Mechanical, topographical and chemical cues combined with physical therapy for peripheral nerve injuries.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to evaluate biomaterial cues combined with physical therapy (PT) on functional recovery in a rat sciatic nerve injury model. Materials & methods: Nerve growth conduits were filled with longitudinally aligned hyaluronic acid fibers and microspheres containing neurotrophic factor (growth factor [GF]). All animals received behavior and functional testing throughout the study, which concluded with measurement of compound muscle action potentials and contractile force of the gastrocnemius muscle. Results & conclusion: Including GF improved recovery of gross motor function and increased sensory pain sensation. During the 4 weeks that animals participated in PT, these groups showed higher static sciatic index scores. Including GF and PT has the potential to improve clinical outcomes following peripheral nerve injury.

Evaluación del aplanamiento condilar en pacientes dentados y no dentados mediante radiografía panorámica / Evaluation of condylar flattening in dentate and non-dentate patients using panoramic radiography

Introducción: Las alteraciones morfológicas de los cóndilos se determinan por la disminución de tejido óseo en el cóndilo mandibular, lo que cambia su forma y tamaño. Entre los signos más frecuentes encontramos el aplanamiento condilar, que se presenta entre los procesos dinámicos. Los cambios morfológicos más frecuentes son aplanamiento condilar, caracterizado por la pérdida de la convexidad del cóndilo articular. Radiográficamente, se presenta como una superficie convexa, la cortical ósea condilar es continua con ausencia de zonas radiopacas o radiolúcidas irregulares. Objetivos: Evaluar las características radiográficas de aplanamiento condilar de la articulación temporomandibular en pacientes dentados y no dentados mediante el uso de la radiografía panorámica. Métodos: Se evaluaron 520 radiografías panorámicas (260 de pacientes dentados y 260 no dentados), de pacientes de ambos sexos, entre 18 a 70 años, que fueron tomadas en el Centro de Radiología Digital Oral y Maxilofacial D3RX de Floridablanca (Colombia), entre enero de 2017 y diciembre de 2018, elegidos de forma aleatoria simple. La muestra fue definida mediante una base de datos de estudios científicos referenciados bibliográficamente, y mostró en este estudio una población evaluada con más alto promedio. Resultados: Los pacientes desdentados tienen mayor incidencia a presentar alguna alteración en la forma, el lado y el tipo de aplanamiento según la radiografía panorámica. Conclusiones: Los cambios morfológicos de los cóndilos observados en la radiografía panorámica según género mostró mayor prevalencia en mujeres que en hombres, mayor incidencia en cóndilos redondeados y afectación mayor en pacientes no dentados. Los resultados de este estudio muestran que, a pesar de que la radiografía panorámica no es considerada la mejor herramienta para determinar la presencia de cambios morfológicos leves a nivel de la mandíbula, puede ser utilizada por el odontólogo como la primera ayuda diagnóstica para obtener una visión general no solo de la articulación temporomandibular, sino de otras estructuras anatómicas y dentarias que deben ser estudiadas en trastornos de la articulación temporomandibular. (AU)

Introduction: Morphological alterations of the condyles are determined by a decrease of bone tissue in the mandibular condyle, changing its shape and size. One of the most frequent signs of these alterations involves condylar flattening that occurs among dynamic processes and is characterized by a loss of convexity of the articular condyle. Radiographically this is observed as a convex surface, the condylar bone cortex is continuous and there is an absence of irregular radiopaque or radiolucent areas. Objectives: To evaluate the radiographic characteristics of condylar flattening of the temporomandibular joint in dentate and non-dentate patients using panoramic radiography. Methods: We evaluated panoramic radiographs obtained at the D3RX Oral and Maxillofacial Digital Radiology Center in Floridablanca-Colombia from January 2017 to December 2018. Patients were randomly selected according to fulfillment of the following inclusion criteria:availability of panoramic radiographs showing the entire condylar structure of male and female patients aged 18 to 70 years attending from January 2017 to December 2018. This number of radiographs was defined according to a database. We evaluated the presence of flattening, the shape and the affected side and sex. The Chi-square test was applied. P <0.005. Results: A total of 520 panoramic radiographs were obtained; 260 from dentate patients and 260 from non-dentate patients. Patient characteristics show that edentulous patients had a higher incidence of alterations in the shape, side and type of flattening in the panoramic radiographs. Edentulous patients have a higher incidence of presenting some alteration in their shape, side and flattened condyles observed in panoramic radiographs in 51.2% versus 35.1% of dentate patients (P <0.001). Conclusions: The morphological changes of the condyles observed in panoramic radiographs were more prevalent in women than men, with a higher incidence in rounded condyles and greater involvement in edentulous patients. The results of this study show that although panoramic radiography is not considered the best tool to determine the presence of slight morphological changes at the level of the jaw, it can be used as the first diagnostic aid to obtain an overview of not only the temporomandibular joint but also other anatomical and dental structures that should be studied in disorders of the temporomandibular joint. (AU)

Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning.

A healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract with a properly established microbiota is necessary for a foal to develop into a healthy weanling. A foal's health can be critically impacted by aberrations in the microbiome such as with diarrhea which can cause great morbidity and mortality in foals. In this study, we hypothesized that gut establishment in the foal transitioning from a diet of milk to a diet of grain, forage, and pasture would be detectable through analyses of the fecal microbiotas. Fecal samples from 37 sets of foals and mares were collected at multiple time points ranging from birth to weaning. Bacterial DNA was isolated from the samples, and the V4 domain of bacterial 16S rRNA genes were amplified via polymerase chain reaction. Next generation sequencing was then performed on the resulting amplicons, and analyses were performed to characterize the microbiome as well as the relative abundance of microbiota present. We found that bacterial population compositions followed a pattern throughout the early life of the foal in an age-dependent manner. As foals transitioned from milk consumption to a forage and grain diet, there were recognizable changes in fecal microbial compositions from initial populations predominant in the ability to metabolize milk to populations capable of utilizing fibrous plant material. We were also able to recognize differences in microbial populations amongst diarrheic foals as well as microbial population differences associated with differences in management styles between facilities. Future efforts will gauge the effects of lesser abundant bacterial populations that could also be essential to GI health, as well as to determine how associations between microbial population profiles and animal management practices can be used to inform strategies for improving upon the health and growth of horses overall.