Reverse cycle chewing before and after orthodontic-surgical correction in class III patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of reverse-sequence chewing cycles in skeletal class III patients before and after orthodontic-surgical therapy to evaluate whether the occlusal and skeletal correction is followed by a functional improvement. Study Design: Twenty skeletal class III patients (11 males and 9 females, 22.7 ± 3.0 years old) were recruited for this study. All patients received orthodontic and surgical treatment. Chewing cycles were recorded with a kinesiograph before (T0) and after (T1) therapy. Results: A significant decrease in the number of reverse chewing cycles after surgical correction was exhibited in all recordings, when chewing either soft or hard boluses, on both the right and the left side. Conclusions: Evaluation of the prevalence of reverse chewing cycles could be considered an indicator of functional adaptation after therapy and a method for the early detection of nonresponding patients who may require further consideration using a different approach

Advantages of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the orthodontic treatment planning of cleidocranial dysplasia patients: a case report

Our aim was to discuss, by presenting a case, the possibilities connected to the use of a CBCT exam in the dental evaluation of patients with Cleidocranial Dysplasia (CCD), an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia with delayed exfoliation of deciduous and eruption of permanent teeth and multiple supernumeraries, often impacted. We think that CBCT in this patient was adequate to accurately evaluate impacted teeth position and anatomy, resulting thus useful both in the diagnostic process and in the treatment planning, with an important reduction in the radiation dose absorbed by the patient

Annali storici di Principato Citra A. 4, n. 1.1 (2006)

A. 4, n. 1.1 (2006): G. Guardia, Editoriale, P. 3 ; D. Ienna, Menhir a "la Mannina". Un sito megalitico a San Nazario di San Mauro La Bruca? Materiali e ipotesi interpretative, P. 5 ; A. Tierno, Il Vaticano Borgiano gr 27: un rotolo liturgico in lingua greca prodotto a Salerno, P. 44 ; G. Palmisciano, Baronissi nei moti del 1848, P. 54 ; C. Cerone, L’'arrivo dell'illuminazione a Capaccio e Agropoli. Dalle lampade a gas alla nazionalizzazione dell'energia. La centrale idroelettrica Maida, P. 68 ; F. La Greca, Paestanae valles: un antico nome per il Cilento?, P. 104 ; A. Giudice, Da Capo Palinuro alla conca di Sapri: la romanizzazione di un territorio, P. 110 ; Pietro III Paleologo di Bisanzio, Note storiche sulla vita del Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di S. Giorgio, con la Regola di S. Basilio, dalla sua fondazione al gran magistero della Imperiale Famiglia dei Paleologo di Bisanzio, P. 124 ; M. Cerrato – P. Zoccoli, Elementi per la gestione del marketing strategico del prodotto tipico. Il caso di un formaggio caprino, P. 140 ; E. Frescani, "Lò scritto meno del successo". I racconti di Antonio Sessa, un notaio salernitano del XVII secolo, P. 153 ; A. Capano, Sapri, note storiche e il suo Catasto "provvisorio" del 1815, P. 162 ; M. Di Pasquale, 1815 - San Martino Cilento. Un processo per tentato omicidio, P. 178 ; A. Tortorella Bracco, Da un cassettone dell'800 una romantica storia d'amore, P. 202

The accuracy of the MMSE in detecting cognitive impairment when administered by general practitioners: A prospective observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) has contributed to detecting cognitive impairment, yet few studies have evaluated its accuracy when used by general practitioners (GP) in an actual public-health setting.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>We evaluated the accuracy of MMSE scores obtained by GPs by comparing them to scores obtained by Alzheimer's Evaluation Units (UVA).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was observational in design and involved 59 voluntary GPs who, after having undergone training, administered the MMSE to patients with symptoms of cognitive disturbances. Individuals who scored ≤ 24 (adjusted by age and educational level) were referred to Alzheimer's Evaluation Units (UVA) for diagnosis (including the MMSE). UVAs were unblinded to the MMSE score of the GP. To measure interrater agreement, the weighted Kappa statistic was calculated. To evaluate factors associated with the magnitude of the difference between paired scores, a linear regression model was applied. To quantify the accuracy in discriminating no cognitive impairment from any cognitive impairment and from Alzheimer's disease (AD), the ROC curves (AUC) were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For the 317 patients, the mean score obtained by GPs was significantly lower (15.8 vs. 17.4 for the UVAs; p < 0.01). However, overall concordance was good (Kappa = 0.86). Only the diagnosis made by the UVA was associated with the difference between paired scores: the adjusted mean difference was 3.1 for no cognitive impairment and 3.8 for mild cognitive impairment. The AUC of the scores for GPs was 0.80 (95%CI: 0.75–0.86) for discriminating between no impairment and any impairment and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.84–0.94) for distinguishing patients with AD, though the UVA scores discriminated better.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In a public-health setting involving patients with symptoms of cognitive disturbances, the MMSE used by the GPs was sufficiently accurate to detect patients with cognitive impairment, particularly those with dementia.</p

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P &lt; 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P &lt; 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation

Operationalizing mild cognitive impairment criteria in small vessel disease: The VMCI-Tuscany Study

Introduction Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) prodromic of vascular dementia is expected to have a multidomain profile. Methods In a sample of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) patients, we assessed MCI subtypes distributions according to different operationalization of Winblad criteria and compared the neuroimaging features of single versus multidomain MCI. We applied three MCI diagnostic scenarios in which the cutoffs for objective impairment and the number of considered neuropsychological tests varied. Results Passing from a liberal to more conservative diagnostic scenarios, of 153 patients, 5% were no longer classified as MCI, amnestic multidomain frequency decreased, and nonamnestic single domain increased. Considering neuroimaging features, severe medial temporal lobe atrophy was more frequent in multidomain compared with single domain. Discussion Operationalizing MCI criteria changes the relative frequency of MCI subtypes. Nonamnestic single domain MCI may be a previously nonrecognized type of MCI associated with SVD

Ex vivo measurement reliability using two different cbct scanners for orthodontic purposes

5siThere are many cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners available on the market: detector technology, algorithm precision, and scanner settings influence image quality. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of linear measurements made on images of the same sample obtained using two different CBCT scanners. METHODS: Twenty-eight linear measurements between orthodontic anatomical landmarks that were marked with gutta-percha points on a fresh sacrificed lamb head were taken three times. The head was scanned with two CBCT scanners using different scanning parameters. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images were reconstructed and the same measurements were taken three times by the same operator. Measurements were repeated 4 months later by two operators. RESULTS: There was minimal, clinically significant difference between the measurements taken with the digital caliper or CBCT scanners, but there was no difference between the two different scanners. CONCLUSIONS: There is no clinically significant difference between these two scanners; a difference was found between the CBCT and real anatomical measurements in only a few cases.reservedmixedDalessandri, Domenico; Bracco, Pietro; Paganelli, Corrado; Hernandez Soler, Vicente; Martin, ConchitaDalessandri, Domenico; Bracco, Pietro; Paganelli, Corrado; Hernandez Soler, Vicente; Martin, Conchit