[Transient changes in food preference in a patient with cerebellar infarction].

A 44-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to dizziness and ataxia of the trunk and right upper limb. Brain MRI revealed an acute infarct lesion in the right posterior inferior cerebellar artery territory. In addition to the cognitive deterioration observed in the subacute phase, a change was noted in her food preference-from light-tasting, low-caloric Japanese cuisine, sugarless coffee, and hot drinks to strong-tasting, high-caloric Western cuisine, sugar-rich coffee, and iced drinks. Single-photon emission computed tomography showed hypoperfusion in the bilateral frontal lobes and right cerebellum. These cognitive and food preference-related changes were gradually restored over six months after the onset. The reduced cerebral blood flow in the bilateral frontal lobes also restored along with the clinical improvement, with the maximal changes in the bilateral subcallosal areas. This case suggests that changes in food preference can occur as a symptom of cerebellar infarction, possibly by the mechanism similar to cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome.

Effects of a convenient silica-coating treatment on shear bond strengths of porcelain veneers on zirconia-based ceramics.

Porcelain veneering of zirconia is necessary, but chipping of the veneer may cause clinical problems. We investigated the effects of silica coating to improve the bond strength between porcelain veneers and zirconia-based ceramics. The ceramics tested were zirconia/alumina nanocomposites stabilized with ceria. Three surface treatments, grinding with a carborundum point (CA), sandblasting with alumina (SB), and Silano-Pen treatment (SP), were performed. Untreated specimens (NT) were examined as a control. The surface roughnesses and contact angles after treatment were measured. Shear bond tests were conducted, and the average strengths were calculated. EPMA was used for elemental identifications and surface observations. The bond strengths with SP were 20.00±3.43MPa and were significantly larger than that (15.35±3.12 MPa) of NT (p<0.05). However, differences among treated specimens were not significant. Moreover, SP gave superior wettability, and smoothness as good as NT. These data suggest that SP affects the bond strength between zirconia and a porcelain veneer.