Influence of Material and Surface Roughness of Resin Composite Cements on Fibroblast Behavior

Clinical Relevance A well-polished cement surface increases the viability and spreading of gingival fibroblasts. The tested resin composite cements did not reveal any cytotoxic effects. SUMMARY Objective: This in vitro study aimed to investigate the effect of cement type and roughness on the viability and cell morphology of human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1). Methods and Materials: Discs of three adhesive (Panavia V5 [PV5], Multilink Automix [MLA], RelyX Ultimate [RUL] and three self-adhesive (Panavia SA plus [PSA], SpeedCem plus [SCP], RelyX Unicem [RUN]) resin composite cements were prepared with three different roughnesses using silica paper grit P180, P400, or P2500. The cement specimens were characterized by surface roughness and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic mapping. A viability assay was performed after 24 hours of incubation of HGF-1 cells on cement specimens. Cell morphology was examined with scanning electron microscopy. Results: The roughness of the specimens did not differ significantly among the different resin composite cements. Mean Ra values for the three surface treatments were 1.62 ± 0.34 μm for P180, 0.79 ± 0.20 μm for P400, and 0.17 ± 0.08 μm for P2500. HGF-1 viability was significantly influenced by the cement material and the specimens’ roughness, with the highest viability for PSA ≥ RUN = MLA ≥ SCP = PV5 > RUL (p<0.05) and for P2500 = P400 > P180 (p<0.001). Cell morphology did not vary among the materials but was affected by the surface roughness. Conclusion: The composition of resin composite cements significantly affects the cell viability of HGF-1. Smooth resin composite cement surfaces with an Ra of 0.2–0.8 μm accelerate flat cell spreading and formation of filopodia.

Stationary fluid convection modes with a Gaussian viscosity dependence of temterature

The results of a numerical modeling of thermo-gravitational convection of abnormally thermo-viscous fluid in a closed square cavity with two vertical adiabatic walls and two horizontal isothermal walls are presented. A model Newtonian liquid for which the dependence of viscosity on temperature is described by a bell function (Gaussian curve) is considered. The natural convection of inhomogeneous liquid is described by the closed mathematical model based on the continuous mechanics equations written in Oberbeck-Boussinesq approximation, where the fluid density is a linear function of temperature. To simulate the fluid flow dynamics, the modified computer code based on the implicit finite volume method and SIMPLE-type algorithm with the second-order temporal accuracy is realized using multiprocessor technology. The effect of the viscosity abnormality on stationary modes of convective flows are studied, the integral heat transfer coefficients in a flat cell are calculated.

Leaf structural adaptations of two Limonium miller (Plumbaginales, Plumbaginaceae) taxa

Limonium gmelinii (Willd.) O. Kuntze 1891 subsp. hungaricum (Klokov) So? is Pannonian endemic subspecies that inhabits continental halobiomes, while Limonium anfractum (Salmon) Salmon 1924 is one of the indicators of halophyte vegetation of marine rocks and its distribution is restricted to the southern parts of Mediterranean Sea coast. In this work, micromorphological and anatomical characters of leaves of these two Limonium taxa were analyzed, in order to examine their adaptations to specific environmental conditions on saline habitats. The results showed that both taxa exhibited strong xeromorphic adaptations that reflected in flat cell walls of epidermal cells, thick cuticle, high palisade/spongy tissue ratio, high index of palisade cells, the presence of sclereid idioblasts in leaf mesophyll and mechanical tissue by phloem and xylem. Both taxa are crynohalophytes and have salt glands on adaxial and abaxial epidermis for excretion of surplus salt. Relatively high dimensions of mesophyll cells, absence of non-glandular hairs and unprotected stomata slightly increased above the level of epidermal cells, are also adaptations to increased salinity.

Measurements of Zeta Potential of Poly(Tetrafluoroethylene) Foils

Zeta potential (ZP) of poly-tetrafluoroethylen (PTFE) and polyamide 6 (PA 6) foils was measured using the streaming potential method. All measurements were carried out in a flat cell where PTFE foils are usually used in electrokinetic measurements as a part of the measuring device, to form the channel and to achieve a proper distance between the foils surface of measured samples. The primary interest of the present work was to investigate the influence of pretreatment of PTFE foils on their electrokinetic properties in order to find out to what extent such pretreatment may affect measuring results of other samples and to develop a procedure of PTFE foils preparation with purpose to achieve the same initial conditions for all measurements.