Ferric Sulfate and Formocresol pulpotomies in paediatric dental practice. A prospective-retrospective study.

AIM: To evaluate the use of formocresol (FC) and ferric sulfate (FS) as pulpotomy agents in vital pulp therapy (VPT) in primary molars by dental practitioners. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred seventy-nine patients (aged 74.09 ± 20.75 months) who underwent pulpotomy were enrolled. The dmft, the number of visits, the filling materials, the clinical and radiological observations and complications were evaluated. STATISTICS: The data were analysed using chi-square, Spearman's rank correlation and odds ratio. RESULTS: The analysis included the documentation of 179 patients with 276 pulpotomies: 50 (FS) and 226 (FC). The dmft was 8.54 ± 3.44. The therapeutic success was greater for FS pulpotomy and that of the two-appointment FC pulpotomy (90.6%) was higher than the one-appointment method (77.1%). Glass-ionomer cements (GIC) (53.6%), amalgam (30.0%), composites (15.6%), and steel crowns (1.8%) were used for tooth restoration. The risk of complications was lower for GI (OR = 2.21; 95% CI 1.09-4.88) compared to composite (OR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.19 - 5.80). CONCLUSIONS: For primary teeth pulpotomy dental practitioners use both FS and FC. FC has been proven to be more effective in a two-appointmet treatment. When restoration with stainless steel crown (SSC) is not feasible, it is advantageous to use GIC rather than composite.

Performance validation of deformable image registration in the pelvic region.

Patients undergoing radiotherapy will inevitably show anatomical changes during the course of treatment. These can be weight loss, tumour shrinkage, and organ motion or filling changes. For advanced and adaptive radiotherapy (ART) information about anatomical changes must be extracted from repeated images in order to be able to evaluate and manage these changes. Deformable image registration (DIR) is a tool that can be used to efficiently gather information about anatomical changes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of two DIR methods for automatic organ at risk (OAR) contour propagation. Datasets from ten gynaecological patients having repeated computed tomography (CT) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were collected. Contours were delineated on the planning CT and on every repeated scan by an expert clinician. DIR using our in-house developed featurelet-based method and the iPlan(®) BrainLab treatment planning system software was performed with the planning CT as reference and a selection of repeated scans as the target dataset. The planning CT contours were deformed using the resulting deformation fields and compared to the manually defined contours. Dice's similarity coefficients (DSCs) were calculated for each fractional patient scan structure, comparing the volume overlap using DIR with that using rigid registration only. No significant improvement in volume overlap was found after DIR as compared with rigid registration, independent of which image modality or DIR method was used. DIR needs to be further improved in order to facilitate contour propagation in the pelvic region in ART approaches.

A novel generation of coupling reagents. Enantiodifferentiating coupling reagents prepared in situ from 2-chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazine (CDMT) and chiral tertiary amines.

Coupling of racemic N-protected amino acids with amino components by means of 2-chloro-4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazine (CDMT) in the presence of chiral tertiary amines such as strychnine, brucine, and sparteine proceeds enantioselectively, affording appropriate amides or dipeptides in 69-85% yield. The configuration of the preferred enantiomer and enantiomeric enrichment depend on the structures of the amine and carboxylic acid. Calculated Kagan enantioselectivity parameters (s) are in the range 1.6-195. Chiral triazinylammonium chlorides formed in situ from CDMT and chiral tertiary amines are postulated as reactive intermediates involved in the process of enantioselective activation of N-protected amino acids.

The investigation of K-complex and vertex sharp wave activity in response to mid-inspiratory occlusions and complete obstructions to breathing during NREM sleep.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the cortical response to mid-inspiratory occlusions can be used as a model of the cortical response to obstructive events during sleep; and to determine whether the vertex sharp wave (VSW) and K-complex are exclusive contributors to the N350 and N550 components respectively of the stage 2 sleep event-related potential. DESIGN: Two types of respiratory stimuli were used to elicit evoked potential responses during stage 2 NREM sleep. These were mid-inspiratory occlusions and complete breath obstructions. Trials were grouped according to the type of phasic response elicited; isolated K-complex (KC), VSW associated with a K-complex (VSW/KC), isolated VSW, and no evoked response (other). Evoked responses were averaged separately within these categories. SETTING: Data were collected in the University of Melbourne Sleep Laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Six young healthy male adults. INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Data were recorded from 29 scalp sites referenced to linked ears. Mask pressure (Pm) and airflow were also recorded. Intra-thoracic pressure, as indicated by Pm, reached a more negative level following complete obstructions than brief occlusions. However, both types of respiratory stimuli elicited the two late latency components. Although latency varied across the two respiratory conditions in a manner consistent with the intra-thoracic pressure rise time differences, the elicitation characteristics and topographic distribution of these components did not vary across the two types of stimuli. In addition, an N350 was only present in the average for those categories that included VSWs, while an N550 was only present in those categories that contained K-complexes. CONCLUSIONS: Mid-inspiratory occlusions can be used as a model of obstructive events. VSWs contribute exclusively to the N350 component, while K-complexes contribute exclusively to the N550 component.

The impact of prestimulus EEG frequency on auditory evoked potentials during sleep onset.

Auditory evoked potentials were recorded during wakefulness, Stage 1, and Stage 2 non-REM sleep using a three-tone auditory oddball paradigm. Stage 1 sleep was divided into trials preceded by alpha and those preceded by theta. A negative wave peaking at about 100 ms, N1, displayed a significant decrease in amplitude with the onset of Stage 2 sleep. A later N2 peaked at about 250 ms in the waking state. This changed into a sleep-specific negative wave peaking at 300 ms (N300) at the alpha-theta transition within Stage 1. The P300 displayed a similar shift to become a P450 in Stage 2 sleep. N550 was specific to Stage 2, and was larger in response to rare, rather than frequent stimuli. There was no evidence of any enhancement to relevant rare stimuli compared with irrelevant rare stimuli.

Respiratory-related evoked potentials during the transition from alpha to theta EEG activity in stage 1 NREM sleep.

It has been argued previously that evoked potential components during Stage 1 sleep in response to both auditory and respiratory stimuli are intermediate between those of wakefulness and Stage 2 sleep. However, state fluctuations in the ECG between alpha and theta during Stage 1 sleep have been linked to changes in a number of respiratory functions including ventilation, upper airway resistance and chemical drive. It was therefore hypothesized that if respiratory related evoked potentials (RREP) were averaged separately for alpha and theta EEG periods during Stage 1 sleep, the alpha RREP would resemble wakefulness and the theta RREP would resemble Stage 2 sleep. RREPs were produced by 250 ms occlusions in 10 subjects. EEG was recorded from 29 scalp sites, referenced to linked ears, together with EOG and EMG. The N1 component was not specifically associated with alpha vs. theta activity, but appeared to be sensitive to any decrease in arousal level, suggesting that it was more related to attention than to changes in the EEG. The late N2 and P300 components were present during wake and Stage 1 alpha. However, in Stage 1 theta, different late components emerged (N300 and P450) that differed in latency, amplitude or topographical distribution from those seen in wakefulness. The P2 proved difficult to interpret, whereas the N550 did not appear until Stage 2 sleep, and as such, was not dependent on alpha/theta state. The results indicate that RREP components are differentially affected by the transition into sleep.

Load compensation as a function of state during sleep onset.

Ventilation decreases and airway resistance increases with the loss of electroencephalogram alpha activity at sleep onset. The aim of this study was to determine whether reflexive load compensation is lost immediately on the loss of alpha activity. Six healthy male subjects were studied under two conditions (load and control-no load), in three states (continuous alpha, continuous theta, and immediately after a transition from alpha to theta), and in two phases (early and late sleep onset). Ventilation and respiratory timing were measured. A comparison of loaded with control conditions indicated that loading had no effect on inspiratory minute ventilation during continuous alpha (differential effect of 0.00 l/min) and only a small, nonsignificant effect in theta immediately after phase 2 transitions (0.31 l/min), indicating a preservation of load compensation at these times. However, there were significant decreases in inspiratory minute ventilation on loaded trials during continuous theta in phase 2 (0.77 l/min) and phase 3 (1.15 l/min) and during theta immediately after a transition in phase 3 (0.87 l/min), indicating a lack of reflexive load compensation. The results indicate that, because reflex load compensation is state dependent, state-related changes in airway resistance contribute to state-related changes in ventilation during sleep onset. However, this effect was slightly delayed with transitions into theta early in sleep.

Analysis of the Essential Oil of Solidago canadensis.

The analysis of the volatile compounds in the essential oil of SOLIDAGO CANADENSISL. sensu lato (Compositae) GC and GC-MS demonstrated the presence of at least 36 compounds, 18 of which were identified. The Major comonenets are gamma (2)- and delta-cadinenes.

Progress in synthesis of sensory important trace components of essential oils and natural flavours.

In this paper the role of sensory important trace components will be discussed. A chemical classification of the components is given as well as a review of methods of synthesis of the following substances applied in industry: cis-3-hexen-1-ol, rose oxide, alpha and beta-damascenone and damascone, theaspirone, raspberry ketone, pyranones, furanones and related products, alkylmethoxypyrazines, sulphur containing flavour substances.