Rapid prototyping modelling in oral and maxillofacial surgery: a two year retrospective study

Background: The use of rapid prototyping (RP) models in medicine to construct bony models is increasing. Material and Methods: The aim of the study was to evaluate retrospectively the indication for the use of RP models in oral and maxillofacial surgery at Helsinki University Central Hospital during 2009-2010. Also, the used computed tomography (CT) examination – multislice CT (MSCT) or cone beam CT (CBCT) - method was evaluated. Results: In total 114 RP models were fabricated for 102 patients. The mean age of the patients at the time of the production of the model was 50.4 years. The indications for the modelling included malignant lesions (29%), secondary reconstruction (25%), prosthodontic treatment (22%), orthognathic surgery or asymmetry (13%), benign lesions (8%), and TMJ disorders (4%). MSCT examination was used in 92 and CBCT examination in 22 cases. Most of the models (75%) were conventional hard tissue models. Models with colored tumour or other structure(s) of interest were ordered in 24%. Two out of the 114 models were soft tissue models. Conclusions: The main benefit of the models was in treatment planning and in connection with the production of pre-bent plates or custom made implants. The RP models both facilitate and improve treatment planning and intraoperative efficiency

Everyday discourse as a space of citizenship. The linguistic construction of in-groups and out-groups in online discussion boards

In this paper, we analyze online discussion threads related to national belonging in Finland, Denmark, and France. These discussions are all related to immigration and the definition of ‘legitimate’ citizens. Our approach is empirical: the goal is to show how in-groups and out-groups are construed linguistically and discursively in the data and how the interactants negotiate membership categories and express their opinions regarding them. The most important in-group in the datasets consists of the nationals born in the country, whereas the out-group par excellence is formed by Muslims. The data show how the boundaries of national communities are performatively constructed through the everyday discourse of online fora, which constitute an important arena of societal debate today. This discourse draws its force from the reiteration of stereotypical generalizations and the power attached to the written word in a communication environment enabling an efficient dissemination of ideological discourse.</p

Constructing anti-immigration ideology and group identity in an online conversation thread on the Suomi24 discussion board

Peer reviewe

Dentomaxillofacial imaging with panoramic views and cone beam CT

Panoramic and intraoral radiographs are the basic imaging modalities used in dentistry. Often they are the only imaging techniques required for delineation of dental anatomy or pathology. Panoramic radiography produces a single image of the maxilla, mandible, teeth, temporomandibular joints and maxillary sinuses. During the exposure the x-ray source and detector rotate synchronously around the patient producing a curved surface tomography. It can be supplemented with intraoral radiographs. However, these techniques give only a two-dimensional view of complicated three-dimensional (3D) structures. As in the other fields of imaging also dentomaxillofacial imaging has moved towards 3D imaging. Since the late 1990s cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) devices have been designed specifically for dentomaxillofacial imaging, allowing accurate 3D imaging of hard tissues with a lower radiation dose, lower cost and easier availability for dentists when compared with multislice CT. Panoramic and intraoral radiographies are still the basic imaging methods in dentistry. CBCT should be used in more demanding cases. In this review the anatomy with the panoramic view will be presented as well as the benefits of the CBCT technique in comparison to the panoramic technique with some examples. Also the basics as well as common errors and pitfalls of these techniques will be discussed. Teaching Points • Panoramic and intraoral radiographs are the basic imaging methods in dentomaxillofacial radiology.• CBCT imaging allows accurate 3D imaging of hard tissues.• CBCT offers lower costs and a smaller size and radiation dose compared with MSCT.• The disadvantages of CBCT imaging are poor soft tissue contrast and artefacts.• The Sedentexct project has developed evidence-based guidelines on the use of CBCT in dentistry.Peer reviewe

Isolation of dental stem cell-enriched populations from continuously growing mouse incisors

Continuous growth of the rodent incisor is enabled by epithelial and mesenchymal stem cells (ESCs and MSCs) which unceasingly replenish enamel and dentin, respectively, that wear by persistent animal gnawing. Lineage tracing studies have provided evidence that ESCs contribute to all epithelial lineages of the tooth in vivo. Meanwhile, in the mouse incisor, MSCs continuously contribute to odontoblast lineage and tooth growth. However, in vitro manipulation of ESCs has shown little progress, mainly due to lack of appropriate protocol to successfully isolate, culture, expand, and differentiate ESCs in vitro without using the co-culture system. In this chapter we describe the isolation of the Sox2-GFP+ cell population that is highly enriched in ESCs. Isolated cells can be used for various types of analyses, including in vitro culture, single cell-related analyses, etc. Furthermore, we describe ways to obtain populations enriched in the incisor MSCs using FACS sorting of antibody-labeled cells. Easily accessible FACS sorting enables easy and relatively fast isolation of the cells labeled by the fluorescent protein. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019.Peer reviewe

A Survey on the Permanence of Finnish Students&apos; Arithmetical Skills and the Role of Motivation

This study concerns the permanence of the basic arithmetical skills of Finnish students by investigating how a group ( = 463) of the eighth and eleventh year students and the university students of humanities perform in problems that are slightly modified versions of certain PISA 2003 mathematics test items. The investigation also aimed at finding out what the impact of motivation-related constructs, for example, students&apos; achievement goal orientations, is and what their perceived competence beliefs and task value on their performance in mathematics are. According to our findings, the younger students&apos; arithmetical skills have declined through the course of ten years but the older students&apos; skills have become generic to a greater extent. Further, three motivational clusters could be identified accounting for 7.5 per cent of students&apos; performance in the given assignments. These results are compatible with the outcomes of the recent assessments of the Finnish students&apos; mathematical skills and support the previous research on the benefits of learning orientation combined with the high expectation of success and the valuing of mathematics learning

Bidirectional lipid droplet velocities are controlled by differential binding strengths of HCV Core DII protein

Host cell lipid droplets (LD) are essential in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle and are targeted by the viral capsid core protein. Core-coated LDs accumulate in the perinuclear region and facilitate viral particle assembly, but it is unclear how mobility of these LDs is directed by core. Herein we used two-photon fluorescence, differential interference contrast imaging, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopies, to reveal novel core-mediated changes to LD dynamics. Expression of core protein’s lipid binding domain II (DII-core) induced slower LD speeds, but did not affect directionality of movement on microtubules. Modulating the LD binding strength of DII-core further impacted LD mobility, revealing the temporal effects of LD-bound DII-core. These results for DII-core coated LDs support a model for core-mediated LD localization that involves core slowing down the rate of movement of LDs until localization at the perinuclear region is accomplished where LD movement ceases. The guided localization of LDs by HCV core protein not only is essential to the viral life cycle but also poses an interesting target for the development of antiviral strategies against HCV

An EMG-Assisted Muscle-Force Driven Finite Element Analysis Pipeline to Investigate Joint- and Tissue-Level Mechanical Responses in Functional Activities : Towards a Rapid Assessment Toolbox

Publisher Copyright: © 1964-2012 IEEE.Joint tissue mechanics (e.g., stress and strain) are believed to have a major involvement in the onset and progression of musculoskeletal disorders, e.g., knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Accordingly, considerable efforts have been made to develop musculoskeletal finite element (MS-FE) models to estimate highly detailed tissue mechanics that predict cartilage degeneration. However, creating such models is time-consuming and requires advanced expertise. This limits these complex, yet promising, MS-FE models to research applications with few participants and makes the models impractical for clinical assessments. Also, these previously developed MS-FE models have not been used to assess activities other than gait. This study introduces and verifies a semi-automated rapid state-of-the-art MS-FE modeling and simulation toolbox incorporating an electromyography- (EMG) assisted MS model and a muscle-force driven FE model of the knee with fibril-reinforced poro(visco)elastic cartilages and menisci. To showcase the usability of the pipeline, we estimated joint- and tissue-level knee mechanics in 15 KOA individuals performing different daily activities. The pipeline was verified by comparing the estimated muscle activations and joint mechanics to existing experimental data. To determine the importance of the EMG-assisted MS analysis approach, results were compared to those from the same FE models but driven by static-optimization-based MS models. The EMG-assisted MS-FE pipeline bore a closer resemblance to experiments compared to the static-optimization-based MS-FE pipeline. Importantly, the developed pipeline showed great potential as a rapid MS-FE analysis toolbox to investigate multiscale knee mechanics during different activities of individuals with KOA.Peer reviewe

In-frame deletion in canine PITRM1 is associated with a severe early-onset epilepsy, mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration

We investigated the clinical, genetic, and pathological characteristics of a previously unknown severe juvenile brain disorder in several litters of Parson Russel Terriers. The disease started with epileptic seizures at 6–12&nbsp;weeks of age and progressed rapidly to status epilepticus and death or euthanasia. Histopathological changes at autopsy were restricted to the brain. There was severe acute neuronal degeneration and necrosis diffusely affecting the grey matter throughout the brain with extensive intraneuronal mitochondrial crowding and accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ). Combined homozygosity mapping and genome sequencing revealed an in-frame 6-bp deletion in the nuclear-encoded pitrilysin metallopeptidase 1 (PITRM1) encoding for a mitochondrial protease involved in mitochondrial targeting sequence processing and degradation. The 6-bp deletion results in the loss of two amino acid residues in the N-terminal part of PITRM1, potentially affecting protein folding and function. Assessment of the mitochondrial function in the affected brain tissue showed a significant deficiency in respiratory chain function. The functional consequences of the mutation were modeled in yeast and showed impaired growth in permissive conditions and an impaired respiration capacity. Loss-of-function variants in human PITRM1 result in a childhood-onset progressive amyloidotic neurological syndrome characterized by spinocerebellar ataxia with behavioral, psychiatric and cognitive abnormalities. Homozygous Pitrm1-knockout mice are embryonic lethal, while heterozygotes show a progressive, neurodegenerative phenotype characterized by impairment in motor coordination and Aβ deposits. Our study describes a novel early-onset PITRM1-related neurodegenerative canine brain disorder with mitochondrial dysfunction, Aβ accumulation, and lethal epilepsy. The findings highlight the essential role of PITRM1 in neuronal survival and strengthen the connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration