Pyostomatitis vegetans : a review of the literature

Pyostomatitis vegetans (PV) is a rare condition characterized by pustules that affect the oral mucosa. It is a highly specific marker for inflammatory bowel disease and its correct recognition may lead to the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or Crohn?s disease. Thus, a presumptive diagnosis of PV should suggest a complete gastrointestinal investigation. PV pathogenesis is as yet unknown, although immunological and microbial factors have been suggested as possible aetiological factors. Pyostomatitis vegetans is characterized by erythematous, thickened oral mucosa with multiple pustules and superficial erosions. A peripheral eosinophilia has been observed in most cases reported. Histology shows epithelial acanthosis and superficial ulceration with intraepithelial and ? or subepithelial abscesses containing large numbers of eosinophils. The underlying connective tissue exhibits neutrophil and eosinophil infiltration, with miliary abscesses in some cases. Treatment of PV focuses on control of the underlying disease

Comparison between rapid and mixed maxillary expansion through an assessment of arch changes on dental casts

Background: Aim of this retrospective observational study was to compare upper and lower dental changes in patients treated with Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME) and Mixed Maxillary Expansion (MME), assessed by dental cast analysis. Methods: Treatment groups consisted of 42 patients: the RME group (n = 21) consisted of 13 female and 8 male subjects with the mean age of 8.8 years ± 1.37 at T0 and 9.6 years ± 1.45 at T1; the MME group (n = 21) consisted of 12 female and 9 male patients with a mean age of 8.9 years ± 2.34 at T0 and 10.5 years ± 2.08 at T1. The upper and lower arch analysis was performed on four dental bilateral landmarks, on upper and lower casts; also upper and lower arch depths were measured. The groups were compared using independent sample t-test to estimate dental changes in upper and lower arches. Results: Before expansion treatment (T0), the groups were similar for all examined variables (p>0.05). In both RME and MME group, significant increments in all the variables for maxillary and mandibular arch widths were observed after treatment. No significant differences in maxillary and mandibular arch depths were observed at the end of treatment in both groups. An evaluation of the changes after RME and MME (T1) showed statistically significant differences in mandibular arch depth (p<0.001) and maxillary intercanine widths (p<0.05). Differences in maxillary arch depth and arch width measurements were not significant. Conclusions: RME and MME can be considered two effective treatment options to improve transverse arch dimensions and gain space in the dental arches. A greater lower arch expansion was observed in the MME group, which might be attributed to the “lip bumper effects” observed in the MME protocol

Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Left ventricular outflow obstruction (LVOTO) and diastolic dysfunction are the main pathophysiological characteristics of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)LVOTO, may be identified in more than half of HCM patients and represents an important determinant of symptoms and a predictor of worse prognosis. This review aims to clarify the LVOTO mechanism in, diagnosis of, and therapeutic strategies for patients with obstructive HCM

Characterization of NKG2-A/-C, Kir and CD57 on NK Cells Stimulated with pp65 and IE-1 Antigens in Patients Awaiting Lung Transplant

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading opportunistic infection in lung transplant (LTx) recipients. CMV is associated with graft failure and decreased survival. Recently, new antiviral therapies have been proposed. The present study aimed to investigate NK and T cell subsets of patients awaiting LTx. We analyzed the cellular populations between reactive and non-reactive QuantiFERON (QF) CMV patients for the prediction of immunological response to infection. Methods: Seventeen pre-LTx patients and 15 healthy controls (HC) have been enrolled. QF and IFN-gamma ELISA assay detections were applied. NK cell subsets and T cell and proliferation assay were detected before and after stimulation with pp-65 and IE-1 CMV antigens after stratification as QF+ and QF-. Furthermore, we quantified the serum concentrations of NK- and T-related cytokines by bead-based multiplex analysis. Results: CD56(br)CD16(low)NKG2A(+)KIR(+) resulted in the best discriminatory cellular subsets between pre-LTx and HC. Discrepancies emerged between serology and QF assay. Better proliferative capability emerged from patients who were QF+, in particular in CD8 and CD25-activated cells. CD56(br)CD16(low), adaptive/memory-like NK and CD8Teff were highly increased only in QF+ patients. Conclusions: QF more than serology is useful in the detection of patients able to respond to viral infection. This study provides new insights in terms of immunological responses to CMV in pre-LTX patients, particularly in NK and T cells biology

Systematics in the Gamma Ray Bursts Hubble diagram

Thanks to their enormous energy release which allows to detect them up to very high redshift, Gamma Rays Bursts (GRBs) have recently attracted a lot of interest to probe the Hubble diagram (HD) deep into the matter dominated era and hence complement Type Ia Supernoave (SNeIa). However, lacking a local GRBs sample, calibrating the scaling relations proposed as an equivalent to the Phillips law to standardize GRBs is not an easy task because of the need to estimate the GRBs luminosity distance in a model independent way. We consider here three different calibration methods based on the use of a fiducial $\Lambda$CDM model, on cosmographic parameters and on the local regression on SNeIa. We find that the calibration coefficients and the intrinsic scatter do not significantly depend on the adopted calibration procedure. We then investigate the evolution of these parameters with the redshift finding no statistically motivated improvement in the likelihood so that the no evolution assumption is actually a well founded working hypothesis. Under this assumption, we then consider possible systematics effects on the HDs introduced by the calibration method, the averaging procedure and the homogeneity of the sample arguing against any significant bias. We nevertheless stress that a larger GRBs sample with smaller uncertainties is needed to definitely conclude that the different systematics considered here have indeed a negligible impact on the HDs thus strengthening the use of GRBs as cosmological tools.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, 6 table

Surgical treatment of gingival overgrowth with 10 years of follow-up

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In some pathological conditions, gingivitis caused by plaque accumulation can be more severe, with the result of an overgrowth. Nevertheless, the overgrowth involves the gingival margin with extension to the inter-dental papilla. The lesion may involve the inter-proximal spaces, and become so extensive that the teeth are displaced and their crowns covered. Severe overgrowth may lead to impairment in aesthetic and masticatory functions, requiring surgical excision of the excessive tissue. Aim of this study is to describe an operative protocol for the surgical treatment of localized gingival overgrowth analyzing the surgical technique, times and follow-up.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 20 patients were enrolled and underwent initial, non surgical, periodontal treatment and training sessions on home oral hygiene training. The treatment plan involved radical exeresis of the mass followed by positioning of an autograft of connective tissue and keratinized gingiva.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During 10 years of follow-up, all the grafts appeared well vascularized, aesthetically satisfactory, and without relapse.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Periodontal examinations, surgical procedures, and dental hygiene with follow-up are an essential part of the treatment protocol. However, additional effort is needed from the patient. Hopefully, the final treatment result makes it all worthwhile.</p

Reactionary and reparative dentinogenesis: A review

Many attempts have been made in the last fifteen years for the better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying dental tissue response to an injury i.e. caries, dental trauma, restoration and/or preparation, providing for new dentin formation, tertiary dentin. Tertiary dentin represents dental tissues of two variants “reactionary” and “reparative” ones, sharing the inductive nature but characterized by different healing processes, related to the extent of tooth injury. This paper discusses the current knowledge about tooth response to injury by reviewing the literature