Bone Response to Anodized Titanium Implants in Rabbits

·AbstractPurpose: Craniosynostosis (CS), one of the most common congenital craniofacial deformities, is the premature closure of cranial sutures. NELL-1 is a novel molecule overexpressed during premature cranial suture closure in human CS. From a functional perspective, NELL-1 has been reported to accelerate chondrocyte maturation and modulate calvarial osteoblast differentiation and apoptosis pathways. The mechanism through which NELL-1 induces these phenomena, however, remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to identify the NELL-1 binding protein(s) through which the biologic mechanism of NELL-1 can be further investigated. Materials and Methods: Far-Western and Immunoprecipitation (IP) assays were performed, independently and in sequence, followed by mass spectrometry to identify the NELL-1 binding proteins. Reverse IP was used to verify and confirm candidate binding protein. Results:The only confirmative protein from current experimentation was vimentin. Vimentin is the major structural component of the intermediate filaments. Conclusion:The present study identified and confirmed vimentin as a NELL-1 binding protein, which opened up a new window to mechanistically facilitate studies on this CS-associated molecule.

A NELL-1 Binding Protein: Vimentin

Chae

Kim

2011

Clinical Study of Natural Recovery of Altered Sensation after Minor Dental Surgery

Kim¹,

Yun²,

Kim

2011

The aim of our study was to evaluate natural recovery of neurologic injury after minor dental surgery based on subjective neurologic evaluation. Materials and Methods: From December 2005 through July 2009, 30 patients from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital were identified as having been treated with minor dental surgery. The patients were composed of 12 men and 18 women, with a mean age of 50.6 years. The median duration of this study was 62 weeks. Results: The patients were treated by implants (17 cases), tooth extractions (6 cases), bone grafts (4 cases), inferior alveolar nerve transpositions (2 cases) and periodontal surgery (1 case) prior to the occurrence of altered sensation. Areas of altered sensation after minor surgery included the lip (36.7%), chin (30.0%) and tooth (21.7%), and at final follow-up, there was no change of ranking. Altered sensations expressed by patients included numbness (33.3%), discomfort (22.9%), relieving sense (14.6%), tingling (14.6%) and itching (14.6%). There was no change of ranking of altered sensation at the last follow-up. Patients experienced the altered sensation always (47.8%), during tactile stimulation (26.1%), when chewing food (13.0%), and talking (13.0%). Mean visual analogue scale (VAS) was 3.43±2.84 for pain and 6.64±2.72 for paresthesia. VAS of pain was decreased significantly between the first visit and the end of follow-up, and paresthesia also showed a significant difference. Conclusion: Altered sensations may occur at any time after minor dental surgery, but we observed that natural recovery of altered sensation occurred as time went on.

Film Image Transfer System (FITS): An Efficient Method for Proper Positioning of Orthodontic Mini-implants

Go¹,

Kim²,

Nelson³

2011

Purpose: To describe the newly developed Film image transfer system (FITS) for proper positioning of the orthodontic mini-implant in the narrow interdental space and considerations for better application. Materials and Methods: A patient who was planning to have orthodontic mini-implant treatment on the posterior maxilla was recruited to assess the feasibility of FITS. Dental radiographic film and bite record was taken. And then the film image was transferred on the photographic emulsion coated model using transfer light through film projector (enlarger). After exposing the photo emulsion coating on the model, the image was developed with a working solution for a paper developer and fixed. The surgical guide for the miniimplant was fabricated from the transported FITS data. Results: The completed surgical guide was easily placed intraorally, and allowed a simple and rapid placement of the mini-implant. The site of the implant placement was accurate as planned position. Conclusion: In the reported case, The FITS technique represents an effort to minimize risk to the patient and produce consistently good results based upon accurate information about the anatomy of the implant site.