Effect of adding a hard-reline material on the flexural strength of conventional, 3D-printed, and milled denture base materials.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Novel 3-dimensionally printed resin and milled polymethyl methacrylate materials have been marketed for computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) denture base fabrication. However, information on the flexural strength of digitally fabricated denture base material is limited, and little is known about how they are affected by a hard-reline procedure. PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to assess the flexural strength of 6 digitally manufactured denture base materials and to assess the effect of a hard-reline procedure on their flexural strength. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 140 strips of denture base material were fabricated from a conventional heat-polymerized polymethyl methacrylate (L199), 3 brands of milled polymethyl methacrylate (IBC, DSL, and ADH), and 3 brands of 3D-printed resin (DFD, ADB, and DrFD) (n=20). Ten specimens in each group did not receive any treatment, and 10 were relined with a hard-reline material (ProBase Cold Trial Kit). Specimens were then subjected to a 3-point flexural strength test using a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 5.0 mm/min. A 1-way ANOVA test followed by the Tukey multiple comparison test was used to detect the difference in flexural strength and the strain at fracture of the different types of denture base materials (α=.05). The comparison of flexural strength between with and without hard-reline was analyzed using an unpaired t test (α=.05). RESULTS: All materials, with or without the hard-reline, met the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 20 795-1:2013 standard for flexural strength (65 MPa). The milled materials (DSL>IBC≈ADH) showed higher flexural strength than the 3D-printed or conventional materials (DrFD>DFD≈ADB≈L199) without a hard-reline. No statistical difference in flexural strength was found among the hard-relined denture base materials (P=.164). All 3 milled materials showed reduced flexural strength after relining, while the relined conventional (L199) and 3D-printed materials (DFD and ADB) showed notably higher flexural strength; printed DrFD showed no significant difference (P=.066). In terms of strain at fracture, the milled materials displayed higher values than those of the conventional or 3D-printed materials (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: All digitally fabricated denture base materials were within acceptable limits for clinical use, even after hard relining. Flexural strength was highly dependent on the type of material. Hard relining affected the flexural strength of most of the digitally fabricated denture base materials.

Fast acting allosteric phosphofructokinase inhibitors block trypanosome glycolysis and cure acute African trypanosomiasis in mice.

The parasitic protist Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of Human African Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness. The parasite enters the blood via the bite of the tsetse fly where it is wholly reliant on glycolysis for the production of ATP. Glycolytic enzymes have been regarded as challenging drug targets because of their highly conserved active sites and phosphorylated substrates. We describe the development of novel small molecule allosteric inhibitors of trypanosome phosphofructokinase (PFK) that block the glycolytic pathway resulting in very fast parasite kill times with no inhibition of human PFKs. The compounds cross the blood brain barrier and single day oral dosing cures parasitaemia in a stage 1 animal model of human African trypanosomiasis. This study demonstrates that it is possible to target glycolysis and additionally shows how differences in allosteric mechanisms may allow the development of species-specific inhibitors to tackle a range of proliferative or infectious diseases.

Evaluation of the effect of implant angulations and impression techniques on implant cast accuracy - An in vitro study.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of implant casts generated with splinted and nonsplinted impression techniques with multiple parallel and nonparallel implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, two edentulous maxillary stainless steel models with seven implant analogs in the central incisor, canine, premolar, and first molar region simulating clinical condition were used (control groups). In one master model, implant analogs were placed parallel to each other, whereas in another model, analogs were placed with a tilt-to-longitudinal axis. Forty stone casts were made from each model using splined and nonsplinted technique using polyether with open-tray technique. Then, the difference in the distance between the master cast and experimental cast in three dimensions was measured by coordinate-measuring machine. One-way ANOVA, post hoc Bonferroni test, and unpaired t-test were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Statistical comparisons were made using ANOVA test, post hoc test, and unpaired t-test. Splinted technique with parallel implants generated interimplant distance values closest to the master model, followed by nonsplinted technique with parallel implants, splinted technique with angulated implants, and nonsplinted technique with angulated implants. CONCLUSIONS: Splinted impression technique exhibited higher accuracy than the other technique studies in both parallel and angulated implants.