Lip incompetence and myofunctional therapy

Lip incompetence, which is a state in which the upper and lower lips are constantly apart, is thought to induce mouth breathing that may result in the development of gingivitis and periodontal disease. In the orthodontic field, lip incompetence has major problems for diagnosis, when determining the treatment goal and at the time of retention. We have been performing studies on lip incompetence and have obtained the following results : (1) it is possible to predict to some extent the state of lip closure during sleep by examination only in an awake state, (2) anterior teeth are positioned forward in individuals with lip incompetence, and (3) a training method called Button Pull is effective as a myofunctional therapy for improving lip incompetence, but there remains a need to clarify the background

Study of training for improving lip incompetence

Purpose: We have been using myofunctional therapy in orthodontic treatment to improve orofacial disorders. Our previous study showed that lip training increased orbicularis oris muscle strength and endurance. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of hypoxic lip training for improving lip incompetence. Subjects and methods: Twenty healthy subjects (10 males and 10 females, 23.6 +/- 2.3 years old) with lip incompetence participated in this study. We recorded the sealed lip ratio calculated by using the formula "(lip-sealingtime/totalrecorded time) x 100" during relaxation (listening to soothing music) and during concentration (performing a mathematical calculation). Then the subjects performed a standardized hypoxic lip training (5 repetitive contractions with 80% of maximum tensile strength of the orbicularis oris muscle) with a traction plate. Training was repeated daily for 4 weeks. To estimate training effects, the sealed lip ratios during relaxation and concentration were recorded before training (T1), at 2 weeks (T2) and 4 weeks (T3) after the start of training, and at 4 weeks (T4) and 8 weeks (T5) after the end of training. Results: The sealed lip ratios in both the relaxation and concentration conditions significantly (p < 0.003 after Bonferroni correction) increased during the training period. Although the sealed lip ratios slightly decreased during the post-training period, they were not significantly different from those at T3. Conclusions: Hypoxic lip training increases the sealed lip ratio and is thus effective for improving lip incompetence. Sealed lip ratios were maintained after 8 weeks of training. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Prevention of Sugi (Cryptomeria Japonica D. Don) from Turning Black by Smoke Heating

Green sugi logs (tree A, normal heartwood color; tree B, heartwood color gradually turned to black after harvesting) were smoke-heated for 5, 10, 20, and 40 h to investigate the influence of smoke heating on the color change of heartwood. After the treatment, changes in color, pH, and content of norlignan were examined. The heartwood was also saturated with KHCO3 in order to examine the relationship between pH and changes in heartwood color. The results revealed that smoke heating the logs for at least 5 h prevented the heartwood from turning black; instead, the treated heartwoods turned yellowish-white. The pH value of the tree B decreased significantly from 7.4 to 6.5 after a 5-h smoke heating; from then on, the pH remained nearly constant with additional exposure. When smoke-heated, tree A- and tree B-heartwood specimens were saturated with a KHCO3 solution (pH 8.6), the brightness decreased, and the color turned black, suggesting that the blackening substances did not deteriorate when exposed to smoke heating. In the tree A heartwood, on the other hand, the contents of sequirin-C and agatharesinol barely changed before and after smoke heating. In the tree B heartwood, however, the amounts of agatharesinol and sequirin-C decreased significantly compared with those in the fresh heartwood before it turned black, whereas a large amount of norlignans, in particular, sequirin-C, was found in the smokeheated heartwood. The results obtained in the present study suggest that the chemical changes of norlignans accompanied with pH changes are closely involved in color changes in the sugi heartwood

Additional file 3: Figure S3. of p53-independent structure-activity relationships of 3-ring mesogenic compounds’ activity as cytotoxic effects against human non-small cell lung cancer lines

Nuclear morphology of A549 cells treated with C1. A549 cells (4.0 × 104 cells) were grown on chamber slides II (IWAKI) overnight to allow adherence to the slides. After treatment with compound C1 for 12 h, the cells were fixed with 4 % formaldehyde for 30 min at room temperature. Fixed cells were washed with PBS(−), permeabilized in 0.5 % TritonX-100 for 5 min at 4 °C, and washed with PBS(−). The slides were stained and mounted with VECTASHIELD® Mounting Medium with DAPI (Vector Laboratories, Inc., Burlingame, CA, USA). Photographs of the cells were taken with an Olympus IX71 (Tokyo, Japan) and DP2-BSW software (Olympus). Representative results are shown. Arrow indicates mitotic cells. (DOCX 728 kb

Additional file 2: Figure S2. of p53-independent structure-activity relationships of 3-ring mesogenic compounds’ activity as cytotoxic effects against human non-small cell lung cancer lines

Effects of test compounds on cell cycle progression. Non-small cell lung cancer cells cultured in the presence of test compounds (C3–C5) at 10 μM for 24–48 h were harvested, and then cell cycle profiles were analyzed. Representative histograms are shown. (DOCX 195 kb

Additional file 1: Figure S1. of p53-independent structure-activity relationships of 3-ring mesogenic compounds’ activity as cytotoxic effects against human non-small cell lung cancer lines

Dose response effects of test compounds on the growth of A549 cells. A549 cells cultured in the presence of compounds C1 and C2 at 0.75–12 μM for 3 days were harvested, and viable cells were counted using trypan blue exclusion assays. Data are presented as the mean ± SE of 3 independent experiments. (DOCX 60 kb