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Orthopedic Treatment Outcomes in Class III Malocclusion

OBJECTIVEnTo assess the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of early orthopedic treatment in Class III subjects.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnA literature survey was performed by applying the Medline database (Entrez PubMed). The survey covered the period from January 1966 to December 2005 and used the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The following study types that reported data on the effects of Class III treatment with orthopedic appliances (facial mask, chincup, FR-3) on intermaxillary sagittal and vertical relationships were included: randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and prospective and retrospective longitudinal controlled clinical trials (CCTs) with untreated Class III controls.nnnRESULTSnThe search strategy resulted in 536 articles. After selection according to criteria for inclusion and exclusion, 19 articles qualified for the final review analysis. One RCT and 18 CCTs were retrieved.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe quality standard of the retrieved investigations ranged from low (four studies) to medium/high (five studies). Data derived from medium/high quality research described over 75% of success of orthopedic treatment of Class III malocclusion (RME and facial mask therapy) at a follow-up observation 5 years after the end of orthopedic treatment.

Shear Bond Strength of Metal Brackets on Enamel

OBJECTIVEnTo compare the shear bond strength of different metal orthodontic brackets.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnFive types of orthodontic metal brackets were selected (S1, Victory Series, 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif; S2, Mini Dyna-Lock, 3M Unitek; S3, Mini Sprint, Forestadent, Pforzheim, Germany; S4, Topic, Dentaurum, Inspringen, Germany; and S5, equilibrium 2, Dentaurum). Brackets were bonded on enamel surfaces of bovine incisors (Transbond XT, 3M Unitek) and were tested for shear bond strength with an Instron universal testing machine (Instron Corp, Canton, Mass). Data obtained in newtons and megapascals were analyzed with descriptive statistics and with analysis of variance and Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) tests. The adhesive fracture site was classified with the adhesive remnant index (ARI).nnnRESULTSnAll the specimens tested had shear bond strength adequate to resist orthodontic forces. S5 showed significantly greater bond strength when compared with the other samples, except for S1. S1, S3, and S5 showed a significantly greater bonding force. The ARI index demonstrated a large variability. Retentive structure of S1, S3, and S5 had equal validity. The enlargement of the retentive surface enhances adhesion but affects the adaptability to surface irregularity of the enamel, increasing the risk of fracture at the interface with the bracket.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe results of this study suggest that probably the retentive base extension can be lower than 7 mm2 proposed in previous studies as the minimal area.

Does rapid maxillary expansion induce adverse effects in growing subjects

OBJECTIVEnTo assess the scientific evidence that rapid maxillary expansion (RME) causes Adverse Effects on the midpalatal suture, vertical dimension, dental and periodontal structures in growing subjects.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnElectronic databases were searched for articles dated through December 2011. The quality of the studies was ranked on a 13-point scale in which 1 was the low end of the scale and 13 was the high end.nnnRESULTSnThirty relevant articles were identified. The amount of midpalatal suture opening ranged from 1.6 to 4.3 mm in the anterior region and from 1.2 to 4.4 mm in the posterior region. At the end of the active phase, RME resulted in slight inferior movement of the maxilla (SN-PNS +0.9 mm; SN-ANS +1.6 mm), increased tipping of anchored teeth from 3.4° to 9.2° and bending of the alveolar bone from 5.1° to 11.3°. In the long term, RME did not modify the facial growth patterns, and no significant changes on dentoalveolar structures were observed. Of the 30 studies, 2 were medium-high quality, 8 were medium quality, and 20 were low quality.nnnCONCLUSIONSnRME always opened the midpalatal suture in growing subjects. The vertical changes were small and transitory. In the long-term evaluation, an uprighting of anchored teeth was observed and periodontal structures were not compromised.

The association between Occlusion Time and Temporomandibular Disorders

INTRODUCTIONnRecently, some published studies show there is a multifactorial origin for Temporomandibular Disorders, but the dental occlusions contribution to the development of Temporomandibular Disorders, and how it may influence the adaptive capacity of the Stomatognathic system, its still unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the correlation between the Occlusion Time and Temporomandibular Disorders.nnnMETHODSnA total of 54 patients were enrolled in the study (24 males and 30 females, mean age 27.94 ± 8.21 years). The TMD group (8 males and 10 females) consisted of subjects who presented with at least 1 of the following signs of Temporomandibular Disorders: Temporomandibular Joint sounds (clicking or crepitation), Temporomandibular Joint locking episodes, limited mandibular opening, painful limitation of mandibular movements, pain to palpation of the Temporomandibular Joint or of the masticatory muscles. The control group (16 males and 20 females) presented as free from Temporomandibular Disorders. The T-Scan III computerized occlusal analysis system was to record the subjects Occlusion. Times during eight mandibular opening-closing movements.nnnRESULTSnThe two-ways ANOVA test analyzed the variations for group and sex, showing that the TMD group mean Occlusion Time (0.64 ± 0.21s) was statistically significantly longer than the control group mean Occlusion Time (0.45 ± 0.17s) (p<0.001). Significant differences were also found for gender where the mean OT of female subjects was longer than males one with statistical significance (p-value<0.01).nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe computerized analysis of the Occlusion Time in patients affected by TMJ problems has to be carefully considered as adjunctive instrumental device.

An analysis of the corrective contribution in activator treatment.

This retrospective study (1) cephalometrically investigates the effectiveness of activator therapy, (2) evaluates the contribution of skeletal growth in the self-correction of the Class II malocclusion, and (3) analyzes separately the dental and skeletal responses to activator treatment and the differences between the incisor and molar areas. The subjects, all in the mixed dentition, were selected from a single center and were divided into a group of 40 Class II patients treated with an activator and an untreated group of 30 Class II patients. Dentoskeletal changes that occurred were compared on lateral cephalograms taken before the treatment/observation period and after 21 months (standard deviation, three months). When the activator patients were compared with the untreated control subjects, therapy promoted a combination of skeletal and dental changes that led to an improvement of the sagittal discrepancy. Other changes observed in the untreated Class II subjects did not bring about a correction of the malocclusion. An analysis of the corrective contributions in activator therapy in the posterior area showed that the orthopedic effects were greater than the dental effects in correcting the posterior occlusal relationship. In the anterior area of the arch, although both the skeletal and dental changes were favorable toward the sagittal correction, the skeletal contribution was greater than the dental contribution. In general, the skeletal contribution (140%) exceeded the dental correction (60%), and the mandibular changes (73%) exceeded the maxillary contribution (27%) both in the anterior and posterior regions.

S.A.M., the Italian Martian Simulation Chamber

The Martian Environment Simulator (SAM “Simulatore di Ambiente Marziano”) is a interdisciplinary project of Astrobiology done at University of Padua. The research is aimed to the study of the survival of the microorganisms exposed to the “extreme” planetary environment. The facility has been designed in order to simulate Mars’ environmental conditions in terms of atmospheric pressure, temperature cycles and UV radiation dose. The bacterial cells, contained into dedicated capsules, will be exposed to thermal cycles simulating diurnal and seasonal Martian cycles. The metabolism of the different biological samples will be analysed at different phases of the experiment, to study their survival and eventual activity of protein synthesis (mortality, mutations and capability of DNA reparing). We describe the experimental facility and provide the perspectives of the biological experiments we will perform in order to provide hints on the possibility of life on Mars either autochthonous or imported from Earth.

Human bocavirus in children with acute gastroenteritis in Albania

Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been recently identified in association with acute viral gastroenteritis (AGE). The objective of this work was to investigate the prevalence of HBoV in children with AGE in Albania. Stool specimens collected from 142 children were analyzed by amplification of partial NP1 and Vp1/Vp2 genes. HBoV was detected in 13 samples (9.1%), 12 HBoV‐1 and one HBoV‐2. All HBoV‐positive patients were co‐infected with rotavirus and/or adenovirus, a finding which might indicate that there is no clear causal association of this agent with diarrhea. Further investigation is needed to assess the pathogenic role of HBoV in childhood diarrhea. J. Med. Virol. 88:906–910, 2016.

Effect of cisplatin on proteasome activity

Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapy drug which exerts cytotoxic activity by affecting both nuclear and cytosolic pathways. Herewith, we report, for the first time, that cisplatin inhibits proteasome activity in vitro. Cisplatin induces a dose dependent inhibition of the three enzymatic activities of proteasome (i.e., the chymotrypsin-like activity, the trypsin-like activity and the caspase-like activity). Moreover, cisplatin administration to neuroblastoma cells brings about a fast loss of proteasome particle activity, which is followed by a de novo synthesis of proteasome. Lastly, we report that the simultaneous administration of lactacystin and cisplatin enhances the cytotoxicity of cisplatin alone. The overall bulk of data opens to an intriguing scenario, concerning the biological effects of cisplatin in the control of cellular life, which goes beyond the well established genotoxic effect.

A nonsurgical approach to treatment of high-angle Class II malocclusion

Malocclusions with a hyperdivergent vertical facial pattern are often difficult to treat without a combined surgical/orthodontic approach. The aim of this article is to describe a nonsurgical approach to the treatment of a high-angle Class II malocclusion in a growing patient. Some fundamental aspects, such as correct diagnosis, treatment timing, favorable mandibular growth pattern, and patient compliance, proved to be critical to correct the severe dentoskeletal disharmony.

Infection control in healthcare settings: perspectives for mfDNA analysis in monitoring sanitation procedures.

BackgroundAppropriate sanitation procedures and monitoring of their actual efficacy represent critical points for improving hygiene and reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections. Presently, surveillance is based on traditional protocols and classical microbiology. Innovation in monitoring is required not only to enhance safety or speed up controls but also to prevent cross infections due to novel or uncultivable pathogens. In order to improve surveillance monitoring, we propose that biological fluid microflora (mf) on reprocessed devices is a potential indicator of sanitation failure, when tested by an mfDNA-based approach. The survey focused on oral microflora traces in dental care settings.MethodsExperimental tests (nu2009=u200948) and an “in field” trial (nu2009=u200983) were performed on dental instruments. Conventional microbiology and amplification of bacterial genes by multiple real-time PCR were applied to detect traces of salivary microflora. Six different sanitation protocols were considered. A monitoring protocol was developed and performance of the mfDNA assay was evaluated by sensitivity and specificity.ResultsContaminated samples resulted positive for saliva traces by the proposed approach (CTu2009<u200935). In accordance with guidelines, only fully sanitized samples were considered negative (100xa0%). Culture-based tests confirmed disinfectant efficacy, but failed in detecting incomplete sanitation. The method provided sensitivity and specificity over 95xa0%.ConclusionsThe principle of detecting biological fluids by mfDNA analysis seems promising for monitoring the effectiveness of instrument reprocessing. The molecular approach is simple, fast and can provide a valid support for surveillance in dental care or other hospital settings.