Clinical evaluation of a nanofilled composite in posterior teeth: 12-month results

This study compared the clinical performance of a nanofilled resin composite for posterior restorations with 2 microhybrid and 1 packable composite after 12 months of clinical service. Forty-two patients with at least 5 Class I or II restorations under occlusion were enrolled in this study. A total of 148 restorations were placed, 25% for each material (Filtek Supreme, Pyramid, Esthet-X or Tetric Ceram). Two calibrated operators placed all restorations, according to the manufacturers' instructions. One week later, the restorations were finished/polished. Two independent examiners evaluated the restorations at baseline and after 12 months according to the USPHS modified criteria. All patients attended the 12-month recall and 148 restorations were evaluated. Friedman repeated measures analysis of variance by rank and Wilcoxon sign-ranked test for pair-wise comparison was used for data analysis (alpha=0.05). All materials showed only minor modifications, and no differences were detected between their performance at baseline and after 12 months. After 1 year, the nanofilled resin composite showed similar performance to the other packable and microhybrid resin composites.     

Fractures of the supraorbital rim: principles and management

Dentists may be asked to provide consultations for patients who have sustained trauma to their facial structures. Supraorbital rim fractures, although uncommon, must be recognized and promptly referred to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or other specialist skilled in the management of facial bone fractures. Supraorbital rim fractures commonly coexist with other craniomaxillofacial injuries, especially with fractures of the anterior table of the frontal sinus. In this article, we review the frequency, management and complications associated with the treatment of supraorbital rim fractures in adults. A series of 5 cases was reviewed; 4 of the 5 patients were male, with a mean age of 21.6 years (range 17-28 years). All injuries involved the supraorbital rim and the anterior table of the frontal sinus and occurred concurrently with other facial injuries. Treatment ranged from conservative observation to open reduction and internal fixation of the fractures. No associated perioperative or postoperative complications occurred. The follow-up ranged from 6 months to 26 years, with satisfactory subjective esthetic outcomes in all cases.     

Use of a new dual-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect and characterize the human antibody response to the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 envelope gp125 and gp36 glycoproteins

A dual-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay specific for human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) envelope proteins, ELISA-HIV2, was developed with two new recombinant polypeptides, rpC2-C3 and rgp36, derived from the HIV-2 envelope. The diagnostic performance was determined with HIV-2, HIV-1, and HIV-1/2 samples. Both polypeptides showed 100% specificity. Clinical sensitivity was 100% for rgp36 and 93.4% for rpC2-C3. ELISA-HIV2 may be used for the specific diagnosis and confirmation of HIV-2 infection.     

Novel hydroxyapatite/chitosan bilayered scaffold for osteochondral tissue-engineering applications: Scaffold design and its performance when seeded with goat bone marrow stromal cells

Recent studies suggest that bone marrow stromal cells are a potential source of osteoblasts and chondrocytes and can be used to regenerate damaged tissues using a tissue-engineering (TE) approach. However, these strategies require the use of an appropriate scaffold architecture that can support the formation de novo of either bone and cartilage tissue, or both, as in the case of osteochondral defects. The later has been attracting a great deal of attention since it is considered a difficult goal to achieve. This work consisted on developing novel hydroxyapatite/chitosan (HA/CS) bilayered scaffold by combining a sintering and a freeze-drying technique, and aims to show the potential of such type of scaffolds for being used in TE of osteochondral defects. The developed HA/CS bilayered scaffolds were characterized by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, micro-computed tomography, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, the mechanical properties of HA/CS bilayered scaffolds were assessed under compression. In vitro tests were also carried out, in order to study the water-uptake and weight loss profile of the HA/CS bilayered scaffolds. This was done by means of soaking the scaffolds into a phosphate buffered saline for 1 up to 30 days. The intrinsic cytotoxicity of the HA scaffolds and HA/CS bilayered scaffolds extract fluids was investigated by carrying out a cellular viability assay (MTS test) using Mouse fibroblastic-like cells. Results have shown that materials do not exert any cytotoxic effect. Complementarily, in vitro (phase I) cell culture studies were carried out to evaluate the capacity of HA and CS layers to separately, support the growth and differentiation of goat marrow stromal cells (GBMCs) into osteoblasts and chondrocytes, respectively. Cell adhesion and morphology were analysed by SEM while the cell viability and proliferation were assessed by MTS test and DNA quantification. The chondrogenic differentiation of GBMCs was evaluated measuring the glucosaminoglycans synthesis. Data showed that GBMCs were able to adhere, proliferate and osteogenic differentiation was evaluated by alkaline phosphatase activity and immunocytochemistry assays after 14 days in osteogenic medium and into chondrocytes after 21 days in culture with chondrogenic medium. The obtained results concerning the physicochemical and biological properties of the developed HA/CS bilayered scaffolds, show that these constructs exhibit great potential for their use in TE strategies leading to the formation of adequate tissue substitutes for the regeneration of osteochondral defects.     

Genetic diversity and antimicrobial resistance of enterococcal isolates from Southern region of Brazil

In the present study, a total of 455 enterococcal isolates, recovered from patients living in the city of Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, during the period from July 1996 to June 1997, were identified to the species level by conventional biochemical and microbiological tests, and assayed for their susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents. The genetic diversity of antimicrobial resistant strains was evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of SmaI restricted chromosomal DNA. The most frequent species was Enterococcus faecalis (92.8%). Other species identified were: E. faecium (2.9%), E. gallinarum (1.5%), E. avium (1.1%), E. hirae (0.7%), E. casseliflavus (0.4%), E. durans (0.4%) and E. raffinosus (0.2%). The overall prevalence of isolates with high-level resistance (HLR) to aminoglycosides was 37.8%. HLR to gentamicin was found in 24.8%. No strains with acquired resistance to vancomycin were found. PFGE analysis showed the predominance of clonal group A, comprising strains isolated from different clinical specimens obtained from patients in three hospitals. These results suggest intra and inter-hospital dissemination of one predominant clonal group of E. faecalis isolates with HLR to gentamicin in the hospitals included in this study.