Aspects of Orthodontic‐Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Dentofacial Anomalies

Skeletal class III malocclusion is one of the most difficult dentofacial anomalies, characterized by deviation in the development of the mandible and maxilla in the sagittal plane, where the mandible is dominant in relation to the maxilla. In patients with class III malocclusion, anomalies in the dentoalveolar level and esthetic discrepancies are also frequent. The etiology of class III malocclusion is multifactorial due to the interaction of hereditary and environmental factors. Rehabilitation and treatment of malocclusion is one of the major goals of modern dentistry. This article presents the orthodontic‐prosthetic therapy and rehabilitation of a 45‐year‐old patient with an abnormal occlusal vertical dimension and a skeletal class III malocclusion. The patient came to the clinic complaining about degraded esthetics and disordered functions of the orofacial region (functions of eating, swallowing, speech) and also pain in the temporomandibular joint. After the diagnosis was made, the patient was first referred to orthodontic treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances (self‐ligating brackets system Rot 0.22). Upon completion of the orthodontic treatment, the patient was sent for further prosthetic treatment. Fixed prosthetic restorations were made in the upper and lower jaw, thus achieving a satisfactory result in terms of esthetics and function of the stomatognathic system.     

Automatic extraction of retinal features from colour retinal images for glaucoma diagnosis: A review

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that have common traits such as, high eye pressure, damage to the Optic Nerve Head and gradual vision loss. It affects peripheral vision and eventually leads to blindness if left untreated. The current common methods of pre-diagnosis of Glaucoma include measurement of Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) using Tonometer, Pachymetry, Gonioscopy; which are performed manually by the clinicians. These tests are usually followed by Optic Nerve Head (ONH) Appearance examination for the confirmed diagnosis of Glaucoma. The diagnoses require regular monitoring, which is costly and time consuming. The accuracy and reliability of diagnosis is limited by the domain knowledge of different ophthalmologists. Therefore automatic diagnosis of Glaucoma attracts a lot of attention.This paper surveys the state-of-the-art of automatic extraction of anatomical features from retinal images to assist early diagnosis of the Glaucoma. We have conducted critical evaluation of the existing automatic extraction methods based on features including Optic Cup to Disc Ratio (CDR), Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer (RNFL), Peripapillary Atrophy (PPA), Neuroretinal Rim Notching, Vasculature Shift, etc., which adds value on efficient feature extraction related to Glaucoma diagnosis.     

Immunobiological efficacy and immunotoxicity of novel synthetically prepared fluoroquinolone ethyl 6-fluoro-8-nitro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylate

The present study examined the cytotoxicity, anti-cancer reactivity, and immunomodulatory properties of new synthetically prepared fluoroquinolone derivative 6-fluoro-8-nitro-4-oxo-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylate (6FN) in vitro. The cytotoxicity/toxicity studies (concentrations in the range 1–100 μM) are focused on the cervical cancer cells HeLa, murine melanoma cancer cells B16, non-cancer fibroblast NIH-3T3 cells and reconstructed human epidermis tissues EpiDerm?. The significant growth inhibition of cancer cells HeLa and B16 was detected. The cytotoxicity was mediated via apoptosis-associated with activation of caspase-9 and -3. After 72 h of treatment, the two highest 6FN concentrations (100 and 50 μM) induced toxic effect on epidermis tissue EpiDerm?, even the structural changes in tissue were observed with concentration of 100 μM. The effective induction of RAW 264.7 macrophages cell-release of pro- and anti-inflammatory T_H1, T_H2 and T_H17 cytokines, with anti-cancer and/or anti-infection activities, respectively, has been revealed even following low-dose exposition.     

Reversal of SR 141716A-induced head-twitch and ear-scratch responses in mice by delta 9-THC and other cannabinoids.

Recently, we have shown that cannabinoids of diverse structure block the ability of the selective 5-HT(2A/C) agonist DOI to produce the head-twitch response (HTR) and the ear-scratch response (ESR) in mice. The cannabinoid CB(1) antagonist/inverse agonist SR 141716A also induces these behaviors in mice. The purposes of the present study were: (1) to investigate whether Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)-THC) and other cannabinoids HU-210 and WIN 55, 212-2 can prevent SR 141716A-induced HTR and ESR and (2) to evaluate any correlation between the ID(50) potency order of the cited cannabinoids in blocking SR 141716A-induced HTR and ESR and their ED(50) order of potency in reducing spontaneous locomotor activity and rearing behavior. For the SR 141716A reversal study, different groups of mice were injected intraperitoneally with either vehicle or varying doses of the following cannabinoids: Delta(9)-THC (2.5-20 mg/kg), Delta(8)-THC (5-20 mg/kg), HU-210 (0.05-0.5 mg/kg), CP 55, 940 (0.5-2.5 mg/kg) and WIN 55, 212-2 (2.5-10 mg/kg). Thirty minutes later, each mouse received SR 141716A (2.5 mg/kg ip) and the frequencies of the induced behaviors (mean +/- S.E.M.) were recorded for the next 30 min. The effects of the cited doses of cannabinoids were also examined on spontaneous locomotor activity and rearing frequency for a 20-min duration 10 min after cannabinoid injection. The tested cannabinoids reduced the frequencies of HTR and ESR in SR 141716A-injected mice. These agents also attenuated the cited naturally occurring repertoire of motor parameters in mice. Although large potency differences were observed among the cited cannabinoids, each tested cannabinoid was relatively equipotent in preventing locomotor parameters and SR 141716A-induced behaviors. The ID(50) potency order of cannabinoids in blocking SR 141716A-induced HTR and ESR were similar (HU-210>CP 55, 940>WIN 55, 212-2 > or = Delta 9)-THC=Delta(8)-THC), and are comparable with: (1) their ED(50) potency order in attenuating both spontaneous locomotor activity and rearing behavior (HU-210>CP 55, 940>WIN 55, 212-2>Delta(9)-THC=Delta(8)-THC) and (2) their published ED(50) potency order for producing the tetrad of behaviors in mice as well as their rank order of binding affinities for cannabinoid CB(1) receptors. The present data show that cannabinoids of diverse structure prevent SR 141716A-induced HTR and ESR, and inhibition of these behaviors by cannabinoids could be used as a new index of cannabimimetic activity.     

Dioxin-Like and Endocrine Disruptive Activity of Traffic-Contaminated Soil Samples

Pollution of surface soils by traffic, especially along major highways, can be a significant issue. Numerous studies have demonstrated traffic to be an important source of particulate matter and gas-phase organic air pollutants that produce many types of deleterious effects. This article brings original information about the presence of contaminants with specific mechanisms of action in traffic-influenced soils as determined by bioanalytical approaches and instrumental analyses. The initial phase of the study aimed to compare contamination of soils near highways with those from reference localities, whereas the second phase of the study investigated the influence of traffic pollution in soils at various distances from highways. For the reference areas, forest soils contained greater concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQs; 483 to 2094 pg/g) than did arable soils (96 to 478 pg/g), which represent the relevant reference for the studied soils along highways. The total concentration of TCDD-EQs determined in the in vitro transactivation assay ranged from 225 to 27,700 pg/g in traffic-affected soils. The greatest concentration of TCDD-EQs among the studied sites was observed in soils collected near highway D1, which is the primary thoroughfare in the Czech Republic. The concentrations of TCDD-EQs in roadside soils were the greatest and decreased with increased distance from highways, and this spatial distribution corresponded with the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Soils collected 100 m away from highways in most cases contained concentrations of TCDD-EQs similar to background values. Most TCDD-EQ presence was caused by nonpersistent compounds in soils, with a significant contribution from PAHs as well as other unknown nonpersistent chemicals. Extracts from most soils collected near highways exhibited antiestrogenic and in some cases antiandrogenic activities; for several sites the activity was also detected in soils farther from highways. The presence of TCDD-EQs and antihormonal activity in highway-affected soils points to traffic as a source of polluting compounds having specific effects.     

Identification of Rickettsia africae and Wolbachia sp. in Ceratophyllus garei Fleas from Passerine birds migrated from Africa

The aim of the study was to reveal new aspects of the role of flea vector taken from migratory birds by screening of specimens with molecular biological methods. A field study was done in fishponds in Slovakia. Actually, 47 fleas were collected from reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and their nests. DNA was extracted and analyzed for representatives of the orders Rickettsiales. A rickettsia that shares 99.7% of identity by gltA gene with Rickettsia africae was identified in Ceratophyllus garei collected from A. scirpaceus. Moreover, two Wolbachia sp. were also detected in fleas. This is the first record of R. africae and Wolbachia sp. identified so far in Central Europe in fleas collected from migratory bird returning from Africa. This molecular study extends the geographic range and vector spectrum of arthropod-borne agents.     

An open source toolkit for medical imaging de-identification

Objective

Medical imaging acquired for clinical purposes can have several legitimate secondary uses in research projects and teaching libraries. No commonly accepted solution for anonymising these images exists because the amount of personal data that should be preserved varies case by case. Our objective is to provide a flexible mechanism for anonymising Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data that meets the requirements for deployment in multicentre trials.

Methods

We reviewed our current de-identification practices and defined the relevant use cases to extract the requirements for the de-identification process. We then used these requirements in the design and implementation of the toolkit. Finally, we tested the toolkit taking as a reference those requirements, including a multicentre deployment.

Results

The toolkit successfully anonymised DICOM data from various sources. Furthermore, it was shown that it could forward anonymous data to remote destinations, remove burned-in annotations, and add tracking information to the header. The toolkit also implements the DICOM standard confidentiality mechanism.

Conclusion

A DICOM de-identification toolkit that facilitates the enforcement of privacy policies was developed. It is highly extensible, provides the necessary flexibility to account for different de-identification requirements and has a low adoption barrier for new users.     

Acedapsone in the prevention of leprosy: field trial in three high prevalence villages in Micronesia.

The 1,659 non-leprous people in a Micronesian population experiencing an annual leprosy incidence rate of about 7/1,000 were offered 15 acedapsone (DADDS) injections during 1967--1970 for leprosy prevention purposes. Subsequent annual surveillance showed an initial cessation of new cases during the 3-year DADDS campaign, followed by a resumption of cases thereafter at a yearly level of about 2/1,000 with a longer pause and slower rise among those who received the full regimen. A secondary wave of cases that has occurred since 1973 among children born after 1968 shows that post-campaign transmission occurred, probably principally from relapsing multibacillary cases with onset before the campaign. Recommendations are made for a balanced, long-term control program with DADDS preventive treatment limited to contacts of multibacillary cases.