Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients with and without improvement after mandibular manipulation and conservative physical therapy for temporomandibular joint disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with anterior disk displacement without reduction (ADDWOR) who improved to anterior disk displacement with reduction (ADDWR) vs. patients who did not improve after mandibular manipulation (MM) and conservative self-administered physical therapy (CSAPT). STUDY DESIGN: Of 15 patients diagnosed with ADDWOR by MRI, 7 improved to ADDWR (WOR-WR) and 8 did not improve (WOR-WOR). The clinical and MRI findings before and after therapy were compared in each group. RESULTS: Significant differences between the groups included age, period of awareness of trismus, and maximum mouth opening (MMO). The MRI findings revealed significant differences in the degree of ADD and morphology of the disk and condyle. MMO significantly improved in the WOR-WR group between initial and follow-up visits. CONCLUSION: Patients who were successfully treated with MM and CSAPT tended to be <30 years old, with a longer period of awareness of trismus, MMO <40 mm, a slight or moderate degree of ADD, no deformity of the disk, and no morphologic change in the condyle. Patients with ADDWOR who are treated with MM and CSAPT require an accurate clinical examination and MRI before treatment.

Differential diagnosis between calcifying odontogenic cyst and adenomatoid odontogenic tumor by computed tomography images.

OBJECTIVES: Calcifying odontogenic cysts (COC) and adenomatoid odontogenic tumors (AOT) have similar radiographic findings. We examined the radiographic and computed tomography (CT) images of patients histologically diagnosed with COC or AOT and identified their characteristic findings. METHODS: The subjects included 12 patients histologically diagnosed with COC or AOT (one female and five males per group), who underwent CT at our hospital between Nov 1998 and Jun 2019. The location of the lesion, impacted tooth, bone expansion, root resorption, tooth migration, calcified body, and presence or absence of a high-intensity zone in the marginal area of the lesion were examined. RESULTS: In patients with COC, five patients with COC exhibited bone expansion toward the buccal side. The lesion encompassing the crown was attached to the cement-enamel junction and contained a radiopaque lesion with a calcified body. In 6 patients with COC, irregularly shaped calcified bodies were observed with small tooth-like structures. In patients with AOT, all six patients with AOT exhibited bone expansion toward the buccal and lingual sides. The lesion encompasses a part of the tooth root or the entire tooth. Punctate calcification was observed within the lesion and the marginal area in three patients, and a high-intensity zone was observed in the marginal area of the lesion in two patients. CONCLUSION: We report imaging findings that may be characteristic of COC and AOT, suggesting that CT findings may be useful for differentiating between COC and AOT.

Development of novel polyglycerol fatty acid ester-based nanoparticles for the dermal delivery of tocopherol acetate.

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate novel polyglycerol fatty acid ester (PGFE)-based nanoparticles (NPs) for the dermal delivery of tocopherol acetate (TA). TA-loaded PGFE-based NPs (PGFE-NPs) were prepared by mixing PGFE, soya phosphatidylcholine, dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol, and TA with film using the film rehydration and extrusion method. The prepared formulations were analyzed by dynamic light scattering, small-angle X-ray diffraction and polarization microscopy. An in vitro skin accumulation test was performed with TA under occlusive and non-occlusive applications, using Yucatan micropig skin. The size range of the TA-loaded liposome and PGFE-NPs was 107-128 nm, and they were encapsulated in 1.6-2.3 mg/mL TA. All PGFE-NP formulations were negatively charged and stable for 2 weeks. Under occlusive applications, all formulations induced small amounts of TA accumulation in the epidermis but not in the dermis. However, under non-occlusive applications, some of PGFE-NP formulations enhanced TA accumulation in the epidermis. Furthermore, only the polyglycerol 4-laurate (PG4L)-based formulation induced dermal TA accumulation with the change in the formulation from a vesicular to bilayer stacked structure following water evaporation under non-occlusive applications. These results indicated that the novel TA-loaded PG4L formulation enabled the dermal delivery of TA in non-occlusive applications.

Small-Scale Spherical Granulation Using a Planetary Centrifugal Mixer.

A concise spherical granulation method is required to prepare extemporaneously granules remanufactured from oral dosage forms for administration to individuals who cannot swallow tablets or capsules. In this study, we determined the feasibility of spherical granulation using a planetary centrifugal mixer. A model formulation, 20% ibuprofen (IBP) granules, was prepared using a lactose/cornstarch (7 : 3, w/w) mixture or D-mannitol as diluents, and changes in granule characteristics (mean diameter (d50), distribution range of granule size (span), and yield) were evaluated according to the amount of water added and the granulation time. The amount of water was assessed using the plastic limit value as measured using a digital force gauge. We successfully produced granules, and larger amounts of water and longer granulation times resulted in larger d50 values and smaller span values. The optimal granulation time was 45 s and the optimal water contents were 70 and 67.5% of the plastic limit value for the lactose/cornstarch mixture and D-mannitol, respectively. When compared to commercial 20% IBP granules, powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analyses showed that the granulation process did not alter the crystallinity of the drug. Thus, this novel granulation method using a planetary centrifugal mixer may be a promising technique for compounding in pharmacies and in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

MicroRNA-204 regulates osteogenic induction in dental follicle cells.

The dental follicle is an ectomesenchymal tissue surrounding developing tooth germ that contains osteoblastic-lineage-committed stem/progenitor cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression during stem cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. The aim of this study was to investigate the key regulators of miRNA during osteogenic differentiation in human dental follicle cells (hDFC). We analyzed miRNA expression profiles in hDFC during osteoblastic differentiation. Expression of miR-204 was decreased in hDFC during osteogenic induction on microarray analysis. Real-time and RT-PCR analysis also showed that the expression of miR-204 was decreased in all three hDFC during osteogenic differentiation. To investigate whether miR-204 has an effect on osteogenic differentiation, miR-204 was predicted to target alkaline phosphatase (ALP), secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), and Runx2 in the in the 3'-UTRs by in silico analysis. When miR-204 was transfected into hDFC, the activity of ALP and protein levels of SPARC and Runx2 were decreased. mRNA levels of ALP, SPARC and Runx2 were also decreased by miR-204 transfection. Our data suggest that miR-204 negatively regulates the osteogenic differentiation of hDFC by targeting the bone-specific transcription factor Runx2, the mineralization maker ALP and the bone extracellular matrix protein SPARC.