Application of a vibration measuring technique to evaluate the dynamic stiffness of porcine periodontal ligament.

The performance of a tooth replacement by using a dental implant relies on the mechanical and biological capability of the anatomical substitute to restore lost physiological functions. The design of an implant device able to properly replace the physiological tooth requires the study of the load transfer mechanism at the implant-bone interface and the understanding of the relevance of the periodontal ligament (PDL) in this mechanism. The PDL is a connective soft tissue that provides the fixation of the tooth in its bone-socket and the attenuation of occlusal loads. It also provides the ground cells that are involved in the remodelling process, induced by a change in the stress-strain pattern of the alveolar bone and also in the cementum of the tooth root. The purpose of this study was to determine the PDL effects on the dynamic load transfer mechanism, from the tooth to the alveolar bone, evaluating the equivalent dynamic stiffness of the ligament structure. A porcine fresh mandible with a tooth was used within the study, applying an experimental procedure to identify the dynamic transmissibility of the entire system. The transmissibility function provided information about the stiffness and damping of the PDL, information that can assist the design of an improved dental implant system.     

Hospital periodontal surgery.

Phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth is a recognized side effect in many cerebral palsy patients using diphenyl hydantoin for the control of seizures. Severe gingival overgrowth in these patients can affect normal masticatory function, lead to poor occlusal development, and compromise esthetics. This report addresses the complex nature of treating phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth in a mentally retarded 20-year-old female patient. For this patient, full-mouth gingivectomy procedure was performed under general anesthesia in a single session. Post operative follow-up was uneventful. This article discusses major indications, contraindications, and protocols to be followed for periodontal surgical procedures done under general anesthesia.     

Treatment of acute esophago-gastric hemorrhage]

Experience in the treatment of 129 patients with esophagogastric hemorrhage due to portal hypertension is discussed. An original modification of the design of Blakemore's tube is suggested, with the use of which the results of nonoperative treatment were improved and the mortality among this category of patients was reduced. Operation was performed on 75 patients. The total mortality among all hospitalized patients was 6.2%. The Tanner-Petrov operation was carried out on 55 patients, splenorenal anastomosis was formed in 6, organopexy was conducted on 4, splenectomy in combination with organopexy in 8, and portocaval anastomosis was formed in 2 patients. Three patients died after the operation.     

The development of a research human milk bank.

Although there are well-established clinical human milk banks in the United States, there are no milk banks specifically intended to foster research on human milk. The authors' goal was to establish a milk bank with a core data set to support exploratory and hypothesis-driven studies on human milk. Donations to the Cincinnati Children's Research Human Milk Bank are accepted within the context of ongoing, hypothesis-driven research or on an ad hoc basis. Donors must give informed consent, and scientists wishing to use the samples must have Institutional review board approval for their use. Development of more research human milk banks can potentially provide resources for multidisciplinary collaboration and advance the study of human milk and lactation.     

Poor association between allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin E levels, skin sensitivity and basophil degranulation: a study with recombinant birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 and an immunoglobulin E detection system measuring immunoglobulin E capable of binding to FcɛRI

BACKGROUND: Results from several studies indicate that the magnitude of immediate symptoms of type I allergy caused by allergen-induced cross-linking of high-affinity Fc epsilon receptors on effector cells (mast cells and basophils) is not always associated with allergen-specific IgE levels. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of results from intradermal skin testing, basophil histamine release and allergen-specific IgE, IgG1-4, IgA and IgM antibody levels in a clinical study performed in birch pollen-allergic patients (n = 18). METHODS: rBet v 1-specific IgEs were measured by quantitative CAP measurements and by using purified Fc epsilon RI-derived alpha-chain to quantify IgE capable of binding to effector cells. Bet v 1-specific IgG subclasses, IgA and IgM levels were measured by ELISA, and basophil histamine release was determined in whole blood samples. Intradermal skin testing was performed with the end-point titration method. RESULTS: Our study demonstrates on the molecular level that the concentrations of allergen-specific IgE antibodies capable of binding to Fc epsilon RI and biological sensitivities are not necessarily associated. A moderate association was found between cutaneous and basophil sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight the quantitative discrepancies and limitations of the present diagnostic tools in allergy, even when using a single allergenic molecule. The quantity of allergen-specific serum IgE is only one component of far more complex cellular systems (i.e. basophil-based tests, skin tests) used as indirect diagnostic tests for IgE-mediated allergic sensitivity.     

Growth hormone response patterns in sexually or physically abused boys

The ratio of growth hormone response to clonidine and L-dopa challenge was compared in 74 boys: 15 with purported physical abuse, 7 with purported sexual abuse, 13 normal controls, and 39 psychiatric controls. Sexually abused boys demonstrate a statistically significant elevated ratio of growth hormone response to clonidine versus response to L-dopa. Physically abused boys demonstrate lower clonidine/L-dopa growth hormone response ratios compared with controls. These effects widen with increasing physical development.     

Multiple sclerosis with higher cerebral dysfunction: a case report

Higher cerebral dysfunctions such as aphasia, apraxia and agnosia have seldom been reported in multiple sclerosis (MS). 12 year-old right-handed boy felt unsteadiness of the body and headache for several days. Two months later, he had the same episode and complained of visual disturbance, and weakness and sensory disturbance on the face and the extremities. Additionally, he showed amnestic aphasia, acalculia, ideomotor apraxia, finger agnosia and right-left disorientation. Cerebrospinal fluid examinations revealed increases IgG, myelin basic protein and neuron specific enolase (11%, 25 ng/ml and 28.8 ng/ml, respectively). X-ray CT scan and MRI-CT examinations revealed sclerotic lesions on the left parietal white matter and the right mid-brain. The diagnosis was made as MS. He was treated with m-PSL (methyl-prednisolone) pulse therapy for three weeks and consecutively treated with PSL for four weeks. He recovered gradually, but visual disturbance and facial palsy remained. After seven months MRI-CT showed a high signal intensity on the left parietal white matter in spite of the disappearance of the lesion on X-ray CT scan. We suggest that these higher cerebral dysfunctions may result from the lesion of the left parietal white matter which produces a disconnection between each cortical area.