Comparative evaluation of four finishing systems on one ceramic surface

PURPOSE: Occlusal adjustment of ceramic restorations may be necessary to correct interferences. A rough surface may abrade opposing tooth or restorative materials, thereby increasing plaque accumulation. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of four finishing systems and diamond paste on ceramic roughness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty ceramic disks were distributed into four randomized groups. The initial roughness of all samples was increased with a diamond bur. Samples in group 1 were finished with white silicon and black rubber; group 2 samples were finished with Shofu rubbers; group 3 samples were finished with diamond burs; and group 4 samples were finished with Sof-Lex disks. All samples were then polished by Yeti diamond paste. The surfaces were characterized by means of a surface roughness analyzer. The parameters Ra, Rpm, and Rz were determined. Four roughness recordings were made before and after diamond bur finishing, and before and after Yeti paste polishing. ANOVA was used to test the significance of differences between groups at each stage of the procedures. RESULTS: All four methods reduced the average roughness of the samples. The most effective system was Sof-Lex disks. Diamond paste can round the profile shape and reduce the height of maximum peaks of the surface, but it may not improve the average roughness. CONCLUSION: All systems tested reduced the roughness of ceramic samples, but the Sof-Lex disk finishing system may be more efficient than other methods. The efficiency of the diamond paste is not clear.     

Sclerodermatomyositis associated with severe arthritis

Overlap syndromes are a spectrum of diseases with clinical features of two or more classic connective tissue diseases. Polymyositis or dermatomyositis that is associated with features of systemic sclerosis, also called sclerodermatomyositis, is an uncommon overlap syndrome, with a rare antibody directed against the nucleolar antigen PM-Scl. This disease generally has good prognosis. We report a case of sclerodermatomyositis with an aggressive pulmonary and articular course.     

El síndrome congestivo pélvico. Resultados tras la embolización con espirales

Objective

To study the clinical manifestations and findings at venography in patients with pelvic congestion syndrome and to evaluate the outcome after percutaneous embolization using coils.

Materials and methods

We studied 34 women referred to the vascular radiology unit from the vascular surgery department for clinical suspicion of pelvic congestion syndrome. All patients underwent venography to assess the competence of the ovarian veins and to detect other varicose pelvic veins. When pelvic varicose veins were detected, they were embolized with coils. Clinical outcomes were recorded after reviewing the clinical history and administering a questionnaire over the phone.

Results

In 22 of the 34 patients, signs of pelvic venous insufficiency were found. The symptoms were mainly pelvic and perineal heaviness (20/22) and pelvic pain (18/22). The technical success of venography and embolization was 100%, with three minor complications that did not require hospitalization. Pelvic heaviness improved in 14 patients (in 13 it was completely eliminated). Pain disappeared in 11 patients and was partially alleviated in another 2.

Conclusion

In patients with pelvic congestion syndrome, the embolization of insufficient pelvic veins achieves clinical improvement with short hospital stays and few complications.     

Oral administration of Polypodium leucotomos delays skin tumor development and increases epidermal p53 expression and the anti‐oxidant status of UV‐irradiated hairless mice

Chronic exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) induces skin tumors in hairless mice. Daily oral administration of a Polypodium leucotomos (PL) extract significantly delayed tumor development in PL‐treated versus non‐PL‐treated mice. UVR and/or PL treatment modified several oxidative stress markers. In all irradiated mice, erythrocytic glutathione S‐transferase (GST) activity and glutathione disulphide (GSSG) content increased and in all PL‐treated mice GSSG content decreased, specially in non‐irradiated animals, and total plasma anti‐oxidant capacity (ORAC) increased. In dorsolateral non‐tumoral skin of all irradiated mice, glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities increased and GSSG decreased in non‐irradiated PL‐treated animals. UVR induced a steep increase of p53 expression in epidermal cells. In non‐tumoral skin, this increase was significantly higher in PL‐treated animals than in non‐treated mice and can contribute in delaying tumor development, either by repairing the damaged DNA or by increasing apoptosis. These results reinforce the usefulness of PL as systemic photoprotective agent, especially in patients highly sensitive to UVR.     

Increased uptake of the P2X7 receptor radiotracer 18F-JNJ-64413739 in the brain and peripheral organs according to the severity of status epilepticus in male mice

Objective

The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is an important contributor to neuroinflammation, responding to extracellularly released adenosine triphosphate. Expression of the P2X7R is increased in the brain in experimental and human epilepsy, and genetic or pharmacologic targeting of the receptor can reduce seizure frequency and severity in preclinical models. Experimentally induced seizures also increase levels of the P2X7R in blood. Here, we tested ¹⁸F-JNJ-64413739, a positron emission tomography (PET) P2X7R antagonist, as a potential noninvasive biomarker of seizure-damage and epileptogenesis.

Methods

Status epilepticus was induced via an intra-amygdala microinjection of kainic acid. Static PET studies (30 min duration, initiated 30 min after tracer administration) were conducted 48 h after status epilepticus via an intravenous injection of ¹⁸F-JNJ-64413739. PET images were coregistered with a brain magnetic resonance imaging atlas, tracer uptake was determined in the different brain regions and peripheral organs, and values were correlated to seizure severity during status epilepticus. ¹⁸F-JNJ-64413739 was also applied to ex vivo human brain slices obtained following surgical resection for intractable temporal lobe epilepsy.

Results

P2X7R radiotracer uptake correlated strongly with seizure severity during status epilepticus in brain structures including the cerebellum and ipsi- and contralateral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus. In addition, a correlation between radiotracer uptake and seizure severity was also evident in peripheral organs such as the heart and the liver. Finally, P2X7R radiotracer uptake was found elevated in brain sections from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy when compared to control.

Significance

Taken together, our data suggest that P2X7R-based PET imaging may help to identify seizure-induced neuropathology and temporal lobe epilepsy patients with increased P2X7R levels possibly benefitting from P2X7R-based treatments.     

The APOE4 effect: structural brain differences in Alzheimer's disease according to the age at symptom onset

Background and purpose

How the APOE genotype can differentially affect cortical and subcortical memory structures in biomarker-confirmed early-onset (EOAD) and late-onset (LOAD) Alzheimer's disease (AD) was assessed.

Method

Eighty-seven cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker-confirmed AD patients were classified according to their APOE genotype and age at onset. 28 were EOAD APOE4 carriers (+EOAD), 21 EOAD APOE4 non-carriers (–EOAD), 23 LOAD APOE4 carriers (+LOAD) and 15 LOAD APOE4 non-carriers (–LOAD). Grey matter (GM) volume differences were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry in Papez circuit regions. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the relation between GM volume loss and cognition.

Results

Significantly more mammillary body atrophy in +EOAD compared to –EOAD is reported. The medial temporal and posterior cingulate cortex showed less GM in +LOAD compared to –LOAD. Medial temporal GM volume loss was also found in +EOAD compared to –LOAD. With an exception for +EOAD, medial temporal GM was strongly associated with episodic memory in the three groups, whilst posterior cingulate cortex GM volume was more related with visuospatial abilities. Visuospatial abilities and episodic memory were also associated with the anterior thalamic nucleus in –LOAD.

Conclusions

Our results show that the APOE genotype has a significant effect on GM integrity as a function of age of disease onset. Specifically, whilst LOAD APOE4 genotype is mostly associated with increased medial temporal and parietal atrophy compared to –LOAD, for EOAD APOE4 might have a more specific effect on subcortical (mammillary body) structures. The findings suggest that APOE genotype needs to be taken into account when classifying patients by age at onset.     

Botulinal neurotoxins: revival of an old killer

Botulinal neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced by anaerobic bacteria of the genus Clostridium are the most toxic proteins known, with mouse LD(50) values in the range of 1-5 ng/kg. They are responsible for the pathophysiology of botulism. BoNTs are metalloproteinases that enter peripheral cholinergic nerve terminals, where they cleave one or two of the three core proteins of the neuroexocytosis apparatus and elicit persistent but reversible inhibition of neurotransmitter release. Their specificity of action has made them useful therapeutic agents for many human syndromes caused by hyperactivity of cholinergic nerve terminals. Their range of clinical applications is continuously growing, and BoNT/A is being used extensively as a pharmaco-cosmetic.