Dental amalgam exposure can elevate urinary mercury concentrations in children.

Objectives: Owing to its cost-effectiveness and operative convenience, dental amalgam remains in use as a restorative material for tooth caries in children in many countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between dental amalgam exposure and urinary mercury (U-Hg) concentrations in children.

Methods: In this longitudinal study, 463, 367 and 348 children, 8-11 years of age, were evaluated at baseline, and at the first and second follow-up visits, respectively.

Polycan suppresses osteoclast differentiation and titanium particle-induced osteolysis in mice.

Particle-induced osteolysis is a major issue, and it is most likely the result of enhanced osteoclast activation in the pathogenesis of various skeletal diseases. This study investigated whether the inhibitory effect that Polycan has on osteoclast differentiation can be used to treat osteolysis induced by titanium (Ti) particles. To this end, the effects of Polycan were examined in terms of the cytotoxicity, osteoclast differentiation, cytokine expression, and Ti-induced calvarial osteolysis.

Metabolic syndrome parameters in adolescents may be determinants for the future periodontal diseases.

Aim: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases even in adolescents. The evidence that MetS is associated with the periodontal diseases in adolescents has been understudied. Therefore, our aim was to assess the association between MetS parameters and gingivitis in adolescents.

Effect of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) nanofiber matrices cocultured with hair follicular epithelial and dermal cells for biological wound dressing.

We tested the effects on the early-stage wound healing of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) nanofiber matrices cultured with hair follicular cells. PHBV only, PHBV/collagen, and PHBV/gelatin at a 7/3 weight ratio were produced by electrospinning, and their in vitro cell culture and in vivo wound healing as biological dressings were examined. In cell attachment and growth on matrices, dermal sheath (DS) cells attached to hydrophilic PHBV/collagen and PHBV/gelatin faster than hydrophobic PHBV at the early incubation stage (up to 6 h).

Dihydrotestosterone-inducible dickkopf 1 from balding dermal papilla cells causes apoptosis in follicular keratinocytes.

Recent studies suggest that androgen-driven alteration to the autocrine and paracrine factors produced by scalp dermal papilla (DP) cells may be a key to androgen-potentiated balding. Here, we screened dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-regulated genes in balding DP cells and found that dickkopf 1 (DKK-1) is one of the most upregulated genes. DKK-1 messenger RNA is upregulated in 3-6 hours after 50-100 nM DHT treatment and ELISA showed that DKK-1 is secreted from DP cells in response to DHT.

Establishment of SV40T-transformed human dermal papilla cells and identification of dihydrotestosterone-regulated genes by cDNA microarray.

Background: Recent studies suggest that androgens are the main regulator of changes in human hair growth, and dermal papilla (DP) is known to secret factors which regulate the growth and activity of the cells in the follicle in response to androgens. However, published data of androgen-regulated genes in human dermal papilla cells is limited and genome-wide large scale screening has not been reported.

Objective: To identify the dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-regulated genes in human dermal papilla cells.

Analysis of cellular changes resulting from forced expression of Dickkopf-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is overexpressed in some tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the role of increased DKK-1 in these tumors is not known. In this study, the DKK-1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines was evaluated and the effect of DKK-1 overexpression in HCC cell lines was studied.