Objective The proposed study aimed to evaluate and compare the bone regeneration between commercially available hydroxyapatite–β-tricalcium phosphate (Ossifi; Equinox, the Netherlands), powdered polylactic acid (powdered PLA; Sigma-Aldrich, United States), and three-dimensionally printed PLA (3D-printed PLA; Cubex, SC, United States) using 3D printer (Cube X trio) in an animal model.
Materials and Methods Eighteen New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups with six animals each. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) was collected from the venous blood and preserved. Bone defect (4 mm × 2 mm) without disturbing the bone marrow was created and filled with bone graft material (group 1–Ossifi, group 2–powdered PLA, and group 3–3D-printed PLA), over which PRF membranes were placed. The graft material and the barrier were stabilized using resorbable sutures, and all the animals were maintained for 4, 8, and 12 weeks, after which they were euthanized, and bone samples were retrieved. Retrieved bone samples were subjected to radiological and histological analysis.
Results The radiographic and histological changes of 3D-printed PLA in comparison with other two materials (Ossifi and powdered PLA) seemed to have a significant difference.
Conclusion 3D-printed PLA scaffolds showed positive signs of bone regeneration around the material in continuity defects. PLA material can be a promising alternative bone regenerative material.
Abstract. Fever of unknown origin (FUO) poses a diagnostic challenge to the clinicians, with a differential diagnosis as varied as neoplastic and infectious diseases. In developing countries, the infectious causes are responsible for more cases of FUO, with tuberculosis as one of the main causes of classic FUO. Disseminated tuberculosis with negative pulmonary findings is a diagnostic problem. This study examines the diagnostic utility of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in samples of bone marrow aspirate in 85 patients presenting with diverse clinical symptoms. Using primers specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tubercular etiology was detected in 33% of patients clinically suspected of tuberculosis while culture on Lowenstein-Jensen medium grew M. tuberculosis in only one patient (2.5%). None of these patients had been diagnosed by microscopy. Clinical improvement with ATT was observed in 85% of the patients with positive PCR. PCR demonstrated much higher sensitivity and specificity, thereby facilitating early therapeutic decisions for suspected extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
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