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

Certain Differential Subordinations using a Generalized Sălăgean Operator and Ruscheweyh Operator

MSC 2010: 30C45, 30A20, 34A40In the present paper we define a new operator using the generalized Sălăgean operator and the Ruscheweyh operator

The Longitudinal Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Substance Use Severity in Schizophrenia and its Patterns in Men and Women

Schizophrenia is a complex and disabling psychiatric disorder that results in significant burden and challenges to those who suffer from it, their families, and to our larger society. One of the most vexing problems facing individuals with schizophrenia today is the co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUDs). Longitudinal evidence indicates that many individuals with schizophrenia and comorbid SUD exhibit severe patterns of substance use over the course of the disorder, such that few achieve sustained remission or recovery. Intrinsic motivation deficits are promising potential contributors to substance use severity in this population, and consequently might serve as effective treatment targets. There is also evidence to suggest that women show less deficit in intrinsic motivation than men. To date, measurement in this area has been limited, and no study has investigated the longitudinal relations between prospective changes in intrinsic motivation and changes in substance use severity among individuals with schizophrenia and comorbid SUD. This study makes use of baseline, 6-, and 12-month follow-up data from patients with schizophrenia and comorbid SUD (n = 535 at baseline; n = 219 at 6-months; n = 150 at 1-year) selected from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) study to: (1) extend validation of a promising new measure of intrinsic motivation developed by Nakagami, Xie, Hoe, and Brekke (2008) for schizophrenia to schizophrenia and comorbid SUD; (2) elucidate its longitudinal relations with substance use severity among this population; (3) and examine whether such relations vary across genders. A comprehensive psychometric analysis was used to examine the factor structure, reliability, and retest reliability of the instrument in this population; and hierarchical linear regression and hierarchical linear modeling were among the analytic methods used to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relations between intrinsic motivation and substance use severity. Psychometric results supported the reliability and retest reliability of the intrinsic motivation measure when applied to schizophrenia and comorbid SUD, but also revealed a potential shift in the latent factor structure of the instrument. Cross-sectional findings revealed a significant negative prediction of intrinsic motivation by alcohol and drug use severity after adjusting for demographic and clinical confounds, neurocognition and negative symptoms. Longitudinal results with intrinsic motivation strengthened the findings garnered in the cross-sectional analyses. Evidence was found suggesting longitudinal intrinsic motivation change is a salient incremental predictor of reductions in patient’s alcohol/ drug use severity, above and beyond the effects of age, illness chronicity, overall psychopathology, comorbidity status, and phase 1 randomization medication effects. Analyses of relations with gender indicated little to no cross-sectional associations between intrinsic motivation and substance use severity, and gender did not moderate the longitudinal association between intrinsic motivation and substance use severity. These findings suggest that changes in intrinsic motivation may be uniquely associated with changes in substance use severity in schizophrenia and comorbid SUD. Future research will need to replicate these findings, while focusing on intervention efforts that seek to target the intrinsic motivation deficits of schizophrenia and comorbid SUD, to help offset the severe and destabilizing effects exacted by substance use severity in this population

LITHOLOGIC, EOArHIC , AND BIOTIC FACTORS OF SMALL MAMMAL ~ IAG ITATS IN THE SLATE BELT OF WESTERN RUTLAND COUNTY, VERMONT, AND EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY, NEW YORK

Previous trapping in the slate belt, including both Rutland County, Vermont, and Washington County, New York, has indicated a relative paucity of small mammalian species. There are also rather low populations levels of those mammals present when compared to other regions in Vermont and nearby states. The evolution of the soils from the slate bedrock seems to be the key to understanding the problem of species exclusion from the region. The bedrock of the region is part of the Taconic sequence of rocks, and is primarily slate and phyllite that ranges in age from Early Cambrian to Middle Ordovician. The lithology of the Taconic bedrock is largely responsible for the type of soil development in the slate belt. Shallow soils with both large and small slate fragments have been derived from the glaciated slates and shales of the bedrock. Typically, the soils of the slate belt have developed to a depth of less than 0.6 m. The members of the Gray-Brown Podzolic soil province typically lack a well developed humus layer, and instead, raw organic material is found in the surface layer. The effects of intensive sheep grazing during the 19th century are still to be seen in the very thin topsoil, and loss of most humus from the soils of the region. To determine the numbers and types of small mammals present, trap-sites were chosen to maximize the different types of habitats 181 containing different combinations of environmental factors. Habitats were divided into five main categories, and the type of cover at each trap was recorded. Species trapped included Peromyscus Zeucopus noveboracensis, Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis, Sorex fumeus, Blarina brevicavda, Clethrionomys gapperi, Napaeozapus insignis, Condylura cristata, Zapus hudsonius, Microtus pennsylvanicus, and Tamias striatus. The capture rate was 25.00 animals per 1000 trap-nights (222 animals in 8880 trap-nights). Various conclusions are drawn concerning the occurrence of different species and various factors, including type of soil, type of bedrock, and type of cover. Eight species of small mammals known to occur in the nearby regions could not be trapped in the slate belt. They include Sorex cinereus, Sorex dispar, Microsorex hoyi, Sorex palustris, Parascalops breweri, Microtus chrotorrhinus, Pitymys pinetorum, and Synaptomys cooperi. It is concluded that the shallow depth to bedrock, abundance of slate fragments in the upper soil profile, and weakly developed humus layer are probably detrimental to burrowing species of small mammals. The lack of a proper substrate, e.g. talus, is of immediate importance to some species of small mammals, and the lack of this formation directly excludes them from the region