Cosmetic Dentistry in Ancient Time – Short Review

Paleoodontological research proved that some form of cosmetic dentistry existed in the ancient time. The intentional dental mutilation, dental decoration and modifications of anterior teeth have been widespread occurrence in many cultures. The facts that there are various names of this phenomenon indicate the different interpretations from the researches of this type of interventions. Although archaeological specimens of modified teeth are usually isolated and damaged they extend our knowledge about ancient nations and human behaviour in the past. The paper describes examples of those interventions in Southeast Asia, Africa, pre-Columbian America and Europe. Phoenicians and Etruscans dental art was described too. It is interesting that different civilizations with no mutual contact and whose cultures are very distinct have developed such similar customs. That could be considered as evidence that sense and need for beauty lies deep within human nature

Identification of Novel α-Synuclein Isoforms in Human Brain Tissue by using an Online NanoLC-ESI-FTICR-MS Method

Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by intra-neuronal inclusions of Lewy bodies in distinct brain regions. These inclusions consist mainly of aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn) protein. The present study used immunoprecipitation combined with nanoflow liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to high resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS/MS) to determine known and novel isoforms of α-syn in brain tissue homogenates. N-terminally acetylated full-length α-syn (Ac-α-syn1–140) and two N-terminally acetylated C-terminally truncated forms of α-syn (Ac-α-syn1–139 and Ac-α-syn1–103) were found. The different forms of α-syn were further studied by Western blotting in brain tissue homogenates from the temporal cortex Brodmann area 36 (BA36) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex BA9 derived from controls, patients with DLB and PD with dementia (PDD). Quantification of α-syn in each brain tissue fraction was performed using a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Spektrofotometrijska procjena promjene boje zuba dugotrajno izloženih različitim uvjetima = Spectrophotometric evaluation of color alterations of teeth exposed to different conditions in time

Human teeth consist of organic and anorganic tissue components similair to bones. Therefore, it is assumable that the registration of structural changes of teeth color in different enviromental conditions may prove useful within forensic taphonomy field, for example, for verification of burial environment and postmortem interval (PMI). Registration of very smal alterations of teeth color is nowadays possible due to well developed dental spectrophotometers. It is known that teeth exposed to air quickly dehydrate, but the degree and the pattern of these color changes in time intervals have not been objectively measured. Purpose: The objective was to determine the degree and patern of color alterations of teeth exposed to three different conditions in time. Material and Methods: The impacted third molars were used in this study because they were not previously exposed to any enviromental conditions. Their CIE L*a*b* values after exposure to dry conditions, NaCl and artificial saliva (control) were measured with dental spectrophotometer in time intervals of 1 hour, 24 hours, 1 week, 3 weeks, 5 weeks and 7 weeks by one trained operator. Results: The L*-lightness and the b*-blue-yellow color coordinate increased in dry conditions (p < .001 and p ≤ .050 respectively),which was statistically significant, whereas a*-green-red color coordinate showed shifts of color in this condition which were not statistically significant. The exposure of extracted third molars to dry conditions caused significant increase of L* and b* color coordinate towards more light and more yellow in comparison to the exposure of teeth to artificial saliva and NaCl. The a* color coordinate displayed high variability of its alteration in all tested conditions. Conclusions: The exposure of extracted impacted wisdom teeth to dry conditions caused a considerable consecutive increase of lightness (L*) and blueness-yellowness (b*) in comparison with the exposure of teeth to NaCl and artificial saliva

Spektrofotometrijska procjena promjene boje zuba dugotrajno izloženih različitim uvjetima = Spectrophotometric evaluation of color alterations of teeth exposed to different conditions in time

Human teeth consist of organic and anorganic tissue components similair to bones. Therefore, it is assumable that the registration of structural changes of teeth color in different enviromental conditions may prove useful within forensic taphonomy field, for example, for verification of burial environment and postmortem interval (PMI). Registration of very smal alterations of teeth color is nowadays possible due to well developed dental spectrophotometers. It is known that teeth exposed to air quickly dehydrate, but the degree and the pattern of these color changes in time intervals have not been objectively measured. Purpose: The objective was to determine the degree and patern of color alterations of teeth exposed to three different conditions in time. Material and Methods: The impacted third molars were used in this study because they were not previously exposed to any enviromental conditions. Their CIE L*a*b* values after exposure to dry conditions, NaCl and artificial saliva (control) were measured with dental spectrophotometer in time intervals of 1 hour, 24 hours, 1 week, 3 weeks, 5 weeks and 7 weeks by one trained operator. Results: The L*-lightness and the b*-blue-yellow color coordinate increased in dry conditions (p < .001 and p ≤ .050 respectively),which was statistically significant, whereas a*-green-red color coordinate showed shifts of color in this condition which were not statistically significant. The exposure of extracted third molars to dry conditions caused significant increase of L* and b* color coordinate towards more light and more yellow in comparison to the exposure of teeth to artificial saliva and NaCl. The a* color coordinate displayed high variability of its alteration in all tested conditions. Conclusions: The exposure of extracted impacted wisdom teeth to dry conditions caused a considerable consecutive increase of lightness (L*) and blueness-yellowness (b*) in comparison with the exposure of teeth to NaCl and artificial saliva

Suitability of Corneal Tissue Related to Donor Ophthalmic History

Purpose: Corneas from donors with posterior ocular pathologies are routinely procured for corneal transplantation. However, posterior ocular diseases including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy (DR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and their influence on corneal suitability have not been well studied. Corneal suitability, or percentage of corneal tissues eligible for transplant after procurement, is monitored by eye banks. Different factors such as corneal pathologies, endothelial cell density and previous ocular surgeries are known to directly impact corneal suitability. We performed a two year retrospective study to evaluate corneal suitability and the relationship to posterior ophthalmic pathologies. Methods: The Eversight electronic medical record system was mined to acquire ophthalmic history and corneal suitability for all surgical donors procured between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. Corneal suitability was calculated for corneas with and without posterior ocular pathologies using a univariate logistic regression model. Average reimbursement rates per cornea between these groups were compared. Results: Of the 24,884 total corneas evaluated, 71.1% (n= 17,693) were deemed suitable. Of those corneas, glaucomatous corneas (n=641) were found to have a suitability rate of 64.6% (n=414, p= 0.0002). Donors with DR (n=343) and AMD (n=181) had an average suitability rate of 74.9% (p=0.12) and 69.1% (p=0.53) respectively. The average reimbursement for transplanted corneas from non-glaucoma donors was $2,435.56 compared to$2,156.57 for glaucomatous donors. Corneas from non-DR donors had an average reimbursement of $2,430.65 vs$2,296.41 DR donors. Corneas from non-AMD donors had an average reimbursement of $2,428.89 vs$2,405.95 for AMD donors. Conclusions: Eyes with a history of glaucoma have a statistically significant decreased in corneal suitability when compared with all cornea donors. Transplanted corneas from donors with glaucoma, DR and AMD all had lower reimbursement averages compared to non-effected donors. The clinical significance of these findings is unclear, although it may help eye banks in the donor screening and placement processes. Currently, there is a shortage of posterior ocular diseased tissue available for research. Instead of procuring these donors surgically, donors with posterior ocular pathologies could be procured for research-subsequently alleviating the shortage of diseased tissue

Dukes B colorectal cancer: distinct genetic categories and clinical outcome based on proximal or distal tumor location.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether tumor location proximal or distal to the splenic flexure is associated with distinct molecular patterns and can predict clinical outcome in a homogeneous group of patients with Dukes B (T3-T4, N0, M0) colorectal cancer. It has been hypothesized that proximal and distal colorectal cancer may arise through different pathogenetic mechanisms. Although p53 and Ki-ras gene mutations occur frequently in distal tumors, another form of genomic instability associated with defective DNA mismatch repair has been predominantly identified in the proximal colon. To date, however, the clinical usefulness of these molecular characteristics remains unproven. METHODS: A total of 126 patients with a lymph node-negative sporadic colon or rectum adenocarcinoma were prospectively assessed with the endpoint of death by cancer. No patient received either radiotherapy or chemotherapy. p53 protein was studied by immunohistochemistry using DO-7 monoclonal antibody, and p53 and Ki-ras gene mutations were detected by single strand conformation polymorphism assay. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 67 months, the overall five-year survival was 70 percent. Nuclear p53 staining was found in 57 tumors (47 percent), and was more frequent in distal than in proximal tumors (55 vs. 21 percent; chi-squared test, P &lt; 0.001). For the whole group, p53 protein expression correlated with poor survival in univariate and multivariate analysis (log-rank test, P = 0.01; hazard ratio = 2.16; 95 percent confidence interval = 1.12-4.11, P = 0.02). Distal colon tumors and rectal tumors exhibited similar molecular patterns and showed no difference in clinical outcome. In comparison with distal colorectal cancer, proximal tumors were found to be statistically significantly different on the following factors: mucinous content (P = 0.008), degree of histologic differentiation (P = 0.012), p53 protein expression, and gene mutation (P = 0.001 and 0.01 respectively). Finally, patients with proximal tumors had a marginally better survival than those with distal colon or rectal cancers (log-rank test, P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: In this series of Dukes B colorectal cancers, p53 protein expression was an independent factor for survival, which also correlated with tumor location. Eighty-six percent of p53-positive tumors were located in the distal colon and rectum. Distal colon and rectum tumors had similar molecular and clinical characteristics. In contrast, proximal neoplasms seem to represent a distinct entity, with specific histopathologic characteristics, molecular patterns, and clinical outcome. Location of the neoplasm in reference to the splenic flexure should be considered before group stratification in future trials of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with Dukes B tumors

Quantitative short-term study of Anal sphincter function after chemoradiation for rectal cancer

Hypothesis: Pelvic irradiation adversely affects anal sphincter function after proctectomy with coloanal anastomosis for low rectal and middle rectal (,10 cm from the anal verge) tumors. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Private, tertiary care referral center. Patients: Patients treated for low rectal adenocarcinoma between January 1, 1994, and October 31, 1999. Interventions: Anal manometric data were prospectively collected at the time of initial diagnosis and before ileostomy closure. Main Outcome Measures: Mean and maximum resting pressures (RPs) and squeeze pressures, threshold volume for sensation, and maximal tolerable volume. Results: Twenty-three patients in the surgery group and 19 in the chemoradiotherapy group were considered fo