Biomodification of a class-v restorative material by incorporation of bioactive agents

Restoring subgingival class-V cavities successfully, demand special biological properties from a restorative material. This study aimed to assess the effects of incorporating bioactive materials to glass ionomer cement (GIC) on its mechanical and biological properties. Hydroxyapatite, chitosan, chondroitin sulphate, bioglass, gelatine and processed bovine dentin were incorporated into a GIC restorative material. Compressive strength, biaxial flexural strength (BFS), hardness, setting and working time measurements were investigated. Biocompatibility of the new materials was assessed using both monolayer cell cultures of normal oral fibroblasts (NOF) and TR146 keratinocytes, and a 3D-tissue engineered human oral mucosa model (3D-OMM) using presto-blue tissue viability assay and histological examination. Significant reduction in the compressive strength and BFS of gelatine-modified discs was observed, while chondroitin sulphate-modified discs had reduced BFS only (p value > 0.05). For hardness, working and setting times, only bioglass caused significant increase in the working time. NOF viability was significantly increased when exposed to GIC-modified with bovine dentine, bioglass and chitosan. Histological examination showed curling and growth of the epithelial layer toward the disc space, except for the GIC modified with gelatine. This study has highlighted the potential for clinical application of the modified GICs with hydroxyapatite, chitosan, bioglass and bovine dentine in subgingival class-V restorations

Effect of humidity on liquid-crystalline myelin figure growth using digital holographic microscopy

Dynamics of liquid-crystalline Myelin Figures (MFs) is a multifaceted issue depending on various elements, which have not been fully resolved yet. Our experimental results show that degree of humidity is influential on the initial growth and dynamics of MFs - a factor that was not been carefully considered on MF formations. In this paper, we present a systematic experimental study on the effect of humidity on MF dynamics. Quantitative analysis of MF dynamical behavior was performed using digital holographic microscopy (DHM). Our study reveals that humidifying the initial lipid reservoir has reverse effect on the rate of the growth to the extent that complete saturation of the lipid source prevents MF growth. The phenomenon is explained by the role of hydration gradient during MF formation. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Multiplier in BL-algebras

Abstract In this paper, we introduce the notion of multiplier in -algebra and study relationships between multipliers and some special mappings, likeness closure operators, homomorphisms and ( , -derivations in -algebras. We introduce the concept of idempotent multipliers in BL-algebra and weak congruence and obtain an interconnection between idempotent multipliers and weak congruences. Also, we introduce the special multiplier and study some properties. Finally, we show that if is a boolean algebra, then the set of all multipliers of is a -algebra under some conditions

Liver transplant recipients quality of life instrument: Development and psychometric testing

Background: Liver transplantation is a life-saving intervention for many patients with end-stage liver disease. In the past, evaluation of successful liver transplantation was based on patients' survival rate. However, in recent years this evaluation has been based on patients' quality of life. Various instruments have been developed to evaluate patients' quality of life. Nonetheless, scholars still believe that it is crucial to develop a standardized and disease specific instrument for evaluating the quality of life in liver transplant recipients. Objectives: The aim of this paper was to describe the development and psychometric testing process of a quality of life instrument specific to liver transplant recipients. Materials and Methods: Initial items of this instrument were extracted from a conventional content analysis study, and then were completed with findings of related international literature. The face validity was assessed by interviewing with four liver transplant recipients, and the content validity was evaluated by eleven experts in the field of transplantation. The construct validity was achieved by involving 250 liver transplant recipients through exploratory factor analysis method, and reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha. Results: Three main factors with 40 items were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis: Health Satisfaction, Concerns, and Complications. Reliability of the instrument was confirmed (alpha = 0.922). Conclusions: Given the special considerations regarding liver transplant recipients, this questionnaire is more accurate in evaluating the success of liver transplantation. © 2013, Kowsar Corp.; Licensee Kowsar Ltd

Digital holographic microscopy of phase separation in multicomponent lipid membranes

Lateral in-homogeneities in lipid compositions cause microdomains formation and change in the physical properties of biological membranes. With the presence of cholesterol and mixed species of lipids, phospholipid membranes segregate into lateral domains of liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases. Coupling of two-dimensional intralayer phase separations and interlayer liquid-crystalline ordering in multicomponent membranes has been previously demonstrated. By the use of digital holographic microscopy (DHMicroscopy), we quantitatively analyzed the volumetric dynamical behavior of such membranes. The specimens are lipid mixtures composed of sphingomyelin, cholesterol, and unsaturated phospholipid, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. DHMicroscopy in a transmission mode is an effective tool for quantitative visualization of phase objects. By deriving the associated phase changes, three-dimensional information on the morphology variation of lipid stacks at arbitrary time scales is obtained. Moreover, the thickness distribution of the object at demanded axial planes can be obtained by numerical focusing. Our results show that the volume evolution of lipid domains follows approximately the same universal growth law of previously reported area evolution. However, the thickness of the domains does not alter significantly by time; therefore, the volume evolution is mostly attributed to the changes in area dynamics. These results might be useful in the field of membrane-based functional materials. © 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Bioresorbable Composite Polymeric Materials for Tissue Engineering Applications

This review covers the development of bioresorbable polymeric composites for applications in tissue engineering. Various commercially available bioresobable polymers are described, with emphasis on recent bioresorbable composites based on natural and synthetic polymers. Bioresorbable polymers contain hydrolyzable bonds, which are subjected to chemical degradation via either reactive hydrolysis or enzyme-catalyzed active hydrolysis. For synthetic polymers, chemical hydrolysis is the most important mode of degradation. The degradation rate can be controlled by varying the molecular weight and crystallinity. Examples of bioresorbable polymers are: polyurethane, poly(D,L)lactide, poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid, poly(α-hydroxy acids), cross-linked polyester hydrogels, poly(orthoesters), polyanhydrides and polyethylene glycol

Stimulus-Responsive Polymeric Nanogels As Smart Drug Delivery Systems

Nanogels are three-dimensional nanoscale networks formed by physically or chemically cross-linking polymers. Nanogels have been explored as drug delivery systems due to their advantageous properties, such as biocompatibility, high stability, tunable particle size, drug loading capacity, and possible modification of the surface for active targeting by attaching ligands that recognize cognate receptors on the target cells or tissues. Nanogels can be designed to be stimulus responsive, and react to internal or external stimuli such as pH, temperature, light and redox, thus resulting in the controlled release of loaded drugs. This “smart” targeting ability prevents drug accumulation in non-target tissues and minimizes the side effects of the drug. This review aims to provide an introduction to nanogels, their preparation methods, and to discuss the design of various stimulus-responsive nanogels that are able to provide controlled drug release in response to particular stimuli

Safety and discontinuation rate of dimethyl fumarate (Zadiva®) in patients with multiple sclerosis: an observational retrospective study

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates the real-world safety and discontinuation rate of Zadiva® (generic product of dimethyl fumarate (DMF)) in Iranian patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), supplementing existing clinical evidence from randomized controlled trials. METHODS: This retrospective observational study evaluated the real-world safety and discontinuation rate of DMF in RRMS patients from Amir A'lam referral hospital's neurology clinic. Data on safety, discontinuation rate, and clinical disease activity were collected retrospectively. The study aimed to assess the discontinuation rate, safety, and reasons for discontinuation, as well as the number of patients experiencing a relapse, MRI activity, and EDSS scores. RESULTS: In total, 142 RRMS patients receiving DMF were included in the study, with 15 discontinuing treatment due to adverse events, lack of efficacy, or pregnancy. Notably, a significant reduction in relapse rates was observed, with 90.8% of patients remaining relapse-free throughout the study period. After 1 year of treatment with Zadiva®, only 17.6% of patients experienced MRI activity, whereas the EDSS score remained stable. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides important real-world data on the safety and tolerability of Zadiva® in RRMS patients. The results indicate that Zadiva® is generally well tolerated and safe, with a low discontinuation rate due to adverse events or lack of efficacy. These findings suggest that Zadiva® is an effective and safe treatment option for RRMS patients in real-world practice

Substrate Suppression of Thermal Roughness in Stacked Supported Bilayers

We have fabricated a stack of five 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) bilayers supported on a polished silicon substrate in excess water. The density profile of these stacks normal to the substrate was obtained through analysis of x-ray reflectivity. Near the substrate, we find the layer roughness and repeat spacing are both significantly smaller than values found in bulk multilayer systems. The reduced spacing and roughness result from suppression of lateral fluctuations due to the flat substrate boundary. The layer spacing decrease then occurs due to reduced Helfrich repulsion.This work was partially supported by NSF Grants No. DMR-0706369 and No. DMR-0706665. Use of the Advanced Photon Sourcewas supported by theUSDepartment of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. SKS and ANP wish to acknowledge support from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy, via Grant No. DE-FG02- 04ER46173. We would also like to thank Suresh Narayanan for his support of the experimental work at Sector 8-ID