Effect of thermal cycling on denture base and autopolymerizing reline resins

Objective This study evaluated the fracture toughness (FT) of denture base and autopolymerizing reline resins, with and without thermocycling (T). Material and Methods Specimens of each material (denture base acrylic resin - Lucitone 550 – L; autopolymerizing reline resins - Ufi Gel Hard–UH, Tokuyama Rebase II-TR, New Truliner–NT and Kooliner-K), were produced, notched and divided into two groups (n=10): CG (control group of autopolymerizing reline resins and L): FT tests were performed after polymerization; TG (thermocycled group): FT tests were performed after T (5°C and 55°C for 5,000 cycles). Results: Results (MPa.m1/2) were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (p=0.05). L exhibited the highest FT mean values in both groups (CG - 2.33; TG - 2.17). For the CG groups, NT showed the highest FT (1.64) among the autopolymerizing reline resins, and K the lowest (1.04). After T, when the autopolymerizing reline resins were compared, a statistically significant difference in FT was found only between the NT (1.46) and TR (1.00). Conclusions Thermocycling increased the FT of K and did not influence the FT of L, UH, TR and NT

Castro Lusitano Virtual: Software Livre e Património Virtual

O presente texto apresenta os objetivos e atual estado de desenvolvimento do projeto Castro Lusitano Virtual, um ambiente tridimensional interativo representativo de um povoado da Idade do Ferro da região Centro de Portugal, juntamente com a descrição de alguns conceitos que constituem o respetivo enquadramento e fundamentos do projeto. A Arqueologia e o Património Virtual são convocados nesse sentido, assim como a ecologia de conceitos e práticas em torno do Software Livre, incluindo cultura livre. O Castro Lusitano Virtual pode ser considerado como um recurso educacional aberto (Open Educational Resource), discutindo-se ideias sobre a sua utilização, nomeadamente distinguindo o aluno como explorador e como criador de ambiente tridimensionais. A utilização do projeto é focada, neste artigo, no contexto escolar, nomeadamente no ensino da História

Denture stomatitis treated with photodynamic therapy: five cases

Objective: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective method for Candida spp. inactivation in vitro and in vivo, but as yet, no clinical trial has been conducted. This report describes 5 cases of denture stomatitis (DS) treated with PDT.\ud \ud Study design: Five subjects with clinical and microbiologic diagnosis of DS were submitted to 6 sessions of PDT 3 times a week for 15 days. In each session, patients' dentures and palates were sprayed with 500 mg/L Photogem, and, after 30 minutes of incubation, irradiated by light-emitting diode light source at 455 nm (37.5 and 122 J/cm2, respectively). Cultures of Candida spp. from dentures and palates and standard photographs of the palates were taken at baseline (day 0), at the end of the treatment (day 15), and at follow-up time intervals (days 30 and 60).\ud \ud Results: Four patients showed clinical resolution of DS (no inflammation) after PDT sessions, and only 1 subject demonstrated reduction in palatal inflammation. Recurrence of DS was observed in 2 patients during the follow-up period.\ud \ud Conclusions: PDT appears to be an alternative treatment for DS.FAPESP (05/02193-4; 05/03226-3

Denture stomatitis treated with photodynamic therapy: five cases

Objective: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective method for Candida spp. inactivation in vitro and in vivo, but as yet, no clinical trial has been conducted. This report describes 5 cases of denture stomatitis (DS) treated with PDT.\ud \ud Study design: Five subjects with clinical and microbiologic diagnosis of DS were submitted to 6 sessions of PDT 3 times a week for 15 days. In each session, patients' dentures and palates were sprayed with 500 mg/L Photogem, and, after 30 minutes of incubation, irradiated by light-emitting diode light source at 455 nm (37.5 and 122 J/cm2, respectively). Cultures of Candida spp. from dentures and palates and standard photographs of the palates were taken at baseline (day 0), at the end of the treatment (day 15), and at follow-up time intervals (days 30 and 60).\ud \ud Results: Four patients showed clinical resolution of DS (no inflammation) after PDT sessions, and only 1 subject demonstrated reduction in palatal inflammation. Recurrence of DS was observed in 2 patients during the follow-up period.\ud \ud Conclusions: PDT appears to be an alternative treatment for DS.FAPESP (05/02193-4; 05/03226-3

Photo-responsive polymeric micelles for the light-triggered release of curcumin targeting antimicrobial activity

Nanocarriers have been successfully used to solubilize, deliver, and increase the bioavailability of curcumin (CUR), but slow CUR release rates hinder its use as a topical photosensitizer in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. A photo-responsive polymer (PRP) was designed for the light-triggered release of CUR with an effective light activation-dependent antimicrobial response. The characterization of the PRP was compared with non-responsive micelles comprising Pluronics™ P123 and F127. According to the findings, the PRP formed photo-responsive micelles in the nanometric scale (< 100 nm) with a lower critical micelle concentration (3.74 × 10−4 M−1, 5.8 × 10−4 M−1, and 7.2 × 10−6 M−1 for PRP, F127, P123, respectively, at 25°C) and higher entrapment efficiency of CUR (88.7, 77.2, and 72.3% for PRP, F127, and P123 micelles, respectively) than the pluronics evaluated. The PRP provided enhanced protection of CUR compared to P123 micelles, as demonstrated in fluorescence quenching studies. The light-triggered release of CUR from PRP occurred with UV light irradiation (at 355 nm and 25 mW cm−2) and a cumulative release of 88.34% of CUR within 1 h compared to 80% from pluronics after 36 h. In vitro studies showed that CUR-loaded PRP was non-toxic to mammal cell, showed inactivation of the pathogenic microorganisms Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and decreased biofilm biomass when associated with blue light (455  nm, 33.84 J/cm2). The findings show that the CUR-loaded PRP micelle is a viable option for antimicrobial activity