Learning through Collaboration: Reflections on Cultivating Cross-Institutional Capacity for Place-Based Community Engagement

This article highlights the nascent efforts between College Unbound, Brown University, and Providence College—three very different types of institutions in Providence, Rhode Island—to foster cross-institutional capacity for place-based community engagement. By collectively engaging our institutions, we experimented with what collaboration around community engagement might look like within our local context. In this article, we share our approach and reflections in working to cultivate a place-based collaboration that centers community, along with limitations, lessons learned, and next steps. Through our efforts, we situate cross-institutional collaborations as an opportunity for more sustained, collaborative, and transformative work within higher education community engagement

The emerging role of cold atmospheric plasma in implantology: A review of the literature

In recent years, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) technologies have received increasing attention in the field of biomedical applications. The aim of this article is to review the currently available literature to provide an overview of the scientific principles of CAP application, its features, functions, and its applications in systemic and oral diseases, with a specific focus on its potential in implantology. In this narrative review, PubMed, Medline, and Scopus databases were searched using key words like “cold atmospheric plasma”, “argon plasma”, “helium plasma”, “air plasma”, “dental implants”, “implantology”, “peri‐implantitis”, “decontamination”. In vitro studies demonstrated CAP’s potential to enhance surface colonization and osteoblast activity and to accelerate mineralization, as well as to determine a clean surface with cell growth comparable to the sterile control on both titanium and zirconia surfaces. The effect of CAP on biofilm removal was revealed in comparative studies to the currently available decontamination modalities (laser, air abrasion, and chlorhexidine). The combination of mechanical treatments and CAP resulted in synergistic antimicrobial effects and surface improvement, indicating that it may play a central role in surface “rejuvenation” and offer a novel approach for the treatment of peri‐implantitis. It is noteworthy that the CAP conditioning of implant surfaces leads to an improvement in osseointegration in in vivo animal studies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review of the literature providing a summary of the current state of the art of this emerging field in implantology and it could represent a point of reference for basic researchers and clinicians interested in approaching and testing new technologies

Split crest technique for implant treatment of agenesis of the upper lateral incisors: results of a randomized pilot histological and clinical study at 24-month follow-up

Agenesis of lateral incisors, besides the functional issues, represents a great esthetic drawback. The selection of an appropriate treatment is a complex decision, which should consider the stability of the clinical outcomes over time. The aim of the present study was a histological and clinical comparison of two-stage split crest technique (SCT), with bone chips alone or mixed with porcine bone in patients affected by unilateral and bilateral agenesis of the upper lateral incisors. Eleven patients were enrolled, and randomly assigned to receive a treatment with autologous bone chips (group 1) or autologous bone chips mixed 1:1 to porcine-derived xenogenic bone (group 2). After a 2-month healing period, implants were placed and biopsies harvested for histomorphometrical evaluation. Clinical assessment, according to ICOI PISA health scale, and radiographic marginal bone loss evaluation at 12- and 24-month follow-ups were conducted. The histomorphometry showed significantly greater new bone formation (p > 0.0229) in group 2. At 12- and 24-month follow-ups, all the evaluated implants, regardless of the group they were allocated, could be categorized as "success" in the ICOI Pisa Health Scale for Dental Implants, and did not show significant difference in crestal bone loss. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first histological and clinical outcomes indicating that the use of bone chips mixed 1:1 to porcine bone in SCT could be a promising technique for the rehabilitation of patients with agenesis of the upper lateral incisors, although studies with a larger number of patients and implants, and a longer follow up are needed

Randomised study for the 1-year crestal bone maintenance around modified diameter implants with different loading protocols: a radiographic evaluation.

This study evaluated by standardised digitised periapical radiography the crestal bone maintenance around modified diameter internal hex implants with variable thread design and narrow neck loaded with different procedures. Forty implants were placed in 25 patients. Twenty implants were conventionally loaded, 20 ones immediately loaded. Radiographs were taken with a customised bite record and processed with software. Measurements of bone from the fixture–abutment junction to mesial and distal marginal bone levels were made. Student’s t test statistical analysis was adopted. Baseline data were variable; at 1-year follow-up, there were no significant differences for marginal bone loss between immediately and conventionally loaded maxillary implants (p=0.1031), whilst there were slight significant differences between immediately and conventionally loaded implants in the mandible (p=0.0141). Crestal bone maintenance around conventionally and immediately loaded modified diameter implants was similar, with slight significant differences in mandible where a lower marginal bone loss was observed

Rehabilitation of postextractive socket in the premaxilla : A 12-year study on 27 titanium plasma spray resorbable calcium phosphate coated single implants

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the peri-implant bone tissue level on postextractive resorbable calcium phosphate coated single implants placed in premaxillary sites grafted with autologous bone, anorganic bovine bone (ABB), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and keratinized epithelial connective graft over 12 years. Materials and Methods: A total of 27 patients received a postextractive single implant in premaxillary sites grafted with ABB and PRP. Two months later, a keratinized epithelial connective graft was applied and the implants loaded. Clinical and radio-graphical evaluations were performed at baseline, 6 and 18 months, 4 and 6 years after the implant insertion, and then every 2 years up to the 12th year. Results: After 12 years, a total of 22 implants (81.48%), were available for the final data analysis; the implants achieved a 100% cumulative survival rate, and only a mild degree of periodontal tissue inflammation was recorded. The radiographic evaluation revealed a physiological marginal bone remodeling over the follow-up. Conclusion: Although a good preservation of the residual bone tissue in postextraction implant sites treated with keratinized epithelial connective tissue grafts was observed, the low number of treated cases does not allow us to propose this experimental protocol to all cases of bone defects but it certainly represents a new option. Further studies on a greater number of patients and using implants with different surface characteristics should be conducted for a better understanding of the indications of the proposed treatment

A novel splicing variant of col2a1 in a fetus with achondrogenesis type ii: Interpretation of pathogenicity of in-frame deletions

Achondrogenesis type II (ACG2) is a lethal skeletal dysplasia caused by dominant pathogenic variants in COL2A1. Most of the variants found in patients with ACG2 affect the glycine residue included in the Gly-X-Y tripeptide repeat that characterizes the type II collagen helix. In this study, we reported a case of a novel splicing variant of COL2A1 in a fetus with ACG2. An NGS analysis of fetal DNA revealed a heterozygous variant c.1267-2_1269del located in intron 20/exon 21. The variant occurred de novo since it was not detected in DNA from the blood samples of parents. We generated an appropriate minigene construct to study the effect of the variant detected. The minigene expression resulted in the synthesis of a COL2A1 messenger RNA lacking exon 21, which generated a predicted in-frame deleted protein. Usually, in-frame deletion variants of COL2A1 cause a phenotype such as Kniest dysplasia, which is milder than ACG2. Therefore, we propose that the size and position of an in-frame deletion in COL2A1 may be relevant in determining the phenotype of skeletal dysplasia

LGALS3BP is a potential target of antibody-drug conjugates in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of intracellular and vesicular LGALS3BP in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and available cell lines to explore its potential as a target for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapy. Methods: Free and vesicular LGALS3BP expression levels were evaluated in cancer tissues from a cohort of OSCC patients as well as in a panel of OSCC cell lines through immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, Western Blot analysis, and ELISA. Results: LGALS3BP resulted in being highly expressed in the cytoplasm of tumour cells in OSCC patient tissues. A strong correlation was found between high LGALS3BP expression levels and aggressive histological features of OSCC. Biochemistry analysis performed on OSCC cell lines showed that LGALS3BP is expressed in all the tested cell lines and highly enriched in cancer-derived extracellular vesicles. Moreover, LGALS3BP high-expressing HOC621 and CAL27 OSCC cell lines showed high sensitivity to the ADC-payload DM4, with an IC50 around 0.3 nM. Conclusions: The present study highlights that LGALS3BP is highly expressed in OSCC suggesting a role as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for ADC-based therapy

Evaluation of the effect of air polishing with different abrasive powders on the roughness of implant abutment surface : An in vitro study

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of air polishing on the implant abutment surface using different abrasive powders: sodium bicarbonate and amino acid glycine. Fifteen grade III machined surface titanium disks with 8-mm diameter and 2-mm thickness were divided in 3 groups of 5 samples each and subjected to air polishing for 20 seconds with an Ultrajet Flex air-abrasive device and a distinct prophylaxis protocol: air and water (G1); air, water, and sodium bicarbonate (G2); and air, water; and amino acid glycine (G3). After the air polishing, the average roughness (Ra) of the samples was measured using an optical profilometer, and the obtained data were statistically analyzed. We found that G1 and G3 had similar Ra, while Ra values for G2 were significantly higher. This study demonstrated that air-polishing powders containing glycine had less of an effect on the roughness of the surface of titanium disks compared with sodium bicarbonate powders. Future in vivo studies will be conducted to investigate the clinical relevance of the present results