Frequency and Distribution of Candida Species from Denture Wearers

Species of Candida were isolated from 100 denture wearers, who were examined for grade of denture stomatitis, degree of denture plaque accumulation and other clinical features. Candida albicans was the dominant species isolated from denture surfaces followed by Torulopsis glabrata and Candida tropicalis. Statistical analysis of the results revealed close relationships between the grade of denture stomatitis and the degree of denture plaque accumulation or the fungal concentration on the denture surface, and also between the degree of denture plaque accumulation and fungal concentration on the denture surface. Furthermore, the grade of denture stomatitis correlated with the period of denture wearing but not with the patient's age. The fungal concentration on denture surface also correlated with the patient's age and the period of denture wearing

Psychological Stress Induced by Prone Positioning among Adults with Severe Cerebral Palsy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological impact of various positionings in subjects with cerebral palsy (CP). The participants were 17 individuals with severe motor and intellectual disability due to CP. They began in a sitting position in their wheelchair, and were placed consecutively in prone or supine positions, with no intervals between placements. Physiological observations were made in each position, and included salivary α-amylase activity, pulse, percutaneous oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, learance or not of airway secretions, and occurrence or not of adverse events. Salivary α-amylase activity values were higher in the prone position than in the baseline and supine positions (p<0.05). Clearance of airway secretions was significantly more prevalent in the prone position than in the baseline and supine positions (p <0.05). The participants’ pulse was significantly lower in the supine and prone positions than in the baseline position (p<0.05). Greater prevalence of airway secretion clearance and significantly higher stress levels as indicated by saliva amylase were observed in the prone position than in the other two positions. Therefore, when such patients are placed in a prone position, close attention to airway management and the potential for psychological stress may be necessary

Steady Rotation of Micropolar Fluid Sphere in Concentric Spherical Container

AbstractThe problem of slow steady rotation of a micropolar fluid sphere in concentric spherical container filled with viscous fluid is studied. The appropriate boundary conditions are taken on the surface of the sphere. The hydrodynamic couple and wall correction factor exerted on the micropolar fluid sphere is obtained. The dependence of the wall correction factor on the micropolarity parameter and spin parameter is presented graphically and discussed. The hydrodynamic couple acting on a solid sphere in a cell model and on a solid sphere in an unbounded medium are obtained from the present analysis

The integrin-binding defective FGF2 mutants potently suppress FGF2 signalling and angiogenesis.

We recently found that integrin αvβ3 binds to fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-αvβ31 (FGF1), and that the integrin-binding defective FGF1 mutant (Arg-50 to glutamic acid, R50E) is defective in signalling and antagonistic to FGF1 signalling. R50E suppressed angiogenesis and tumour growth, suggesting that R50E has potential as a therapeutic. However, FGF1 is unstable, and we had to express R50E in cancer cells for xenograft study, since injected R50E may rapidly disappear from circulation. We studied if we can develop antagonist of more stable FGF2. FGF2 is widely involved in important biological processes such as stem cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Previous studies found that FGF2 bound to αvβ3 and antagonists to αvβ3 suppressed FGF2-induced angiogenesis. However, it is unclear how FGF2 interacts with integrins. Here, we describe that substituting Lys-119/Arg-120 and Lys-125 residues in the predicted integrin-binding interface of FGF2 to glutamic acid (the K119E/R120E and K125E mutations) effectively reduced integrin binding to FGF2. These FGF2 mutants were defective in signalling functions (ERK1/2 activation and DNA synthesis) in NIH3T3 cells. Notably they suppressed, FGF2 signalling induced by WT FGF2 in endothelial cells, suggesting that the FGF2 mutants are antagonists. The FGF2 mutants effectively suppressed tube formation in vitro, sprouting in aorta ring assays ex vivo and angiogenesis in vivo The positions of amino acids critical for integrin binding are different between FGF1 and FGF2, suggesting that they do not interact with integrins in the same manner. The newly developed FGF2 mutants have potential as anti-angiogenic agents and useful tools for studying the role of integrins in FGF2 signalling

A dominant-negative FGF1 mutant (the R50E mutant) suppresses tumorigenesis and angiogenesis.

Fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF1) and FGF2 play a critical role in angiogenesis, a formation of new blood vessels from existing blood vessels. Integrins are critically involved in FGF signaling through crosstalk. We previously reported that FGF1 directly binds to integrin αvβ3 and induces FGF receptor-1 (FGFR1)-FGF1-integrin αvβ3 ternary complex. We previously generated an integrin binding defective FGF1 mutant (Arg-50 to Glu, R50E). R50E is defective in inducing ternary complex formation, cell proliferation, and cell migration, and suppresses FGF signaling induced by WT FGF1 (a dominant-negative effect) in vitro. These findings suggest that FGFR and αvβ3 crosstalk through direct integrin binding to FGF, and that R50E acts as an antagonist to FGFR. We studied if R50E suppresses tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. Here we describe that R50E suppressed tumor growth in vivo while WT FGF1 enhanced it using cancer cells that stably express WT FGF1 or R50E. Since R50E did not affect proliferation of cancer cells in vitro, we hypothesized that R50E suppressed tumorigenesis indirectly through suppressing angiogenesis. We thus studied the effect of R50E on angiogenesis in several angiogenesis models. We found that excess R50E suppressed FGF1-induced migration and tube formation of endothelial cells, FGF1-induced angiogenesis in matrigel plug assays, and the outgrowth of cells in aorta ring assays. Excess R50E suppressed FGF1-induced angiogenesis in chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays. Interestingly, excess R50E suppressed FGF2-induced angiogenesis in CAM assays as well, suggesting that R50E may uniquely suppress signaling from other members of the FGF family. Taken together, our results suggest that R50E suppresses angiogenesis induced by FGF1 or FGF2, and thereby indirectly suppresses tumorigenesis, in addition to its possible direct effect on tumor cell proliferation in vivo. We propose that R50E has potential as an anti-cancer and anti-angiogenesis therapeutic agent ("FGF1 decoy")

Solitary myofibroma of the mandible in an adult with magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography findings: a case report

Myofibroma is a benign tumor composed of myoid spindle cells. The prevalence of myofibroma in the oral cavity is very low, with the mandible being the most common site. This report describes an adult case of myofibroma that arose on the mandible and includes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) findings. On the MRI T1-weighted images, the tumor appeared with signal iso-intensity and was highly and heterogeneously enhanced with contrast material. On the T2-weighted images, it appeared with increased signal intensity. (18) F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET imaging showed abnormal strong accumulation of FDG in the left mandibular region. The tumor was removed by marginal resection of the left mandible under general anesthesia. Histopathological findings revealed that the tumor stroma contained abundant thin-walled vessels. The postoperative course was uneventful, and we found no evidence of recurrence at the postoperative 34-month follow-up

Asymmetric hydrogenation of N-substituted maleimides by cultured plant cells

The cultured suspension cells of higher plants hydrogenated the C-C double bond of N-substituted maleimides to afford corresponding succinimides. Hydrogenation of N-phenyl-2-methylmaleimide by the cultured cells of Nicotiana tabacum was highly-enantiospecific to give (R)-N-phenyl-2-methylsuccinimide (99 1.479619e-268.e.)

高い変形能を示すチタン繊維編物内部への骨成長

Objectives: The objective of this study is to develop a Ti fibre knit block without sintering, and to evaluate its deformability and new bone formation in vivo. Material and Methods: A Ti fibre with a diameter of 150 μm was knitted to fabricate a Ti mesh tube. The mesh tube was compressed in a metal mould to fabricate porous Ti fibre knit blocks with three different porosities of 88%, 69%, and 50%. The elastic modulus and deformability were evaluated using a compression test. The knit block was implanted into bone defects of a rabbit’s hind limb, and new bone formation was evaluated using micro computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis and histological analysis. Results: The knit blocks with 88% porosity showed excellent deformability, indicating potential appropriateness for bone defect filling. Although the porosities of the knit block were different, they indicated similar elastic modulus smaller than 1 GPa. The elastic modulus after deformation increased linearly as the applied compression stress increased. The micro-CT analysis indicated that in the block with 50% porosity new bone filled nearly all of the pore volume four weeks after implantation. In contrast, in the block with 88% porosity, new bone filled less than half of the pore volume even 12 weeks after implantation. The histological analysis also indicated new bone formation in the block. Conclusions: The titanium fibre knit block with high porosity is potentially appropriate for bone defect filling, indicating good bone ingrowth after porosity reduction with applied compression