Comparison of skeletal and dental effects of two different tooth-tissue-borne types of rapid maxillary expansion appliances: A CBCT retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the skeletal and dental effects of different types of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) appliances using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIALS/METHODS: This multi-centre study was conducted with a total of 56 patients. The sample consisted of two groups including the McNamara-Type RME (MNR) group with 30 patients (16 females, 14 males, mean age: 13.38 ± 1.16 years) and Full-Coverage RME (FCR) group with 26 patients (10 females, 16 males, mean age:13.78 ± 1.06 years). Twenty-one parameters were measured on CBCT images including 4 maxillary skeletal, 12 maxillary alveolar, and 5 maxillary dental measurements, and the data were analysed using the SPSS 20.0 software. RESULTS: The rates of increase in the palatal maxillary width (PMW) (3), PMW(4), and PMW(6) were significantly higher in the MNR group (P < .05). While the rates of increase in the buccal maxillary width (BMW) (3) and BMW(4) were statistically higher in the MNR group, the rate of increase in BMW (6) was higher in the FCR group (P < .05). The increases in HPW (4), HPW (6), PAA4(°), and PAA6(°), which are parameters about hard palate width (HPW) and palatal alveolar angle (PAA), were also significantly higher in the MNR group (P < .05). The increases in PAW (4) and PAW (6), referring to the widths between the palatal root apices were significantly higher in the MNR group (P < .05).The increase in Slope-6(°) was also higher in the MNR group (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Expansion in the palatal region on the alveolar level was higher in MNR than in FCR, while expansion in FCR was the highest in the posterior. In both appliances, there was tipping in the buccal direction in both alveolar bone and teeth, and the rate of this tipping was higher in MNR.

Investigation of the relationship between maxillary dimensions and labial and palatal maxillary impacted canines using cone beam computed tomography.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the maxillary dimensions of individuals with labial and palatal bilateral maxillary canine impaction and a control group of individuals with no impaction using CBCT. METHODS: 45 patients were included in the study with age range of 13 to 18 and consisted of 22 females and 23 males. The sample included three groups of 15 patients as the control, labial and palatal group. The measurements made on the axial and coronal planes were made on the levels of the 1st premolar and the 1st molar. Also nasal cavity and anteroposterior depth were measured. RESULTS: The maxillary anteroposterior depth, basal first molar width, alveolar first molar and premolar width and first molar palatal vault depth of the control group were significantly higher than labial and palatal groups (p<0.05).The basal first premolar width of the control group was significantly higher than palatal group (p<0.05). The first premolar palatal vault depth and nasal cavity width of the palatal group were significantly lower than other groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The basal and alveolar widths associated with the molars and the palatal depths were lower in the impacted group than control group. The anatomical structures in the female patients were affected by the position of impaction to a higher extent in comparison to the anatomical structures in the male patients.

Evaluation of pharyngeal airway dimensions and cephalometric changes after premolar extraction and nonextraction orthodontic treatment in adolescent and adult patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of premolar extraction and non-extraction for orthodontic treatment on the skeletal, dentoalveolar and pharyngeal airway. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was carried out with the radiographs of a total of 130 patients at the ages of 14 to 25, including 59 male and 71 female patients. The cases were divided into two groups as the "extraction" group(2 upper premolar teeth) (n = 66) and the "non extraction" group (n = 64). RESULTS: Extraction Group:In both age groups, there was a statistically significant increase in the mean interincisal angle (U1xL1) and lower anterior facial height (ANS-Me) values(p < 0.05). In the 14-18 age group, there was a significant increase in the mean upper airway thickness, inferior airway space, hyoid position, soft palate length(PNSP) and upper pharynx values(p < 0.05). In both sexes, while the mean U1xL1 and ANS-Me values significantly increased, the mean upper incisors inclination values decreased significantly(p < 0.05). Non Extraction Group:In both age groups, the mean ANS-Me values increased significantly from T0 to T1(p < 0.05). In the 14-18 age group, the increase in the mean upper adenoid thickness, tongue length,PNSP, softpalate thickness and vertical airway length values was significant(p < 0.05). In the male patients, the mean U1xL1 value decreased significantly(p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The premolar teeth extraction performed in the patients receiving orthodontic treatment did not affect airway dimensions to a high extent.It was determined that the position of the hyoid bone and tongue length was not affected in the patients with premolar extraction and non extraction.

Image of Electroconvulsive Therapy in YouTube Videos.

OBJECTIVES: Image of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in TV shows and movies have been studied before. However, there is no study about image of ECT on YouTube as one of the most commonly used social media platforms for disseminating health information. Our study aims to study the image of ECT in YouTube videos. METHODS: Key word "Electroconvulsive therapy and ECT" were used to search on Youtube.com and only videos over 50,000 view counts and in English were selected. Above videos were reviewed by an ECT physician and were classified into neutral, negative, and positive groups based on the image of ECT. RESULTS: There were 41 YouTube videos selected based on the criteria as stated above, among which 14 were unrelated with ECT treatment, 8 were neutral, 9 were positive, and 10 were reflecting negative image about ECT. There was no significant difference among view counts of the positive, negative and neutral videos (χ = 2.746, P = 0.253). Furthermore, the most viewed 3 videos showed negative image of ECT. Additionally, only 6 videos showed the modified ECT and one showed both modified and nonmodified ECT. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study conducted on image of ECT in YouTube videos. We found the stigma against ECT may persist in digital video platforms, such as YouTube.

Comparison of hyoid bone positions and pharyngeal airway dimensions in different body mass index percentile adolescent subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Increased body mass index (BMI) is a growing problem worldwide and can affect medical conditions through morphological structures. The purpose of this study was to examine the hyoid bone position and pharyngeal airway dimensions on the sagittal section in different BMI percentile adolescent subjects. METHODS: Fifty-five adolescent patients were subdivided into three groups, considering their BMI percentiles: Normal-weight (16 subjects), overweight (20 subjects), and obese (19 subjects). A total of 13 linear and angular parameters of head posture angle, pharyngeal airway dimensions, and hyoid bone positions were investigated on 55 lateral cephalometric radiographs. RESULTS: Except for one hyoid bone measurement (RGN-H), there was no significant difference among groups. The RGN-H distances of obese and overweight adolescent subjects were higher than normal-weight adolescent subjects. CONCLUSION: Obese, overweight, and normal-weight adolescent subjects were likely to have similar hyoid bone position and pharyngeal airway dimensions.

Comparison of mandibular cortical bone among obese, overweight, and normal weight adolescents using panoramic mandibular index and mental index.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the mental index (MI) and panoramic mandibular index (PMI) of a group of adolescent patients in different body mass index (BMI) percentile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Subjects were divided into three different groups in accordance to their BMI percentile status: normal weight (35 subjects; mean age, 14.81 ± 2.12 years), overweight (32 subjects; mean age, 14.77 ± 2.56 years), and obese (33 subjects; mean age, 14.06 ± 2.59 years) groups. Mental index (MI) and panoramic mandibular index (PMI) were assessed on panoramic radiographs. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in PMI and MI that were observed among groups (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.001, respectivel). MI and PMI are higher in overweight and obese individuals than in normal-weight. CONCLUSIONS: Mandibular cortex was found thicker in patients who are obese and overweight compared to normal weight patients. We can suggest that young obese individuals' bone structure can be take in consideration in orthodontic or dental surgical treatment planning. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dense cortical bone may cause some difficulties in orthodontic and surgical treatment. Clinicians should understand obesity and overweight-related jaw bone changes and consider these factors to treat their patients.

Does YouTube™ offer high quality information? Evaluation of accelerated orthodontics videos.

BACKGROUND: YouTube™ is the foremost source of videos of all kinds of issues. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate videos related to accelerated orthodontic treatment on YouTube™ in terms of characteristics, content, popularity and viewers' assessments. METHODS: Six keywords related to accelerated orthodontic treatment were searched on YouTube™. After sorting by view-count, all 116 videos were evaluated, and the exclusion criteria were defined as: another language than English, unrelated to the topic, poor video quality and duplication. The remaining 80 videos were analyzed for general characteristics, primary purpose, information content, audio-visual quality. Also, viewers' interaction index, and viewing rate formulas were calculated for each video. RESULTS: The final 80 videos were viewed by users for 177,328 times in total. Most videos were uploaded by an educational institution (n = 40; 50.0%), followed by orthodontists (n = 20; 25.0%). Most of the videos (51.25%) were classified as having excellent general information content, 30.00% were rated as moderate, and 18.75% were rated as poor. The videos generally involved educational content (47.50%), followed by product presentation (20.00%), and then technical details about accelerated orthodontics (11.25%). Only 6.25% of the videos (n = 5) had viewers' interaction index values of greater than 3.00. Videos with excellent content had significantly higher interaction index values than others (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: YouTube™ could be preferred as an important source for patient information about accelerated orthodontics. Reliable informative videos should be uploaded by orthodontists or dental professionals in accelerated orthodontics.

Analysis of facial soft tissue values and cranial skeletal widths in different body mass index percentile adolescent subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze facial soft tissue thickness and cranial skeletal transverse widths in adolescent subjects with different body mass index (BMI) percentiles. METHODS: The 80 subjects were divided into three groups according to BMI percentile: normal-weight, overweight, and obese adolescent subjects. Facial soft tissue linear and cranial skeletal transversal width measurements were performed on lateral and postero-anterior cephalometric radiographs. RESULTS: Glabella, nasion, pogonion, and gnathion soft tissue thicknesses were significantly different among normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects (p < 0.05). However, other facial soft tissue thickness parameters were not statistically significantly different among the groups (p > 0.05). Moreover, there were no significant differences in cranial skeletal transversal widths among groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nasion soft tissue thickness was thicker in overweight subjects; whereas, glabella, pogonion and gnathion soft tissue thickness was thicker in obese subjects. All measured cranial skeletal widths were similar in normal-weight, overweight, and obese subjects.

A novel method to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement.

This clinical case report presents fixed orthodontic treatment of a patient with moderately crowded teeth. It was performed with a new technique called 'discision'. Discision method that was described for the first time by the present authors yielded predictable outcomes, and orthodontic treatment was completed in a short period of time. The total duration of orthodontic treatment was 4 months. Class I molar and canine relationships were established at the end of the treatment. Moreover, crowding in the mandible and maxilla was corrected, and optimal overjet and overbite were established. No scar tissue was observed in any gingival region on which discision was performed. The discision technique was developed as a minimally invasive alternative method to piezocision technique, and the authors suggest that this new method yields good outcomes in achieving rapid tooth movement.

Serum soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor levels in male patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.

Inflammatory abnormalities have been shown in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a protein that is measurable in the circulating blood and reflects the inflammation in the body. We aimed to investigate serum suPAR levels in patients with schizophrenia who were in acute state and to compare with healthy controls. Forty five patients and 43 healthy controls were included in the study. We found no significant difference in suPAR levels between patients and controls, suggesting that suPAR as an inflammatory marker does not have a role in the inflammatory process of acute schizophrenia.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios as inflammation markers for bipolar disorder.

In the present study we investigated the involvement of inflammatory cells and their ratios as inflammation markers in Bipolar Disorder. We have enrolled 61 manic, 55 euthymic patients and 54 control subjects to the study. Neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios were found significantly higher in both manic and euthymic patients compared to control group. These findings suggest that the inflammatory cells have a role in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder manic and even in euthymic state.

Level of plasma thioredoxin in male patients with manic episode at initial and post-electroconvulsive or antipsychotic treatment.

AIM: Oxidative stress is defined as exposure to excessive oxidants and/or decrease in antioxidant capacity. Several studies have shown the effects of free radicals and antioxidant defense systems in bipolar disorder. We aimed to investigate the role of thioredoxin (TRX), which is a novel oxidative stress marker in patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: Sixty-eight hospitalized bipolar patients who were in manic episode were included in the study. As a control group, 30 healthy people were elected. Two groups were formed. The first group consisted of patients who were undergoing electroconvulsive treatment + antipsychotic treatment (haloperidol+quetiapine) and members of the other group were taking only antipsychotic treatment. Plasma thioredoxin levels were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS: Pretreatment plasma TRX levels of patients were significantly lower than the controls (P < 0.05). Comparing pre- and post-treatment plasma TRX levels of all patients, post-treatment plasma TRX levels were significantly lower than the pre-treatment plasma TRX levels (P < 0.05). When we compared TRX levels between the electroconvulsive treatment + antipsychotic treatment group and the antipsychotic treatment group (P > 0.05) and within groups (P > 0.05) we did not find any statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Oxidative balance is impaired in bipolar disorder manic episode in favor of the oxidants. Decreased plasma TRX levels in the manic episode probably mean that antioxidant capacity is decreased in the bipolar disorder patients in the manic episode. Further studies in euthymic and depressive states are also needed to gain more insight into the role of TRX in bipolar disorder.