Coronary flow characteristics after a Bentall procedure with or without sinuses of Valsalva.

OBJECTIVES: The sinuses of Valsalva are known to contribute to the normal function of the aortic valve. Little is known about their role in promoting coronary artery blood flow. The aim of this study was to compare coronary artery flow characteristics among patients undergoing a Bentall operation by means of a conventional cylindrical Dacron conduit or with a new conduit with pseudosinuses of Valsalva or in patients retaining their natural sinuses of Valsalva after aortic valve and supracoronary ascending aorta replacement. METHODS: One year after a Bentall procedure with a standard cylindrical Dacron conduit (7 patients, group A) or with the new conduit (7 patients, group B), or after aortic valve and ascending aortic replacement (control group, 7 patients, group C) coronary flow velocity reserve and diastolic to systolic time integral ratio at baseline and after maximal hyperemia (with 40 microg of adenosine) were assessed by using a 0.014-in. Doppler guidewire positioned in the middle portion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. All patients were in NYHA class I, sinus rhythm and free of coronary disease. RESULTS: Arterial blood pressures and heart rate were comparable among groups. Intracoronary Doppler measurements did not show any significant difference in coronary vascular reserve between the three groups (3.6+/-0.4 vs 3.1+/-0.7 vs 3.7+/-0.5, P = 0.2). A greater diastolic component at baseline was present in group B patients (5.5+/-1.9 vs 3.5+/-0.9 in group A and 3.7+/-0.9 in group C, P = 0.024). After maximal hyperemia the diastolic component increased slightly in group A patients (8%) while both in groups B and C significantly decreased (-15 and -20%, respectively) (P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of pseudosinuses of Valsalva does not influence coronary flow reserve. After maximal coronary vasodilation the increase in the systolic component of coronary flow is more evident in the presence of sinuses or pseudosinuses of Valsalva, thus suggesting that coronary flow pattern may be affected by the presence of sinuses.     

Stability of skeletal Class III malocclusion after combined maxillary and mandibular procedures: titanium versus resorbable plates and screws for maxillary fixation.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate skeletal stability after double jaw surgery for correction of skeletal Class III malocclusion to assess if there were any differences between resorbable plate and screws and titanium rigid fixation of the maxilla. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-two Class III patients had bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for mandibular setback stabilized with rigid internal fixation. Low level Le Fort I osteotomy for maxillary advancement was stabilized with conventional titanium plate and screws in 12 patients (group 1) and with resorbable plate and screws in 10 patients (group 2). Lateral cephalograms were taken before surgery, immediately postoperatively, 8 weeks after surgery, and 1 year postoperatively. RESULTS: Before surgery both groups were balanced with respect to linear and angular measurements of craniofacial morphology. One year after surgery, maxillary stability was excellent in both groups. In group 1 no significant correlations were found between maxillary advancement and relapse. In group 2, significant correlations were found between maxillary advancement and relapse at A point and posterior nasal spine. No significant differences in postoperative skeletal and dental stability between groups were observed. CONCLUSION: Surgical correction of Class III malocclusion after combined maxillary and mandibular procedures appears to be a fairly stable procedure for maxillary advancements up to 5 mm independently from the type of fixation used to stabilize the maxilla. Resorbable devices should be used with caution for bony movements of greater magnitude until their usefulness is evaluated in studies with large maxillary advancements.     

Surgical treatment of Aspergillus mycetomas of the maxillary sinus: review of the literature.

The present study reviews the literature concerning the surgical treatment of Aspergillus mycetoma (AM) in the last 20 years to identify a gold standard surgical technique. Aspergillus mycetoma of the maxillary sinus, or mycetoma (fungus ball), is a noninvasive or extramucosal mycotic infection. Surgical removal of the sinus fungal masses to ensure drainage and aeration is performed using the traditional Caldwell-Luc (CL) procedure or endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Results of this review suggest that the gold standard surgical technique for AM is ESS with middle meatal antrostomy. General or local antifungal drugs are not indicated. Combined approach with an intraoral surgical access from the anterolateral wall of the maxillary sinus has to be reserved for selected cases in which ESS doesn't permit complete extraction of all fungal concretions or foreign bodies. The CL procedure should be avoided, because it has detrimental consequences for sinus physiology.     

TOOTH WHITENING IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

The popularity of vital tooth whitening has increased significantly over the past two decades. Professionally supervised "in-office" and "at-home" tooth whitening methods have been documented in the literature with evidence of safety and effectiveness. Although the literature includes considerable information about vital tooth whitening in adults, minimal information is available concerning vital tooth whitening in children and adolescents.
The need to provide vital tooth whitening for children might be infrequent owing to the natural whiteness of children's teeth. However, there are circumstances when tooth whitening can be desirable for children, such as fluorosis discoloration, generalized tooth darkening, post-traumatic injury discoloration, and postorthodontic tooth discoloration.
Few well-controlled clinical trials evaluating the safety and effectiveness of vital tooth whitening in children are available in the literature, Furthermore, these published clinical trials were carried out by the same principal investigator. This review examines these trials and offers recommendations accordingly.     

Activated caspase expression and apoptosis increase in keloids: cytochrome c release and caspase-9 activation during the apoptosis of keloid fibroblast lines

To characterize apoptosis in keloids and the mechanisms responsible for this process, the expression of activated caspase-9 and -3 in fibroblasts obtained from keloids was analyzed. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the number of fibroblasts positive for terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) or activated caspase-9 or -3 was low but was significantly higher in keloid tissues than in normal scar tissues. Significant relationships between the number of caspase-positive fibroblasts and TUNEL-positive fibroblasts suggested that the activation of caspase-9 and -3 induces apoptosis in a subpopulation of keloid fibroblasts. All keloid fibroblast cell lines established in this study showed activation of caspase-9 and -3 after serum deprivation for 3 or 4 hours, as shown using Western blotting. Furthermore, serum deprivation-induced apoptosis in a keloid fibroblast line was blocked by a caspase-9 inhibitor (acetyl-Leu-Glu-His-Asp-al), indicating that activation of caspase-9 was necessary for the process of apoptosis in keloid fibroblasts. Although serum deprivation did not significantly change the level of apoptosis protease activating factor-1 in any of the lines, cytochrome c release was detected in cytosolic fractions of the lines after serum deprivation for 3 or 4 hours. These results strongly suggest that keloid fibroblasts are predisposed to apoptosis and cytochrome c release and that caspase-9 activation may underlie regulation of apoptosis in keloid fibroblasts in vivo.     

Non-specific bronchial hyper-responsiveness in children with allergic rhinitis: Relationship with the atopic status

An increased prevalence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR) has been demonstrated in children from a general population, and in non-asthmatic adults with allergic rhinitis. Thus, also children with allergic rhinitis are expected to be at higher risk of BHR. We evaluated the prevalence of BHR in a sample of non-asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis by means of the methacholine (Mch) bronchial challenge, and by monitorizing the airway patency using the daily peak expiratory flow variability (PEFv). Fifty-one children (ranged 6–15 years of age) with allergic rhinitis, ascertained by skin prick test to inhalant allergens, underwent a 14-day peak expiratory flow monitoring, and a Mch bronchial provocation challenge. Thirty healthy children matched for age, and sex served as control group. Thirty-one children in the rhinitis group (61%), and six (20%) in the control group were Mch+ (Mch provocative dose causing a 20% fall of forced expiratory volume in 1 s respect to baseline <2250  μ g, equivalent to 11.50  μ mol). In rhinitic children the PEFv did not significantly differ between Mch+ and Mch− subjects, but the total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) were higher among Mch+. The persistent form of rhinitis was significantly associated to Mch positivity. Non-asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis displayed a high prevalence of BHR. The BHR was significantly associated with persistent rhinitis and with higher total IgE levels. Nevertheless, the spontaneous changes in airway patency, as expressed by PEFv, were within normal limits both in Mch+ and Mch− children.     

Polyethylene wear in primary knee arthroplasty

Abstract Polyethylene (PE) wear is a focal issue in joint replacement, so it is essential to understand how it takes place in vivo. PE wear is a multifactorial process with a complex interaction of variables related to the materials used, the mechanical conditions, operative procedures for implantation, activity of the patient and use of prosthesis. We retrieved 65 PE inserts with the respective femoral and tibial components (50 inserts of total knee prostheses and 15 monocompartmental prostheses) from first revision surgeries. The average age of the patients was 68.3 years; the average time to revision was 41.5 months. Macroscopic observation considered the grade, topography and type of wear. Degradation was also studied with scanning electron microscopy. No direct relationship was found between the level of wear and the survival of total or monocompartmental knee prostheses. The duration of 11 (22%) total prosthetic inserts with grade 2 wear was 42.6 months vs. 51.5 months of 17 (34%) total inserts with grade 1 wear. However, study of the relationship between wear grade and wear topography in total inserts suggested that there was a significant connection. In fact, the 22 (44%) prostheses with central and symmetrical wear never showed wear greater than grade 1. Instead, of the remaining 28 prostheses (56%) without central and symmetric wear, only 3 had grade 0 wear. Finally, considering the relationship between wear grade and type of wear, all 18 inserts (27.7%) with grade 2 or 3 wear had 100% delamination. In conclusion, this study suggests that the correct positioning of the prosthetic components, besides its quality, is an important cause of polyethylene wear.