Effect of ivabradine on pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

In order to assess effect of If-channel blocker ivabradine on severity of pulmonary hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) we studied 60 patients with III-IV stage COPD. We divided these patients into 2 groups with similar clinical characteristics and therapy. Patients of one of these groups received ivabradine (10 mg/day) for 2 weeks, patients of another served as controls. The use of ivabradine was associated with statistically significant lowering of pulmonary hypertension, heart rate, and increase of exercise tolerance without negative effects on myocardial contractility, electrophysiological parameters, or data of spirometry.     

Measurement of vaporization cavity after CO2 laser irradiation on bovine dentin

Lasers are used for various clinical applications in dental practices, and many studies have examined the effects of lasers with different applications on enamel and dentin. The CO₂ laser was introduced into the dental clinic for the removal of caries and for cavity preparation of hard tissues, in anticipation of replacing air turban and micromotor devices. The aim of this study was to examine dentin structural changes by measuring 3-dimensional diameter, depth, and volume in bovine teeth irradiated with a CO₂ laser at 1, 3, or 5 W. According to our measurements, a vaporization depth of 400 μm was created by irradiation for a mere 100 ms in the case of 3 W irradiation and 500 μm in the case of 5 W irradiation. Further, at the same output power, the pulse mode transmitted energy to deeper layers of the tooth as compared with the continuous wave mode, indicating that the pulse mode has more penetrating power than the continuous wave mode. Moreover, the depth of cavity that after laser irradiated was > 500 μm at output power 5 W. Thus, irradiation at high output power and the influence of pulse mode on the pulp tissue cannot be disregarded. That is to say, it is important to consider irradiation output power, mode, direction, and distance when lasers are used for adjacent to pulp of tooth that primary incisors and deep cavities.     

Cardiovascular manifestations of Takayasu arteritis and their relationship to the disease activity: analysis of 204 Korean patients at a single center

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is primary vasculitis. Cardiac involvements in TA is due to the consequences of the vascular lesions as well as the primary pathology of the heart. The disease activity of TA is known to influence the prognosis of TA. We hypothesized that the cardiovascular involvement of TA is related to the disease activity. We evaluated the cardiovascular manifestations of TA, and we assessed their relation to the disease activity of TA. Two hundred four patients were diagnosed with TA from September, 1994 to March, 2009 according to the diagnostic criteria of the 1990 American College of Rheumatology. Their clinical features and the laboratory, angiographic and echocardiographic findings were retrospectively reviewed. The group with active disease activity was defined as satisfying one of the following criteria: i) an elevated ESR or CRP level, ii) thickened arterial wall with mural enhancement on CT or MR angiography, and iii) carotidynia at the time of the initial diagnosis. One hundred thirty nine patients (69.2%) were classified as the active group. The cardiovascular signs and symptoms were not generally different between the active and inactive groups. The active TA patients had more frequent involvement of the ascending aorta and the aortic arch and its main branches than did the inactive group. The active group showed a higher incidence of significant aortic valve regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension, and a higher level of NT-proBNP. These findings suggest that disease activity plays an important role for the cardiovascular manifestations of TA. The TA patients with higher activity have more cardiovascular morbidity compared to the TA patients with low disease activity.     

Evaluation of Primary Stability of Self‐Tapping and Non‐Self‐Tapping Dental Implants. A 12‐Week Clinical Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between surgical techniques and implant macro‐design (self‐tapping/non‐self‐tapping) for the optimization of implant stability in the low‐density bone present in the posterior maxilla using resonance frequency analysis (RFA). Materials and Methods: A total of 102 implants were studied. Fifty‐six self‐tapping BlueSkyBredent® (Bredent GmbH&Co.Kg®, Senden, Germany) and 56 non‐self‐tapping Standard Plus Straumann® (Institut Straumann AG®, Waldenburg, Switzerland) were placed in the posterior segment of the maxilla. Implants of both types were placed in sites prepared with either lateral bone‐condensing or with bone‐drilling techniques. Implant stability measurements were performed using RFA immediately after implant placement and weekly during a 12‐week follow‐up period. Results: Both types of implants placed after bone condensing achieved significantly higher stability immediately after surgery, as well as during the entire 12‐week observation period compared with those placed following bone drilling. After bone condensation, there were no significant differences in primary stability or in implant stability after the first week between both implant types. From 2 to 12 postoperative weeks, significantly higher stability was shown by self‐tapping implants. After bone drilling, self‐tapping implants achieved significantly higher stability than non‐self‐tapping implants during the entire follow‐up period. Conclusions: The outcomes of the present study indicate that bone drilling is not an effective technique for improving implant stability and, following this technique, the use of self‐tapping implants is highly recommended. Implant stability optimization in the soft bone can be achieved by lateral bone‐condensing technique, regardless of implant macro‐design.     

Creating an objective structured teaching examination to evaluate a dental faculty development program

This article describes the creation of an objective structured teaching examination (OSTE) to assess a dental faculty development program. An OSTE is a performance-based measure that utilizes standardized students and is designed to measure observable teaching skills. In spring 2010, the authors developed, implemented, and evaluated an OSTE to assess a New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) faculty development program, Class ACTS (Advanced Clinical Teaching Scholars). They created a three-station OSTE to measure changes in teaching skills resulting from participation in Class ACTS. Dental student teaching assistants were trained to act as standardized students and patients and to use the rating forms. The faculty members' OSTE scores and ratings increased after participating in the Class ACTS program in all fifteen teaching domains tested, and statistically significant improvements occurred in nine of the fifteen domains. A search of the relevant literature suggests that this is the first time that an OSTE has been used to assess a faculty development program in dental education. This study's results appear to support NYUCD's faculty development efforts to improve the teaching skills of its faculty members.