Comparative Analysis of Bond Strength Durability of 10-Methacryloyloxydecyl Dihydrogen Phosphate-Containing Adhesives on a Low-Viscosity Bulk-Fill Composite Surface.

PURPOSE: To compare the bond durability of adhesives with 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP) to low-viscosity bulk-fill composite. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four 10-MDP-containing adhesives (Tokuyama Bond Force II [TBF II], Tokuyama; Scotchbond Universal [SU], 3M Oral Care; Clearfil Universal Bond Quick [CL], Kuraray Noritake; and G-Premio Bond [GP], GC) and one 10-MDP-free adhesive (Heliobond [HB] Ivoclar Vivadent) as a control were applied to polished, air-abraded surfaces of randomly assigned SureFil SDR flow low-viscosity bulk-fill composite blocks. The application of the adhesives was followed by applying Tetric EvoCeram universal nanohybrid composite in layers. Each layered composite block was sliced into stick specimens with a hard-tissue microtome. Half of the groups were randomly selected and tested for microtensile bond strength (immediate group); the other groups were aged in a thermocyling machine for 5000 cycles, followed by testing microtensile bond strength (aged group). The adhesive interface was evaluated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Failure modes were observed using light microscopy. The results were evaluated with Levene's test, ANOVA, Welch's ANOVA, Tukey's test and the Z-test as appropriate (significance: p < 0.05). RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the bond strength between 10-MDP-containing adhesives and the 10-MDP-free adhesive in all groups. Aging significantly decreased the bond strength in all adhesive groups. There was no significant difference in the bond strength durability among the 10-MDP-containing adhesives. CONCLUSION: Application of 10-MDP-containing adhesives has an advantageous effect on the air-abraded SDR composite surface compared with 10-MDP-free adhesive. The composition of 10-MDP-containing adhesives did not influence the bond strength. Aging diminishes the bond strength durability of 10-MDP-containing adhesives.

Combined Release of Antiseptic and Antibiotic Drugs from Visible Light Polymerized Biodegradable Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Periodontitis Treatment.

The in situ application of the combination of different types of drugs revolutionized the area of periodontal therapy. The purpose of this study was to develop nanocomposite hydrogel (NCHG) as a pH-sensitive drug delivery system. To achieve local applicability of the NCHG in dental practice, routinely used blue-light photopolymerization was chosen for preparation. The setting time was 60 s, which resulted in stable hydrogel structures. Universal Britton-Robinson buffer solutions were used to investigate the effect of pH in the range 4-12 on the release of drugs that can be used in the periodontal pocket. Metronidazole was released from the NCHGs within 12 h, but chlorhexidine showed a much longer elution time with strong pH dependence, which lasted more than 7 days as it was corroborated by the bactericidal effect. The biocompatibility of the NCHGs was proven by Alamar-blue test and the effectiveness of drug release in the acidic medium was also demonstrated. This fast photo-polymerizable NCHG can help to establish a locally applicable combined drug delivery system which can be loaded with the required amount of medicines and can reduce the side effects of the systemic use of drugs that have to be used in high doses to reach an ideal concentration locally.

Effect of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) and pregnancy planning on Bayley-III Screening Test subscales in preterm infants at 12 months of corrected age: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The association between medically assisted reproduction and pregnancy planning on overall developmental outcomes of infants has been studied in relatively few studies. The availability of accurate tools for the early detection of developmental delays is a major issue. The purpose of this study is describing the average neurodevelopment of preterm infants and assessing the association between medically assisted reproduction, pregnancy planning and neurodevelopmental outcomes among Hungarian preterm infants. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of preterm infants with gestational age < 37 weeks (N = 171) who underwent developmental assessment using Bayley-III Screening Test (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Screening Test - Third Edition) in five developmental domains (cognitive, receptive and expressive language, fine and gross motor) at 12 months of corrected age. We examined the developmental pattern of infants and the potential associations between medically assisted reproduction, pregnancy planning and Bayley-III Screening Test subscales. Information on the mode of conception and pregnancy planning was obtained through parental anamnesis. RESULTS: Concerning the risk for developmental delay, the language and motor subscales were the most affected. Examination of the mode of conception and developmental outcomes revealed higher neurodevelopmental skills in infants who were conceived through medically assisted reproduction. Significantly lower cognitive, receptive and expressive language skills were found to be associated with unplanned pregnancies. Multi-way analysis of variance was conducted in order to assess the impact of the mode of conception and pregnancy planning on subscales. CONCLUSIONS: We cannot unambiguously conclude that MAR and pregnancy planning had a solely positive effect on the development of preterm infants at 12 months of corrected age, but our results are vital for the design and implementation of further research.

Effect of inducible bone morphogenetic protein 2 expression on the osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells in vitro.

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is a member of the transforming growth factor-ß superfamily, it is known to be a factor involved in skeletal development and capable of inducing in vitro osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) isolated from extracted third molar teeth are an ideal resource for bone tissue engineering and regeneration applications, due to their convenient isolation, safe cryopreservation, and easy maintenance in cell cultures. The aims of this study were to deliver BMP-2 under control of the tetracycline-inducible (tet-on) promoter into dental pulp stem cells and to examine whether these BMP-2 expressing cell lines are capable of promoting osteogenic differentiation in vitro. BMP-2 gene was cloned into the lentiviral transfer plasmid pTet-IRES-EGFP and used to establish the DPSC-BMP-2 cell line. DPSC, DPSC-GFP (mock) and DPSC-BMP-2 cell lines were cultured in growth medium or osteogenic medium in the presence or absence of 100 ng/ml doxycycline. To assess differentiation, alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium accumulation and gene transcription levels of different genes involved in osteogenic differentiation (BMP-2, Runx2, alkaline phosphatase, and noggin) were measured. Doxycycline-induced BMP-2 expression induced the differentiation of DPSCs into the preosteoblastic stage but could not favor the further maturation into osteoblasts and osteocytes. We found that while Runx2 gene transcription was continuously upregulated in doxycycline-treated DPSC-BMP-2 cells, the alkaline phosphatase activity and the accumulation of minerals were reduced. As a result of the increased BMP-2 expression, the transcription level of the BMP antagonist noggin was also upregulated, and probably caused the observed effects regarding alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineral deposition. Our study shows that this system is effective in controlling transgene expression in DPSC cell line. Exploration of all known factors affecting osteogenic differentiation and their interactions is of major importance for the field of regenerative medicine. As the metabolic reaction to the upregulated transgene transcription appears to be cell line-specific, a wrongly selected target gene and/or regulation system could have adverse effects on differentiation.

Indonesian regional welfare development, 1900-1990: new anthropometric evidence.

The study of heights provides a promising approach to a better understanding of the biological welfare of countries and regions for which conventional economic data are relatively sparse. This paper is based on a dataset previously unexploited: the individual records of nearly 10,000 Indonesian men conscripted into the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) used together with individual data on another 10,000 Indonesians, recorded as part of the Indonesian Family Life Surveys (IFLS). These two sets of records provide the height and place of birth of members of birth cohorts spanning nearly the entire 20th century. Our aim in this paper is to trace the development of average height in Indonesia over the course of the twentieth century. Whereas both average height and average income increased during the second half of the century, we find that this was only after they had diverged in the first half: a divergence similar to the one (frequently discussed in the literature) that had occurred in several other countries toward the end of the 19th century. Using a newly developed "height accounting" method, we estimate that in Indonesia increasing income inequality accounts for about half of this divergence, which gradually disappeared after the Second World War, as income inequality decreased and average height increased until it was rising in tandem with average income.