Trepanation and curettage treatment for acute implant periapical lesions

Six dental implants in six patients with periapical lesions were inserted and underwent trepanation and thorough curettage. During surgery, the lesion area was irrigated with copious natural saline and chlorhexidine and the bone defects were treated with tetracycline paste. The six implants were stable and asymptomatic postoperatively. The implants were loaded after 3 months. Radiologically, the radiolucency in the apical part disappeared gradually. These prostheses have functioned satisfactorily with no further complication during the follow-up period. For cases in which small lesions initially appear soon after implant placement, trepanation and curettage of the periapical lesion without resection of the apical part of the implant or bone substitute material and/or autogenous bone grafting is an effective management option. A rapid and exact diagnosis is important for treating implant periapical lesions.

Simultaneous Determination of Bufadienolides in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparation, Liu-Shen-Wan, by Liquid Chromatography

The bufadienolide compounds (bufalin, cinobufagin and resibufogenin), major constituents of Chansu in Liu-Shen-Wan (LSW), were determined by reverse phase high performance liquid chromotography. The procedure involves a preliminary extraction of the bufadienolides from LSW with chloroform using ultrasonication and subsequent evaporation to dryness of the chloroform extract. The residue of the chloroform extract was dissolved in methanol and separated on a Merck LiChrosorb RP-18 column. Methanol: water (74:26) was used as mobile phase. The compounds were satisfactorily separated with good chromatographic peaks. Good coefficients of correlation (r > 0·999) were obtained from the calibration of peak areas with concentrations for the 3 bufadienolides. Results of analysis showed that there were differences between the contents of bufadienolides in 11 LSW samples of different origin available to the public in Hong Kong where at present there is no legal control over the sale of traditional Chinese medicines. The variability of quantities of bufadienolides in Chansu may be a hazard to the public.

The Influence of Group Psychotherapy to Crisis Frangibility and Coping Style in Community Residents

Objective

To understood the influence of group psychotherapy to crisis frangibility and coping style in community residents,seek the methods and value of community psychological coping intervention,and provide the basis of psychological theory and practice for the work of community mental health.

Methods

The scale of crisis frangibility and BCQ were employed to evaluate and compare the mental state before and after intervention.

Results

1)

Conclusion

9 Group psychotherapy in community is a effective method to reduce resident's crisis frangibility,and the setup of experimental model has provided the theory and the practice basis for development psychology counseling in community.

Optimization of culture conditions for endothelial progenitor cells from porcine bone marrow in vitro

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine an optimal culture method for porcine bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Mononuclear cells (MNCs) were isolated by density centrifugation and differentiated into EPCs in in vitro. At first-passage, EPCs were cultured at different cell densities (5 x 10(3), 1 x 10(4), 2 x 10(4) or 5 x 10(4)/cm(2)) and in basic medium (EGM, medium 199, DMEM or 1640) supplemented with FBS (2%, 5%, 10% or 20%) and different combinations of cytokines (VEGF, VEGF + bFGF, VEGF + bFGF + EGF, or VEGF + bFGF + EGF + IGF), the experiment being based on L(64) (4(21)) orthogonal design.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

This demonstrated that the optimal culture method for our EPCs displayed higher expansion and migration rates as compared to other groups, by analysis of variance; that is, cultured at 1 x 10(4)/cm(2) in M199 supplemented with 10% FBS and VEGF + bFGF + IGF + EGF. Furthermore, percentage of positive cells stained by Dil-ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-1 was more than 65%, and as shown by immunohistochemistry, these cells also stained positively for CD133, CD34 and KDR. The present study indicates that the number and function of porcine EPCs significantly increased when using our optimized culture parameters.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Cerebrolysin in patients with acute ischaemic stroke in Asia--CASTA

Cerebrolysin has exhibited neuroprotective as well as neurotrophic properties in various animal models of cerebral ischaemia and has shown clinical efficacy and good safety in several small controlled clinical studies in ischaemic stroke. Therefore, a large double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was launched in Asia to prove the validity of this treatment strategy. In the more than 50 participating centres patients with acute ischemic hemispheric stroke are randomized within 12 hours of symptoms onset to treatment (30 ml Cerebrolysin diluted in physiologic saline) or placebo (saline) given as intravenous infusion once daily added to standard care for 10 days. The patients are followed with regular visits for 90 days. Efficacy is evaluated on day 90 by three outcome scales - modified Rankin Scale, Barthel Index and NIH Stroke Scale - combined to single global directional test. Additionally, adverse events are documented to prove safety. In this study a total of 1060 patients will be included and analysis of data will be completed in 2010. If positive, this trial will add an effective strategy to the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.

Mechanisms of oxygen sensing: a key to therapy of pulmonary hypertension and patent ductus arteriosus

Specialized tissues that sense acute changes in the local oxygen tension include type 1 cells of the carotid body, neuroepithelial bodies in the lungs, and smooth muscle cells of the resistance pulmonary arteries and the ductus arteriosus (DA). Hypoxia inhibits outward potassium current in carotid body type 1 cells, leading to depolarization and calcium entry through L-type calcium channels. Increased intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca+ +]i) leads to exocytosis of neurotransmitters, thus stimulating the carotid sinus nerve and respiration. The same K+ channel inhibition occurs with hypoxia in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), causing contraction and providing part of the mechanism of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). In the SMCs of the DA, the mechanism works in reverse. It is the shift from hypoxia to normoxia that inhibits K+ channels and causes normoxic ductal contraction. In both PA and DA, the contraction is augmented by release of Ca+ + from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, entry of Ca+ + through store-operated channels (SOC) and by Ca+ + sensitization. The same three 'executive' mechanisms are partly responsible for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). While vasoconstrictor mediators constrict both PA and DA and vasodilators dilate both vessels, only redox changes mimic oxygen by having directly opposite effects on the K+ channels, membrane potential, [Ca(++)]i and tone in the PA and DA. There are several different hypotheses as to how redox might alter tone, which remain to be resolved. However, understanding the mechanism will facilitate drug development for pulmonary hypertension and patent DA.

Oral exposure of male and female mice to formulations of organophosphorous pesticides: congenital malformations

Birth outcome was studied in pre-partum litters of mice exposed to oral doses of organophosphorous pesticides at low and high concentrations before mating. Exposed and unexposed pregnant dams were delivered by Caesarean section 1 day before partum, the fetuses were collected, counted and weighed, and the numbers of resorptions were recorded. Live litter sizes were non-significantly higher in all the exposed groups compared with the control group. The numbers of resorptions were significantly higher in all the exposed groups than in the comparison groups. The incidence of intra-uterine growth retardation was significantly higher in all the exposed groups than in the comparison groups. The incidences of congenital malformations were significantly higher in the exposed groups than in one or more of the comparison groups for the defects of the ears, eyes, jaws, brain, and tongue in all the exposed groups. Low set microtia, cataract or open eyelids, microcephaly or anencephaly, maxillary or mandibular hypoplasia, and protruding tongue were observed in all groups, but the numbers were significantly higher in the exposed groups compared with one or more of the comparison groups. Curled or missing tail and intra-auricular septal or intra-ventricular septal defects were observed in higher numbers in the groups in which both the males and the females were exposed than in the comparison groups. Male:female sex ratios were significantly higher in the groups in which males only and females only were exposed.