Sonographic assessment of carotid intima-media thickness in healthy young Thai adults.

Purpose: Early detection of carotid stenosis can reduce cardiovascular risk. In this study, the maximum-carotid intimamedia thickness (CIMT), the mean-CIMT, and the presence of plaque were examined in healthy young Thai adults. Additionally, correlations between CIMT and cardiovascular risk factors were assessed. Materials and Methods: Left and right carotid arteries of 302 participants (15-45 years old) were scanned, with CIMT measured at the far walls of the common carotid artery, carotid bulb, and internal carotid artery. Demographics and risk factors were assessed using a questionnaire. Ten random participants were re-scanned after 4 weeks. Results: The study included 123 (40.70%) male and 179 (59.30%) female participants. The max-CIMT, mean-CIMT, and plaque thickness were 0.400±0.100, 0.403±0.095 and 1.520±0.814 mm, respectively. Male participants had significantly higher CIMT values for nearly all locations and age groups. The right-sided CIMT values were higher for all locations. The carotid bulb had the greatest CIMT values (0.437±0.178 mm), followed by the common (0.403±0.095 mm) and internal (0.361±0.099 mm) carotid arteries. Plaque was present in 18 locations (1.00%), affecting 15 participants (4.97%). These plaques were found in the right carotid bulb (n=9; 0.50%), left carotid bulb (n=7; 0.39%), and right internal carotid artery (n=2; 0.11%). Adjusted multivariable regression revealed significant positive associations between CIMT and male, increased age and "other" occupation (P<0.05). Conclusion: Both max-CIMT and mean-CIMT were approximately 0.4 mm. Plaque was observed in 4.97% of patients, with an average thickness of 1.5 mm. The most influential risk factors for increased CIMT were sex, age, and occupation.

Factors affecting the reduction rate of odontogenic cysts after decompression based on 3-dimensional volumetric analysis.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the potential factors that could affect the reduction rate of odontogenic cysts following decompression using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for 3-dimensional volumetric analysis. Materials and Methods: The study sample consisted of CBCT images of 41 individuals who underwent decompression of odontogenic cysts at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, between 2010 and 2022. Preoperative and postoperative CBCT results were collected, and a volumetric analysis was conducted to evaluate the differences in the reduction rate and the percentage of volume reduction of cystic lesions based on different parameters. Correlations between these parameters were analyzed to determine associations. Results: In this study, the average time of decompression for odontogenic cysts was 316 days. Males demonstrated a higher reduction rate than females (P<0.05). The reduction rate was directly proportional to initial cyst volume, with higher reduction rates for cysts with large initial volume than those with small initial volume (P<0.05). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient indicated a weak positive correlation between the initial cyst volume and the duration of decompression. Additionally, a strong positive correlation was observed between the initial volume and the reduction rate. Conclusion: Knowledge of the reduction rate of odontogenic cysts is vital for surgeons to evaluate the duration of decompression before enucleation and to determine a definitive treatment plan. Sex and initial lesion volume had significant effects on the reduction rate.

Prevalence of complex root canal morphology in the mandibular first and second premolars in Thai population: CBCT analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mandibular premolars demonstrate high variability in root canal morphology, especially mandibular first premolars. The purposes of this study were to determine the prevalence of root canal configurations of mandibular premolars according to Vertucci classification in a Thai population. METHODS: Total of 1159 CBCT images of Thai patients who received radiographic imaging at the Department of Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University in 2017-2018 was evaluated. The data were reported using descriptive statistics and the relationship between the prevalence of the root canal complexities and sex was analyzed using the chi-squared test. RESULTS: The most common root canal configuration was Vertucci type I, with a 63.1% and 98% prevalence in the mandibular first and second premolars, respectively. More than 98% of mandibular premolars had a single root. The prevalence of a bifurcation was 28.5% and 1.5% in the mandibular first and second premolars, respectively. The prevalence of a trifurcation was 3.2% in the mandibular first premolar. A C-shaped root canal was observed at 23.7% and 0.7% in the mandibular first and second premolars, respectively. The level of branching was mostly found at the middle 1/3 of the root. Bilateral appearance of the same root canal configuration was identified in 80.3% and 95.9% in the mandibular first and second premolars, respectively. There was no relationship between sex and the prevalence of a bifurcation, trifurcation, or C-shaped root canal. CONCLUSION: Mandibular first premolars have more root canal complexities than mandibular second premolars. Horizontal tube shift x-ray technique, CBCT, dental operating microscope, and knowledge of root canal configurations have an important role in root canal identification in mandibular premolar with suspected complex root canal morphology.

Atypical periosteal reaction and unusual bone involvement of ameloblastoma: A case report with 8-year follow-up.

Unusual radiographic findings of intraosseous ameloblastoma have been reported and discussed. In the case discussed herein, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) clearly showed many radiographic features that were ambiguous on conventional radiographs, including an ill-defined periphery, extensive superficial buccal extension with minimal lingual extension, obvious bucco-crestal expansion, and multiple triangular (Codman's triangle-like) areas of periosteal reaction. Based on the above-mentioned findings, the differential diagnosis was a long-term infected benign or low-grade malignant lesion. An incisional biopsy was performed, and the histopathologic diagnosis was acanthomatous ameloblastoma. Recurrence of the lesion was clearly detected on CBCT images at 4 and 8 years after surgery. These unusual radiographic findings have never been reported to be associated with ameloblastoma, and thus may contribute to novel concepts in radiographic interpretation in the future. This report also underscores the important role played by CBCT as a comprehensive diagnostic tool and for definite confirmation of recurrence.

The improvement of calvarial bone healing by durable nanogel-crosslinked materials.

Different approaches have been developed to improve the scaffold properties that provide structural support and biological interaction to achieve the desired environment for tissue regeneration. We previously reported that addition of human fibroblast growth factor 18 (hFGF18) to acryloyl group-modified cholesterol-bearing pullulan (CHPOA) nanogel-crosslinked (NanoClik) hydrogels that contain human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (hBMP2) stabilized bone healing in mouse calvarial defect model. In this study, we evaluated the use of disc-shaped dried nanogel-crosslinked gel as carriers of growth factors in order to seek possible clinical application in future. Both conventionally-dried NanoClik disc and nanogel-crosslinked porous (NanoCliP) disc made by freeze-drying that contained the growth factors induced bone healing but not as much as with NanoClik hydrogel application but addition of RGD peptides (RGD-NanoCliP disc) improved the healing. All type of discs showed the same biphasic ovalbumin-Alexa Fluor 488 protein release profile in vitro, an initial burst followed by a gradual sustained release more than one week, which was confirmed in vivo. Histological analysis showed remarkable new bone formation with more calcification in RGD-NanoCliP disc with the growth factors and the osteogenesis appeared to begin in the dura mater in contact with the disc. These observations suggest: (1) the fitness of the durable discs to the bone defect is a critical factor for bone healing, which is supplemented by addition of RGD peptides, (2) the porosity is suitable for osteoblast recruitment, (3) growth factor release pattern of the CHPOA nanogel based gels is ideal for bone healing.

Role of fibroblast growth factors in bone regeneration.

Bone is a metabolically active organ that undergoes continuous remodeling throughout life. However, many complex skeletal defects such as large traumatic bone defects or extensive bone loss after tumor resection may cause failure of bone healing. Effective therapies for these conditions typically employ combinations of cells, scaffolds, and bioactive factors. In this review, we pay attention to one of the three factors required for regeneration of bone, bioactive factors, especially the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. This family is composed of 22 members and associated with various biological functions including skeletal formation. Based on the phenotypes of genetically modified mice and spatio-temporal expression levels during bone fracture healing, FGF2, FGF9, and FGF18 are regarded as possible candidates useful for bone regeneration. The role of these candidate FGFs in bone regeneration is also discussed in this review.

Injectable Shear-Thinning CaSO4/FGF-18-Incorporated Chitin-PLGA Hydrogel Enhances Bone Regeneration in Mice Cranial Bone Defect Model.

For craniofacial bone regeneration, shear-thinning injectable hydrogels are favored over conventional scaffolds because of their improved defect margin adaptability, easier handling, and ability to be injected manually into deeper tissues. The most accepted method, after autografting, is the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2); however, complications such as interindividual variations, edema, and poor cost-efficiency in supraphysiological doses have been reported. The endogenous synthesis of BMP-2 is desirable, and a molecule which induces this is fibroblast growth factor-18 (FGF-18) because it can upregulate the BMP-2 expression  by supressing noggin. We developed a chitin-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) composite hydrogel by regeneration chemistry and then incorporated CaSO4 and FGF-18 for this purpose. Rheologically, a 7-fold increase in the elastic modulus was observed in the CaSO4-incorporated chitin-PLGA hydrogels as compared to the chitin-PLGA hydrogel. Shear-thinning Herschel-Bulkley fluid nature was observed for both hydrogels. Chitin-PLGA/CaSO4 gel showed sustained release of FGF-18. In vitro osteogenic differentiation showed an enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression in the FGF-18-containing chitin-PLGA/CaSO4 gel when compared to cells alone. Further, it was confirmed by studying the expression of osteogenic genes [RUNX2, ALP, BMP-2, osteocalcin (OCN), and osteopontin (OPN)], immunofluorescence staining of BMP-2, OCN, and OPN, and alizarin red S staining. Incorporation of FGF-18 in the hydrogel increased the endothelial cell migration. Further, the regeneration potential of the prepared hydrogels was tested in vivo, and longitudinal live animal µ-CT was performed. FGF-18-loaded chitin-PLGA/CaSO4 showed early and almost complete bone healing in comparison with chitin-PLGA/CaSO4, chitin-PLGA/FGF-18, chitin-PLGA, and sham control systems, as confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin and osteoid tetrachrome stainings. This shows that the CaSO4 and FGF-18-incorporated hydrogel is a potential candidate for craniofacial bone defect regeneration.