Shear bond strength of orthodontic tubes bonded directly with composite resin reinforcement on the enamel surface

To evaluate the shear bond strength and the fracture type of orthodontic tubes bonded directly with composite resin throughout the enamel surface. 30 bovine teeth were cut into 3 slices with 5 mm each and embedded in PVC pipes with acrylic resin exposing the buccal face. Subsequently, the teeth were submitted to conventional bonding techniques. Natural Ortho resin was applied for direct bonding of Edgewise Standard orthodontic tubes (Morelli®) and light-cured for 20s. A different viscosity resin was chosen and light-cured for 40s to reinforce the tube surface. The samples were divided into the following groups: Orthodontic tube with direct bonding without reinforcement (CONTROL), Tube with Natural Ortho resin + Reinforcement (NO + NO), Tube with Natural Ortho resin + Reinforcement with Flow resin (NO + FL). These were submitted to shear bond strength; immediate and 1-year aging fracture analysis after simulated through thermocycling. In the shear bond strength test, the group of orthodontic tubes that were directly bonded with Natural Ortho resin and reinforced (NO + NO) showed greater strength results after 24 hours and 1 year with values of (p=0.0225) and (p=0.0273). It was statistically differentto the NO + FL and CONTROL reinforced groups. In the fracture analysis, the NO +NO group was classified immediately as composite cohesive, and mixed failure after aging by thermocycling. The addition of a composite resin layer on the surface of the directly bonded orthodontic tube improved bond strength. The reinforcement must be carried out in regular consistency and the use of Flow resin is not indicated.

Controlled self-assembly of chemical gardens enables fabrication of heterogeneous chemobrionic materials

Chemical gardens are an example of a chemobrionic system that typically result in abiotic macro-, micro- and nano- material architectures, with formation driven by complex out-of-equilibrium reaction mechanisms. From a technological perspective, controlling chemobrionic processes may hold great promise for the creation of novel, compositionally diverse and ultimately, useful materials and devices. In this work, we engineer an innovative custom-built liquid exchange unit that enables us to control the formation of tubular chemical garden structures grown from the interface between calcium loaded hydrogel and phosphate solution. We show that systematic displacement of phosphate solution with water (H2O) can halt self-assembly, precisely control tube height and purify structures in situ. Furthermore, we demonstrate the fabrication of a heterogeneous chemobrionic composite material composed of aligned, high-aspect ratio calcium phosphate channels running through an otherwise dense matrix of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA). Given that the principles we derive can be broadly applied to potentially control various chemobrionic systems, this work paves the way for fabricating multifunctional materials that may hold great potential in a variety of application areas, such as regenerative medicine, catalysis and microfluidics.

Novel Method in Performing PTH Washout for Localizing Parathyroid Adenoma: Case Report & an Institute Experience in Qatar

Introduction: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common cause of hypercalcemia and mostly caused by benign solitary benign adenoma (80 to 85 %). Definite treatment is the surgical removal. The most commonly used diagnostic modalities are Sestamibi scan and neck ultrasound (US) which can be inconclusive in some cases. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) washout obtained with ultrasound guided FNA may be useful to accurately localize the adenoma. In our study we describe a novel method for PTH washout. Methods: First, blood samples are drawn from the patient’s peripheral vein and placed in two yellow top tubes (3 ml of blood in each tube). 1 ml of normal saline (NS) will be add to Tube # 1 (Control tube). The suspected parathyroid lesion aspirate is obtained via US guided FNA. It is washed in 1 ml of NS and added to tube #2 (PTH washout tube). Both tubes are sent to our local laboratory for PTH assay. The ratio of PTH in PTH washout tube to control tube (PTH W/C ratio) is calculated and considered positive if more than 2. Results: Total 16 patients (12 females and 4 males) underwent the PTH washout procedure. All patients had PHPT. Out of 16 patients, 13 had inconclusive Sestamibi scan while 3 patients didn’t have the scan due to pregnancy. PTH W/C ratio was positive in 13 patients (ruled in) and negative (ruled out) in 3 patients. All patients underwent parathyroid surgery. The operative findings and pathology report were consistent with PTH W/C ratio findings. i.e. parathyroid hypercellularity was found in all the 13 patients ruled in by PTH W/C ratio. Post-surgery, biochemical parameters normalized in all. Conclusion: PTH washout is an important tool in localizing parathyroid lesion in PHPT when Sestamibi scan cannot be done or if it is inconclusive. PTH W/C ratio can be performed with our novel method to accurately localize the PTH lesion and improve surgical outcome.

Effectivity of Cacao Rind Ethanol Extract in Inhibiting Streptococcus Pyogenes Growth In Vitro

Introduction: Infectious disease is still a common cause of illness and death in developing countries, such as Indonesia. One of the bacteria that causes infectious disease is Streptococcus pyogenes. Cacao fruit is a large commodity in Indonesia and has benefit for human. Cacao’s rind is known to contain several active compounds such as flavonoid and alkaloid that have antibacterial effect that can inhibit Streptococcus pyogenes growth. This research aims to evaluate the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of cacao rind ethanol extract in inhibiting Streptococcus pyogenes growth in vitro. Methods: This research was a laboratory experimental study, testing antibacterial activity of cacao’s rind ethanol extract in inhibiting growth of bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes using dilution method in vitro to know the MIC and MBC result. Sample of bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes was obtained from Balai Besar Laboratorium, Surabaya. Sample of cacao’s rind ethanol extract was extracted at Balai Materia Medica, Batu. Results: At the beginning this experiment was done to find the MIC and MBC of cacao’s rind ethanol extract against the growth of bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes, but the researcher can only find the MBC result, because the extract color is very dark, so the turbidity result of tubes P1 – P7 cannot be compared to control tube. From the results, the researcher draws a table showing how turbid and dark those tubes are. More (+) signs means more turbid or darker the tube is. From dilution test, the MBC of cacao’s rind ethanol extract against the growth of bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes is 12.5%. Conclusion: Cacao’s rind (Theobroma cacao L.) was quite effective in increasing the growth of bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes in vitro, the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) is 12.5%

Evaluation of Standard E TB-Feron Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Diagnosis of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Health Care Workers

ABSTRACT The laboratory diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is mainly performed with interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs). We compared the performance of a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based IGRA, the Standard E TB-Feron ELISA (TBF; SD Biosensor, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea), with that of a widely used assay, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT-GIT; Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), in a population of 425 health care workers (HCWs). All HCWs were screened by both assays per the manufacturers’ protocols and in a cross-manner, where tube sets from one assay were used with the alternative ELISA. The results were compared both qualitatively and quantitatively. TBF and QFT-GIT identified 11.3% (48/425) and 12.9% (55/425) of the positive samples, respectively. TBF demonstrated 81.6% positive and 97.4% negative percent agreement with QFT-GIT, with a Cohen’s kappa value of 0.78 (strong agreement). Discordant results were detected in 20 subjects (4.3%): 13 samples (65.0%) were TBF negative and QFT-GIT positive, 6 samples (30.0%) were TBF positive and QFT-GIT negative, and 1 sample provided TBF and QFT-GIT indeterminate/negative results. We observed a statistically significant degree of correlation between the interferon gamma reactivity between the two assays (Spearman’s rho [rs] value = 0.551, P < 0.01) and between standard assays and cross-manner tests (rs value range, 0.449 to 0.816; P < 0.01 for all combinations). Cross-manner tests also revealed that the ELISA kit of TBF provided higher values for the tube containing the tuberculosis (TB) antigen and the negative-control tube than the ELISA of QFT-GIT under the same conditions (P < 0.01), although these differences disappeared when the value for the negative-control tube was subtracted from that for the TB antigen tube. TBF showed a comparable and acceptable clinical performance in detecting LTBI compared to QFT-GIT. TBF represents a useful alternative tool as an ELISA-based IGRA, especially for large-scale screening for LTBI in HCWs.