Dynamic Nanoindentation and Short-Range Order in Equiatomic NiCoCr Medium-Entropy Alloy Lead to Novel Density Wave Ordering

Chemical short-range order is believed to be a key contributor to the exceptional properties of multicomponent alloys. However, its direct validation and confirmation has been highly elusive in most compounds. Recent studies for equiatomic NiCoCr alloys have shown that thermal treatments (i.e., annealing and aging) may facilitate and manipulate such ordering. In this work, by using molecular simulations, we show that nanomechanical probes, such as nanoindentation, may be utilized toward further manipulation of chemical short-range order, providing explicit validation pathways. By using well established interatomic potentials, we perform hybrid molecular-dynamics-Monte Carlo at room temperature to demonstrate that particular dwell nanoindentation protocols can lead, through thermal Monte Carlo equilibration, to local reorganization under the indenter tip, toward a density-wave stripe pattern. We characterize the novel density-wave structures, which are highly anisotropic and dependent on local, nanoindentation-induced stress concentrations, and we show how they deeply originate from intrinsic features of interelemental interactions. Furthermore, we show that these novel patterns consistently scale with the incipient plastic zone, under the indenter tip, justifying their observation at experimentally feasible nanoindentation depths.

Ultrathin Partial Ceramic Veneers in the Esthetic Zone with Tooth Whitening: A 5-year Case Report

OBJECTIVE

This case report describes a minimally invasive approach with tooth whitening and partial ceramic veneers in the esthetic zone with a 5-year follow-up.

CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The patient was initially concerned about the tooth color and previous direct resin composite restorations that chipped on the incisal edges of both maxillary central incisors. Tooth whitening and partial veneers for both central incisors were recommended after clinical evaluation. Two sessions of in-office tooth whitening, first with 35% hydrogen peroxide and later with 10% carbamide peroxide from first premolar to first premolar, were provided. Minimal tooth preparation that only removed the fractured composite restorations was performed followed by placement of feldspathic porcelain ultrathin partial ceramic veneers for both central incisors. We emphasize the benefits of minimal tooth preparation paired with partial ceramic veneers and the importance of masking discolored tooth structure with such thin veneers, including potential tooth whitening.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, we demonstrate a well-planned and executed restorative procedure combining tooth whitening and ultrathin partial ceramic veneers to achieve desired results in the esthetic zone that remained successful for five years.

Polychromatic Composite and Resin Infiltration Restorations in the Esthetic Zone: A Five-year Clinical Report

OBJECTIVE

This case report describes the use of a combination of a polychromatic resin composite restoration and resin infiltration to achieve a satisfactory esthetic outcome that has lasted over five years.

CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The patient's primary complaint was a desire to replace an existing stained resin composite on the facial and mesial surfaces of the maxillary left central incisor, and a white spot on the facial surface of the maxillary right central incisor. After clinical evaluation, the patient was offered either replacement of the restoration with a polychromatic restoration simulating a white spot, or a combined treatment with polychromatic composite and resin infiltration restorations, which was recommended. The patient selected the latter treatment. A putty matrix was fabricated, and a quick mock-up was done using various enamel and dentin shades of resin composite to determine proper material selection. The previous resin composite restoration was removed, and layers of new dentin, body, and enamel composite were placed. An interproximal matrix was used in order to provide ideal contour and contact. Finishing and polishing procedures were performed. The maxillary right central incisor was treated with resin infiltration in order to subdue the white spot on the facial surface.

CONCLUSIONS

Polychromatic resin composite and resin infiltration restorations to replace a stained restoration and mask a white spot can achieve desired results in the esthetic zone and maintain them for five years.

Emission Study and Pollution Haven Hypothesis in Economic Development of Developed Country

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Molecular Characterization of Iranian Patients with Inherited Coagulation Factor VII Deficiency

Coagulation factor VII (FVII) is a key enzyme of the extrinsic coagulation cascade that is predominantly produced by hepatocytes. The F7 gene mutations cause FVII deficiency with considerable molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity. We characterized the molecular alterations of the F7 gene and their corresponding mRNA transcripts in Iranian patients from eight unrelated families. The mutations were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequencing of all F7 gene exons, their flanking intronic sequences, as well as their corresponding cDNA fragments. Homozygous P303T, C91S and R304Q mutations were detected in patient 2, patient 5, and patient 6, respectively. Patient 7 was a compound heterozygote for S282R and H348R and patient 8 was a compound heterozygote for R304Q and IVS7+7A>G mutations. Furthermore, our investigation revealed three heterozygous individuals, patient 1 and patient 3 with the A244V mutation who were symptomatic and patient 4 with V(-39)I mutation who was also asymptomatic. The F7 mRNA expression analysis revealed that, except the transcript of V(-39)I, other mutation-harboring transcripts were expressed at detectable levels. In conclusion, this report reinforces the genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of FVII deficiency. The findings of the mRNA study implied that decreased FVII protein activity subsequent to missense mutations does not completely reflect the degradation of mutation-harboring mRNA.

Mapping of genome-wide copy number variations in the Iranian indigenous cattle using a dense SNP data set

The objective of this study was to present the first map of the copy number variations (CNVs) in Iranian indigenous cattle based on a high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset. A total of 90 individuals were genotyped using the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip containing 777 962 SNPs. The QuantiSNP algorithm was used to perform a genome-wide CNV detection across autosomal genome. After merging the overlapping CNV, a total of 221 CNV regions were identified encompassing 36.4 Mb or 1.44% of the bovine autosomal genome. The length of the CNV regions ranged from 3.5 to 2252.8 Kb with an average of 163.8 Kb. These regions included 147 loss (66.52%) and 74 gain (33.48%) events containing a total of 637 annotated Ensembl genes. Gene ontology analysis revealed that most of genes in the CNV regions were involved in environmental responses, disease susceptibility and immune system functions. Furthermore, 543 of these genes corresponded to the human orthologous genes, which involved in a wide range of biological functions. Altogether, 73% of the 221 CNV regions overlapped either completely or partially with those previously reported in other cattle studies. Moreover, novel CNV regions involved several quantitative trait loci (QTL)-related to adaptative traits of Iranian indigenous cattle. These results provided a basis to conduct future studies on association between CNV regions and phenotypic variations in the Iranian indigenous cattle.

Microbial xanthan gum production from alkali-pretreated rice straw

Microbial xanthan production yield from rice straw can be significantly improved by alkali-pretreatment.

Obesity as a risk factor for malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer

The dramatic increases in incidence of both obesity and many cancers including skin cancer emphasize the need to better understand the pathophysiology of both conditions and their connections. Melanoma is considered the fastest growing cancer and rates of non-melanoma skin cancer have also increased over the last decade. The molecular mechanisms underlying the association between obesity and skin cancer are not clearly understood but emerging evidence points to changes in the tumor microenvironment including aberrant cell signaling and genomic instability in the chronic inflammatory state many obese individuals experience. This article reviews the literature linking obesity to melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.

Effects of medium-chain fatty acids on performance, carcass characteristics, blood biochemical parameters and immune response in Japanese quail

This study had the aim of evaluating the effects of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) on performance, carcass characteristics, some blood parameters and antibody titre against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in quail. A total of 240 quail chicks were allotted to 4 treatments consisting of respectively 0, 1, 2 and 4 g/kg dietary MCFA. There were no significant differences in body weight, feed intake and feed conversion ratio among treatments at different stages of the experiment. MCFAs had no significant effect on breast, thigh, liver, spleen and bursa of Fabricius weight ratios. However, the relative weight of abdominal fat significantly decreased in quail receiving 0.2 and 0.4 MCFA as compared to other treatments. Concentrations of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides and total cholesterol were decreased and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was increased in quail chicks receiving MCFA compared with control quail chicks. The concentrations of SRBC antibody were not statistically different among treatments. It is concluded that MCFA significantly decreased LDL, triglycerides, cholesterol and abdominal fat and increased HDL in quail chicks.

Lipidemic responses of male broiler chickens to enzyme-supplemented wheat-soybean meal-based diets with various levels of metabolizable energy

Effects of 2 various levels of AME (according to the manual recommendation and 100 kcal kg(-1) less than it), 2 levels of endo-beta-D-mannanase enzyme (0, 1 g kg(-1)) and 2 levels of xylanase enzyme (0 and 1 g kg(-1)) on serum lipid parameters as a 2(3) factorial arrangement were tested in 120 male broiler chicks fed wheat-soybean meal-based diet. These birds were randomly assigned to 8 experimental groups with 3 pen per group and 5 birds per pen. The serum HDL-cholesterol (HDL), LDL-cholesterol (LDL), Total-cholesterol (TC) and Triglycerides (TG) concentrations were measured at 31 and 41 day of age. The concentrations of serum TG, TC and LDL of 41-day-old birds demonstrated to be lower than those of 31-d-old (p < 0.001). Some hypolipidemic responses were observed in the broiler chicks fed on (1) Diet supplemented with only beta-mannanase, (2) Normal-AME diets supplemented with p-mannanase, (3) Normal-AME diets supplemented with Xylanse and (4) Normal-AME diets supplemented with both beta-mannanase and Xylanase (p < 0.01). In the other hand, some hyperlipidemic responses were detected in the broiler chicks fed on low-AME diets supplemented with xylanse or beta-mannanase enzymes, alone or in combination (p < 0.01). Regardless of AME, adding both xylanse and beta-mannanase to the wheat-soybean meal-based diets have both hyperlipidemic and hypolipidemic effects together (p < 0.01).

Local anisotropy in globally isotropic granular packings

We report on two-dimensional computer simulations of frictionless granular packings at various area fractions φ above the jamming point φ(c). We measure the anisotropy in coarse-grained stress ε(s) and shear modulus ε(m) as functions of coarse-graining scale, R. ε(s) can be collapsed onto a master curve after rescaling R by a characteristic length scale ξ and ε(s) by an anisotropy magnitude A. Both A and ξ accelerate as φ→φ(c) from above, consistent with a divergence at φ(c). ε(m) shows no characteristic length scale and has a nontrivial power-law form, ε(m)~R(-0.62), over almost the entire range of R at all φ. These results suggest that the force chains present in the spatial structure of the quenched stress may be governed by different physics than the anomalous elastic response near jamming.

Acquired hemophilia A: clinical features, surgery and treatment of 34 cases, and experience of using recombinant factor VIIa

Acquired hemophilia A is rare, but life-threatening disorder caused by autoantibody against factor VIII. As it is useful to gather more data on epidemiology, clinical pictures and therapy of it, we evaluated relevant medical findings in 34 acquired hemophiliacs from Dec 1999 to Dec 2007. Eight patients (23.5%) had low titers (<10 Bethesda Unit BU) and 26 patients (76.5%) had high titers of inhibitors (>10 BU). The mean of inhibitors was 548.38 +/- 359.27 SD BU. The most common hemorrhagic symptoms were hematoma 21 (33.33%), ecchymosis 16 (25.39%), hemarthrosis 8 (12.69%), hematuria 6 (9.52%), menorrhagia 4 (6.34%), compartment syndrome 3 episodes (4.76%). The eliminator therapies were recruited according to titers of inhibitor and types of bleeding and it's results were 27 efficient treatments (79.4%), 5 partial efficient treatment (14.7%) and two treatments inefficient (5.9%). Elimination therapy using steroid alone or with combination can terminate complete remission in most cases.

Preparation and characterization of ibuprofen microspheres

Ibuprofen was microencapsulated with Eudragit RS using an o/w emulsion solvent evaporation technique. The effects of three formulation variables including the drug:polymer ratio, emulsifier (polyvinyl alcohol) concentration and organic solvent (chloroform) volume on the entrapment efficiency and microspheres size distribution were examined. The drug release rate from prepared microspheres and the release kinetics were also studied. The results demonstrated that microspheres with good range of particle size can be prepared, depending on the formulation components. The drug:polymer ratio had a considerable effect on the entrapment efficiency. However, particle size distribution of microspheres was more dependent on the volume of chloroform and polyvinyl alcohol concentration rather than the drug:polymer ratio. The drug release pattern showed a burst effect for all prepared microspheres due to the presence of uncovered drug crystals on the surface. It was shown that the release profiles of all formulations showed good correlation with the Higuchi model of release.

Spontaneous kidney allograft rupture

Spontaneous renal allograft rupture is one of the most dangerous complications of kidney transplantation, which can result in graft loss. This condition needs immediate surgical intervention. Conservative management has dismal results. Its prevalence varies from 0.3% to 3%. Rupture occurs in first few weeks after transplantation. Predisposing factors for graft rupture are acute rejection, acute tubular necrosis, and renal vein thrombosis. There are growing reports about successful results of repairing these ruptured kidneys. In this study, we reviewed the medical records of 1682 patients who received kidney allografts from living donors from 1986 through 2003. There were six (0.35%) cases of renal allograft rupture. All were preceded by acute graft rejection. They were treated with antirejection medications. In first three cases, the kidney allografts were removed because the procedure of choice in this situation is graft nephrectomy; but in three next cases we repaired the ruptured grafts with good results in two of them. In conclusion, the procedure of choice for kidney allograft rupture is graft repair.

Stem cell factor and interleukin-4 increase responsiveness of mast cells to substance P

The response of mast cells (MC) to non-IgE-mediated stimulation is critically dependent on the population of MC examined. The neuropeptide Substance P (SP) has been reported to activate connective tissue-type MC (CTMC), while mucosal MC (MMC) are not activated by SP. We examined the effect of stem cell factor (SCF) plus interleukin-4 (IL-4) on SP-initiated activation of bone marrow-derived MC (BMMC). Mouse MC, derived from a culture of BM cells with IL-3, were subsequently treated with recombinant SCF plus IL-4 for 6 days. Responsiveness to SP was monitored measuring beta-hexosaminidase and lipid mediator release. Histochemical staining, histamine analysis, and granule protease expression were achieved to characterize the cells. In contrast to IL-3 grown cells, SCF/IL-4-exposed cells showed functional responsiveness to release beta-hexosaminidase (42.25% +/- 1.46% at SP concentration of 100 microM) and produce leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)) (7.4 +/- 1.5 ng/10(6) cells)/prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)) (2.0 +/- 0.3 ng/10(6) cells) upon stimulation by SP. The increase in sensitivity of the cells to SP was not due to differentiation into CTMC, as the cells remained heparin negative. Both SCF and IL-4 were needed because SCF or IL-4 alone were insufficient to keep cells viable after 3 to 4 days post coculture. SP-induced secretion from BMMC cultured in medium containing SCF plus IL-4 (25.76% +/- 1.83%) was higher in comparison with cells cultured with SCF plus IL-3 (8.85% +/- 0.68%).These findings indicate that temporal changes in cytokine expression can influence the sensitivity of MC to non-immunologic stimuli. Local cytokine production leading to an increase in MC responsiveness to SP and inducing secretion of granule content and lipid generation may, therefore, propagate and worsen inflammatory conditions.

Protein kinase C and a calcium-independent phospholipase are required for IgG-mediated phagocytosis by Mono-Mac-6 cells

Mono-Mac-6 (MM6) human monocytes ingest IgG-opsonized particles better than other human cell lines. We compared the phagocytic signaling pathway in MM6 with human monocytes. MM6 expressed FcgammaRI at levels similar to monocytes, whereas FcRgammaII expression was approximately double. MM6 ingested IgG-opsonized erythrocytes (EIgG) in a calcium-independent manner. Incubation of MM6 with bromoenol lactone, an inhibitor of the phagocytic phospholipase (pPL), coordinately decreased phagocytosis and pPL activity. This inhibition was overcome by exogenous arachidonic acid, suggesting that phagocytosis requires pPL activation and arachidonic acid release. MM6 phagocytosis was inhibited with staurosporine and activated with diacylglycerol, supporting a role for protein kinase C (PKC) in this process. The pPL activators mastoparan and melittin restored phagocytosis to PKC-inhibited cells, suggesting that pPL lies downstream from PKC. These results suggest that the MM6 signal transduction pathway for IgG-mediated phagocytosis is similar to that of monocytes (PKC-->pPL-->arachidonic acid-->phagocytosis). The results are discussed in the context of the finding that MM6 exhibit low phagocytosis relative to monocytes and thus may represent an attractive cell line for molecular manipulation in "recovery of function" studies.

The impact of current alternative herbal remedies on dental patient management

With the recent boom in holistic and herbal medicine and an ever-growing trend among the general population to refer to herbal remedies as an alternative to traditional pharmaceutical therapies, dental health care providers must be aware of the wide consumption of such products and understand their nature. It becomes imperative, therefore, to include questions regarding the use of herbal preparations as a matter of routine in the patient's drug history, since this may impact a safe dental patient care delivery.

Stem cell factor and interleukin-4 induce murine bone marrow cells to develop into mast cells with connective tissue type characteristics in vitro

In this study, we have developed a method to obtain mast cells with connective tissue type mast cell (CTMC) characteristics directly from mouse bone marrow (BM) cells. BM cells were grown for 3 weeks in presence of interleukin-4 (IL-4) plus stem cell factor (SCF). SCF alone poorly supported growth and development of mast cells. IL-4 dose-dependently enhanced the expression of c-kit and high-affinity receptor for IgE (Fc(epsilon)RI) on the cell surface of SCF-cultured BM cells. Furthermore, cytoplasmic granulation and histamine synthesis of BM-derived mast cells were increased in presence of IL-4 and SCF. Histochemical staining demonstrated that granules were safranin positive. BM-derived mast cells could be activated for granule exocytosis (beta-hexosaminidase release) and lipid mediator generation (LTC4 production) via Fc(epsilon)RI after sensitization with IgE and subsequent crosslinking with multivalent antigen. In addition, mast cells derived from BM cells cultured with SCF plus IL-4 could be activated by substance P, a nonimmunologic stimulus, to release beta-hexosaminidase. The results presented indicate that IL-4 and SCF both have a prominent role in the development of mast cells from murine BM cells in vitro. Mast cells can directly be derived from BM cells in presence of SCF and IL-4 and the cultured cells show typical hallmarks of CTMC, indicating that precursor cells for CTMC may be present in BM. The described culture procedure may be useful to investigate the molecular aspects of the development of committed mast cell lineages.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase is activated during IgG-mediated phagocytosis, but is not required for target ingestion

Arachidonic acid (AA) release is required for IgG-mediated phagocytosis in human monocytes. AA release is mediated by a calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (PPL) that is in turn regulated by protein kinase C (PKC). As mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activates cytosolic phospholipase A2, we examined the activation and involvement of MAPK in IgG-mediated phagocytosis. MAPK activity was assessed in immunoprecipitates; tyrosine phosphorylation was detected by immunoblotting. Ingestion of IgG-opsonized glass beads, or treatment with phorbol myristate acetate, increased enzymatic activity and tyrosine phosphorylation of p42 MAPK. This MAPK activation was attenuated by PKC inhibitors staurosporine or calphostin C. Treatment with PD98059, a p42/p44 MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitor, decreased BIgG-stimulated p42 MAPK activity by > 90% with no significant effect on phagocytosis or pPL activity. These results suggest that p42 MAPK is activated in a PKC-dependent manner during IgG-dependent phagocytosis but is not required for target ingestion.

Renal amyloidosis in cattle: a case report in Iran

Renal amyloidosis is a rare condition in cattle and this report is the first in Iran. A 5-year old Holstein cow was referred because of profuse diarrhoea, ventral oedema and decreased appetite. Physical examination revealed a well audible ping area on the upper half of the right paralumbar fossa. At rectal examination, a large firm and circular shaped kidney was palpated. Laboratory examination revealed hypoproteinaemia and severe proteinuria. At necropsy, the kidneys were enlarged, yellow and waxy. Amyloid deposits were found in glomeruli by microscopic examination of the kidneys, and with Congo red staining renal amyloidosis was confirmed.

Protein kinase C activation precedes arachidonic acid release during IgG-mediated phagocytosis

Previous studies demonstrated that both protein kinase C (PKC) and arachidonic acid (AA) are required for IgG-mediated phagocytosis by human monocytes. We have characterized a calcium-independent "phagocytic" phospholipase A2 (designated pPL) that mediates arachidonic acid release. The present studies were designed to order PKC and pPL in the phagocytic signaling pathway. The PKC inhibitors staurosporine and calphostin C caused a coordinated decrease in phagocytosis of IgG-opsonized erythrocytes and arachidonic acid release. The PLA2 activators mastoparan and melittin restored phagocytosis to PKC-inhibited cells, but were ineffective in monocytes pretreated with the pPL inhibitor bromoenol lactone. Similarly, PKC activation with PMA and diacylglycerol enhanced phagocytosis in the absence, but not in the presence, of bromoenol lactone. These results indicate that pPL may be regulated by an upstream phosphorylation event. Thus, we examined the effects of Ab-opsonized glass bead ingestion, okadaic acid-mediated inhibition of phosphatases, and PMA treatment on the activity of pPL and on its distribution between the cytosolic and membrane-associated compartments. IgG-opsonized erythrocytes and okadaic acid caused an overall increase in pPL activity, with a twofold increase in membrane-associated pPL. PMA treatment caused a 1.8-fold increase in membrane-associated pPL activity. Okadaic acid and PMA mimic IgG-opsonized erythrocytes with respect to membrane activation of pPL, suggesting that pPL activity may be regulated by PKC. Collectively, these results indicate that pPL activity is modulated by PKC during IgG-mediated phagocytosis, and that the PKC requirement can be bypassed by direct activation of pPL.

Protein kinase C activation precedes arachidonic acid release during IgG-mediated phagocytosis

Previous studies demonstrated that both protein kinase C (PKC) and arachidonic acid (AA) are required for IgG-mediated phagocytosis by human monocytes. We have characterized a calcium-independent "phagocytic" phospholipase A2 (designated pPL) that mediates arachidonic acid release. The present studies were designed to order PKC and pPL in the phagocytic signaling pathway. The PKC inhibitors staurosporine and calphostin C caused a coordinated decrease in phagocytosis of IgG-opsonized erythrocytes and arachidonic acid release. The PLA2 activators mastoparan and melittin restored phagocytosis to PKC-inhibited cells, but were ineffective in monocytes pretreated with the pPL inhibitor bromoenol lactone. Similarly, PKC activation with PMA and diacylglycerol enhanced phagocytosis in the absence, but not in the presence, of bromoenol lactone. These results indicate that pPL may be regulated by an upstream phosphorylation event. Thus, we examined the effects of Ab-opsonized glass bead ingestion, okadaic acid-mediated inhibition of phosphatases, and PMA treatment on the activity of pPL and on its distribution between the cytosolic and membrane-associated compartments. IgG-opsonized erythrocytes and okadaic acid caused an overall increase in pPL activity, with a twofold increase in membrane-associated pPL. PMA treatment caused a 1.8-fold increase in membrane-associated pPL activity. Okadaic acid and PMA mimic IgG-opsonized erythrocytes with respect to membrane activation of pPL, suggesting that pPL activity may be regulated by PKC. Collectively, these results indicate that pPL activity is modulated by PKC during IgG-mediated phagocytosis, and that the PKC requirement can be bypassed by direct activation of pPL.