Effect of calcium hydroxide on the bond strength of two bioactive cements and SEM evaluation of failure patterns.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of calcium hydroxide on bond strength of two bioactive cements. One-mm thick longitudinal slabs of root dentin were obtained from freshly extracted human monorradicular teeth (n = 60). Simulated root perforations (1 mm in diameter) were prepared in radicular dentin.

Efficacy of an enteral feeding protocol for providing nutritional support after paediatric cardiac surgery.

Enteral nutrition (EN) is considered to be a more appropriate method than parenteral feeding for providing nutrition to critically ill children. However, children who undergo cardiac surgery are at high risk of postoperative gastrointestinal complications during EN. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our EN feeding protocol after paediatric cardiac surgery through comparison between a single-centre prospective case series and historical cases.

Supersaturation-Limited and Unlimited Phase Spaces Compete to Produce Maximal Amyloid Fibrillation near the Critical Micelle Concentration of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate.

Although various natural and synthetic compounds have been shown to accelerate or inhibit the formation of amyloid fibrils, the mechanisms by which they achieve these adverse effects in a concentration-dependent manner currently remain unclear. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), one of the compounds that has adverse effects on fibrillation, is the most intensively studied. Here we examined the effects of a series of detergents including SDS on the amyloid fibrillation of β2-microglobulin at pH 7.

Efficacy of ultrasonic activation of NaOCl and orange oil in removing filling material from mesial canals of mandibular molars with and without isthmus.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the volume of remaining filling material after passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and orange oil in mesial canals of mandibular molars, with and without isthmus.

Material And Methods: Thirty mesial roots of mandibular molars were divided according to the presence or absence of isthmus. Canals were prepared and filled (Micro-CT #1).

Chinese family with diffuse oesophageal leiomyomatosis: a new COL4A5/COL4A6 deletion and a case of gonosomal mosaicism.

Background: Diffuse oesophageal leiomyomatosis (DOL) is a rare disorder characterized by tumorous overgrowth of the muscular wall of the oesophagus. DOL is present in 5 % of Alport syndrome (AS) patients. AS is a rare hereditary disease that involves varying degrees of hearing impairment, ocular changes and progressive glomerulonephritis leading to renal failure.

Antibacterial activity of chlorhexidine after final irrigation with ethanol: CLSM and culture-based method analysis.

This study investigated the effect of 95% ethanol on the antibacterial properties of 2% chlorexidine (CHX) over monospecies biofilm (Enterococcus faecalis) through a culture-based method, and over multispecies biofilm using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). For monospecies model, E. faecalis biofilm was induced in 40 root canals.

The association between epicardial fat thickness and coronary artery calcification according to blood pressure status in nonhypertensive individuals: From the CAESAR study.

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue represents visceral adiposity, and the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score (CACS) has been suggested as a reasonable surrogate for coronary atherosclerosis. Epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and blood pressure status can be attributed to coronary artery calcification.

Objective: The present study was performed to evaluate the association between EFT and coronary artery calcification according to blood pressure status in nonhypertensive individuals.

Supersaturation-limited and Unlimited Phase Transitions Compete to Produce the Pathway Complexity in Amyloid Fibrillation.

Although amyloid fibrils and amorphous aggregates are two types of aggregates formed by denatured proteins, their relationship currently remains unclear. We used β2-microglobulin (β2m), a protein responsible for dialysis-related amyloidosis, to clarify the mechanism by which proteins form either amyloid fibrils or amorphous aggregates. When ultrasonication was used to accelerate the spontaneous fibrillation of β2m at pH 2.

Statistical relationships between journal use and research output at academic institutions in South Korea.

In this study, we analysed the statistical association between e-journal use and research output at the institution level in South Korea by performing comparative and diachronic analyses, as well as the analysis by field. The datasets were compiled from four different sources: national reports on research output indicators in science fields, two statistics databases on higher education institutions open to the public, and e-journal usage statistics generated by 47 major publishers. Due to the different data sources utilized, a considerable number of missing values appeared in our datasets and various mapping issues required corrections prior to the analysis.

Safety and Effectiveness of Micafungin in Japanese Pediatric Patients: Results of a Postmarketing Surveillance Study.

Limited data are available about the safety and efficacy of micafungin in children. A postmarketing surveillance study was conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of micafungin, an echinocandin antifungal, in pediatric patients. A prospective multicenter postmarketing observational study was carried out between October 2006 and September 2008 in Japan.

The effect of final irrigation on the penetrability of an epoxy resin-based sealer into dentinal tubules: a confocal microscopy study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of QMix, BioPure MTAD, 17 % EDTA, and saline on the penetrability of a resin-based sealer into dentinal tubules using a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and to describe the cleaning of root canal walls by SEM.

Methods: Eighty distobuccal roots from upper molars were selected and randomly divided into four groups (n = 20) before root canal preparation according to the solution used in the final rinse protocol (FRP): QG (QMix), MG (BioPure MTAD), EG (17 % EDTA), and CG (control group: saline). Ten roots of each group were prepared for SEM, and images (×2000) from the canal walls were acquired.

Residues of different gel formulations on dentinal walls: A SEM/EDS analysis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of residues of sodium hypochlorite gel, chlorhexidine gel, and EDTA gel on dentinal walls after canal preparation through chemical SEM- elemental chemical microanalysis (EDS) analysis. Forty-eight single-rooted teeth were selected. They had their crowns sectioned and were instrumented with a reciprocating system.

Estimation of the success rate of anesthetic management for thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis treated without muscle relaxants: a retrospective observational cohort study.

Although maintaining anesthesia for myasthenia gravis (MG) with minimal muscle relaxants (MR) is common, the success rate of anesthetic management for MG without MR is not clear. We therefore retrospectively examined the success rate of anesthetic management for MG without MR among 66 consecutive cases of thymectomy for MG performed at our hospital between January 2004 and April 2010, before approval of using sugammadex. A total of 60 patients (90.

Inosculation of blood vessels allows early perfusion and vitality of bladder grafts--implications for bioengineered bladder wall.

Bioengineered bladder tissue is needed for patients with neurogenic bladder disease as well as for cancer. Current technologies in bladder tissue engineering have been hampered by an inability to efficiently initiate blood supply to the graft, ultimately leading to complications that include graft contraction, ischemia, and perforation. To date, the biological mechanisms of vascularization on transplant have not been suitably investigated for urologic tissues.

Saliva, supragingival biofilm and root canals can harbor gene associated with resistance to lactamic agents.

This study aimed to determine the presence of Prevotella strains and genes associated with resistance to lactamics in different oral niches from patients with/without primary endodontic infections. Saliva (S) and supragingival biofilm (SB) were collected from three patient groups: Group I - no endodontic infection (n = 15); Group II - acute endodontic infection (n = 12); and Group III - chronic endodontic infection (n = 15). Root canal (RC) samples were collected from Groups II and III.

Safety and efficacy of micafungin for prophylaxis against invasive fungal infections in Japanese patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Results of a post-marketing surveillance study.

Invasive fungal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. A prospective multicenter post-marketing observational surveillance study was conducted from July 2007 to June 2010 to assess the safety and efficacy of micafungin, an echinocandin antifungal, for prophylaxis against invasive fungal infections in Japanese patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Among 241 patients evaluated for safety, 143 adverse drug reactions were reported in 86 patients (35.

Distribution of genes related to antimicrobial resistance in different oral environments: a systematic review.

Introduction: The oral cavity is the main source of microorganisms for odontogenic infections. It is important to perform an extensive analysis regarding the reports on the presence of bacteria that carry resistance genes to antimicrobial agents. The aim of the study was to verify the reports on the distribution of genes associated with resistance to antibiotics prescribed in dentistry in different human oral sites.

[Effects of anesthetics on the higher brain function].

Number of surgeries for the elderly is increasing year by year. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction, POCD, and delirium are typical failure's of higher brain function after surgery. The mechanism of POCD and delirium has been suggested to be associated with inflammation, but its details are unknown.

Depletion of the IKBKAP ortholog in zebrafish leads to hirschsprung disease-like phenotype.

Aim: To investigate the role of IKBKAP (inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells, kinase complex-associated protein) in the development of enteric nervous system (ENS) and Hirschsprung disease (HSCR).

Methods: In this study, we injected a morpholino that blocked the translation of ikbkap protein to 1-cell stage zebrafish embryos. The phenotype in the ENS was analysed by antibody staining of the pan-neuronal marker HuC/D followed by enteric neuron counting.

Metal-organic framework materials for light-harvesting and energy transfer.

A critical review of the emerging field of MOFs for photon collection and subsequent energy transfer is presented. Discussed are examples involving MOFs for (a) light harvesting, using (i) MOF-quantum dots and molecular chromophores, (ii) chromophoric MOFs, and (iii) MOFs with light-harvesting properties, and (b) energy transfer, specifically via the (i) Förster energy transfer and (ii) Dexter exchange mechanism.

Ultrasonication-dependent formation and degradation of α-synuclein amyloid fibrils.

Ultrasonication can be used to break the supersaturation of α-synuclein, a protein associated with Parkinson's disease, at pH7.4 above the critical concentration of fibrillation, thereby inducing the formation of amyloid fibrils. We speculated that ultrasonication could also be used to depolymerize preformed fibrils below the critical concentration.

Post-assembly transformations of porphyrin-containing metal-organic framework (MOF) films fabricated via automated layer-by-layer coordination.

Herein, we demonstrate the robustness of layer-by-layer (LbL)-assembled, pillared-paddlewheel-type MOF films toward conversion to new or modified MOFs via solvent-assisted linker exchange (SALE) and post-assembly linker metalation. Further, we show that LbL synthesis can afford MOFs that have proven inaccessible through other de novo strategies.

Phloroglucinol Attenuates Free Radical-induced Oxidative Stress.

The protective role of phloroglucinol against oxidative stress and stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) was investigated in vitro and in cell culture. Phloroglucinol had strong and concentration-dependent radical scavenging effects against nitric oxide (NO), superoxide anions (O2 (-)), and hydroxyl radicals. In this study, free radical generators were used to induce oxidative stress in LLC-PK1 renal epithelial cells.

Application of new guidelines for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in a Korean population.

Aim: We investigated the proportion of people who would qualify for statin treatment with an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) 10-year risk of ≥7.5% and who exhibit an LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of 70 to 189 mg/dL according to the new ACC/AHA guidelines for the treatment of increased cardiovascular risk.

Methods: The study population (8,742 subjects) included individuals who underwent health examinations at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital in South Korea in 2010.