Anti-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Activity of Thiol-Ene Carbosilane Dendrimers and Their Potential Development as a Topical Microbicide.

The concept of a "microbicide" was born out of the lack of a vaccine against HIV and the difficulty of women in ensuring the use of preventive prophylaxis by their partners, especially in developing countries. Approaches using polyanionic carbosilane dendrimers have shown promise in the development of new microbicides. We have developed and evaluated two anionic carbosilane dendrimers with sulfonate and carboxylate terminal groups, G2-STE16 and G2-CTE16. Both dendrimers showed high biosafety in human epithelial cell lines derived from the vagina and in primary blood human cells (PBMCs). The dendrimers not only have a greater capacity to block the entry of different X4- and R5-HIV-1 isolates into epithelial cells but also prevent the HIV-1 infection of activated PBMCs. The treatment of epithelial cells with different carbosilane dendrimers did not produce changes in the activation or proliferation of PBMCs or in the expression of CD4, CCR5 or CXCR4. Computational modeling showed significantly higher affinities for the complexes G2-STE16/gp120 and G2-CTE16/gp120. Moreover, no irritation or vaginal lesions were detected in female BALB/c mice after vaginal administration of the dendrimers. Summing up, G2-STE16 and G2-CTE16 are easy to synthesize and compatible with functional groups, and the purification steps are easy and short. Our results have clearly demonstrated that these dendrimers have high potency as a topical microbicide against HIV-1 infection.

Carbosilane dendrimer 2G-NN16 represses Tc17 differentiation in primary T CD8+ lymphocytes.

We studied changes in gene expression induced by the carbosilane dendrimer 2G-NN16 to evaluate their potential as a vehicle for gene therapy and as medication. Global gene expression profiles on CD8+ T lymphocytes reveal that ribosomal proteins are induced in the presence of 2G-NN16. IL17A and IL17F, the principal interleukins secreted by Tc17 cells, a subset of CD8+ T lymphocytes, were down-regulated when cultured in the presence of this dendrimer. Microarray results were confirmed by real time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). 2G-NN16 also showed a high potential for in vitro inhibition of Tc17 differentiation of CD8+ T lymphocytes in the presence of the Tc17 differentiation molecules IL6 and TGF-B1. These findings suggest that 2G-NN16 could facilitate drug delivery and may be used to treat inflammatory processes driven by Tc17 cells.

Colloid centrifugation removes seminal plasma and cholesterol from boar spermatozoa.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of Single-Layer Centrifugation (SLC) on boar spermatozoa, namely the effect of removal of seminal plasma proteins and cholesterol from the surface of spermatozoa. The presence of porcine seminal plasma proteins I and II (PSP-I/PSP-II) before and after SLC was studied using immunofluorescence, whereas the removal of cholesterol was shown qualitatively by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Finally, the integrity of the sperm plasma membrane was observed by electron microscopy. It was shown that the seminal plasma proteins PSP-I and -II were removed from spermatozoa during SLC but could be restored by adding seminal plasma to the SLC-selected sperm samples. Some cholesterol was also lost from the spermatozoa during SLC but the plasma membrane itself appeared to be morphologically intact. Further studies are underway to examine the relevance of these findings to boar sperm cryopreservation and sperm fertility.

Avaliação do efeito de tratamentos superficiais sobre a força de adesão de braquetes em provisórios de resina acrílica / Assessment of the effect of different surface treatments on the bond strength of brackets bonded to acrylic resin

OBJETIVO: avaliar a influência do tratamento de superfície de resinas acrílicas na resistência ao cisalhamento de braquetes colados com resina composta. MÉTODOS: foram confeccionados 140 discos de resina acrílica autopolimerizável (Duralay®), divididos aleatoriamente em 14 grupos (n=10). Em cada grupo, os corpos de prova receberam um tipo diferente de tratamento de superfície: grupo 1 = sem tratamento de superfície (controle); grupo 2 = silano; grupo 3 = jato de óxido de alumínio (JOA); grupo 4 = JOA + silano; grupo 5 = broca diamantada; grupo 6 = broca diamantada+ silano; grupo 7 = ácido fluorídrico; grupo 8 = ácido fluorídrico + silano; grupo 9 = ácido fosfórico; grupo 10 = ácido fosfórico + silano; grupo 11 = monômero de metilmetacrilato (MMA); grupo 12 = MMA + silano; grupo 13 = Plastic conditioner (Reliance®); grupo 14 = Plastic conditioner (Reliance®) + silano. Após o preparo de superfície, os corpos de prova foram analizados através da rugosimetria. Posteriormente, foram colados braquetes (Morelli®) de incisivo central "standard edgewise" com resina fotopolimerizável Transbond XT®; de acordo com as instruções do fabricante. RESULTADOS: o agente umectante à base de silano não teve um efeito estatisticamente significativo sobre os valores de força de adesão; os tratamentos com JOA e broca produziram maiores mudanças topográficas na superfície da resina acrílica, bem como os maiores valores de rugosidade; observou-se uma correlação não linear entre a força de adesão e a rugosidade de superfície; tratamentos com monômero e JOA resultaram nas maiores forças de adesão. CONCLUSÕES: o silano não foi capaz de aumentar a força de adesão entre braquete e resina acrílica. Sugere-se mais estudos sobre este tema, pois a força de adesão obtida foi muito baixa.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of the surface treatment of acrylic resins on the shear bond strength of brackets bonded with composite resin. METHODS: Were fabricated 140 discs with autopolymerizing acrylic resin (Duralay™) and divided into 14 groups (n = 10). In each group, the specimens received a different type of surface treatment. Group 1= untreated surface (control), group 2= silane, group 3= aluminum oxide blasting (AOB), group 4= AOB + silane, group 5= diamond bur, group 6= diamond bur + silane, group 7= hydrofluoric acid, group 8= hydrofluoric acid + silane, group 9= phosphoric acid, group 10= phosphoric acid + silane, group 11= methylmethacrylate monomer (MMA), group 12= MMA + silane, group 13= plastic conditioner (Reliance®); group 14= plastic conditioner (Reliance™) + silane. After surface treatment the specimens were analyzed using a surface roughness tester. Subsequently, standard edgewise central incisor brackets (Morelli™) were bonded using Transbond XT™ light-cure adhesive system, according to the manufacturer's instructions. RESULTS: The silane-based wetting agent had no statistically significant effect on bond strength values. Treatments with AOB and bur generated the highest topographical changes on the surface of acrylic resin as well as the highest roughness values. A nonlinear correlation was found between bond strength and surface roughness. Monomer + AOB treatment yielded the highest bond strength values. CONCLUSIONS: Silane failed to increase the bond strength between brackets and acrylic resin. We encourage further studies on this subject since the bond strength achieved in our study was extremely low.

Effects of surface conditioning on bond strength of metal brackets to all-ceramic surfaces.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of bonding brackets to ceramic restorations. Sixty feldspathic and 60 lithium disilicate ceramic specimens were randomly divided into six groups. Shear bond strength (SBS) and bond failure types were examined with six surface-conditioning methods: silane application to glazed surface, air particle abrasion (APA) with 25- and 50-microm aluminium trioxide (Al(2)O(3)), etching with 9.6 per cent hydrofluoric acid (HFA), and roughening with 40- and 63-microm diamond burs. Silane was applied to all roughened surfaces. Metal brackets were bonded with light cure composite, then stored in distilled water for 1 week and thermocycled (x500 at 5-55 degrees C for 30 seconds). The ceramic surfaces were examined with a stereomicroscope at a magnification of x10 to determine the amount of composite resin remaining using the adhesive remnant index. The lowest SBS values were obtained with HFA for feldspathic (5.39 MPa) and lithium disilicate (11.11 MPa) ceramics; these values were significantly different from those of the other groups. The highest SBS values were found with 63-microm diamond burs for feldspathic (26.38 MPa) and lithium disilicate (28.20 MPa) ceramics, and were not significantly different from 40-microm diamond burs for feldspathic and lithium disilicate ceramics (26.04 and 24.26 MPa, respectively). Roughening with 25- and 50-microm Al(2)O(3) particles showed modest SBS for lithium disilicate (22.60 and 26.15 MPa, respectively) and for feldspathic ceramics (17.90 and 14.66 MPa, respectively). Adhesive failures between the ceramic and composite resin were noted in all groups. Damage to the porcelain surfaces was not observed. The SBS values were above the optimal range, except for feldspathic ceramic treated with HFA and silane. With all surface-conditioning methods, lithium disilicate ceramic displayed higher SBS than feldspathic ceramic.

In vitro cytotoxicity of nitric oxide-releasing sol-gel derived materials.

The cytotoxicity of bare and PU-coated nitric oxide (NO)-releasing sol-gel derived materials (sol-gels) was investigated using L929 mouse fibroblasts in both direct and indirect contact models to differentiate between the biological impact of the sol-gel matrix and NO release. The flux of NO was varied up to 150 pmol cm(-2) s(-1) using N-(6-aminohexyl)-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (balance iso-butyltrimethoxysilane) diazeniumdiolate (NO donor)-modified sol-gels. The addition of a polyurethane (PU) outer membrane greatly improved the stability of the sol-gel matrix without significantly suppressing the NO flux. Direct contact studies demonstrated a cytotoxic effect that was dependent on the aminosilane content of the sol-gel. The use of the thin PU overcoat eliminated this effect. A direct cytotoxicity dependence of NO release for L929 fibroblasts was discovered from indirect contact studies, where 24 h exposure to NO fluxes in excess of 50 pmol cm(-2) s(-1) was cytotoxic.

Postoperative dental bleaching: effect of microleakage on Class V tooth colored restorative materials.

The effect of 3 percent, 11 percent, and 16 percent carbamide peroxide bleaching solutions and 35 percent hydrogen peroxide bleaching gel on microleakage of Class V composite resins, resin modified glass ionomer cements, and compomer restorative materials together with corresponding (if indicated) fourth/fifth generation bonding agents was evaluated using previously extracted human teeth. Five groups of Class V cavity preparations were placed in enamel of the facial surfaces of 200 teeth. Groups A through D included 40 restorations each (4 different restorative materials and their accompanying bonding agent multiplied by 10 teeth) treated with 3 percent, 11 percent, and 16 percent carbamide peroxide bleach and 35 percent hydrogen peroxide bleach. Group E included 40 restorations without treatment of bleach and stood as the control. The restorative materials included were: Fuji II LC resin modified glass ionomer cement, Helioprogress composite resin/-Heliobond adhesive system, Aelitefil composite resin/Allbond 2 adhesive and Dyract compomer material/Prime & Bond adhesive system. Bleaching agents included were Rembrandt 3 percent peroxide gel, Perfecta 16 percent carbamide peroxide gel, White & Brite 11 percent carbamide peroxide solution and Superoxyl 35 percent hydrogen peroxide gel. All teeth were thermally stressed for 100 cycles and microleakage were assessed by dye penetration. The results were tabulated using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) testing procedures. The Aelitefil composite resin material behaved the least favorably (relative to microleakage) compared to the other materials when exposed to various concentrations of dental bleaching agents.

Reactive airway dysfunction syndrome in three police officers following a roadside chemical spill.

The reactive airway dysfunction syndrome (RADS) is a recently described syndrome in which bronchial hyperreactivity and asthmatic symptoms develop in previously healthy individuals after a single large exposure to an irritating gas, fume, or vapor. We report a cluster of three Philadelphia police officers who developed RADS after a common exposure to toxic fumes from a roadside truck accident. Results of initial pulmonary function testing were normal in all three, and methacholine challenge was required for diagnosis in two out of the three. This syndrome needs to be recognized by physicians dealing with environmental or industrial medicine as a potential cause of loss of work or inability to perform on the job. Also, there is a potential for multiple individuals to develop this syndrome from a single incident.

Chloride and phosphate as impediments to silica urinary calculi in rats fed tetraethylorthosilicate.

Rats fed a dextrose-casein type of diet adequate for normal growth and containing 2% of tetraethylorthosilicate (TES) were used to study the effect of NaCl and Na2SO4 drinking waters, and dietary additions of chloride, sulfate and phosphate on formation of silica urinary calculi. In experiment 1, rats fed the basal-TES diet had a 53% incidence of silica urinary calculi. NaCl or Na2SO4 (0.07 N) drinking waters each increased (P less than 0.01) water intake and urine volume, whereas only NaCl reduced (P less than 0.05) the incidence of silica urinary calculi. The incidence of calculi in the rats treated with NaCl and Na2SO4 was 15 and 55%, respectively. The saline waters had similar effects on urine pH, silica, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium, as well as blood plasma magnesium and calcium. Plasma phosphorus tended to be higher (P = 0.08) in the NaCl-treated rats. In experiment 2, 50% of rats fed the basal-TES diet developed silica urinary calculi. Addition of 0.2 eq/kg diet of chloride, sulfate or phosphate as sodium salts (phosphate was an equal molar mixture of mono- and dibasic sodium phosphates) resulted in a reduction in silica urinary calculi (P less than 0.05) by dietary chloride (15% incidence) and phosphate (5% incidence) but not by sulfate (35% incidence). Water intake and urine volumes did not differ, urine calcium was increased (P less than 0.05) by sulfate, and urine phosphorus was increased (P less than 0.05) by phosphate. Blood plasma concentrations of calcium and magnesium did not differ, but plasma phosphorus was higher for animals fed the additional phosphate (P less than 0.1) or chloride (P less than 0.05) in the 2% TES diet.