A tooth preparation technique in fixed prosthodontics for students and neophyte dentists

The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel technique of tooth preparation in fixed prosthodontics suitable for dental students and neophyte dentists.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four dental students of the sixth-year class were recruited to verify the predicibility of this technique. Each student prepared two mandibular second premolars on a typodont for a dental crown with a 90° shoulder finishing line. One tooth was prepared using standard procedures taught in the prosthodontic dental course; the other tooth was prepared with the new technique. Three Professors of Prosthodontics of the same University evaluated the result on the basis of 10 criteria. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference between the two techniques was found in 8 out of 10 criteria. The new technique showed higher values (p<0.05) in 7 criteria, while the conventional technique had better results in just 1 criterion. Moreover, the total sum of values was higher for the new technique (total 41.2±3.98, p<0.05) compared to the conventional technique (total 38.12±5.18, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the results were less dependent on manual abilities and personal experience with the novel technique. It could helps dental students and neophyte dentists in their learning curve

Economic evaluation of HBV vaccination: a systematic review of recent publications (2000-2013).

Aim: To conduct a systematic review of the economic evaluations (EE) of HBV vaccination, taking also into account the studies published in the new millennium. Methods: An extensive scientific literature review was conducted using two electronic medical journal databases: Scopus and PubMed engines for published studies on EE of HBV vaccination. Results: 22 articles were reviewed, 9, 5 and 8 cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit and cost-utility analysis, respectively. Studies were mainly concerning EE of universal vaccination (UV), mostly with regards to low or low-medium income countries. For high income countries, EE were focused on the possible implementation of HBV vaccination in particular settings, such as diabetic, renal and other chronic conditions care, as well as infectious diseasesUV has usually a very good cost-effectiveness ratio (80%), ranging from cost-saving (China) or few Euro per LY/QALY gained (in Thailand, and Vietnam) to 630.00$/ QALY in USA (Asian and Pacific Islands) Moreover, EE of HBV vaccination are favorable in the infectious diseases field as well as for chronic conditions. In relation to diabetes the studies gave controversial results. Conclusion: This systematic review highlighted the importance of introducing HBV vaccination not only for infant UV program but also for other settings in which patients are people affected by communicable and non-communicable diseases

The role of new porcine collagen membrane (Mucoderm®) in soft tissue augmentation procedure

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Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw

In 2014, the nomenclature of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) was changed in medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) to include osteonecrosis of the jaw caused by non-bisphosphonates (BPs) drugs. MRONJs are a rare drug adverse reaction associated with BPs and other antiresorptive (denosumab) and antiangiogenetic therapies. MRONJ pathophysiology is not completely elucidated, and three risk factors should be considered: Local factors, underlying disease and kind of medication. MRONJ aff ects considerably patient’s quality of life, so it is important to know pathology and risk factor in order to prevent or treat immediately the disease. Various BRONJ staging systems are used by clinicians: In 2006 Ruggero at al. proposed a clinical staging system with three diff erent levels based on signs and symthoms; in 2009 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons implemented it with Stage 0. Marx in 2007 was the only one who divided the stages on the basis of the lesion’s size. Bedogni in 2012 proposed a clinical-radiological staging system. The aim of this review is to summarize the current diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies

Survival of short dental implants ≤7 mm: A review

The first long-term successful outcome of short dental implants was demonstrated by Frieberg et al. in 1991, however, the definition of “short” implants is still controversial and without uniform consensus nowadays. The specific aim of this review was to evaluate and to compare cumulative survival rate (CSR) of short dental implants of the two groups. The survival rate of short dental implants was the primary outcome variable to be extracted and analyzed. An electronic search was conducted through the Medline (PubMed) database of the National Library of Medicine, and EMBASE to find all relevant articles published between January 1, 1990, and April 30, 2015. The electronic search identified 347 publications, which were all carefully screened by title and abstract. About 65 articles qualified for a thorough full-text analysis: 35 studies were excluded because CSR% was not calculable. Finally, 30 studies with relevant data on CSR were selected to be included in this review. Articles were divided into two groups: All relevant articles published between 1991 and 2000 as Group 1 and between 2001 and 2015 as Group 2. In Group 1 CSR was 83.53% ± 19.46%, a considerable statistically significant difference compared to 93.65% ± 7.94% of Group 2. This review further identified the causes of failure: In Group 1 the majority of short implant failures occurred early, within the first 4 months, for an insufficient quantity of bone tissue. In Group 2, causes of early failures considered were low bone quality while prosthetic reasons were responsible for delayed failures

Immune-Complexome Analysis Identifies Immunoglobulin-Bound Biomarkers That Predict the Response to Chemotherapy of Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an aggressive malignancy with a very poor outcome. Although chemotherapy (CT) treatment has poor efficacy, it can enhance tumor immunogenicity. Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAA) are self-proteins that are overexpressed in tumors that may induce antibody production and can be PDA theranostic targets. However, the prognostic value of TAA-antibody association as Circulating Immune Complexes (CIC) has not yet been elucidated, mainly due to the lack of techniques that lead to their identification. In this study, we show a novel method to separate IgG, IgM, and IgA CIC from sera to use them as prognostic biomarkers of CT response. The PDA Immune-Complexome (IC) was identified using a LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer followed by computational analysis. The analysis of the IC of 37 PDA patients before and after CT revealed differential associated antigens (DAA) for each immunoglobulin class. Our method identified different PDA-specific CIC in patients that were associated with poor prognosis patients. Finally, CIC levels were significantly modified by CT suggesting that they can be used as effective prognostic biomarkers to follow CT response in PDA patients

The role of brain oscillations in post-stroke motor recovery: An overview

Stroke is the second cause of disability and death worldwide, highly impacting patient’s quality of life. Several changes in brain architecture and function led by stroke can be disclosed by neurophysiological techniques. Specifically, electroencephalogram (EEG) can disclose brain oscillatory rhythms, which can be considered as a possible outcome measure for stroke recovery, and potentially shaped by neuromodulation techniques. We performed a review of randomized controlled trials on the role of brain oscillations in patients with post-stroke searching the following databases: Pubmed, Scopus, and the Web of Science, from 2012 to 2022. Thirteen studies involving 346 patients in total were included. Patients in the control groups received various treatments (sham or different stimulation modalities) in different post-stroke phases. This review describes the state of the art in the existing randomized controlled trials evaluating post-stroke motor function recovery after conventional rehabilitation treatment associated with neuromodulation techniques. Moreover, the role of brain pattern rhythms to modulate cortical excitability has been analyzed. To date, neuromodulation approaches could be considered a valid tool to improve stroke rehabilitation outcomes, despite more high-quality, and homogeneous randomized clinical trials are needed to determine to which extent motor functional impairment after stroke can be improved by neuromodulation approaches and which one could provide better functional outcomes. However, the high reproducibility of brain oscillatory rhythms could be considered a promising predictive outcome measure applicable to evaluate patients with stroke recovery after rehabilitation

Treatment Decision-Making of Secondary Prevention After Venous Thromboembolism: Data From the Real-Life START2-POST-VTE Register

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) should receive a decision on the duration of anticoagulant treatment (AT) that is often not easy to make. Sixteen Italian clinical centers included patients with recent VTE in the START2-POST-VTE register and reported the decisions taken on duration of AT in each patient and the reasons for them. At the moment of this report, 472 (66.9%) of the 705 patients included in the registry were told to stop AT in 59.3% and to extend it in 40.7% of patients. Anticoagulant treatment lasted 653 months in >90% of patients and was extended in patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis because considered at high risk of recurrence or had thrombophilic abnormalities. d-dimer testing, assessment of residual thrombus, and patient preference were also indicated among the criteria influencing the decision. In conclusion, Italian doctors stuck to the minimum 3 months AT after VTE, while the secondary or unprovoked nature of the event was not seen as the prevalent factor influencing AT duration which instead was the result of a complex and multifactorial evaluation of each patient