Mechanical properties of native and decellularized reproductive tissues: insights for tissue engineering strategies.

Understanding the mechanical properties and porosity of reproductive tissues is vital for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. This study investigated the changes in Young's modulus (YM), storage modulus (E'), loss modulus (E"), and porosity of native and decellularized bovine reproductive tissues during the estrous cycle. Testis tunica albuginea had significantly higher YM, E', and E" than the inner testis, indicating greater stiffness and viscoelasticity. Endometrium showed no distinct differences in YM, E', or E" across the estrous cycle or between horns. Ovaries exhibited significant variations in YM, E', E", and porosity, with higher YM and E' in the ipsilateral cortex and medulla during the luteal phase. Decellularized ovarian tissues displayed increased porosity. The oviduct displayed no significant differences in YM or E' in the isthmus, but the contralateral ampulla had reduced YM and E' in the luteal phase. These findings offer valuable insights into the dynamic mechanical properties and porosity of reproductive tissues, facilitating the development of biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.

Near-infrared calibration models for estimating volatile fatty acids and methane production from in vitro rumen fermentation of different total mixed rations.

Volatile fatty acids (VFA) and methane (CH4) are the major products of rumen fermentation. The VFA are considered an energy source for the animal and rumen microbiota, and CH4 (which is released by eructation) is considered an energy loss. Quantification of these fermentation products is fundamental for the evaluation of feeds and diets, and provides important information regarding the use of nutrients by ruminants. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is increasingly used for the evaluation of animal feeds because it is rapid, nondestructive, noninvasive, and inexpensive; does not require reagents; and the results are reproducible. The aim of this study was to develop NIR calibration models for estimating the production of VFA (acetic, propionic, butyric, valeric, isovaleric, and isobutyric acids), total gas, and CH4 using in vitro gas production tests with buffered rumen inoculum throughout fermentation. Fifty-four total mixed rations (TMRs) were examined, and rumen fluid was manually collected from 2 dry Holstein dairy cows that had ruminal fistulas and were fed at maintenance energy levels. Then, 30 mL of buffered rumen fluid was incubated in bottles with ~220 mg of TMR. The total gas, VFA, and CH4 were measured after 2, 5, 9, 24, 30, 48, and 72 h of rumen incubation for each TMR. The VFA were measured on 32 randomly selected TMR. In particular, 7 bottles were used for each TMR, one for each incubation time. Methane was measured in the headspace and VFA were measured in the buffered rumen fluid. The bottles were considered experimental units for calibration purposes. The production of CH4 was quantified from the bottle headspaces by gas chromatography, and total gas production was measured using a pressure transducer at each incubation time. Two aliquots of the fermented liquids were sampled by opening the bottles at each incubation time, and (1) the concentrations of VFA were determined by gas chromatography or (2) spectra were obtained from Fourier-transform NIR spectroscopy. The data were randomly divided into calibration and validation data sets. The average concentrations of acetic acid (45.30 ± 11.92 and 43.86 ± 11.93 mmol/L), propionic acid (14.97 ± 6.08 and 14.38 ± 6.56 mmol/L), butyric acid (8.47 ± 3.47 and 8.65 ± 3.79 mmol/L), total gas (111.34 ± 81.90 and 116.46 ± 82.44 mL/g of organic matter), and CH4 (9.65 ± 9.45 and 10.35 ± 9.33 mmol/L) were similar in the 2 data sets. The best calibration models were retained based on the coefficient of determination (R2) and the ratio of prediction to deviation (RPD). The R2 values for prediction of VFA ranged from 0.69 (RPD = 3.28) for valeric acid to 0.94 (RPD = 4.20) for acetic acid. The models also provided good predictions of CH4 (R2 = 0.89, RPD = 3.05) and cumulative gas production (R2 = 0.91, RPD = 3.30). The models described here precisely and accurately estimated the production of CH4 and VFA during in vitro rumen fermentation tests. Validations at additional laboratories may provide more robust calibrations.

Effectiveness of treatment with viscosupplementation in temporomandibular joints with or without effusion.

The objective of this study was to determine whether the effectiveness of viscosupplementation with hyaluronic acid (HA) in patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) degenerative disorders depends on the presence of intra-articular effusion. In this study of case-control design, two groups of 25 patients were recruited: patients with a clinical diagnosis of painful chronic TMJ osteoarthritis and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signs of TMJ degeneration, with (effusion group) or without (no effusion group) MRI evidence of TMJ effusion. All patients underwent five weekly single-needle arthrocenteses plus medium molecular weight HA and 6 months of follow-up. Several clinical outcome parameters were assessed. For all variables, analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures was performed to assess the existence of significant within-group and between-group treatment effects. Over time, both groups showed significant improvements in all outcome parameters, which were maintained at the 6-month follow-up (P<0.05). Between-group comparisons showed that the treatment effects did not differ significantly for either the primary outcome variable (pain levels: F=0.849, P=0.548) or secondary outcome variables (chewing efficiency: F=0.854, P=0.544; functional limitation: F=1.35, P=0.226; mouth opening: F=0.658, P=0.707). The null hypothesis that there are no differences in treatment effectiveness between patients with and without effusion could not be rejected.

A case of cephalic tetanus in a developed country.

Tetanus is a potentially life-threatening infection that results from contamination of skin wound by Clostridium Tetani spores. Although, it remains an important health problem in developing countries without strict national immunization programs, this condition is rare in the developed world. The most frequent presenting symptoms are trismus and dysphagia, due to the spasmodic contraction of the masticatory muscles. Then the disease usually diffuses with a descending pattern inducing a generalized contraction of the agonist and antagonistic muscles, which characterize a tetanic spasm. Mortality usually results from respiratory failure, cardiovascular collapse, or autonomic dysfunctions. Treatment usually requires the prompt admission to the intensive care unit to avoid the development of potential life-threatening complications. We report the case of a 78-year-old farmer, who was referred to us with progressive onset of lock-jaw and muscular stiffness of the facial region, that had occurred after he had scratched himself with a rose. The recognition of the presenting signs of cephalic tetanus allowed the prompt management of the infection. However, because of the rarity of this condition, the clinicians may be unfamiliar with the clinical presentation, and be unsuspecting of the diagnosis.

Psychometric features of temporomandibular disorders patients in relation to pain diffusion, location, intensity and duration.

The aim of the present investigation was to assess the psychological profile of a sample of patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and to compare the psychometric scores between patients with pain of different diffusion, location, intensity and duration. One hundred and ten (N = 110) patients with painful TMD fulfilled three psychometric instruments. Pain features were assessed as categorical variables as concerns its diffusion, viz., diffuse or localised, duration, viz., more or <6 months, and location, viz., joint and/or muscles. Pain intensity was scored on a 0-100 Visual Analog Scale (VAS) rating. Patients with diffuse pain showed higher psychometric scores than patients with localised pain. No significant differences were detected between patients with pain lasting from more or equal than 6 months and those with pain lasting from <6 months as well as between patients with pain localised in the jaw muscles, joints or both, even if a trend for lower scores for patients with joint pain alone was observed. Pain intensity was significantly related with anxiety (ANX), depression (DEP) and somatisation(SOM) scores. In conclusion, pain diffusion and intensity were strongly related with high levels of SOM, ANX and DEP, while no differences in psychometric scores were detected between patients with pain of different duration and location.

Arthrocentesis with or without additional drugs in temporomandibular joint inflammatory-degenerative disease: comparison of six treatment protocols*.

The aim of the present pilot investigation was to compare the effectiveness of six treatment protocols providing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrocentesis with or without additional drugs to manage symptoms in patients with inflammatory-degenerative TMJ disease. A consecutive series of 72 patients with TMJ osteoarthritis (axis group IIIb) with pain lasting from more than 6 months were randomly assigned to one of the groups receiving the following treatment protocols: single-session two-needle arthrocentesis (A), single-session two-needle arthrocentesis plus corticosteroid (B), single-session two-needle arthrocentesis plus low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA) (C), single-session two-needle arthrocentesis plus high molecular weight HA (D), 5 weekly two-needle arthrocenteses plus low molecular weight HA (E) and 5 weekly single-needle arthrocenteses plus low molecular weight HA (F). At the 3-month follow-up, improvement with respect to mean baseline values was recorded in all the five treatment groups completing the protocol. No significant differences emerged between groups in any outcome variable. The protocol providing five sessions of two-needle arthrocenteses plus low molecular weight HA allowed achieving the highest improvement in almost all the outcome variables. Findings suggested that no statistically significant differences existed between the treatment groups. The clinical significance of these findings needs to be tested with future studies on larger samples with longer follow-up periods.

Two-needle vs. single-needle technique for TMJ arthrocentesis plus hyaluronic acid injections: a comparative trial over a six-month follow up.

The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of five weekly two-needle arthrocentesis plus hyaluronic injections vs. the same protocol performed with a single-needle technique in patients with inflammatory-degenerative disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). 80 patients with TMJ osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to the two-needle or single-needle protocol and followed up for 6 months after treatment. Several outcome parameters, such as maximum pain at rest and maximum pain on chewing, subjective chewing efficiency, limitation in jaw function, jaw range of motion in mm, were recorded at baseline and multiple follow up assessments. Both treatment groups recorded significant improvement with respect to baseline levels in almost all outcome variables. The rate of improvement was not significantly different between the treatment protocols in any of the outcome variables (p-values between 0.143 and 0.970). No between-group differences emerged for the perceived subjective efficacy (p=0.321) and the treatment tolerability (p=0.783). The present investigation did not support the existence of significant differences in the treatment effectiveness for inflammatory-degenerative TMJ disorders of a cycle of five weekly injections of arthrocentesis plus hyaluronic acid injections performed according to the classical two-needle or the single-needle technique.

Intraoral endoscopic enucleation of a solitary bone cyst of the mandibular condyle.

Solitary bone cysts are benign osteolytic lesions rarely involving the mandibular condyle. They are considered pseudocysts due to the absence of epithelium and their pathogenesis is unknown. These lesions are also known with a variety of synonyms, such as traumatic bone cysts, simple bone cysts, haemorrhagic bone cysts and unicameral cysts. The authors report a case of a solitary cyst of the condylar head treated by enucleation and curettage via an intraoral endoscopic-assisted surgical approach, which avoids the risk of facial nerve injury, reduces the patient's hospitalization and speeds up functional recovery.

Surface electromyography of jaw muscles and kinesiographic recordings: diagnostic accuracy for myofascial pain.

The present investigations attempted to assess the diagnostic accuracy of commercially available surface electromyography (sEMG) and kinesiography (KG) devices for myofascial pain of jaw muscles. Thirty-six (n = 36) consecutive patients with a research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) axis I diagnosis of myofascial pain and an age- and sex-matched group of 36 TMD-free asymptomatic subjects underwent sEMG and KG assessments to compare EMG parameters of the masseter and temporalis muscles as well as the jaw range of motion and the interarch freeway space. EMG data at rest were not significantly different between myofascial pain patients and asymptomatic subjects, while the latter achieved significantly higher levels of EMG activity during clenching tasks. Symmetry of muscle activity at rest and during clenching tasks, KG parameters of jaw range of motion and the measurement of the interarch vertical freeway did not differ between groups. Receiver operating characteristics curve analysis showed that, except EMG parameters during clenching tasks, all the other outcome sEMG and KG measures did not reach acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity, with a 30·6-88·9% percentage of false-positive results. Therefore, clinicians should not use sEMG and KG devices as diagnostic tools for individual patients who might have myofascial pain in the jaw muscles. Whether intended as a stand-alone measurement or as an adjunct to making clinical decisions, such instruments do not meet the standard of reliability and validity required for such usage.

Predictive factors of hyaluronic acid injections short-term effectiveness for TMJ degenerative joint disease.

This study attempted to identify baseline predictors of positive outcome of arthrocenteses plus hyaluronic acid injections in degenerative temporomandibular joint disease (TMJ DJD). Ninety (n=90) consecutive patients with Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders TMJ osteoarthritis (RDC/TMD 1.0 Axis I Group IIIb) underwent a cycle of five arthrocenteses with injections of 1mL hyaluronic acid and were followed up for 3months. Eight potential predictors of positive treatment outcome (sex, age, pain duration, baseline pain at chewing, presence of uni- or bilateral arthritis, presence of other concurrent RDC/TMD diagnoses, type of intervention and tolerability of treatment) were included in a logistic regression model to identify baseline predictors of treatment effectiveness. At follow-up, 85·6% of patients improved with respect to baseline VAS values, and 64·4% had a 50% or more decrease (positive outcomes). Correlation with positive outcomes existed only for unilateral osteoarthritis, and the logistic regression identified the side of arthritis (unilateral/bilateral) as the only predictor of positive treatment outcome (P=0·032). The achievement of any treatment improvement was predicted by high baseline pain levels (P=0·016). The regression models explained only 7·7-15% of the variance in the outcome variable. The attempts to find predictors of positive treatment outcome with HA injections for TMJ degenerative joint disease have been successful only in part. The search for other outcome predictors is likely to benefit from the assessment of psychosocial features associated with TMJ disorders.

Synovial chondromatosis of the temporomandibular joint: a case description with systematic literature review.

Synovial chondromatosis (SC) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a rare disease characterized by the presence of calcified loose bodies within the joint, and few systematically gathered data are available about its epidemiology. The aim of this paper was to describe a case of SC of the TMJ, and to carry out a systematic review of the literature on epidemiology over the past decade. A case of a 53-year-old female with the classical triad of signs and symptoms of SC (pain, swelling, restricted mouth opening) is described. A systematic search in the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Database was performed. 155 cases were described in 103 publications. Most dealt with single case reports. Females are affected more than males with a 2.5:1 ratio and the mean age of patients was about 46 years. Late diagnosis is common and in most cases more than 2 years elapsed between symptom onset and surgical intervention. Open TMJ surgery is the treatment of choice, since less invasive techniques, such as arthroscopy, allowed complete removal of the loose bodies only in about half of cases. A single recurrence was described, confirming the benign nature of the disease.

Dental implant failure associated with a residual maxillary cyst.

A 53-year-old male underwent oral implantation including bone grafting to substitute tooth 12. Three months post-operatively, the implant migrated apically into a cyst cavity. The implant, cyst and bone graft were removed. This report regards the migration of an implant into a residual cyst; some anatomical, clinical and pathological considerations arise from this case.

Single-needle temporomandibular joint arthrocentesis with hyaluronic acid injections. Preliminary data after a five-injection protocol.

AIM: The classical technique for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrocentesis provides a double access to the joint space, which may lead to patient's postoperatory discomfort. For this reason, a less invasive, single-needle approach has been recently described, and the present investigation reports findings on a case series of patients with TMJ osteoarthritis treated with hyaluronic acid injections following a single needle arthrocentesis. METHODS. Fourteen consecutive patients with a diagnosis of TMJ osteoarthritis according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporo-mandibular Disorders were treated with a cycle of five weekly injections of hyaluronic acid after arthrocentesis. A number of subjective (pain at rest and mastication, masticatory efficiency, functional limitation, subjective efficacy of treatment, tolerability of treatment) and objective (maximum assisted and unassited mouth opening, protrusive and laterotrusive movements) outcome variables were assessed before and after the treatment period. RESULTS: At the end of the five-injection protocol, significant improvements were showed in almost all the subjective outcome variables. Tolerability of the treatment was good on a four-point ordinal scale since the time of the first injection. CONCLUSIONS: The present investigation suggested that the single needle technique for TMJ hyaluronic injection following arthrocentesis in osteoarthritic joints may have promising applications in the clinical setting, which have to be confirmed with future studies.

Temporomandibular joint total replacement prosthesis: current knowledge and considerations for the future.

This paper provides a review of the current knowledge of temporomandibular joint total replacement systems. An electronic Medline search was performed to identify all the relevant English-language, peer-reviewed articles published during 1990-2006. Twenty-eight references were considered for review, seven of which were reviews, 17 clinical trials or case series, and four single-patient case reports. Therapeutic outcomes were encouraging for all three total prosthetic systems for which follow-up data from a consistent sample of patients exist. A lack of homogeneity between studies in patient selection and indications for the intervention was noted. A better integration between clinical and research settings is needed to achieve a standardized definition of the rationale and indications for total temporomandibular joint replacement. Findings from the available studies are promising, and need to be confirmed by multicenter trials taking into account interoperator variability.

Total temporomandibular joint prosthesis as a surgical option for severe mouth opening restriction. A case report of a bilateral intervention.

Several conservative treatment approaches to the disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) have been described in the literature. Nonetheless, in a minority of cases not respondent to reversible conservative therapies a surgical approach to the TMJ is needed. In recent years, a total temporomandibular joint replacement with alloplastic prosthesis have been introduced as a treatment option in the presence of a severely damaged or mutilated joint, mainly resulting from severe joint diseases, as in the case of complex inflammatory-degenerative diseases, or failure of previous surgeries. The present paper described a case report of a bilateral temporomandibular joint replacement intervention in a female patient with severe mouth opening restriction and pain in the TMJ area. Also, a discussion of the potential indications for TMJ replacement has been provided, along with the description of the surgical procedure.

Coronoid hyperplasia. A case report.

Coronoid hyperplasia is a rare condition which is macroscopically characterized by an increase in the dimensions of the coronoid process resulting from an abnormal bony elongation of histologically normal bone. Unilateral cases are more frequent than bilateral ones and can recognize a number of etiological factors, such as exostoses, osteochondroma, traumatic events, inflammatory reactions, neoplasia and manifestations secondary to other pathologies. Etiopathogenesis of bilateral forms has not yet been clarified: in the literature hints to both developmental and endocrine abnormalities are present, and a familiar pattern of inheritance has been evidenced. The poor specificity of signs and symptoms associated with coronoid hyperplasia, which are similar to those of other more frequent forms of temporomandibular disorders, present some problems of differential diagnosis. An accurate assessment must be based on a clinical and anamnestical approach aiming at the identification of pathognomonic clinical symptoms. Considering its limits (such as the possible presence of artefacts and image distortions), orthopantomography has a poor diagnostic usefulness. In this case, magnetic resonance (MR) allowed to evaluate disk-condyle relationship, but it could be also useful to evaluate post-operative complications. In the case of coronoid hyperplasia, the computed tomography (CT) is fundamental for a correct differential diagnosis. CT also allows surgical planning due to its accuracy to detect coronoid process volume and morphology. The present case report is an example of the need for a correct differential diagnosis between the different types of temporomandibular disorders, and it also lends support to the importance of requesting modern imaging techniques during the diagnostic process of the rare or complex cases.

[Influence of intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate on clinical features and synovial fluid nitric oxide levels of temporomandibular osteoarthritis]. / Influenza delle infiltrazioni intra-articolari con acido ialuronico sugli indici clinici e sui livelli di ossido nitrico nell'artrosi temporomandibolare.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess the effect of intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate (SH) on clinical findings of temporomandibular osteoarthritis (OA) and on synovial fluid (SF) levels of nitric oxide (NO). METHODS: Twenty seven patients (7 men, 20 women, mean (SD) age 53.9 (11.8) years) with OA of the temporomandibular joint were randomly allocated to receive an injection of either SH (2 ml, Hyalgan, Fidia SpA, Abano T., P.M. 500-700.000, 20 mg/2 ml; once a week for 5 weeks) or a Ringer's lactate solution (once a week for 3 weeks). Clinical evaluation was done before each procedure, and at 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months post-injection. Intensity of temporomandibular joint pain, jaw function, maximal mouth opening and lateral jaw movements were recorded at each visit. NO was measured on SF collected by rinsing the joint with saline 1 ml before the treatment. RESULTS: Injection of SH caused significant improvement in the main clinical symptoms until the last follow-up which was carried out 6 months after last injection. Among patients who received SH injection, those who reached a good outcome showed the lowest basal levels of NO. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that intra-articular injections of SH lead to a lasting improvement in the clinical symptoms of temporomandibular OA. Furthermore, our findings suggest that low NO levels in SF are related to a better outcome of temporomandibular OA among patients treated with SH intra-articular injection.

Resorption of composite polymer-hydroxyapatite membranes: a time-course study in rabbit.

The histological findings in rabbit, concerning the resorption of a new composite hydroxyapatite-polymer membrane used in guided tissue regeneration are reported. The polymer appeared to be completely resorbed in about 4-6 months, while the inorganic component, hydroxyapatite, appeared to begin to resorb after the tenth month. The integrity of the membrane appeared to be unchanged after a 10-month period. No inflammatory cell infiltrate was present. This new type of membrane appeared to be relatively well tolerated by the host, had no significant adverse soft and hard tissue reaction, appeared to be easy to handle and had good space-maintaining capabilities. More research is certainly needed before clinical use in man.

[Total atrophy of the mandibular alveolar crest. A new therapeutic proposal (the use of a tissue expander) and a clinical case report]. / Le atrofie totali della cresta alveolare mandibolare. Nuova proposta terapeutica (uso dell'espansore tissutale) e presentazione di un caso clinico.

Atrophy of the alveolar crest, meant as a syndrome due to a certain variety of pathogenetic episodes developing in a more or less marked framework of resorption of the alveolar to the maxillary processes, represents an issue of debated and uncertain solution, especially in a view of the extreme degrees of the phenomenon. Various kinds of surgical approach have been suggested over time: among them mention should be made of the onlay graft technique, the osteotomy intervention visor type, the osseous interposition sandwich type, and other methods, which were often the result of a pontered mediation of the above mentioned, and which should have therefore enjoyed their single advantages. In consideration of the different techniques, the results were more or less noteworthy and it was clear, however, that a certain "gap" was still existing between the results aimed to and the results reached. Today, thanks to the tissue-expander technique, combined with the use of alloplasty materials (hydroxylapatite), we can give a new contribution to the solution of this invalidating pathology, thus reaching more complete and lasting results in the plastic reconstruction of the alveolar crest, and avoiding at the same time the disadvantages, even of iatrogenic kind, of an osteotomy intervention.

[Myelolipomatosis. A report of a case located in the mandible]. / Mielolipomatosi. Presentazione di un caso a localizzazione mandibolare.

Myelolipoma is a rare benign tumour involving, in the majority of cases, the adrenal gland. Given the absolute predominance of this localisation, in this report of extra-adrenal localisations of these tumours the authors considered it worthwhile and necessary to refer to the former, relatively more complete series of data, with the exception of the supposed or real differences which exist between the two groups. Myelolipomatosis should not be considered an example of dysplasia, but on the contrary benign metaplasia/hamartoma. It is therefore obvious that, faced with an expansive process of this type, it is vital to obtain a precise diagnosis on which to base the choice of clinical and therapeutic management since this is also influenced by the anatomical site of the tumour. On the basis of a series of pathophysiological parameters, the authors have formulated a diagnostic protocol followed by a therapeutic approach since, in this context, there is no point resorting to a so-called "wait and see" strategy. In addition, the analysis of the above parameters convinced the authors of the possibility that these tumours should be regarded as bodies which should not be separated from the reaction of the organism as a whole to and appropriate stressigenic event persisting over time.