Comparison Of Three Fluoride Dentifrice Products In The Prevention Of White Spot Lesions In Orthodontic Treatment

Introduction:. During the course of orthodontic treatment, enamel decalcification is a common problem. Demineralized enamel, the precursor to caries formation, can be attributed to fixed orthodontic appliances and prolonged exposure to bacterial plaque. Progression to clinically detectable white spot lesions may occur as early as one month following the placement of orthodontic appliances. Such problems have influenced clinicians to search for a solution. Because fluoride treatment immediately upon debonding is not advocated, clinicians have proposed fluoride treatment and fluoride-releasing materials at the commencement of the therapy. The two new anti-cavity toothpastes, ClinproTM 5000 with 1.1% Sodium Fluoride and ClinproTM Tooth Crème with 0.21% Sodium Fluoride have been shown to be useful in reduction of white spot lesions. Both the Clinpro TM products (3M ESPE) contain fluoride as well as tri-calcium phosphate, which are components naturally found in saliva. The aim of this study is to determine if ClinproTM 5000, ClinproTM Tooth Crème, or MI-Paste Plus has an effect on the formation and resolution of white spot lesions for patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Methods: Three prospective groups of 40 patients undertaking routine orthodontic treatment were evaluated (total recruitment of 120 subjects). Patients must have their permanent dentition, be 12 years or older, and have not used extensive fluoride regimes before. Patients were chosen if they appear that they would be compliant as judged by the investigator. The selected product was brushed on the teeth by the patient for two minutes, twice daily for a total of 4 months. After brushing, the patients were instructed to expectorate only, not rinse t, t eat or drink anything for at least 30 minutes. The subjects were observed every 4 weeks. At each visit, 3 intraoral photos were taken (frontal and buccal views) and measurements based on the Enamel Decalcification Index (EDI) will be recorded. The Enamel Decalcification Index was used to determine the number of white spot lesions and caries risk detected in these photographic records. Also, a brushing diary was reviewed. A trained member of the 3M ESPE Clinical Research group did monitor the study by means of visits to the clinic to evaluate patient charts, study data, and study photographs. Results: Altogether, the results provided strong support with regard for ClinproTM 5000 providing superior enamel protection against decalcification when compared to ClinproTM Crème, and MI Paste. Conclusions: The use of ClinproTM 5000, ClinproTM Crème, and MI paste demonstrated less formation of white spot lesions when compared to data in the literature. ClinproTM 5000 had a marginally better affect compared to the other two products

Il museo virtuale della Valle del Calore

The Virtual Museum of the Upper Calore Valley is a website which allows visitors to travel in time and space through and have access to various information on monuments, towns, culture, history, wine and food of the Hirpinian territory. By accessing six fictional videos on characters drawn from local history, users can also experience a historical overview, from the Longobard invasion up to the Unification of Italy, through the troubled periods of the Kingdom of Naples. The project works by open source software for video editing, GIS elaboration, and image processing. The browsing platform is based on the earliest release of the Aton framework created by CNR ITABC for browsing large-scale geographical and architectural data, with advanced features for graphic rendering, stereoscopic view, online representation of complex geometry and resolution through powerful paging algorithms. Aton is compatible with every modern HTML5 multimedia standard and is a powerful tool for historical storytelling

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy and flow cytometry immunophenotyping of lymphoid and myeloproliferative disorders of the spleen.

BACKGROUND: Flow cytometry (FC) is a useful adjunct to fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the evaluation of lymphoproliferative disorders. The application of FC to FNAB of the spleen (sFNAB) is reported. METHODS: Flow cytometry was performed on 18 sFNAB collected over 3 years. The series comprised 10 cases of non- Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), 2 cases insufficient for diagnosis, 2 cases of reactive hyperplasia (RH), and 4 cases of myeloid metaplasia (MM). FNAB was performed under ultrasound guidance using a 22-gauge needle. One or two passes were sufficient to prepare a conventional smear that was immediately evaluated to select the cases studied and to prepare a cell suspension for FC. The following fluoresceinated antibodies were used: CD3, CD19/kappa/lambda, FMC7/CD23/CD19, Bcl-2, and CD13/HLA-DR. In six cases, cytospins were also prepared for immunocytochemistry and were tested for CD20 (L26), CD45Ro, and kappa and lambda light chain expression. RESULTS: Flow cytometry contributed to the diagnosis of all cases of NHL by assessing light chain restriction. The specific subtype was also diagnosed by CD19/CD5 and CD 19/CD10 coexpression in two cases. Flow cytometry quantified the percentage of myeloid cells in MM cases and contributed to the cytologic diagnosis showing a polyclonal light chain expression in RH cases.Immunocytochemistry was effective and concordant in four cases. Patients tolerated the sFNAB well and no complications were reported. Cytologic and FC diagnoses were confirmed by follow-up and by histologic evaluation in cases in which splenectomy was performed for therapeutic purposes. CONCLUSION: Flow cytometry applied to sFNAB corroborates the cytologic diagnosis in lymphoid and myeloproliferative disorders of the spleen and allows therapeutic decisions avoiding splenectomy

Early laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 by antigen detection in blood samples of the SARS-COV-2 nucleocapsid protein

The purpose of this study was to characterize the diagnostic performance of a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NP) in blood. Blood samples were collected during hospitalization of 165 inpatients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and from 505 outpatients predominantly with relevant symptoms of COVID-19 simultaneously with PCR testing. For the 143 inpatients who had their first blood sample collected within 2 weeks after PCR-confirmed infection, the diagnostic sensitivity of the ELISA was 91.6%. The mean NP concentration of the 131 ELISA-positive blood samples was 1,734 pg/ml (range, 10 to 3,840 pg/ml). An exponential decline in NP concentration was observed for 368 blood samples collected over the first 4 weeks after PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and all blood samples taken later had an NP concentration below the 10-pg/ml diagnostic cutoff. The diagnostic sensitivity of the ELISA was 81.4% for the 43 blood samples collected from outpatients with a simultaneous positive PCR test, and the mean NP concentration of the 35 ELISA-positive samples was 157 pg/ml (range, 10 to 1,377 pg/ml). For the 462 outpatients with a simultaneous negative PCR test, the diagnostic specificity of the ELISA was 99.8%. In conclusion, the SARS-CoV-2 NP ELISA is a suitable laboratory diagnostic test for COVID-19, particularly for hospitals, where blood samples are readily available and screening of serum or plasma by ELISA can facilitate prevention of nosocomial infections and reduce the requirement for laborious swab sampling and subsequent PCR analysis to confirmatory tests only

UbcH10 overexpression may represent a marker of anaplastic thyroid carcinomas

The hybridisation of an Affymetrix HG_U95Av2 oligonucleotide array with RNAs extracted from six human thyroid carcinoma cell lines and a normal human thyroid primary cell culture led us to the identification of the UbcH10 gene that was upregulated by 150-fold in all of the carcinoma cell lines in comparison to the primary culture cells of human normal thyroid origin. Immunohistochemical studies performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections showed abundant UbcH10 levels in thyroid anaplastic carcinoma samples, whereas no detectable UbcH10 expression was observed in normal thyroid tissues, in adenomas and goiters. Papillary and follicular carcinomas were only weakly positive. These results were further confirmed by RT–PCR and Western blot analyses. The block of UbcH10 protein synthesis induced by RNA interference significantly reduced the growth rate of thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Taken together, these results would indicate that UbcH10 overexpression is involved in thyroid cell proliferation, and may represent a marker of thyroid anaplastic carcinomas

Searching for internal pair creation anomalies and the X17 boson at LNL

2016, a breakthrough anomaly was reported in the isoscalar magnetic dipole transition in8Be via the Internal Pair Creation process. An unexpected angular distribution of the relative angle of the e+e− was measured at the Atomki Laboratory. This phenomenon was explained considering the assumption of an emission of a neutral boson, named X17, with a mass of 16.70±0.35(stat)±0.5(syst) MeV/c2 and Jπ =1+. This finding triggered a global campaign to search for the new boson claimed. In Italy, at the Legnaro National Laboratories, a novel scintillator detector array has been designed and built. The present work reports the status of the first in-beam experiments performed in 2023 and 2024