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Orthodontists use a self-etching adhesive system when attaching brackets, to enamel. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the erosion effects of common clinically used adhesive systems on human enamel surfaces by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Four commercially available adhesive systems (i.e., Kurasper F, Beauty Ortho Bond, Orthophic LC, and Transbond XT) were applied to ground enamel surfaces of extracted human teeth. Enamel surface roughness (ESR), absolute depth profile (ADP), and surface hardness were evaluated by AFM. The ESR and ADP were significantly higher after the pretreatment with the phosphoric acid-etching adhesive system than after the pretreatments with the three self-etching adhesive systems. The surface nanohardness decreased after the pretreatment with the phosphoric acid-etching adhesive system but increased after the pretreatments with the self-etching adhesive systems. These results suggest that the use of a self-etching primer for enamel conditioning might prevent decalcification caused by phosphoric acid etching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface modification of titanium has been extensively investigated in implant science and technology in an effort to improve its osteoconductivity. The rate of protein adsorption on titanium surfaces is known to vary depending on the chemistry, structure, morphology, and titanium-specific biological aging of the surface. It is thus desirable to modify smooth titanium surfaces of mini-implants used as orthodontic anchors immediately prior to use. In this study, we have developed a simple surface modification of titanium alloy that improves its biofunctional activity. The surface of a Ti-6A1-4V disk was modified by applying 3% H2O2 hydrothermal treatment using an autoclave. A nanostructured porous network TiO2 was observed on the treated surface. Treated surfaces exhibited higher hydrophilicity, protein adsorption, and cell proliferation than untreated surfaces. 3% H2O2 hydrothermal treatment is thought to provide biofunctional activity for aged titanium surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, sports disorders have shown a tendency to increase with the spread of various sports and the sports population. The proportion of injuries of the stomatognathic system in sports disorders is reported to be approximately 10 to 20%. The wearing of rnouthguards is considered important to prevent sports disorders. Players in contact sports are required to wear a mouthguard. However, for sports other than contact sports, mouthguards are not always used and their importance is not fully understood. Especially for baseball where players needs to speak to communicate, the players are reluctant to wear a mouthguard, because it hinders speech and causes discomfort. We investigated the feeling of use, the functionality including speech and problems of mouthguards made to prevent sports disorders in baseball games. The investigation was performed with the approval of the Japan High School Baseball Federation. The subjects were 54 volunteers selected from the Nationwide High School Baseball Champion- ships from fiscal 2004 (the 86th) to fiscal 2006 (the 88th). After taking an impression, a mouthguard was created using Justouch (Hybler, Kuraray Medical, Japan) for each of the 54 baseball players. A questionnaire and interview were conducted to investigate the feeling of use, the functionality including speech and problems of the mouthguard. Eighty-two percent of the 54 players had no chance to wear the mouthguard. The problems included difficulty with conversation (24%), sense of discomfort (15%), sense of vomiting (14%), breathing difficulty (11%) and increased secretion of saliva (10%). On the other hand, 74 percent of the players gave positive opinions on the use of the mouthguard. The present study showed that the players had a high interest in mouthguards and perceive their necessity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic biomaterials have been developed and used for bone grafting. Here, we developed a biodegradable sponge composite for bone tissue engineering by combining β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and collagen. In addition, we sought to determine the optimal β-TCP granules/collagen ratio by evaluating and bone formation in vivo. Porous β-TCP granules were mixed with atelocollagen hydrochloride solution at various ratios -- 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 g/mL. The resultant mixtures were freeze-dried and subjected to dehydrothermal treatment in vacuo. The final composites obtained were designated β-TCP/collagen sponge composites (β-TCP/CS). Through compression testing, it was found that the stress values for β-TCP/CS (0.2 g/mL) were higher than those of the other three composites over the whole strain range. Histological evaluation at four weeks after implantation revealed that the collagen sponge had degraded and newly formed bone was present on the surface of the β-TCP granules. At 12 weeks, the β-TCP granules were completely degraded and remodeling of the lamellar bone was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a well-known strong inducer of inflammation. However, there is little information regarding how LPS-release behavior affects cellular senescence at the affected area. In this paper, we demonstrate that a vacuum-heating technique (dehydrothermal treatment) can be utilized to prepare an LPS sustained-release gelatin sponge (LS-G). LPS sustained release from gelatin leads to the long-term existence of senescent cells in critical-sized bone defects in rat calvaria. Three types of gelatin sponges were prepared in this study: a medical-grade gelatin sponge with extremely low LPS levels (MG), LS-G, and a LPS rapid-release gelatin sponge (LR-G). Histological (H-E) and immunohistochemical (COX-2, p16, and p21) staining were utilized to evaluate inflammatory reactions and cellular senescence one to three weeks after surgery. Soft X-ray imaging was utilized to estimate new bone formation in the defects. The LR-G led to stronger swelling and COX-2 expression in defects compared to the MG and LS-G at 1 week. Despite a small inflammatory reaction, LS-G implantation led to the long-term existence of senescent cells and hampered bone formation compared to the MG and LR-G. These results suggest that vacuum heating is a viable technique for preparing different types of materials for releasing bacterial components, which is helpful for developing disease models for elucidating cellular senescence and bone regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To perform vertical bone augmentation on rat parietal bone by coating the inner surface of dense polytetrafluoroethylene (d-PTFE) domes with hydroxyapatite (HA) using Erbium Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Er:YAG) pulsed laser deposition in a rat model., Methods: The d-PTFE plate surface, α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) coating, and HA coating were measured using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction to confirm the replacement of α-TCP with HA via high-pressure steam sterilization. The dome was glued to the center of the rat parietal bone and closed with periosteal and epithelial sutures. The rats were euthanized at 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively, and the d-PTFE dome and surrounding tissues were harvested for radiological and histological evaluation., Results: In a group without HA coating (control group), a small amount of layered neosteum was observed in the d-PTFE dome. Conversely, a new balloon-shaped bone was observed in a HA-coated group (experimental group). Bone growth and number of bone beams were higher in the HA-coated group from 4 to 12 weeks postoperatively than those in the control group. However, no significant differences in bone mineral density values or bone bridge widths were observed., Conclusions: The HA coating enhanced bone augmentation without bone replacement. Histological findings indicated that the new bone comprised normal bone tissue with cartilage lumen and matrix. Therefore, our results indicate that bone augmentation with a HA coating may be mediated by endochondral ossification, a process similar to that of ectopic ossification.

Generating mesenchymal stem-like cells (MSLCs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be a practical method for obtaining the sufficient cells for autologous tissue engineering. Single-cell culturing in specific medium and non-feeder cells is an alternative and promising strategy to overcome problems of embryo culture; however, little is known about how different culture media affect the proliferation and differentiation of MSLCs. We first derived MSLCs from iPSCs with non-integrating episomal plasmid vectors (hereafter 409B2 cells) using three different cell culture media, including single-cell culture medium in feeder-free condition: mTeSR1, DEF-CS500, or StemFit AK02N. The morphology of all MSLCs was completely altered to a fibroblastic morphology after four passages. Surface antigens CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, but not CD34 and CD45, were expressed in all passages. RUNX2 was expressed in MSLCs cultured in all three feeder-free media, while SOX9 and PPARγ were expressed in MSLCs cultured in only DEF-CS500. MSLCs derived from DEF-CS500, which is a single-cell culture medium, grew at a slightly faster rate than those cultured in other media and expressed early-stage genes for tri-lineage differentiation. Taken together, these findings provide valuable information for generating MSLCs using single-cell culture methods.

We evaluated the effect of porous alpha-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) with immobilized basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on periodontal regeneration in a canine model of 2-wall periodontal defects. Identical bone defects were made in the canine mandible; six defects in each animal were filled with porous α-TCP with bFGF bound via heparin (bFGF group), and the remaining defects were filled with unmodified porous α-TCP (control group). Micro-computed tomography and histological evaluation were performed at 2, 4, and 8 weeks post-implantation. The bone mineral content of the bFGF group was higher than that of the control group at 2 and 4 weeks (p < 0.05). Histological evaluation at 2 weeks post-implantation revealed degradation of the porous α-TCP, and bone had formed on the surface of α-TCP particles in the bFGF group. Some of these collagen fibers connected the newly formed cementum with the alveolar bone, revealing the formation of new periodontal ligaments with Sharpey's fibers. At 8 weeks, continuous cortical bone with a Haversian structure covered the top of the bone defects in the bFGF group. These findings indicate that porous α-TCP with immobilized bFGF could promote periodontal regeneration at the early regeneration phase in a canine model of 2-wall periodontal defects.

Purpose: Interferon (IFN)-γ is a major cytokine produced by immune cells that plays diverse roles in modulating both the immune system and bone metabolism, but its role in autogenous bone grafting remains unknown. Here, we present that local IFN-γ administration improved the efficacy of autogenous bone graft treatment in an experimental rat model., Methods: An autogenous bone graft model was prepared with critically sized rat calvariae defects. Four weeks (w) after bone graft implantation, rats were treated locally with IFN-γ or were not treated. The effect of IFN-γ on bone formation was evaluated for up to 8w with micro-computed tomography, quantitative histomorphometry, and Von Kossa staining. Osteoclastogenesis was assessed by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining. Immunohistochemistry staining or quantitative polymerase chain reactions were used to estimate the expression of osteoclast differentiation factor and inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, a well-known stimulant of osteoclastogenesis and an inhibitor of osteoblast activity, in defects., Results: Newly formed bone gradually replaced the autogenous bone grafts within 4w, although severe bone resorption with osteoclastogenesis and TNF-α expression occurred after 6w in the absence of IFN-γ administration. IFN-γ administration markedly attenuated bone loss, osteoclastogenesis, and TNF-α expression, while it enhanced bone formation at 8w., Conclusion: Local IFN-γ administration promoted bone formation in autogenous bone grafts possibly via regulating osteoclastogenesis and TNF-α expression. The data provide insights into the potential roles of IFN-γ in autogenous bone grafting., (Copyright © 2016 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)