Structural and Magnetic Phase Transformations of Hydroxyapatite-Magnetite Composites under Inert and Ambient Sintering Atmospheres

The present work reports the impact of sintering conditions on the phase stability in hydroxyapatite (HA) magnetite (Fe3O4) bulk composites, which were densified using either pressureless sintering in air or by rapid densification via hot pressing in inert atmosphere. In particular, the phase abundances, structural and magnetic properties of the (1-x)HA-xFe(3)O(4) (x = 5, 10, 20, and 40 wt %) composites were quantified by corroborating results obtained from Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Mossbauer spectroscopy. Post heat treatment phase analysis revealed a major retention of Fe3O4 in argon atmosphere, while it was partially/completely oxidized to hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) in air. Mossbauer results suggest the high-temperature diffusion of Fe3+ into hydroxyapatite lattice, leading to the formation of Fe-doped HA. A preferential occupancy of Fe3+ at the Ca(1) and Ca(2) sites under hot-pressing and conventional sintering conditions, respectively, was observed. The lattice expansion in HA from Rietveld analysis correlated well with the amounts of Fe-doped HA determined from the Mossbauer spectra. Furthermore, hydroxyapatite in the monoliths and composites was delineated to exist in the monoclinic (P2(1)/b) structure as against the widely reported hexagonal (P6(3)/m) crystal lattice. The compositional similarity of iron doping in hydroxyapatite to that of tooth enamel and bone presents HA-Fe3O4 composites as potential orthopedic and dental implant materials.

碳、氧稳定同位素分析在古环境研究中的应用

A number of proxy records of paleoenvironment using stable isotopes could show the history of past environmental changes. These archives include peat and lake sediments, loess-paleosot sequence, fossil mammals and stalagmite, and so on. The stable isotopic composition of carbonate and organic matter and frequency magnetic susceptibility from Tianshuigou and Yuanlei loess-palesol sequence can be used to give estimates of the paleoenvironmental history of Dali, and even of the whole Chinese Loess Plateau during the last 250ka. Features of the High Temperature and Large Precipitation Event in the Tibet Plateau and its adjacent area during 40~30kaBP had been studied by Professor Shi Y. In this dissertation, its impact on Chinese Loess Plateau has been discussed again. Carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios, magnetic susceptibility and frequency magnetic susceptibility in Tianshuigou and Yuanlei profiles show that the Event in this area is not so stronger as the Tibet Plateau. The carbon isotopic composition of organic matter in Tianshuigou, Yuanlei, dingcun and Jingcun loess-palesol sequences are indicative of major changes in the paleovagetation between terrace and plain of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Water is one of the most important factors adjusting the relative biomass of C4 plant in terrestrial ecosystems. Stable carbon isotope ratio of vertebrate tooth enamel is used increasingly to reconstruct environmental and ecological information modern and ancient ecosystems. The SI3C value of tooth enamel bioapatites can distinguish between browsers and grazers. Data from typical grassland of Inter Mongolia, the Alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the Yaluzangbu Great Canyon indicate that diets of mammals could record the relative biomass of C4 plant only in the C4 dominated ecosystem. In a C3 dominated ecosystem, diet of mammals would include more C3 plants than vegetation. According to Professor Cerling, proxy records from North and South America, Africa and Pakistan show that at the end of the Miocene (between 8Ma to 6 Ma) there was a global expansion of CA biomass, probably when atmospheric CO2 levels declined. Thus, "C4 world" and "CO2 starvation" are put forward. In this dissertation, carbon isotopes of fossil tooth such as Equus sanmeniensis and Hipparion chiai from Linxia, China reveal that there is a C3 dominated ecosystem in the late Miocene. Diets of ancient mammals in Linxia are not evidence of global expansion of C4 biomass.

现代动物食谱及吕梁山北端全新世风成沉积研究

The carbon isotope compositions of plants in Xilinguole, Haibei and Jilong and the tooth enamel of animals in Jilong have been analyzed. The study of carbon isotope discrimination of plants along altitude gradient among the three areas has found decreased discrimination.The eolian deposits of Heyeping can be used to reconstruct Holocene climate variability in the region. Some proxies indicates that the 8. 2 ka event can be found in north China, and it is warm and arid in the 4900～6800(or 6900) cal. a BP.

The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya)

The 1950s excavations by Charles McBurney in the Haua Fteah, a large karstic cave on the coast of northeast Libya, revealed a deep sequence of human occupation. Most subsequent research on North African prehistory refers to his discoveries and interpretations, but the chronology of its archaeological and geological sequences has been based on very early age determinations. This paper reports on the initial results of a comprehensive multi-method dating program undertaken as part of new work at the site, involving radiocarbon dating of charcoal, land snails and marine shell, cryptotephra investigations, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments, and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of tooth enamel. The dating samples were collected from the newly exposed and cleaned faces of the upper 7.5m of the ~14.0m-deep McBurney trench, which contain six of the seven major cultural phases that he identified. Despite problems of sediment transport and reworking, using a Bayesian statistical model the new dating program establishes a robust framework for the five major lithostratigraphic units identified in the stratigraphic succession, and for the major cultural units. The age of two anatomically modern human mandibles found by McBurney in Layer XXXIII near the base of his Levalloiso-Mousterian phase can now be estimated to between 73 and 65ka (thousands of years ago) at the 95.4% confidence level, within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4. McBurney's Layer XXV, associated with Upper Palaeolithic Dabban blade industries, has a clear stratigraphic relationship with Campanian Ignimbrite tephra. Microlithic Oranian technologies developed following the climax of the Last Glacial Maximum and the more microlithic Capsian in the Younger Dryas. Neolithic pottery and perhaps domestic livestock were used in the cave from the mid Holocene but there is no certain evidence for plant cultivation until the Graeco-Roman period. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Effets des fluorures sur l'activité antimicrobienne des antibiotiques contre Staphylococcus aureus et Pseudomonas aeruginosa

L’émergence des souches bactériennes résistantes aux antibiotiques est un phénomène inquiétant, qui se répand à travers le monde. Staphylococcus aureus et Pseudomonas aeruginosa sont des bactéries pathogènes opportunistes multi résistantes qui peuvent causer plusieurs maladies. Cependant, ces bactéries deviennent difficiles à traiter avec des antibiotiques sans occasionner de toxicité. Alors pour trouver des solutions, c’est nécessaire de développer de nouvelles molécules afin de combattre les agents pathogènes résistants. Grâce à leur action pharmacologique, les fluorures exercent un certain effet antibactérien au niveau de l'émail des dents; donc, leur association aux antibiotiques pourrait bien a méliorer l’activité antimicrobienne. De ce fait, nous nous sommes proposés d’étudier les activités in vitro de la vancomycine (VAN), l’oxacilline (OXA), la ceftazidime (CFT) et la méropenème (MER) libre ou associée au fluorure de sodium (NaF) et fluorure de lithium (LiF) qui ont été évaluées sur des souches S.aureus et P.aeruginosa sensibles et résistantes, par la méthode de la microdilution en bouillon, déterminant leur concentration minimale inhibitrice (CMI), leur concentration minimale bactéricide (CMB), leur courbe cinétique (Time-Kill). Leur cytotoxicité sur les globules rouges humains, et leur stabilité à la température de 4°C et 22°C ont été étudiées. Les associations des antimicrobiens aux dérivés des fluorures ont montré une amélioration de l’effet des antibiotiques par la réduction des leurs concentrations et toxicité pour traiter correctement ces pathogènes résistants. Par conséquent, des antibiotiques associés aux dérivés de fluorure pourraient devenir une option de traitement contre des souches résistantes afin de diminuer la toxicité causée par de fortes doses des antibiotiques conventionnels.

New age estimates for the Palaeolithic assemblages and Pleistocene succession of Casablanca, Morocco

Marine and aeolian Quaternary sediments from Casablanca, Morocco were dated using the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal of quartz grains. These sediments form part of an extensive succession spanning the Pleistocene, and contain a rich faunal and archaeological record, including an Acheulian lithic assemblage from before the Brunhes–Matayama boundary, and a Homo erectus jaw from younger cave deposits. Sediment samples from the sites of Reddad Ben Ali, Oulad J’mel, Sidi Abderhamane and Thomas Quarries have been dated, in order to assess the upper limits of OSL. The revision of previously measured mammalian tooth enamel electron spin resonance (ESR) dates from the Grotte des Rhinocéros, Oulad Hamida Quarry 1, incorporating updated environmental dose rate measurements and attenuation calculations, also provide chronological constraint for the archaeological material preserved at Thomas Quarries. Several OSL age estimates extend back to around 500,000 years, with a single sample providing an OSL age close to 1 Ma in magnetically reversed sediments. These luminescence dates are some of the oldest determined, and their reliability is assessed using both internal criteria based on stratigraphic consistency, and external lithostratigraphic, morphostratigraphic and independent chronological constraints. For most samples, good internal agreement is observed using single aliquot regenerative-dose OSL measurements, while multiple aliquot additive-dose measurements generally have poorer resolution and consistency. Novel slow-component and component-resolved OSL approaches applied to four samples provide significantly enhanced dating precision, and an examination of the degree of signal zeroing at deposition. A comparison of the OSL age estimates with the updated ESR dates and one U-series date demonstrate that this method has great potential for providing reliable age estimates for sediments of this antiquity. We consider the cause of some slight age inversion observed at Thomas Quarries, and provide recommendations for further luminescence dating within this succession.

A Nonstaining and Tasteless Hydrophobic Salt of Chlorhexidine

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A new locus for autosomal dominant amelogenesis imperfecta on chromosome 8q24.3

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a collective term used to describe phenotypically diverse forms of defective tooth enamel development. AI has been reported to exhibit a variety of inheritance patterns, and several loci have been identified that are associated with AI. We have performed a genome-wide scan in a large Brazilian family segregating an autosomal dominant form of AI and mapped a novel locus to 8q24.3. A maximum multipoint LOD score of 7.5 was obtained at marker D8S2334 (146,101,309 bp). The disease locus lies in a 1.9 cM (2.1 Mb) region according to the Rutgers Combined Linkage-Physical map, between a VNTR marker (at 143,988,705 bp) and the telomere (146,274,826 bp). Ten candidate genes were identified based on gene ontology and microarray-facilitated gene selection using the expression of murine orthologues in dental tissue, and examined for the presence of a mutation. However, no causative mutation was identified.

Effect of the Clinical Application of the GaA1As Laser in the Treatment of Dentine Hypersensitivity

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the clinical use of the gallium-aluminum-arsenium (GaAlAs) laser at the maximum and minimum energies recommended by the manufacturer for the treatment of dentine hypersensitivity. Background Data: Dentine hypersensitivity (DH) is a response to a stimulus that would not usually cause pain in a healthy tooth. It is characterized by sharp pain of short duration from the denuded dentin. Its etiology is unknown. The dentin only begins to show sensitivity when exposed to the buccal environment. This exposure can result after removal of the enamel and/or dental cement, or after root denudation. Different treatments are proposed for this disorder. Materials and Methods: In this study, 25 patients, with a total number of 106 cases of DH, were treated with GaAlAs low-level laser therapy (LLLT). 65% of the teeth were premolars; 14% were incisors and molars; 6.6% were canines. The teeth were irradiated with 3 and 5 J/cm 2 for up to six sessions, with an interval of 72 h between each application, and they were evaluated initially, after each application, and at 15 and 60 days follow-up post-treatment. Results: The treatment was effective in 86.53% and 88.88% of the irradiated teeth, respectively, with the minimum and maximum energy recommended by the manufacturer. There was a statistically significant difference between DH and after a follow-up of 60 days for both groups. The difference among the energy maximum and minimum was not significant. Conclusion: The GaAlAs low-level laser was effective in reducing initial DH. A significant difference was found between initial values of hypersensitivity and after 60 days follow-up post-treatment. No significant difference was found between minimum (3 J/cm 2) and maximum (5 J/cm 2) applied energy.

Developmental Disturbance of an Unerupted permanent incisor due to trauma to its predecessor

Developmental disturbances of permanent teeth can result from trauma to primary teeth because of the proximity of the root of the primary teeth to their permanent successors. We describe the case of a 14-month-old boy who was referred to the baby clinic of the School of Dentistry, Universidad Estadual Paulista, Araçatuba, Brazil, after sustaining a severe trauma that led to intrusion of the right primary central incisor. Radiographic examination 4 years after the trauma showed a developing morphological change in the germ of the permanent successor. On eruption of the permanent central incisor, a crown malformation along with enamel hypoplasia was observed. We concludethat radiographic follow-up is indicated after trauma to monitor possible sequelae in the permanent successors even before their eruption. © 2011 Canadian Dental Association.

Avaliação dos efeitos causados por diferentes sistemas de clareamento dental sobre a estrutura superficial do esmalte e resina composta restauradora

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Investigação das propriedades anticariogênicas de óleos essenciais: atividade antimicrobiana e caracterização química

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação in vitro da eficácia de dentifrícios de baixa concentração de fluoreto suplementados com hexametafosfato sobre o processo de desmineralização do esmalte

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

Ação de géis fluoretados, suplementados ou não com hexametafosfato de sódio, no processo de erosão do esmalte dentário: estudo in situ

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Potencial de remineralização do cálcio e fosfato: revisão de literatura e estudo laboratorial

Pós-graduação em Ciência Odontólogica - FOA