Towards fully automated third molar development staging in panoramic radiographs

International Journal of Legal Medicine - Staging third molar development is commonly used for age assessment in sub-adults. Current staging techniques are, at most, semi-automated and rely on...     

Crusotomy: A Safe, Simple Surgical Technique to Facilitate Resection and Reconstruction of Poorly Accessible Auricular Tumors

BACKGROUND: Carcinomas of the ear are commonly referred to Mohs surgeons because of their tendency for subclinical spread and location in poorly accessible anatomic areas. A simple technique, the crusotomy, is described that improves access to superior conchal lesions, facilitating resection of these tumors and repair of their resultant defects. OBJECTIVE: To describe a surgical technique, the crusotomy, which facilitates the resection and repair of poorly accessible auricular tumors. METHODS: Five patients with superior conchal tumors are presented who underwent crusotomy before resection of their tumors. All patients had immediate reconstruction of the resultant defect with either local flaps or grafts and were seen in follow-up at 1-week and 1-month intervals. RESULTS: Excellent cosmetic results were obtained in all five patients with no postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Crusotomy is a safe, rapid, and simple technique that facilitates the resection and repair of poorly accessible auricular tumors.     

Epidemiologic,clinical, and laboratory characteristics of childhood brucellosis

Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift - Brucellosis is endemic in Iran. Children constitute 20–25% of cases. We determined clinical, laboratory, and epidemiologic characteristics of pediatric...     

Comparison of the effect of ginger and aloe vera mouthwashes on xerostomia in patients with type 2 diabetes: A clinical trial,triple-blind

Background Ginger and aloe vera are two medicinal herbs mostly used to produce mouthwash. This study aimed to compare the effects of ginger and aloe vera mouthwashes on the xerostomia in patients referred to Bandar Abbas diabetes clinic (Iran).Material and Methods In this triple-blind clinical trial, three groups (n=35 patients in each group) were studied. One group was given aloe vera mouthwash, the other group used ginger mouthwash, and the control group was only given normal saline. All the mouthwashes were used 20 ccs three times daily for 14 consecutive days. The symptoms and severity of xerostomia were measured before and after the intervention by the questionnaire proposed by Fox et al. as well as VAS scale, respectively. Statistical analysis, including the Shapiro-Wilk test used to measure the normality of variables, and Chi-square and McNemar used to compare the scores questionnaire proposed by Fox et al., were also applied. Scores of VAS were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA test. P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant in all these tests.Results The mean age of the participants included in the normal saline group was 58.13±14.75 years old, 54.14±9.35 years old in the ginger group, and 53.37±11.57 years old in the aloe vera group. The difference between the scores of xerostomia before and after performing the intervention (The amount of reduction in xerostomia) in the ginger group was 6.12±2.004 cm, in the aloe vera group it was 4.08±2.09 cm, and in the normal saline group it was 2.45±2.09 cm. Finally, the ginger and aloe vera mouthwashes significantly reduced all symptoms and severity related to xerostomia, respectively(p<0.001).Conclusions The use of mouthwash is an effective measure to reduce xerostomia under chronic conditions. Aloe vera, ginger, and normal saline are known as effective mouthwashes on controlling this complication. According to the results of this study, ginger and aloe vera mouthwashes could significantly decrease xerostomia and promote oral health in patients with diabetes. Key words:Aloe vera, diabetes mellitus, dry mouth, ginger, mouthwash, xerostomia.