Τρίτη 16 Αυγούστου 2022

Survival rates, patient satisfaction, and prosthetic complications of implant fixed complete dental prostheses: A 12‐month prospective study

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine the survival rate, incidence of prosthetic complications and patient satisfaction of implant fixed complete dental prostheses (IFCDPs) after a mean observation period of 1.4 years.

Materials and Methods

Twenty-eight (28) eligible participants were recruited according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The definitive metal-acrylic resin IFCDPs consisted of titanium bars veneered with acrylic resin and acrylic denture teeth. Prosthodontic complications, divided into major and minor, were monitored. Parameters such as gender, jaw location, bruxism, and occlusal scheme were evaluated. Moreover, a questionnaire was administered throughout the study to assess patient satisfaction. Poisson regression as well as repeated measures ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.

Results

Fourteen (14) males and 14 females were enrolled and followed-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. All IFCDPs survived (100% survival rate). The most frequent minor complication was the loss of material used to close the screw access hole (20% out of total complications). The most frequent major complication was chipping of the acrylic denture teeth (77.14% out of total complications). Gender (P = 0.008) and bruxism (P = 0.030) were significant predictors for the total major complications (major wear and major chipping) while occlusal scheme was a significant predictor for major chipping events (P = 0.030).

Conclusions

While IFCDPs demonstrated high prosthetic survival rates, they also exhibited a high number of chipping events of the acrylic veneering material, especially in males, bruxers, and individuals with canine guidance occlusion. However, the occurrence of these prosthetic complications did not negatively affect patient satisfaction.

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Δευτέρα 15 Αυγούστου 2022

Middle Fossa Decompression for Recurrent Facial Palsy: Prevalence and Surgical Outcomes

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Middle Fossa Decompression for Recurrent Facial Palsy: Prevalence and Surgical Outcomes

Our study examined the facial nerve and audiometric outcomes of patients undergoing middle fossa decompression for recurrent facial nerve paresis. We found that facial nerve decompression for patients with incomplete functional recovery may be an effective treatment for decreasing the frequency and severity of facial palsy episodes.


Objective

To investigate the surgical outcomes in patients treated for recurrent facial nerve palsy (RFP) at a quaternary facial nerve referral center.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed on 132 patients with RFP who presented to our institution's facial nerve clinic from 2001 to 2021. Records were analyzed for etiology of palsy, facial nerve function, and recurrence rates. Pre- and post-operative audiometric outcomes were also assessed in surgically managed patients.

Results

6.8% of RFP patients underwent surgical decompression. For patients who did not undergo surgery, the House-Brackmann (HB) score was 2.9 ± 1.3 (SD) at the initial clinic visit, and 2.4 ± 1.3 (SD) at the last clinic visit. This difference was significantly different (p = 0.01, t-test). For surgical patients, the pre-operative HB score was 2.9 ± 0.9 (SD) and post-operative HB score was 1.8 ± 0.6 (SD), which were significantly different (p = 0.01, t-test). The number of facial palsy episodes also decreased pre- and post-operatively from 3.5 ± 0.8 (SD) to 0.2 ± 0.4 (SD) episodes, which were significantly different (p < 0,001, t-test). Audiometric outcomes were not significantly different pre- and post-surgery (p = 0.31, t-test for PTA; p = 0.34, t-test for WRS).

Conclusion

Facial nerve decompression for RFP patients with incomplete functional recovery may be an effective treatment for decreasing the frequency and severity of facial palsy episodes.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 2022

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Πέμπτη 11 Αυγούστου 2022

Investigations Into Obesity and the Risk of Malignant Disease in Pediatric Thyroid Nodules—Reply

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jamanetwork.com

In Reply We thank Gallant et al for their interest in our recent publication regarding the association of body mass index (BMI) with thyroid cancer in children with thyroid nodules. We agree that differences in design may account for some discrepancies between our study and theirs. Different methods of calculating BMI z-scores might play a role, although our selection of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nomograms reflects their wide use in clinical practice. Similarly, our use of nodule diameter rather than nodule volume reflects current recommendations for thyroid nodule evaluation, and is unlikely to be relevant given the excellent correlation of these measures in our cohort (r = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.97).
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Stimulation Rate and Voice Pitch Perception in Cochlear Implants

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We describe two experiments with 16 Nu cleus® CI users, where we controlled modulation characteristics and carrier rate using Spectral and Temporal Enhanced Processing (STEP), a novel experimental multichannel sound coder. We used a fixed set of threshold and comfortable stimulation levels for each subject, obtained from clinical MAPs. In the first experiment, we determined equivalence for voice pitch ranking and voice gender categorization between the Advanced Combination Encoder (ACE), a widely used clinical strategy in Nucleus® recipients, and STEP for fundamental frequencies (F0) 120–250 Hz. In the second experiment, loudn ess was determined as a function of the input amplitude of speech samples for carrier rates of 1000, 500, and 250 pps per channel. Then, using equally loud soun...
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Temporal Envelope Coding of the Human Auditory Nerve Inferred from Electrocochleography: Comparison with Envelope Following Responses

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AbstractNeural coding of the slow amplitude fluctuations of sound (i.e., temporal envelope) is thought to be essential for speech understanding; however, such coding by the human auditory nerve is poorly understood. Here, neural coding of the temporal envelope by the human auditory nerve is inferred from measurements of the compound action potential in response to an amplitude modulated carrier (CAPENV) for modulation frequencies ranging from 20 to 1000  Hz. The envelope following response (EFR) was measured simultaneously with CAPENV from active electrodes placed on the high forehead and tympanic membrane, respectively. Results support the hypothesis that phase locking to higher modulation frequencies (>  80 Hz) will be stronger for CAPENV, compared to EFR, consistent with the uppe...
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Regenerative endodontic therapy for external lateral inflammatory resorption following traumatic dental injuries. Evidence assessment of best practices

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Abstract

Introduction

External inflammatory resorption (EIR) following dental trauma is often caused by an injury to the lining of the cementoblasts and to the non-mineralized tissues (i.e., precementum) covering the root surface. Although EIR frequently occurs apically, it can also develop on the lateral root surfaces, which is termed external inflammatory lateral resorption (EILR). ELIR is a severe complication that can lead to significant root loss and tooth extraction.

Aim

The aim of this project was to review the current evidence in the literature on regenerative endodontic therapy (RET) for ELIR following traumatic injuries and assess the best treatment practices.

Methodology

Publications appearing in PubMed electronic database, from January 1, 2001 to January 9, 2022 were studied. Inclusion criteria were: (a) Publications in the English language; (b) Publications on regenerative endodontic therapy and ELIR; (c) Teeth subjected to dental trauma; and (d) Presence of intracanal bleeding and blood clots. Exclusion criteria were: (a) Conference proceedings; (b) Lectures; (c) Abstracts and (d) Letters to the editor; (e) Publications not in the English language. Additionally, a manual search was conducted. The data collected was analysed, and a descriptive statistical analysis was performed.

Results

A total of 355 publications were analysed, of which 9 met all inclusion criteria, which comprised of case reports and case series studies. In 10 (58.8%) teeth, Triple Antibiotic Paste (TAP) was used for an average of 26 days. Double Antibiotic Paste (DAP) was used in 3 (17.6 %) teeth for an average of 14 days. In 3 (17.6 %) cases, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) was used as intracanal medication for 14 days and negative pressure irrigation was applied once on 1 (6 %) tooth.

Conclusions

RET demonstrated a good treatment modality producing biologic repair and improving prognosis in cases of ELIR in post-traumatic tooth/pulp injuries. Hence, a meticulous follow up should be conducted when RET is performed in order to identify treatment failure and substitute it with long-term Ca(OH)2 root canal dressing. The key limitation in our review is that all publications included were either case reports or case series that usually tend to report successful outcome.

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Τετάρτη 10 Αυγούστου 2022

The Interplay of Long Non‐Coding RNAs and Hepatitis B Virus

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ABSTRACT

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infections remain a major global health burden with an estimated 296 million people living with a chronic infection and 884,00 HBV-related deaths annually. Notably, patients with a chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection are at a 30-fold greater risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the 3rd deadliest cancer worldwide. Several groups have assessed HBV-related aberrant expression of host-cell long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and how altered expression of specific lncRNAs affects HBV replication and progression to associated disease states. Given the challenges in establishing effective HBV models and analyzing transcriptomic data, this review focuses on lncRNA expression data primarily collected from clinical patient samples and primary human hepatocytes (PHHs), with subsequent mechanism of action analysis in cell lines or other model systems. Ultimately, understanding HBV-induced lncRNA-expression dysregulation could lead to new treatments and biomarkers for HBV infection and its associated diseases.

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