Scanning electron microscopy evaluation of the hard tissue barrier after pulp capping with calcium hydroxide, mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) or ProRoot MTA

The aim of this study was to investigate the morphology and localisation of calcium hydroxide- and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA)-induced hard tissue barriers after pulpotomy in dogs' teeth. Pulpotomies were performed on maxillary and mandibular premolars of five dogs. The teeth were assigned into three groups according to the pulp-capping agent used. The pulpal wounds were capped with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)(2) - control), MTA or ProRoot MTA, and the cavities were restored with amalgam. After a 90-day follow-up period, the dogs were euthanised and the teeth were examined under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). An image-processing and analysis software was used to delimit the perimeters of the root canal area and the hard tissue barrier to determine the percentage of root canal obliteration. SEM data were used to assess the morphology, localisation and extension of the reparative hard tissue barriers. ProRoot MTA was statistically different from MTA and Ca(OH)(2) (P < 0.05) regarding tissue barrier morphology. Localisation data showed that ProRoot MTA was significantly different from Ca(OH)(2) (P < 0.05) and similar to MTA (P > 0.01; P > 0.05). No statistically significant difference (P > 0.01; P > 0.05) was observed between MTA and Ca(OH)(2). A larger number of complete (centroperipheral) hard tissue barriers with predominance of dentinal tubules was observed to the ProRoot MTA when compared with the Ca(OH)(2) group.

Proliferation of the vascular endothelium of the iris following total debridement of the corneal epithelium and limbal excision of rabbits

Background Damage to the corneal epithelium causes not only a reaction for its repair but also affects other parts of the cornea as well as different components of the anterior segment of the eye. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the consequences, following epithelial and limbal damage, to the iris of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).Methods The corneal epithelium was thoroughly scraped followed by surgical excision of the limbus. Next, (3)H-thymidine ((3)H-TdR) was injected intravitreally both into the right (experimental) and left (control) eyes which had their anterior segments processed for autoradiography at intervals of 2, 7 and 21 days after surgery (three rabbits per interval). The irises were also examined with scanning-electron and confocal microscopy after Evans blue injection.Results There was a high frequency of labeling in the cells of the iris blood vessels in the experimental eye, particularly the endothelial ones. The ratio of labeled cells between experimental and control irises was 40:1, with a population of nuclei increasing by 25% and remaining labeled up to 21 days. There was also an increase in the volume of the iris vasculature as shown by confocal microscopy. The high labeling frequencies of the vascular cells were observed throughout the iris from the ciliary to the pupillary regions.Conclusions The lesions on the corneal epithelium elicit proliferation of the iris vascular cells, mainly its endothelium, as well as an early breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier. The daughter cells resulting from the damage to the eye surface were detected up to 21 days after a single injection of (3)H-TdR, most likely due to their slow turnover. As a consequence of this proliferation, the vasculature of the iris increased in volume.

Theoretical study of omeprazole behavior: Racemization barrier and decomposition reaction

omeprazole is a substituted benzimidazole which suppresses gastric-acid secretion by means of H+, K+-ATPase inhibition. It is an optically active drug with the sulfur of the sulfoxide being the chiral center. This pro-drug can be easily converted into its respective sulfenamide at low pH. In this work, omeprazole has been studied in relation to racemization barrier and decomposition reaction. Quantum chemistry coupled to PCA chemometric method were used to find all minimum energy structures. Conformational analysis and calculation of racemization barriers were carried out by PM3 semiempirical method (Gaussian 98). The average racemization energy barrier for all minimum energy structures (43.56 kcal mol(-1)) can be related to the velocity constant in Eyring's equation. The enormous half-life time at 100 degrees C (9.04 x 10(4) years) indicates that the process cannot be observed in human time scale. on the other hand, the difference of free energy change (Delta(Delta G) = -266.78 kcal mol(-1)) for the decomposition reaction shows that the process is favorable to the sulfenamide formation. The highly negative Delta(Delta G) obtained for the decomposition reaction shows that this process is extremely exothermic. This result explains why omeprazole decomposes and does not racemize. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Configuration-dependent diffusion can shift the kinetic transition state and barrier height of protein folding

We show that diffusion can play an important role in protein-folding kinetics. We explicitly calculate the diffusion coefficient of protein folding in a lattice model. We found that diffusion typically is configuration- or reaction coordinate-dependent. The diffusion coefficient is found to be decreasing with respect to the progression of folding toward the native state, which is caused by the collapse to a compact state constraining the configurational space for exploration. The configuration- or position-dependent diffusion coefficient has a significant contribution to the kinetics in addition to the thermodynamic free-energy barrier. It effectively changes (increases in this case) the kinetic barrier height as well as the position of the corresponding transition state and therefore modifies the folding kinetic rates as well as the kinetic routes. The resulting folding time, by considering both kinetic diffusion and the thermodynamic folding free-energy profile, thus is slower than the estimation from the thermodynamic free-energy barrier with constant diffusion but is consistent with the results from kinetic simulations. The configuration- or coordinate-dependent diffusion is especially important with respect to fast folding, when there is a small or no free-energy barrier and kinetics is controlled by diffusion. Including the configurational dependence will challenge the transition state theory of protein folding. The classical transition state theory will have to be modified to be consistent. The more detailed folding mechanistic studies involving phi value analysis based on the classical transition state theory also will have to be modified quantitatively.

Calcium sulfate and PTFE nonporous barrier for regeneration of experimental bone defects

The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility to obtain guided bone regeneration with two types of physical barriers (calcium sulfate and PTFE nonporous barrier) in surgical defects created in rat parietal bones. In the right parietal bone the calcium sulfate barrier filled out the whole defect and in the left parietal bone the barrier of PTFE was positioned in the floor and externally to the surgical defect. After 7, 14, 30 and 45 days four animals were sacrificed in each period and the bone containing the defects were submitted to the microscopic analysis. The results of the study revealed that the PTFE barrier was more effective for bone regeneration in shallow transcortical defects compared to the calcium sulfate. However, additional experiments are necessary to determine if calcium sulfate would be successful in other bone defects types or the use of the material under another consistence could complement the results obtained in this work.

Vertical Bone Augmentation Using a Polytetrafluoroethylene Nonporous Barrier for Osseointegrated Implants Partially Inserted in Tibiae of Rabbits

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of obtaining guided bone regeneration using a poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nonporous barrier for 2 endosseous implants, partially inserted in tibiae of rabbits.Materials and Methods: Histologic characteristics of the interface between titanium implants (one group with titanium plasma-coated implants and the other group with acid-treated surfaces) and of the regenerated bone were also studied. Twenty screw-vent implants were placed in tibiae of 5 male New Zealand rabbits, 2 at the right side and 2 at the left side, protruding 3 mm from the bone level, to create a horizontal bone defect. At the experimental group the implants were with a PTFE nonporous barrier, whereas no barriers were used in contralateral implants. Animals were sacrificed 3 months after surgery and biopsy specimens were evaluated histologically and histomorphometrically under light microscopy. Student's t test was used for statistical analysis.Results: The histologic measurements showed a mean gain in bone height of 2.15 and 2.42 mm for the barrier group and 1.95 and 0.43 mm for the control group, for the titanium plasma-spray and acid-treated implant surfaces, respectively.Conclusion: The results of the investigation revealed that the placement of implants protruding 3 nun from crestal bone defects may result in vertical bone augmentation using a nonporous PTFE barrier. (Implant Dent 2009;18:182-191)

The critical barrier to progress in dentine bonding with the etch-and-rinse technique

Objectives: The lack of durability in resin-dentine bonds led to the use of chlorhexidine as MMP-inhibitor to prevent the degradation of hybrid layers. Biomimetic remineralisation is a concept-proven approach in preventing the degradation of resin-dentine bonds. The purpose of this study is to examine the integrity of aged resin-dentine interfaces created with a nanofiller-containing etch-and-rinse adhesive after the application of these two approaches.Methods: The more established MMP-inhibition approach was examined using a parallel in vivo and in vitro ageing design to facilitate comparison with the biomimetic remineralisation approach using an in vitro ageing design. Specimens bonded without chlorhexidine exhibited extensive degradation of the hybrid layer after 12 months of in vivo ageing.Results: Dissolution of nanofillers could be seen within a water-rich zone within the adhesive layer. Although specimens bonded with chlorhexidine exhibited intact hybrid layers, water-rich regions remained in those hybrid layers and degradation of nanofillers occurred within the adhesive layer. Specimens subjected to in vitro biomimetic remineralisation followed by in vitro ageing demonstrated intrafibrillar collagen remineralisation within hybrid layers and deposition of mineral nanocrystals in nanovoids within the adhesive.Conclusions: The impact was realized by understanding the lack of an inherent mechanism to remove water from resin-dentine interfaces as the critical barrier to progress in bonding with the etch-and-rinse technique. The experimental biomimetic remineralisation strategy offers a creative solution for incorporating a progressive hydration mechanism to achieve this goal, which warrants its translation into a clinically applicable technique. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tunneling time through a barrier using the local value of a time operator

A time for a quantum particle to traverse a barrier is obtained for stationary states by setting the local value of a time operator equal to a constant. This time operator, called the tempus operator because it is distinct from the time of evolution, is defined as the operator canonically conjugate to the energy operator. The local value of the tempus operator gives a complex time for a particle to traverse a barrier. The method is applied to a particle with a semiclassical wave function, which gives, in the classical limit, the correct classical traversal time. It is also applied to a quantum particle tunneling through a rectangular barrier. The resulting complex tunneling time is compared with complex tunneling times from other methods.

Dynamical localization of matter-wave solitons in managed barrier potentials

The bright matter-wave soliton propagation through a barrier with a rapidly oscillating position is investigated. The averaged-over rapid oscillations Gross-Pitaevskii equation is derived, where the effective potential has the form of a finite well. Dynamical trapping and quantum tunneling of the soliton in the effective finite well are investigated. The analytical predictions for the effective soliton dynamics is confirmed by numerical simulations of the full Gross-Pitaevskii equation.

Tunneling time through a rectangular barrier

In this paper, we discuss the tunneling time of a quantum particle through a rectangular barrier. The reflection and transmission times associated with the wave packets representing the particle are discussed. By using an initial Gaussian momentum distribution, we carry out a comparative analysis of the stationary phases of the incident, reflected, and transmitted wave packets leading to the reflection and transmission times at, and Delta t(T), respectively. In the present treatment of this old and very known problem we take into account the deformations of the reflected and transmitted momentum distributions. These deformations produce a dependence of the reflection and transmission times on the location of the initial wave packet. In a parallel calculation, by numerically monitoring the time evolution of the system, we characterize a reflection and a transmission time. Such times agree with the ones obtained via the stationary phase method. [S1050-2947(98)07912-8].

CRITICAL EXPONENTS and SCALING PROPERTIES FOR THE CHAOTIC DYNAMICS of A PARTICLE IN A TIME-DEPENDENT POTENTIAL BARRIER

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Nature of potential barrier in (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 polycrystalline perovskite

The nonohmic electrical features of (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 perovskite ceramics, which have very strong gigantic dielectric is believed originate from potential barriers at the grain boundaries. In the present study, we used the admittance and impedance spectroscopy technique to investigate (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 perovskite ceramics with low nonohmic electrical properties. The study was conducted under two different conditions: on as-sintered ceramics and on ceramics thermally treated in an oxygen-rich atmosphere. The results confirm that thermal treatment in oxygen-rich atmospheres influence the nonohmic properties. Annealing at oxygen-rich atmospheres improve the nonohmic behavior and annealing at oxygen-poor atmospheres decrease the nonohmic properties, a behavior already reported for common metal oxide nonohmic devices and here firstly evidenced for the (Ca-1/4,Cu-3/4)TiO3 perovskite related materials. The results show that oxygen also influences the capacitance values at low frequencies, a behavior that is indicative of the Schottky-type nature of the potential barrier. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of cerium (IV) ions on the mechanism of organosilane polymerization and on the improvement of its barrier properties

In this work, the effect of cerium (IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) addition on the polymerization of bis-[triethoxysilyl]ethane (BTSE) film applied on carbon steel was studied. The electrochemical characterization of the films was carried out in 0.1 mol L(-1) NaCl solution by open-circuit potential measurements, anodic and cathodic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Morphological and chemical characterization were performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurements, infrared-spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and thermogravimetric analysis. The results have clearly shown the improvement on the protective properties of the Ce(4+) modified film as a consequence of the formation of a more uniform and densely reticulated silane film. A mechanism is proposed to explain the accelerating role of Ce(4+) ions on the cross-linking of the silane layer. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Breakdown of resistance in sweet pepper against Pepper yellow mosaic virus in Brazil

Plantas de Capsicum annuum cv. Magali R, resistentes ao Pepper yellow mosaic virus (PepYMV), exibindo sintomas severos de mosaico amarelo, malformação foliar e subdesenvolvimento foram encontradas em plantios na região de Lins, SP, Brasil, em 2003/04. Partículas semelhantes àquelas do gênero Potyvirus foram observadas em extrato foliar de planta infectada examinado em microscópio eletrônico de transmissão. O extrato foliar também reagiu com anti-soro contra o PepYMV em PTA-ELISA. Além de C. annuum cv. Magali R, esse potyvirus também infectou sistemicamente C. annuum cv. Rubia R, que é resistente ao PepYMV. A seqüência de nucleotídeos de parte do gene da proteína capsidial (CP) desse potyvirus apresentou 96-98% de identidade com a de outros isolados do PepYMV. A seqüência parcial de nucleotídeos da região 3' não traduzida (3' NTR) apresentou 94-96% de identidade com a do PepYMV. Esses resultados são indicativos de que o potyvirus que quebrou a resistência em pimentão é um isolado do PepYMV.

Electrical and microstructural properties of microwave sintered SnO2-based varistors

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)