Condylar and occlusal changes after high condylectomy and orthodontic treatment for condylar hyperplasia.

Condylar hyperplasia (CH) of human temporomandibular joint (TMJ) often occurs unilaterally, and causes occlusal disturbance and facial asymmetry. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of high condylectomy with and without postsurgical orthodontic treatment. Forty patients were diagnosed as having active CH and treated with high condylectomy. Patients in group A (n=24) took the postsurgical orthodontic therapy immediately after surgery, and those in group B (n=16) did not take orthodontic therapy. For both groups, the mandibular ramus height on the affected side was decreased significantly after surgery. Orthodontic treatment promoted maxillary alveolar remodeling significantly by depressing alveolar bone of the affected side and increasing alveolar bone of the nonaffected side. Better improvement for facial midline deviations was observed in group A than in group B. In both groups, the condylar remodeling was observed and manifested by the smoothening of condylar surface and returning of condyle to normal position in glenoid fossa. It was concluded that high condylectomy in the treatment of active CH of TMJ improved the functional occlusion and facial aesthetic. Postsurgical orthodontic therapy could more effectively enhance maxillary alveolar and condylar remodeling, and more rapidly and meticulously establish the stable occlusal and normal position of condyle than the spontaneous remodeling.

Optimizing the Utilization of Steel Slag in Cement-Stabilized Base Layers: Insights from Freeze-Thaw and Fatigue Testing.

This paper presents a study on the mechanical properties of cement-stabilized steel-slag-based materials under freeze-thaw cycles for a highway project in Xinjiang. Using 3D scanning technology the specimen model conforming to the real steel slag shape was established. The objectives of the study are as follows: to explore the sensitivity between the macro- and micro-parameters of the specimen and to establish a non-linear regression equation; and to study the changes in mechanical properties of materials under freeze-thaw cycles, fatigue loading, and coupled freeze-thaw cycle-fatigue loading. The results show that there are three stages of compression damage of the specimen, namely, linear elasticity, peak plasticity, and post-peak decline. Maximum contact forces between cracks and particles occur mainly in the shear zone region within the specimen. The compression damage of the specimen is a mixed tensile-shear damage dominated by shear damage. When freeze-thaw cycles or fatigue loads are applied alone, the flexural strength and fatigue life of the specimens show a linear relationship of decline. The decrease in flexural modulus at low stress is divided into the following: a period of rapid decline, a relatively smooth period, and a period of fracture, with a tendency to change towards linear decay with increasing stress. In the case of freeze-thaw-fatigue coupling, the flexural modulus of the specimen decreases drastically by about 50% in the first 2 years, and then enters a period of steady decrease in flexural modulus in the 3rd-5th years.

Hybrid surgery management challenges of a Behcet's disease patient with recurrence of aortic aneurysms: a case report.

Background: Behcet's disease is a vasculitis of unknown origin that can involve multiple organs or tissues. Aneurysm or pseudoaneurysm, also one of the complications of Behcet's disease, is usually accompanied by a poor prognosis. Surgery is usually accompanied by a high risk of complications, such as the recurrence of anastomotic pseudoaneurysms and blockage of the target vessel. Using hybrid surgery, we successfully treated a complex and recurrent abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysm in a patient with BD. Methods: We report a 32-year-old female diagnosed with Behcet's disease with recurrent thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. Adequate immunotherapy was given during the perioperative period. The splanchnic artery branches were reconstructed, and the aneurysm was sequestered with endovascular repair. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged from the hospital 8 days after hybrid surgery. At the 60-month follow-up, no aneurysm was observed, the stent had no displacement or internal leakage, and the reconstructed blood vessels were unobstructed. Conclusion: Hybrid surgery could be a feasible and effective strategy for BD aneurysms. Adequate preoperative and postoperative immunotherapy with arterial anastomosis away from the diseased artery may be the key to success.

Patent iliolumbar artery increase no risk of type II endoleaks after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm: a case-control study.

Objective: The aims of the present study were to explore the risk factors for type 2 endoleaks (T2ELs) after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) and the association between T2ELs and the iliolumbar artery. Materials and methods: A single-center, retrospective case-control study in West China Hospital was conducted among patients with infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) who underwent EVAR between June 2010 and June 2019. The associations of patient characteristics, anatomical factors, internal iliac artery embolization, and ILA with the primary outcome were analyzed. The secondary objective was to analyze survival and reintervention between the T2EL group and the non-T2EL group. Kaplan-Meier survival, propensity matching analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used. Results: A total of 603 patients were included. The median follow-up was 51 months (range 5.0-106.0). There was a significant difference in the diameter of the lumbar artery (LA), middle sacral artery (MSA) and inferior mesentery artery (IMA), proportion of thrombus and LA numbers. The univariate analysis showed that T2ELs were more likely to develop more thrombus in aneurysm cavity (OR = 0.294, p = 0.012), larger MSA (OR = 1.284, p = 0.04), LA (OR = 1.520, p = 0.015), IMA (OR = 1.056, p < 0.001) and more LAs (OR = 1.390, p = 0.019). The multivariate analysis showed that the number of LAs (HR: 1.349, 95% CI: 1.140-1.595, p < .001) and the diameter of the IMA (HR: 1.328, 95% CI: 1.078-1.636, p = 0.008) were significantly associated with T2ELs. There were no new findings from the propensity score matching. The reintervention-free survival rates were significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.048). Overall survival and AAA-related death rates were not different between the two group. This was consistent with the PSM analysis. Conclusion: The iliolumbar artery and the different internal iliac artery interventions may not increase the incidence of T2ELs. But the numbers of LAs and IMA diameter were independent risk factors for T2Els. T2ELs was associated with the reintervention but did not affect long-term survival or increase aneurysm-related mortality after EVAR.

Intravascular Fasciitis of the Jugular Vein Mimicking Thrombosis and Sarcoma: A Case Report.

Background: Intravascular fasciitis is a rare disease that is a reactive proliferative lesion of myofibroblasts. There are rare reports that intravascular fasciitis has invaded the jugular vein as seen in this case. Case Presentation: A 41-year-old female presented with right neck dull pain for 20 days. The appearance of the subcutaneous mass was oval, pink hyaline, well-demarcated, and measuring ~5 mm in diameter. Microscopically, the mass was composed of spindle cells arranged in intersecting fascicles. Immunohistochemical stains showed that the spindle cells were positive for smooth muscle actin and negative for S-100, Desmin, MyoD1, and elastin stains. The nuclei of the spindle cells were relatively uniform, and mitotic activity was observed. The overall morphological and immunohistochemical features are consistent with intravascular fasciitis. Conclusion: Due to the rapid growth and vascular invasion, intravascular fasciitis created a high risk of misdiagnosing it as a sarcoma or thrombosis. Reporting this uncommon case, we raise awareness of this non-neoplastic lesion, and careful, light microscopic examination combined with immunohistochemical staining aids in the diagnosis of intravascular fasciitis.

Influence of resonances on spectral formation of x-ray lines in Fe XVII.

New theoretical results from large-scale relativistic close coupling calculations reveal the precise effect of resonances in collisional excitation of x-ray lines of Ne-like Fe XVII. By employing the Breit-Pauli R-matrix method and an 89-level eigenfunction expansion, including up to n = 4 levels, significant resonance enhancement of the collision strengths of forbidden and intercombination transitions is shown. The present results should help resolve long-standing discrepancies; in particular, the present line ratios of three benchmark diagnostic lines 3C, 3D, and 3E at 15.014, 15.265, and 15.456 A, respectively, are in excellent agreement with two independent measurements on electron-beam ion traps. Strong energy dependence in cross sections due to resonances is demonstrated.