The relationship between a primary maxillary incisor with a talon cusp and the permanent successor: a study of 57 cases

BACKGROUND: Most reported cases of talon cusps in the primary dentition have been on the maxillary central incisors and the permanent successors have remained unaffected. Four of the five reported cases on a maxillary lateral incisor, however, have been associated with a supernumerary permanent successor. AIM: This paper describes the relationship between the presence of talon cusps on a primary maxillary incisor, and the morphology and number of the permanent successors in a population of Chinese children. DESIGN: The dental records of children diagnosed with a talon cusp on a primary incisor were retrieved for review. The diagnoses took place in a regional school dental clinic in Hong Kong between April 2002 and August 2005. RESULTS: Fifty-eight primary maxillary incisors with talon cusps were found. When the central incisors were involved, 32 of the 35 (91.4%) underlying permanent successors were not found to be associated with any odontogenic abnormalities. When the lateral incisors were involved, however, 18 of the 23 cases (78.3%) showed odontogenic abnormalities, 14 of which were associated with supernumerary teeth. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that, when there is a talon cusp on a primary maxillary lateral incisor, a high proportion of the underlying permanent successors can be expected to exhibit odontogenic abnormalities.     

ProteinChip array profiling for identification of disease- and chemotherapy-associated biomarkers of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND: We previously used ProteinChip array profiling analysis to discover a serum biomarker associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, we used the same method to examine other biomarkers associated with NPC and response to chemotherapy (CT) in NPC patients. METHODS: We performed ProteinChip array analysis in 209 serum samples from 66 relapsed patients before and after salvage CT with gemcitabine and cisplatin or etoposide and cisplatin combinations, 11 patients in remission, and 35 healthy individuals. Intensities of the biomarker peaks were correlated with CT response of the patients and other clinical parameters. RESULTS: We discovered 13 candidate biomarkers associated with different clinical parameters. Two biomarkers (2803 and 3953 Da) were significantly increased in patients compared with controls at all stages of disease. Analysis of pre- and post-CT paired serum samples revealed 7 biomarkers correlated with impact of CT. Of these 7 biomarkers, 2 (2509 and 2756 Da) were significantly increased and 5 (7588, 7659, 7765, 7843, and 8372 Da) were significantly decreased post-CT in either 1 or both CT cohorts. Four biomarkers from pre-CT sera were correlated with CT response, with 3 (2950, 13 510, and 14 855 Da) being significantly decreased and 1 (6701 Da) significantly increased in patients who did not respond to CT. Tandem mass spectrometric sequencing and/or immunoaffinity capture assay identified the 3953 Da biomarker as a fragment of interalpha-trypsin inhibitor precursor and 7765 Da biomarker as platelet factor-4. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment-associated serum biomarkers found might serve to triage NPC patients for appropriate CT treatment.     

Management of acute intra-abdominal hemorrhage in ruptured hepatoblastoma with transarterial embolization using calibrated gelfoam particles

This brief report aims to evaluate the treatment outcome of transarterial embolization in ruptured hepatoblastoma complicated with acute intra-abdominal hemorrhage. Three children (mean age 6 years) with high-risk hepatoblastoma presented with rupture and acute intra-abdominal hemorrhage. In addition to aggressive fluid resuscitation and blood product support, super-selective embolization of the arteries with active bleeding or pseudoaneurysm was performed using calibrated gelfoam particles, with a technical success rate of 100%. Hemodynamic status and hemoglobin level were normalized in all patients within 2 days postembolization. The 30-day survival rate was 100%. No major complication was detected apart from mild elevation of alanine transaminase.     

ProDisc–C versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for the surgical treatment of symptomatic cervical disc disease: two-year outcomes of Asian prospective randomized controlled multicentre study

European Spine Journal - Our study aimed to evaluate non-inferiority of ProDisc-C to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in terms of clinical outcomes and incidence of adjacent segment...     

Intravitreal aflibercept for submacular hemorrhage secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology - To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept monotherapy for submacular hemorrhage secondary to neovascular age-related...     

The effects of green tea on acne vulgaris: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized clinical trials

Green tea extract (GTE) has been studied for the treatment of acne based on its anti‐inflammatory/antioxidant properties. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to examine the effects of GTE on acne. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched up to August 2019. The effect size of acne lesion counts is presented as mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Five randomized‐controlled studies were included in the meta‐analysis (N; experimental = 125, control = 122). GTE significantly reduced the number of inflammatory lesions (?9.38; 95% CI: ?14.13 to ?4.63). In subgroup analysis, topical GTE application significantly reduced the inflammatory lesion counts (?11.39; 95% CI: ?15.91 to ?6.86) whereas oral GTE intake showed minimal effect (?1.40; 95% CI: ?2.50 to ?0.30). Although GTE did not significantly reduce the number of non‐inflammatory lesions (?21.65; 95% CI: ?47.52 to 4.22), when stratified by the route of admission, non‐inflammatory acne lesions were significantly reduced by topical GTE application (?32.44; 95% CI: ?39.27 to ?25.62) but not with oral GTE administration (0.20; 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.40). This systematic review and meta‐analysis suggest that topical GTE application is beneficial for the treatment of acne without causing significant adverse events while oral GTE intake has limited effects. Further high‐quality clinical trials are warranted.     

Intratumoral extramedullary hematopoiesis in solitary fibrous tumor of the breast

Extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) is most often associated with underlying hematologic disorders, such as myeloproliferative neoplasms and thalassemia. EMH in the setting of solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is exceedingly rare, with only 3 cases reported to date in the English literature. Herein, we describe our experience with a unique case of SFT arising in the breast with intratumoral foci of EMH in a 57‐year‐old woman who presented with an incidentally found right axillary mass on routine screening mammography. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of mammary SFT with concurrent intratumoral EMH.