Laser beam melting 3D printing of Ti6Al4V based porous structured dental implants: fabrication, biocompatibility analysis and photoelastic study.

Fabricating Ti alloy based dental implants with defined porous scaffold structure is a promising strategy for improving the osteoinduction of implants. In this study, we use Laser Beam Melting (LBM) 3D printing technique to fabricate porous Ti6Al4V dental implant prototypes with three controlled pore sizes (200, 350 and 500 µm). The mechanical stress distribution in the surrounding bone tissue is characterized by photoelastography and associated finite element simulation. For in-vitro studies, experiments on implants' biocompatibility and osteogenic capability are conducted to evaluate the cellular response correlated to the porous structure. As the preliminary results, porous structured implants show a lower stress-shielding to the surrounding bone at the implant neck and a more densed distribution at the bottom site compared to the reference implant. From the cell proliferation tests and the immunofluorescence images, 350 and 500 µm pore sized implants demonstrate a better biocompatibility in terms of cell growth, migration and adhesion. Osteogenic genes expression of the 350 µm group is significantly increased alone with the ALP activity test. All these suggest that a pore size of 350 µm provides an optimal provides an optimal potential for improving the mechanical shielding to the surrounding bones and osteoinduction of the implant itself.

Self-limitation of intravenous tocolysis with beta2-adrenergic agonists is mediated through receptor G protein uncoupling.

Tocolysis with a beta-adrenergic receptor agonist is the most common approach to premature labor management after the 25th wk of pregnancy. However, prolonged treatment is associated with a marked loss of efficacy. The biochemical mechanisms involved remain unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of fenoterol on beta-adrenergic receptor signal transduction in human myometrium. Myometrial biopsy specimens were obtained from 40 women at cesarean section between the 25th and 34th wk of pregnancy. Nineteen patients had received no tocolysis (controls, group I) and 21 had been treated with fenoterol (<48 h in 10, group II; > or = 48 h in 11, group III). As methods we used membrane preparation, adenylyl cyclase assay and cAMP RIA. Adenylyl cyclase activity was determined by the measurement of cAMP levels to evaluate signal transduction after stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors with isoproterenol, G protein with GTP, and adenylyl cyclase with forskolin. The functional activity of GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G(s)) and adenylyl cyclase was not altered by fenoterol treatment. In the control group, the increase in adenylyl cyclase activity in response to GTP plus isoproterenol was greater than in response to GTP alone. The increase was reduced by 50% in group II and was insignificant in group III. There was no correlation between gestational age and basal adenylyl cyclase activity. Intravenous tocolysis with the beta2-adrenergic receptor agonist fenoterol leads to complete desensitization of the beta-adrenergic receptor system. In addition to the known reduction in receptor number (down-regulation) as underlying mechanism, uncoupling of the receptor from the stimulatory G protein G(s) was identified.