Genetic evaluation of remnant and translocated shiners, Notropis heterodon and Notropis heterolepis.

Population and conservation genetics of two freshwater fish species, Notropis heterodon and Notropis heterolepis, were evaluated in north-eastern Illinois, U.S.A., where both species have severely declined. Fishes were sampled from two remnant populations occurring in small glacial lakes (source samples) and from two man-made ponds that had been stocked with fishes from those same lakes (sanctuary samples). The goal was to obtain information that would help inform conservation programme planning to reintroduce sanctuary fishes to areas where both species are extirpated. Microsatellite data showed that the two species were genetically quite distinct and there was no evidence of hybridization in either source or sanctuary samples. Within each species, source and sanctuary samples had moderate levels of heterozygosity and were not significantly different from each other. Many alleles observed in the source samples, however, were not detected in the sanctuary samples, indicating that translocation had resulted in reduced allelic diversity of the sanctuary samples. Sibship analysis indicated that full and half sibs occurred within source-lake samples, thus reducing the effective population size of the reintroduced stock. Taken together, these results suggest that source-lake stocks rather than sanctuary stocks are more appropriate for future reintroductions of both species in their native range, unless sanctuary populations can be established with hundreds of fishes. Also, fishes should be harvested from multiple locations in source lakes to avoid over-representation of family groups.

Effect of Acidic Beverages on the Hardness, Elastic Modulus and Wear Resistance of Giomer and Nongiomer Bulk-fill Materials.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effect of acidic beverages on the hardness, elastic modulus, and wear resistance of four different resin-based restorative materials. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 128 specimens (10 mm diameter, 4 mm thickness) were prepared from a conventional resin composite (Filtek Z250 [Z250]), a giomer bulk-fill (Beautifil Bulk Restorative [BBR]) and two nongiomer bulk-fill materials (Tetric N-Ceram Bulk Fill [TNC] and SonicFill 2 [SF2]). Each material group was divided into four subgroups (n=8) according to the storage media: artificial saliva (control), orange juice, regular Coke, and sports drink. The experimental specimens were immersed in the solutions for 30 minutes, five times a day for 5 days and kept in artificial saliva for an hour between the immersion periods. Control specimens were stored in artificial saliva for 5 days. The nanoindentation test with a Berkovich diamond tip was used to determine the hardness and elastic modulus before and after the 5-day storage periods. Following the nanoindentation tests, the specimens were subjected to a chewing simulator for 120,000 cycles. The specimens were then scanned with a three-dimensional scanner. The wear resistance was analyzed by measuring the volume and height loss. Specimens were observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy. The statistical analyses were performed by analysis of variance, Tukey HDS test, and paired samples t-test (α=0.05). RESULTS: Z250 showed significantly higher elastic modulus in all groups (p<0.05). After erosive cycles, the greatest decrease in hardness and elastic modulus was observed for BBR. TNC showed higher wear resistance than the other resin-based materials (p<0.05). The BBR specimens immersed in acidic solutions showed higher wear rates than the artificial saliva group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Conventional resin composite showed higher hardness and elastic modulus than bulk-fill materials when exposed to acidic beverages but comparable or lower wear resistance. Degradation due to acidic beverages most affected the mechanical properties of giomer bulk-fill.

Clinical and radiological characteristics of tumefactive demyelinating lesions: follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Demyelinating lesions over 20 mm in size, referred to as tumefactive demyelinating lesions, can be misdiagnosed as being either a tumor or an abscess. Although some radiological characteristics can help make a differential diagnosis easier, a cerebral biopsy may still be necessary. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to assess the clinical characteristics of tumefactive lesions, with or without a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), and present follow-up data for 54 patients with tumefactive lesions. METHODS: Demographic, clinical, radiological and laboratory data were gathered and treatment responses were evaluated in a total of 54 patients from five medical centers. RESULT: Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed with tumefactive lesions at the onset, whereas 25 patients were diagnosed with tumefactive lesions after a diagnosis of MS. Median follow-up was 38.12 months. At final examination, 19 of the patients with a tumefactive lesion diagnosis at the onset eventually developed relapsing-remitting MS, while 10 remained with the condition as a clinically isolated syndrome. The tumefactive lesions studied were mostly focal, with closed-ring enhancement. We found that oligoclonal band positivity was less frequent in the patients with tumefactive onset. CONCLUSION: Although our demographic data were similar to formerly collected Turkish MS data, we found that the distribution of the patients' clinical course differed if there was an absence of primary progressive MS and that there was a lower frequency of secondary progressive MS cases in our group of patients. We believe that less frequent oligoclonal band positivity and the difference we witnessed in the clinical course of disease in our study groups suggest that there is a need for further studies to compare all the biological and immunological differences between MS and tumefactive lesion cases, in order to reveal whether there are different pathogenetic mechanisms involved.

Three-year Clinical Performance of Two Giomer Restorative Materials in Restorations.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The clinical performance of both conventional and flowable giomer restorative materials was particularly good in Class I restorations after three years of service. SUMMARY: This study evaluated and compared the clinical performance of a flowable and a conventional giomer restorative material after three years. Forty-four pairs of restorations (total n=88) were placed in Class I cavities with either a flowable giomer (Beautifil Flow Plus F00; Shofu Inc, Kyoto, Japan) or a conventional giomer restorative material (Beautifil II; Shofu Inc) after the application of a dentin adhesive (FL-Bond II; Shofu Inc) and a flowable liner (Beautifil Flow Plus F03; Shofu Inc). After 3 years, 39 pairs of restorations were evaluated with the modified United States Public Health Service criteria, and digital color photographs of restorations were taken at each patient visit. The evaluation parameters were as follows: color match, marginal integrity, marginal discoloration, retention, secondary caries formation, anatomic form, surface texture, and postoperative sensitivity. Evaluations were recorded as a clinically ideal situation (Alpha), a clinically acceptable situation (Bravo), or a clinically unacceptable situation (Charlie). Data were analyzed with Fisher's exact and McNemar tests (α=0.05).None of the restorations showed retention loss, postoperative sensitivity, secondary caries, or color change. The performance of Beautifil II in terms of marginal integrity, marginal discoloration, and surface anatomic form was significantly lower at the 36-month follow-up than at baseline (p=0.007). There were no significant differences between the baseline and 36-month follow-up scores for the other criteria for Beautifil II (p>0.05). No differences were found between the baseline and the 36-month follow-up scores for any of the criteria for Beautifil Flow Plus F00 (p>0.05). No statistically significant difference in overall clinical performance was found between the 2 materials after 36 months (p>0.05).The three-year clinical performance of both restorative materials (Beautifil Flow Plus F00 and Beautifil II) was very good and not significantly different for any of the parameters evaluated.

Effect of sodium phenytoin concentration on neural tube development in the early stages of chicken embryo development.

Animal and human research has shown that anticonvulsants are teratogens and pose a risk of causing fetal malformations. In various studies, the teratogenic effects of sodium phenytoin (PTH) in several systems have been investigated. Toe and finger, renal, and even facial malformations have been described in the literature. However, there is debate about whether the true risk of teratogenesis is lower or higher than previously reported for PTH. There is also little published information on the effect of this agent on neural tube closure in an embryological model. In this study, 0.1 mL of three different concentrations of PTH solution (mg/mL: 1, 3, 5) or vehicle was applied under the embryonic disc of specific pathogen-free Leghorn chicken embryos after 24 hours' incubation. Incubation was continued until 72 hours of maturation. At 72 hours, all embryos were evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. There were serious neural tube closure defects in the embryos administered large amounts (0.5 mg) of PTH, but doses of 0.1 mg (subtherapeutic concentration for humans) and 0.3mg (therapeutic concentration for humans) produced no statistically significant defects (p=0.05). The difference between the defects in the high concentration group and the other three groups was statistically significant. In our study PTH administered in a strict concentration regimen produced a lower level of neural tube closure-related defects than previously reported.

Effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser on the microtensile bond strength of two different adhesives to the sound and caries-affected dentin.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on the microtensile bond strength (microTBS) of a three-step etch-and-rinse and a two-step self-etch adhesive to sound and caries-affected dentin. METHODS: Sixteen freshly extracted human molars with occlusal dentin caries were used. The caries lesion was removed by one of the following methods: conventional treatment with burs or Er,Cr:YSGG laser (Waterlase MD, Biolase). The adhesive systems (AdheSE, Ivoclar Vivadent and Scotchbond Multi Purpose, 3M ESPE) were applied to the entire tooth surface according to the manufacturers' instructions. Resin composites were applied to the adhesive-treated dentin surfaces and light-cured. Each tooth was sectioned into multiple beams with the "non-trimming" version of the microtensile test. The specimens were subjected to microtensile forces (BISCO Microtensile Tester, BISCO). The data was analyzed by three-way ANOVA and independent t-tests (p=0.05). RESULTS: Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation exhibited similar microTBS values compared to that of conventional bur treatment, regardless of the adhesive system and type of treated dentin. The self-etch system revealed lower microTBS values, both with conventional and laser treatment techniques, compared to the etch-and-rinse adhesive in sound and caries-affected dentin (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation did not negatively affect the bonding performance of adhesive systems to sound and caries-affected dentin.

Accelerated forgetting and verbal memory consolidation process in idiopathic nondement Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Episodic memory impairment and underlying pathophysiology in Parkinson's Disease (PD) is poorly investigated. Formerly, it was thought to be a secondary effect of impairment in fronto-striatal circuit. However, recent studies hypothesized that there is a dual progression of PD and memory loss is possibly related to posterior cortex rather than frontal. To understand the impairment, underlying mechanisms should be investigated. Although consolidation is one of these mechanisms consolidation phase of episodic memory in PD was not investigated yet. Recently accelerated long term forgetting (ALF) phenomenon is emphasized in consolidation researches. METHOD: Here it is evaluated the presence of accelerated long-term forgetting in nondemented PD as a consequence of a deficit in consolidation process. 32 patients and 33 controls participated in the study. Turkish Verbal Memory Process Test (VMPT) was applied to both groups. Delayed recall (DR) scores collected after 30 min, one week and six weeks. Forgetting rates were calculated based on these scores. RESULTS: There was significant difference in DR scores of patients compared to controls in the 30th minute and sixth week. Forgetting rate between 30th minute-1st week did not differ but 1st-6th week was found statistically significant across groups. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating verbal memory consolidation in PD. Results suggested that impairment is possibly related to the late phase of consolidation of verbal memory in neocortex.

Surgical approaches for antrochoanal polyp: a comparative analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and histopathological characteristics of antrochoanal polyps (ACPs) and to perform a comparative analysis of surgical techniques in terms of recurrence. METHODS: The clinical, radiological and histopathological features of 42 patients with a diagnosis of ACP who underwent surgery in a period of 6 years (January 2000 - January 2006) were investigated retrospectively. Histopathological examinations were present for all patients and were re-examined for histological analysis. RESULTS: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) was performed in all patients. Transcanine sinoscopy (TS) and the Caldwell-Luc approach (CL) were used in addition to ESS in 14 and 13 patients respectively. The attachment site was detected in 21 patients (50%) and the most frequent site was found to be the lateral wall in 15 patients (71.4%). There was no relationship between the choice of surgery, the attachment site or accessory ostium, or any sinusitis with ACP. Histological examination showed prominent eosinophilia in 29 patients (69%). The follow-up time was a minimum of 12 months with a mean of 28.9 months. Three recurrences were seen after ESS. However, there was no recurrence after ESS+TS and ESS+CL. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the most important factors affecting the choice of surgical approaches are the preference of the surgeon, the age of the patient and the presence of recurrent disease. Combined approaches with either TS or CL should be considered, particularly when the attachment site of the antral part of ACP is undetected, in order to prevent incomplete excision and recurrences.

Tracheopathia osteoplastica associated with iron deficiency anemia.

Tracheopathia osteoplastica (TPO) is a benign disease of trachea characterised by numerous cartilaginous or bony structures protruding into tracheobronchial lumen. We report a case of a 85-year-old male patient in whom tracheopathia osteoplastica was diagnosed incidentally during bronchoscopy which was missed on chest computed tomography examination. The patient also had iron deficiency anemia, the cause of which was not identified. We review TPO and discuss the associated abnormalities reported in the literature.

Antibacterial activities of MDPB and fluoride in dentin bonding agents.

The aim of this study was to compare in vitro antibacterial activity of MDPB containing bonding system ABF with activities of three Fluoride containing bonding systems (Fuji Bond LC (FBLC), Prime&Bond NT (PBNT), and FluoroBond (FLB). Two bacterial strains were tested: Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The study was performed on Muller Hinton Agar by Agar Well Technique. The bacterial agar was evenly distributed over the surface of petri dishes. Standard wells were punched into the agar. The test materials were placed in the wells of Muller Hinton agar plates, inoculated with Streptococcus mutans NCTC10449 and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The diameters of inhibition zones produced around the materials were measured after 24 h of incubation at 37 +/- 1 degrees C. For statistical analysis, Duncan's multiple range test was used. The primers of bonding agents were highly effective against to Streptococcus mutans. The MDPB containing primer of ABF Bond produced the greatest inhibition zones against to Lactobacillus acidophilus. It was followed by FLB primer. Lactobacillus acidophilus was resistant to FBLC primer and bonding, ABF, PBNT and FLB bonding agents. The results of this study indicated that, incorporation of MDPB in primer of self-etch system increased its antibacterial activity especially against to Lactobacillus acidophilus. However, all bonding systems except for bonding agent of ABF showed some antibacterial activity against to Streptococcus mutans.

Diagnostic value of sialic acid in malignant pleural effusions.

In this study, we measured pleural fluid and serum sialic acid levels in 70 consecutive patients hospitalized with pleural effusions and serum sialic acid concentrations in 20 healthy individuals chosen as control group. The cause of 26 pleural effusions was malignancy, and diseases other than malignant neoplasms were determined as the cause of 44 cases. Mean serum sialic acid levels in the patients with malignancies were higher than the levels in patients with nonmalignant diseases and the control group. Mean sialic acid level in the patients with nonmalignant diseases was increased compared with control group, but this increase was not as high as that in the patients with malignancies. In the patients with malignant neoplasms, mean pleural fluid sialic acid content was also higher than that found in other diseases. Sialic acid concentration of pleural fluid was correlated with serum concentration. However, pleural fluid to serum sialic acid ratio in malignant diseases was greater than that in the others. The specificity and sensitivity of pleural fluid sialic acid level in excess of 0.075 mg/ml in distinguishing malignant effusions were 68 percent and 77 percent, respectively. These values for pleural fluid/serum sialic acid ratio with the cut-off level of 0.7 were 55 percent and 65 percent. Our findings indicate that determination of sialic acid level in malignant pleural effusions has a diagnostic value.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in Cukurova Province, Turkey.

The prevalence of red cell G6PD deficiency was studied by a fluorescence screening test in 5 different ethnic populations of Cukurova province. Analyses were performed on samples from the parents of each family unit. The frequency of occurrence in the population was calculated using family trees. 4 551 subjects representing 17 225 offspring from 18 villages were screened and a high incidence of G6PD deficiency was found in the Arabic speaking ethnic groups from Adana (10.4%) and Anthiochus regions (8.1%), whereas the deficiency was only 3.1% in Armenians, 0.8% in mixed villages and 0.5% in Turcomans. This study reveals that the high frequency of this deficiency found in some ethnic populations must be taken into account prior to the treatment of malaria with primaquine.

Mortality-lowering effect of systemic corticosteroid therapy in severe tetanus.

In a double-blind therapeutic trial, 32 patients suffering from severe tetanus were given prednisolone and 31 a placebo in addition to standard treatment. Mortality was lower in the prednisolone-treated group (31%) than in the placebo-treated group (55%). The women had more severe symptoms and a higher mortality than the men. The results suggest that the addition of a corticosteroid to standard treatment will lower mortality in tetanus, although meticulous nursing care is still the most important factor in treatment.

Malignant teratoma of the cerebellopontine angle: case report.

A case of malignant teratoma of the cerebellopontine angle is presented. Preoperative findings suggested an acoustic neurinoma or a meningioma. Particularly in adulthood, malignant teratomas arising in unusual locations can simulate common intracranial tumors.

The principles of surgical management in dumbbell tumors.

OBJECTIVE: Tumors located in posterior mediastinum that extends into spinal canal via intervertebral foramen are called as Dumb-bell or Sand-glass tumors. Most of these tumors are neurogenic in origin but sometimes other rare tumors can also form in this shape. Herein three neurogenic tumors of the mediastinum that extended into the spinal canal are presented METHODS: In all patients that have been operated in our clinic during 1992-1993, we preferred one-stage removal described by Akwari that consists of posterior laminectomy by neurosurgical team to free the tumor within the spinal cord followed by a posterolateral thoracotomy and excision of the tumor by thoracic surgeons in the same setting. RESULTS: All three patients are alive and free of symptoms after 23, 16 and 13 months respectively. According to the pathological examinations of the specimens in the three patients, the exact diagnosis were reported as neurofibroma, paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In recent reports, a combined surgical approach is recommended for dumb-bell neurogenic tumors in posterior mediastinum. We also recommend a combined and one stage removal of dumb-bell neurogenic tumors if possible. A team-work of thoracic and neurosurgeons will minimize the morbidity and mortality after the surgical procedure, as well as giving the opportunity to remove the tumor totally in one session.

Regional bond strengths of adhesive resins to pulp chamber dentin.

Microleakage of oral microorganisms, which can occur due to the lack of sealing ability of permanent restorative materials, may cause failure of root canal treatments. Although a great deal of research has been done on sealing enamel and coronal dentin with resins, little research has been done on the adhesion of resins to the walls of pulp chambers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate regional bond strengths of two adhesive systems to the walls of pulp chambers. A section was made horizontally through the middle of the pulp chamber of extracted human third molars to divide the chamber into upper and lower halves. The pulp tissue was removed and the tooth segments were then divided into treatment subgroups. The pulp chambers were bonded with C&B Metabond (Parkell) or One-Step (Bisco), with or without 5% NaOCI pretreatment. The microtensile bond strengths of these resins to four different pulp chamber regions (bottom, wall, roof, and pulp horn areas) were then measured using an Instron machine. The data were expressed in MPa and were analyzed by a three-way ANOVA. Statistically significant differences were found among the test groups (p < 0.001). One-Step produced higher bond strengths to all pulp chamber regions except the floor, compared with C&B Metabond. The results indicated that high bond strengths can be achieved between adhesive resins and the various regions of the pulp chamber. This should permit the use of a thick layer of unfilled resin along the floor of the pulp chamber and over the canal orifices as a secondary protective seal after finishing root canal therapy.

Liquid extradural hematoma with congenital fibrinogen deficiency. Case report.

A case of extradural hematoma in a child with congenital fibrinogen deficiency is reported. Although the hematoma was 3 days old, it was purely liquid.

Comparison of antibacterial activity of two dentin bonding systems using agar well technique and tooth cavity model.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the antibacterial activities of two dentin bonding systems (ABF, Kuraray and Reactmer Bond, Shofu) by a conventional agar well technique and a newly designed in vitro test using tooth model. METHODS: In the agar well technique, the test materials were filled in the wells of Muller Hinton agar plates inoculated with Streptococcus mutans NCTC10449, and the diameters of inhibition zones produced around the materials were measured after 24h of incubation. For the tooth model test, three cavities (diameter 1mm, depth 2mm) were prepared in the flat occlusal dentin of human extracted molar. After sterilization, the teeth were left in broth culture of 1.56 x 10(8)CFU/ml of S. mutans at 37 degrees C for 72h for allowing bacteria to invade the cavity. The dentin bonding systems were applied separately to each of the two infected cavities, and the third cavity was left unapplied for control. After sealing the occlusal surfaces, the teeth were kept in physiologic saline solution at 37 degrees C for 72h. The standardized amounts of dentin chips (120+/-5mg) were obtained from the cavity walls and the number of bacteria recovered was determined. The results were analyzed by One Way ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney's U tests. RESULTS: The primer of ABF and Reactmer Bond produced inhibition zones with similar sizes (p>0.05), but the bonding resin of ABF did not produce any inhibition. When tested by the model cavity method, the application of ABF resulted in significantly less bacterial recovery than Reactmer Bond (p<0.05), demonstrating substantial antibacterial effects. CONCLUSIONS: The tooth model method used in this study was effective for evaluating the substantial antibacterial effects of dentin bonding agents, and the experimental dentin bonding system ABF was demonstrated to be able to inactivate the bacteria in the cavity effectively in comparison with little antibacterial activity shown by Reactmer Bond.

A simple method for single anterior tooth replacement.

PURPOSE: This article reports a case in which a recently extracted tooth was used as a natural tooth pontic bonded to the teeth on either side of the missing tooth using a Ribbond ribbon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A bondable, reinforcing polyethylene ribbon was used to bond a natural tooth pontic to adjacent teeth. RESULTS: Acceptable esthetics were obtained and the result was satisfactory for the patient. CONCLUSION: After one year of clinical use, direct construction of a single-tooth replacement using the natural tooth pontic still provided satisfactory esthetics and function. The technology which makes this adhesive restoration possible is the development of a high strength, high molecular weight, biocompatible polyethylene fiber. This easily handled material must be evaluated in long-term clinical studies.

Bonding strength to two different surfaces of dentin under simulated pulpal pressure.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this in vitro study was to measure and compare the in vitro shear bond strengths (SBS) of the following dentin bonding systems to different dentin surfaces under simulated pulpal pressure: Liner Bond 2 (self-etching) (LB2), Liner Bond 2V (self-etching) (LB2V), Opti Bond Solo (single component) (OBS), Fuji Bond LC (filled) (FBLC), Prime & Bond 2-1 (single component) (P&B2-1), and Solid Bond (total etching) (SB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Occlusal and buccal surfaces of 60 extracted human molars were prepared to expose the dentin bonding surface. After being wet ground with 600-grit abrasive papers, teeth were randomly assigned to 6 equal groups of 10 each. The dentin surfaces were treated with the bonding systems mentioned above, and resin composite cylinders (Clearfil AP-X) were built up under simulated pulpal pressure when diluted bovine serum was used as the pulpal fluid. After one day of storage in 37 degrees C water, the specimens were shear tested to failure on an Instron machine. RESULTS: The data were statistically analyzed with the Student's t-test and a post hoc Tukey test. Comparing buccal surfaces, the post hoc Tukey test indicated no significant differences among all the test groups (p > 0.05). On occlusal surfaces, the post hoc Tukey test indicated significant differences among the tested groups (p < 0.05). The Student's t test revealed significant differences between the occlusal and buccal shear bond strength values in LB 2, LB2V, and SB groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The strength of adhesion to dentin depends upon both the adhesive system used - with self-etching systems tending to show higher bond strengths than the other materials tested - and the location of the dentin, with significantly higher SBS being found on buccal surfaces in 3 of the 7 tested bonding systems.