Toughness,bonding and fluoride-release properties of hydroxyapatite-added glass ionomer cement

Improving the mechanical strength of glass ionomer cement while preserving its favorable clinical properties such as fluoride release, bonding to tooth structure and biocompatibility is desirable. In this study, hydroxyapatite was incorporated into chemically setting glass ionomer cement and its effect on the fracture toughness, bonding to dentin and fluoride release was identified. Commercial glass ionomer cement (Fuji IX GP((R)) ) was the control and base material. Eight weight percent of hydroxyapatite was added into the glass ionomer powder. Specimens were fabricated and the fracture toughness, shear bond strength and eluted fluoride ion concentration were measured. Adding hydroxyapatite into the glass ionomer cement led to significantly higher fracture toughness after 15min and 24h from mixing. The hydroxyapatite-added cement also exhibited bond strength to dentin similar to that of the control from 15min to 56 days and consistent fluoride release for 13 weeks. SEM findings showed a cohesive type of fracture in the material for all specimens in both groups. These results indicate that hydroxyapatite-added glass ionomer cement has a potential as a reliable restorative material with improved fracture toughness, long-term bonding to dentin and unimpeded ability of sustained fluoride release.     

Enzyme immunoassay to detect antituberculous glycolipid antigen (anti-TBGL antigen) antibodies in serum for diagnosis of tuberculosis

We report the development of an EIA specific for antituberculosis antibody in human serum for the clinical evaluation of tuberculosis. We developed a TLC immunostaining method to detect specific antigens for antibodies in the serum of patients with tuberculosis. The detected specific antigens, TDM and specific glycolipid fraction, were individually purified from M. tuberculosis H37Rv by column chromatography. The two purified fractions were mixed and the mixture, termed TBGL antigen, was applied to an enzyme immunoassay suitable for the measurement of antituberculosis antibodies in serum. This EIA meets all the requirements of routine clinical assay in terms of sensitivity (detection limit: 0.125 U/ml), reproducibility (total CV: 3.3–6.0%), accuracy (recovery: 96–105%), simplicity and rapidity (<2.5 h). Clinical validation of the assay was confirmed by the measurement of the anti-tuberculosis antibody in the serum of normal subjects and patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The EIA tested in this study showed a high serodiagnostic discriminating power (90% sensitivity and 98% specificity). J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 11:140–145, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Role of Lamin A and emerin in maintaining nuclear morphology in different subtypes of ovarian epithelial cancer

The nuclear lamina protein, Lamin A and inner nuclear membrane protein, emerin participate in maintaining nuclear morphology. However, their correlations with the nuclear shape in the four representative ovarian epithelial cancer subtypes, high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSCa), clear cell carcinoma (CCCa), endometrioid carcinoma (EMCa) and mucinous carcinoma (MUCa), remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the association between nuclear morphology and nuclear membrane protein expression in four histological subtypes of ovarian epithelial cancer. A total of 140 surgically resected ovarian cancer specimens were subjected to Feulgen staining to evaluate nuclear morphology, and immunohistochemistry analysis to assess Lamin A and emerin expression. The histological images were analyzed via computer-assisted image analysis (CAIA). The results demonstrated that the mean nuclear area of EMCa was significantly smaller compared with CCCa (P=0.0009). The standard deviation of the mean nuclear area was used to assess nuclear size variation, and the results indicated that EMCa lesions were significantly smaller than CCCa lesions (P=0.0006). Regarding the correlation between the Lamin A-positive rate and nuclear morphological factors, positive correlations were observed with nuclear area in CCCa and EMCa (R=0.2855 and R=0.2858, respectively) and nuclear perimeter in CCCa, EMCa and MUCa (R=0.2409, R=0.4054 and R=0.2370, respectively); however, a negative correlation with nuclear shape factor was observed in HGSCa and EMCa (R=−0.2079 and R=−0.3707, respectively). With regards to the correlation between emerin positivity and nuclear morphological factors, positive correlations were observed with nuclear shape factor in HGSCa (R=0.2673) and nuclear area in CCCa (R=0.3310). It is well-known that HGSCa and CCCa have conspicuous nuclear size variation, and EMCa has small nuclei without strong atypia. These findings were verified in the present study via CAIA. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that Lamin A strongly contributes to the maintenance of nuclear morphology in ovarian epithelial cancer compared with emerin, although their contributions differ based on tumor subtype.     

Quantitative Evaluation of Proliferative Potential Using Flow Cytometry Reveals Intratumoral Heterogeneity and Its Relevance to Tumor Characteristics in Vestibular Schwannomas

This study sought to explore the existence and clinical significance of intratumoral heterogeneity of proliferative potential in vestibular schwannoma (VS). Rapid intraoperative flow cytometry was utilized with raw samples to measure the proliferative ability of VS. The proliferation index (PI) was defined as the ratio of the number of cells with greater than normal DNA content to the total number of cells. A total of 66 specimens (26 from the intrameatal portion and 40 from the cisternal portion) were obtained from 34 patients with VS. There was a moderate correlation between the PI and MIB-1 labelling index values (R = 0.57, p < 0.0001). In contrast, the patterns of heterogeneity, represented by the proportion of intrameatal PI to cisternal PI, were associated with tumor size (p = 0.03). In addition, preoperative hearing tended to be poor in cases where the intrameatal PI was higher than the cisternal PI (p = 0.06). Our data demonstrated the presence of intratumoral heterogeneity of proliferative potential in VS and its relationship with tumor characteristics. The results of this study may advocate the resection of the intrameatal portion of large VSs treated with planned subtotal resection, especially in cases of poor preoperative hearing function.     

The association between brain morphological development and the quality of general movements

Aim

To clarify the morphologic characteristics of the brain, which are the foundation of the emergence of general movements (GMs) in very-low-birth-weight infants.

Hemothorax following intraabdominal bleeding due to pedicle torsion of ovarian tumor via a small pore in the diaphragm: report of a case

On February 25, 2004, 59-year-old woman visited a local clinic due to lower abdominal pain. On February 28, she was admitted to the clinic due to severe abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) showed a mass in the lower abdomen and plural effusion and athelectasis of the right lung. She had severe anemia (Hb 6.9 g/dl). On March 1, she was transferred to our hospital. Pleural fluid was revealed to be sanguineous by thoracentasis. She underwent thoracotomy on the day of admission. There was no source of bleeding in the pleural space. A small pore, 3 mm in diameter, was found in the tendinous portion of the diaphragm. An influx of bloody fluid from the abdomen via the pore caused hemothorax. Laparotomy was performed, followed by closure of the pore using direct suture. The origin of the abdominal bleeding was pedicle torsion of the right ovarian tumor. Seven months after surgery she was uneventful with no pleural effusion.     

Changes in the distribution of laminin-5 during peri-implant epithelium formation after immediate titanium implantation in rats

Laminin-5 (Ln-5), a component of the basement membrane (BM), regulates epithelial cell migration and adhesion. This study used anti-Ln-5 (gamma2chain) antibody to investigate the distribution of Ln-5 during the formation of peri-implant epithelium (PIE) in rats, and compared it to the distribution of Ln-5 during oral mucosa formation after tooth extraction. One day after extraction, the junctional epithelium (JE) had disappeared. After 3 days, new epithelium formed from the oral sulcular epithelium (OSE) and extended horizontally over the wound with Ln-5-positive cells at the leading edge. After 5 days, the epithelium extending from the OSE on each side of the wound joined and formed additional new epithelium. The new epithelium expressed Ln-5 in the BM. After 1-2 weeks, the oral epithelium (OE) extending from the sides of the wound joined in the center. Thereafter, OSE and new epithelium disappeared, and only OE remained covering the wound. Three days after implantation (titanium), no JE remained. New epithelium formed from the keratinized OSE extending apically with Ln-5-positive cells. After 1-2 weeks, the new epithelium became the PIE and spread further apically facing the implant surface. Ln-5 was expressed at the PIE-connective tissue interface, but not at the implant-PIE interface. Finally, after 4 weeks, Ln-5 was expressed at the implant-PIE interface, and the PIE was non-keratinized epithelium. These findings suggest that Ln-5 induces cell migration during PIE formation, and that PIE originates from OSE. Furthermore, they support the hypothesis that Ln-5 contributes to the attachment of PIE to titanium, regardless of the delay in the synthesis and deposition of Ln-5 at the titanium-PIE interface.