Influence of atmospheric temperature on the occurrence of irreversible pulpitis clinical cases

The present study aimed to examine the correlation between atmospheric temperature and the occurrence of irreversible pulpitis. Material and methods: Data was collected from the Department of Dentistry, Moinhos de Vento Hospital, Porto Alegre between July 2011 and December 2012. A total of 52 pulpitis clinical cases were examined in 529 days in this study. Data on the atmospheric temperature in Porto Alegre on each day was collected from the Porto Alegre Meteorology Institute. Results and Conclusion: Correlation analysis of the temperature data and pulpitis cases was conducted using Student’s t-test, with a significance level of  5%. Although no correlation was observed between the occurrence of irreversible pulpitis and atmospheric temperature, the incidence rates were higher on days when the average temperature was greater than 25ºC

Avaliação da adaptação de cones estandardizados de guta-percha de quatro sistemas mecanizados por meio de uma régua endodôntica calibradora

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the D0 diameter of standardized gutta-percha cones for four mechanized systems: ProTaper Universal®, Mtwo®, Wave One® and Reciproc®. Methods: An endodontic calibrator ruler was used to measure the D0 diameter of 60 main cones of the above systems. Measurements were made according 3 scores as follows: gutta-percha cone fits exactly into the same hole as the endodontic ruler gauge (score 1), cone falls short of the ruler gauge whole size (score 2); or exceeding the ruler gauge hole size (score 3). The diameters D0 obtained were compared with the values reported by manufacturers. All data were analyzed by means of T Test, at 1% level of significance. Results: The average value measured was significantly higher than the measures established by manufacturers (p <0.001). Conclusion: The gutta-percha cones of ProTaper Universal® systems Mtwo®, Wave One® and Reciproc® were not standardized, except for R40 cObjetivo: Avaliar o diâmetro D0 de cones estandardizados de guta-percha de quatro sistemas mecanizados: ProTaper Universal®, Mtwo®, Wave One® e Reciproc®. Métodos: Por meio de uma régua endodôntica calibradora, foi aferido o diâmetro D0 de sessenta cones principais dos sistemas supracitados. A aferição foi realizada de acordo com os três escores a seguir: o cone de guta-percha se adapta exatamente no mesmo calibre de orifício da régua endodôntica (escore 1), o cone fica aquém ao calibre de orifício da régua (escore 2) ou além do respectivo calibre do orifício da régua (escore 3). Os diâmetros em D0 obtidos foram comparados aos valores divulgados pelos fabricantes. Todos os dados foram tratados por meio do Teste T, ao nível de significância de 1%. Resultados: As médias aferidas foram significativamente maiores do que as medidas estabelecidas pelos fabricantes (p<0,001). Somente os cones R40 do sistema Reciproc® estiveram no padrão. Conclusão: Os cones de guta-percha dos sistemas ProTaper Universal®, Mtwo®, Wave One® e Reciproc® não apresentam padronização, à exceção do cone R40 (Reciproc®). Houve uma tendência de variação do diâmetro D0 para uma maior medida

Dentistry Specialties Center: A qualitative evaluation in the perspective of the participant students

This study aimed to evaluate of qualitative form the expectation and the training that the CEO has proportionate to the student of graduation in Dentistry of the ULBRA. For this, a questionnaire with six open questions to the academics was carried out to students who were registered in this curricular discipline. Of the 43 enrolled students 29 (67%) had answered the questions. By means of the analysis of the gotten answers it can be observed that this curricular period of training was very important for the development critic and professional of the participant students

Autologous Dendritic Cell Therapy in Mesothelioma Patients Enhances Frequencies of Peripheral CD4 T Cells Expressing HLA-DR, PD-1, or ICOS

Introduction: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a malignancy with a very poor prognosis for which new treatment options are urgently needed. We have previously shown that dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy provides a clinically feasible treatment option. In the current study, we set out to assess the immunological changes induced by DC immunotherapy in peripheral blood of MPM patients.Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from nine patients enrolled in a phase I dose escalation study, before and after treatment with DCs that were pulsed with an allogeneic tumor lysate preparation consisting of a mixture of five cultured mesothelioma cell lines. We used immune profiling by multiplex flow cytometry to characterize different populations of immune cells. In particular, we determined frequencies of T cell subsets that showed single and combinatorial expression of multiple markers that signify T cell activation, maturation and inhibition. Therapy-induced T cell reactivity was assessed in peptide/MHC multimer stainings using mesothelin as a prototypic target antigen with confirmed expression in the clinical tumor lysate preparation. T cell receptor (TCR) diversity was evaluated by TCRB gene PCR assays.Results: We observed an increase in the numbers of B cells, CD4 and CD8 T cells, but not NK cells at 6 weeks post-treatment. The increases in B and T lymphocytes were not accompanied by major changes in T cell reactivity toward mesothelin nor in TCRB diversity. Notably, we did observe enhanced proportions of CD4 T cells expressing HLA-DR, PD-1 (at 2 weeks after onset of treatment) and ICOS (6 weeks) and a CD8 T cell population expressing LAG3 (2 weeks).Discussion: DC immunotherapy using allogeneic tumor lysate resulted in enhanced frequencies of B cells and T cells in blood. We did not detect a skewed antigen-reactivity of peripheral CD8 T cells. Interestingly, frequencies of CD4 T cells expressing activation markers and PD-1 were increased. These findings indicate a systemic activation of the adaptive immune response and may guide future immune monitoring studies of DC therapies

Virtual Valcamonica: collaborative exploration of prehistoric petroglyphs and their surrounding environment in multi-user virtual reality

In this paper, we present a novel, multi-user, virtual reality environment for the interactive, collaborative 3D analysis of large 3D scans and the technical advancements that were necessary to build it: a multi-view rendering system for large 3D point clouds, a suitable display infrastructure and a suite of collaborative 3D interaction techniques. The cultural heritage site of Valcamonica in Italy with its large collection of prehistoric rock-art served as an exemplary use case for evaluation. The results show that our output-sensitive level-of-detail rendering system is capable of visualizing a 3D dataset with an aggregate size of more than 14 billion points at interactive frame rates. The system design in this exemplar application results from close exchange with a small group of potential users: archaeologists with expertise in rock-art and allows them to explore the prehistoric art and its spatial context with highly realistic appearance. A set of dedicated interaction techniques was developed to facilitate collaborative visual analysis. A multi-display workspace supports the immediate comparison of geographically distributed artifacts. An expert review of the final demonstrator confirmed the potential for added value in rock-art research and the usability of our collaborative interaction techniques

Apical transportation associated with ProTaper® Universal F1, F2 and F3 instruments in curved canals prepared by undergraduate students

Objective: This study evaluated apical transportation associated with ProTaper® Universal F1, F2 and F3 rotary files in curved canals prepared by undergraduate students. Material and Methods: Twenty mesial roots of mandibular molars with curvatures ranging between 25° and 35° were selected. Mesiobuccal canals were instrumented by twenty students with the ProTaper® system (Dentsply-Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pre-flaring was performed with S1 and SX files. A #15 K-file was inserted into the root canal up to the working length (WL), and an initial digital radiograph was taken in a buccolingual direction (baseline). Afterwards, the S1, S2, F1, F2, and F3 files were employed up to the WL. Other radiographies were taken in the same orientation of the baseline after the use of the F1, F2, and F3 files, with each file inserted into the root canal. The radiographic images were overlapped, and the Image J software was used to measure the distance between the rotary files’ ends and the #15 K-file’s end, characterizing the apical transportation. Data were analyzed by Repeated Measure ANOVA and by the SNK post hoc test (P<0.05). Results: It was verified that file size affected apical transportation significantly (P<0.001). The F3 file showed higher apical transportation than F1 and F2, while between these last files there was no difference. Conclusion: The undergraduate students produced lower apical transportation in curved canals when they did not use the F3 rotary file

Planimetric and volumetric glacier changes in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, since 1962 using Corona, Landsat TM and ASTER data

Multitemporal space imagery from 1962 (Corona KH-4), 1992 (Landsat TM), 2001 and 2005 (Terra ASTER) was used to investigate the glacier changes in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal. The ice coverage in the investigation area decreased by about 5% between 1962 and 2005, with the highest retreat rates occurring between 1992 and 2001. The debris coverage increased concomitantly with the decrease in total glacier area. The clean-ice area decreased by >10%. Digital terrain model (DTM) generation from the early Corona KH-4 stereo data in this high-relief terrain is time-consuming, and the results still contain some elevation errors. However, these are minor in the snow-free areas with gentle slopes. Thus comparison of the surfaces of the debris-covered glacier tongues based on the Corona DTM and an ASTER DTM is feasible and shows the downwasting of the debris-covered glaciers. The highest downwasting rates, more than 20m (>0.5ma−1), can be found near the transition zone between the active and the stagnant glacier parts of the debris-covered glacier tongues. The downwasting is lower, but still evident, in the active ice areas and at the snout with thick debris cover. All investigated debriscovered glaciers in the study area show similar behaviour. The estimated volume loss for the investigated debris-covered glacier tongues is 0.19km3