IntroductionLow-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been known to promote bone healing by nonthermal effects. In recent studies, LIPUS has been shown to reduce inflammation in injured soft tissues. Xerostomia is one of the most common symptoms in Sjögren syndrome (SS). It is caused by a decrease in the quantity or quality of saliva. The successful treatment of xerostomia is still difficult to achieve and often unsatisfactory. The aim of this study is to clarify the therapeutic effects of LIPUS on xerostomia in SS.MethodsHuman salivary gland acinar (NS-SV-AC) and ductal (NS-SV-DC) cells were cultured with or without tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α; 10 ng/ml) before LIPUS or sham exposure. The pulsed ultrasound signal was transmitted at a frequency of 1.5 MHz or 3 MHz with a spatial average intensity of 30 mW/cm2 and a pulse rate of 20 %. Cell number, net fluid secretion rate, and expression of aquaporin 5 (AQP5) and TNF-α were subsequently analyzed. Inhibitory effects of LIPUS on the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway were determined by Western blot analysis. The effectiveness of LIPUS in recovering salivary secretion was also examined in a MRL/MpJ/lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mouse model of SS with autoimmune sialadenitis.ResultsTNF-α stimulation of NS-SV-AC and NS-SV-DC cells resulted in a significant decrease in cell number and net fluid secretion rate (p < 0.01), whereas LIPUS treatment abolished them (p < 0.05). The expression changes of AQP5 and TNF-α were also inhibited in LIPUS treatment by blocking the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, we found that mRNA expression of A20, a negative feedback regulator, was significantly increased by LIPUS treatment after TNF-α or interleukin 1β stimulation (NS-SV-AC, p < 0.01; NS-SV-DC, p < 0.05). In vivo LIPUS exposure to MRL/lpr mice exhibited a significant increase in both salivary flow and AQP5 expression by reducing inflammation in salivary glands (p < 0.01).ConclusionsThese results suggest that LIPUS upregulates expression of AQP5 and inhibits TNF-α production. Thus, LIPUS may restore secretion by inflamed salivary glands. It may synergistically activate negative feedback of NF-κB signaling in response to inflammatory stimulation. Collectively, LIPUS might be a new strategic therapy for xerostomia in autoimmune sialadenitis with SS.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-015-0798-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Osteoporotic fracture has become a major public health problem, and until today, the treatments available are not satisfactory. While there is growing evidence to support the individual treatment of parathyroid hormone (PTH) administration and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) exposure as respectively systemic and local therapies during osteoporotic fracture healing, their effects have not yet been investigated when introduced concurrently. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of combined treatment with PTH (1-34) and LIPUS on fracture healing in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Thirty-two, 12-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were OVX to induce osteoporosis. After 12 weeks, the rats underwent surgery to create bilateral mid-diaphyseal fractures of proximal tibiae. All animals were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 8 for each): control group as placebo, PTH group, LIPUS group, and combined group. PTH group had PTH administration at a dose of 30 μg/kg/day for 3 days/week for 6 weeks. LIPUS group received ultrasound 5 days/week for 20 min/day for 6 weeks and combined group had both PTH administration and LIPUS exposure for 6 weeks. Fracture healing was observed weekly by anteroposterior radiography and micro-CT. Five weeks after the fracture, the tibia were harvested to permit histological assessments and at week 6, for mechanical property of the fracture callus. Micro-CT showed that the PTH and combined groups exhibited significantly higher BMD and trabecular bone integrity than control group at weeks 4-6. Radiography, fracture healing score and mean callus area indicated that the combined group revealed better healing processes than the individual groups. Mechanically, bending moment to failure was significantly higher in LIPUS, PTH and combined groups than in control group. These data suggest that the combined treatment of PTH and LIPUS have been shown to accelerate fracture bone healing and enhance bone properties rather than single agent therapy, and may be considered as a treatment remedy for fracture healing in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

To determine the effect of packaged coffee drinks consumption to corrosion rate of stainless steel orthodontic wire. Material and Methods:This study is laboratory experimental with post-test only with control group design and using stainless steel orthodontic wire with total of 16 samples. The wire length is 6 cm and diameter is 0.41 mm. Samples were divided into 4 groups with 1 group of artificial saliva and 3 groups with a packaged coffee drinks substitution. Measurement of corrosion rate was done by using potensiostat tool and data analysis using SPSS version 23 and kruskal wallis and post hoc Mann whitney test with significant value of p>0.05.substitution. Measurement of corrosion rate was done by using potensiostat tool and data analysis using SPSS version 23 and kruskal wallis and post hoc Mann whitney test with significant value of p>0.05. Results: Luwak and robusta packaged coffee group had lower corrosion rate value than the control group. While arabica packaged coffee group had higher corrosion rate value than the control group. Conclusion: Arabica packaged coffee drinks had the biggest effect on corrosion rate of stainless steel orthodontic wire.

This study aimed to assess the association of salivary pH, dental caries, and body mass index (BMI) in middle school students in Eastern Makassar. Material and Methods: This study included 60 middle school students from two schools in eastern Makassar. Data were collected by filling out a questionnaire, weight and height measurement, dental examination and saliva collection. Body mass index was calculated by dividing weight and height in kg/m 2 , saliva was collected by draining method, and salivary pH was measured with Saliva-Check Buffer (GC Japan). Decay Missing Filled-Teeth (DMF-T) indexes are used to assess dental caries. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-square and ANOVA with a significance of 0.05.Filled-Teeth (DMF-T) indexes are used to assess dental caries. Results: This study showed that overweight and obesity are more prevalent in female students than male students. Salivary pH in underweight students and overweight and obese students were lower compared to normal BMI students, while DMFT score in underweight, overweight and obese students was higher than the normal BMI students. Conclusion: It can be concluded that body mass index (BMI) have a significant association with salivary pH and DMFT score.