Strengthening of feldspathic porcelain by ion exchange and tempering

This study investigated the effectiveness of tempering and ion-exchange treatments on crack growth and bi-axial flexural strength of seven feldspathic porcelains. The results showed that tempering treatment was more effective in strengthening porcelain than was the ion-exchange process as measured by the bi-axial flexural strength. However, the results of initial crack size induced by a microhardness tester showed that ion-exchange yielded a surface that was more resistant to crack initiation than was that yielded by the tempering treatment. EDX and microprobe analyses showed that there was evidence of exchange between Na+ within the porcelain surface and K+ from the ion-exchange agent applied on the surface.

Baseline fibrinolytic state and the risk of future venous thrombosis. A prospective study of endogenous tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor

BACKGROUND

Although isolated abnormalities of plasminogen activation and inhibition have been reported among selected patients with venous thrombosis, it is unclear whether these deficiencies of fibrinolysis are important risk factors for thromboembolic disease.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To evaluate whether baseline levels of endogenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) predict the future occurrence of venous thrombosis, levels of these proteins were measured in prospectively collected plasma samples from 55 participants in the Physicians' Health Study who later developed deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism and from an equal number of age- and smoking-matched control subjects who remained free of vascular disease during a mean follow-up period of 60.2 months. Overall, there were no statistically significant differences between case patients and control subjects in baseline levels of PAI-1 (50.5 versus 59.5 ng/ml, p = 0.26), t-PA (13.4 versus 13.3 ng/ml, p = 0.94), or PAI-1:t-PA ratio (6.84 versus 6.58, p = 0.82). No evidence of a threshold effect or trend was seen when these data were analyzed by increasing quartiles of PAI-1 (p = 0.73), t-PA (p = 0.62), or PAI-1:t-PA ratio (p = 0.93). These results were unchanged after multivariate analysis that simultaneously controlled for other baseline cardiovascular risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

In contrast to previous uncontrolled case series and smaller retrospective studies, these prospective data provide strong evidence that baseline fibrinolytic state, as measured by t-PA and PAI-1, does not predict the occurrence of future venous thrombosis.

Strengthening of porcelain by ion exchange subsequent to thermal tempering

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that high-leucite content feldspathic porcelain can be strengthened best by thermal tempering followed by ion exchange, compared with either thermal tempering or ion exchange alone. The results of biaxial flexure testing indicate that thermal tempering was the most effective way of strengthening the porcelain among the three methods tested. The combined procedure did not yield the greatest strengthening effect as hypothesized, but one that is only slightly stronger than that produced by ion exchange alone. Weibull analysis indicated that the ion-exchange treatment resulted in a narrower distribution of biaxial flexural strength compared with that of untreated or thermally tempered porcelain. The narrower distribution of biaxial flexural strength is considered desirable for enhancing the longevity of ceramic-based dental restorations.

Tumors of the heart. An analysis of 79 cases

There were 79 cases of cardiac tumors seen from 1957 to July 1988. 49 (62.0%) of them were benign and 30 (38.0%) malignant. All the 49 benign tumors except 2 were surgically excised and found to be myxoma. Of them, 18 patients were male and 31 female. 85.7% of the tumors were located in the left atrium, 12.2% in the right atrium and 2.0% in the left ventricle. Palpitation, dyspnea, chest oppression, fever, episodes of syncope and hemiplegia, cough, diastolic and systolic murmurs at the apical or tricuspid area were the common symptoms and signs. Atrial fibrillation was found only in 2 cases. Echocardiographic findings were diagnostic while ECG and X-ray findings were nonspecific. Four patients died after operation. Of the 30 cases of malignant tumors, 15 were secondary tumors metastasized mainly from the lung or mediastinal malignancies. Of 11 primary tumor cases (7 males and 4 females), 3 were malignant lymphoma, 2 mesothelioma of pericardium, 2 malignant myxoma, 1 angiosarcoma, 1 leiomyosarcoma, 1 fibrosarcoma and 1 rhabdomyosarcoma. Another 4 cases were not studied histopathologically. The clinical manifestations, ECG and X-ray findings of the 11 primary tumors were nonspecific but echocardiography was helpful to the diagnosis. Six patients were operated on and 1 died during hospitalization.

Effects of ammonium and lactate on hybridoma cell growth and metabolism

The effects of ammonium and lactate at different concentrations on the growth of 2F7 hybridoma cells, involving glucose consumption, lactate accumulation and cell viability, are investigated. The results suggest that growth inhibition occurs at 2.5 mM ammonium and 2.5 mg/ml lactate, and that severe inhibition occurs at 5 mM ammonium and 5.0 mg/ml lactate.

Analysis of ras gene mutations in gastrointestinal cancers

Point mutations of c-Ki-ras genes were analyzed in 33 samples of human gastrointestinal malignancy. DNA extracted from the frozen tissue was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed by direct sequencing and slot-blot hybridization at codons 12, 13 and 61 of c-Ki-ras. In 7 cases out of 19 colorectal cancers, point mutations were found: 3 cases at codon 12, 1 at codon 13, 2 at codon 61 of c-Ki-ras and one case had double mutations at codon 12 and codon 13. In 11 cases of gastric cancer, 4 showed point mutations: 1 at codon 12 and 3 at codon 13 of c-Ki-ras. In 3 pancreatic carcinomas, 2 had point mutations: one at codon 12 and the other at codon 13 of c-Ki-ras. The results indicate that c-Ki-ras gene point mutations are involved in the tumorigenesis of the human gastrointestinal system.

[A study of histamine receptors in peripheral lymphocytes in asthmatic subjects]

The identification and quantitative analysis of specific histamine H1 and H2 receptors on lymphocytes were acquired and histamine-induced suppressor cell activity was examined by using 3H-histamine radioligand-binding assay and co-culture technique. The quantitative analysis of H2 receptors decreased on the lymphocytes of extrinsic asthmatic subjects. Peripheral-lymphocytes from asthmatic subjects generated less histamine-induced suppressor activity than did those from normal individuals. In the asthmatics, the functional suppressor-cell abnormality positively correlated with the decreased quantity of H2 receptors on the lymphocytes.

New inhibitors of aldose reductase: anti-oximes of aromatic aldehydes

Aldose reductase is an NADPH-dependent enzyme which catalyzes the reduction of glucose to sorbitol. Specific potent inhibitors of aldose reductase are of potential pharmacological use because elevated levels of sorbitol produced by this enzyme in lens, peripheral nerve, retina, and renal glomeruli may be responsible for the pathogenesis associated with chronic diabetes. These inhibitors could also serve as probes of the mechanism of action of aldose reductase. anti-Oximes of aromatic aldehydes (e.g., benzaldoxime and 4-fluorobenzaldoxime) have proved to be effective inhibitors of aldose reductase rivaling pharmacological agents currently used to inhibit this enzyme in vivo. The kinetic patterns of inhibition in which benzyl alcohol is used as the oxidizable substrate suggest that the inhibition is due to the formation of a stable ternary complex composed of aldose reductase, NADP+, and the anti-oxime. Analogus ternary complexes are formed at the active site of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase which is also inhibited by anti-oximes of efficient substrates.

Influence of initial flaw size on crack growth in air-tempered porcelain

Tempering of dental porcelain by forced convective cooling in air has been shown previously to inhibit the sizes of cracks induced in porcelain surfaces. However, the depth of compressive stress that is produced by tempering of feldspathic porcelain has not been determined. It can be assumed that the potential of tempered specimens to inhibit crack formation is reduced as the flaw size exceeds some critical value, since the compressive stress decreases with distance from the surface. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the effectiveness of tempering stress in porcelain decreases with the increasing size of initial surface flaws. Body porcelain discs, 16 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, were tempered (T) by forced convective cooling in air from an initial temperature of 982 degrees C at a pressure of 0.34 MPa for 90 s. Nontempered control discs (NT) were slowly cooled by termination of power to the furnace. The half crack-lengths (c) of surface cracks induced by a Vickers microhardness indenter at loads ranging from 2.0 to 39.2 N were determined initially and over a period of 24 h. The initial half crack-lengths, co, for the tempered specimens were significantly smaller (p less than 0.05) than the corresponding values for the slow-cooled specimens. The mean value of the stress corrosion susceptibility coefficient (n), which is inversely related to the slope of log crack size vs. log time, was only slightly smaller for the NT specimen groups (15.3), compared with the mean value for the T groups (17.1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Prebiotic synthesis of histidyl-histidine

Histidyl-histidine (His-His) has been synthesized in a yield of up to 14.4% under plausible prebiotic conditions using histidine (His), cyanamide, and 4-amino-5-imidazole carboxamide. A trace amount of His trimer was also detected. Because the imidazole group of His is involved in a number of important enzymatic reactions, and His-His has been shown to catalyze the prebiotic synthesis of glycyl-glycine, we expect this work will stimulate further studies on the catalytic activities of simple His-containing peptides in prebiotic reactions.

Prebiotic synthesis of histidine

The prebiotic formation of histidine (His) has been accomplished experimentally by the reaction of erythrose with formamidine followed by a Strecker synthesis. In the first step of this reaction sequence, the formation of imidazole-4-acetaldehyde took place by the condensation of erythrose and formamidine, two compounds that are known to be formed under prebiotic conditions. In a second step, the imidazole-4-acetaldehyde was converted to His, without isolation of the reaction products by adding HCN and ammonia to the reaction mixture. LC, HPLC, thermospray liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and tandem mass spectrometry were used to identify the product, which was obtained in a yield of 3.5% based on the ratio of His/erythrose. This is a new chemical synthesis of one of the basic amino acids which had not been synthesized prebiotically until now.

The effect of glutaraldehyde base disinfectants on denture base resins

The effect of two alkaline glutaraldehyde base disinfectants on a heat-cured denture base resin was evaluated by the flexural strength, the repair flexural strength, and the surface morphology of the material that had been immersed up to 12 hours in the disinfecting solutions. The flexural strength of the material was not significantly affected by either disinfectant. The disinfectant with phenolic buffer caused surface pitting of the material after 10 minutes of immersion, and softening and swelling of the surface after 2 hours of immersion. No apparent surface change was observed with the regular alkaline formulation, however. Between the two repair resins, the autopolymerized resin yielded greater repair flexural strength than the light-cured repair resin. However, the repair flexural strength of autopolymerized resin seemed to be influenced by either disinfecting solution whereas the light-cured repair resin was not affected.

Prebiotic synthesis of imidazole-4-acetaldehyde and histidine

The prebiotic synthesis of imidazole-4-acetaldehyde and imidazole-4-glycol from erythrose and formamidine has been demonstrated as well as the prebiotic synthesis of imidazole-4-ethanol and imidazole-4-glycol from erythrose, formaldehyde and ammonia. The products were identified by TLC, HPLC, and LC-MS by comparison with authentic samples. The maximum yields of imidazole-4-acetaldehyde, imidazole-4-ethanol, and imidazole-4-glycol obtained in these reactions are 1.6, 5.4, 6.8% respectively, based on the erythrose. Imidazole-4-acetaldehyde would have been converted to histidine on the primitive earth by a Strecker synthesis, and several prebiotic reactions would convert imidazole-4-glycol and imidazole-4-ethanol to imidazole-4-acetaldehyde.

Assessment of microleakage of restorative materials by a diffusion model

The time-dependent microleakage behaviour of two types of restorative materials, a microfilled composite resin and a glass ionomer, was studied. A dentine bonding agent was also included. This study was based on a diffusion model of microleakage. It was found that the initial gap sizes of the restorations increased progressively for restorations microfilled with bonding agent, microfilled alone, and glass ionomers, in that order. Analysis of microleakage over some periods suggests that the gap size of the restorations by microfilled with bonding agent may increase with time, and that while restorations by glass ionomer and microfilled composite resin decrease in gap sizes with time, glass ionomer restorations show a faster rate of decrease.

Controlled release of fluoride in connection with dental composite resins

A delivery system of F- in connection with dental restorations was tested. The system utilized the gap space which often exists between the restorative material and the tooth structure. A known quantity of fluoride compound was placed at a site within prepared plastic cavity blocks prior to restoring with composite resins. It was found that each specimen exhibited a unique steady-state release of F- during a certain period of the experiment. The rate and duration of the steady-state release of fluoride were independent of the types of composites used. This phenomenon was explained in terms of the gap size which could have been influenced by the manipulation and the nature of the materials. The benefit of this delivery system in dental application is its ability to maintain a high concentration of F- within the gap.