Electrochemical Aptamer-Based Biosensors for Measurements in Undiluted Human Saliva.

Although blood remains a gold standard diagnostic fluid for most health exams, it involves an unpleasant and relatively invasive sampling procedure (finger pricking or venous draw). Saliva contains many relevant and useful biomarkers for diagnostic purposes, and its collection, in contrast, is noninvasive and can be obtained with minimal effort. Current saliva analyses are, however, achieved using chromatography or lateral flow assays, which, despite their high accuracy and sensitivity, can demand expensive laboratory-based instruments operated by trained personnel or offer only semiquantitative results.

Air Particulate Matter Induces Skin Barrier Dysfunction and Water Transport Alteration on a Reconstructed Human Epidermis Model.

Knowing the damage that particulate matter (PM) can cause in skin is important for tightly controlling the release of air pollutants and preventing more serious diseases. This study investigates if such alterations are present in reconstructed human epidermis exposed to coarse air PM. Exposure of reconstructed human epidermis to increasing concentrations (2.

Noninvasive measurement of reepithelialization and microvascularity of suction-blister wounds with benchmarking to histology.

We explored use of the suction-blister wound model in the assessment of not only epidermal regeneration but also pain, the microvascular response and bacteriology. The effects of topical zinc sulfate were studied to articulate the methodologies in this double-blind trial. One epidermal suction blister (10 mm) was induced on each buttock in 30 healthy volunteers (15 females:15 males) and deroofed on day 0.

Facile Preparation of Ultrafine Aluminum Hydroxide Particles with or without Mesoporous MCM-41 in Ambient Environments.

An aqueous suspension of nanogibbsite was synthesized via the titration of aluminum aqua acid [Al(H2O)6] with L-arginine to pH 4.6. Since the hydrolysis of aqueous aluminum salts is known to produce a wide array of products with a wide range of size distributions, a variety of state-of-the-art instruments (i.

The Cutaneous Microbiome and Aspects of Skin Antimicrobial Defense System Resist Acute Treatment with Topical Skin Cleansers.

The human skin microbiome has been suggested to play an essential role in maintaining health by contributing to innate defense of the skin. These observations have inspired speculation that the use of common skin washing techniques may be detrimental to the epidermal antibacterial defense system by altering the microbiome. In this study, several common skin cleansers were used to wash human forearms and the short-term effect on the abundance of the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and the abundance and diversity of bacterial DNA was measured.

Ultrathin hybrid films of polyoxohydroxy clusters and proteins: layer-by-layer assembly and their optical and mechanical properties.

The hierarchical assembly of inorganic and organic building blocks is an efficient strategy to produce high-performance materials which has been demonstrated in various biomaterials. Here, we report a layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly method to fabricate ultrathin hybrid films from nanometer-scale ionic clusters and proteins. Two types of cationic clusters (hydrolyzed aluminum clusters and zirconium-glycine clusters) were assembled with negatively charged bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein to form high-quality hybrid films, due to their strong electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding.

Efficacy of an alcohol-free CPC-containing mouthwash against oral multispecies biofilms.

Objective: The aim of this work was to develop two static-model multispecies oral biofilm systems to compare the efficacy of a placebo mouthwash to an alcohol-free mouthwash containing 0.075% CPC.

Methods: Two model biofilm systems were used: a 24-well glass-bottom microplate (GM) system and a chamber slide (CS) system.

In vitro antibacterial efficacy of cetylpyridinium chloride-containing mouthwashes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the ability of three CPC-containing mouthwashes to kill planktonic bacteria in an in vitro short-exposure assay.

Methods: This blind study was conducted on two common oral bacterial species: Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans and Streptococcus mutans. The following mouthwashes were tested: two containing 0.

Comparing the effects of brushing with a new gel-to-foam dentifrice to brushing with regular fluoride control dentifrices on viable bacteria levels in saliva.

Purpose: To compare the effects of a new gel-to-foam dentifrice to two standard fluoride control dentifrices on foam generation, levels of total viable anaerobes and total viable volatile sulfur compound (VSC)-producing bacteria in expectorate after brushing.

Methods: 36 subjects participated in this investigator-blind, randomized, crossover study. After a 1-week wash-out period prior to each product use, participants reported to the test site having refrained from oral hygiene, eating and drinking on the morning prior to the visit.

Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953 requires Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC 43146 for growth on saliva in a three-species community that includes Streptococcus oralis 34.

Formation of dental plaque is a developmental process involving initial and late colonizing species that form polymicrobial communities. Fusobacteria are the most numerous gram-negative bacteria in dental plaque, but they become prevalent after the initial commensal colonizers, such as streptococci and actinomyces, have established communities. The unusual ability of these bacteria to coaggregate with commensals, as well as pathogenic late colonizers, has been proposed to facilitate colonization by the latter organisms.

Use of quantum dot luminescent probes to achieve single-cell resolution of human oral bacteria in biofilms.

Oral biofilms are multispecies communities, and in their nascent stages of development, numerous bacterial species engage in interspecies interactions. Better insight into the spatial relationship between different species and how species diversity increases over time can guide our understanding of the role of interspecies interactions in the development of the biofilms. Quantum dots (QD) are semiconductor nanocrystals and have emerged as a promising tool for labeling and detection of bacteria.

Analysis of the antibacterial activity and plaque control benefit of colgate total dentifrice via clinical evaluation and real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Objective: This study analyzed, from a combined clinical and molecular biologic perspective, the antibacterial and antiplaque efficacy of Colgate Total dentifrice (CTD).

Methodology: A single-blind crossover study design utilized 11 healthy human subjects. After a one-week washout period, subjects donated dental plaque, received a dental prophylaxis, and subsequently brushed with a test product.

In situ and non-invasive detection of specific bacterial species in oral biofilms using fluorescently labeled monoclonal antibodies.

Noninvasive in situ detection of suspected cariogenic bacterial species within dental biofilms could facilitate monitoring of the dynamic change of oral microbial flora and assist in the assessment of the treatment efficacy of therapeutic agents. In this study, we explore the possibility to use three well-characterized monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces naeslundii, and Lactobacillus casei to identify these three important members of the oral microbial community in the complex environment of oral biofilms. These MAbs, which were conjugated to different fluorescent labels and visualized with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), proved to be an useful tool to identify the three species of interest (S.