Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Community Water Fluoridation’S Legacy: Protect It Or Lose It, Johnny Johnson Dmd, Ms

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article presents advocacy strategies to promote and preserve community water fluoridation initiatives. The American Fluoridation Society, patterned after the British Fluoridation Society, brings dentists, health experts, and other allies and provides evidence-based resources to address a broad spectrum of assertion by fluoridation opponents.

Conducting A 10-Minute Search For Evidence To Aid In Clinical Decision-Making, Mark Maceachern Mlis

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This article is a continuation of the Journal’s series on implementing EBD process into clinical practice. The abundance of scientific literature can make it difficult to find the best evidence to answer a clinical question. This article presents strategies for conducting a 10-minute search for the best evidence, including:

• Developing a PICO question to focus the search.
• Using free search engines such as PubMed, Google Scholar, TRIP, PubMed Clinical Queries, Medline-Plus.gov, Epistemonikos, and other online resources such as published ADA Clinical Practice Guidelines.
• Using keywords with search properties, such as Boolean Operators and filters, to discover specific types of articles, …

The Studies That Shaped A Science-Based Profession, Christopher J. Smiley

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Editorial on science-based public health policy and the lessons of the Grand Rapids Study.

Methyl-Sensing Nuclear Receptor Liver Receptor Homolog-1 Regulates Mitochondrial Function In Mouse Hepatocytes, Sungwoo Choi, Bingning Dong, Chih-Chun Janet Lin, Mi Jeong Heo, Kang Ho Kim, Zhen Sun, Martin Wagner, Nagireddy Putluri, Jae Myoung Suh, Meng C Wang, David D Moore

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Liver receptor homologue-1 (LRH-1; NR5A2) is a nuclear receptor that regulates metabolic homeostasis in the liver. Previous studies identified phosphatidylcholines as potential endogenous agonist ligands for LRH-1. In the liver, distinct subsets of phosphatidylcholine species are generated by two different pathways: choline addition to phosphatidic acid via the Kennedy pathway, or trimethylation of phosphatidylethanolamine via Phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyl Transferase (PEMT). Here we report that a PEMT - LRH-1 pathway specifically couples methyl metabolism and mitochondrial activities in hepatocytes. We show that the loss of Lrh-1 reduces mitochondrial number, basal respiration, beta-oxidation and ATP production in hepatocytes, and decreases expression of mitochondrial …

Meeting The Educational Needs Of An Increasingly Diverse Surgical Workforce, Minerva Angelica Romero Arenas

School of Medicine Publications

To the Editor Yeo et al¹ evaluated factors associated with American Board of Surgery (ABS) examination pass rates in a cohort of categorical surgical residents from the internship (2007) to eligibility/certification. They found that first-time ABS pass rate was associated with nonmodifiable factors, such as nonwhite race/ethnicity, sex (women), and having children.¹ Additionally, Hispanic residents were less likely to attempt the ABS examinations at all. We must place these findings in the context of diversity in surgery, or rather, the lack thereof. The cohort included only 55 Hispanic residents, most of whom did pass the ABS examinations (n …

Pectin-Tannic Acid Nano-Complexes Promote The Delivery And Bioactivity Of Drugs In Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Sumeet S. Chauhan, Advait B. Shetty, Elham Hatami, Pallabita Chowdhury, Murali M. Yallapu

School of Medicine Publications

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is a lethal disease. Conventional chemotherapies for PanCa offer severe systemic toxicities. Thus, the development of a successful nanomedicine-based therapeutic regimen with augmented therapeutic efficacy is highly sought. Naturally occurring pectin and modified pectin-based drug delivery systems exhibit remarkable self-targeting ability via galactose residues to various cancer cells. Herein, we developed and used an innovative approach of highly stable nanocomplexes based on modified pectin and tannic acid (MPT-NCs). The nanocomplex formation was enabled by strong intermolecular interactions between pectin and tannic acid under very mild conditions. These nanocomplexes were characterized by particle size and morphology (DLS, TEM, …

Cognitive Impairment From Early To Middle Adulthood In Patients With Affective And Nonaffective Psychotic Disorders, Josephine Mollon, Samuel R. Mathias, Emma Knowles, Amanda Rodrigue, Marinka M. G. Koenis, Godfrey D. Pearlson, Abraham Reichenberg, Jennifer Barrett, Dominique Denbow, Katrina Aberizk, Molly Zatony, Russell A. Poldrack, John Blangero, David C. Glahn

School of Medicine Publications

Background.—Cognitive impairment is a core feature of psychotic disorders, but the profile of impairment across adulthood, particularly in African-American populations, remains unclear.

Methods.—Using cross-sectional data from a case–control study of African-American adults with affective (n = 59) and nonaffective (n = 68) psychotic disorders, we examined cognitive functioning between early and middle adulthood (ages 20–60) on measures of general cognitive ability, language, abstract reasoning, processing speed, executive function, verbal memory, and working memory.

Results.—Both affective and nonaffective psychosis patients showed substantial and widespread cognitive impairments. However, comparison of cognitive functioning between controls and psychosis groups throughout early …

The Infectious Headache- A Case Of Neurocysticercosis, Supraja Thunuguntla, Obinna Echeruo, Jose Campo Maldonado

School of Medicine Publications

A 50-year-old Hispanic female presented to her primary care physician with a progressively worsening headache over a week, associated with visual disturbances, prosopagnosia and episodes of disorientation. Outpatient workup with head CT showed abnormality in the ventral aspect of the left thalamus showing 1.2 × 1 cm low density cyst with approximately 2-3 mm right-left midline shift locally. Left basal ganglia showed multiple well-defined foci of low density measuring up to 3 mm reflecting edema. On admission, pertinent physical exam findings were left sided nystagmus, positive deep tendon reflexes (DTRs) in the right lower extremity (RLE), positive Babinski on the …

Novel Elvitegravir Nanoformulation For Drug Delivery Across The Blood-Brain Barrier To Achieve Hiv-1 Suppression In The Cns Macrophages, Yuqing Gong, Pallabita Chowdhury, Prashanth K.B. Nagesh, Mohammad A. Rahman, Kaining Zhi, Murali M. Yallapu, Santosh Kumar

School of Medicine Publications

The use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has remarkably decreased the morbidity associated with HIV-1 infection, however, the prevalence of HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) is still increasing. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the major impediment for penetration of antiretroviral drugs, causing therapeutics to reach only suboptimal level to the brain. Conventional antiretroviral drug regimens are not sufficient to improve the treatment outcomes of HAND. In our recent report, we have developed a poloxamer-PLGA nanoformulation loaded with elvitegravir (EVG), a commonly used antiretroviral drug. The nanoformulated EVG is capable of elevating intracellular drug uptake and simultaneously enhance viral suppression in HIV-1-infected macrophages. …

Evaluation Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Induction Regimens In Elderly Patients With Unfavorable Risk Cytogenetics That Are Candidates For Intensive Remission Therapy, Monica Tadros, Guenther Koehne, Talia Zahra, Moe Shwin, Jessica Unzaga, Nicholas Chow

All Publications

No abstract provided.

Modulation Of Anti-Microbical Defenses In The Gasrointestinal Tract By Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors, Alreem Abdulaziz Al-Dhalali Al-Mansori

Theses

Inflammation is a crucial defence mechanism that protects the body from the effect of invading pathogens. However, the inflammatory response needs to be controlled in order to avoid systemic manifestations with serious consequences to the host. Accumulating evidence indicates that the inflammatory response is tightly regulated through immunological and neural pathways. Previously, it has been demonstrated that cholinergic stimulation by paraoxon, a specific and irreversible inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), improved survival in mice following oral infection with virulent Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). However, paraoxon is an organophosphorus compound unsuited for human use. In this study, the …

Histogenesis And Histochemical Features Of Gastric Glands Of Pre-Hatch And Post-Hatch Broiler Chicken, Anietie Francis Udoumoh, Innocent Chima Nwaogu, Udensi Maduabuchi Igwebuike, Ikechukwu Reginald Obidike

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological development of the stomach of broiler chicken using histological and histo-chemical techniques. Thirty fertile eggs and 50 chicks of broiler chicken were used for the study. The results showed that at embryonic day (ED) 14, the simple tubular glands of the proventriculus were poorly defined while the framework of the compound tubular glands of the proventriculus were fully established. The secretory tubules of the compound tubular glands were lined by simple cuboidal cells at embryonic days 14, 17 and 19. However, at post-hatch days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21, …

Responses Of Swine Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Against Human Lung Carcinoma Epithelial Cell Line A549, Min Tao Wan, Chin Cheng Chou

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) has been shown to adhere, invade, and induce the death of various host cells. The prominent lineage of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (LA-MRSA) in Asia is the sequence type (ST) 9 that has emerged as a potential zoonotic pathogen. However, the virulence of LA-MRSA ST9 remains not clear. In this study, sixteen representative Taiwan LA-MRSA isolates were selected for adherence, invasion, and cytotoxicity studies against the human lung carcinoma epithelial cell line A549. The isolates showed 100% of cytotoxicity, 35.2% - 61% of adhesion, and 18% - 52.5% of invasion against A549 cells. Different adherent abilities …

Comparison Of Plasma-Lyte A And Trometamol-Balanced Priming Solutions For Cardiopulmonary Bypass In A Swine Model: A Pilot Study, Wen-Ting Ting, Lee-Mei Ponge, Heng-Wen Chou, Chih-Hsien Wang, Yih-Sharng Chen, Jih-Jong Lee

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Currently, the optimal priming solution for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) remains debatable. However, plasmalyte A solution (PLAS) has been widely used in the United States and is considered to be the standard priming solution worldwide. Therefore, we designed a trometamol-balanced solution (Resculyte® solution, RS) to evaluate the safety and feasibility for its use as a priming solution during CPB compared to PLAS. In total, 8 white pigs that underwent CPB were assigned 1:1 to PLAS and RS groups. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded using an Abbott i-STAT analyzer with CG4+ (for pH, pressure of carbon dioxide, pressure of oxygen , total carbon …

Involucrin, Cytokeratin 10 And Ki67 Expression In A Threedimensional Cultured Canine Keratinocyte Cell Line In Comparison To Canine Skin And Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma And A Pilot Study On Custom-Designed Sirna-Inv Transfection, Nongnut Assawawongkasem, Somporn Techangamsuwan, Prapruddee Piyaviriyakul, Pranom Puchadapirom, Achariya Sailasuta

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Involucrin (INV) is a well-known early stage marker of terminal keratinocyte differentiation in humans. Besides its importance in human cancer, it has been predicted to be a prognostic marker in canine skin cancer. However, there is very little information available on canine INV. Therefore, for the first time, a three-dimensional (3D) cultured canine keratinocyte cell line was evaluated for the expression level of INV and two other cancer prognostic parameters, cytokeratin 10 (CK10) and Ki67, compared to that in canine normal skin (CN) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) cells. The INV protein and transcript expression levels were significantly (p < 0.005) higher in canine CN compared to in CSCC, whereas Ki67 expression levels were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in CN than in CSCC. The culture of a commercial canine keratinocyte cell line (CPEK; CELLnTEC Advanced Cell Systems, Switzerland) to produce the 3D epidermal skin was successfully achieved under an air-liquid interface for 14 d of culture. There was no statistical difference in the INV and CK10 expression levels between the 3D-cultured CPEK cells and CN. A custom designed INV siRNA transfected at 300 pmol showed the high efficacy of INV knockdown with minimum cytotoxicity to cultured CPEK cells, significantly reducing the INV mRNA expression level after 5 h transfection for up to 48 h. This is the first report on the custom design of siRNA transfection in monolayer cultured CPEK cells for INV gene knockdown in dogs and it could be useful for future studies on the carcinogenesis of CSCC.

The Effects Of Alkaline Water And Rainwater On The Production And Health Performance Of Commercial Broilers Under Tropical Conditions, Eric Lim Teik Chung, Nazri Nayan, Mamat Hamidi Kamalludin, Mohamed M. Alghirani, Faez Firdaus Abdullah Jesse, Nafeesa Abu Kassim, Aqila Azizi, Mohd Farhan Hanif Reduan, Teck Chwen Loh

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Water consumption of a broiler is affected by temperature and the absence or presence of some minerals which could affect its production. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of giving alkaline water and rainwater on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and white blood cell changes of broilers under tropical condition. A total of 108 broiler birds (Cobb 500) were randomly divided into three treatment groups with six replicates consisting of six birds per replicate. Treatment 1 (control), 2 and 3 were provided with available tap water (pH 7.17), sodium bicarbonate alkaline water (pH 8.05) and chlorinated …

Association Of Snps In The Coding Regions Of Cd4 Gene With Mastitis Susceptibility And Production Traits In Dairy Cattle, Saqib Zeb, Nawab Ali, Sadaf Niaz, Arsalan Rasheed, Irfan Khattak, Naimat Ullah Khan, Yachun Wang, Tahir Usman

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

CD4 gene is reported to have significant role in various inflammatory conditions including mastitis. Therefore, the current study was designed to screen out single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the bovine CD4 gene and to evaluate its effects on mastitis indicator and production traits. Total 201 milk and blood samples were collected from dairy cattle maintained at government dairy farms of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Milk samples were used for DHI test (milk composition and somatic cell count) and the blood for DNA extraction. SNPs were initially detected in the pool DNA samples followed by screening in the whole cohort. The association …

Reference Values For Certain Serum Biochemical Markers Of Liver Damage In Apparently Healthy Red Sokoto Goats, Patrick Emeka Aba, John Ikechukwu Ihedioha, Innocent Chima Nwaogu

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The Red Sokoto goat (RSG) is the most preponderant of all the breeds of goats in Nigeria. There is dearth of information regarding the reference values for serum biochemical markers of liver damage in this breed. This study demonstrated the reference values in apparently healthy RSG and in RSG that were truly negative for liver disorders. The study was a cross sectional survey. Research visits were made to Ikpa Market Abattoir, Nsukka, for 12 weeks. Apparently healthy goats and those truly negative for liver disorders were deliberately selected for the study. Blood samples were collected in sample bottles devoid of …

Effects Of Copper-Bearing Montmorillonite On Salmonella Spp. In Vitro Study, Chiu-Huang Ting, Shih-Chu Chen, Ching-Dong Chang, Wen-Ling Shih, Perng-Chih Shen, Hung-Yi Wu

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Clay is an important material available in nature. Montmorillonite is considered viable for producing enhanced performance in a variety of materials and products. Farmed animals such as pigs and poultry receive additional Zn and Cu in their diets as supplements in their compound feed and these elements are also used for medical remedies. This study aimed to observe the bactericidal activity of copper-bearing montmorillonite (Cu-MMT) against Salmonella spp. in vitro. The experiments were divided into two methods that effect Salmonella spp.. First, Cu-MMT was used to precipitate the Cu2+ ion supernatant mixed with bacteria. The second, Cu-MMT was directly mixed …

Molecular And Antigen Detection Of Dirofilaria Immitis Infection In Client-Owned Cats In Bangkok, Thailand, Sukullaya Ritthikulprasert, Pipat Jirapiti, Siwaporn Pengpis

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Feline heartworm disease, caused by Dirofilaria immitis infection, can be potentially fatal to cats. Screening for the infection in cats is important in endemic areas. Clinical utility of molecular techniques for diagnosis of feline heartworm disease is not clearly determined. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay could be used for detection of D. immitis infection in cats that were concurrently tested for D. immitis antigen. Blood samples were collected from 100 client-owned cats in a veterinary teaching hospital. Whole blood samples were tested for D. immitis antigen and extracted for total …

Use Of Ultrasound In A Case Of Actinomycosis In A Holstein Friesian Cow, Alessio Madrigali, Francesca Bonelli, Micaela Sgorbini, Simonetta Citi, Carlo Cantile, Filippo Fratini, Luca Turini

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Actinomycosis is a sporadic disease of cattle, caused by Actinomyces bovis. In presence of oral injuries or openings, A. bovis could penetrate tissues and infect maxilla or mandible bones. A Holstein Friesian cow was presented for inappetence, weight loss and a left-sided mandibular swelling. A unilateral swelling was visible on the left jaw as a ventro-lateral and circular in shape. A fine-needle aspiration was collected. Ultrasonography examination was performed. Bacteriological analysis was negative. Due to the history, actinomycosis diagnosis was suggested and the cow was culled. Pathological examination revealed lesions indicative of chronic pyogranulomatous mandibular osteomyelitis with intralesional colonies of …

Juvenile Diabetes Mellitus With Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency In A Thai Bangkaew Dog: A Case Report, Jeerawat Soonthornsit, Weerachai Anpranit

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

An 8-month-old intact male Thai Bangkaew bred dog presented with polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, exercise intolerance and weight loss over 2 weeks. The serum biochemistry profiles revealed hyperglycemia, glycosuria and high serum fructosamine concentrations indicating the development of diabetes mellitus. The dog had a good response to a half-dose of intermediate-insulin injection twice daily monitored by the improvement of clinical signs and serum fructosamine. This was supposed to be due to the partial destruction of islets of Langerhans. Two months later, voluminous diarrhea with greasy stools, dry coat hair and generalized alopecia were observed. However, the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus, …

Staged Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (Litt) Treatments To Left Insular Low-Grade Glioma, Daniel M. Hafez, Caroline Liekweg, Eric C. Leuthardt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Low-grade insular gliomas remain challenging tumors for aggressive resection because of the numerous functional and vascular structures surrounding them. Because of the potential morbidities associated with open surgical resection, less invasive techniques may confer a more optimal balance between cytoreduction and surgical complications. For this reason, we evaluated the use of laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) for resection of a dominant hemisphere oligodendroglioma World Health Organization (WHO) grade II in a 68-yr-old patient by use of multiple staged surgeries for its resection.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Patient KK was a 68-yr-old female who was found to have a large, …

The Struggling Infectious Diseases Fellow: Remediation Challenges And Opportunities, Michael T Melia, Armando Paez, Gail Reid, Lisa M Chirch, Vera P Luther, Brian G Blackburn, Federico Perez, Emily Abdoler, Daniel R Kaul, Susan Rehm, Nada Harik, Alice Barsoumian, Anna K Person, Heather Yun, J David Beckham, Susan Boruchoff, Paloma F Cariello, James B Cutrell, Christopher J Graber, Dong Heun Lee, Eileen Maziarz, Molly L Paras, Raymund R Razonable, Roseanne Ressner, Anne Chen, Brian Chow, Gerome Escota, Erica Herc, Andrew Johnson, Ryan C Maves, Obinna Nnedu, Heather Clauss, Prathit Kulkarni, Paul S Pottinger, Jose A Serpa, Tanaya Bhowmick, Marvin Bittner, Darcy Wooten, Beata Casanas, Rachel Shnekendorf, Emily A Blumberg

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Remediation of struggling learners is a challenge faced by all educators. In recognition of this reality, and in light of contemporary challenges facing infectious diseases (ID) fellowship program directors, the Infectious Diseases Society of America Training Program Directors' Committee focused the 2018 National Fellowship Program Directors' Meeting at IDWeek on "Remediation of the Struggling Fellow." Small group discussions addressed 7 core topics, including feedback and evaluations, performance management and remediation, knowledge deficits, fellow well-being, efficiency and time management, teaching skills, and career development. This manuscript synthesizes those discussions around a competency-based framework to provide program directors and other educators with …

Correction Of Respiratory Artifacts In Mri Head Motion Estimates, Damien A. Fair, Abraham Z. Snyder, Andrew N. Van, Jonathan M. Koller, Amy E. Mirro, Jacqueline M Hampton, Babatunde Adeyemo, Timothy O. Laumann, Deanna J. Greene, Deann M. Barch, Steven E. Petersen, Nico U. F. Dosenbach, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Head motion represents one of the greatest technical obstacles in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human brain. Accurate detection of artifacts induced by head motion requires precise estimation of movement. However, head motion estimates may be corrupted by artifacts due to magnetic main field fluctuations generated by body motion. In the current report, we examine head motion estimation in multiband resting state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study and comparison 'single-shot' datasets. We show that respirations contaminate movement estimates in functional MRI and that respiration generates apparent head motion not associated …

2019 Hrs/Ehra/Aphrs/Lahrs Expert Consensus Statement On Catheter Ablation Of Ventricular Arrhythmias: Executive Summary, Edmond M Cronin, Phillip Cuculich, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Ventricular arrhythmias are an important cause of morbidity and mortality and come in a variety of forms, from single premature ventricular complexes to sustained ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation. Rapid developments have taken place over the past decade in our understanding of these arrhythmias and in our ability to diagnose and treat them. The field of catheter ablation has progressed with the development of new methods and tools, and with the publication of large clinical trials. Therefore, global cardiac electrophysiology professional societies undertook to outline recommendations and best practices for these procedures in a document that will update and replace the …

Polr1b And Neural Crest Cell Anomalies In Treacher Collins Syndrome Type 4, Elodie Sanchez, Tomi L Toler, Walton Nephi, Marcia Willing, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare autosomal dominant mandibulofacial dysostosis, with a prevalence of 0.2-1/10,000. Features include bilateral and symmetrical malar and mandibular hypoplasia and facial abnormalities due to abnormal neural crest cell (NCC) migration and differentiation. To date, three genes have been identified: TCOF1, POLR1C, and POLR1D. Despite a large number of patients with a molecular diagnosis, some remain without a known genetic anomaly.

METHODS: We performed exome sequencing for four individuals with TCS but who were negative for pathogenic variants in the known causative genes. The effect of the pathogenic variants was investigated in zebrafish.

RESULTS: …

Mmp-7 And Mmp-9 Are Overexpressed In The Synovial Tissue From Severe Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction, Carla Loreto, Veronica Filetti, Luis Eduardo Almeida, Giusy Rita Maria La Rosa, Rosalia Leonardi, Cristina Grippaudo, Antonino Lo Giudice

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are tissue-enzymes that play a key role during the remodeling process, such as in inflammatory diseases. MMP-7 and MMP-9 have been shown to be implicated in extracellular matrix homeostasis and in joint disc remodeling. The objective of this study was to determine the relation of MMP-7 and MMP-9 expression with severe temporomandibular joint dysfunction, in particular with anterior disk displacement without reduction (ADDwoR), using an immunohistochemical approach. Therefore, twenty human temporomandibular synovia in the test group and ten in the control group were collected. The results showed there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.001) for morphometric and densitometric analysis of both detected MMPs in control and test groups. In conclusion, MMP-7 and MMP-9 were overexpressed in the synovial tissue of patients with ADDwoR.

Biodegradable Magnesium Bone Implants Coated With A Novel Bioceramic Nanocomposite, Mehdi Razavi, Mohammadhossein Fathi, Omid Savabi, Lobat Tayebi, Daryoosh Vashaee

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Magnesium (Mg) alloys are being investigated as a biodegradable metallic biomaterial because of their mechanical property profile, which is similar to the human bone. However, implants based on Mg alloys are corroded quickly in the body before the bone fracture is fully healed. Therefore, we aimed to reduce the corrosion rate of Mg using a double protective layer. We used a magnesium-aluminum-zinc alloy (AZ91) and treated its surface with micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique to first form an intermediate layer. Next, a bioceramic nanocomposite composed of diopside, bredigite, and fluoridated hydroxyapatite (FHA) was coated on the surface of MAO treated AZ91 …

Beauty For Ashes: Reflections On Aesthetic Experience And Suffering, Douglas Gilmour

Verbum Incarnatum: An Academic Journal of Social Justice

In this essay, I examine the relationship between aesthetic experience and suffering, and I specifically explore how and why the former can potentially serve to meliorate the severity of the latter. Of course, that art and beauty can provide a certain measure of comfort and healing to the afflicted is a universally acknowledged truth; however, the reasons why this should be so could be considered an equally universal mystery. “I feel we understand too little about the psychology of loss,” writes Arthur Danto, “to understand why the creation of beauty is so fitting a way of marking it.” By exploring …