Influences of contamination and cleaning methods on the bonding of resin cement to zirconia ceramics were examined. Airborne particle-abraded zirconia (IPS e.max ZirCAD) specimens were contaminated with saliva and cleaned with tap water (SC) or by application of 37% phosphoric acid (PA), Ivoclean (IC), or additional airborne particle abrasion (AB). Specimens without contamination served as controls. After application of Monobond Plus to the surface of the specimens, resin cement was mixed and inserted into a mold. Surface free energies of the specimens were determined by measuring contact angles. Surface treatment and storage conditions significantly influenced bond strength, while there was no significant interaction between the two factors. Surface free energies of the SC and IC groups were significantly lower than those of the other groups. Additional AB of saliva-contaminated zirconia increased the strength of bonding with the resin cement as well as increased surface free energy.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the elastic modulus of components at the resin-dentin interface with the use of an ultrasound device. Dentin slabs were obtained from freshly extracted bovine incisors shaped into a rectangular form. After demineralization, the dentin specimens were immersed in adhesives and polymerized. Adhesives were also polymerized and trimmed into the same shape as the dentin slabs. The specimens were then immersed in distilled water at 37°C for up to one year. The ultrasound equipment employed in this study was a Pulser-Receiver, transducers and an oscilloscope. By measuring the longitudinal and shear wave sound velocities, the elastic modulus was determined. When the elastic modulus of adhesive resin-infiltrated demineralized dentin was compared with that of adhesives, slightly but significantly lower values were found for adhesives used in a self-etching primer system. On the other hand, a higher elastic modulus was observed for resin-infiltrated dentin than for an adhesive used in an etch and rinse system. The elastic modulus of the resin-infiltrated dentin prepared with the etch and rinse system was affected by long-term storage in distilled water. (J. Oral Sci. 50, [481][482][483][484][485][486] 2008)

BackgroundPlate fixation is one of the standard surgical treatments for distal femoral fractures. There are few reports on the relationship between the screw position and bone union when fixing by the bridging plate (relative stability) method.MethodsThis retrospective study included 71 distal femoral fractures of 70 patients who were treated with the locking compression plate for distal femur (DePuy Synthes Co., Ltd, New Brunswick, CA, USA). The following measurements were evaluated and analyzed: (1) bone union rate, (2) bridge span length (distance between screws across the fracture), (3) plate span ratio (plate length/bone fracture length), (4) number of empty holes (number of screw holes not inserted around the fracture), and (5) medial fracture distance (bone fracture distance on the medial side of the distal femur). Patient demographics (age), comorbidities (smoking, diabetes, chronic steroid use, dialysis), and injury characteristics (AO type, open fracture, infection) were obtained for all participants. Univariate analysis was performed on them.ResultsOf 71 fractures, 26 fractures were simple fractures, 45 fractures were comminuted fractures, and 7 fractures resulted in non-union. Non-union rate was significantly higher in comminuted fractures with bone medial fracture distance exceeding 5 mm.Non-union was founded in simple fractures with bone medial fracture distance exceeding 2 mm, but not significant (p = 0.06). In cases with simple fractures, one non-union case had one empty hole and one non-union case had four empty holes, whereas in cases with comminuted fractures, five non-union cases had two more empty holes.ConclusionsWe concluded that bone fragment distance between fracture fragments is more important than bridge span length of the fracture site and the number of empty holes. Smoking and medial fracture distance are prognostic risk factors of nonunion in distal femoral fractures treated with LCP as bridging plate.

In 19 patients with chronic subdural hematoma, coagulation and fibrinolysis in venous blood taken at the time of surgery and in the hematoma contents aspirated from chronic subdural hematoma were studied. Compared with coagulation results for venous blood, the hematoma contents demonstrated marked prolongation of the recalcification time, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time, and marked reduction of clotting factor V, the hepaplastin test, prothrombin, and fibrinogen. Antithrombin III was also decreased, and fibrinopeptide A was increased in the hematomas. Fibrinolytic results demonstrated that both plasminogen and alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor were decreased, and both fibrinopeptide B beta 15-42 and fibrin and fibrinogen degradation products were increased in the hematomas. These findings indicate excessive activation of the clotting system, thrombin generation, and increased fibrinolytic activity occurring in the hematomas. From these results, excessive activation of both the clotting and fibrinolytic systems is emphasized to be the possible etiological factor for the origin and development of chronic subdural hematoma.

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