An in vitro Evaluation of Fracture Resistance of endodontically treated Teeth with Different Restorative Materials.

AIMS: The aim of the present study is to compare and assess the fracture resistance of root canal treated teeth with different restorative materials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present in vitro study was carried out on seventy-five freshly extracted, noncarious, single-canal human lower-first premolars with similar anatomic characteristics. Teeth were randomly assigned to five groups with 15 teeth being present in each group. Group I is control group (no alteration done), group II is restored with silver amalgam after endodontic therapy, group III is restored with posterior composite after end-odontic therapy, group IV is restored with posterior glass ionomer cement (GIC) after endodontic therapy, and group V is restored with miracle mix after endodontic therapy. Universal testing machine was used to assess the fracture strength. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test followed by Tukey's post hoc test were used to determine the significant difference between each group. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean fracture resistance of control group showed highest fracture resistance with a mean Newton of 1083.33 ± 136.78. Among the restorative material, the highest fracture resistance was shown by teeth restored by composite (845.46 ± 47.36), followed by silver amalgam (845.46 ± 47.36). There was statistically significant difference among all the restorative materials compared with the control group (p < 0.05). However, among the teeth restored with silver amalgam and miracle mix, there was no statistical significance (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study concludes that composites are found to be having more fracture resistance followed by silver amalgam on endodontically treated premolar teeth. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Restoring nonvital teeth represents a major challenge for clinicians as they are extensively damaged due to caries and endodontic access preparations. With various restorative materials in the market, it becomes difficult for the clinician to choose the better restorative material for postendodontic restoration.

Clinical experience with an L-proline­stabilized 10 %intravenous immunoglobulin (Privigen®): real-life effectiveness and tolerability.

PURPOSE: This retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness and tolerability in clinical practice of an L-proline-stabilized 10 % intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG; Privigen®) in patients with primary (PID) or secondary immunodeficiency (SID). METHODS: Patients from 6 centers in Europe and the US were treated with individually determined regimens of Privigen® for ≥3 months. Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) trough levels, annualized rates of infection, hospitalization and antibiotics use, and the incidence of adverse events (AEs) were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 72 patients, three infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) were analyzed separately. The remaining 69 patients (52.2 % male; median age 38 years [range: 0.1-90.0]) with PID (82.6 %) or SID (17.4 %) received a mean (±standard deviation) Privigen® dose of 532 ± 250 mg/kg/month resulting in trough serum IgG levels of 407-1,581 mg/dL (median: 954 mg/dL). Ten patients (14.5 %) experienced 11 serious bacterial infections over 22.0 ± 15.0 months of treatment (0.087 events/patient/year, upper one-sided 99 % confidence interval: 0.170), the most common being pneumonia (11.6 %). The rates for any infection and hospitalization were 1.082 events/patient/year and 3.63 days/patient/year, respectively. Two patients with severe disease accounted for 303 of 460 hospital days. Across all 72 patients, 13 (18.1 %) patients experienced AEs, including 10 (13.9 %) patients with AEs at least possibly related to Privigen®, including headache (8.3 %), fever, and chills (2.8 % each). No related serious AEs were reported. One infant with SCID died due to severe viral infection. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the heterogeneous population, effectiveness and tolerability of Privigen® in clinical practice closely matched those reported in clinical studies.

Medical imaging in rheumatoid arthritis: A review on deep learning approach.

Arthritis is a musculoskeletal disorder. Millions of people have arthritis, making it one of the most common joint disorders. Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are the most common types of arthritis among the many different types available. Pain, stiffness, and inflammation are among the early signs of arthritis, which can progress to severe immobility at a later stage if left untreated. Although arthritis cannot be cured at any point in time, it can be managed if diagnosed and treated correctly. Clinical diagnostic and medical imaging methods are currently used to evaluate OA and RA, both debilitating conditions. This review is focused on deep learning approaches used by taking medical imaging (X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging) as input for the detection of RA.

Herbal panacea: The need for today in dentistry.

Among ancient civilizations, India has been known to be a rich repository of medicinal plants. Herbal extracts have been used in traditional medicine for several thousand years. Some plants contain phytochemicals that have effects on the body. The use of phytotherapy is staging a comeback and an era of herbal renaissance is being revolutionized all over the globe. Herbs are a class of plants that are devoid of the woody tissue characteristic of shrubs or trees and have been known for their aromatic, flavoring, and medicinal values over the past centuries. Since the birth of contemporary practices, many have turned away from herbal therapies in favor of synthetic drugs. But these synthetic medicines can alter microbiota and have several side effects. However, the blind dependence on synthetics is over and people are returning to the naturals with the hope of safety and security. Hence, the search for alternative natural products continue. This review includes a few herbs, which can be used in dentistry as alternatives to allopathic medicines.

Determinants and functional significance of renal parenchymal volume in adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The significance of renal parenchymal volume and the factors that influence it are poorly understood. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Renal parenchymal volume (RPV) was measured on contrast-enhanced CT scans after exclusion of sinus fat and vessels in 224 healthy subjects evaluated as kidney donors and in a separate cohort of 22 severely obese individuals before and after 6 months of weight loss. GFR was measured by iohexol clearance in 76 of the transplant donors. RPV was correlated with age, GFR, and various anthropometric parameters. RESULTS: In potential transplant donors, RPV correlated with body surface area (BSA; r = 0.68) and was 7% larger in men but did not vary with age or race. Gender and body size were independent determinants of RPV. RPV correlated well with GFR (r = 0.62) and accounted for almost all of the variability in a model of GFR that included age, race, gender, and body surface area. GFR correlated more strongly with RPV than with creatinine-based equations. The same relationship between RPV and BSA was observed in obesity, and RPV decreased with weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy adults younger than 65 years, renal parenchymal volume is governed by body size and gender but not age or race and is strongly correlated with GFR. This indicates that renal parenchymal volume varies to meet metabolic demand and is closely linked to renal function.

Increased activity of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE5) contributes to resistance to atrial natriuretic peptide natriuresis in the pregnant rat.

Increased cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE5) activity in renal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) cells contributes to resistance to atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the excessive sodium retention seen in experimental nephrotic syndrome and liver cirrhosis. Normal pregnancy is also accompanied by sodium retention and plasma volume expansion, and pregnant rats are resistant to the natriuretic action of ANP. The authors investigated a possible role of increased renal PDE5 activity in the physiologic sodium retention of normal rat pregnancy. The natriuresis and increased urinary cGMP excretion (U(cGMP)V) evoked by acute volume expansion (a measure of renal responsiveness to endogeneous ANP) was blunted in 16-d pregnant versus virgin rats, despite equivalent increases in circulating ANP in pregnants and virgins. The ANP-dependent cGMP accumulation in isolated IMCD cells from pregnants was blunted versus virgins and restored by the PDE5-selective antagonist DMPPO (10(-7) mol/L). PDE5 activity in vitro and PDE5 protein abundance in IMCD were greater in pregnants. Four days postpartum, volume expansion natriuresis, U(cGMP)V, and PDE5 protein levels in IMCD cell homogenates had returned to virgin values. These results demonstrate that normal rat pregnancy leads to in vivo and in vitro renal resistance to ANP, in association with heightened activity of the cGMP-specific PDE5 in IMCD. This may contribute to the physiologic sodium retention of normal pregnancy.