Application of Laser-Induced Bone Therapy by Carbon Dioxide Laser Irradiation in Implant Therapy

This study evaluated the application of laser-induced bone therapy (LIBT) to reduce implant healing time in rat tibia. Twenty 10-week-old female Sprague-Dawlay rats were used. The rats received laser irradiation (laser group) or sham operation (control group) on either side of the tibia. Five days after invasion, titanium implants were inserted in proximal tibia. Five, 10, and 20 days after implant placement, tibiae were collected. After taking micro-CT and performing a torque test, the tibiae were decalcified and 8-μm-thick sections were prepared. Specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Results. Micro-CT images, removal torque values, and histomorphometric analysis data demonstrated a significantly accelerated bone formation in the laser group earlier in the healing process. Conclusion. The use of laser irradiation was effective in promoting bone formation and acquiring osseointegration of titanium implants inserted in rat tibia. LIBT may be suitable for use in implant therapy

Inverse Problem in Nondestructive Testing Using Arrayed Eddy Current Sensors

A fast crack profile reconstitution model in nondestructive testing is developed using an arrayed eddy current sensor. The inverse problem is based on an iterative solving of the direct problem using genetic algorithms. In the direct problem, assuming a current excitation, the incident field produced by all the coils of the arrayed sensor is obtained by the translation and superposition of the 2D axisymmetric finite element results obtained for one coil; the impedance variation of each coil, due to the crack, is obtained by the reciprocity principle involving the dyadic Green’s function. For the inverse problem, the surface of the crack is subdivided into rectangular cells, and the objective function is expressed only in terms of the depth of each cell. The evaluation of the dyadic Green’s function matrix is made independently of the iterative procedure, making the inversion very fast

Immunohistochemical Localization of Barx2 in the Developing Fetal Mouse Submandibular Glands

The development of mouse submandibular gland (SMG) begins at embryonic day 11.5–12 (E11.5–12), during which successive rounds of epithelial clefting and branching create complex epithelial tree-like structures. Homeobox genes regulate place-dependent morphogenesis, including epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, and control the expression patterns of signaling molecules. The Barx2 containing Homeobox exerts several key roles in development. Some studies have shown that the Barx2 plays important roles in the epithelial-mesenchymal interactions of organogenesis. However, the mechanisms of Barx2 associated with the development of SMG are obscure. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time the exact spatial and temporal Barx2 expression pattern in SMG epithelial tissue during development using immunohistochemical staining and Real-Time quantitative PCR. Barx2 was expressed in the nucleus of the epithelial cells located in the proliferative and differentiative regions of the developing SMG during the early development stages (E11.5–E13.5). After the E14.5-time period, the expression gradually decreased, and at E16.5, expression mostly disappeared despite the fact that evidence of cytodifferentiation, such as the appearance of proacinar cells, distinct lumen formation, and secretory products, was beginning to be observed. Results of Real-Time PCR demonstrated that the amount of Barx2 mRNA expression in SMG was maximal on E14.5, and gradually decreased by E18.5. These results indicate that Barx2 is associated with early stage epithelial tissue development, and can be a useful epithelial marker of the SMG during early developmental stages

NIRS during cognitive tasks might predict drug response in OCD

Objective: We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) who showed different responses to pharmacotherapy during neuropsychological tasks with near-infrared spectroscopy. Subjects and methods: A total of 42 patients with OCD (mean age: 35.6±9.6 years, 14 men, 28 women) and healthy control subjects (mean age: 35.4±9.7 years, 13 men, 29 women) were selected. Patients with OCD were divided into three groups (responders to selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics, and nonresponders to SSRIs and SSRIs with antipsychotics) based on pharmacological response. We investigated oxyhemoglobin change in the PFC of subjects during Stroop tasks and a verbal fluency test with near-infrared spectroscopy. Results: Responders to SSRIs showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during the Stroop incongruent task and verbal fluency test, but not during the Stroop congruent task. In contrast, responders to SSRIs with antipsychotics showed smaller activation compared to control subjects during all three tasks. Conclusion: Our results suggest that activation of the PFC during Stroop tasks might predict responses to pharmacotherapy of patients with OCD

ダイガクセイ ニオケル スイコウ キノウ ト ショウドウセイ オヨビ テキオウ イヨク ノ カンレン

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between executive function, impulsivity, adjustment and motivation in undergraduates. On the first study, we used three self-report scales to measure impulsivity, adjustment and motivation. The results showed that impulsivity influenced lowering of motivation in undergraduates. On the other hand, a decrease in an adjustment couldn’t be explained only by impulsivity. On the second study, the 23 subjects participated in the experiment. In an experiment, we used two laboratory tasks (Go/No-Go task and delay discounting task) and neuropsychological tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Tower of Hanoi and Operation Span Task) to measure aspects of impulsivity and executive function. Results of this study suggested that impulsivity is associated with a decreased ability to alter choice behavior while functioning adaptively