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PurposeWhile single-species biofilms have been studied extensively, we know notably little regarding multispecies biofilms and their interactions. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an in vitro multispecies dental biofilm model that aimed to mimic the environment of chronic periodontitis.MethodsStreptococcus gordonii KN1, Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC23726, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ATCC33384, and Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC33277 were used for this experiment. The biofilms were grown on 12-well plates with a round glass slip (12 mm in diameter) with a supply of fresh medium. Four different single-species biofilms and multispecies biofilms with the four bacterial strains listed above were prepared. The biofilms were examined with a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for four different planktonic single-species and multispecies bacteria were determined. The MICs of doxycycline and chlorhexidine for four different single-species biofilms and a multispecies biofilm were also determined.ResultsThe CLSM and SEM examination revealed that the growth pattern of the multispecies biofilm was similar to those of single-species biofilms. However, the multispecies biofilm became thicker than the single-species biofilms, and networks between bacteria were formed. The MICs of doxycycline and chlorhexidine were higher in the biofilm state than in the planktonic bacteria. The MIC of doxycycline for the multispecies biofilm was higher than were those for the single-species biofilms of P. gingivalis, F. nucleatum, or A. actinomycetemcomitans. The MIC of chlorhexidine for the multispecies biofilm was higher than were those for the single-species biofilms of P. gingivalis or F. nucleatum.ConclusionsTo mimic the natural dental biofilm, a multispecies biofilm composed of four bacterial species was grown. The 24-hour multispecies biofilm may be useful as a laboratory dental biofilm model system.Graphical Abstract

We synthesized two fluorene-based copolymers poly[(2,5-bis(4-hexylthiophen-2-yl)thiazolo[5,4-day]thiazole-5,5 0-diyl)-alt-(9,9 0-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl)] (PF-TTZT), and poly[(5,5 0-bis(4-hexylthiophen-2-yl)-2,2 0-bithiazole-5,5 0-diyl)-alt-(9,9 0-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl)] (PF-TBTT), which contain the electron-withdrawing moieties, thiazolothiazole, and bithiazole, respectively. Through electrochemical studies, we found that these two polymers exhibit stable reversible oxidation and reduction behaviors. Moreover, the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of PF-TBTT are lower than those of PF-TTZT, and the bandgap of PF-TBTT is smaller than that of PF-TTZT. Thus the bithiazole moiety in PF-TBTT is more electron-withdrawing than the thiazolothiazole moiety in PF-TTZT. Light-emitting devices with indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)(PEDOT)/polymer/bis(2-methyl-8-quinolinato)-4-phenylphenolate aluminum (BAlq)/LiF/Al configurations were fabricated. The performance of the PF-TBTT device was found to be almost three times better than that of the PF-TTZT device, which is because electron injection from the cathode to PF-TBTT is much easier than for PF-TTZT. We also investigated the planarity and frontier orbitals of the electron donor-acceptor (D-A) moieties with computational calculations using ab initio Hartree-Fock with the split-valence 6-31G* basis set. These calculations show that TBTT has a more nonplanar structure than TTZT and that the bithiazole moiety is more electron-withdrawing than thiazolothiazole. These calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results. V

This paper is an overview of various features of regional anesthesia (RA) and aims to introduce spine surgeons unfamiliar with RA. RA is commonly used for procedures that involve the lower extremities, perineum, pelvic girdle, or lower abdomen. However, general anesthesia (GA) is preferred and most commonly used for lumbar spine surgery. Spinal anesthesia (SA) and epidural anesthesia (EA) are the most commonly used RA methods, and a combined method of SA and EA (CSE). Compared to GA, RA offers numerous benefits including reduced intraoperative blood loss, arterial and venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, perioperative cardiac ischemic incidents, renal failure, hypoxic episodes in the postanesthetic care unit, postoperative morbidity and mortality, and decreased incidence of cognitive dysfunction. In spine surgery, RA is associated with lower pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting, positioning injuries, shorter anesthesia time, and higher patient satisfaction. Currently, RA is mostly used in short lumbar spine surgeries. However, recent findings illustrate the possibility of applying RA in spinal tumors and spinal fusion. Various researches reveal that SA is an effective alternative to GA with lower minor complications incidence. Comprehensive insight on RA will promote spine surgery under RA, thereby broadening the horizon of spine surgery under RA.

These results demonstrate that BiFC using Dronpa can be successfully used to investigate protein-protein interaction in live cells. Furthermore, the fact that complemented Dronpa has a reversible photoswitching activity suggests that it can be used as a tool for tracking protein-protein interaction.