Does the use of low-level light therapy postoperatively reduce pain, oedema, and neurosensory disorders following orthognathic surgery? A systematic review.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of low-level light therapy (LLLT) in improving pain, oedema, and neurosensory disorders of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) after orthognathic surgery. This systematic review was performed in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Searches were conducted in the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) published up to September 2020. After evaluating eligibility, 15 RCTs were selected. None of the studies reported an evaluation of all of the outcomes within the same publication. It was possible to determine the effect of LLLT in controlling pain following orthognathic surgery. Of the three studies evaluating this outcome, all observed a positive effect. Of the four studies that evaluated oedema, two found a positive effect. Of the 11 studies that evaluated neurosensory disorders of the IAN, all of them observed a positive effect, at least in one of the sensory evaluation tests. A meta-analysis was not possible due to the heterogeneity across studies. Considering the limitations of this review, but given the fact that LLLT is a minimally invasive intervention, its use merits consideration in immediate postoperative orthognathic surgery.

Is there an association between overweight/obesity and dental implant complications? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this systematic review was to test the following hypotheses: (1) that there is no difference in implant survival rate between individuals with overweight or obesity and those who are within the ideal weight range; (2) that there are no differences between these groups regarding indicators of peri-implant health. Two independent reviewers performed a literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases for studies published up to April 1, 2018. A meta-analysis was performed to determine the risk difference for implant failure and mean difference for marginal bone loss, probing depth, and bleeding on probing. Six studies were selected for review, involving a total of 746 patients with 986 implants: 609 in overweight or obese individuals and 377 in individuals within the ideal weight range. The findings of this systematic review indicate that the first hypothesis should be accepted, since no statistically significant difference in implant survival rate was found between individuals with overweight/obesity and those within the ideal weight range (P=0.64). The second hypothesis was rejected, as the review indicated a difference in marginal bone loss (P<0.00001), probing depth (P<0.00001), and bleeding around dental implants (P<0.00001).

Efficacy of corticosteroids versus placebo in impacted third molar surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The aim of this systematic review was to identify randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of corticosteroids in the control of pain, oedema, and trismus following third molar surgery, and to analyse the effects of the type of drug administered and the time and route of drug administration on the outcomes of interest. Searches were performed in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. This review was structured according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The search identified 1223 studies. After assessing eligibility based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 17 studies were selected for the qualitative analysis (a total of 730 patients aged 15-45 years). Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis, which was performed using Review Manager software. The corticosteroids were effective in controlling pain (P=0.002; mean difference -17.38, 95% confidence interval -24.81 to -9.95) and trismus (P<0.00001; mean difference 6.10, 95% confidence interval 3.42 to 8.77). With the exception of the submucosal route, the route of administration did not appear to affect the outcomes. The administration of a corticosteroid in the preoperative phase was superior to its use in the postoperative phase for the control of trismus.

Efficacy of stem cells in maxillary sinus floor augmentation: systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this review was to test the hypothesis of no difference in the efficacy of bone regeneration when using stem cells in maxillary sinus floor augmentation surgery in comparison to other grafts. Nine randomized clinical trials and one follow-up study involving human subjects were identified through a search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases, supplemented by a hand search. No significant difference between groups was found for the implant survival rate, increase in bone height, marginal bone loss following implant placement, or new bone formation. With regard to the residual bone graft, an effect favouring the graft group at 3-4months (P=0.001) and favouring the stem cell group at 6months (P=0.01) was found. Analyses of the subgroup in which the BMAC system extraction method was used in combination with Bio-Oss, revealed no difference in new bone formation; however, the results for residual bone graft at 3months favoured the control graft (Bio-Oss) (P=0.01), but at 6months favoured the stem cells (Bio-Oss+BMAC system) (P=0.01). Based on all findings, the use of stem cells does not contribute significantly to greater implant survival rates or the efficacy of bone regeneration following sinus lift procedures.

Splinted and unsplinted overdenture attachment systems: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Splinted and unsplinted overdenture attachment systems have unique advantages and disadvantages. The aim of the present systematic review was to determine the influence of splinted and unsplinted overdenture attachment systems on the marginal bone loss, prosthetic complications and implant survival rate. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane databases were searched for articles published up to October 2017, using the following search terms: "overdenture AND attachment OR overdenture AND bar OR overdenture splinted." The PICO question "Do splinted overdenture attachment systems promote better clinical results in comparison to unsplinted systems?" was evaluated. Eligible studies included randomized controlled clinical trials, prospective studies with at least 10 participants and a minimum follow-up of 6 months, and studies published in English that compared splinted and unsplinted attachment systems within the same study. The 95% confidence interval (CI) was considered for all outcomes analysed. After completion of the different steps in the article selection process, nine articles were included in the qualitative and quantitative analyses. A total of 984 implants were placed in 380 patients (mean age: 62.8 years). The meta-analysis demonstrated no statistically significant differences between splinted and unsplinted attachment systems with regard to marginal bone loss (P = .39; MD: -0.11; 95% CI: -0.37 to 0.14), complications (P = .31; RR: 1.26; CI: 0.80-1.99) and implant survival rate (P = .14; RR: 0.37% CI: 0.10-1.36). In addition, splinted and unsplinted overdenture attachment systems achieved similar results with regard to marginal bone loss, prosthetic complications and implant survival rate.

Bilateral balanced occlusion compared to other occlusal schemes in complete dentures: A systematic review.

No consensus has been reached regarding the best occlusal scheme for making complete dentures. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to compare bilateral balanced occlusion (BBO) with other occlusal schemes (canine guidance, lingualised occlusion and zero degree) in complete dentures. The schemes were compared in terms of quality of life/satisfaction and masticatory performance. Two independent reviewers performed a comprehensive search of studies published in or before October 2017 using the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Cochrane Library databases. The search was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The focused question was: "In conventional complete denture, is BBO better than lingualised occlusion, canine guidance and zero degree in terms of quality of life, patient satisfaction and masticatory performance/muscle activity?" Seventeen studies were selected for analysis. In total, there were 492 patients with a mean age of 64.78 years and a mean follow-up duration of 2.96 months (range: 1-6 months). All studies compared BBO with the other occlusal schemes. Eleven studies evaluated the influence of the occlusal scheme designs on quality of life and satisfaction, and 8 studies evaluated masticatory performance and muscle activity between BBO and the other occlusion schemes. The present systematic review indicated that BBO does not confer better quality of life/satisfaction or masticatory performance and muscle activity. Thus, lingualised occlusion can be considered a predictable occlusal scheme for complete dentures in terms of quality of life/satisfaction and masticatory performance, while canine guidance can be used to reduce muscular activity.

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of stress distribution in retention screws of different crown-implant ratios.

The retaining screw of the implant-supported dental prosthesis is the weakest point of the crown/implant system. Furthermore, crown height is another important factor that may increase the lever arm. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the stress distribution in implant prosthetic screws with different heights of the clinical crown of the prosthesis using the method of three-dimensional finite element analysis. Three models were created with implants (3.75 mm × 10 mm) and crowns (heights of 10, 12.5 and 15 mm). The results were visualised by means of von Mises stress maps that increased the crown heights. The screw structure exhibited higher levels of stresses in the oblique load. The oblique loading resulted in higher stress concentration when compared with the axial loading. It is concluded that the increase of the crown was damaging to the stress distribution on the screw, mainly in oblique loading.

CD4+ T cells from HIV-1-infected patients recognize wild-type and mutant human immunodeficiency virus-1 protease epitopes.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 protease is a known target of CD8+ T cell responses, but it is the only HIV-1 protein in which no fully characterized HIV-1 protease CD4 epitopes have been identified to date. We investigated the recognition of HIV-1 protease by CD4+ T cells from 75 HIV-1-infected, protease inhibitor (PI)-treated patients, using the 5,6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester-based proliferation assay. In order to identify putative promiscuous CD4+ T cell epitopes, we used the TEPITOPE algorithm to scan the sequence of the HXB2 HIV-1 protease. Protease regions 4-23, 45-64 and 73-95 were identified; 32 sequence variants of the mentioned regions, encoding frequent PI-induced mutations and polymorphisms, were also tested. On average, each peptide bound to five of 15 tested common human leucocyte antigen D-related (HLA-DR) molecules. More than 80% of the patients displayed CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cell recognition of at least one of the protease peptides. All 35 peptides were recognized. The response was not associated with particular HLA-DR or -DQ alleles. Our results thus indicate that protease is a frequent target of CD4+ along with CD8+ proliferative T cell responses by the majority of HIV-1-infected patients under PI therapy. The frequent finding of matching CD4(+) and CD8+ T cell responses to the same peptides may indicate that CD4+ T cells provide cognate T cell help for the maintenance of long-living protease-specific functional CD8+ T cells.

Reactivation of Chagas' myocarditis during therapy of Hodgkin's disease.

A 46-year-old female patient with chronic Chagas' myocarditis without heart failure was submitted to chemotherapy because of Hodgkin's disease. During treatment the frequency of polymorphic ventricular extrasystoles raised and the patient died by a sudden cardiac arrest. Autopsy revealed chronic Chagas myocarditis with an acute exacerbation. Nests of amastygotes with a density of up to 14 pseudocysts/cm2 were found in the myocardium, although restricted to the septum and left ventricular posterolateral wall. Extensive histologic examination did not reveal parasites in other locations. This favors the concept of a localized exacerbation of Chagas' disease due to immunosuppression developing from a persistent parasitic focus in the heart. Although this reactivation during chemotherapy of malignant disease is rarely reported in literature, a careful monitoring of patients with positive Chagas' serology during chemotherapy is recommended.

Atividade de substancias antibacterianas sobre o crescimento de fungos. / Influence of antibacterial agents on the growth of fungi

Com o objetivo de determinar possiveis interferencias de antibacterianos, no isolamento de fungos e estreptomicetos estudou-se a acao de penicilina, ampicilina, estreptomicina, gentamicina, cefalotina neomicina, cloranfenicol, acido nalidixico e telurito de potassio sobre 48 amostras destes microrganismos. N. brasiliensis, St madurae, Streptomyces sp foram as bacterias que mais sofreram inibicao desses antibacterianos. A cefalotina inibiu uma amostra de P. brasiliensis Y, e uma de H.capsulatum a 500 micro/ml; a gentamicina inibiu o P. brasiliensis e H. capsulatum a 500 micro/ml, Rhizopus sp a 200 micro/ml, Mucor sp e P. pedrosoi a 1.000 micro/ml; a neomicina inibiu T. tonsurans a 500 micro/ ml; H. capsulatum, P. brasiliensis, Absidia sp, P pedrosoi e C1. carrionii a 1.000 micro/ml. Verificou-se que a ampicilina e telurito de potassio nao sao estavies em meios de cultura apos autoclavagem, enquanto penicilina, estreptomicina, gentamicina, cloranfenicol, cefalotina, neomicina e acido nalidixico mantiveram sua atividade inibitoria sobre as bacterias