A neuroendocrinological approach to evidence an impairment of central cholinergic function in aging.

A hypothalamic pathogenesis for the reduced GH secretion in aging has been reported for both animal and man. To further address this issue we studied in 31 elderly normal subjects (6 males and 25 females, aged 66-90 yr) and in 22 young healthy controls (13 males and 9 females, aged 20-35 yr) the GH responses to GHRH test (GHRH29, 1 microgram/kg i.v. as a bolus at 0 min) alone and combined with pyridostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor (PD, 120 mg po 60 min before GHRH), or with arginine (ARG, 30 g in 100 ml infused from 0 to 30 min). Serum IGF-I levels were lower in elderly than in young subjects (mean +/- SE: 86.9 +/- 7.2 vs 288.7 +/- 22.1 micrograms/L, p < 0.01). The GHRH-induced GH increase was lower in elderly than in young subjects (p < 0.01). PD increased the GH response to GHRH in both groups (p < 0.001), but in elderly subjects this response persisted lower (p < 0.0001) than that observed in young adults. Also ARG coadministration potentiated the GHRH-induced GH release in both groups (p < 0.0001) but in this case the elderly's responses overlapped with the young's. The GH increase observed after combined administration of ARG and GHRH was higher (p < 0.0001) than that elicited by PD plus GHRH in elderly but not in young subjects. Analyzing individual GH responses, a GH peak below the limit of normality for young adults was observed in 19 (61.3%) elderly subjects after PD plus GHRH administration while ARG plus GHRH test elicited a normal GH peak in all but one.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Endoscopic‐assisted removal of an intraorbital dislocated dental implant

Objectives: Displacement of dental implants in the orbit is extremely rare. The aim of this article is to present and discuss the endoscopic management of a dental implant dislocated in the orbit. Material and methods: A 40‐year‐old woman underwent the placement of three dental implants at the upper right molar region, but during the intervention, the implant was displaced in the orbit. Results: The implant was removed endoscopically through the existing oroantral communication: the postoperative course was uneventful. Conclusion: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on a displaced non‐zygomatic dental implant into the orbit. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the endoscopic approach is highly reliable and minimally invasive to remove foreign bodies from paranasal sinuses. To cite this article:
Griffa A, Viterbo S, Boffano P. Endoscopic‐assisted removal of an intraorbital dislocated dental implant.
Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 21 , 2010; 778–780.
doi: 10.1111/j.1600‐0501.2009.01894.x     

Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) for the promotion of bone cell proliferation and tissue regeneration

Objectives

Over the past few years, studies about growth factors have been increasingly developed and the knowledge of their role in stimulating cell proliferation and differentiation used for therapeutic purposes. This study aims to compare a platelets concentrate, the plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) to a control, consisting of cellulose membranes, to evaluate in vitro the cellular adhesion and migration of human osteoblasts (hOb) and understand if the use of platelets concentrates could be an advantage in view of bone tissue regeneration.

Study design

Twenty-seven human donors provided 27 blood samples used to make 54 samples: 27 for PRGF and 27 for the control group. PRGFs and controls were incubated for 48 h in sterility in 1 ml of culture with 10⁵ hOb and hOb in the scaffolds were then quantified.

Results

In PRGF samples, hObs were more numerous than in controls. (T?=?6.6964, p?<?0.0001).

Conclusions

Human osteoblasts are driven to colonize PRGFs with a greater efficacy than negative controls, probably due to the presence of chemokines and growth factors in PRGFs.