Evaluation of bonding performance and multi-ion release of S-PRG fillercontaining self-adhesive resin composite.

The bonding performance of a surface pre-reacted glass ionomer (S-PRG) filler-containing self-adhesive flowable resin composites to enamel and dentin were evaluated using a tensile bond test with thermal cycling. Also, the quantities of various ions released from the materials were measured using ICP atomic emission spectrometry and a fluoride ion electrode. The initial bond strengths of the materials were approximately 6 MPa, and decreased after thermal cycling. The S-PRG filler-containing self-adhesive flowable resin composites materials exhibited much higher ion release compared with the commercial self-adhesive flowable resin composite possibly due to different acidic monomers contained. It was suggested that the S-PRG filler containing self-adhesive flowable resin composites should be limited as a lining material or to restore small cavities in non-stress bearing areas.

Recombinant carp IL-4/13B stimulates in vitro proliferation of carp IgM(+) B cells.

Teleost IL-4/13B is a cytokine related to mammalian IL-4 and IL-13, of which hitherto the function had not been studied at the protein level. We identified an IL-4/13B gene in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and expressed the recombinant protein (rcIL-4/13B). RcIL-4/13B was shown to stimulate proliferation of IgM(+) B cells, because after four days of stimulation the IgM(+) fraction of carp kidney and spleen leukocytes had formed many cell colonies, whereas such colonies were not found in the absence of rcIL-4/13B stimulation. After nine days of incubation with rcIL-4/13B these cells had proliferated to more than 3-to-7-fold higher numbers when compared to untreated cells. The proliferating cells contained a majority of IgM(+) cells but also other cells, as indicated by FACS and RT-PCR analyses. The important conclusion is that in fish not only IL-4/13A has B cell stimulating properties, as a previous publication has shown, but also IL-4/13B.

Formation of filamentous appendages by Acinetobacter sp. Tol 5 for adhering to solid surfaces.

The toluene-degrading bacterium Acinetobacter sp. Tol 5 is highly adhesive to solid surfaces owing to two filamentous cell appendages, namely, anchors and peritrichate fibrils. When growing this bacterium in the presence of a carrier made of polyurethane foam, almost all the cells adhered to the surface of the carrier. In contrast, when Tol 5 cells were grown in the absence of the polyurethane carrier, the cells were suspended as aggregated cells or individually dispersed cells. The aggregated cells possessed the cell appendages and showed an adhesiveness similar to that of cells grown in the presence of the carrier, while the dispersed cells scarcely produced the cell appendages and showed a low level of adhesiveness. The dispersed cells started to adhere to the polyurethane carrier by producing the filamentous appendages within 30 min of the addition of the carrier as a substratum and toluene as a carbon source. Peritrichate fibrils just sprouting and growing anchors longer than 3 microm were observed when the cells started to adhere. This suggests that the presence of surface areas sufficient for adhesion might trigger cell appendage formation in Tol 5 cells for adhesion by increasing the amount of cell contact with the surfaces.

Effect of cell appendages on the adhesion properties of a highly adhesive bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. Tol 5.

A toluene-degrading bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. Tol 5, shows noteworthy adhesiveness mediated by two types of cell appendages. In this study, we obtained a less-adhesive mutant, T1, which lost both types of appendages, and investigated how the cell appendages affect the adhesion properties of this useful bacterium for environmental technology. Wild-type cells attained irreversible adhesion to polyurethane carriers within 30 s, while adhesion of T1 cells was still reversible at that time. While T1 showed decreased adhesion with decreasing ionic strength and did not adhere at all at 0.015 mM, adhesion of the wild type was fully independent of ionic strength. Acinetobacter sp. Tol 5 was also found to be not motile. Our results suggest that through the long distant interaction mediated by the appendages between the cells and surfaces, Tol 5 cells can attain irreversible adhesion very quickly without approaching the vicinity of the substratum.