Relationship between cervical spine and skeletal class II in subjects with and without temporomandibular disorders

AIM. To assess changes of cranio-cervical structure and of hyoid bone position in skeletal Class II subjects with and without Temporomandibular disorders (TMD). MATERIAL AND METHODS. The cephalometric analysis of 59 subjects with skeletal Class II were evaluated and compared. The measurements considerated were: ANB as parameter of Class II and C0-C1 distance, C1-C2 distance, cranio-cervical angle and hyoid bone position for the cervical spine analysis. Patients were divided into two subgroups: patients with TMD (group A) and patients without TMD (group B). TMD were evaluated with the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD). Descriptive statistics and Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis, with p-value <0,005, were performed. RESULTS. C0-C1 and C1-C2 distance values and hyoid bone position resulted within normal range in the majority of patients examined. Cranio-cervical angle was alterated in 33 patients. The reduction of this angle with the increase of the ANB value resulted statistically significant in the group A, according to Pearson correlation index. No other data was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS. Significant relationship between skeletal Class II and cervical spine cannot be highlighted. The alteration of cranio-cervical angle seems to be mildly present, with backward counterclockwise rotation of the head upon the neck in the sample (group A and B). The presence of TMDs as key factor in changes of neck posture could explain the different result between the two groups about relationship between ANB and cranio-cervical angle. This result should be further analyzed in order to better understand if cervical spine changes could be related to mandibular postural ones in the cranio-cervical space or to temporomandibular joints retropositioning, more recognizable in Class II with TMD, which could determine functional changes in other structures of this unit; neck posture also could be the result of a compensatory/ antalgic mechanism in response to TM

Functional implications of minor mandibular asymmetry: clinical and digital research on a sample of healthy patients

OBJECTIVE.The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence that the mandibular asymmetry could have towards the other components of the Stomathognatic system and to further related structures from a functional point of view. MATERIALS and METHODS. A sample of 18 young asymmetric patients, in healthy status, was investigated with clinical evaluation and questionnaires and digital devices such as Electromiography, Stabilometry, T-scan and Formetric. Descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis were performed. RESULTS. ASIM electromyography index was significant only in a short percentage of the sample. Hypertonia of temporalis muscle in the same side of mandibular deviation and the cross-activation of the contralateral masseter were present. The data of the stabilometric platform showed that only 33% of patients had a load discrepancy between right and left side. All patients presented similar and limited postural anomalies during the Formetric examination. No significant results emerged from statistics . CONCLUSIONS. From the emerging data, mandibular asymmetry does not seem to be considered a potential risk factor for the development of functional anomalies both in the stomatognatic system and in the postural one. The only issue that should be considered is the condylar retrusion of the mandibular shortest side that is a possible destabilizing factor of the TMJ condyle-disc coordination

Functional implications of minor mandibular asymmetry: clinical and digital research on a sample of healthy patients

OBJECTIVE.The aim of the study is to evaluate the influence that the mandibular asymmetry could have towards the other components of the Stomathognatic system and to further related structures from a functional point of view. MATERIALS and METHODS. A sample of 18 young asymmetric patients, in healthy status, was investigated with clinical evaluation and questionnaires and digital devices such as Electromiography, Stabilometry, T-scan and Formetric. Descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis were performed. RESULTS. ASIM electromyography index was significant only in a short percentage of the sample. Hypertonia of temporalis muscle in the same side of mandibular deviation and the cross-activation of the contralateral masseter were present. The data of the stabilometric platform showed that only 33% of patients had a load discrepancy between right and left side. All patients presented similar and limited postural anomalies during the Formetric examination. No significant results emerged from statistics . CONCLUSIONS. From the emerging data, mandibular asymmetry does not seem to be considered a potential risk factor for the development of functional anomalies both in the stomatognatic system and in the postural one. The only issue that should be considered is the condylar retrusion of the mandibular shortest side that is a possible destabilizing factor of the TMJ condyle-disc coordination

Detecting Solar Neutrino Flare in Megaton and km^3 detectors

To foresee a solar flare neutrino signal we infer its upper and lower bound. The upper bound was derived since a few years by general energy equipartition arguments on observed solar particle flare. The lower bound, the most compelling one for any guarantee neutrino signal, is derived by most recent records of hard Gamma bump due to solar flare on January 2005 (by neutral pion decay).The observed gamma flux reflects into a corresponding one for the neutrinos, almost one to one. Therefore we obtain minimal bounds already at the edge of present but quite within near future Megaton neutrino detectors. Such detectors are considered mostly to reveal cosmic supernova background or rare Local Group (few Mpc) Supernovas events. However Megaton or even inner ten Megaton Ice Cube detector at ten GeV threshold may also reveal traces of solar neutrino in hardest energy of solar flares. Icecube, marginally, too. Solar neutrino flavors may shine light on neutrino mixing angles.Comment: 4 pages,4 figure

Okada Purifying Therapy in combination with duloxetine vs. duloxetine alone in patients with TMD and fibromyalgia: a randomized clinical study

Abstract Objectives This randomized study was aimed at evaluating the additional analgesic effect of Okada Purifying Therapy (OPT) when administered in combination with duloxetine in patients with Temporomandibular Disorders (TMDs) and Fibromyalgia (FM). Methods Patients with TMDs visited at Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome who were diagnosed with FM were selected for the study. The final sample was composed of 31 patients: 15 patients were treated only with duloxetine (Group I) and 16 patients underwent also OPT treatment (Group II), for eight weeks. Craniomandibular index, total tenderness score, Brief Pain Inventory Modified Short Form, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory and State and Trait Anxiety Inventory-1 were assessed at the beginning (T0), during the course (T1) and after therapy (T2). Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Results In all the data analyzed, both groups showed an improvement in particular between T0 and T1. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups during the trial, except for the interaction between treatment and time as to the ability of walking at the BPI-I (F=7.57, p=0.002). No side effects due to the duloxetine were recorded in group II compared to group I. Conclusion The additional complementary treatment (OPT) did not appear to give the patients with TMDs and FM any further benefit but it might improve pharmacological tolerability of the traditional medication

Body composition and metabolic status of Italian and Spanish university students: relationship with fruit and vegetable consumption

Most university students do not follow recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake, with a consequent increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The aim of this study was to compare obesity prevalence and biomarkers of metabolic status between Italian and Spanish university students, in relation with the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Food consumption, adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD), level of physical activity (PA), blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides and ketones, blood pressure, and body composition were evaluated. Among CVD risk factors, only glucose was significantly higher in Spaniards (SP), and only 3.1% of SP presented ketosis. SP had a higher percentage of energy from fat. Although adherence to MD and fruit and vegetable consumption did not differ between Italians and SP, students who consumed at least four servings of fruit and vegetables (FV group) showed better values for pressure and metabolic parameters than the no FV group. We observed an association between consumption of fruit and PA. Students who consumed more vegetables than fruit reported a better body composition profile and lower glucose concentrations. As previously suggested, in addition to PA, two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day should be recommended

Antiviral and antioxidant activity of a hydroalcoholic extract from Humulus lupulus L.

A hydroalcoholic extract from female inflorescences of Humulus lupulus L. (HOP extract) was evaluated for its anti-influenza activity. The ability of the extract to interfere with different phases of viral replication was assessed, as well as its effect on the intracellular redox state, being unbalanced versus the oxidative state in infected cells. The radical scavenging power, inhibition of lipoperoxidation, and ferric reducing activity were assayed as antioxidant mechanisms. A phytochemical characterization of the extract was also performed. We found that HOP extract significantly inhibited replication of various viral strains, at different time from infection. Viral replication was partly inhibited when virus was incubated with extract before infection, suggesting a direct effect on the virions. Since HOP extract was able to restore the reducing conditions of infected cells, by increasing glutathione content, its antiviral activity might be also due to an interference with redox-sensitive pathways required for viral replication. Accordingly, the extract exerted radical scavenging and reducing effects and inhibited lipoperoxidation and the tBOOH-induced cytotoxicity. At phytochemical analysis, different phenolics were identified, which altogether might contribute to HOP antiviral effect. In conclusion, our results highlighted anti-influenza and antioxidant properties of HOP extract, which encourage further in vivo studies to evaluate its possible application

Viscoelastic bearings with fractional constitutive law for fractional tuned mass dampers

The paper aims at studying the effects of the inherent fractional constitutive law of viscoelastic bearings used as devices for tuned mass dampers. First, the proper constitutive law of the viscoelastic supports is determined by the local constitutive law. Then, the characteristic force-displacement relationship at the top of the bearing is found. Taking advantage of the whole bearing constitutive laws, the tuning of the mass damper is proposed by defining the damped fractional frequency, which is analogous to the classical damped frequency. The effectiveness of the optimal tuning procedure is validated by a numerical application on a system subjected to a Gaussian white noise

WY-14643, a Potent Peroxisome Proliferator Activator Receptor-α PPAR-α Agonist Ameliorates the Inflammatory Process Associated to Experimental Periodontitis

We have investigated the effects of WY14643, a potent peroxisome proliferator activator receptor-α (PPAR-α) agonist, in a rat model of ligature-induced periodontitis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were lightly anaesthetized with pentobarbitone (35 mg/kg). Sterile, 2-0 black braided silk thread was placed around the cervix of the lower left first molar and knotted medially. Animals received WY14643 (1 mg/kg i.p, daily for eight days). Eighths days after placement of the ligature, we evaluated several markers of inflammation such us (1) myeloperoxidase activity, (2) a cytokines and adhesion molecules expression, (3) NF-κB expression, (4) iNOS expression, (5) the nitration of tyrosine residues, (6) activation of the nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, (7) apoptosis, and (8) the degree of gingivomucosal tissues injury. Administration of WY14643 significantly decreased all of the parameters of inflammation as described above. These results demonstrate that WY14643 exerts an anti-inflammatory role during experimental periodontitis and is able to ameliorate the tissue damage

Foreseeing Neutrino spectra in Deep Core

Atmospheric muon neutrino in Deep Core (whose rate and spectra might be soon available) should exhibit a suppression (due to tens GeV up-going muon neutrino converted into tau flavor) that must be imprinted in out-coming rate spectra. We estimate here our independent muon neutrino spectra based on SK and its projected record on Deep Core Channels. Our estimate (based on cosmic rays, muon records and tested Super-Kamiokande (SK) data) differs both in shape and in rate from other previous published spectra. The expected rate might exhibit a minimum near channel 6 of Deep Core strings and it should manifest strong signature for flavor mixing (mostly between channel 4--15)and a relevant anomaly for eventual CPT violation (MINOS like) written at channel 3--6,whose statistical weight (mainly at channel 5) might soon confirm or dismiss MINOS CPT claim. At the flux minimum around channel 6, (a flux suppressed respect the non oscillated case at least by an order of magnitude) the atmospheric neutrino paucity offers a better windows to a twenty GeV Neutrino Astronomy. Therefore by doubling the string array we may foresee a richer rate and a more complete (zenith and azimuth) atmospheric neutrino distribution and an exciting first twenty GeV Astronomy.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure