[Evaluation of the effect of 3D printing resin splint based on the retention effect of orthodontic treatment in patients with periodontal disease].

PURPOSE: To investigate the difference in the retention effect of 3D printing resin splint and Hawley retainer combined with lingual retention wire in periodontal disease patients after orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Forty patients who finished orthodontic treatment for periodontal disease from January 2021 to February 2022 were selected and divided into experimental group and control group according to the random number table method, with 20 patients in each group. Patients in the experimental group used 3D printing resin splint for retention, while patients in the control group used Hawley retainer combined with a lingual retention wire for retention. The chair-side operation time of the retainers was recorded for both groups. The maxillary and mandibular cuspid width, molar width, overjet, overbite and irregularity index were measured at 1 month and 6 months after orthodontic treatment in both groups. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 12.0 software package. RESULTS: The mean time for chair-side manipulation of experimental group and control group was 8.23, 11.17 min, respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P＜0.05) when comparing the width of the maxillary and mandibular cusps, the width of the molars, overjet, overbite and the irregularity index after 1 month and 6 months of wear of the retainers, which were significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group at 6 months(P＜0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 3D printing resin splint, with short chair-side manipulation time, was more effective than Hawley retainer combined with a lingual retention wire, and the efficacy of both groups was otherwise generally consistent.

[Clinical analysis of immune function and intestinal flora changes in patients with oral squamous carcinoma before and after treatment].

PURPOSE: To characterize the alterations of intestinal bacteria and immunological function in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC) before and after treatment. METHODS: From September 2020 to September 2021, 28 patients suffering OSCC and 10 healthy volunteers undergoing treatment at our hospital were enrolled in the study. Conventional treatment regimens were administered to OSCC patients and the changes in immune function, intestinal bacteria composition and short-chain fatty acids were measured 1 week before and 6 months after therapy. GraphPad Prism 9.0 software package was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Immunological function measurements indicated significantly lower levels of lymphocyte subsets (including CD3+, CD4+, NK, CD4+/CD8+) and immunoglobulins (including IgG, IgA, IgM) in the peripheral blood of OSCC patients before treatment compared to healthy volunteers (P<0.05), as well as remarkably lower levels of serum cytokines (including TNF-α、IL-4、IL-6) (P<0.05). Following 6 months of conventional treatment, there was an improvement in immune function in OSCC patients compared to all patients before treatment(P<0.05). Compared to healthy volunteers, the diversity of intestinal bacteria was decreased in OSCC patients before treatment, whereas the diversity of intestinal bacteria recovered in OSCC patients after conventional treatment. At the phylum, the distribution of Epsilonbacteraeota, Proteobacteria and Patescibacteria were significantly elevated and the concentration of Verrucomicrobia was decreased in OSCC patients before treatment compared to healthy volunteers(P<0.05). Intriguingly, convention therapy reversed the disturbance of intestinal bacteria, including downgrading levels of Epsilonbacteraeota, Proteobacteria and Patescibacteria and increasing levels of Verrucomicrobia(P<0.05). Short-chain fatty acids (including acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid) were present at a lower level in the intestine of OSCC patients before treatment and were elevated after conventional treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional treatment remarkably enhances immune function, revitalizes the distribution of intestinal microflora, elevates the content of short-chain fatty acids in the intestine of OSCC patients, thereby improving the patients' health.

Efficacy of transversus abdominis plane blocks in laparoscopic colorectal resections.

BACKGROUND: The increasing use of laparoscopic techniques for colorectal resections means that the issue of postoperative analgesia needs to be reassessed. This nonrandomized comparative study aimed to assess the efficacy of the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in laparoscopic colorectal resections. METHODS: Prospectively collected data from consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal resections were used. Analgesia usage and outcome data for patients who had a TAP block and a postoperative morphine patient-controlled analgesia pump (PCA) were compared with those for patients who had a PCA alone. RESULTS: Data for 74 patients were used in the final analysis (40 TAP/PCA and 34 PCA alone). There was a significant reduction in overall intravenous opiate use in the TAP/PCA group (31.3 vs. 51.8 mg; P = 0.03). The TAP/PCA group showed a slight trend toward a shorter hospital stay (3 vs. 4 days; P = 0.17) but no difference in postoperative complications or any other outcome measure. There was no procedure-related morbidity relating to the use of TAP blocks. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that TAP blocks reduce postoperative analgesia use of patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal resections within an enhanced recovery program, and this may have an impact on their postoperative hospital length of stay.