In Vitro Investigation of Surface Roughness and Bacterial Adhesion on Different Dental Porcelains Applying Different Vital Whitening Agents

Statement of the problem: Studies on the effects of vital bleaching agents on the surface roughness and bacterial adhesion of different dental por-celain materials are insufficient.Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the effects of vital ble-aching procedures on the surface roughness of different dental porcelains and to investigate whether they facilitate bacterial adhesion.Materials & Methods: A total of 60 porcelain discs, 12 mm in diameter and 2.2 mm in thickness, were produced from two feldspathic porcelains and one leucite-enriched all-ceramic. The sample groups (n=20) manufactured from Ceramco 3, VMK 95, and Finesse TM were named as C, V, and F respectively. Two bleaching agents were applied to 20 samples belonging to C, V and F gro-ups. The group bleached with 16% carbamide peroxide gel was called the N group. The group bleached with 10% carbamide peroxide gel was called the R group. A total of 6 experimental groups, CN, VN, FN, CR, VR and FR, were formed. Streptococcus mutans strain was used to detect bacterial adhesion be-fore and after bleaching on porcelain surfaces with and without a pellicle layer, and adhesion was determined by colony counting method. The obtained data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman’s correlation coefficient.Results: The mean difference in bacterial adhesion colony counts of VN and VR groups was found statistically significant (P 0.05).Conclusion: The bleaching process could affect the surface roughness of dental porcelain and facilitate bacterial adhesion to the porcelain surface

Effect of Two Vital Bleaching Agents on the Color Properties of the Low-Fusing Dental Ceramics

Statement of the problem: The effects of vital bleaching agents on color properties of dental tissues and direct restorative materials are well documented. However, there is a lack of information about the effects of these agents on low-fusing dental ceramics.Objective: The aim of the present study is the in vitro evaluation of the effects of two vital bleaching agents on the color features of three different dental ceramic materials.Materials &Methods:60 sample discs of two different feldspathic ceramics and a full ceramic system were fabricated 12mm in diameter according to the manufacturers’ instructions. The 1st feldspathic group was designated as C (n=20), the 2nd V (n=20), and the full ceramic group F (n=20). Prior to bleaching, L*a*b* values of each glazed sample were measured using a colorimeter. Each sample group was divided in two for the bleaching in two different derivations. Whereas the subgroups exposed to 10% carbamide peroxide were designated CR, VR, and FR; subgroups exposed to 16% carbamide peroxide were entitled CN, VN, and FN. Following bleaching, color measurements were repeated. Descriptive analysis of all data, consisting L*a*b*, ΔL*, Δa*, Δb*, and ΔE values of the two measurements, were performed. Obtained results were statistically analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test.Conclusion: Vital bleaching agents have the potential to alter the color features of ceramic materials.Results: Comparisons revealed no significant difference between the ΔL*, Δa*, Δb* values of the 6 groups. Also no significance was found between the ΔE results of the FR, FN and VN, VR groups (P = 0.1, P = 0.3). However, there was a significant difference between the ΔE values of the groups CN and CR (P = 0.001)

Locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Computed tomography findings, clinical evaluation, and treatment outcome

Purpose: We present our experience with computed tomography (CT) for delineating the extent of bone erosion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and propose that a new subdivision of Stage T4 disease be added to the staging criteria for cases of minimal bone disease, defined as erosion of the base of the sphenoid or the pterygoid plate(s) without cranial nerve (CN) involvement

Assessment of right ventricular function in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension-congenital heart disease and repaired and unrepaired defects: Correlation among speckle tracking, conventional echocardiography, and clinical parameters

WOS: 000535232600008PubMed: 32352408Objective: the purpose of this study is to compare the analysis of right ventricular (RV) free wall strain via 2D speckle tracking echocardiography with conventional echocardiography and clinical parameters in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD) receiving specific treatment. This study also aims to describe the differences between patients with repaired and unrepaired defects. Methods: This prospective study included 44 adult patients with PAH-CHD who were receiving PAH-specific treatment in a single center. This study excluded patients with complex congenital heart disease. the authors studied the conventional echocardiographic parameters, such as RV fractional area change (FAC), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), right atrial (RA) area, Tricuspid S', and hemodynamic parameters, such as functional class, 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels. Results: the mean age of participants was 33.8 +/- 11.6 years, and 65.9% of participants were female. the mean RV free wall strain was -14.8 +/- 4.7%. Majority of the patients belonged to WHO functional class 2 (61.4%) with a mean NT-proBNP level of 619.2 +/- 778.4 and mean 6MWD of 400.2 +/- 86.9 meters. During the follow-up of 30.8 +/- 9.0 months, 6 patients (13.6%) developed clinical right heart failure, whereas 9 (20.5%) of them died. There was a positive and significant correlation between RV free wall strain and WHO functional class (r=0.320, p=0.03), whereas there was a negative correlation between RV free wall strain and FAC (r=-0.392, p=0.01), TAPSE (r=-0.577, p=0.0001), and Tricuspid S' (r=-0.489, p=0.001). There was no significant correlation of RV free wall strain with either RA area or 6MWD. Patients with repaired congenital heart defects had worse RV functional parameters and RV free wall strain than patients with unrepaired defects. Conclusion: the assessment of RV free wall strain via 2D speckle tracking echocardiography is a feasible method and correlates well with conventional echocardiography and clinical parameters in patients with PAH-CHD receiving specific treatment

GSM-like radiofrequency exposure induces apoptosis via caspase-dependent pathway in infant rabbits

Meral, Ogunc/0000-0001-8813-4991WOS: 000388707600009PubMed: 28125894BACKGROUND: There have been several Radio Frequency (RF) field researches on various populations and groups of different ages in recent years. However, the most important group for research has been declared as the pregnant women and their babies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyse the effect on apoptotic factors of RF fields on newborn rabbit liver tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cytochrome c and AIF (Apoptosis Inducing Factor) levels were measured by western blot and caspase 1, 3 and 9 activities were measured by colorimetric method. RESULTS: Cytochrome c and AIF levels were not altered, but all caspase activities were increased in female infant rabbits that exposed to 1800 MHz GSM-like RF signals when they reached 1 month of age and caspase 1 and caspase 3 levels were decreased in male infant rabbits that exposed to 1800 MHz GSM-like RF signals between 15th and 22nd days of the gestational period. Results showed that 1800 MHz GSM-like RF exposure might lead to apoptosis in infant rabbit's liver tissues. CONCLUSION: According to the results, we suggest that postnatal RF exposure causes caspase dependent apoptosis in female infant rabbits liver tissues (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 27). Text in PDF www.elis.sk