Early mandibular canine-lateral incisor transposition: case report

Purpose. The main aim of the present study is to present a case of mandibular transposition between lateral incisor and canine in a paediatric patient. Materials and methods. A fixed multibracket orthodontic treatment was performed by means of a modified welded arch as to correct the transposition and obtaining a class I functional and symmetrical occlusion, also thanks to the early diagnosis of the eruption anomaly. Results. Our case report shows that a satisfactory treatment of mandibular transpositions is obtained when detected at an early stage of the tooth development. Conclusions. The main treatment options to be taken into consideration in case of a mandibular transposition are two: correcting the transposition or aligning it leaving the dental elements in their transposed order; in both cases, the followups show a stable condition, maintained without relapses. Several factors, such as age of the patient, occlusion, aesthetics, patient’s collaboration, periodontal support and duration of treatment have to be considered as to prevent potential damage to dental elements and support appliances. The choice between the two treatment approaches for mandibular lateral incisor/canine transpositions mainly depends on the time the anomaly is detected

Smooth golden fleece and prickly golden fleece as potential new vegetables for the ready-to-eat production chain

Smooth golden fleece (Urospermum dalechampii (L.) F.W. Schmidt) and prickly golden fleece (Urospermum picroides (L.) Scop. ex F.W. Schmid) are two wild edible plants used in traditional cuisine and folk medicine. In this research, the domestication of both species was tested for the first time using a floating system and two plant densities (412 and 824 plants m−2) to evaluate yield and quality. Some quality traits were also compared in cultivated plants and wild ones gathered in grasslands. The results show that both species are suitable for cultivation, although prickly golden fleece showed highest total phenols (132 mg 100 g−1 fresh weight—f.w.) and total antioxidant activity (0.19 mg 100 g−1 f.w.). At low sowing density, smooth golden fleece showed a nitrate content of about 7200 mg kg−1 f.w., 38% higher than plants of the same species grown at high density and plants of prickly golden fleece. These results suggest that high density can be used to optimize yield in two harvests. By permitting modulation of nutrients and a product without soil residues, the floating system used in this study proved suitable for growing U. dalechhampii and U. picroides as new vegetables for the ready-to-eat production chain

Correlation between parodontal indexes and orthodontic retainers: prospective study in a group of 16 patients

Purpose. Fixed retainers are used to stabilize dental elements after orthodontic treatment. Being it a permanent treatment, it is necessary to instruct patients about a constant and continuous monitoring of their periodontal conditions and a correct oral hygiene. The aim of this study was to highlight the possible adverse effects of bonded retainers on parameters correlated to the health conditions of periodontal tissues. Materials and methods. We selected 16 patients, under treatment in the Orthodontics Department of University of Bari Dental School, who had undergone a lingual retainer insertion at the end of the orthodontic treatment. The patients were then divided into two groups (Control Group and Study Group) and monitored for 3 and 36 months, respectively. The following indexes were taken into consideration: gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI) and the presence of calculus (Calculus Index, CI), the probing depth and the presence of gingival recession on the six inferior frontal dental elements. Results. After the observation was carried out, any of the patients showed periodontal sockets and gingival recession. In the Study Group, only 1 patient had a PI score=3, the 7 left had scores between 0.66 and 2.83. In the Control Group, one patient had score=0, the other ones showed values between 0.5 and 1.66. The mean GI in the Study Group peaked at a score of 2.83, the minimum was 0.66; whereas in the Control Group the maximum value was 2 and the minimum 0.66. The CI in the Group Study was between 1 and 2. In the Control Group it was absent in only 1 patient, whereas in the remaining 7, it had a value between 0.3 and 1. The clinical data were studied by means of the Wilcoxon test. We found a statistically significant difference for what concerns the Plaque Indexes (PI) (P>0.05) and Calculus Indexes (CI) (P>0.1) in both groups, with higher scores in the Study Group, having retainers for 36 months. Any statistically significant difference was calculated for the GI. Conclusions. We can therefore conclude that patients with lingual retainers need periodontal hygiene and treatment as to prevent, in the course of time, periodontal damages non-detectable in short-term

Ectopic eruption of the first permanent molar in the maxilla: Cephalometric features of 13 pediatric patients

Ectopic eruption of the first permanent molar in the maxilla, generally characterized by the wrong axial positioning during eruption, is reported to occur in about 2–6% of children. Its incidence is surely under-estimated as it frequently remains undiagnosed and, additionally, becomes irreversible, resulting in posterior crowding in such cases. This retrospective study aims to investigate the cephalometric features of patients affected by ectopic eruption of the maxillary first molar in comparison to a control group of patients. From a total of 1935 subjects, 13 patients were enrolled in the study group, while 26 patients were randomly selected as a control group. Lateral cephalometric teleradiographs obtained at the time of diagnosis were used to measure cephalometric values between study patients and controls. The prevalence of ectopic eruption of the first maxillary permanent molar in our patients was 1.14%. The mandibular angle (SN-GoMe) was found to be significantly greater in the study group than in control. The same statistical trend was observed for the inter-maxillary angle (SnaSnp-GoMe); also, the distance Sna-Me was greater in the study group. Differences between groups were statistically significant for the following distances: Snp-Sna, Ba-S and SOR-Sna, which were found to be, overall, greater in the study group. Ectopic eruption of the first permanent molar in the maxilla seems to be associated with morphogenetic characteristics of patients, mainly with a dolichocephalic pattern

Gamma-ray observations of Supernova Remnants with Fermi -LAT data

After 8 years of data taking, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi satellite has shown an excellent capability to detect and observe Supernova Remnants (SNRs) from few hundred MeV up to few hundred GeV. It provides crucial information on physical processes happening at the source, involving both accelerated leptons and hadrons, in order to understand the mechanisms responsible for the acceleration of primary Cosmic Rays. We interpreted the multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of a sample of different types of SNRs, which have been observed by the Fermi-LAT. We show how the environment in which the supernova shock is propagating affects the interpretation of its SED. We evaluated the spectral features of the accelerated particle spectra and estimated the acceleration efficiency, as well as the maximum energy of accelerated particles

Galactic science with Fermi -LAT

High energy γ-rays reveal extreme, non-thermal processes in the Universe. The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has been exploring the γ-ray sky for almost eight years, enabling the observation of many powerful events happening in our Galaxy. The wide energy range and field of view make the LAT a unique instrument to monitor the sky and study both powerful transient events and longterm phenomena. We present a review of the latest results obtained by the FermiLAT observation of Galactic object

Minimally invasive (flapless) crown lengthening by erbium: YAG laser in aesthetic zone

Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure aimed at exposure of a larger tooth surface by gingivectomy alone or with cortical bone remodelling for aesthetic purposes in the anterior zone of the maxilla or for reconstruction of teeth affected by subgingival caries. We report two cases of crown lengthening in the anterior maxilla for aesthetic purposes by gingival and bone re-contouring performed by erbium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (erbium:YAG) laser. As highlighted in this report, the erbium:YAG laser-assisted crown lengthening is less invasive and also leads to faster clinical outcomes in contrast to the conventional surgical technique by scalpel incision, flap elevation and osteoplastic

Immunohistochemical evaluation of neuroreceptors in healthy and pathological temporo-mandibular joint

Aim: A study was performed on the articular disk and periarticular tissues of the temporo- mandibular joint (TMJ) with immunohistochemical techniques to give evidence to the presence of neuroreceptors (NRec) in these sites. Methods: The study was carried out on tissue samples obtained from 10 subjects without TMJ disease and from 7 patients with severe TMJ arthritis and arthrosis. We use antibodies directed against following antigens: Gliofibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Leu-7, Myelin Basic Protein (MBP), Neurofilaments 68 kD (NF), Neuron Specific Enolase (NSE), S-100 protein (S-100) and Synaptophysin (SYN). Results: This study revealed that Ruffini's-like, Pacini's-like and Golgi's-like receptors can be demonstrated in TMJ periarticular tissues and that free nervous endings are present in the subsynovial tissues but not within the articular disk. We observed elongated cytoplamic processes of chondrocytes that demonstrated strong S-100 immunoreactivity but they were unreactive with all other antibodies. These cytoplamic processes were more abundant and thicker in the samples obtained from patients with disease TMJ. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm that different Nrec are detectable in TMJ periarticular tissues but they are absent within the articular disk. In the latter site, only condrocytic processes are evident, especially in diseased TMJ, and they might have been confused with nervous endings in previous morphological studies. Nevertheless the absence of immunoreactivity for NF, NSE and SYN proves that they are not of neural origin. © Ivyspring International Publisher

A minimally invasive technique for short spiral implant insertion with contextual crestal sinus lifting in the atrophic maxilla: A preliminary report

The most recently reported techniques for the rehabilitation of the atrophic posterior maxilla are increasingly less invasive, as they are generally oriented to avoid sinus floor elevation with lateral access. The authors describe a mini-invasive surgical technique for short spiral implant insertion for the prosthetic rehabilitation of the atrophic posterior maxilla, which could be considered a combination of several previously described techniques based on the under-preparation of the implant site to improve fixture primary stability and crestal approach to the sinus floor elevation without heterologous bone graft. Eighty short spiral implants were inserted in the molar area of the maxilla in patients with 4.5–6 mm of alveolar bone, measured on pre-operative computed tomography. The surgical technique involved careful drilling for the preparation of implant sites at differentiated depths, allowing bone dislocation in the apical direction, traumatic crestal sinus membrane elevation, and insertion of an implant (with spiral morphology) longer than pre-operative measurements. Prostheses were all single crowns. In all cases, a spiral implant 2–4 mm longer than the residual bone was placed. Only two implants were lost due to peri-implantitis but subsequently replaced and followed-up. Bone loss values around the implants after three months (at the re-opening) ranged from 0 to 0.6 mm, (median value: 0.1 mm), while after two years, the same values ranged from 0.4 to 1.3 mm (median value: 0.7 mm). Clinical post-operative complications did not occur. After ten years, no implant has been lost. Overall, the described protocol seems to show good results in terms of predictability and patient compliance

Obturator prosthesis rehabilitation after maxillectomy: Functional and aesthetical analysis in 25 patients

The number of patients undergoing a surgical resection of the maxilla for oncological reasons is constantly increasing, the most common complication of which remains the communication between oral and nasal cavities. On the basis of data arising from the literature regarding the treatment options of maxillary oncological post-surgical defects, obturator prosthesis remains the most used worldwide. We studied 25 patients (with at least 1-year follow up) rehabilitated by obturator prosthesis after maxillary resection leading to oro-nasal communication, providing data on the objective/subjective evaluation of such rehabilitation and mastication performance measured by a two-color chewing gum test. The type of defect was classified according to the classification system proposed by Aramany. Among the patients in our study, 72% rated a higher score for either stability and retention than for aesthetic appearance, as confirmed by the Kapur score rated by clinicians. The two-color chewing gum test shows similar results as only one patient had insufficient chewing function. Interestingly, we found no correlation between the masticatory function and residual denture, confirming that the maxillary obturator remains a predictable solution in such patients regardless of the anatomical alterations following surgery