65 research outputs found
Measurement of Oral Epithelial Thickness by Optical Coherence Tomography
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a real-time, in-situ, non-invasive imaging device
that is able to perform a cross-sectional evaluation of tissue microstructure based on the specific
intensity of back-scattered and reflected light. The aim of the present study was to define normal
values of epithelial thickness within the oral cavity. OCT measurements of epithelial thickness were
performed in 28 healthy patients at six different locations within the oral cavity. Image analysis
was performed using Image J 1.52 software. The healthy epithelium has a mean thickness of
335.59 ± 150.73 µm. According to its location within the oral cavity, the epithelium showed highest
values in the region of the buccal mucosa (659.79 µm) and the thinnest one was observed in the
mouth’s floor (100.07 µm). OCT has been shown to be useful for the evaluation of oral mucosa
in vivo and in real time. Our study provides reference values for the epithelial thickness of multiple
sites within the oral cavity. Knowledge of the thickness values of healthy mucosa is, therefore, of
fundamental importance
Thermodynamic simulation of atmospheric DLI-CVD processes for the growth of chromium-based hard coatings using bis(benzene)chromium as molecular source
Direct liquid injection (DLI) is a new technology particularly convenient for feeding CVD reactors with low
volatility molecular precursors. Thus DLI-CVD can operate under atmospheric pressure and is a promising process for industrial applications requiring high precursor flow rates such as continuous deposition. In order to help the experimenter, a thermodynamic approach is particularly suitable for determining the chemistry of the process, i.e. the influence of the main growth parameters such as temperature, total pressure and initial gas phase composition on the nature of the deposited phases. A choice of the most explicit representations of the thermodynamic modelling describing the great trends resulting from the variation of experimental parameters is presented. Thermodynamic calculations in the Cr–C–H, Cr–N–C–H and Cr–C–Cl–H chemical systems were made to predict the atmospheric CVD growth of carbides, nitrides andmetal chromium coatings, respectively.
Bis(benzene)chromium (BBC) was used as metalorganic precursor and the calculations simulated respectively
the reactive gas phase mixtures BBC/solvent, BBC/NH3/solvent and BBC/C6Cl6/solvent. Even if a satisfactory agreement was found between experimental and theoretical tendencies, the deposition of metastable phases reveals that kinetics can play amajor role in such processes. Based on these results, chromium carbides, nitrides and metal coatings have been successfully deposited by DLI-CVD under atmospheric pressure either as single phased or nanostructured multilayer hard coatings
The Oral Microbiota Changes in Orthodontic Patients and Effects on Oral Health: An Overview
Nowadays, there is a considerable interest to study the biological and microbiological changes that accompany orthodontic treatment. Growing knowledge on oral microbiota allows, day after day, to identify and characterize the microbial arrangements specifically associated with oral and extra-oral conditions. The aim of the present work is to highlight any further correlations between orthodontic appliances and the qualitative and quantitative modifications of the oral microbiota, such as predisposing factors for the onset of caries, periodontal diseases, and other infections, which can impact the oral and systemic health of the orthodontic patients. When compared with subjects without orthodontic appliances, orthodontic patients reported significant qualitative and quantitative differences in supra- and subgingival plaque during the entire treatment period. Certain components of fixed appliances (mainly bonded molar brackets, ceramic brackets, and elastomeric ligatures) showed high risks of periodontal disease and tooth decay for patients. An unclear prevalence of Candida spp. and the paucity of studies on viruses and protozoas in the oral microbiota of orthodontic patients need to be further investigated. The evidence emerging from this study could guide clinicians in modulating the timing of controls and enhance patient motivation to prevent the formation of mature plaque, thus reducing the risks of oral-plaque-related diseases
Prevalence and Outcome of Serum Autoantibodies in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Undergoing Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment
Noninvasive Imaging Methods to Improve the Diagnosis of Oral Carcinoma and Its Precursors: State of the Art and Proposal of a Three-Step Diagnostic Process
Abstract: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most prevalent form of cancer of lips and
oral cavity, and its diagnostic delay, caused by misdiagnosis at the early stages, is responsible for
high mortality ratios. Biopsy and histopathological assessment are the gold standards for OSCC
diagnosis, but they are time-consuming, invasive, and do not always enable the patient’s
compliance, mainly in cases of follow-up with the need for more biopsies. The use of adjunctive
noninvasive imaging techniques improves the diagnostic approach, making it faster and better
accepted by patients. The present review aims to focus on the most consolidated diagnostic
techniques, such as vital staining and tissue autofluorescence, and to report the potential role of
some of the most promising innovative techniques, such as narrow-band imaging, high-frequency
ultrasounds, optical coherence tomography, and in vivo confocal microscopy. According to their
contribution to OSCC diagnosis, an ideal three-step diagnostic procedure is proposed, to make the
diagnostic path faster, better, and more accurate
Correlation between Oral Lichen Planus and Viral Infections Other Than HCV: A Systematic Review.
OBJECTIVES
This review aimed to evaluate the correlation between viral infections (HPV, EBV, HSV-1, CMV) other than HCV and oral lichen planus to assess if there is sufficient evidence to establish if these viruses can play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We reviewed the literature using different search engines (PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library), employing MeSH terms such as "oral lichen planus" and "OLP" in conjunction with other terms. We utilized the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study design (PICOS) method to define our study eligibility criteria.
RESULTS
A total of 43 articles of the 1219 results initially screened were included in the study. We allocated the 43 selected items into four groups, according to each related virus: HPV, EBV, HSV-1, and CMV.
CONCLUSIONS
Heterogeneous results neither confirm nor exclude a direct correlation between the investigated viral infections and oral lichen planus etiopathogenesis and its feasible malignant transformation. Many viral agents can cause oral lesions and act as cancerizing agents. Future studies could be desirable to produce comparable statistical analyses and enhance the quantity and quality of the outcomes to promote the translation of research into clinical practice
Red blood cells membrane micropolarity as a novel diagnostic indicator of type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Classification of the category of diabetes is extremely important for clinicians to diagnose and select the correct treatment plan. Glycosylation, oxidation and other post-translational modifications of membrane and transmembrane proteins, as well as impairment in cholesterol homeostasis, can alter lipid density, packing, and interactions of Red blood cells (RBC) plasma membranes in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, thus varying their membrane micropolarity. This can be estimated, at a submicrometric scale, by determining the membrane relative permittivity, which is the factor by which the electric field between the charges is decreased relative to vacuum. Here, we employed a membrane micropolarity sensitive probe to monitor variations in red blood cells of healthy subjects (n=16) and patients affected by type 1 (T1DM, n=10) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, n=24) to provide a cost-effective and supplementary indicator for diabetes classification. We find a less polar membrane microenvironment in T2DM patients, and a more polar membrane microenvironment in T1DM patients compared to control healthy patients. The differences in micropolarity are statistically significant among the three groups (p<0.01). The role of serum cholesterol pool in determining these differences was investigated, and other factors potentially altering the response of the probe were considered in view of developing a clinical assay based on RBC membrane micropolarity. These preliminary data pave the way for the development of an innovative assay which could become a tool for diagnosis and progression monitoring of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, Membrane micropolarity, Red blood cells, Fluorescence lifetime microscopy, Metabolic imaging, Personalized medicin
Oral Manifestations in Children and Young Adults with Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Down syndrome (DS) is an autosomal disorder associated with mental and physical involvement. The typical craniofacial phenotype and the dental anomalies in DS subjects have been widely described, but a systematic report on the manifestations affecting the oral mucosae in children with DS is still lacking. This systematic review aimed to establish the prevalence of oral mucosal manifestations in children/young adults with DS. Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus were investigated in September 2020. Documents in English on DS children/young adults (up to 25 years) reporting oral mucosal findings were considered. Study quality was assessed with ROBIN-I. Of the 150 references retrieved, 14 studies were considered eligible. The risk of bias ranged from low to unclear. Fissured tongue appeared to increase with age and was more prevalent in DS children than in the general population. Lip fissures and cheilitis were heterogeneously reported. Candida spp. carriage with and without active candidiasis was more frequent in DS children/young adults than in controls. C. albicans was the most prevalent species. Few other oral mucosal conditions have been reported sporadically. The heterogeneity of the works revealed the need for more appropriate oral examination to intercept the oral manifestations of oral mucosa and prevent recurrent candidiasis
Clinical validation of 13-Gene DNA methylation analysis from oral brushing: a non invasive sampling procedure for early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma. A multicentric study
1. Introduction
In a recent study our research group described a non-invasive sampling procedure based on
DNA methylation analysis of a set of 13 genes with a high level of accuracy (sensitivity 96.6%,
specificity 100%) in the detection of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) [1].
The purpose of the present study was to test the diagnostic performance of this non invasive
sampling procedure in an italian multicentric study.
2. Materials and Methods
Oral brushing specimens were collected in ten different italian units of oral medicine. Each oral
medicine unit collected blindly 10 brushing specimens from patients affected by OSCC and an equal
number of age and sex-matched healthy controls. 13-gene DNA methylation analysis was performed
and each sample was considered positive or negative in relation to a predefined cut-off value.
3. Results
181 out of 200 planned specimens were analyzed. DNA could not be amplified in 4 cases (2.2%).
86/93 (92.5%) specimens derived from OSCC patients were detected as positive and 70/84 (83.3%)
specimens derived from healthy donors showed a negative score.
4. Conclusions
Data from multicentric study confirmed a high level of sensitivity of our procedure whereas
level of specificity is slightly lower if compared to our previous study. These data suggest that our
procedure may be proposed as a first level diagnostic test with the aim to avoid a diagnostic delay in
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Conflicts of Interest: As a possible conflict of interest, L. Morandi and D.B.G. submitted a patent (the applicant
is the University of Bologna) in November 2016 to the National Institute of 398 Industrial Property; however, we
believe that this is a natural step of translational research (bench-to-bedside) 399 and guarantee that the scientific
results are true. The remaining authors declare that they have no competing 400 interest
Disease-specific and general health-related quality of life in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients: The Pros-IT CNR study
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