Three-dimensional evaluation of rapid maxillary expansion anchored to primary molars: Direct effects on maxillary arch and spontaneous mandibular response

Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on maxillary and mandibular arch in the mixed dentition. Methods Forty-four consecutive patients with transverse maxillary deficiency were recruited. Test group: 21 patients (10 male, 11 female; 7.4 \ub1 1.2 years) who underwent RME (Haas type) therapy banded on the primary second molars. Control group: 17 patients (10 male, 7 female; 7.3 \ub1 1.1 years old) who did not receive any orthodontic treatment. Dental casts obtained pre-treatment and after appliance removal (11 months) were processed by means of a three-dimensional scanner (3Shape D250 laser, DK). Digital landmarks were traced using the VAM software (Canfield Scientific Inc., Fairfield-NJ, USA). Arch Length, interdental width and torque differences were measured before and after the removal of the appliance. The t-test (P < 0.05) for paired data was applied to evaluate the measurements values before and after treatment. The linear regression model was employed to assess the correlations between treatment effects. Results The efficacy of the RME was confirmed both on maxillary and mandibular arch. Mandibular intermolar width (+2.02 mm) together with primary intermolar (+1.39 mm), intercanine width (+0.95mm) and torque variations significantly increased. The untreated control group showed no significant statistical differences between T0 and T1. The linear regression between maxillary and mandibular data showed correlations between the torque of the teeth 16/46 and 65/85 (P < 0.05). Conclusions RME anchored on primary molars is an effective treatment option to correct tranverse maxillary deficiencies. All the measurements increased significantly confirming the indirect effect of RME on the mandibular arch

Laser-assisted treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity : a literature review

The purpose of this literature review was to evalu- ate the effectiveness of the laser-assisted treat- ment of dentinal hypersensitivity. A review with inclusion and exclusion criteria was performed from January 2009 to December 2014 with elec- tronic data-bases: MedLine via PubMed, Science Direct and Cochrane Library. Research of paper magazines by hand was not considered. Forty- three articles were selected between literature re- views, in vitro studies, clinical trials, pilot and preliminary studies. The items were divided into laser-used groups for an accurate description, and then the reading of results into various ty- pologies. Laser-assisted treatment reduces denti- nal hypersensitivity-related pain, but also a psy- chosomatic component must be considered, so further studies and more suitable follow-ups are necessary

Presence of Legionella spp. in human dental plaque

Aims. The aim of this research is to verify the presence of Legionella in human dental plaque. Methods. 65 adult patients not treated with systemic or local antibiotics at least 2 months before the time of sample collection were enrolled for plaque collection between September 2015 and December 2016. A brief questionnaire about lifestyle and health risks was administered. Legionella spp. detection has been executed by semi- nested PCR. Results. 8 out of 65 plaque samples (12.3%) were positive for Legionella spp. As regards health risks and lifestyle aspects, no relevant difference was observed between patients involved in our study, except for two positive patients who have reported a COPD ongoing and a pneumonia in the past. Conclusions. This study represents a step forward in the knowledge of reservoirs of the microorganism and richness of oral microbiot

A holocenic highstand carbonate-terrigenous continental shelf in the Gulf of Cagliari, Sardinia

By means of 11 new echographic lines and 100 surface sediment samples it has been possible to individualize on the continental shelf of Cagliari Gulf several depositional facies associations between foreshore and shelf edge. These associations document a suite of peculiar environments that diversified and stabilized during the Holocene eustatic rise. From shore to shelfbreak we first encounter a shoreface, gently sloped and distally sea-grass covered which ends in a trough parallel to the coast. Toward the open shelf is a relief, topping at -12-15 meters, site of the Posidonia oceanica main bank, followed by a wide foreslope. At a depth of 30 m the vegetation becomes rare, and starting from -35-40 m a large belt of sand waves appears. At the depth of 50 m a flat bottom prevails, followed by submerged shoreline relieves at -55 m. Externally to such structures a narrow outer shelf occurs and the shelf edge is observed at a depth of 115-125 m. The inner shelf trough can be interpreted as a paleo-river valley during the MIS 4-2 and previous lowstands, combined with terrigenous inputs insufficient to fill the accommodation space produced by the Holocene sea-level rise. Towards the middle shelf the trough is bounded by paleo-reliefs where the Posidonia oceanica bank at present overgrows, weakly aggrading and prograding landward and seaward. Compositional and grain-size analysis of samples allowed us to identify eight depositional facies related to present day environments. Shoreface sediments are represented by terrigenous coarse to medium sands in the eastern sector of the gulf, and mixed terrigenous-bioclastic medium to fine sands on the western sector. Two distinct groups of lithic facies are present near Cape S.Elia and near Zavorra Point, due to sediment dispersion from the limestone and andesite outcrops along the cliffed coast. The western inner-shelf trough is characterized by mixed quartzose-bioclastic sandy muds with bivalves and peloidal grains. Mixed facies of biogenic production and relict terrigenous sediments are present on the Posidonia bank, while through the sand wave belt a transition is observed to bioclastic, poorly sorted gravely sands with red algae and foraminifers. Rare breakthroughs of mixed sediments are present in proximity of the -55 m paleo-shores. Starting from depths of 75 m, sediments are represented by fine bioclastic-quartzose sands with bivalves and foraminifers. The depositional facies described document this sedimentation as of a mid-latitude mixed carbonate-terrigenous shelf. The present day sedimentation is highly siliciclastic in the inner shelf from fluvial-continental feeding, and bioclastic in the rest of the shelf with a maximum productivity along the middle-shelf Posidonia bank and its foreslope. In the middle and outer shelf the siliciclastic component is related to previous eustatic phases. The sequential analysis of 3.5 kHz lines show the Holocenic trasgressive systems tract blanking over a maximum flooding surface, or over a trasgressive ravinement surface or lowstand erosional truncations. The Holocenic TST, except for the siliciclastic shoreface, is mostly carbonatic, owing to the highstand-related terrigenous starvation and to a good bioclastic productivity of molluscs, red algae, briozoans, foraminifers and echinoids. Analogous depositional contexts should be attributed to the preceding highstand phases of the Middle-Upper Pleistocene. Otherwise, during glacio-eustatic phases of falling, lowstand and rising sea-level, the shelf has been mostly interested by terrigenous continental or shoreface deposits that are currently resedimented in the middle and outer shelf. In summary, the depositional model of this shelf is characterised by alternated phases of carbonate-terrigenous mid-latitude sedimentation with poorly rainy, warm Mediterranean climate during highstand conditions, and terrigenous phases during lowstands with rainy, cold Mediterranean climate

I SEDIMENTI TERRIGENO-CARBONATICI OLOCENICI DELLA PIATTAFORMA DEL GOLFO DI CAGLIARI

Echographic and sedimentological investigations were undertaken on the shelf of Cagliari with the purpose of underlining the relationships between modern terrigenous and bioclastic sediments and the behaviour of the sedimentary system during the Holocene eustatic rising. The Gulf of Cagliari is a sub-tropical, semi-arid Mediterranean area located in the southern part of the NW striking Oligo- Miocene Sardinian Rift, within which the Pliocene Campidano Graben is superimposed. The Quaternary continental shelf developed transversally to this tectonic trough, being fed by terrigenous sediments derived from the Palaeozoic metamorphic basement and from Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The new echographic survey, consisting of 11 lines performed transversally from the coast to the shelfbreak, integrated previously available data and allowed us to divide the shelf into different sedimentary environments. From shore to shelfbreak we first encounter a shoreface, gently sloped and distally seagrass-covered (close to the fair-weather wave base), which ends in a wide trough parallel to the coast. Toward the open shelf is a relief, site of the Posidonia oceanica main bank, reaching a minimum depth of 13 meters under the sea level, followed by its external slope. At a depth of about 30 meters the vegetation becomes rare, as less luminosity limits the growth of Posidonia, and starting from depths of 35÷40 meters a large belt of sand waves appears, with gradually decreasing heigths and increasing frequencies basinward. At the depth of 50 m a flat bottom prevails, followed by several reliefs stretching roughly NE–SW at 55 m depth, interpreted as submerged shore lines. Externally to such structures a narrow outer shelf occurs and the shelf break is observed at a depth of 115÷125 m. Sampling sites were located along the echographic lines and on the foreshore; 98 samples were taken with a 2 dm_ grab-sampler. Compositional and grain size analysis allowed us to identify 8 groups of facies related to present day depositional environments. Shoreface sediments are represented by almost completely terrigenous coarse to medium sands in the eastern sector, and finer mixed terrigenous-bioclastic sands on the S. Gilla shoreface. Two distinct groups of lithic facies are present near Capo S. Elia and near P.ta Zavorra, due to sediment dispersal from the limestone and andesite outcrops along the cliffed coast. The western inner-shelf depression is characterized by mixed quartzose-bioclastic sandy muds with bivalves. Mixed facies of relict terrigenous sediments and present day biogenic production (mollusks, bryozoans, red algae, echinoids and foraminifers) are on the Posidonia oceanica bank’s fore slope, where the siliciclastic component is found between -30 and -50 meters with decreasing importance seaward. Through the sand-wave belt a transition is observed to bioclastic, poorly sorted gravely sands of red algae and foraminifers. Here the sediment is completely bioclastic with rare breakthroughs of mixed sediments in proximity to the –55 m paleo-shores. From a depth of 75 meters, sediments are represented by fine bioclastic-quartzose sands with bivalves and foraminifers. A peculiar feature of this shelf is the depression in the inner shelf that can be interpreted as the product of paleo-river erosions produced during the “Würmian” low stand (MIS 4-2), associated with terrigenous inputs insufficient to fill up the available space during the post-glacial sea level rise. Towards the middle shelf the trough is bounded by paleo-reliefs where the Posidonia bank at present overgrows, weakly aggrading and prograding. The depositional facies described document the present day sedimentary system as of a temperate water mixed terrigenous-carbonate shelf. The sedimentation is highly siliciclastic in the inner shelf from fluvial-continental feeding, and bioclastic in the rest of the shelf with a maximum productivity along the intermediate shelf’s Posidonia bank and its foreslope. In the middle and outer shelf the siliciclastic component is related to previous eustatic phases and attributable to continental and nearshore deposits lying underneath the middle-shelf Posidonia bank. Analogous depositional contexts must be attributed to the preceding high stand phases of the Middle-Upper Pleistocene. Otherwise, during glacio-eustatic phases of falling, low-stand and rising sea level, the shelf has been affected by terrigenous continental sedimentation or shoreface sequences that are currently resedimented in the middle and outer shelf. In summary, the depositional model of this shelf is characterised by alternating phases of terrigenous-carbonate sedimentation of middle latitude, with a poorly rainy, warm Mediterranean climate during highstanding sea-level conditions, and terrigenous phases during low stands with rather rainy, cooler Mediterranean climate

Modern terrigenous-carbonate sediments of the continental shelf of the Gulf of Cagliari [I sedimenti terrigeno-carbonatici attuali della piattaforma continentale del Golfo di Cagliari]

Echographic and sedimentological investigations were undertaken on the shelf of Cagliari with the purpose of underlining the relationships between modern terrigenous and bioclastic sediments and the behaviour of the sedimentary system during the Holocene eustatic rising. The Gulf of Cagliari is a sub-tropical, semi-arid Mediterranean area located in the southern part of the NW striking Oligo- Miocene Sardinian Rift, within which the Pliocene Campidano Graben is superimposed. The Quaternary continental shelf developed transversally to this tectonic trough, being fed by terrigenous sediments derived from the Palaeozoic metamorphic basement and from Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The new echographic survey, consisting of 11 lines performed transversally from the coast to the shelfbreak, integrated previously available data and allowed us to divide the shelf into different sedimentary environments. From shore to shelfbreak we first encounter a shoreface, gently sloped and distally seagrass-covered (close to the fair-weather wave base), which ends in a wide trough parallel to the coast. Toward the open shelf is a relief, site of the Posidonia oceanica main bank, reaching a minimum depth of 13 meters under the sea level, followed by its external slope. At a depth of about 30 meters the vegetation becomes rare, as less luminosity limits the growth of Posidonia, and starting from depths of 35÷40 meters a large belt of sand waves appears, with gradually decreasing heigths and increasing frequencies basinward. At the depth of 50 m a flat bottom prevails, followed by several reliefs stretching roughly NE–SW at 55 m depth, interpreted as submerged shore lines. Externally to such structures a narrow outer shelf occurs and the shelf break is observed at a depth of 115÷125 m. Sampling sites were located along the echographic lines and on the foreshore; 98 samples were taken with a 2 dm_ grab-sampler. Compositional and grain size analysis allowed us to identify 8 groups of facies related to present day depositional environments. Shoreface sediments are represented by almost completely terrigenous coarse to medium sands in the eastern sector, and finer mixed terrigenous-bioclastic sands on the S. Gilla shoreface. Two distinct groups of lithic facies are present near Capo S. Elia and near P.ta Zavorra, due to sediment dispersal from the limestone and andesite outcrops along the cliffed coast. The western inner-shelf depression is characterized by mixed quartzose-bioclastic sandy muds with bivalves. Mixed facies of relict terrigenous sediments and present day biogenic production (mollusks, bryozoans, red algae, echinoids and foraminifers) are on the Posidonia oceanica bank’s fore slope, where the siliciclastic component is found between -30 and -50 meters with decreasing importance seaward. Through the sand-wave belt a transition is observed to bioclastic, poorly sorted gravely sands of red algae and foraminifers. Here the sediment is completely bioclastic with rare breakthroughs of mixed sediments in proximity to the –55 m paleo-shores. From a depth of 75 meters, sediments are represented by fine bioclastic-quartzose sands with bivalves and foraminifers. A peculiar feature of this shelf is the depression in the inner shelf that can be interpreted as the product of paleo-river erosions produced during the “Würmian” low stand (MIS 4-2), associated with terrigenous inputs insufficient to fill up the available space during the post-glacial sea level rise. Towards the middle shelf the trough is bounded by paleo-reliefs where the Posidonia bank at present overgrows, weakly aggrading and prograding. The depositional facies described document the present day sedimentary system as of a temperate water mixed terrigenous-carbonate shelf. The sedimentation is highly siliciclastic in the inner shelf from fluvial-continental feeding, and bioclastic in the rest of the shelf with a maximum productivity along the intermediate shelf’s Posidonia bank and its foreslope. In the middle and outer shelf the siliciclastic component is related to previous eustatic phases and attributable to continental and nearshore deposits lying underneath the middle-shelf Posidonia bank. Analogous depositional contexts must be attributed to the preceding high stand phases of the Middle-Upper Pleistocene. Otherwise, during glacio-eustatic phases of falling, low-stand and rising sea level, the shelf has been affected by terrigenous continental sedimentation or shoreface sequences that are currently resedimented in the middle and outer shelf. In summary, the depositional model of this shelf is characterised by alternating phases of terrigenous-carbonate sedimentation of middle latitude, with a poorly rainy, warm Mediterranean climate during highstanding sea-level conditions, and terrigenous phases during low stands with rather rainy, cooler Mediterranean climate

Carta Geo-Litologica dei fondali marini compresi tra Punta Sardegna e la Baia di Porto Pozzo in scala 1:10.000 Sardegna Nord-Orientale – Italia

Viene presentata la Carta Geo-Litologica dei fondali marini compresi tra Punta Sardegna e la Baia di Porto Pozzo – Sardegna Nord-Orientale. Nel corso delle campagne oceanografiche Paleocli.ge 1999–2000 e 2004 sono state studiate le aree marine interne e adiacenti al Parco Nazionale di La Maddalena, tramite sistemi di rilevamento ecografico, sismico e studi sedimentologici, che hanno portato alla realizzazione di sei carte di superficie del fondo mare alla scala 1:10.000 e 1:25.000 (DE MURO S. et alii , 2000). Sono stati utilizzati natanti dell’Università e del Corpo Forestale e di Vigilanza Ambientale della Regione Sardegna nell’ambito dei Progetti INTERREG II e III, “Ambiente Fisico Valorizzazione della fascia Costiera Sardo-Corsa e gestione delle risorse” e “Geologia e Geomorfologia terrestre e marina dell’ insieme Corsica-Sardegna e della Toscana e applicazioni” e M.P.I. 60%: “Ricostruzioni paleoclimatiche e paleogeografiche pleistocenico-oloceniche dai sedimenti dei bacini Sardo-corsi”. - INQUADRAMENTO DELL’AREA: l’area indagata, con una estensione di circa 15 km2, si localizza nel tratto costiero tra P.ta Sardegna e la Baia di Porto Pozzo, compreso nei fogli 411160, 412130, 427040, 428010 in scala 1:10.000 della Carta Tecnica Regionale (CTR) dell’Assessorato degli Enti Locali, Finanze, Urbanistica – Servizio Informatico e Cartografico – Regione Sardegna. Dal punto di vista geologico l’area è caratterizzata dalla presenza di Graniti e Granodioriti biotitici appartenenti al ciclo magmatico ercinico e dal complesso filoniano a composizione variabile. Inoltre affiorano diffusamente Migmatiti nelle aree della penisola di Culuccia e dell’Isuledda (CARMIGNANI L. et alii, 2001). L’area interna della baia di Porto Pozzo e la zona circostante la foce del Fiume Liscia è caratterizzata da una copertura quaternaria olocenica (depositi alluvionali, colluviali, eolici e litorali). - ELABORAZIONE DATI: Sono stati utilizzati tre strumenti principali: Side Scan Sonar Edgetech DF-1000, Sub Bottom Profiler Chirp DataSonic, Benna Van Veen (2 dm3) (DE MURO et alii, 2003). Dall’analisi dei profili ecografici e sismici sono state selezionate le aree per il campionamento sedimentologico. Nella carta qui presentata sono riportati: la distribuzione degli affioramenti del substrato roccioso, le direzioni di fratturazione, cinque classi granulometriche secondo la classificazione di NOTA, gli spessori e le geometrie dei principali corpi sedimentari, i limiti di distribuzione della prateria di Posidonia oceanica

SEDIMENTOLOGICAL MAP OF THE GULF OF CAGLIARI – SOUTH SARDINIA, ITALY

The SEDIMENTOLOGICAL MAP OF THE GULF OF CAGLIARI IS PRESENTED. The reseach is based on 323 sediment samples, collected during 7 oceanographic cruises carried on in the context of the following project: - "Environmental control system and management of the coastal and marine area of the Gulf of Cagliari" - Italian University and Research Office (M.I.U.R.); - CAR.G. Project - "Geological Map of Italy, 1:50,000 scale" - Sheet 557 "Cagliari" and sheet 566 "Pula". The purpose of this research is to finally contribute to reaching a thorough understanding of the sea bed in the area between Capo Spartivento and Capo Carbonara, improving the knowledge of the present accumulation, transport and sedimentation processes on the inner shelf. The preliminary phase consisted in the examination of previous data: sonar data, seismic data, sedimentary data derived from surveying carried out by the Marine and Coastal Geology researchers of Cagliari University - Earth Science Department over the last 15 years; followed by the digital cartographic base drawing, geo-referred in 1:50,000 scale. These objectives were reached by revising acoustic data (Side Scan Sonar, Multi-Beam and Single-Beam) and seismic data (Sub Bottom Profiler e Sparker). As cartographic bases we used the Regional Technical Maps (CTR, Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, 1998), in 1:10,000 scale, revised with the Ortophotos, in 1:10,000 scale (Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, 2006) and compared with previous Ortophotos from 77, '98, '02. In the sea area we used the Italian navy nautical maps (I.I.M.I.) and new acoustic data obtained during the last two years surveying (2005 and 2006 Gulf of Cagliari Campaign; 2006 and 2007 "Santa Margherita" and "Solanas" Campaign and 2006/07 "Cagliari Sub" Campaign). New sedimentary samples were collected with a Van Veen sampler (5 litres), 163 samples in the gulf area and further 54 samples were collected onshore and on the shoreline in detailed areas. Afterwards underwater and direct dip (ARA) samples were collected. In addition, 106 precedent samples were examined. Every sample was analysed (grain size and composition) and classified (Udden-Wentworth scale) and facies association were recognised. All cartographic, acoustic and sedimentary data collected, was revised, processed and digitized. The data was added in a single G.I.S. file used to create the "SEDIMENTOLOGICAL MAP OF GULF OF CAGLIARI - South Sardinia, Italy" (1:50,000 scale), that represents the sea bed facies association