This study evaluated the effect of incorporating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into conventional orthodontic adhesive on its antibacterial activity and the shear bond strength (SBS) to stainless steel orthodontic brackets. Thirty-four extracted premolars were randomly allocated into two groups (n = 17). Orthodontic adhesive (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek) was blended with AgNPs (50 nm, 0.3% w/w) to form a nano-adhesive. In order to bond stainless steel twin brackets (0.022-inch, American Orthodontics), Transbond XT (n = 17) and nano-adhesive (n = 17) were used in each group, respectively, after acid etching (37% phosphoric acid, 30 s) and rinsing with water (15 s). SBS and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) scores were recorded. Antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans in both groups after 24 h and 30 days was assessed (Disc agar diffusion test) and the inhibition zone diameter around each specimen was measured and recorded. Adding AgNPs significantly (p = 0.009) reduced the mean (SD) SBS in the nano-adhesive group [10.51(7.15) MPa] compared to Transbond XT [17.72(10.55) MPa]. The ARI scores on the Transbond XT and nano-adhesive showed no statistically significant difference (p = 0.322). Nano-adhesive with AgNPs showed significant antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans at 24 h and 30 days (p < 0.001). In both groups, no significant decline in the zones of inhibition was detected after 30 days (p = 0.907). The findings suggest that SBS decreased after incorporation of AgNPs [0.3% (w/w)], but was still above the recommended SBS of 5.9–7.8 MPa. The nano-adhesive showed significant antibacterial activity which did not change much after 30 days.

No abstract

Submit your article to this journal Results: PCO rats exhibited ovarian cystogenesis which was preserved by the application of carvedilol and ANGIPARSä. In comparison with controls, decreased level of the total antioxidant power (TAP) and higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in serum and ovaries (2.41 ± 0.67 versus 0.72 ± 0.11; and 0.17 ± 0.04 versus 0.05 ± 0.01; 5.48 ± 1.30 versus 10.56 ± 0.77; and 7.06 ± 1.94 versus 17.98 ± 0.98; p50.05, respectively) were detected in PCO rats. Moreover, the PCO rats exhibited hyperandrogenism due to a 3.7-fold increase in serum testosterone concentration (35.04 ± 3.17 versus 131.09 ± 13.24; p50.05) along with a 2.98-fold decrease in serum progesterone (6.19 ± 0.40 versus 18.50 ± 1.03; p50.05) and 5.2-fold decrease in serum estradiol (9.30 ± 0.61 versus 48.3 ± 2.10; p50.05) when compared with those of the control group. However, similar to the control group, normal levels of OS markers and sex hormones were detected in ANGIPARSä and carvedilol co-treated PCO rats. Besides, when compared with controls, increased levels of TNF-a (770.75 ± 42.06 versus 477.14 ± 28.77; p50.05) and insulin (1.27 ± 0.10 versus 0.36 ± 0.05; p50.05) in PCO rats were significantly inhibited by carvedilol and ANGIPARSä co-treatment. Discussion and conclusion: We evidenced the beneficial effects of carvedilol and ANGIPARSä in PCO, which underpin the new alternative approach in using these kinds of medicines in female reproductive disorders.