A preliminary evaluation into the performance of posterior resin bonded cast metal restorations (adhesive onlays).

Posterior resin bonded cast metal restorations (adhesive onlays) were used in a variety of clinical scenarios including: management of tooth wear and cracked tooth, as retainers for fixed bridge work, for correction of the occlusal plane and in providing cuspal coverage following endodontic treatment. The mean length in service for the examined onlays was 42 months, with a range of 9-75 months. Two restorations in two patients failed resulting in an overall success of 94%.

The use of HE4 in the prediction of ovarian cancer in Asian women with a pelvic mass.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) and the Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) for distinguishing between benign and malignant pelvis masses in Asian women.

Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter (n=6) study with patients from six Asian countries. Patients had a pelvic mass on imaging and were scheduled to undergo surgery.

Electrosprayed hydroxyapatite on polymer nanofibers to differentiate mesenchymal stem cells to osteogenesis.

Electrospraying of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles onto the surface of polymer nanofibers provides a potentially novel substrate for the adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into bone tissue regeneration. HA nanoparticles (4%) were electrosprayed on the surface of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers (420 ± 15 nm) for bone tissue engineering. PCL/HA nanofibers were comparatively characterized with PCL/Collagen (275 ± 56 nm) nanofibers by FT-IR analysis to confirm the presence of HA.

Biomimetic hydroxyapatite-containing composite nanofibrous substrates for bone tissue engineering.

The fracture of bones and large bone defects owing to various traumas or natural ageing is a typical type of tissue malfunction. Surgical treatment frequently requires implantation of a temporary or permanent prosthesis, which is still a challenge for orthopaedic surgeons, especially in the case of large bone defects. Mimicking nanotopography of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) is advantageous for the successful regeneration of damaged tissues or organs.

Continuous nanostructures for the controlled release of drugs.

The annual world wide market for controlled release of polymer systems which extends beyond drug delivery is now estimated to $60 billion and these systems are used by over 100 million people each year. It was estimated that drug delivery will play a pivotal role in approximately 40% of all pharmaceutical sales in near future. Novel methods of drug delivery will not only result in more effective and efficacious treatments but also generates new niche markets to provide greater intellectual property protection to already existing drug formulations.

Aligned and random nanofibrous substrate for the in vitro culture of Schwann cells for neural tissue engineering.

The current challenge in peripheral nerve tissue engineering is to produce an implantable scaffold capable of bridging long nerve gaps that will produce results similar to autograft without requiring the harvest of autologous donor tissue. Aligned and random polycaprolactone/gelatin (PCL/gelatin) nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated for the in vitro culture of Schwann cells that assist in directing the growth of regenerating axons in nerve tissue engineering. The average fiber diameter attained by electrospinning of polymer blend (PCL/gelatin) ranged from 232+/-194 to 160+/-86nm with high porosity (90%).

Nanotechnology for nanomedicine and delivery of drugs.

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology seeking to exploit distinct technological advances controlling the structure of materials at a reduced dimensional scale approaching individual molecules and their aggregates or supramolecular structures. The manipulation and utilization of materials at nanoscale are expected to be critical drivers of economic growth and development in this century. In recent years, nanoscale sciences and engineering have provided new avenues for engineering materials down to molecular scale precision.

Nanobioengineered electrospun composite nanofibers and osteoblasts for bone regeneration.

Bone defects represent a medical and socioeconomic challenge. Engineering bioartificial bone tissues may help to solve problems related to donor site morbidity and size limitations. Nanofibrous scaffolds were electrospun into a blend of synthetic biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) with hydroxyapatite (HA) and natural polymer gelatin (Gel) at a ratio of 1:1:2 (PCL/HA/Gel) compared to PCL (9%), PCL/HA (1:1), and PCL/Gel (1:2) nanofibers.

Mineralization of osteoblasts with electrospun collagen/hydroxyapatite nanofibers.

Regeneration of fractured or diseased bones is the challenge faced by current technologies in tissue engineering. The major solid components of human bone consist of collagen and hydroxyapatite. Collagen (Col) and hydroxyapatite (HA) have potential in mimicking natural extracellular matrix and replacing diseased skeletal bones.

Electrospun-modified nanofibrous scaffolds for the mineralization of osteoblast cells.

Biocompatible polycaprolactone (PCL) and hydroxyapatite (HA) were fabricated into nanofibrous scaffolds for the mineralization of osteoblasts in bone tissue engineering. PCL and PCL/HA nanofibrous surface were modified using oxygen plasma treatment and showing 0 degrees contact angle for the adhesion and mineralization of osteoblast cells. The fiber diameter, pore size and porosity of nanofibrous scaffolds were estimated to be 220-625 nm, 3-20 microm, and 87-92% respectively.

Interaction of cells and nanofiber scaffolds in tissue engineering.

Nanofibers and nanomaterials are potentially recent additions to materials in relation to tissue engineering (TE). TE is the regeneration of biological tissues through the use of cells, with the aid of supporting structures and biomolecules. Mimicking architecture of extracellular matrix is one of the challenges for TE.

Prostate-specific antigen, testosterone, sex-hormone binding globulin and androgen receptor CAG repeat polymorphisms in subfertile and normal men.

The aim of this study was to understand the androgen-related factors which may regulate concentrations of the tumour marker, prostate-specific antigen (PSA). We therefore measured the serum concentrations of total and free testosterone and of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and determined the androgen receptor (AR) gene CAG repeat length, then compared these values to total and free PSA concentrations in 91 subjects with proven fertility, and 112 subfertile men with defective spermatogenesis. Concentrations of free testosterone and total testosterone, adjusted for SHBG, were 17-20% lower in subfertile men compared with those in their fertile counterparts.

Retroperitoneal cold abscess with tuberculosis of sacro-iliac joint and pubic bone: a case report of unusual presentation of osteo-articular tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis involving sacro-iliac joint and pubic bone presenting with massive retroperitoneal abscess is a rare entity. A 29-year-old female presented with history of discharging sinus in the sacrococcygeal region of 2 months duration. Plain x-ray revealed osteolytic lesion in right pubic bone and left sacro-iliac joint.

Methylation of the androgen receptor minimal promoter silences transcription in human prostate cancer.

Advanced hormone-independent prostate cancer is characterized by a significant loss of androgen receptor (AR) expression in 20-30% of the tumors. The transcriptional block underlying this phenomenon is not known, but we have proposed that methylation of CpG sites in the AR promoter may reversibly inactivate transcription of the AR (D. F.

Endostatin binds to blood vessels in situ independent of heparan sulfate and does not compete for fibroblast growth factor-2 binding.

Endostatin is a carboxyl-terminal proteolytic fragment of collagen XVIII and a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis. The mechanism of action is unknown, but the crystal structure of endostatin predicts a prominent heparan sulfate binding site, suggesting that endostatin competitively inhibits heparin-binding angiogenic factors, such as basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2). The goal of the study was to map endostatin binding sites in intact human tissues and to determine whether this binding is heparan sulfate dependent.

Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus in relation to surrogate markers in a blood donor population of Singapore.

Prevalence of antibodies to HCV is studied among a blood donor population in Singapore and its relationship to surrogate markers was examined. Sequential serum samples from 4,091 blood donors were tested for the presence of anti-HCV using the second generation immunoassay (Abbott). 275 random serum samples were tested for anti-HBc and ALT.