Remineralization of demineralized dentin using a dual analog system.

ObjectiveImproved methods are needed to remineralize dentin caries in order to promote conservation of dentin tissue and minimize the surgical interventions that are currently required for clinical treatment. Here, we test the hypothesis that bulk substrates can be effectively mineralized via a dual analog system proposed by others, using a tripolyphosphate (TPP) "templating analog" and a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or poly(aspartic acid) (pAsp) "sequestration analog," the latter of which generates the polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) mineralization process studied in our laboratory.Material & methodsDemineralized human dentin slices were remineralized with and without pre-treatment with TPP, using either PAA or pAsp as the PILP process-directing agent. A control experiment with no polymer present was used for comparison.ResultsNo mineralization was observed in any of the PAA groups. In both the pAsp and no polymer groups, TPP inhibited mineralization on the surfaces of the specimens but promoted mineralization within the interiors. Pre-treatment with TPP enhanced overall mineralization of the pAsp group. However, when analysed via TEM, regions with little mineral were still present.ConclusionPoly(acrylic acid) was unable to remineralize demineralized dentin slices under the conditions employed, even when pre-treated with TPP. However, pre-treatment with TPP enhanced overall mineralization of specimens that were PILP-remineralized using pAsp

Muscle plasticity related to changes in tubulin and αB-crystallin levels induced by eccentric contraction in rat skeletal muscles

We used the model of eccentric contraction of the hindlimb muscle by Ochi et al. to examine the role of eccentric contraction in muscle plasticity. This model aims to focus on stimulated skeletal muscle responses by measuring tissue weights and tracing the quantities of αB-crystallin and tubulin. The medial gastrocnemius muscle (GCM) responded to electrically induced eccentric contraction (EIEC) with significant increases in tissue weight (p < 0.01) and the ratio of tissue weight to body weight (p < 0.05); however, there was a decrease in soleus muscle weight after EIEC. EIEC in the GCM caused contractile-induced sustenance of the traced proteins, but the soleus muscle exhibited a remarkable decrease in α-tubulin and a 19% decrease in αB-crystallin. EIEC caused fast-to-slow myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform type-oriented shift within both the GCM and soleus muscle. These results have shown that different MHC isoform type-expressing slow and fast muscles commonly undergo fast-to-slow type MHC isoform transformation. This suggests that different levels of EIEC affected each of the slow and fast muscles to induce different quantitative changes in the expression of αB-crystallin and α-tubulin

Prostaglandin E2 Adds Bone to a Cancellous Bone Site with a Closed Growth Plate and Low Bone Turnover in Ovariectomized Rats

The objects of this study were to determine the responses of a cancellous bone site with a closed growth plate, (the distal tibial metaphysis (DTM), to ovariectomy (OVX) and OVX plus a prostaglandin E(2) treatment, and compare the site's response to previous findings reported for another site, the proximal tibial metaphysis (PTM). Thirty five 3-month old female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups; basal, sham OVX, and OVX+0, +1, or +6 mg PGE(2)/kg/d injected subcutaneously for 3 months and given double fluorescent labels before sacrifice. Cancellous bone histomorphometric analyses were performed on 20 micrometer thick undecalcified DTM sections. Similar to the PTM, the DTM showed age-related decreases in bone formation and increases in bone resorption, but it differed in that at 3 months POST OVX there was neither bone loss nor changes in formation endpoints. Giving 1 mg PGE(2)/kg/d to OVX rats prevented most age-related changes and maintained the bone formation histomorphometry near basal levels. Treating OVX rats with 6 mg PGE(2)/kd/d prevented age-related bone changes, added extra bone, and improved microanatomical structure by stimulating bone formation, without altering bone resportion. Futhermore, After PGE(2) admimnistration, the DTM, a cancellous bone site with a closed growth plate, increased bone formation more than did the cancellous bone in the PTM

Oral health and later coronary heart disease: Cohort study of one million people

AIMS: Systematic reviews report an association between poorer oral health and an increased risk of coronary heart disease. This contentious relationship may not be causal but existing studies have been insufficiently well powered comprehensively to examine the role of confounding, particularly by cigarette smoking. Accordingly, we sought to examine the role of smoking in generating the relationship between oral health and coronary heart disease in life-long non-smokers. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Korean Cancer Prevention Study, 975,685 individuals (349,579 women) aged 30–95 years had an oral examination when tooth loss, a widely used indicator of oral health, was ascertained. Linkage to national mortality and hospital registers over 21 years of follow-up gave rise to 64,784 coronary heart disease events (19,502 in women). In the whole cohort, after statistical adjustment for age, there was a moderate, positive association between tooth loss and coronary heart disease in both men (hazard ratio for seven or more missing teeth vs. none; 95% confidence interval 1.08; 1.02, 1.14; Ptrend across tooth loss groups <0.0001) and women (1.09; 1.01, 1.18; Ptrend 0.0016). Restricting analyses to a subgroup of 464,145 never smokers (25,765 coronary heart disease events), however, resulted in an elimination of this association in men (1.01; 0.85, 1.19); Ptrend 0.7506) but not women (1.08; 0.99, 1.18; Ptrend 0.0086). CONCLUSION: In men in the present study, the relationship between poor oral health and coronary heart disease risk appeared to be explained by confounding by cigarette smoking so raising questions about a causal link

Efficient site-resolved imaging and spin-state detection in dynamic two-dimensional ion crystals

Resolving the locations and discriminating the spin states of individual trapped ions with high fidelity is critical for a large class of applications in quantum computing, simulation, and sensing. We report on a method for high-fidelity state discrimination in large two-dimensional (2D) crystals with over 100 trapped ions in a single trapping region, combining a novel hardware detector and an artificial neural network. A high-data-rate, spatially resolving, single-photon sensitive timestamping detector performs efficient single-shot detection of 2D crystals in a Penning trap, exhibiting rotation at about $25\,\mathrm{kHz}$. We then train an artificial neural network to process the fluorescence photon data in the rest frame of the rotating crystal in order to identify ion locations with a precision of $~90\%$, accounting for substantial illumination inhomogeneity across the crystal. Finally, employing a time-binned state detection method, we arrive at an average spin-state detection fidelity of $94(1)\%$. This technique can be used to analyze spatial and temporal correlations in arrays of hundreds of trapped-ion qubits.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

The independent association between parathyroid hormone levels and hyperuricemia: a national population study

Introduction: Increased frequencies of hyperuricemia and gout have been associated with primary hyperparathyroidism, and recent clinical trials of parathyroid hormone (PTH) have reported hyperuricemic adverse events. We evaluated the potential population impact of PTH on serum uric acid (SUA) levels by using a nationally representative sample of United States adults. Methods: By using data from 8,316 participants aged 18 years and older in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003 to 2006, we examined the relation between serum PTH and SUA levels with weighted linear regression. Additionally, we examined the relation with hyperuricemia by using weighted logistic regression. Results: SUA levels increased with increasing serum PTH concentration. After adjusting for age, sex, dietary factors, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and other potentially related biomarkers (calcium, phosphorus, alkaline-phosphatase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D), the SUA level differences from the bottom (referent) to top quintiles of serum PTH levels were 0, 8, 13, 14, and 19 μM (95% CI, 12 to 26; P for trend, < 0.001). These estimates were larger among renally impaired individuals (multivariate SUA difference between the extreme quintiles of PTH, 26 versus 15 μM among those with GFR ≥ 60 versus < 60 ml/min per 1.73 m2, respectively) (P for interaction = 0.004). The odds of hyperuricemia by various definitions increased with increasing PTH levels as well (multivariate P values for trend, < 0.05). Conclusions: These nationally representative data indicate that serum PTH levels are independently associated with serum uric acid levels and the frequency of hyperuricemia at the population level

Gender differences in the association between oral health literacy and oral health-related quality of life in older adults

Background: Poor oral health affects quality of life; oral health literacy studies are increasing as it plays an essential role in promoting oral health. However, little is known regarding the gender differences in oral health health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among older adults. This study aimed to explore the gender differences in oral health literacy and OHRQoL among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling was undertaken to recruit participants at two community service centres. Data were collected using a structured survey consisted of the demographic characteristics, instrumental activities of daily living, nutrition assessment, oral health literacy and OHRQoL. The logistic regression was used to examine the gender differences in the relationship between oral health literacy and OHRQoL. Results: A total of 202 participants completed the survey. Of which 56.4% (n = 114) were female. Logistic regression analyses showed that after controlling for age, instrumental activities of daily living, nutrition, education level, and average monthly income, better oral health literacy was associated with better oral health quality of life (p = 0.006) in men. Conclusions: The relationship between oral health literacy and OHRQoL was only significant for men. No significant relationship between women’s oral health literacy and their OHRQoL. However, good OHRQoL is an integral part of overall health, but it is affected by differences in oral health and the accessibility of healthcare services. We suggest that gender-specific oral health literacy education should be offered through community health-education programs

Additive noise properties of active matrix flatâ panel imagers

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134764/1/mp6721.pd

News and Young Australians in 2023: How Children and Teens Access, Perceive and are Affected by News Media

The Young People and News longitudinal survey series provides comprehensive findings about the news attitudes, practices and experiences of young Australians aged 8-16 years. The 2023 survey analysis shows that news plays an important role in young people’s everyday lives and most young people get news from diverse sources. Family is the most frequent and trusted source of news for young people. Young people have a low level of trust in Australian news organisations, and they do not believe that they are understood by these organisations. There has been an increase in the number of young people who get news from social media, however, there is a low level of awareness of how algorithms deliver news. Although there has been a modest increase in the number of young people who had a news literacy lesson in school, three in four young people did not receive any lessons in school over the past year to help them determine if news content is true and trustworthy, indicating a gap in media literacy education

The return of the merging galaxy subclusters of El Gordo?

Merging galaxy clusters with radio relics provide rare insights to the merger dynamics as the relics are created by the violent merger process. We demonstrate one of the first uses of the properties of the radio relic to reduce the uncertainties of the dynamical variables and determine the 3D configuration of a cluster merger, ACT-CL J0102-4915, nicknamed El Gordo. From the double radio relic observation and the X-ray observation of a comet-like gas morphology induced by motion of the cool core, it is widely believed that El Gordo is observed shortly after the first core-passage of the subclusters. We employ a Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the three-dimensional (3D) configuration and dynamics of El Gordo. Using the polarization fraction of the radio relic, we constrain the estimate of the angle between the plane of the sky and the merger axis to be $\alpha = 21~{\rm degree} \pm^9_{11}$. We find the relative 3D merger speed of El Gordo to be $2400\pm^{400}_{200}~{\rm km}~{\rm s}^{-1}$ at pericenter. The two possible estimates of the time-since-pericenter are $0.46\pm^{0.09}_{0.16}$ Gyr and $0.91\pm^{0.22}_{0.39}$ Gyr for the outgoing and returning scenario respectively. We put our estimates of the time-since-pericenter into context by showing that if the time-averaged shock velocity is approximately equal to or smaller than the pericenter velocity of the corresponding subcluster in the center of mass frame, the two subclusters are more likely to be moving towards, rather than away, from each other, post apocenter. We compare and contrast the merger scenario of El Gordo with that of the Bullet Cluster, and show that this late-stage merging scenario explains why the southeast dark matter lensing peak of El Gordo is closer to the merger center than the southeast cool core.Comment: Figure 1 explains the configuration of the different components of El Gordo. Figure 9 explains the merger scenario. 20 pages, 23 figures. Accepted by MNRA