Effect of Mn/Ag Ratio on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Heat-Resistant Al-Cu Alloys.

This paper mainly investigated the effect of the Mn/Ag ratio on the microstructure and room temperature and high-temperature (350 °C) tensile mechanical properties of the as-cast and heat-treated Al-6Cu-xMn-yAg (x + y = 0.8, wt.%) alloys.

The Moderating Role of Psychological Safety in the Relationship between Job Embeddedness, Organizational Commitment, and Retention Intention among Home Care Attendants in Taiwan.

As Taiwan's population ages, the need for long-term care, such as home care, is increasing due to improved medical services and longer life expectancy; however, the current coverage rate for home care services is only 50%, highlighting the importance of retaining home care workers. This study applies job embeddedness, organizational commitment, and psychological safety as variables to explore the retention intention of Taiwan's home care workers. A questionnaire survey was distributed among home care workers using convenience sampling, resulting in 547 collected questionnaires, of which 458 were valid.

The antibacterial effect of sonication and its potential medical application.

Introduction: Recent applications of ultrasonic probes include cataract removal and tennis elbow treatment. Early data support the use of ultrasonic probe debridement in the treatment of recalcitrant diabetic foot ulcers. No data are available concerning the potential antibacterial properties of the clinical grade, lower energy ultrasound probes.

Macrophage polarization in response to oral commensals and pathogens.

Macrophages have been identified in the periodontium. Data have phenotypically described these cells, demonstrated changes with progressing periodontal disease, and identified their ability to function in antigen-presentation critical for adaptive immune responses to individual oral bacterium. Recent evidence has emphasized an important role for the plasticity of macrophage phenotypes, not only in the resulting function of these cells in various tissues, but also clear differences in the stimulatory signals that result in M1 (classical activation, inflammatory) and M2 (alternative activation/deactivated, immunomodulatory) cells.

Antibacterial compounds from Siraitia grosvenorii leaves.

Luo Han Guo (LHG) fruits (Siraitia grosvenorii Swingle) have been used as traditional medicine in China for centuries to treat sore throats and coughs. However, LHG leaves are seldom used and minimal scientific information is available on them. In our recent study on the leaves of S.

The oral commensal, Streptococcus gordonii, synergizes with Tat protein to induce HIV-1 promoter activation in monocytes/macrophages.

Trans-activator of transcription (Tat) is an HIV-1 protein essential for viral replication. Oral periodontopathogens (e.g.

Short- and medium-chain fatty acids exhibit antimicrobial activity for oral microorganisms.

Objectives: This study assessed the antibacterial activity of short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acids against various oral microorganisms.

Methods: The short-chain fatty acids [formic acid (C1), acetic acid (C2), propionic acid (C3), butyric acid (C4), isobutyric acid (C4), isovaleric acid (C5), hexanoic acid (C6)], medium-chain fatty acids [octanoic acid (C8), capric acid (C10), lauric acid (12)], and long-chain fatty acids [myristic acid (C14), palmitic acid (C16)], were investigated for antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus sanguis, Candida albicans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Results: The data demonstrated that the fatty acids exhibited patterns of inhibition against oral bacteria with some specificity that appeared related more to the bacterial species that the general structural characteristics of the microorganism.

Polybacterial challenge enhances HIV reactivation in latently infected macrophages and dendritic cells.

A polymicrobial infection comprising subgingival biofilms is the trigger for the chronic immunoinflammatory lesions of periodontitis. These microbial biofilms interface with host immune cells that increase with progressing disease and could result in HIV reactivation in HIV-1-infected patients. Previous reports have focused on the ability of monospecies challenge of macrophages and dendritic cells to detail molecular aspects of their detection and signalling pathways.

HIV-1 reactivation induced by the periodontal pathogens Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis involves Toll-like receptor 2 [corrected] and 9 activation in monocytes/macrophages.

Although oral coinfections (e.g., periodontal disease) are highly prevalent in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-positive (HIV-1(+)) patients and appear to positively correlate with viral load levels, the potential for oral bacteria to induce HIV-1 reactivation in latently infected cells has received little attention.

Antimicrobial activity of n-6, n-7 and n-9 fatty acids and their esters for oral microorganisms.

Objective: This study is to assess the antibacterial activity of omega-6, -7, -9 (n-6, n-7, n-9) fatty acids against various oral microorganisms.

Methods: The n-6, n-7, n-9 fatty acids, such as gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (ARA), palmitoleic acid (PA), and oleic acid (OA), their fatty acid ethyl esters, GLA-EE, LA-EE, ARA-EE, PA-EE, OA-EE, and their fatty acid methyl esters, GLA-ME, LA-ME, ARA-ME, PA-ME, OA-ME, were investigated for antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Fusobacterium nucleatum, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Various concentrations of the fatty acids, their methyl and ethyl esters were tested against various oral pathogens in 96-well plates and blood-agar plate.

A new antibacterial compound from Luo Han Kuo fruit extract (Siraitia grosvenori).

Luo Han Kuo fruit (Siraitia grosvenori Swingle) has been used in China for centuries as a sweetening agent, and also used to treat sore throat and cough. In our recent study, a new bioactive compound, (2R,3S,4S)-2,3-trans-3,4-cis-5,3'-bimethoxy-7-(trans-2-propenal)-3,4-flavandiol (1), named siraitiflavandiol was obtained. The structure has been determined on the basis of spectroscopic studies including 1D and 2D NMR ((1)H, (13)C NMR, (1)H-(1)H COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY), CD, EI-MS, and HR-EI-MS spectra.

Insulin secretion stimulating effects of mogroside V and fruit extract of luo han kuo (Siraitia grosvenori Swingle) fruit extract.

Luo han kuo fruit (Siraitia grosvenori Swingle), a fruit native to China, has been used as a natural sweetening agent for centuries and has been reported to be beneficial for diabetic population. However, limited research has been conducted to elucidate the relationship between the sweetening action and biological parameters that may be related to potential health benefits of LHK fruit (Luo Han Kuo fruit). The present study examined the effect of LHK fruit and its chemical components on insulin secretion using an in vitro cell model system.

Primary liver lymphoma with hypercalcemia: a case report.

Primary liver lymphoma is extremely rare. The diagnosis depends on the physician's suspicions and histological examination. We report the case of a man aged 38 years who suffered from abdominal discomfort and hypercalcemia.

Experimental studies on direct and indirect interactions in a three trophic-level stream system.

We used a complete block design to experimentally study direct and indirect interactions in a three trophic-level freshwater system consisting of a top predator, the green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus, an intermediate predator, small-mouthed salamander larvae, Ambystoma barbouri, and prey, hatchling isopods, Lirceus fontinalis. This system occurs naturally in small stream pools in central Kentucky; experiments were done in laboratory pools. Salamander larvae ate isopods and thus had a direct, negative effect on isopod survival.