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.     

牙龈间充质干细胞递送支架载体的研究进展

组织工程技术通过利用支架材料、种子细胞、生长因子以达到修复或再生组织器官的目的。支架材料的作用是为种子细胞提供机械支撑并且保护细胞免受体内有害微环境的影响。因此,选择或制备适当的支架材料是组织工程中的关键一步。近年来,将支架材料和牙龈间充质干细胞(gingival mesenchymal stem cells,GMSCs)联合应用于组织工程的研究逐渐走向成熟。本文就组织工程中牙龈间充质干细胞递送支架载体的研究现状进行综述,以期为GMSCs组织工程递送支架载体材料的开发和选择提供思路。     

Measuring disease activity and response to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction: Effective treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires suppression of the underlying inflammation. Measurement of such inflammation, the disease activity, is mandatory to target treatment and maximize outcomes. However, this is not as straightforward as it may seem.

Areas covered: The many tools developed to measure disease activity in RA, from composite scores and patient-reported outcomes, to laboratory markers and imaging are discussed, with a focus on their utility in guiding therapy and assessing response. The complex issues in measuring disease activity in RA, whether in clinical trials or normal clinical practice, and in the context of national guidelines and recommendations, available time, and resources are considered.

Expert commentary: The key to effective management of RA is the rapid suppression of inflammation, ideally to remission, with maintenance of such remission. The aim is to prevent disability and maximize quality of life. Central to this is the ability to determine disease activity (potentially open to suppression) as opposed to damage (irreversible). A variety of measures are currently available, allowing better assessment of response to treatment. In the future, the development of predictive biomarkers allowing targeting of drugs may revolutionize this field and render the tools of today redundant.     

Pathology of valved venous homografts used as right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduits in congenital heart disease surgery

Objectives

Although valved venous homografts (VVHs) are used for establishing right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery continuity in some complex heart defects, the tissue changes that occur in situ have not been described. We review the gross and microscopic changes observed in explanted VVH conduits and their effects on functionality.

碳纤维复合材料人工颅骨板急性期生物相容性的研究

目的 评价碳纤维复合材料人工颅骨板在急性期的生物相容性。方法 制作碳纤维复合材料、含重组人骨形态发生蛋白-2（rhBMP-2）的碳纤维复合材料、钛网、MEM培养基、含有0.64%苯酚的MEM培养基的浸出液，用于测试。采用L929小鼠成纤维细胞进行细胞毒性试验，采用健康ICR小鼠进行急性毒性试验，采用新西兰大白兔耳静脉血进行急性溶血试验，采用白化豚鼠进行皮肤致敏试验。结果 碳纤维复合材料、含rhBMP-2的碳纤维复合材料、钛网浸提液对L929细胞的相对增殖率均在75%以上，细胞毒性1级，无明显细胞毒性；小鼠腹腔注射相应材料的浸提液后，均活动良好，均无不良反应，均无明显急性毒性；碳纤维复合材料、含rhBMP-2的碳纤维复合材料、钛网浸提液溶血率均小于5%，均不引起溶血反应；碳纤维复合材料、含rhBMP-2的碳纤维复合材料、钛网浸提液不引起致敏性。结论 碳纤维复合人工颅骨板急性期生物相容性良好。     

Effect of carbon-rich biochar on mechanical properties of PLA-biochar composites

Agricultural biomass residues are emerged from harvesting and processing of agricultural crops. When the crop production increases, a large amount of biomass residues is produced and remained after cutting of peel, bunch, straw and stalk of crops. In this work, agricultural biomass residues (cassava rhizome, durian peel, pineapple peel and corncob) were selected as feedstock for carbon-rich biochar (CRB) production using a facile pyrolysis method. Proximate analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize biomass feedstock. The results showed that the percentage of fixed carbon in biomass feedstock ranged between 11.91% and 17.51%. Characteristic differences of the CRB were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The carbon content in the CRB was found to significantly depend on biomass origin. Interestingly, cassava rhizome, which has a higher percentage of fixed carbon, is a superior precursor for CRB production. The study of different pyrolysis temperature indicated that the carbon content of cassava rhizome derived CRB is increased with pyrolysis temperature. The tensile properties of composite between poly(lactic acid) PLA and different types of biomass-derived CRB were investigated. PLA composite incorporated with a higher carbon content-CRB tended to exhibit improved mechanical properties. Specifically, the elastic modulus and impact energy of PLA/CRB composite specimens increased remarkably with the incorporation of CRB powder. The current research indicates that CRB prepared from agricultural biomass residues could be a sustainable material for utilization in PLA biocomposites.