Comparison of Foaming Properties Between the Shirasu Porous Glass Membrane Device and Tessari’s Three-way Stopcock Technique for Polidocanol and Ethanolamine Oleate Foam Production: A Benchtop Study

PurposeTo compare the characteristics of polidocanol (POL) and ethanolamine oleate (EO) sclerosing foams produced by a Shirasu porous glass membrane (SPGM) device with those made using a 3-way stopcock (3WSC).Materials and MethodsFoam half-life times were measured in an ex-vivo benchtop study. Computed tomography (CT) images of each foam were obtained over the time course, and a CT texture analysis was conducted. The bubble size in each foam was measured by an optical microscope.ResultsMedian foam half-life times were longer in the SPGM group than in the 3WSC group (POL: 198 vs 166 s, P = .02; EO: 640 vs 391 s, P < .01). In the CT texture analysis, median standard deviation (SD) and entropy (randomness) were lower, and median energy (uniformity) and gray-level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) homogeneity were higher in the SPGM group than in the 3WSC group (POL SD: at 30 s and 50–300 s; POL entropy: at 0–60 s; EO SD: at 0–600 s; EO entropy: at 0–460 s; POL energy: at 0–40 s; POL GLCM homogeneity: at 0–250 s; EO energy: at 0–360 s; EO GLCM homogeneity: at 0–480 s; all P < .05). Median bubble diameters in the SPGM group and in the 3WSC group were 69 and 83 μm (P < .01), respectively, in the POL foam; and 36 and 36 μm (P = .45), respectively, in the EO foam.ConclusionsPOL and EO foams had greater uniformity and longer foam half-life time when prepared with an SPGM device than with a 3WSC.     

Survival analysis of crown margin repair: A retrospective study in a dental school setting

BackgroundRepairing crowns with defective margins is minimally invasive and cost-effective compared with replacement. The authors’ objectives were to examine the survival trajectory of crown margin repairs and to determine the factors associated with survival.MethodsRecords of adult patients from January 2008 through August 2019 were reviewed for crown margin repairs completed at University of Iowa College of Dentistry. A total of 1,002 crown margin repairs were found. Each repair was followed through the end of study in 2019 or until an event (for example, additional repair, endodontic treatment, crown replacement, or extraction). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to study the relationship between selected covariates and time to event.ResultsDuring the follow-up period, 32.8% of the repairs needed reintervention. In the final model, repair material was the only significant covariate. No difference was found between the survival of repairs done with resin-modified glass ionomer and amalgam. However, the repairs done with resin-based composite and conventional glass ionomer were more likely (1.5 times: 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.10 times; and 2 times: 95% CI, 1.40 to 2.73 times, respectively) to need reintervention than were those done with amalgam.ConclusionsMedian survival time of crown margin repairs was 5.1 years (95% CI, 4.48 to 5.72 years). Median survival times for amalgam, resin-modified glass ionomer, resin-based composite, and glass ionomer repair materials were 5.7 years (95% CI, 4.80 to 6.25 years), 5.3 years (95% CI, 4.73 to 6.34 years), 3.2 years (95% CI, 2.51 to 6.19 years), and 3.0 years (95% CI, 2.53 to 3.62 years), respectively.Practical ImplicationsWhen considering crown margin repairs, resin-modified glass ionomer or amalgam is preferable to resin-based composite or glass ionomer.     

Pulmonary metastases in urogenital cancers: Surgical treatment and outcomes

IntroductionMetastasis is remaining one of the major problems in cancer treatment. Like many other malignancies, urogenital tumors originating from kidney, prostate, testes, and bladder tend to metastasize to the lungs.The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the operative results and prognosis of pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with primary urogenital tumors.MethodsThis study was approved by the local ethical committee. We retrospectively analyzed the surgical and oncological results of patients who underwent lung resections for urogenital cancer metastases in our department between 2002 and 2018. Demographic data and clinicopathological features were extracted from the medical records. Survival outcomes according to cancer subtypes and early postoperative results of VATS and thoracotomy were analyzed.Results22 out of 126 patients referred for pulmonary metastasectomy to our department had metastases from urogenital tumors. These patients consisted of 17 males and five females. Their metastasis originated from renal cell carcinoma (RCC; n = 9), bladder tumor (n = 7), testis tumors (n = 4), and prostate cancer (n = 2). There was no intraoperative complication. Postoperative complications were seen in 2 patients.ConclusionsAlthough pulmonary metastasectomy in various types of tumors is well known and documented, the data is limited for metastases of urogenital cancers in the literature. Despite the limitations of this study, we aim to document our promising results of pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with primary urogenital tumors and wanted to emphasize the role of minimally invasive approaches.     

Influence of Glass Forming Ability on the Physical Stability of Supersaturated Amorphous Solid Dispersions

In this study, the influence of the glass-forming ability (GFA) of a drug on its physical stability in a supersaturated solid dispersion was investigated. Nine drugs were classified according to their GFA using their respective critical cooling rate. Their respective solubility in poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) 6:4 (PVPVA64) was predicted using the melting point depression method based on the Flory-Huggins lattice theory. Supersaturated amorphous solid dispersions at a level of 25% w/w drug above saturation solubility in the polymer were prepared by film-casting, and their respective physical stability at temperatures of 10°C or 20°C above or below their respective T_g (dry conditions) was monitored by the use of polarized light microscopy. This study showed that drugs with good GFA (class 3) on average have higher physical stability in supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion compared to drug with modest GFA (class 2), which in turn have higher physical stability in supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion than drugs with poor GFA (class 1). These results indicate that the GFA of a drug and its physical stability in a supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion stored at a temperature above or below its T_g are correlated.     

生物活性玻璃预处理对牙本质粘接界面耐久性的影响

目的:研究生物活性玻璃(bioactive glass, BG)预处理对维持牙本质粘接界面耐久性的作用。方法:选取30颗无龋坏第三磨牙,去除冠部釉质制备牙本质平面,随机均分对照组、BG组、三偏磷酸钠(sodium trimetaphosphate, STMP)-聚丙烯酸(polyacrylic acid, PAA)-BG组(S-P-BG组)。各组均使用35%(质量分数)磷酸酸蚀牙本质样本,BG组再使用0.5 g/L BG涂擦酸蚀后的牙本质样本;S-P-BG组先使用5%(质量分数)STMP、5%(质量分数)PAA浸泡酸蚀后的牙本质样本1 min,再使用0.5 g/L BG涂擦牙本质样本。各组样本使用3M Single Bond 2粘接剂及3M Z350XT复合树脂粘接,并制备微拉伸柱状样本,每颗牙的柱状样本按时间随机分为24 h、1个月、3个月组。各组样本保存在37 ℃人工唾液(artificial saliva, AS)中相应时间后,进行微拉伸粘接强度测试,并使用单因素方差分析及LSD法进行统计学分析,扫描电镜下观察粘接断裂界面形貌。另选取27颗无龋坏第三磨牙制备牙本质平面,随机分为对照组、BG组、S-P-BG组,并按上述分组处理牙本质样本,再使用含0.1%(质量分数)罗丹明B的3M Single Bond 2粘接剂完成粘接。去除样本牙根暴露髓腔,并保存在 37 ℃ AS中24 h、1个月、3个月后,髓腔内放置0.1(质量分数)荧光素钠溶液染色1 h,激光共聚焦显微镜观察粘接界面形态及混合层微渗漏。结果:AS中浸泡24 h、1个月后,3组微拉伸粘接强度间的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);浸泡3个月后,S-P-BG组微拉伸粘接强度为(36.91±7.07) MPa,高于对照组粘接强度(32.73±8.06) MPa,且差异有统计学意义(P=0.026);对照组、BG组3个月的微拉伸粘接强度较24 h呈下降趋势,且差异有统计学意义(对照组P=0.017,BG组P=0.01);S-P-BG组3个月微拉伸粘接强度较24 h粘接强度[(37.99±7.98) MPa]下降,但差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。扫描电镜观察24 h粘接断裂面,3组均未见明显矿化;1个月、3个月后,BG组、S-P-BG组的粘接界面可见矿物质形成,S-P-BG组无明显胶原暴露。激光共聚焦显微镜观察对照组、BG组与S-P-BG组树脂突形成的形态及数量无明显差异;3组样本粘接24 h后粘接界面混合层均有渗漏,3个月后对照组微渗漏增加,BG组和S-P-BG组混合层微渗漏减少。结论:BG预处理牙本质粘接界面能够在粘接界面形成矿物质,减少粘接混合层微渗漏;STMP、PAA 与BG共同预处理牙本质粘接界面,可能在一定程度上维持牙本质粘接修复的耐久性。     

Wound dressings composed of copper-doped borate bioactive glass microfibers stimulate angiogenesis and heal full-thickness skin defects in a rodent model

There is a need for better wound dressings that possess the requisite angiogenic capacity for rapid in situ healing of full-thickness skin wounds. Borate bioactive glass microfibers are showing a remarkable ability to heal soft tissue wounds but little is known about the process and mechanisms of healing. In the present study, wound dressings composed of borate bioactive glass microfibers (diameter = 0.4–1.2 μm; composition 6Na₂O, 8K₂O, 8MgO, 22CaO, 54B₂O₃, 2P₂O₅; mol%) doped with 0–3.0 wt.% CuO were created and evaluated in vitro and in vivo. When immersed in simulated body fluid, the fibers degraded and converted to hydroxyapatite within ∼7 days, releasing ions such as Ca, B and Cu into the medium. In vitro cell culture showed that the ionic dissolution product of the fibers was not toxic to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and fibroblasts, promoted HUVEC migration, tubule formation and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and stimulated the expression of angiogenic-related genes of the fibroblasts. When used to treat full-thickness skin defects in rodents, the Cu-doped fibers (3.0 wt.% CuO) showed a significantly better capacity to stimulate angiogenesis than the undoped fibers and the untreated defects (control) at 7 and 14 days post-surgery. The defects treated with the Cu-doped and undoped fibers showed improved collagen deposition, maturity and orientation when compared to the untreated defects, the improvement shown by the Cu-doped fibers was not markedly better than the undoped fibers at 14 days post-surgery. These results indicate that the Cu-doped borate glass microfibers have a promising capacity to stimulate angiogenesis and heal full-thickness skin defects. They also provide valuable data for understanding the role of the microfibers in healing soft tissue wounds.     

家庭群居爆发型新型冠状病毒肺炎的临床与胸部HRCT表现

目的 探讨家庭群居爆发型新型冠状病毒肺炎（简称"新冠肺炎"）（novel coronavirus pneumonia，NCP）的临床与胸部HRCT表现特点。方法 收集2020年2月3所医院经核酸检测阳性确诊的新冠肺炎患者10例（4个家庭），其中男性6例（中位年龄60.5岁），女性4例（中位年龄59岁）。所有患者均接受胸部CT扫描并行薄层HRCT重建，由两名10年以上工作经验放射科医生共同阅片分析新冠肺炎HRCT病变发生部位、形态、分布、密度等特点，以及治疗前后HRCT征象变化。并收集临床和实验室指标进行分析和总结。结果 本组4个家庭中首例确诊病例均有武汉确诊病例或武汉疫区接触史，4例为输入型病例（占40%），平均潜伏期5 d。实验室检查中5例（50%）外周血白细胞总数降低，4例（40%）淋巴细胞明显降低；8例（80%）C-反应蛋白增高，10例（100%）乳酸脱氢酶增高。10例（100%）患者胸部CT均有阳性表现，其中7例（70%）表现为双肺散在分布磨玻璃密度影（ground glass opacity，GGO），病变界限大多清楚。8例（80%）累及多个肺叶，2例（20%）为单肺叶病变。绝大多数病灶位于胸膜下和肺外周处，以双肺下叶为著。5例患者（50%）病变内可见细支气管充气征，9例患者（90%）病变内可见增粗细小血管影。7例患者（70%）治疗后复查胸部CT，3例（30%）原肺内胸膜下病变出现不同程度实变及纤维化，2例（20%）实变影转变为GGO，1例（10%）原肺内GGO消失，又出现新发GGO，1例（10%）病变范围有增大。结论 新冠肺炎具有家庭群居爆发的特点，均可有输入性病例，潜伏期较短，其胸部HRCT表现具有一定特征性，且有助于治疗后患者病变动态观察；结合流行病学和实验室检查有助于对NCP做出临床诊断和提供疫情防控的可靠依据。