and dentin, its effect on the SBS value was dependent on the tooth substrate. In addition to C, O, Na, Mg, P, and Ca, the element Al was detected in the enamel and dentin of samples that had undergone aluminablasting. These results suggest that although aluminablasting of the tooth surface is thought to be effective for modification of the adherent surface, it may not enhance enamel bond performance and may also adversely affect the dentin bond effectiveness of the universal adhesives.

Effect of Oxygen Inhibition Layer of Universal Adhesives on Enamel Bond Fatigue Durability and Interfacial Characteristics With Different Etching Modes.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the oxygen inhibition layer of universal adhesive on enamel bond fatigue durability and interfacial characteristics with different etching modes. METHODS: The three universal adhesives used were Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA), Adhese Universal (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Lichtenstein), and G-Premio Bond (GC, Tokyo, Japan). The initial shear bond strength and shear fatigue strength to enamel was determined in the presence and absence of the oxygen inhibition layer, with and without phosphoric acid pre-etching. The water contact angle was also measured in all groups using the sessile drop method. RESULTS: The enamel bonding specimens with an oxygen inhibition layer showed significantly higher (p<0.05) initial shear bond strengths and shear fatigue strengths than those without, regardless of the adhesive type and etching mode. Moreover, the water contact angles on the specimens with an oxygen inhibition layer were significantly lower (p<0.05) than on those without, regardless of etching mode. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the oxygen inhibition layer of universal adhesives significantly increases the enamel bond fatigue durability and greatly changes interfacial characteristics, suggesting that the bond fatigue durability and interfacial characteristics of these adhesives strongly rely on its presence.

Involvement of glucocorticoid receptor on hyperpyrexia induced by methamphetamine administration.

UNLABELLED: We have investigated the involvement of glucocorticoid on methamphetamine (MA) induced hyperpyrexia using a bio-telemetric system. A significant level of hyperpyrexia was observed in MA administered rats. In contrast, increase of body temperature was suppressed by adrenalectomy or by the administration of RU-486, an antagonist of the glucocorticoid receptor. These data suggest that the glucocorticoid receptor may be involved in hyperpyrexia induced by MA. KEYWORDS: methamphetamine - hyperpyrexia - glucocorticoid - corticosterone.

Impaired host defence against Mycobacterium avium in mice with chronic granulomatous disease.

Patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), an inherited disorder of phagocytic cells, often contract recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. CGD is considered to arise from a functional defect of the O(2)-generating nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase in phagocytes. To determine whether or not NADPH oxidase is crucial to the host defence against Mycobacterium avium, we investigated the response against M. avium using CGD model mice (gp91-phox(-)) of C57BL/6 strain. A tracheal injection of 1 x 10(7) colony-forming units (CFU)/head of M. avium strain FN into the CGD mice resulted in a pulmonary infection, while also increasing the mortality rate. In contrast, normal C57BL/6 mice injected with same dose of the organisms did not develop severe pulmonary infection and were able to survive through 2 months of observation. The macrophages obtained from the CGD mice were observed to have a higher burden of the bacterial growth than macrophages from normal C57BL/6 mice. These results suggest that the defect of the NADPH oxidase function impairs the host defence against M. avium infection.

Evaluation of a fully automated system (RAISUS) for rapid identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Staphylococci.

RAISUS is a system for rapid bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. RAISUS and VITEK showed 97.8% and 75.9% agreement in identification of 45 Staphylococcus aureus strains and 58 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), respectively, and RAISUS and CLSI (formerly NCCLS) methods showed 87.2% and 87.9% agreement in the MICs for S. aureus and CoNS, respectively. RAISUS provided these data within 3.75 h, suggesting its utility for clinical bacteriological laboratories.

Retinoic acid fails to reverse emphysema in adult mouse models.

BACKGROUND: Previous work has shown that all-trans-retinoic acid reverses elastase induced emphysema in rats. Since there is currently no effective treatment for pulmonary emphysema, the effect of retinoic acid should be further investigated in other adult species. A study was undertaken using two murine models of emphysema to evaluate the effect of retinoic acid. METHODS: The models used were an elastase induced emphysema model for acute alveolar destruction and a tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha transgenic mouse which exhibits chronic air space enlargement, loss of elastic recoil, increased lung volume, and pulmonary hypertension comparable to human pulmonary emphysema. All-trans-retinoic acid (2 mg/kg) was injected for 12 successive days after the establishment of emphysema. The effects of treatment were evaluated using physiological and morphometric analyses. RESULTS: In contrast to the rat, administration of all-trans-retinoic acid in these murine models did not improve the emphysema. Moreover, worsening of emphysema was observed in TNF-alpha transgenic mice treated with all-trans-retinoic acid. The level of keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC), a CXC chemokine, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was increased in TNF-alpha transgenic mice following retinoic acid treatment. These data raise the possibility that retinoic acid causes deterioration of emphysema by promoting inflammation in this model. CONCLUSIONS: In these models, retinoic acid did not show positive effects on emphysema. The effect of retinoic acid in the treatment of pulmonary emphysema remains controversial, and further studies are required to determine its physiological effects under a variety of experimental conditions.

Combined coronary intervention in heart-transplant patient with rapidly accelerated cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

A 46-year-old man accepted for heart transplantation due to persistent cardiac failure from dilated cardiomyopathy underwent a transplant in Germany on July 13, 1995. The donor heart was suspected of coronary artery disease at explantation, but he could wait no longer because of his rapidly deteriorating hemodynamics. Postoperative coronary angiography revealed 25% stenosis of the left descending artery. He showed several episodes of minimal or moderate rejection postoperatively, and coronary angiography 15 months postoperatively showed rapidly accelerated cardiac allograft vasculopathy demonstrating triple vessel disease with multiple lesions. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was successful on 2 coronary vessels, but immediately recurrent stenosis and new lesions involving the left main trunk occurred 6 weeks thereafter. Since he was financially unable to afford a second heart transplantation, quadruple coronary artery bypass grafting was conducted October 25, 1996. A biventricular assist device was used when he could not be weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass. He died of multiple organ failure 3 days after surgery.

[A survey of radical surgery without neoadjuvant therapy for patients with stage B and C prostatic carcinoma].

There has been much controversy regarding radical surgery for both localized and locally extensive carcinoma of the prostate. We analyzed the outcome of radical prostatectomy and the preoperative evaluation in order to assess the indication of radical prostatectomy. Fifty-six patients with clinical stage B or C prostate cancer were treated by radical prostatectomy without neoadjuvant therapy. Endocrine therapy was added to the non-curative cases postoperatively. Preoperative evaluation was compared with pathological results and survival, and furthermore the usefulness of the preoperative PSA and PSA half-life were investigated. The mean follow-up period was 44.5 months. The accuracy of the grade and the clinical stage were 58.9% and 23.2%, respectively. Organ-confined disease was seen in patients with an initial PSA level less than 30 ng/ml. Postoperative PSA half-life is significantly prolonged in cases with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or lymph node involvement and may be a predictor of PSA failure. The cause-specific 5-year survival rates were 92.7% on the whole, 92.9% for well differentiated, 96.7% for moderately differentiated, 85.7% for poorly differentiated, 100% for stage B1, 95.0% for stage B2 and 86.8% for stage C. These results indicated that patients with an initial PSA level of less than 30 ng/ml will benefit from radical prostatectomy.

Lack of association between the Met196Arg polymorphism in the TNFR2 gene and autoimmune diseases accompanied by vasculitis including SLE in Japanese.

A polymorphism in high-affinity receptor of TNF (TNFR2) gene, Met196Arg, was reported to be associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Japanese, whereas the association could not be found in Europeans at all and this represents an apparent discrepancy. The association, then, should be tested in other populations to clarify the possible involvement, if any, of the TNFR2 polymorphism in SLE or other related autoimmune diseases. The purposes of this study were to examine the TNFR2 polymorphism in Japanese patients with SLE and to investigate its association with other autoimmune diseases accompanied by vasculitis, mixed connective tissue disease, Buerger's disease, and Takayasu's arteritis. We found no association at all between the TNFR2 polymorphism and any autoimmune diseases including SLE in Japanese.

Enkephalin analogues with 2',6'-dimethylphenylalanine replacing phenylalanine in position 4.

Four Leu-enkephalin (Enk) analogues containing 2',6'-dimethyphenylalanine (Dmp) in position 4 were prepared and tested for their receptor binding and biological activities. Among the analogues prepared, [2', 6'-dimethyltyrosine, D-Dmp4]Enk was found to be an antagonist toward mu and delta opioid receptors with pA2 values of 6.90 and 5.57, respectively.

[The false positive reaction of the Triage panel drug-of-abuse by herbal drugs ma-huang (Ephedra sinica (Ephedraceae))].

We investigated false-positive reactions obtained from a drug screening test using a Triage panel. We detected 2 cases giving false-positive reaction for AMP (amphetamine, methamphetamine) during the screening of 187 normal subjects. Subsequent follow up testing by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), showed both to be false-positive reactions. As both cases have a history of ingesting the herbal drug, Ma-huang (Ephedra sinica (Ephedraceae)), containing ephedrine, we examined the relationship between false-positive reactions on Triage and Ma-huang. All urine samples collected from 7 healthy volunteers following administration of Ma-huang indicated AMP positive on Triage. Also a high ratio of AMP positives was observed in the patients who were administered Ma-huang-containing drugs at the hospital. However, none of them were identified as true-positives by HPLC or gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. The extract of Ma-huang contained in herbal drugs, which otherwise contain neither amphetamine nor its derivatives, gives (AMP) positive indications on Triage. We speculate that unidentified components of Ma-huang cause the false-positive reactions. We suggest that follow-up tests by GC/MS or HPLC are needed wherever a positive result is obtained from a screening test by Triage. Furthermore, it will be established to continue collecting information on prescribed and non-prescribed drugs.

Carbohydrate-modulated DNA photocleavage: design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel glycosyl anthraquinones.

Novel and artificial anthraquinone-carbohydrate hybrids were designed and synthesized, and found to effectively cleave DNA under irradiation with a long wavelength UV light and also exhibit cytotoxicity against HeLa S3 cells.

Clinical experience of milrinone as a pharmacological bridge to heart transplantation.

A 19-year-old man with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy developed cardiogenic shock. A HeartMate left ventricular assist device was inserted as an emergency procedure, but removed after 189 days due to sepsis related to the device. Intravenous milrinone was administered because of recurrence of heart failure, and as a result the symptoms disappeared and the urinary output increased. Echocardiography showed improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction. Subsequently, the patient successfully underwent heart transplantation. Milrinone was effective as a pharmacological bridge to heart transplantation in this patient with terminal and critical heart failure after removal of a left ventricular assist device.

An impairment of barrier size and charge selectivity of glomerular basement membrane in streptozotocin-induced diabetes and prevention by pharmacological therapy.

We examined barrier size (pore size) and charge selectivity (anionic sites) of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) in experimental diabetes. For estimation of the pore size we employed a new method, tissue negative staining. In diabetic rats, enlarged pores and decreased numbers of anionic sites of GBM were observed. Both insulin treatment and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors prevented these changes. The renoprotective effect of the two drugs is discussed in the article.

Biological properties of opioid peptides replacing Tyr at position 1 by 2,6-dimethyl-Tyr.

To understand the effect of the replacement of Tyr residue at position 1 in opioid peptides by 2,6-dimethyl-Tyr (Dmt) on the biological property, chiral (D or L) Dmt1 analogs of Leu-enkephalin (Enk) and Tyr-D-Arg-Phe-beta Ala-NH2 (YRFB) were synthesized and their enzymatic stabilities, in vitro bioactivities and receptor binding affinities compared with those of parent peptides. [L-Dmt1]Enk (1) exhibited 4-fold higher stability against aminopeptidase-M and possessed dramatically increased activities in guinea pig ilium (GPI) (187-fold) and mouse vas deferens (MVD) (131-fold) assays, and in rat brain receptor binding assays (356-fold at mu receptor and 46-fold at delta receptor) as compared to Enk. [L-Dmt1]YRFB (3) also exhibited increased activities in GPI (46-fold) and MVD (177-fold) assays, and in the binding assays (69-fold at mu receptro and 341-fold at delta receptor) as compared to the parent peptide. [D-Dmt1]Enk (2) and [D-Dmt1]YRFB (4) exhibited activities with diminished or lesser potency than the parent peptide in all assays. These results indicate that there is a tendency for mu affinity to be enhanced more than delta affinity with introduction of L-Dmt into delta ligand peptide (Enk), and for delta affinity to be enhanced more than mu affinity in case of mu ligand peptide (YRFB), resulting in reduced receptor selectivities at the receptors.

Synergistic induction by collagen and fibronectin of liver-specific genes in rat primary cultured hepatocytes.

The extracellular matrix plays an important role for maintaining liver functions. We examined the effects of type I collagen and fibronectin on the expression of liver-specific genes in rat primary hepatocytes. When primary culture hepatocytes were overlaid with a type I collagen-gel, the expression of liver-specific genes (tyrosine aminotransferase, aldolase B, and albumin) increased by 4-5 times, compared with not overlaid hepatocytes. In contrast, the expression of non-liver-specific genes (GAPDH and beta-actin) was suppressed under the same conditions. The addition of fibronectin together with type I collagen-gel further enhanced the expression of liver-specific genes by 1.4-1.8 times. The addition of GRGDS peptide instead of fibronectin with the collagen-gel had a similar effect on hepatic gene expression to that of fibronectin. Addition of fibronectin alone exhibited had no effect on gene expression. These results suggest that type I collagen and fibronectin synergistically induce liver-specific genes.

Preference of Peyer's patches to jejunal epithelium for intestinal absorption of oligopeptides, tyrosylglycylglycine and D-kyotorphin.

The intestinal absorption of oligopeptides, peptidase-degradable tyrosylglycylglycine (TGG) and peptidase-resistant L-tyrosyl-D-arginine (D-kyotorphin, D-KTP) across Peyer's patches (PP) in rabbit intestine were studied using an Ussing-type chamber and in situ closed perfusion methods. The clearance for the serosal appearance of intact TGG across PP by the Ussing-type chamber method was a little higher than that across the jejunal epithelium (JE). Meanwhile, the in situ closed perfusion experiment showed that the clearance for the plasma appearance of intact TGG across PP was about 10 times that of JE. Furthermore, it was shown that the clearance for the plasma appearance of D-KTP in PP was about twice that in JE by the in situ closed perfusion method, indicating that the membrane permeability of PP was higher than that of JE. Therefore, these results indicate that PP had less metabolic peptidase activity than JE, and that the PP was a suitable site for the intestinal absorption of oligopeptides, especially peptidase-degradable peptides.

Liver cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH1) polymorphism and its inheritance in Wistar rats.

Rats are very important experimental animal to study alcohol related problems. Liver aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) which metabolize aldehydes are reported to have several isozymes which are distributed in mitochondrial, microsomal and cytosolic fractions. However, there is discrepancy on reports concerning properties of cytosolic ALDH from normal liver. We report here the liver cytosolic ALDH (ALDH1) polymorphism and its inheritance in Wistar rats. Isoelectrophoretic focusing technique reveals the three ALDH1 phenotypes (termed AA, AC and CC) which are inherited in accordance with Mendelian fashion, indicating the existence of two alleles, ALDH1A and ALDH1C. In the range of pI 5.3 to 5.8, the AA phenotype possesses a major anodic band with pI 5.3 and CC phenotype also has a cathodic pI 5.8 band. In contrast, AC phenotype exhibits five bands with pIs of 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.7 and 5.8. Intensity of these bands gradually diminishes from the main band with pI 5.5 to the both opposite ends. These findings suggest that AC phenotype as well as AA and CC types has a structure of tetramer which consist of the combination of subunit of the A and C gene products.