Capping of the dental pulp mechanically exposed to the oral microflora – a 5 week observation of wound healing in the monkey

The healing capacity of mechanically exposed and bacterially contaminated dental pulps was assessed in monkeys after capping with 2 commercial Ca(OH)₂ containing compounds. One hundred eighty teeth in 7 monkeys were employed, 45 as untreated controls and 135 as treated exposures. Class V buccal cavity preparations resulting in pulpal exposure were prepared, left open to the oral cavity for 0, 1, 24 h or 7 days and employed as controls, or debrided, capped, restored with amalgam and left undisturbed for 5 weeks as treated exposures. Zero and 1 h untreated exposures presented damage from the mechanical trauma only, whereas 24 h and 7 day pulp wounds exhibited pronounced infiltrations of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear leukocytes. In addition, the 7 day exposures demonstrated several teeth with partial and total necrosis. Treated 0, 1 and 24 h exposures demonstrated wound healing, minimal pulp tissue inflammation, reorganization of soft tissue and formation of new hard tissue at the exposure site in 86 of 99 teeth. Treated 7 day exposures healed less frequently, showing signs of dentin bridging in 15 of 27 teeth. This study indicated that mechanically exposed and orally contaminated dental pulps in monkeys have a high capacity to resolve inflammation and initiate healing with new dentin formation at the exposure site when treated as described.     

Fall injuries in the elderly

Injuries are the sixth leading cause of death in the 75-and-over population, with falls the leading cause of injury-related deaths. Hospitals and residential centers for the elderly have high rates of falls and injuries. With increasing age, patients in nursing homes have a corresponding increase in the proportion of fatal falls. The patterns of reduction of injury and mortality in the past two decades are likely to have been the result of our medical and trauma care system's impact on the outcome of less severe injuries. Major improvements in the future will come through prevention.     

Vascular access for chronic hemodialysis: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) versus bovine heterograft.

Between May 1975 and March 1977, 193 bovine heterografts and 184 polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts (Impragrafts) have been placed for hemodialysis access. A comparison of these materials demonstrates that Impragrafts have significantly fewer late thromboses, increased resistance to infection, and comparable longevity, and they are easier to repair.     

Sequelae of metrizamide myelography in 200 examinations.

Twenty pediatric and 180 adult patients underwent myelography using metrizamide (Amipaque). All patients were examined and interviewed before and after the studies. New or exacerbated symptoms attributed to metrizamide myelography were graded according to severity. After the procedure, 51 of 200 patients were unchanged from baseline. Headache was the most common complaint, with an overall incidence of 62%. Nausea and/or vomiting occurred in 38%. Back or leg pain, neck stiffness, temperature elevation, and a variety of less common manifestations were also observed. The incidence of sequelae was higher than in comparable Scandinavian studies with this contrast medium.     

The time course of the behavioral effects of amphetamine and their reversal by haloperidol in a primate species.

A group of six marmosets was administered amphetamine (Phase I), amphetamine plus haloperidol (Phase II), and then amphetamine alone (Phase III) over consecutive periods of 27, 51, and 33 days after which drug treatment was terminated (Phase IV). The animals' behavior was monitored during these periods and during a predrug treatment control period. Five mutually exclusive categories of behavior were assessed during the experiment. Social contact between animals was significantly suppressed and inactivity was increased throughout Phases I--III but both measures returned to normal values during Phase IV. Locomotion was significantly decreased towards the end of Phase I and initially during Phase II. Rapid head movements (termed checking) were significantly increased at the beginning of Phase I and again when the haloperidol was withdrawn at the beginning of Phase III. Towards the end of Phase I the animals developed destructive self-grooming habits. The time course of the effects of amphetamine and haloperidol on the different behavioral categories suggests that different mechanisms may be involved in each case. Viewed as a model of schizophrenia, the time course of haloperidol in reversing amphetamine-induced suppression of locomotion most closely resembles the time course of the antipsychotic effect of neuroleptics in man. Some effects of amphetamine (e.g., suppression of social interaction) are not reversed by haloperidol, and some effects of withdrawal of haloperidol (e.g., precipitation of checking movements not present when haloperidol was commenced) do not have an obvious counterpart in the clinical situation.