Changes in pneumatization of the maxillary air sinuses in Korean adults following biomimetic oral appliance therapy.

OBJECTIVE: For the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adults, mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are often used. Since adults with a prognathic mandibular phenotype are at risk of developing an unfavorable facial profile, midfacial development using biomimetic oral appliance therapy might provide a suitable alternative. However, the effect of this procedure on the maxillary air sinuses is unknown; therefore, changes in sinus pneumatization were investigated in this study. METHODS: After obtaining informed consent, 16 consecutive Korean adults with midfacial hypoplasia had 3D cone-beam (CB) CT scans taken, and biomimetic upper appliances (DNA appliance®, Vivos Therapeutics, Inc., USA) were constructed.All subjects were instructed to wear the device 12-16 h/day. Each month, examination for the progress of midfacial development was recorded. Post-treatment, a follow-up 3D CBCT scan was undertaken with no device in the patient's mouth. Pre- and post-treatment linear and volumetric measurements were obtained using appropriate software, and compared statistically using t-tests. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 25.0 yrs ± 8.7. The mean treatment time was 15.5 mths ± 5.2. Post-treatment, the transpalatal bone width increased from 35.3 mm ± 3.0 to 38.5 mm ± 2.0 (P < 0.001); the maxillary air sinus volume on the left side increased from 18.8 cm3 ± 6.5 to 20.0 cm3 ± 6.0 (P < 0.05), and from 18.5 cm3 ± 5.7 to 19.7 cm3 ± 5.8 (P < 0.05) on the right side. CONCLUSIONS: Biomimetic oral appliance therapy may be able to increase the maxillary air sinus volume in adults. In view of these preliminary findings, further studies on the effect of enhanced pneumatization on paranasal sinus function and sleep parameters are warranted.

Hearing results after ossiculoplasty using Polycel prosthesis.

CONCLUSIONS: Polycel is an effective material to use in ossiculoplasty. Good prognostic factors for hearing improvement after ossiculoplasty were healthy middle ear mucosa and the presence of stapes superstructure. OBJECTIVE: During the last decade, the surgical use of alloplasts has become increasingly widespread among otologists. This study aimed to evaluate the hearing results after ossiculoplasty using Polycel prosthesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 188 patients who underwent ossicular chain reconstruction using Polycel prosthesis and were followed up postoperatively for more than 12 months at Severance Eye-ENT Hospital from 1998 to 2002. Postoperative hearing results were assessed by measuring the postoperative air-bone gap (ABG) and closure of the ABG. Successful postoperative ABG criteria were defined as the following three measurements: ABG of

Antifungal mechanism of an antimicrobial peptide, HP (2--20), derived from N-terminus of Helicobacter pylori ribosomal protein L1 against Candida albicans.

The antifungal activity and mechanism of HP (2-20), a peptide derived from the N-terminus sequence of Helicobacter pylori Ribosomal Protein L1 were investigated. HP (2--20) displayed a strong antifungal activity against various fungi, and the antifungal activity was inhibited by Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ions. In order to investigate the antifungal mechanism(s) of HP (2-20), fluorescence activated flow cytometry was performed. As determined by propidium iodide staining, Candida albicans treated with HP (2-20) showed a higher fluorescence intensity than untreated cells and was similar to melittin-treated cells. The effect on fungal cell membranes was examined by investigating the change in membrane dynamics of C. albicans using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene as a membrane probe and by testing the membrane disrupting activity using liposome (PC/PS; 3:1, w/w) and by treating protoplasts of C. albicans with the peptide. The action of peptide against fungal cell membrane was further examined by the potassium-release test, and HP (2-20) was able to increase the amount of K(+) released from the cells. The result suggests that HP (2-20) may exert its antifungal activity by disrupting the structure of cell membrane via pore formation or directly interacts with the lipid bilayers in a salt-dependent manner.