Is there a difference in treatment effect of different intra-articular drugs for temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

A systematic review based on the PRISMA guidelines was conducted to investigate and compare treatment with hyaluronic acid (HA), corticosteroids, and blood products in patients with temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA). The MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles published until September 25, 2019. Articles met the inclusion criteria if they reported patients with TMJOA, a comparison group, and a follow-up period of at least 6 months. The mean and standard deviation for TMJ pain and maximum mouth opening (MMO) were reported. Nine studies involving 443 patients were included. Injectables and Ringer's lactate solution or normal saline were reported to significantly improve TMJ pain and MMO. Regarding TMJ pain, two studies showed a significant superiority of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF)/platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections with or without arthrocentesis over HA, but HA showed a significant improvement compared to corticosteroids. For MMO, no injectable was found to be superior to Ringer's lactate or a normal saline control, but arthrocentesis + PRP resulted in MMO improvement compared to arthrocentesis + HA. Overall, all injectables in conjunction with arthrocentesis were efficient in alleviating pain and improving MMO in TMJOA patients; however, a meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity across studies.

In vivo investigation of temporomandibular joint regeneration: development of a mouse model.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) reconstruction is traditionally invasive. Several investigators have developed animal models, including mouse models, to study the TMJ. However, there are no detailed descriptions of a mouse model to be followed for additional research. The goal of this project was to study minimally invasive TMJ regeneration using tissue engineering in mice. As part of the project, a detailed mouse model was developed, which is described in this article. Eight carcasses were used to study the anatomy of the TMJ of the mouse and 36 mice were used to describe the surgical approach and perioperative management. The study showed similarities and differences when compared to humans. One mouse died suddenly 10 days postoperatively, while 35 mice survived the operation. Keratitis and wound dehiscence were the most common complications. Investigators reviewing this paper should be able to use this mouse model to further study TMJ regeneration in mice.

Frequency of alpha-thalassemia in Greece.

Using hematological and gene mapping techniques, a cord blood survey was carried out to estimate the frequency of alpha-thalassemia in the Greek population. Out of 227 newborns studied, 16 (7.05%) were found by gene mapping to be alpha-thalassemia 2 heterozygotes (-alpha/alpha alpha), and of these only two had increased levels of hemoglobin Bart's in the cord blood (1.2 and 2.0%). Similarly, one heterozygotes for the common Mediterranean alpha-thalassemia 1 haplotype (-/alpha alpha) and one for the 20.5-kb deletion type (-(alpha)20.5/alpha alpha) were found, showing increased levels of Bart's of 4.8 and 6.6%, respectively. Four (1.76%) heterozygotes for the triple alpha gene arrangement (alpha alpha alpha/alpha alpha) were found. One individual with a level of Bart's in the cord blood of 8% was found to be a double heterozygote for alpha-thalassemia 2 and a dysfunctional alpha gene arrangement (-alpha/-(alpha)?). These results give an overall incidence for alpha-thalassemia in the Greek population of 8.4%.