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The amount and quality of the DNA captured in bite registrations using dental impression wafer is examined. Results showed that the bite registrations and stone models had an average of 14% mismatches, demonstrating that the dental impressions captured DNA but they did not produce accurate representation of the dentition.

Matrilysin, a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) that lacks the hemopexin domain, retains its catalytic function. This suggests that the hemopexin domain is not required for maintenance of MMP latency, for activation with organomercurials or for binding of inhibitors to the active site. Hemopexin-domain-deleted stromelysin-1 (SL-1) was used to investigate the role of the propeptide in the latency and activation of the enzyme. Mini-SL-1 propeptide deletion gave rise to enzymes with greatly accelerated spontaneous autolytic processing of the propeptide.

The 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA) is an organomercurial element that activates stromelysin-1 of matrix metalloproteases. The activation of APMA on stromelysin-1 includes other protein interactions besides the detected reaction in the highly conserved amino acid sequence with the cysteine residue. The activity of APMA was inhibited by the diruption of the salt bridge in SL-1 that connects R74 and D79.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the precise effect and rank the importance of cavity preparation and restoration variables on human pulp vitality. Fifty-three Class V unexposed cavities were prepared and restored with calcium hydroxide/amalgam, resin-modified glass ionomer, zinc oxide--eugenol, resin composite, or zinc polycarboxylate materials. Pulp vitality was reduced by the remaining dentin thickness of the cavity preparations, whereas the other variables, including the type of restorative material, had little effect. Restorative materials cause minimal pulp damage in isolation; it is more important to minimize the removal of intact dentin to maintain the vitality of teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Denture stomatitis is a condition of painless inflammation of denture‐bearing mucosa. Reports indicate that nicotine, the major psychoactive ingredient in tobacco, increases growth of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans in denture biofilm. The purpose of this study was to determine the in vitro effects of nicotine on coaggregation of C. albicans with S. mutans. Material and Methods: C. albicans strain ATCC 10231, S. mutans strain UA159 (ATTC 700610), and nicotine dilutions (ranging from 0 to 32 mg/ml) were used for this study. Both microorganisms were grown for 24 hours in dilutions of nicotine (0 to 32 mg/ml) made in tryptic soy broth (TSB) or TSB supplemented with 1% sucrose (TSBS; S. mutans) or yeast peptone dextrose broth (YPD; C. albicans). Suspensions of the nicotine‐treated cells were prepared, mixed together and incubated for up to 24 hours to determine if there was an increase in coaggregation of nicotine‐treated cells compared to the no nicotine control cells. Qualitative analysis of coaggregation was performed using a visual aggregation assay and light microscopic observation. A spectrophotometric assay was used to provide a quantitative analysis of the coaggregation. Results: The visual aggregation assay indicated a significant increase in coaggregation between C. albicans and S. mutans with increasing incubation time (0 to 24 hours) and nicotine concentrations (0 to 4 mg/ml). Microbial growth in nicotine at 4 mg/ml demonstrated a significant increase in coaggregation after 24 hours of incubation. The numbers of coaggregated S. mutans/C. albicans cells exhibited a significant increase with incubation time and nicotine concentrations when the samples were examined microscopically. More coaggregation of S. mutans and C. albicans was observed with incubation time and increased nicotine compared to the 0 mg/ml nicotine group. There was a noticeable increase of coaggregation when cells were grown in TSBS compared to TSB. Absorbance of nicotine‐treated cells (0.25 to 4 mg/ml) exhibited a decrease in values compared to 0 mg/ml at 0 hours of incubation, confirming increased coaggregation. Conclusion: These results demonstrated the effect of nicotine in increasing the coaggregation of S. mutans with C. albicans. Coaggregation increased with incubation time and nicotine concentration. Coaggregation was increased with S. mutans grown in TSBS compared to TSB, suggesting that growth in sucrose media leads to an increase in receptors responsible for coaggregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To determine the in vitro effectiveness of Plantago major extract, along with two of its active components, aucubin and baicalein, on the inhibition of Candida albicans growth, biofilm formation, metabolic activity, and cell surface hydrophobicity. Materials and Methods Twofold dilutions of P. major, aucubin, and baicalein were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), and the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of each solution. Separately, twofold dilutions of P. major, aucubin, and baicalein were used to determine the metabolic activity of established C. albicans biofilm using a 2,3-bis (2- methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-carboxanilide reduction assay. Twofold dilutions of P. major, aucubin, and baicalein were used to determine the cell surface hydrophobicity of treated C. albicans biofilm by a two-phase assay using hexadecane. The hydrophobicity percentage of the cell surface was then calculated. A mixed-model ANOVA test was used for intergroup comparisons. Results The MICs of P. major extract (diluted 1:2 to 1:8), aucubin (61 to 244 μg/ml), and baicalein (0.0063 to 100 μg/ml) on the total growth of C. albicans were noticeable at their highest concentrations, and the inhibition was dose dependent. The MFC was evaluated after 48 hours of incubation, and aucubin (244 μg/ml) exhibited a strong fungicidal activity at its highest concentration against C. albicans growth. The MBIC indicated no growth or reduced growth of C. albicans biofilm at the highest concentrations of aucubin (61 to 244 μg/ml) and baicalein (25 to 100 μg/ml). Similarly, the effects of these reagents on C. albicans biofilm metabolic activity and hydrophobicity demonstrated high effectiveness at their highest concentrations. Conclusion P. major extract, aucubin, and baicalein caused a dose-dependent reduction on the total growth, biofilm formation, metabolic activity, and cell surface hydrophobicity of C. albicans. This demonstrates their effectiveness as antifungals and suggests their promising potential use as solutions for C. albicans biofilm-related infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]