Dental trauma in the anterior sector: an analysis of the predisposing factors in a group of orthodontic patients.

Aim. The aim of this study was to analyze the predisposing factors of upper incisal trauma in children candidates for orthodontic treatment. Methods. This is a retrospective study involving 102 consecutive patients who requested orthodontic therapy at Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of Bari University’s Dental School during the time frame 2012-2019. The distribution of reported dental trauma was analyzed according to gender, type of trauma, etiology, overjet and labial competence. Results. No substantial association between gender and trauma emerged from our study. Patients between the age range of 11-15 years appear to be at increased risk. A statistically significant correlation between increase in overjet and traumatic events was found. A link was discovered between labial incompetence and trauma, since this condition increases the risk of trauma by exposing part of the surface of the upper incisors. A correlation also emerged between Skeletal Class II and the increased risk of traumatic injury. Conclusions. Dental trauma, especially in the anterior sector, is a fairly frequent occurrence in pediatric and adolescent patients and is linked to several factors. In our study subjects with Skeletal Class II division I malocclusion with elevated overjet are more predisposed to dental trauma. The limitations of our study are the low number of subjects in the examined sample, and the heterogeneity of the trauma presentation

Termostabilnost topljivih i vezanih peroksidaza iz artičoke te matematički model njihove kinetike inaktivacije

Soluble peroxidases (SP), and ionically (IBP) and covalently (CBP) bound peroxidases were extracted from leaves and edible part of artichoke heads (heart). The peroxidase (POD) forms showed a characteristic electrophoretic pattern; in particular SP and IBP forms showed nearly the same pattern, while CBP was quite different. Several basic and acid POD isoforms were present in SP and CBP forms, whereas in IBP only basic components were found. The thermal stability of different POD forms was tested at different temperatures (70, 80, 90 and 100 °C). The leaf POD forms showed greater heat stability compared to the head ones. The heat sensitivity of three POD forms was different: the bound forms were characterized by a greater heat stability than the soluble form. A series-type mathematical model has been developed to describe the inactivation kinetics of artichoke POD. The activation energies for the three POD forms of artichoke leaves and hearts were estimated by an Arrhenius-type relationship. The second step of the inactivation requires more energy to be carried out in all POD forms, especially in SP and IBP.Iz lišća i jestivog dijela glavice artičoke ekstrahirane su topljive te ionski i kovalentno vezane peroksidaze. Elektroforezom je dobivena karakteristična slika, pri čemu su topljive i ionski vezane peroksidaze imale gotovo isti, a kovalentno vezane sasvim drukčiji raspored. U topljivim i kovalentno vezanim peroksidazama nađeno je nekoliko kiselih i lužnatih izoformi, a u ionski vezanim samo lužnate. Toplinska stabilnost pojedinih peroksidaza ispitana je pri različitim temperaturama (70, 80, 90 i 100 °C). Izoforme iz lišća pokazale su veću termostabilnost od onih iz glavice artičoke. Vezani oblici peroksidaza bili su stabilniji od topljivih. Razvijen je matematički model (series-type mathematical model) za opisivanje kinetike inaktivacije peroksidaza artičoke. Energija aktivacije triju peroksidaza iz lišća i glavice artičoke procijenjena je pomoću Arrheniusova modela, pa je zaključeno da je potrebno utrošiti više energije za provođenje drugog koraka inaktivacije u svim peroksidazama, a osobito u topljivim i ionski vezanim

Clinical Evaluation and Orodental Status in a Group of Elderly Institutionalised Patients

10% of elderly patients are functionally dependents and they therefore need permanent assistance. Orodental alterations may evolve into a pathological state in elderly people, which is increasing in the recent decades. The current study analysed institutionalized patients in the district of Bari (Southern Italy), who have been so far monitored. We assessed 125 elderly institutionalized patients. The assessment has been carried out by an assessment questionnaire aiming at evaluating the patient’s psychophysical health status, objective intraoral test and prosthetic rehabilitations. About 90% of enrolled patients reported a good general health status. The main dental problems are due to the complete lack of specific prevention and treatment programs, together with handicap, presence of systemic diseases and medicines taken. The level of oral hygiene is poor and the conditions of the residual dental elements are precarious because of root caries and periodontal problems. Prostheses are usually old (on average 15) and appear scarcely retentive and unstable. We believe in the need for specific interventions aiming at the various issues emerging from the present study, so as to achieve a smaller prevalence of dental loss, periodontal disease and caries. These relatively simple interventions are now lacking because of the non-demand of treatment from patients and for economical reasons

Gamma-ray observations of Supernova Remnants with Fermi -LAT data

After 8 years of data taking, the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi satellite has shown an excellent capability to detect and observe Supernova Remnants (SNRs) from few hundred MeV up to few hundred GeV. It provides crucial information on physical processes happening at the source, involving both accelerated leptons and hadrons, in order to understand the mechanisms responsible for the acceleration of primary Cosmic Rays. We interpreted the multiwavelength Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of a sample of different types of SNRs, which have been observed by the Fermi-LAT. We show how the environment in which the supernova shock is propagating affects the interpretation of its SED. We evaluated the spectral features of the accelerated particle spectra and estimated the acceleration efficiency, as well as the maximum energy of accelerated particles

Early mandibular canine-lateral incisor transposition: case report

Purpose. The main aim of the present study is to present a case of mandibular transposition between lateral incisor and canine in a paediatric patient. Materials and methods. A fixed multibracket orthodontic treatment was performed by means of a modified welded arch as to correct the transposition and obtaining a class I functional and symmetrical occlusion, also thanks to the early diagnosis of the eruption anomaly. Results. Our case report shows that a satisfactory treatment of mandibular transpositions is obtained when detected at an early stage of the tooth development. Conclusions. The main treatment options to be taken into consideration in case of a mandibular transposition are two: correcting the transposition or aligning it leaving the dental elements in their transposed order; in both cases, the followups show a stable condition, maintained without relapses. Several factors, such as age of the patient, occlusion, aesthetics, patient’s collaboration, periodontal support and duration of treatment have to be considered as to prevent potential damage to dental elements and support appliances. The choice between the two treatment approaches for mandibular lateral incisor/canine transpositions mainly depends on the time the anomaly is detected

The “History” of Desmosines: Forty Years of Debate on the Hypothesis That These Two Unnatural Amino Acids May Be Potential Biomarkers of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Desmosine and isodesmosine (collectively known as desmosines), two unnatural amino acids unique to mature elastin in humans, have been widely discussed as being potential biomarkers of disorders, which involve connective tissue and whose clinical manifestations result in elastin degradation. In particular, experimental data accumulated over the last 40 years have demonstrated that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) excrete higher amounts of urinary desmosines than healthy controls. Based on this evidence, it has been speculated by several authors that these cross-links may be potential biomarkers of COPD with clinical significance. Nevertheless, a strict correlation between the amount of these amino acids and the severity of the disease still has to be demonstrated. For this reason, the debate on the opportunity to consider desmosines as biomarkers of COPD is still open, and the development of sophisticated methods aimed at obtaining very precise measurement of their concentration is still considered technically challenging. The aim of this chapter is to trace the history of this debate through the presentation and discussion of a large number of articles dealing with the detection and quantification of desmosines in different biological fluids, from early years until the present

Galactic science with Fermi -LAT

High energy γ-rays reveal extreme, non-thermal processes in the Universe. The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has been exploring the γ-ray sky for almost eight years, enabling the observation of many powerful events happening in our Galaxy. The wide energy range and field of view make the LAT a unique instrument to monitor the sky and study both powerful transient events and longterm phenomena. We present a review of the latest results obtained by the FermiLAT observation of Galactic object

Assessment of psychopatologic traits in a group of patients with adult chronic periodontitis: Study on 108 cases and analysis of compliance during and after periodontal treatment

Objectives: Although there is nowadays wide agreement on bacteria being the main etiologic agents of periodontal disease, their sole presence cannot damage periodontal tissues in all subjects. This suggests that an individual response and an adaptation to a certain quantity of bacterial biofilm can occur without the disease progressing and vice versa. Depression, stress and anxiety have not been confirmed yet as risk conditions but, in some observational studies, they have been identified as potential risk factors of periodontal disease. The current study aims at investigating the role which these psychological disorder have in the onset and progression of advanced stage periodontitis. Materials and methods: The case selection was carried out by means of clinical and radiological periodontal assessment involving a total of 108 subjects, both male and female, aged between 24 and 67. Patients were then divided in two groups of 54 patients each: the first group included patients with severe periodontal disease, the second group was formed by periodontally healthy subjects. Clinical assessment was performed by a sole examiner who selected and divided periodontopathic patients from non-periodontopathic ones. From the current study were excluded: patients with systemic pathologies; smokers; patients taking antidepressant drugs; pregnant women. Results: For what concerns depression, in the group of periodontopathic patients it was found that the 62.5% of them were depressed, against the 38.86% in the group of periodontally healthy subjects. For the other two psychological conditions taken into consideration, anxiety and stress, it emerged a different percentage of subjects with anxiety in the periodontal group (31.48%) against healthy controls (20.37%). Conclusions: For each of the psychological variables considered (depression, anxiety, stress), a significant correlation could be observed with periodontal disease, it can be therefore be suggested that the importance these disturbs have in the onset and progress of the dental disease which supports the existing available data in literature. The innovative aspect of this research was the focus on the assessment of compliance, monitoring the ability of periodontal patients to follow oral hygiene instructions aiming at the improving and keeping their own periodontal condition, even though this takes more time than the control group

Correlation between parodontal indexes and orthodontic retainers: prospective study in a group of 16 patients

Purpose. Fixed retainers are used to stabilize dental elements after orthodontic treatment. Being it a permanent treatment, it is necessary to instruct patients about a constant and continuous monitoring of their periodontal conditions and a correct oral hygiene. The aim of this study was to highlight the possible adverse effects of bonded retainers on parameters correlated to the health conditions of periodontal tissues. Materials and methods. We selected 16 patients, under treatment in the Orthodontics Department of University of Bari Dental School, who had undergone a lingual retainer insertion at the end of the orthodontic treatment. The patients were then divided into two groups (Control Group and Study Group) and monitored for 3 and 36 months, respectively. The following indexes were taken into consideration: gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI) and the presence of calculus (Calculus Index, CI), the probing depth and the presence of gingival recession on the six inferior frontal dental elements. Results. After the observation was carried out, any of the patients showed periodontal sockets and gingival recession. In the Study Group, only 1 patient had a PI score=3, the 7 left had scores between 0.66 and 2.83. In the Control Group, one patient had score=0, the other ones showed values between 0.5 and 1.66. The mean GI in the Study Group peaked at a score of 2.83, the minimum was 0.66; whereas in the Control Group the maximum value was 2 and the minimum 0.66. The CI in the Group Study was between 1 and 2. In the Control Group it was absent in only 1 patient, whereas in the remaining 7, it had a value between 0.3 and 1. The clinical data were studied by means of the Wilcoxon test. We found a statistically significant difference for what concerns the Plaque Indexes (PI) (P>0.05) and Calculus Indexes (CI) (P>0.1) in both groups, with higher scores in the Study Group, having retainers for 36 months. Any statistically significant difference was calculated for the GI. Conclusions. We can therefore conclude that patients with lingual retainers need periodontal hygiene and treatment as to prevent, in the course of time, periodontal damages non-detectable in short-term

The Accuracy of Three Intraoral Scanners in the Oral Environment with and without Saliva: A Comparative Study

Background: with the emergence of technological innovations in the dental industry, one emerging trend has been the intraoral digitizing of patients by using intraoral scanning systems. Compared to taking conventional impressions, the use of intraoral scanners (IOS) is suitable for capturing direct optical impressions, helping to improve diagnostic efficacy, save time, reduce patient discomfort, and simplify clinical procedures. Intraoral scanning systems appear to have a high potential for providing guidance on proper standards of care. However, one main disadvantage is breathing and saliva secretion, which causes deviations, interfering with the applicability and accuracy of the optical impression. The aim of this study was to compare the validity and accuracy of three commercially available intraoral scanners, performing an analysis exploiting a wet model. Methods: an in vitro experimental study of four permanent teeth (two molars and two premolars) on the accuracy of copings obtained by subgingival preparations was performed, using an oral wet environment model. Two hundred and forty digital impressions were produced from three digital scanners using four samples. Descriptive analysis was performed using mean, standard deviation, and median. ANOVA and F-tests were performed to assess the amount of variability between the groups. For statistical analysis a 95% significance level was chosen. Results: all differences between groups were statistically significant. Conclusions: the present data implicate a huge impact of the oral biological fluids on the accuracy of digital impression to corresponding images, implying a failure of accurate impression under wetness conditions