Asteroseismology. Echography of young stars reveals their evolution.

We demonstrate that a seismic analysis of stars in their earliest evolutionary phases is a powerful method with which to identify young stars and distinguish their evolutionary states. The early star that is born from the gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud reaches at some point sufficient temperature, mass, and luminosity to be detected. Accretion stops, and the pre-main sequence star that emerges is nearly fully convective and chemically homogeneous. It will continue to contract gravitationally until the density and temperature in the core are high enough to start nuclear burning of hydrogen. We show that there is a relationship for a sample of young stars between detected pulsation properties and their evolutionary status, illustrating the potential of asteroseismology for the early evolutionary phases.

Cross-protection between attenuated Plasmodium berghei and P. yoelii sporozoites.

An attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (PfSPZ) vaccine is under development, in part, based on studies in mice with P. berghei. We used P. berghei and P. yoelii to study vaccine-induced protection against challenge with a species of parasite different from the immunizing parasite in BALB/c mice. One-hundred percent of mice were protected against homologous challenge. Seventy-nine percent immunized with attenuated P. berghei sporozoite (PbSPZ) (six experiments) were protected against challenge with P. yoelii sporozoite (PySPZ), and 63% immunized with attenuated PySPZ (three experiments) were protected against challenge with PbSPZ. Antibodies in sera of immunized mice only recognized homologous sporozoites and could not have mediated protection against heterologous challenge. Immunization with attenuated PySPZ or PbSPZ induced CD8+ T cell-dependent protection against heterologous challenge. Immunization with attenuated PySPZ induced CD8+ T cell-dependent protection against homologous challenge. However, homologous protection induced by attenuated PbSPZ was not dependent on CD8+ or CD4+ T cells, and depletion of both populations only reduced protection by 36%. Immunization of C57BL/10 mice with PbSPZ induced CD8+ T cell-dependent protection against P. berghei, but no protection against P. yoelii. The cross-protection data in BALB/c mice support testing a human vaccine based on attenuated PfSPZ for its efficacy against P. vivax.

Factors influencing long-term implant success.

An implant quotient (IQ) has been proposed to help clinicians identify the 24 factors that can affect the potential long-term success of endosseous dental implants. Maximizing the positive factors and minimizing the negative factors will result in relatively high values for the theoretical IQ. Long-term success is directly proportional to the resultant value of the IQ. The greater the value of the IQ, the better the possibility for long-term success. The length of healing time and the necessity for submerged healing are indirectly proportional to the resultant value of the IQ. The greater the value of the IQ, the shorter the healing time before loading an endosseous implant may be. The greater the value of the IQ, the less necessary it becomes to submerge the healing implant.

Non-odontogenic beta-hemolytic necrotizing fasciitis of the face.

A case report of a severe, rapidly aggressive necrotizing fasciitis of the facial tissues demonstrates the need to consider anatomic, systemic, and bacterial factors in evaluating this disease. Early diagnosis is critical for optimum management. Surgical debridement is the cornerstone of treatment and must be complemented with aggressive supportive therapy and antibiotics. In this instance of non-odontogenic beta-hemolytic necrotizing fasciitis of the face, aggressive care resulted in management of the disease process to a point where the patient's perioral wounds stabilized and were not of immediate significance to her death.

Use of an electronic stimulator for the treatment of dry mouth.

This paper presents an innovative approach to the treatment of xerostomia through normal physiologic mechanisms with a device that provides electrical stimulation to the oral and pharyngeal afferent nervous system; the result is a reflex volley of efferent impulses to the salivary glands, causing salivation. The device has been successful in treating xerostomic patients regardless of the etiology of their dry mouths.

Chondrosarcoma: a rare tumor of the jaws.

A review of the literature revealed 150 cases of chondrosarcoma of the head and neck. We have added an additional case of this rare tumor.

Dysesthesia after mandibular third molar surgery: a retrospective study and analysis of 1,377 surgical procedures.

To statistically associate specific factors of surgical extraction of third molars with mandibular nerve dysesthesia, records of patients were reviewed for preoperative panoramic radiographs, complete operative and anesthetic records, preoperative and postoperative notes, and histories. Data were then tabulated and the cases of altered sensation were compared with cases of unaltered sensation.

Cardiac dysrhythmias during outpatient general anesthesia--a comparison study.

Seventy-seven ASA Class I patients were studied to compare the cardiac dysrhythmias occurring during outpatient office general anesthesia for oral surgery to dysrhythmias occurring during outpatient medical and surgical office procedures without general anesthesia and to dysrhythmias occurring in inpatients having minor operating room procedures under general anesthesia. Eighty-eight percent of the operating room group, 81% of the oral surgery group, and 45% of the non-general-anesthetic group had some form of dysrhythmia. There was a statistically significant difference between the numbers of dysrhythmias that occurred in the general anesthetic groups and the non-general-anesthetic group. None of the dysrhythmias documented was of the potentially fatal or extremely serious category.