Prevention of cranial reossification after surgical craniectomy.

An experimental study in rats was designed to see whether the pericranium, used as a graft over the dura, can prevent or delay osseous reunion after craniectomy. A 10 x 3-mm section of the frontal and parietal bones, including the coronal suture line, was resected in 15 rats. Pericranium was then used as a free graft on one-half of the defect to cover the dura and separate it from the cut edges of the craniectomy. The other side acted as a control. All animals were killed 2 months after operation, the skull was removed, and any remaining bony defect on either side of the midline was revealed. The area of residual defect in 13 specimens was determined by statistical image analysis using the Oxford Modular Cataract Image Analysis System (Oxford, England) and Wilcoxon's rank sum test and showed a highly significant difference between the treated and the untreated sides (p = 0.002).     

Bonding to ground versus unground enamel in fluorosed teeth.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of grinding on the bonding effectiveness of a self-etch and an etch-and-rinse adhesive to fluorosed enamel. METHODS: The teeth were classified using the Thylstrup and Fejerskov index (TFI). Fluorosed teeth (TFI=5) obtained from Isparta (Turkey) and control teeth (TFI=0) obtained from Leuven (Belgium) were used. Using a depth-marking diamond bur, 0.3mm of enamel was removed from mid-buccal and mid-palatal/lingual surfaces of the teeth, whereas the area adjacent to the ground area was left unprepared. A two-step self-etch (Clearfil Protect Bond, Kuraray) and a three-step etch-and-rinse adhesive (Optibond FL, Kerr) were used to bond the resin composite to the ground and unground enamel. Rectangular micro-specimens were prepared using the slow-speed diamond saw and tested in tensile to determine the micro-tensile bond strength (microTBS). RESULTS: The microTBS to unground fluorosed enamel was significantly lower than to ground fluorosed enamel for Clearfil Protect Bond (15.8+/-15.2 and 45.0+/-12.4MPa, p<0.0001) and for Optibond FL (35.5+/-21.4 and 50.5+/-12.3MPa, p<0.05), respectively. In control teeth, Clearfil Protect Bond bonded better to ground enamel (p<0.01), whereas OptiBond FL exhibited a similar bonding effectiveness to ground and unground enamel (p=0.0634). SIGNIFICANCE: Preparation of enamel improved the resin-enamel bond strength in fluorosed teeth. The bonding effectiveness to unground enamel was lower in fluorosed teeth than in control teeth for the self-etch adhesive tested.     

Comparison of 2 retentive systems for implant-supported overdentures: soft tissue management and evaluation of patient satisfaction

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to compare the peri-implant soft tissue health status of implants supporting overdentures with bar attachments or ball attachments in the mandible, as well as patient satisfaction with these attachment types. METHODS: The study included a Dolder bar group with 18 cases (43 implants) and a ball attachment group with 18 cases (51 implants). The mean function period in the Dolder bar group was 49 months (range: 12 to 72 months) and in the ball attachment group, the mean was 23 months (range: 12 to 40 months). Implants were clinically evaluated by using a modified plaque index (mPI), modified sulcus bleeding index (mSBI), and probing depths. Patient satisfaction with the treatment was recorded using a questionnaire. RESULTS: mPI, probing depth, and mSBI did not statistically differ between groups (Mann-Whitney U test, P > 0.05). Patient satisfaction was similar with both retentive systems. CONCLUSION: Within the limits of this study, we concluded that there was no significant difference between the 2 attachment types used for implant-supported overdentures with respect to the soft tissue health status or patient satisfaction.     

Is human kallikrein-11 in gastric cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy associated with survival?

Human kallikreins (hKs) have been reported to be involved in human cancers, and several hKs are promising biomarkers of various cancers, such as prostate, ovarian, breast, and testicular cancer. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of immunohistochemical expression of hK11 in patients with gastric cancer. The study included 55 (36 men and 19 women; 58 ± 10 years of mean age) patients with gastric cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Tissue sections were evaluated immunohistochemically with a monoclonal anti-hK11 antibody. Of the 55 patients, 35 (63.6%) were hK11-positive and 20 (36.4%) were hK11-negative. Disease-free and overall survival rates were significantly higher in patients with hK11 positive than in those with hK-11 negative expression (24 months vs. 11 months, p: 0.043; 29 months vs. 13 months, p: 0.038, respectively). In conclusion, hK11 expression in gastric cancer appears to be associated with a better prognosis. hK11 may be a prognostic biomarker of gastric cancer. On the other hand, it is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the regulation of hK11 expression in gastric cancer.     

Assessment of cardiac autonomic regulation in children with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis by analysis of heart rate variability

The pathogenesis of monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis is controversial. Various urodynamic studies showed bladder hyperactivity in enuretic children. But the exact cause is not precisely known. The aim of this study was to understand whether the autonomic nervous system dysfunction is involved in this bladder hyperactivity or not. Heart rate variability measurement is widely used for evaluation of cardiac autonomic activity. We evaluated cardiac autonomic nervous system functions in monosymptomatic nocturnal enuretic children by using 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram. The study group consisted of 32 enuretic children (20 boys and 12 girls) and the control group consisted of 20 healthy children (12 boys and 8 girls). In these two groups, we assessed cardiac autonomic regulation by analysis of heart rate variability, and found a significantly higher parasympathetic activity in enuretic children than controls. We suggest that the parasympathetic nervous system hyperactivity plays a role in nocturnal enuresis by causing vesical hyperactivity in monosymptomatic enuretic children.