Influence of tooth loss on mandibular morphology : a cone-beam computed tomography study

Tooth loss adversely affects patients? health and psychosocial wellbeing. In addition, it changes mandibular morphology. Objective: To evaluate the effect of tooth loss, age, and gender on mandibular morphology. Cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) scans of 101 patients were examined to measure the gonial angle (GA), ramus height (RH) and condylar height (CH). Patients? age, gender, and dental status were recorded. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the impact of gender, age, and tooth loss on the GA, RH and CH. The mean measurements of the GA, RH and CH were compared between dentate/edentulous patients after splitting by gender. The GA was larger in edentulous patients compared to dentate ones, in females than in males, and in older than in younger. RH on the right side was significantly longer than on the left side (P< 0.0001), and also longer in males and younger patients. CH was shorter in younger than in older patients and in dentate than in edentulous patients. Tooth loss is associated with changes in mandibular morphology and its prevention would avoid these irreversible changes

Diaphragmatic Injuries: A Frequent Missed Diagnosis in a Low Income Country

Objectives: To evaluate the current reported incidence of diaphragmatic injuries (DI) and to determine criteria that could help make the diagnosis of DI and improve its recognition in traumatised patients in Cameroon.Design: A retrospective study.Subjects: The cases of all diaphragmatic injuries repaired and diagnosed in two major hospitals in Cameroon.Setting: The General Hospital of Douala and the University Hospital centre of Younde, Cameroon.Results: During a ten-year period we have repaired eight diaphragmatic injuries. Five of them were consecutive to penetrating trauma and three after blunt trauma. All the patients were males. The mean age was 34. 5 years. Seven injuries occurred on the right side. The average Injury Severity Score was 37. 5 and all the patients had associated injuries to other organs. DI represents only 0.05% of all trauma cases. DI is underestimated in Cameroon and under diagnosed because physicians are not trained to think or to recognise it and autopsy is rarely performed after a traumatic death. Although there are no specific signs or symptoms, we have found some criteria which can raise suspicion of DI.Conclusion: Diaphragmatic injury is a very difficult diagnosis, and it is under diagnosed in Cameroon. We suspect that many patients severely injured may have associated DI which is not recognised and may contribute to increased mortality rate after major traum

Differential Effects of Low-Dose Erythropoietin in Rat Model of Diabetic Nephropathy: Submitted: Jan 3, 2018 Accepted: Feb 26, 2018 Published online: Mar 3, 2018

Background.&nbsp;Previous reports on the renoprotective effect of erythropoietin (EPO) in the setting of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this study is to clarify the effect of low, non-hematopoietic dose of EPO on the evolution of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in rat model.&nbsp;Methods.&nbsp;Low dose of recombinant human EPO (150 U/kg, s.c. three times/week) was given to streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats in two schedules; in the first one, EPO was given from day 2 after STZ injection till the end of the study (28 weeks) as prophylactic treatment; and in the other schedule EPO was given after development of DN (last 8 weeks) as therapeutic treatment. Albuminuria, blood pressure, creatinine clearance, renal venous oxygen tension (vPO2), plasma EPO, hematocrit and renal histopathology were assessed.&nbsp;Results.&nbsp;Unexpectedly, 28 weeks administration of EPO to diabetic rats led to aggravation of albuminuria and worsening of histopathological damage in spite of partial correction of renal hypoxia. Contrary to this, terminal 8 weeks EPO therapy of DN reduced albuminuria and demonstrated some favorable effects on biochemical changes and histologic picture.&nbsp;Conclusion.&nbsp;Low dose EPO exerted differential effects in rat model of DN according to treatment duration. In addition, findings of the present study warrants further investigations of the exact renoprotective role of EPO in diabetic patients with CKD who receive EPO therapy for long periods

The effect of nanodiamonds on candida albicans adhesion and surface characteristics of PMMA denture base material : an in vitro study

Candida albicans&nbsp;is the main causative pathogen of denture stomatitis, which affects many complete denture patients. Objective: To evaluate the effect of different concentrations of nanodiamonds (NDs) added to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) denture base material on&nbsp;Candida albicans&nbsp;adhesion as well as on surface roughness and contact angle. Methodology: Acrylic resin specimens sized 10×10×3 mm3&nbsp;were prepared and divided into four groups (n=30) according to ND concentration (0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% by wt). Surface roughness was measured with a profilometer, and the contact angle with a goniometer. The effect of NDs on&nbsp;Candida albicans&nbsp;adhesion was evaluated using two methods: 1) slide count and 2) direct culture test. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post hoc test were used in the statistical analyses. Results: Addition of NDs decreased the&nbsp;Candida albicans&nbsp;count significantly more than in the control group (p&lt;0.05), with a lowest of 1% NDs. Addition of NDs also significantly decreased the surface roughness (p&lt;0.05), but the contact angle remained the same. Incorporation of NDs into the PMMA denture base material effectively reduced&nbsp;Candida albicans&nbsp;adhesion and decreased surface roughness. Conclusion: PMMA/NDs composites could be valuable in the prevention of denture stomatitis, which is considered one of the most common clinical problems among removable denture wearers

Simulation of ultra-fast dynamics effects in resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of gas-phase water

Resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering maps for the water molecule are simulated by combining quantum chemical calculations of X-ray spectroscopy with ab initio molecular dynamics. The resonant inelastic scattering intensity is computed using the Kramers–Heisenberg formalism, which accounts for channel interference and polarization anisotropy. Algebraic diagrammatic construction and density functional theory-based approaches for the calculation of the X-ray transition energies and transition dipole moments of the absorption and emission processes are explored. Conformational sampling of both ground and core-excited intermediate states allows the effects of ultrafast dynamics on the computed maps to be studied. Overall, it is shown how resonant inelastic scattering maps can be simulated with a computationally efficient protocol that can be extended to investigate larger systems

Internal structure and pigment granules in colored alpaca fibers

Alpaca fibers have some distinct properties such as softness and warmth, which have not been fully understood in combination with the fiber internal structures. In the present investigation, the internal structures of alpaca fibers have been closely examined under the scanning electron microscope (SEM), especially in the longitudinal direction. The results showed that numerous pigment granules reside loosely inside pockets in brown and dark-brown alpaca fibers. These pigment granules were mainly distributed inside the cortical cells, the medullation regions as well as underneath the cuticles. Their size in the brown alpaca fibers was smaller and more uniformly round than in the dark-brown fibers. These granules in colored alpaca fibers loosen the bundle of cortical cells, providing many crannies in the fibers which may contribute to the superior flexibility, warmth and softness of the fibers. Moreover, there are no heavy metal elements found in the granules. The mordant hydrogen peroxide bleaching employed could eliminate the pigment granules and create many nano-volumes for further dyeing of fibers into more attractive colors