Deficit trasversale del mascellare superiore e problematiche relative all’orecchio medio

Objectives

Restriction of the maxillary dental arch frequently results in decreased nasal canal patency with mouth breathing, and this situation may also be associated with conductive hearing loss. The aim of this paper is to review some of the literature on this condition and to advance several hypotheses regarding the changes observed in conductive hearing loss following orthodontic-orthopedic treatment.

Materials and methods

A literature review was carried out to critically analyze the relationship between “rapid maxillary expansion” and “improvement in conductive hearing loss”.

Results

The limited data in the literature on this specific topic suggest that hearing levels can be improved by correction of the palatal anatomy.

Conclusions

The positive effect on conductive hearing levels can be considered a possible additional benefit of rapid maxillary expansion, but this does not mean that rapid maxillary expansion should be proposed as a treatment for conductive hearing loss that is not associated with maxillary restriction.     

Magnetically responsive polycaprolactone nanocarriers for application in the biomedical field: magnetic hyperthermia,magnetic resonance imaging,and magnetic drug delivery

There are huge demands on multifunctional nanocarriers to be used in nanomedicine. Herein, we present a simple and efficient method for the preparation of multifunctional magnetically responsive polymeric-based nanocarriers optimized for biomedical applications. The hybrid delivery system is composed of drug-loaded polymer nanoparticles (poly(caprolactone), PCL) coated with a multilayer shell of polyglutamic acid (PGA) and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), which are known as bio-acceptable components. The PCL nanocarriers with a model anticancer drug (Paclitaxel, PTX) were formed by the spontaneous emulsification solvent evaporation (SESE) method, while the magnetically responsive multilayer shell was formed via the layer-by-layer (LbL) method. As a result, we obtained magnetically responsive polycaprolactone nanocarriers (MN-PCL NCs) with an average size of about 120 nm. Using the 9.4 T preclinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner we confirmed, that obtained MN-PCL NCs can be successfully used as a MRI-detectable drug delivery system. The magnetic hyperthermia effect of the MN-PCL NCs was demonstrated by applying a 25 mT radio-frequency (f = 429 kHz) alternating magnetic field. We found a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of 55 W g⁻¹. The conducted research fulfills the first step of investigation for biomedical application, which is mandatory for the planning of any in vitro and in vivo studies.

There are huge demands on multifunctional nanocarriers to be used in nanomedicine.