Results of Transplanting Developing Third Molars as Part of Orthodontic Space Management

PATIENTS AND METHOD: The aim of the present study was to contribute to a more accurate indication and better integration of developing third molar transplantation into orthodontic space management, using the results gleaned from the authors' own pool of patients. For this purpose, a clinical and radiographic examination of 61 transplanted developing molars in 57 patients was carried out after an average of 3.3 years. RESULTS: The overall success rate was 85%. Failure was due in 10% of cases to impaired periodontal healing (inflammatory root resorption, ankylosis, or increased pocket probing depths) and in 5% of cases to insufficient or arrested postoperative root development accompanied by increased transplant mobility. The incidence of postoperative cessation of further root development was significantly higher (p = 0.011) in transplants at early developmental stages, which also had a negative impact on the final root length, the crown-root ratio and the mobility values of these transplants. CONCLUSIONS: The transplantation of developing third molars should be given stronger consideration in treatment plans for orthodontic space management although it represents a real alternative to orthodontic space closure only in exceptional cases. However, unlike implantological or prosthodontic treatment, it offers an opportunity to replace a missing or non-retainable tooth with a patient's own vital and fully functional tooth, provided the appropriate transplant is selected.     

Spleen sizing by ultrasound in polycythaemia and thrombocythaemia: comparison with SPECT

Detection of non-palpable early splenic enlargement may aid diagnosis of primary polycythaemia (PP) and primary thrombocythaemia (PT). In this study linear spleen sizing by ultrasound has been compared with spleen volume estimation by single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in 26 patients. Spleen length by ultrasound correlated well with SPECT volume estimation.
Ultrasound spleen length was also measured in 60 normal control subjects where the upper limit of the 95% reference range was 11.6 cm. Changes in spleen length with both age and body weight were substantial and overshadowed the imperfect reproducibility of this method. Therefore, interpretation of an individual's measured spleen length should be in relation to that predicted for adults of the same age and weight, particularly at the extremes of the younger, heavier patients and also the older, lighter patients.
Ultrasound spleen lengths of different patient groups (21 PP, 26 PT, 17 idiopathic erythrocytosis, 12 secondary polycythaemia, nine apparent polycythaemia) were compared both using the measured overall reference range and the differences from the values predicted for their age and weight. The comparison showed that almost all patients with PP whose spleens were not palpable had spleen lengths greater than the upper limit for the normal control group, but separation from the other patient groups was incomplete.
Detection of non-palpable splenomegaly by ultrasound length should remain a 'minor' criterion amongst the 'proposed modified diagnostic criteria' of PP.     

Influence of age on the reactivity of the BANA test among Brazilian children.

Three hundred and twenty samples of subgingival plaque were obtained from 80 caucasian girls, ranging from 10 to 13 years of age. The samples were analyzed to verify the influence of age upon colonization of the gingival sulcus by microorganisms potentially pathogenic to the periodontal tissues. The gingival and plaque status were evaluated through the gingival index (GI) and plaque index (PlI) and the microflora was assessed by the enzymatic method benzoyl-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA). The results of the BANA test were positive for 62.50% of the tested individuals and 40% of the examined sites. The influence of age was statistically significant on BANA reactivity, and the number of positive sites was greater at 11 (57.5%) than at 12 years (28.8%).     

Occupational exposure to hazardous substances and risk of cancer in the area of the mouth cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. A case-control study

A case-control study of squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract conducted in Heidelberg and Giessen (FRG) provided information on occupational factors in 200 patients and 800 controls (adjusted to sex, age and area of living; 4:1 matched design). The number of subjects exposed to wood dusts, organic chemicals, coal products or to cement was significantly elevated in the tumour group. An increased risk for head and neck cancer was observed after exposition to wood dust (RR = 2,2), organic compounds (RR = 2,4), coal products (RR = 2,7) and especially to cement (RR = 4,4). The cancer risk due to cement exposition showed a positive correlation to the duration of exposition and remained significantly elevated after adjustment for alcohol and tobacco consumption.     

Cerebral function of the guinea pig neonate after chronic intrauterine exposure to khat (Catha edulis Forsk.)

Cerebral function in normoxia and its reactions to standard periods of hypoxia of increasing severity were studied in 30 newborn guinea pigs less than 3 days old. Intrauterine growth retardation was induced either by uterine artery ligation at midgestation or by feeding the female in late gestation with khat leaves, an amphetamine-like stimulant chewed by men and women in several countries in eastern Africa and Arabia. After spontaneous delivery, the neonates were anesthetized and ventilated. Cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurophysiologic (somatosensory evoked potentials) parameters were monitored. Under normoxia, the khat-exposed group showed prolonged latency of the primary response of the somatosensory evoked potentials and a reduced amount of secondary components. Under hypoxia, this group also has a greater reduction of amplitude of the somatosensory evoked potentials. It is concluded that khat exposure during fetal life has an impact on the cerebral function during the neonatal period (at least up to 3 days of age) which is not solely explained by the concomitantly produced growth retardation.     

Facial reanimation after acoustic neuroma excision: the patient's perspective

Facial reanimation after acoustic neuroma excision is currently accomplished using a variety of surgical techniques. A multi-institutional survey of patient perceptions of facial reanimation success was accomplished by mailing a questionnaire to 809 randomly selected members of the Acoustic Neuroma Association. Four hundred sixty patients who underwent 296 reanimation procedures responded. Facial to hypoglossal nerve anastomosis, tarsorrhaphy, and upper eyelid implants were most frequently performed. The patient's estimations of initial deficit, spontaneous recovery, and overall satisfaction with the reanimation procedures are discussed.     

Fetal growth and autoimmune thyroid disease

To determine whether fetal and infant growth could influencesusceptibility to autoimmune disease in adults, the occurrenceof thyroid autoantibodies and autoimmune thyroiditis was studiedin 305 women, aged 60–71, born in Hertfordshire and forwhom details of birth weight, infant growth, and feeding wereroutinely recorded. Thyroglobulin autoantibody was detectedin 37% of the women, thyroid peroxidase autoantibody in 41%,and autoimmune thyroiditis, defined as biochemical or clinicalhypothyroidism in association with thyroid autoantibodies, in5.6%. The proportion of women with thyroglobulin and thyroidperoxidase auto antibodies fell with increasing birth weightbut was not related to weight at 1 year of age or the methodof infant feeding. The prevalence of both autoantibodies rosewith increasing adult body mass index but fell as the waistto hip ratio increased. These results demonstrate the importance of early environmentin determining the susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid disease.The contrasting effects of adult body mass index and waist tohip ratio on antibody prevalence could be explained by theirassociations with different hormonal environments.     

Development of an auxotrophic oral live Shigella flexneri vaccine

An oral live attenuated Shigella flexneri vaccine candidate strain was constructed by making it auxotrophic and dependent on aromatic metabolites not available in mammalian tissues. An aroD gene of Escherichia coli K12 strain NK 5131, inactivated by insertion in it of the Tn 10 transposon, was transduced using phage P1 into a virulent S. flexneri serotype Y strain (Sfl 1) isolated from a patient with bacillary dysentery. One of the transductant strains Sfl 114 was found to invade HeLa cells in vitro, to cause plaque formation in HeLa monolayers (i.e. maintain intracellular multiplication in vitro), but to be unable to cause keratoconjunctivitis in guinea-pig eyes. When the strain was fed to Macacca fascicularis monkeys it was well tolerated, excreted for 1-4 days, and found to elicit a local intestinal sIgA and serum IgA, IgM and IgG responses. Monkeys challenged with 100 ID50 dose (1 X 10(11) bacteria) of the virulent parent Sfl 1 strain were completely protected from development of diarrhoea. Coloscopy of the monkeys and the sampling of intestinal biopsies showed that the vaccine protected against the surface epithelial erosions and ulcerations seen in unimmunized monkeys. Killing of invading virulent shigellae apparently took place intracellularly in the mucosa suggesting that cellular immune mechanisms played a role in the elicited host defence. The constructed S. flexneri Sfl 114 strain has the properties of a promising shigella vaccine and will next be the subject of studies with human volunteers.