Bone regeneration is essential in medical treatment, such as in surgical bone healing and orthodontics. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of different powers of 940 nm diode low-level laser treatment (LLLT) on osteoblast cells during their proliferation and differentiation stages. A human fetal osteoblast cell line was cultured and treated with LLLT. The cells were divided into experimental groups according to the power delivered and periods of exposure per day for each laser power. The (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) (MTT) assay was used to determine cell proliferation. Both alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin activity assays were assessed for cell differentiation. All treatment groups showed a significant increase in cell proliferation and differentiation compared to the control group. Regarding the exposure time, the subgroups treated with the LLLT for 6 min showed higher proliferation and differentiation rates for the powers delivered, the 300-mW LLLT group significantly increased the amount of cell proliferation. By contrast, the 100 and 200 mW groups showed significantly greater amounts of cell differentiation. These results suggest that the use of LLLT may play an important role in stimulating osteoblast cells for improved bone formation.

The need for orthodontic treatment is increasing all the time. As the treatment is time consuming ranging from a year to several years, any method of reducing the period of treatment and increasing the quality of the tissue will be beneficial to patients. The use of non-invasive techniques such as low level laser therapy and low intensity pulsed ultasound in accelerating orthodontic tooth movement are promising. Thus, this overview study will help to generate more understanding about the background information and the possible applications of them in daily orthodontics, depending on previous literature searching for reviews and original research articles.

No abstract

No abstract

Insect pest infestations on stored rice cause both quantitatively and qualitatively significant damage and this affects the economy and food security of the country . The samples were collected from different geographic regions which represented by some of the provinces in Iraq; ( Mosul, Baghdad, Saladin, Diyala and Dhi Qar). The current study showed three main beetles that infect stored rice: Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Tribolium castaneum and Sitophilus oryzae. showed the highest abundance of Oryzaephilus surinamensis in all stores that investigated , while S. oryzae was the less abundant. The genetic relationships among the local species were studied using molecular techniques. The study was performed using a phylogenetic tree, with the diagnosis confirmed using sequencing of mtDNA COI and 16s rRNA  genes. The results showed differences in the nitrogenous base sequences of both genes when comparing the local sample with the reference sequences that published in NCBI as well, there was genetic diversity of species within and between in different provinces appeared in the form ofsubstitution mutations. The tree of genetic relationships between local species was drawn and the results were compared with the standard samples.

Multiple studies have been reported the stimulatory effect of the combinations of nutrients factors on bone formation. One such factor is vitamin K2 which can be associated with bone protective activities. The effect of vitamin K2 alone and in combination with genistein, coumestrol and daidzein on osteoblast differentiation and mineralization were tested. Significantly, vitamin K2 increased bone mineralization in combination with genistein (10-5M), coumestrol (10-7M) and daidzein (10-5M). However, there is no additive effect of this vitamin on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in osteoblasts. By contrast, vitamin K2 enhanced the stimulatory effect of type I collagen and osteocalcin expression. Vitamin K2 alone increased RUNX and OSX expression while there is no synergistic effect with tested compound; this vitamin also did not modulate nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL)/ osteoprotegerin (OPG) ratio expression. These results suggested that vitamin K2 can be more effective factor in the presence of phytoestrogens on the improvement of bone formation after menopause.

A successful endodontic treatment requires that the apex of the treated tooth becompletely and densely sealed with root canal filling material. One of the mostdifficult endodontic problems is the management of necrotic immature tooth due tothe blunderbuss apex and the difficulty in achieving a tight seal between the root canalsystem and the external surface of the tooth. The aim of this study was to evaluate thesealing ability the apical calcified bridge formed by calcium hydroxide paste, whiteMTA or gray MTA during apexification procedure.Thirty premolars with single root canals were prepared to simulate an open apex.These roots were divided into 3 groups as follow: Group A: 10 roots filled withCa(OH)2 paste, Group B: 10 roots filled with white MTA, and Group C: 10 rootsfilled with gray MTA. Each root was placed in a polyethylene vial containing 25 m1of synthetic tissue fluid (STF) and incubated at 37°C for 3 months. After 3 monthsand the formation of calcified bridge, each root was immersed in 2% freshly preparedMethylene blue dye in 5 ml plastic vial for seven days. After the leakage period, theroots were removed from the dye and the leakage in all roots was examined bymeasuring the linear extent of dye penetration from the apical end of the canalpreparation to the coronal direction by means of a light stereomicroscope at (40 X)magnification with calibrated grid.Ca(OH)2 paste group has the highest mean value of apical dye penetrationfollowed by WMTA, while GMTA group shows the lowest mean value of apical dyepenetration. There was a highly significant difference in the apical dye penetration(p<0.01) among these groups, statistically a high significant difference is found(p<0.01) between Ca(OH)2 group and WMTA group, and between Ca(OH)2 groupand GMTA group; whereas, significant difference is found (p<0.05) between WMTAgroup and GMTA group.The apical calcified bridge formed by GMTA has the best sealing ability followedby that formed by WMTA. While the apical calcified bridge formed by Ca(OH)2 pastehas the lowest sealing ability as compared with that formed byWMTA and GMTA.

Assessing the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in normal bone marrow (BM) tissue as well as in benign and malignant hematological diseases in comparison with BM histopathologic report. A cohort cross-sectional study performed from October 2016 till December 2017 in Al-Imamian Al-Khadimain Medical City. Forty patients were enrolled and segregated equally into two main groups (benign and malignant hematological disorders with another 20 healthy volunteers (control group). Hematology data were recorded for all patients in addition to DWI-MRI and ADC mapping in comparison with bone marrow report for the group of malignant hematological disease in terms of blast cell percentage. Conventional MRI reveals abnormal signal intensity in 85% of the malignant cases with different pattern. While 95% of the benign and 100% of control group had normal signal intensity with P value (P = 0.001). Application of DWI-ADC on three groups of sample reveals a variable range of ADC values which is higher in malignant (225-875 × 10 −6 mm 2 \s) than benign (275-600 × 10 −6 mm 2 \s) and control cases (205-560 × 10 −6 mm 2 \s) with a cut-off value of 550 × 10 −6 mm 2 \s. There was a positive correlation between ADC values and blast % in bone marrow histopathological report with correlation coefficient of 0.75 and P value of 0.05. Both DWI-MRI and ADC are useful in BM assessment. The latter is a quantitative assay for the diffusion and can reflect a functional assessment in correlation with blast cell percentage.