The effects of different adhesive agents on the shear bond strength of a self-adhesive resin cement

Purpose: To compare the clinical success of a self-adhesive resin cement used in combination with different adhesive bonding systems with that of a conventional dual-cure resin cement. Methods: The study was performed with 136 freshly extracted molars embedded in acrylic resin blocks and 136 IPS e.max Press discs. Teeth and discs were randomly divided into four equal groups and cemented together using either RelyX ARC (ARC), RelyX Unicem (Unicem), RelyX Unicem+Adper-Prompt L-pop (L-pop), or RelyX and Unicem+Total-etch (Total-etch). Shear bond strength measurements were obtained before and after thermocycling. Following bond testing, the surfaces of one sample per subgroup (thermocycled and non-thermocycled), were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: Among the non-thermocylced subgroups, ARC exhibited the highest bond strength values, followed by Total Etch, Unicem and L-pop. ARC also exhibited the highest bond strength values among the thermocycled subgroups, followed by Unicem, Total-etch, and L-pop. SEM analysis clearly revealed the negative effects of thermo-cycling on the mechanical properties of adhesive agents. Conclusions: RelyX Unicem may be preferable in many cases because of its simplified application and reduced technique-sensitivity.     

Increased Expressions of ADAMTS-13, Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase,and Neurofilament Correlate with Severity of Neuropathology in Border Disease Virus-Infected Small Ruminants

Border Disease (BD), caused by Pestivirus from the family Flaviviridae, leads to serious reproductive losses and brain anomalies such as hydranencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia in aborted fetuses and neonatal lambs. In this report it is aimed to investigate the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease with Thrombospondin type I repeats-13 (ADAMTS-13), and neurofilament (NF) in the brain tissue in small ruminants infected with Border Disease Virus (BDV) and to identify any correlation between hypomyelinogenesis and BD neuropathology. Results of the study revealed that the levels of ADAMTS-13 (p<0.05), nNOS (p<0.05), and NF (p<0.05) were remarkably higher in BDV-infected brain tissue than in the uninfected control. It was suggested that L-arginine-NO synthase pathway is activated after infection by BDV and that the expression of NF and nNOS is associated with the severity of BD. A few studies have focused on ADAMTS-13 expression in the central nervous system, and its function continues to remain unclear. The most prominent finding from our study was that ADAMTS-13, which contain two CUB domains, has two CUB domains and its high expression levels are probably associated with the development of the central nervous system (CNS). The results also clearly indicate that the interaction of ADAMTS-13 and NO may play an important role in the regulation and protection of the CNS microenvironment in neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, NF expression might indicate the progress of the disease. To the best of the authors’knowledge, this is the first report on ADAMTS-13 expression in the CNS of BDV-infected small ruminants.     

Clastogenicity of selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors

OBJECTIVE: Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used in the treatment of various forms of psychiatric disorders. Preclinical studies in laboratory animals have indicated that SSRIs were not genotoxic, but clear results from in vitro testing of SSRIs in a human cell system are currently scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether SSRIs might be genotoxic. Sertraline was chosen as model SSRI, since it appears to be at least as well-tolerated as other SSRIs and may even have a more favourable side-effect profile. Unlike fluoxetine, fluvoxamine and paroxetine, sertraline has low potential for pharmacokinetic drug interactions. So, sertraline would be considered first in the treatment of psychiatric disorders requiring SSRI therapy in the future. We therefore examined peripheral lymphocytes from sertraline-treated patients for both sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), cells with a high frequency of SCEs (HFC) and chromosome aberrations (CA) to evaluate the clastogenicity of SSRIs. METHOD: Ten sertraline-treated patients meeting 'Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV' criteria for both generalized anxiety disorder and major depression were compared with 18 healthy volunteers and 18 non-treated patients with similar psychopathology. Sertraline hydrochloride was administered orally at 50 mg daily for 10 months to 1 year. The participants were selected on the basis of similar responses to a questionnaire assessing risk of genotoxicity related to other aspects of life. All participants had very similar lifestyles, medical histories, biological and dietary factors. All subjects were non-smokers. RESULT: A statistically significant difference between patients with both generalized anxiety disorder and major depression (sertraline-treated or non-treated) and healthy volunteer groups was found by both SCE frequencies and HFC percentages. Both patient groups showed higher frequencies of SCEs than the healthy controls. No statistically significant difference was found between SCE frequencies or HFC percentages observed in sertraline-treated and non-treated patient groups. No statistical difference was found between groups with respect to the frequency of CA. CONCLUSION: There are no adequate studies analysing the clastogenicity of SSRIs, in particular of sertraline. The SCE frequency, the percentage HFC and the frequency of CA in patients with both generalized anxiety disorder and major depression exposed to daily doses of sertraline do not indicate a possible clastogenic hazard. The increased SCE frequencies in patients with both generalized anxiety disorder and major depression in our study-irrespective of sertraline treatment-indicate a possible genotoxic effect. However, our observations were based on a limited number of patients; the results may be explained by psychogenic stress.     

Ethanol-induced face-brain dysmorphology patterns are correlative and exposure-stage dependent

Prenatal ethanol exposure is the leading preventable cause of congenital mental disability. Whereas a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) requires identification of a specific pattern of craniofacial dysmorphology, most individuals with behavioral and neurological sequelae of heavy prenatal ethanol exposure do not exhibit these defining facial characteristics. Here, a novel integration of MRI and dense surface modeling-based shape analysis was applied to characterize concurrent face-brain phenotypes in C57Bl/6J fetuses exposed to ethanol on gestational day (GD)7 or GD8.5. The facial phenotype resulting from ethanol exposure depended upon stage of insult and was predictive of unique patterns of corresponding brain abnormalities. Ethanol exposure on GD7 produced a constellation of dysmorphic facial features characteristic of human FAS, including severe midfacial hypoplasia, shortening of the palpebral fissures, an elongated upper lip, and deficient philtrum. In contrast, ethanol exposure on GD8.5 caused mild midfacial hypoplasia and palpebral fissure shortening, a shortened upper lip, and a preserved philtrum. These distinct, stage-specific facial phenotypes were associated with unique volumetric and shape abnormalities of the septal region, pituitary, and olfactory bulbs. By demonstrating that early prenatal ethanol exposure can cause more than one temporally-specific pattern of defects, these findings illustrate the need for an expansion of current diagnostic criteria to better capture the full range of facial and brain dysmorphology in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.     

Symptoms of Turkish Patients with Depression in Ankara and Berlin

Numerous studies have investigated the potential impact of migration on psychiatric morbidity levels. Relatively little research has studied how the symptom profiles of patients with similar disorders and similar backgrounds are linked to the culture in which they live. Such research requires comparisons of immigrant patient samples with samples of patient who remain in their country of origin. In this study we compared symptoms in Turkish patients with depression living in Ankara, Turkey, and Berlin, Germany. To understand symptoms of patients with depression, not only the culture of origin but also the cultural context in which patients have been living needs to be considered as an important factor. The new culture can be associated with distinct, and not necessarily more serious, symptom profiles.     

Vibration parameters affecting vibration-induced reflex muscle activity

Purpose: To determine vibration parameters affecting the amplitude of the reflex activity of soleus muscle during low-amplitude whole-body vibration (WBV).

Materials and methods: This study was conducted on 19 participants. Vibration frequencies of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50?Hz were used. Surface electromyography, collision force between vibration platform and participant’s heel measured using a force sensor, and acceleration measured using an accelerometer fixed to the vibration platform were simultaneously recorded.

Results: The collision force was the main independent predictor of electromyographic amplitude.

Conclusion: The essential parameter of vibration affecting the amplitude of the reflex muscle activity is the collision force.     

Phenotype frequencies of autosomal minor histocompatibility antigens display significant differences among populations

Minor histocompatibility (H) antigens are allogeneic target molecules having significant roles in alloimmune responses after human leukocyte antigen–matched solid organ and stem cell transplantation (SCT). Minor H antigens are instrumental in the processes of transplant rejection, graft-versus-host disease, and in the curative graft-versus-tumor effect of SCT. The latter characteristic enabled the current application of selected minor H antigens in clinical immunotherapeutic SCT protocols. No information exists on the global phenotypic distribution of the currently identified minor H antigens. Therefore, an estimation of their overall impact in human leukocyte antigen–matched solid organ and SCT in the major ethnic populations is still lacking. For the first time, a worldwide phenotype frequency analysis of ten autosomal minor H antigens was executed by 31 laboratories and comprised 2,685 randomly selected individuals from six major ethnic populations. Significant differences in minor H antigen frequencies were observed between the ethnic populations, some of which appeared to be geographically correlated.     

The relationship between serum cytokine levels with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) may have a direct effect on glucose and lipid metabolism. On the other hand, it is known that IL-6 and TNF-alpha are important pro-inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The goal of present study was to test whether sleep apnea contributes to the previously reported increases of IL-6 and TNF-alpha independent of obesity. Forty-three obese (body mass index, BMI>27 kg/m2) men with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) (apnea-hypopnea index, AHI> or =5) and age- and BMI-matched 22 obese nonapneic male controls (AHI<5) were enrolled in this study. To confirm the diagnosis, all patients underwent standard polysomnography in the sleep disorders center. Serum samples were taken at 08:00 h in the morning after overnight fasting. Serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were found significantly higher in OSAS patients than in controls (p=0.002, p=0.03). Serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were significantly correlated with AHI in OSAS patients (r=0.03, p=0.046 and r=0.36, p=0.016). There was no significant correlation between serum IL-6, TNF-alpha levels and AHI in controls. Serum IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were not correlated with BMI both in OSAS patients and controls. In conclusion, circulating IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels in patients with OSAS, as independent of BMI are significantly higher than levels in controls and there is a positive relationship between previously mentioned cytokines' levels and the severity of OSAS. According to these results, the link between cardiovascular morbidity and OSAS may be explained by the coexistence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as circulating IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels.     

Association Between the Interferon Gamma 874 T/A Polymorphism and the Severity of Valvular Damage in Patients with Rheumatic Heart Disease

Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays an important role in modulating almost all phases of the immune response and may be responsible for the increased valvular fibrosis and calcification in the pathogenesis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between the IFN-γ +874 T/A polymorphism and the severity of valvular damage in the Turkish population. The IFN-γ genotypes were determined in 152 RHD patients and 151 healthy controls by ARMS-PCR. Differences in genotype distribution between patients with RHD and control were evaluated by the χ² test. All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 15.0 Software program. Frequency of the AA genotype was found to be significantly lower and the TT genotype significantly higher in the RHD group compared to controls (p = 0.002 and p = 0.018, respectively). The TT genotype was found to be significantly higher (26.8% vs. 9.1%, p = 0.009) and the AA genotype significantly lower (29.1% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.001) in the severe valvular disease (SVD) group compared to mild valvular disease group. In the SVD group, 79 patients had mitral balloon valvotomy and/or mitral valve replacement and had significantly higher TT genotype compared to patients with medical follow-up (30.4% vs. 19%, p = 0.001). The data demonstrated that TT genotype is associated with both RHD and the severity of RHD.     

Fueling Plankton Production by a Meandering Frontal Jet: A Case Study for the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean)

A three dimensional biophysical model was employed to illustrate the biological impacts of a meandering frontal jet, in terms of efficiency and persistency of the autotrophic frontal production, in marginal and semi-enclosed seas. We used the Alboran Sea of the Western Mediterranean as a case study. Here, a frontal jet with a width of 15–20 km, characterized by the relatively low density Atlantic water mass, flows eastward within the upper 100 m as a marked meandering current around the western and the eastern anticyclonic gyres prior to its attachment to the North African shelf/slope topography of the Algerian basin. Its inherent nonlinearity leads to the development of a strong ageostrophic cross-frontal circulation that supplies nutrients into the nutrient-starved euphotic layer and stimulates phytoplankton growth along the jet. Biological production is larger in the western part of the basin and decreases eastwards with the gradual weakening of the jet. The higher production at the subsurface levels suggests that the Alboran Sea is likely more productive than predicted by the satellite chlorophyll data. The Mediterranean water mass away from the jet and the interiors of the western and eastern anticyclonic gyres remain unproductive.