Coronary artery-left ventricular microfistulae associated with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

A 58 year-old Caucasian man was admitted to the coronary care unit with angina pectoris. There were deep inverted T waves and ST segment depression at anterior precordial derivations. Coronary angiography revealed widespread coronary artery to left ventricular microfistulae arising from distal portions of both left and right coronary systems. Left ventriculography and transthoracic echocardiography revealed typical features of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Angina pectoris was alleviated by beta-blocker therapy. Both multiple coronary artery to left ventricular microfistulae and apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are rare conditions and little is known about pathophysiological and clinical aspects of this combination. Accumulating evidence will provide us this information so that the management of the patients will be enhanced. (Cardiol J 2011; 18, 3: 307–309

White blood cell count to mean platelet volume ratio: A novel and promising prognostic marker for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background: Increased white blood cell (WBC) count is associated with increased mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to evaluate predictive value of admission WBC to mean platelet volume (MPV) ratio (WMR) on prognosis in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) for STEMI. Methods: A total of 2,603 consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent pPCI were recruited for the study. Follow-up data were obtained from digital records, patient files or by telephone interview with patients, family members, or primary care physicians. Results: WMR has the highest area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and pairwise comparisons of the ROC curves revealed that WMR has the higher discriminative ability for long-term mortality than WBC, MPV, red blood cell distribution with (RDW), WBC-MPV combination, and platelet to lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (PLR-NLR) combination in patients undergoing pPCI for STEMI (a WMR value of 1,653.47 was also found as threshold value for mortality with 75.4% sensitivity and 87.3% specificity by ROC curve analysis). Conclusions: Higher WMR value on admission was associated with worse outcomes in patients with STEMI and independently better predicted the long-term mortality than other complete blood count components, such as MPV, RDW, PLR-NLR and WBC-MPV combinations

Hybrid Rapid Palatal Expansion With 2 Mini- Screws: A Case Report

A hybrid expander is a newly designed bone-anchored expander consisting of 2 mini-screws and palatal acrylic; it does not cover any teeth. The aim of this case report is to present the treatment of a patient with transversal maxillary deficiency by hybrid expander. An 11.4-year-old female patient came to our clinic complaining about the appearance of her teeth. She had a narrow maxillary arch, unilateral dental crossbite, anterior dental crowding, and dental Class II canine and molar relationships on both sides. Two self-tapping mini-screws were placed between the first molar and second premolar on the palate under minimal local anesthesia. After 1 week, this appliance was bonded to the mini-screws with Transbond XT (3M Unitek, Monrovia, CA, USA) resin. The expansion screw was activated twice a day for 1 week and then once a day until the expansion was completed. After the expansion period, the brackets were bonded to the teeth without removing the hybrid expander. Sufficient maxillary expansion had been achieved without buccal tipping of the posterior teeth, and the midline diastema had closed spontaneously. This newly designed hybrid expander was efficient in correcting a transverse maxillary deficiency without any of the side effects found with conventional rapid maxillary expanders. The most important advantage of this appliance is that clinicians can implement expansion and bonding procedures at the same time

Determination of Genotypic Variation among Sorghum Cultivars for Seed Vigor, Salt and Drought Stresse

This study was conducted to determine genotypic variation among sorghum cultivars grown under similar ecological conditions for seed vigor, salt (NaCl) and drought stresses. A seedling survival test was also performed in a pod experiment to investigate genotypic differences in terms of sorghum drought tolerance. In seven sorghum cultivars, seed vigor was determined using electrical conductivity and accelerated ageing tests. Also, germination rate and seedling growth of these cultivars were evaluated under salt and drought stress induced by PEG 6000 at water potentials of 0.0 (distilled water), -1.8, -3.6, -7.2 and -10.8 bar. The results showed that there was a significant difference in seed vigor of sorghum cultivars grown at same ecological conditions. Akdarı produced more vigorous seeds than the other cultivars. The significant relationship between accelerated ageing and laboratory emergence (r= 0.967**), and between electrical conductivity and germination percentage (r= -0.873**) were determined. The suitable tests for germination and emergence potential in sorghum were electrical conductivity and accelerated ageing, respectively. Increasing NaCl and PEG levels inhibited germination and seedling growth. Germination, root length and shoot length were higher, whereas mean germination time was lower, in NaCl solution compared to in PEG solution at the same water potential. In salt, drought and seedling survival tests, Aldarı showed the better performance than the others. It could be concluded that seed vigor is not a reliable indicator of germination performance under salt and drought stress conditions and that genetic differences may play an important role in stress tolerance

Birinci büyük azı dişlerde çürük gelişme riskinde sabit ortodontik tedavinin etkisi

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı sabit ortodontik tedavinin daimi birinci büyük azı dişin çürük riski üzerine etkisini detaylı olarak değerlendirmekti.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Sabit ortodonti tedavisi gören 74 birey (13-17 yaş) bu çalışma kapsamında incelendi. Daimi birinci büyük azı dişlerin durumu üç farklı zamanda Dünya Sağlık Örgütü (DSÖ) kriterleri kullanılarak değerlendirildi; T0=Sabit ortodontik tedaviden hemen önce, T1=Sabit ortodontik tedaviden hemen sonra, T2: Sabit ortodontik tedaviden en az 12 ay sonra. Risk değerlendirmesi yapılırken klinik muayene ve bitewing radyograflardan yararlanıldı. Çürük risk değerlendirmesi; birey, diş, yüzey ve white spot lezyonlar (WSL) bazında gerçekleştirildi. Birinci büyük azı dişlerin bukkal yüzeylerinde oluşan WSL’ı Gorelick indeksine göre incelendi.Bulgular: Çalışma sonuna kadar takibi yapılan 60 hastanın (35 kız, 25 erkek) yaş ortalaması T0’ da 14,7±0,8 olarak bulundu. Daimi birinci büyük azı dişi çürükten etkilenen bireylerin yüzdesinin T0’ da %58,3, T1 zamanında %66,6 ve T2 zamanında %73,3 olduğu bulundu (p=0,000). T0’ da daimi birinci büyük azı dişin DMFT ortalaması 1,50 iken, T1’ de 1,66 ve T2’ de 1,78 olduğu bulundu. T0’ da çürükten en çok etkilenmiş diş yüzeyi okluzal olarak bulunurken, tedavi süresince ve sonrasında (yaklaşık 37 ay) ara yüz çürüklerinin artış gösterdiği görüldü. Bireylerde WSL görülme sıklığı T0’ da %25, T1’ de %58,3 ve T2’ de ise %50 olarak bulundu (p=0,000).Sonuç: Sabit ortodontik tedavi sırasında ve sonrasında daimi birinci büyük azı dişin çürüme riskinin arttığı söylenebilir

Effects of the Activator and Twin Block on Facial Soft Tissue Thickness in Class II Division 1 Patients

Objective:The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of the activator and Twin Block appliances on soft tissue thickness in Class II division 1 patients.Materials and Methods:Soft tissue thickness measurements were obtained from standardized lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms taken at the beginning and end of the time the appliances were used. The study patients consisted of 3 different groups: the control group (group I) comprised 30 patients (13 male, 17 female; mean age: 12.15 6 0.61 years); the activator group (group II) comprised 30 patients (12 male, 18 female; mean age: 12.15 6 0.68 years); and the Twin Block group (group III) comprised 30 patients (14 male, 16 female; mean age: 12.10 6 0.62 years). In the present study, 12 linear anthropologic points were measured. Intragroup comparisons were analyzed using the paired samples t test; and for the intergroup comparisons, the ANOVA and Tukey tests were used at the p , 0.05 level.Results:According to the intragroup comparisons, there were significant differences in groups II and III in the skeletal measurements (SNB, ANB, L1-NB, UL-E plane, and LL-E plane), and in the soft tissue thickness measurements (labrale superius, stomion, labiomental, pogonion, and gnathion) (p,0.05). When the treatment changes were compared between the groups, there were no significant differences between groups II and III. However, between groups I and II or III there were significant differences in the measurements of the SNB, ANB, L1-NB, UL-E plane, LL-E plane, and labiomental soft tissue thicknesses.Conclusions:Both the activator and Twin Block therapies improved the mandibular advancement in Class II patients and affected the soft tissue thickness in a similar way; only the labiomental region was affected

Sınıf II subdivizyon maloklüzyonda mandibular asimetrinin değerlendirmesi

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı Sınıf II subdivizyon maloklüzyonlardaki mandibular iskeletsel asimetrilerin prevalansını, Sınıf I ve Sınıf II maloklüzyonlarla karşılaşırmalı olarak belirlemektir.Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışmaya her biri 40’ar bireyden oluşan 3 grup dahil edilmiştir: bir Sınıf I oklüzyon grubu (14 erkek ve 26 kadın; yaş ortalaması 14.68±1.86), bir Sınıf II oküzyon grubu (12 erkek, 28 kadın ; yaş ortalaması 14.02±1.74), ve sınıf II subdivizyon oklüzyon grubu (19 erkek and 21 kadın; yaş ortalaması 14.32±2.42). Her bir hasta için panoramik radyogramlarda(OPG) sekiz doğrusal ve bir açısal ölçüm yapılmıştır. Sağ ve sol ya da Sınıf I ve Sınıf II tarafların ölçümlerini kıyaslamak için Wilcoxon testi kullanılmıştır. Grup içi değerlendirmelerde P < 0,05 seviyesindeki asimetrilerin kıyaslanması için Kruskal-Wallis ve post-hoc Mann- Whitney U testleri kullanılmıştır.Bulgular: Sınıf I ve Sınıf II veya subdivizyon grubundaki bireylerin Sınıf I tarafları ve Sınıf II tarafları veya sağ sol tarafları arasında, yalnızca gonial açıda anlamlı farklılık gözlenmiştir (P < 0.05). Sınf II subdivizyon grubundaki kondil boyları ve korpus uzunluklarındaki asimetri indeksleri diğer gruplara kıyasla daha büyüktür (P < 0.05) ve diğer asimetri indeksleri açısından gruplar arasında anlamlı bir farklılık gözlenmemiştir (P < 0.05).Sonuçlar: Sınıf II subdivizyon grubundaki bireyler, Sınıf I ve Sınıf II gruplarındakilere kıyasla daha asimetrik mandibulaya sahiptir

Evaluation of Enamel Surface Roughness after Various Finishing Techniques for Debonding of Orthodontic Brackets

Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness of enamel after debonding with various types of burs.Methods:The buccal surfaces of 20 mandibular incisors for each group of bur were subjected to profilometer analysis, and three parameters of surface irregularity were recorded. After bracket debonding, adhesive remnants were removed by tungsten carbide burs in low-speed, high-speed, and stainbuster settings. The samples were evaluated at pre-treatment (on sound enamel) (T1) and post-treatment (T2) by a profilometer. The specimens were measured twice, and the mean values were recorded.Results:The results were analyzed in intra-group comparisons with paired t-tests and in inter-group comparisons with one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD test. All resin removal techniques significantly increased enamel surface roughness (p<0.05). According to one-way ANOVA, there were significant differences in the effect of enamel surface roughness between all methods (p<0.05). The high-speed bur caused the maximum roughness values and the stainbuster bur caused the minimum roughness values in all the parameters (Ra, Rz, and Rq).Conclusion:The three types of burs used for finishing methods revealed significant differences in the enamel surface after debonding. However, the stainbuster bur created smoother surfaces than the other applied methods

Mechanical Properties of Different Aesthetic Archwires

Objectives:In response to patient demands for better aesthetics in orthodontics, manufacturers have developed different aesthetic wires and brackets. The aim of this study were to evaluate the mechanical properties of archwires. Thus, color properties and surface roughness of the different aesthetic archwires were analyzed.Materials and Method:Seven brands of aesthetic archwires were evaluated for color and roughness measurements. The color measurement of each sample was performed using a spectrophotometer. A profilometer was used to measure surface roughness. For roughness, Ra (average roughness), Rq (root mean square roughness), and Rz (maximum peak to valley height) parameters were used. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare intergroup differences. For pairwise comparisons, a Mann- Whitney U test was used.Results:Intergroup comparisons revealed remarkable differences between groups for all parameters. The surface roughness and Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage L*a*b* color values were statistically different from each other for all intergroup comparisons (p , .001).Conclusion:Having different color options for aesthetic wires gives clinicians an advantage in terms of the ability to choose archwires that are more harmonious with individual teeth in terms of bracket color and thus provide a more aesthetic appearance