Craniofacial growth in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo)—a cephalometric study

Biomimetic microenvironments for regenerative endodontics

Regenerative endodontics has been proposed to replace damaged and underdeveloped tooth structures with normal pulp-dentin tissue by providing a natural extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicking environment; stem cells, signaling molecules, and scaffolds. In addition, clinical success of the regenerative endodontic treatments can be evidenced by absence of signs and symptoms; no bony pathology, a disinfected pulp, and the maturation of root dentin in length and thickness. In spite of the various approaches of regenerative endodontics, there are several major challenges that remain to be improved: a) the endodontic root canal is a strong harbor of the endodontic bacterial biofilm and the fundamental etiologic factors of recurrent endodontic diseases, (b) tooth discolorations are caused by antibiotics and filling materials, (c) cervical root fractures are caused by endodontic medicaments, (d) pulp tissue is not vascularized nor innervated, and (e) the dentin matrix is not developed with adequate root thickness and length. Generally, current clinical protocols and recent studies have shown a limited success of the pulp-dentin tissue regeneration. Throughout the various approaches, the construction of biomimetic microenvironments of pulp-dentin tissue is a key concept of the tissue engineering based regenerative endodontics. The biomimetic microenvironments are composed of a synthetic nano-scaled polymeric fiber structure that mimics native pulp ECM and functions as a scaffold of the pulp-dentin tissue complex. They will provide a framework of the pulp ECM, can deliver selective bioactive molecules, and may recruit pluripotent stem cells from the vicinity of the pulp apex. The polymeric nanofibers are produced by methods of self-assembly, electrospinning, and phase separation. In order to be applied to biomedical use, the polymeric nanofibers require biocompatibility, stability, and biodegradability. Therefore, this review focuses on the development and application of the biomimetic microenvironments of pulp-dentin tissue among the current regenerative endodontics.

Nasal Turbinate Enlargement Due to Cartilage and Bone Proliferation

Toxicity studies of intranasally administered, live attenuated influenza virus vaccine candidates conducted in male and female ferrets led to the microscopic observation of individual differences in the size of nasal turbinates, especially in the dorsal aspect of the nasal cavity. The association of these enlarged turbinates with acute to subacute inflammation, which is sometimes common in ferrets given live attenuated influenza virus vaccine candidates, led to this detailed microscopic evaluation of turbinate enlargement (cartilaginous and osseous thickening, or COT) in control animals dosed intranasally with saline. Results of this evaluation led to the conclusion that COT is a normal developmental feature of growing ferrets, irrespective of inflammation in nasal tissues or inflammatory exudate in the nasal cavity.

Functional influence of masticatory muscles on the fibre characteristics and capillary distribution in growing ferrets (Mustela putonusfuro)—a histochemical analysis

OBJECTIVE

Changes in the masticatory function of ferrets have been shown to cause alterations in their craniofacial morphology. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the functional changes influence the histochemical characteristics of fibres of the masticatory muscles of the animal.

DESIGN

Forty five-week old male ferrets were divided into two groups: one group was fed a diet of hard pellets (HD group), and one group was fed the same diet but softened with water (SD group). After 6 months, specimens of temporalis, masseter and digastricus were taken from each ferret and prepared for enzyme histochemical analysis

RESULTS

Type I muscle fibres constituted the majority of the temporalis and the masseter, while the digastricus mainly comprised type II muscle fibres. The fibre-type composition did not differ significantly between the two groups. The mean cross-sectional area of type I and type II fibres in the temporalis and the masseter, and type II fibres in the digastricus was significantly greater in the HD group than the SD group. Furthermore, the HD group had a significantly greater number of capillaries per fibre, but not per surface unit (mm2).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that the muscle fibre size and the number of capillaries per fibre of the masticatory muscles are readily adaptesd to the altered masticatory muscle functions.