Using microstructures and composition to decipher the alterations of rodent teeth in modern regurgitation pellets—a good news-bad news story

Rodent accumulations are widely used for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. But these accumulations are created through the activity of predators (carnivorous mammals, birds of prey), the predation and digestion of which modify the preservation of bones and teeth. The microstructures of dentine and enamel, as well as the mineralogy and composition of non-digested and digested Rodent teeth extracted from modern regurgitation pellets collected at Olduvai (Tanzania) from a bird of prey (Bubo sp.) are compared. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) and Raman spectrometry were used. The modifications induced by the digestion process are variable and depend on the tissue (enamel, dentine), tooth (incisor, molar) and the predator. For a given tissue of a tooth, the estimation of the intensity of the alteration varies according to the selected criteria. To classify the digested teeth in categories based on a single parameter to reconstruct environment is still subjective, even for modern accumulations. Moreover, to identify the interplay of diverse parameters to avoid biases in reconstructions is difficult

Predicting protein decomposition: the case of aspartic-acid racemization kinetics

The increase in proportion of the non-biological (D-) isomer of aspartic acid (Asp) relative to the L- isomer has been widely used in archaeology and geochemistry as a tool for dating. The method has proved controversial, particularly when used for bones. The non-linear kinetics of Asp racemization have prompted a number of suggestions as to the underlying mechanism(s) and have led to the use of mathe- matical transformations which linearize the increase in D-Asp with respect to time. Using one example, a suggestion that the initial rapid phase of Asp racemization is due to a contribution from asparagine (Asn), we demonstrate how a simple model of the degradation and racemization of Asn can be used to predict the observed kinetics. A more complex model of peptide bound Asx (Asn+Asp) racemization, which occurs via the formation of a cyclic succinimide (Asu), can be used to correctly predict Asx racemi- zation kinetics in proteins at high temperatures (95-140 °C). The model fails to predict racemization kinetics in dentine collagen at 37 °C. The reason for this is that Asu formation is highly conformation dependent and is predicted to occur extremely slowly in triple helical collagen. As conformation strongly in£uences the rate of Asu formation and hence Asx racemization, the use of extrapolation from high temperatures to estimate racemization kinetics of Asx in proteins below their denaturation temperature is called into question. In the case of archaeological bone, we argue that the D:L ratio of Asx re£ects the proportion of non- helical to helical collagen, overlain by the e¡ects of leaching of more soluble (and conformationally unconstrained) peptides. Thus, racemization kinetics in bone are potentially unpredictable, and the proposed use of Asx racemization to estimate the extent of DNA depurination in archaeological bones is challenged

The Efficacy of Selected Desensitizing OTC Products: A Systematic Review.

Licensed by the Creative Commons Attribution LicenseObjectives. The aim of the present study was to review the published literature in order to identify relevant studies for inclusion and to determine whether there was any evidence on the clinical effectiveness of selected desensitizing toothpastes, calcium sodium phosphosilicate (CSPS), amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), nanohydroxyapatite, and casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (tooth mousse) on reducing dentine hypersensitivity (DH). Materials and Methods. Following a review of 593 papers identified from searching both electronic databases (PUBMED) and hand searching of relevant written journals, only 5 papers were accepted for inclusion. Results. Analysis of the included studies (3 CSPS and 2 ACP) would suggest that there may be some benefit for patients using these products for reducing DH. No direct comparative studies were available to assess all these products under the same conditions neither were there any comparative randomised controlled studies that compared at least two of these products in determining their effectiveness in treating DH. Conclusions. Due to the small number of included studies, there are limited clinical data to support any claims of clinical efficacy of these OTC products. Further studies are therefore required to determine the efficacy of these products in well-controlled RCT studies with a larger sample size

Pure phase-encoded MRI and classification of solids

Here, the authors combine a pure phase-encoded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method with a new tissue-classification technique to make geometric models of a human tooth. They demonstrate the feasibility of three-dimensional imaging of solids using a conventional 11.7-T NMR spectrometer. In solid-state imaging, confounding line-broadening effects are typically eliminated using coherent averaging methods. Instead, the authors circumvent them by detecting the proton signal at a fixed phase-encode time following the radio-frequency excitation. By a judicious choice of the phase-encode time in the MRI protocol, the authors differentiate enamel and dentine sufficiently to successfully apply a new classification algorithm. This tissue-classification algorithm identifies the distribution of different material types, such as enamel and dentine, in volumetric data. In this algorithm, the authors treat a voxel as a volume, not as a single point, and assume that each voxel may contain more than one material. They use the distribution of MR image intensities within each voxel-sized volume to estimate the relative proportion of each material using a probabilistic approach. This combined approach, involving MRI and data classification, is directly applicable to bone imaging and hard-tissue contrast-based modeling of biological solids

The application of amino acid racemization in the acid soluble fraction of enamel to the estimation of the age of human teeth

Estimation of age-at-death for skeletonised forensic remains is one of the most significant problems in forensic anthropology. The majority of existing morphological and histological techniques are highly inaccurate, and show a bias towards underestimating the age of older individuals. One technique which has been successful in forensic age estimation is amino acid racemization in dentine. However, this method cannot be used on remains where the post-mortem interval is greater than 20 years. An alternative approach is to measure amino acid racemization in dental enamel, which is believed to be more resistant to change post-mortem. The extent of amino acid racemization in the acid soluble fraction of the enamel proteins was determined for modem known age teeth. A strong correlation was observed between the age of the tooth and the extent of racemization. No systematic bias in the direction of age estimation errors was detected. For the majority of teeth analyzed, the presence of dental caries did not affect the results obtained. In a minority of cases, carious teeth showed a higher level of racemization than would be expected given the age of the individual. These results indicate that amino acid racemization in enamel has the potential to be used in age estimation of skeletal remains. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Radiation-induced root surface caries restored with glass-ionomer cement placed in conventional and ART cavity preparations: Results at two years

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association (8th Jan 2008). An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: There are no published studies comparing the clinical performances of more-viscous glass-ionomer cement (GIC) restorations when placed using conventional and atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) cavity preparation methods to restore root surface caries. Methods: One dentist used encapsulated Fuji IX GP and Ketac-Molar to restore 72 conventional and 74 ART cavity preparations for 15 patients who had received cervicofacial radiation therapy. Two assessors evaluated the restorations at six, 12, and 24 months for retention, marginal defects and surface wear, and recurrent caries. Results: After two years, the cumulative restoration successes were 65.2 per cent for the conventional and 66.2 per cent for the ART cavity preparations, without statistical or clinical significance (P>0.50). Restoration dislodgement accounted for 82.8 per cent and marginal defects for 17.2 per cent of all failures. There were no instances of unsatisfactory restoration wear or recurrent caries observed. Teeth with three or more restored cervical surfaces accounted for 79.3 per cent of all failures (P<0.0001). Conclusions: For root surface caries restored with GIC, the use of hand instruments only with the ART method was an equally effective alternative to conventional rotary instrumentation for cavity preparation. Larger restorations had higher failures, usually from dislodgement.JY Hu, XC Chen, YQ Li, RJ Smales and KH Yi

Bioactivity of toothpaste containing bioactive glass in remineralizing media: effect of fluoride release from the enzymatic cleavage of monofluorophosphate

Objectives. The aim was to introduce a new methodology to characterize toothpaste containing bioactive glass and to evaluate the effect of release of fluoride ions, by cleaving monofluorophosphate (MFP), on the mineral forming ability of Sensodyne Repair & Protect (SRP). which contains NovaMinTM (bioactive glass, 45S5 composition). Methods. SRP, NovaMin particles, and placebo paste (PLA) which did not contain NovaMin, were immersed into a remineralization media (RS), which mimics the ionic strength of human saliva, for 3 days with different concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP): 0, 25 and 75 U.L−1. Ion concentration profiles and pH were monitored by ICPOES and F− ion selective electrode. Remaining solids were collected by freeze-drying and their surfaces analysed. Results. Hydroxyapatite (HA) formed on the surface of BG alone (after 1 h) and in toothpaste (after 2 h), whereas PLA did not induce any precipitation. ALP cleaved MFP at different rates depending on the enzyme concentration. Increasing the concentration of ALP from 0 and 75 U.L−1 reduced the time of HA formation from 2 h to 24 h. However, the presence of fluoride induced the precipitation of fluorapatite. No evidence of fluorite (CaF2) was observed. The apatite formation ability of toothpaste can be assessed using the presented method

Hormone-stimulated modulation of endocytic trafficking in osteoclasts

Copyright @ 2012 Stenbeck, Lawrence and Albert. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited and subject to any copyright notices concerning any third-party graphics etc. This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.A precise control of vesicular trafficking is crucial not only for osteoclastic bone resorption, but also for the crosstalk between osteoclasts and osteoblasts, which regulates bone homeostasis. In addition to the release of growth factors and modulators, such as glutamate, flux through the intracellular trafficking routes could also provide the osteoclast with a monitoring function of its resorption activity. To establish the signaling pathways regulating trafficking events in resorbing osteoclasts, we used the bone conserving hormone calcitonin, which has the unique property of inducing osteoclast quiescence. Calcitonin acts through the calcitonin receptor and activates multiple signaling pathways. By monitoring trafficking of a fluorescent low molecular weight probe in mature, bone resorbing osteoclasts we show for the first time that calcitonin blocks endocytosis from the ruffled border by phospholipase C (PLC) activation. Furthermore, we identify a requirement for polyunsaturated fatty acids in endocytic trafficking in osteoclasts. Inhibition of PLC prior to calcitonin treatment restores endocytosis to 75% of untreated rates. This effect is independent of protein kinase C activation and can be mimicked by an increase in intracellular calcium. We thus define an essential role for intracellular calcium levels in the maintenance of endocytosis in osteoclasts.Arthritis Research UK Grant (18197)

Characterization of dentine to assess bond strength of dental composites

This study was performed to develop alternating dentine adhesion models that could help in the evaluation of a self-bonding dental composite. For this purpose dentine from human and ivory was characterized chemically and microscopically before and after acid etching using Raman and SEM. Mechanical properties of dentine were determined using 3 point bend test. Composite bonding to dentine, with and without use of acid pre-treatment and/or the adhesive, were assessed using a shear bond test. Furthermore, micro gap formation after restoration of 3 mm diameter cavities in dentine was assessed by SEM. Initial hydroxyapatite level in ivory was half that in human dentine. Surface hydroxyapatites decreased by approximately half with every 23 s of acid etch. The human dentine strength (56 MPa) was approximately double that of ivory, while the modulus was almost comparable to that of ivory. With adhesive use, average shear bond strengths were 30 and 26 MPa with and without acid etching. With no adhesive, average bond strength was 6 MPa for conventional composites. This, however, increased to 14 MPa with a commercial flowable "self-bonding" composite or upon addition of low levels of an acidic monomer to the experimental composite. The acidic monomer additionally reduced micro-gap formation with the experimental composite. Improved bonding and mechanical properties should reduce composite failures due to recurrent caries or fracture respectively