Cutting efficiency of diamond burs operated with electric high‐speed dental handpiece on zirconia

Zirconia‐based dental restorations are becoming used more commonly. However, limited attention has been given to the difficulties experienced, concerning cutting, in removing the restorations when needed. The aim of the present study was to compare the cutting efficiency of diamond burs, operated using an electric high‐speed dental handpiece, on zirconia (Zir) with those on lithium disilicate glass–ceramic (LD) and leucite glass–ceramic (L). In addition, evaluation of the cutting efficiency of diamond burs on Zir of different thicknesses was performed. Specimens of Zir were prepared with thicknesses of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mm, and specimens of LD and L were prepared with a thickness of 1.0 mm. Cutting tests were performed using diamond burs with super coarse (SC) and coarse (C) grains. The handpiece was operated at 150,000 rpm with a cutting force of 0.9 N. The results demonstrated that cutting of Zir took about 1.5‐ and 7‐fold longer than cutting of LD and L, respectively. The SC grains showed significantly higher cutting efficiency on Zir than the C grains. However, when the thickness of Zir increased, the cutting depth was significantly decreased. As it is suggested that cutting of zirconia is time consuming, this should be taken into consideration in advance when working with zirconia restorations.     

Studies on 145 cases of septicemia in infancy and childhood--especially on septicemic patients with malignant and hematological diseases

Clinical and bacteriological data of 145 inpatients with septicemia, treated at the hospital of Chiba University School of Medicine from 1972 to 1987, were reviewed by dividing them into three stages. (stages I: 1972-76, stage II: 1978-82, stage III: 1983-87) Patients with underlying diseases have been increasing: 91.8% of the total patients in stage III. Among the patients with underlying diseases, malignant and hematological diseases occupied about 60%, and in the other diseases, congenital heart diseases have been increasing in number. As to the organisms isolated, gram positive bacteria have increased, while gram negative bacteria have decreased. In stage III, the rate of gram positive organisms and gram negative ones accounted for 43.1% and 41.2% of all the isolates from the septic patients with malignant & hematological diseases, respectively. In patients with malignant & hematological diseases, alpha-streptococcus, coagulase-negative staphylococcus, and Fusobacterium sp. have been increasing, whereas, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sp., Klebsiella sp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa decreasing. In patients with other underlying diseases, S. aureus, CNS, and non Fermenters have been increasing. Among the patients without underlying diseases, gram positive bacteria accounted for the major part. The decrease of gram negative organisms in patients with malignant and hematological diseases may partially depend on the introduction of polymixin B as the drug of gut decontamination. The outcome of septicemia in the patients with malignant & hematological diseases has been markedly improving through all the three stages. During stage III, episode mortality and case mortality rate proved to be 23% and 31%, respectively. The introduction of the third generation cephems has decreased the mortality rate for gram negative organisms and contributed to the improvement of the total prognosis. The prognosis was worst in the case of P. aeruginosa, showing a mortality rate of 50% during stage III. Coincidence rate of blood and other cultures have been largest in the case of P. aeruginosa, so, the drug sensitivity of the strain cultured from other sites is sometimes useful in the choice of antibiotics.     

Three cases of hereditary nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia associated with red blood cell glutathione deficiency

Three unrelated Japanese patients with chronic nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia wer found to have marked deficiency of red blood cell (RBC) reduced glutathoine (GSH) (4.4%, 13.1%, and 6.9% of normal, respectively). A panel of RBC enzyme assays showed that one patient had decreased glutathione synthetase activity and the other two were moderately deficient in gamma-glutamylcystine synthetase. Some family members of each patient showed mild deficiency of the respective enzymes. RBCs of these patients also showed a decreased level of glutathione-S-transferase as in previously described GSH-deficient cases. Hemolytic anemia was their only manifestation, and neither 5- oxoprolinemia nor 5-oxoprolinuria, which are usually associated with to generalized type of glutathione synthetase deficiency, was noted in our patients.     

A new manometry device for evaluating the sphincter of Oddi using a fiber-optic pressure sensor

Introduction: Although measuring the pressure of the sphincter of Oddi and the bile duct is considered to be an important examination, called Sphincter of Oddi manometry (SOM), some complications related to the SOM device remain unsolved.

Material and methods: To decrease adverse complications, we developed a 0.46?mm manometry and we performed some in vitro studies.

Results: We successfully developed a 0.46?mm SOM. The diameter is the thinnest size used in endoscopic examinations. The results of in vitro studies show the suitability as SOM.

Conclusion: This device will decrease the risks related to SOM examination. To confirm the safety and feasibility, further studies including in vivo studies will be needed.     

The Development of Foveolar-type Gastric Adenocarcinoma during Maintenance Therapy of Vonoprazan for Reflux Esophagitis

We herein report the first case of foveolar-type gastric adenocarcinoma that developed after the initiation of vonoprazan (VPZ). A 51-year-old man had heartburn at the first visit and reflux esophagitis endoscopically, so he started taking VPZ. An approximately 5-mm-sized reddish polyp with a raspberry-like morphology was detected at the anterior wall of the upper body of the stomach 156 weeks after starting maintenance therapy with VPZ 10 mg/day. It was diagnosed as foveolar-type gastric adenocarcinoma based on a biopsy. Another approximately 4-mm-sized foveolar-type gastric adenocarcinoma was also detected at the posterior wall of the middle body of the stomach.     

Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor-induced Aortitis with Lung Injury,Splenomegaly, and a Rash During Treatment for Recurrent Extraosseous Mucinous Chondrosarcoma

We herein report a case of aortitis induced by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) that coincided with lung injury, splenomegaly, and cutaneous manifestations during treatment for recurrent extraosseous mucinous chondrosarcoma. Computed tomography revealed large-vessel vasculitis, splenomegaly, and pulmonary interstitial changes. Treatment with prednisolone was successful. Because sarcoma is a rare disease, this case is valuable for showing clinicians that G-CSF preparations could cause aortitis regardless of the patient''s underlying diseases or therapeutic pharmacological backgrounds.     

Elastin sub-fraction as binding site for lipids.

Elastin preparations were isolated from human thoracic aorta, from atherosclerotic and from grossly normal regions. A relatively mild procedure was used to avoid hot alkaline extraction and autoclaving. The elastase digest of the aortic elastin was chromatographed on a Sephadex G-100 column and separated into two fractions: A (larger molecular weight) and B (smaller molecular weight). The ratio of fraction A to total aortic elastin increased with age and the development of the atherosclerosis. Amino acid and sugar analyses showed that fraction A consistently contained more polar amino acids, hexose, hexosamine and L-fucose, and less sialic acid, in comparison with fraction B. Part of the elastin preparation was incubated with human low-density lipoprotein; a considerable amount of lipid, especially cholesterol, was transferred from the lipoprotein to the elastin. Estimation of protein and cholesterol in fractions A and B of the elastase hydrolyzate of incubated elastin showed that most of the cholesterol taken up by elastin had been in fraction A. The increased proportion of fraction A in aortic elastin derived from plaque areas appeared responsible for the marked lipid-binding capacity of plaque elastin.     

Argyrophilic proteins of the nucleolar organizer region in acute leukemias and its relation to the S-phase fraction of leukemic cells.

Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) are loops of DNA which transcribes to ribosomal RNA. The NOR-related protein becomes visible in nucleus by a silver-staining technique under a light microscope, and it has been named argyrophilic protein of NOR (Ag-NOR). In various malignancies, the correlation between the proliferation potential of tumor cells or histological grade and the number of Ag-NORs has been reported. In this study, we investigated the Ag-NOR of acute leukemic cells and its relation to the in vivo proportion of bone marrow leukemic cells in DNA synthetic phase. The number of Ag-NORs in bone marrow leukemic cells was more than that in peripheral blood (means values 2.78 and 2.48, respectively, p less than 0.01). This result shows that the number of Ag-NORs reflects the vigorous proliferative potential of bone marrow leukemic cells. However, no significant correlation was obtained between the number of Ag-NORs and the bromodeoxyuridine-labeling indices (r = 0.2064). These results suggest that Ag-NOR might be one of the markers for cellular proliferation in leukemia, while DNA synthesis of leukemic cells do not seem to be directly related to Ag-NOR. In order to clarify the role of Ag-NOR in leukemia, further studies are needed.