Evaluation of Change in Radiographic Fractal Dimension around Dental Implants Placed with Low-Speed Drilling and Standard Drilling Protocols.

Osseointegration is a process that depends on a multitude of factors, including the type of drilling, whether biological or conventional. OBJECTIVE: Establish box-counting dimension values for radiological images in patients with implants placed with both drilling methods. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The sample included 129 implants corresponding to 50 patients. A double-blind study of data collection was carried out with the subsequent analysis of the fractal dimension as a comparative value of the state of the trabecular architecture. RESULTS: We found no significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) between the two study groups comparing both drilling techniques. The values for the conventional drilling technique are 0.24 ± 0.07 and for biological drilling: 0.19 ± 0.11 with a p-value of 0.767. CONCLUSIONS: The drilling technique does not influence the success of the procedure and the osseointegration process.

Use of the Fractal Dimension to Differentiate Epithelium and Connective Tissue in Oral Leukoplakias.

BACKGROUND: Oral leukoplakia (OL) is considered one of the most common potentially malignant oral disorders (OPMD), with a verified increased risk of developing oral cancer. The identification of the dysplasia grade (low-high) is the only consolidated factor used to evaluate this risk. The objective of this study was to verify the role of the fractal dimension (FD) in assessing this dysplasia. METHODS: To begin, 29 OL and 10 normal oral mucosa (NOM) biopsies were retrieved for FD analysis of the epithelial (dime) and the connective (dimc) tissue. RESULTS: In the OL group, the median value of dime is higher (1.67, IQR = 0.12) than for the NOM group (1.56, IQR = 0.08), with statistically significant differences (Wilcoxon test, p = 0.0031). There were no differences in relation to dimc. Significant differences were observed between the non-dysplasia vs. high-grade (p = 0.0156) and low-grade vs. high-grade (p = 0.0049) groups. No significant differences were identified in relation to dimc for the different degrees of dysplasia. For a cut-off point of 1.44 of dime, a specificity of 96.6% was obtained, a sensitivity of 100%, and an AUC = 0.819 (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: FD at the level of the epithelium may be used as a diagnostic tool in OL.

A Stimulator of the Salivary Excretion Based on Physical Vibration of the Parotid Glands.

Oral dryness causes significant health problems both functional (difficulty speaking, chewing and swallowing) and structural in teeth (increased number of infections) and oral mucosa. The main objective of this study is to show an alternative treatment to help stimulate the salivary secretion thus improving the quality of life of the patient. In this study, a salivary stimulation equipment using vibrotactile stimuli is shown. The system has been placed bilaterally in the parotid glands and assessed the efficacy of the salivary secretion by sialometry before and after the stimulation. The new proposal is capable of stimulating salivary secretion, in a significative way after 7 minutes of use, at least in the cases analyzed, and fulfills low-cost, easy-to-use, and safe technical restrictions. In this setting, this paper suggests the performance of a deep clinical trial to measure the exact efficacy of the prototype and the times and frequencies needed to state the optimal treatment depending in each case.

Solving an Infectious Disease Model considering Its Anatomical Variables with Stochastic Numerical Procedures.

The aim of the current work is to perform the numerical investigation of the infectious disease based on the nonlinear fractional order prey-predator model using the Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation (LMB) based on the artificial neuron networks (ANNs), i.e., LMBNNs. The fractional prey-predator model is classified into three categories, the densities of the susceptible, infected prey, and predator populations. The statistics proportions for solving three different variations of the infectious disease based on the fractional prey-predator model are designated for training 80% and 10% for both validation and testing. The numerical actions are performed using the LMBNNs to solve the infectious disease based on the fractional prey-predator model, and comparison is performed using the database Adams-Bashforth-Moulton approach. The infectious disease based on the fractional prey-predator model is solved using the LMBNNs to reduce the mean square error (M.S.E). In order to validate the exactness, capability, consistency, and competence of the proposed LMBNNs, the numerical procedures using the correlation, M.S.E, regression, and error histograms are drawn.

Evaluation of Quality of Life and Satisfaction in Patients with Fixed Prostheses on Zygomatic Implants Compared with the All-on-Four Concept: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study.

Purpose: No published research has compared patients' quality of life and satisfaction with fixed prostheses supported by zygomatic implants with those supported by all-on-four prostheses. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' quality of life and satisfaction with fixed prostheses on zygomatic implants compared with the all-on-four concept. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 patients with atrophic edentulous maxillae were randomized into two groups: Group 1 (rehabilitated with fixed prostheses supported by 2-4 zygomatic and 2-4 conventional implants in the anterior region) and Group 2 (fixed prostheses on four implants in the anterior region following an all-on-four concept). One year after placement of the definitive prostheses, patients completed OHIP-14 and satisfaction questionnaires. Results: In all seven domains of the OHIP-14 and in the overall scores, a worse quality of life was found in Group 2 patients, with statistically significant differences between the two groups (p ≤ 0.05). Patients with zygomatic implants were more satisfied with their prostheses, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Conclusions: According to the results of this study, rehabilitation of patients with edentulous atrophic maxillae with prostheses supported by zygomatic implants combined with anterior implants provided better patient quality of life and satisfaction than prostheses supported by four implants.

In Vitro Study of Synergic Effect of Cisplatin and Low Molecular Weight Heparin on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the possible synergic effect of cisplatin and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cisplatin and enoxaparin sodium, alone or in combination, were administered at doses of 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10 µM and 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 µg/ml, respectively, to the H357 human OSCC line. The effects on cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated after 24, 48, and 72 h and on cell migration after 18 and 24 h. RESULTS: 10 µM concentration of cisplatin produced the greatest decrease in cell viability, with significant differences at 24 (p=0.009), 48 (p=0.001) and 72 h (p = 0.003); the 100 µg/ml dose of enoxaparin produced the greatest decrease in cell viability but without significant differences (p>0.05). When different concentrations of cisplatin and enoxaparin were combined, it was found that 100 µg/ml enoxaparin sodium produced the greatest synergic effect on cell viability reduction. In analyses of apoptosis and cell migration, it was found that the combination of cisplatin at 8 or 10 µM and 100 µg/ml enoxaparin produced a higher rate of apoptosis at 24, 48, and 72 h and a greater reduction in cell migration at 18 and 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of cisplatin and enoxaparin sodium shows a synergic effect that reduces cell viability and cell migration capacity and increases the apoptosis of human OSCC cells. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Enoxaparin may be beneficial in chemotherapy for patients with OSCC; this finding requires further clinical and laboratory investigation.

Genotype of Null Polymorphisms in Genes GSTM1, GSTT1, CYP1A1, and CYP1A1*2A (rs4646903 T>C)/CYP1A1*2C (rs1048943 A>G) in Patients with Larynx Cancer in Southeast Spain.

BACKGROUND: some types of cancer have been associated with the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of some genes that encode enzymes: glutathione-S transferase (GST), whose alteration leads to loss of function and a lower capacity to eliminate toxic GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes; SNPs causing loss of function of CYP1A1 or CYP1A1-2 cytochrome P450 enzymes related with a lower capacity to deactivate hydrocarbons related to smoking, which involves a higher risk of developing some smoking-dependent cancers including larynx cancer. OBJECTIVE: to compare the presence of null SNPs in genes GSTM1, GSTT1, and CYP1A1 rs 4646903 T>C, and CYP1A1-2 RS1048943 A>G in patients with hypopharyngeal and larynx cancer with a healthy control group. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study included a total of 80 patients with hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer and 23 healthy subjects. Genomic DNA was obtained from saliva samples, determining genotype GSTM1 (present +, or null -), GSTT1 (present + or null -). Polymorphisms (SNP) in CYP1A1 T>C (present + CC, or absent - TC/TT), and CYP1A1-2 A>G (present + GG, or absent - AG/AA). RESULTS: the mean age of patients with larynx cancer was 62 years and of control subjects 63 years. Of the total sample, over 95% were men, and over 90% were smokers. The presence of null genotypes for GTM1 was 50% in patients with larynx cancer (p = 0.042), while GSTT1 was 88.75% (p = 0.002). CYP1A1 rs4646903 T>C polymorphisms were detected in 100% of cases of larynx cancer and 17.39% of healthy subjects (p > 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: patients with larynx cancer present more gene GSTM1 and GSTT1 null polymorphisms, and CYP1A1 rs4646903 T>C polymorphisms.

Volumetric study of the maxillary sinus in patients with sinus pathology.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is 1) to obtain the area and volumes of the maxillary sinuses in patients affected by clinically unilateral sinus pathology by comparing the results to the contralateral sinus and 2) to determine the importance of the volumetric measures when diagnosing the percentage of sinus obliteration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single-centre observational retrospective clinical study was conducted in 214 patients with clinically unilateral sinus pathologies. Linear (mm), area (mm2) and volume (mm3) measurements were taken from Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images of the affected sinus as well as from the contralateral ones. Histopathological study was performed using haematoxylin/eosin and PAS or Groccot stains. The lesions were classified into non-specific sinusitis, polyps, inverted papilloma, fungal sinusitis, cysts, mucocele and other lesions. Chi-squared test, ANOVA for independent samples and Pearson test were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 100 sinuses were measured in 50 patients (28 men and 22 women, with an age of 43.6 years (SD = 18.3), 50 pathological and 50 healthy contralateral sinuses. The three-dimensional occupation volume of the affected sinuses was 97.1 mm3 (62.5%) vs. 40.6 mm3 (22.8%) in the healthy ones (p<0.0001). The medial-lateral width of the sinus in the frontal plane was significantly higher in the cysts group (32.4 mm, CI: 23-41.8 mm). CONCLUSION: In medical terms, the global percentage of occupation determined using the classic manual determination method does not differ from the three-dimensional percentage calculated using specific complex software.

Chemopreventive effect of pomegranate and cocoa extracts on ultraviolet radiation-induced photocarcinogenesis in SKH-1 mice.

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has a high and increasing incidence all over the world. Solar radiation is the main aetiology for humans. Although most research into photocarcinogenesis uses UVB as a source of radiation, UVA is also carcinogenic in long term. Pomegranate (PGE) and cocoa (CE) extracts have been used for medicinal purposes for time immemorial. Recently, it has been claimed that some of their properties may be an effective preventative measure against photocarcinogenesis and photoaging, but to date in vivo models have not been tested using RUVA, the objective of the present work. A lower incidence of lesions was observed in SKH-1 mice treated with PGE (p<0.001), and lower incidence of invasive squamous carcinoma in both treatment groups (p<0.001 for PGE and p<0.05 for CE); the PGE group also showed a lower level of cell proliferation than the control group (p<0.001). Significantly greater p53 alteration was observed in the control group than the treatment groups (p<0.001 for PGE and p = 0.05 for CE). No significant differences were found in relation to TIMP-1 and MMP-9. Taken together, the results suggest that oral feeding of PGE and CE to SKH-1 mice affords substantial protection against the adverse effects of RUVA, especially PGE.