OBJECTIVEThis study aims to compare the fracture resistance of teeth restored with different post and core systems by cyclic loading test and to predict long-term effects.

METHODSA total of 15 recently extracted mandibular premolars without crowns were endodontically treated. The teeth were randomly divided into three groups with five teeth in each group. Group A, teeth restored with cast metal post and core. Group B, teeth with fiber post and resin core. Group C, teeth with resin filling. All of the teeth were restored with full-cast metal crowns. The specimens were exposed to 300,000 cyclic loadings in a cyclic loading machine and 1,000 thermal cycles between 5 and 55 °C. All of the samples were loaded in AG-IS mechanical testing machine with a compressive load until fracture occurred. The fracture load and the fracture mode of each tooth were recorded.

RESULTSThe fracture resistance in group B and C were higher than that of the cast metal post and core restoration (P < 0.05). Repairable fractures were observed in group B and C, whereas unrestorable and catastrophic fractures were found in group A.

CONCLUSIONFiber post and resin filling is a good choice to restore endodontically treated teeth.

Bicuspid ; Dental Stress Analysis ; Humans ; Post and Core Technique ; Tooth Fractures ; Tooth, Nonvital

Cutaneous wound healing is a complicated multiatep process with numerous mediators that act in a network of activation and inhibition processes. Nonhealing chronic wounds decrease the quality of Life. Recombinant growth factors, currently used in clinic, fail to provide a sustained repair function at the wound due to their inadequate biological availability and transient half-time. Recent attention has focused on gene therapy, which might become a significant treatment modality for those wound healing pathologies refractory to other wound management approaches. This review discusses the potentials and limitations of current genetherapy for the treatment of wounds, current ongoing clinical trials, and possible future directions in this exciting field.

Child ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Bilateral ; etiology ; Humans ; Mumps ; complications

Activins ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cerebral Cortex ; drug effects ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Hippocampus ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Neuroprotective Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo compare the changes of nucleus pulposus after in vitro culture of rabbit whole intervertebral disc and spinal motion segment.

METHODSTwenty-one New Zealand white rabbits which were randomly divided into organ group with 8 rabbits and segment group with 13 rabbits. Fifty intervertebral discs and 50 spinal motion segments were harvested respectively under aseptic conditions from two groups. These specimens were maintained in organ culture with hyperosmotic media (410 mOsm/kg), then 10 discs of the two groups were observed respectively by HE staining, immunohistochemistry of collagen type III, proteoglycan content and cells viability of nucleus pulposus before culture and at 3, 7, 14, 21 days after culture.

RESULTSHE staining showed the intervertebral disc tissue structure remained intact after culture of 21 days organ group and 14 days segment group,but there was severely degenerated of 21 days segment group. The intensity value of type II collagen immunohistochemical staining in the nucleus pulposus were not changed significantly between 21 days organ group and 14 days segment group (P > 0.05), but the staining of segment group at 21 days became shallower, there was significant difference compared with before each time points and organ group at 21 days (P < 0.05). PAS/AB staining of proteoglycan of nucleus pulposus showed that there were not decrease of tinting strength of two groups within 7 days, but the strength weakened slightly of two groups at 14 days, and the tinting strength became weaker at 21 days segment group, the change is more obvious than the organ group. The intensity value of fluorescence staining of nucleus pulposus cells was not changed significantly within 7 days of two groups (P > 0.05), the intensity value decreased slightly at 21 days organ group and 14 days segment group, but there were no significant difference compared with before time points (P > 0.05) however at 21 days segment group the intensity decreased as cells viability of nucleus pulposus decreased,and there was a significant difference compared with before each time points and organ group at 21 days (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIt is not obviously degenerated of the discs of organ group cultured within 21 days and segment group cultured within 14 days, but there was significant degeneration of the intervertebral disc of segment group after cultured 21 days, so the rabbit spinal motion segment can be used on research about the biomechanics of intervertebral disc as a vitro experimental model within 14 days.

Animals ; Collagen Type II ; analysis ; Female ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intervertebral Disc ; chemistry ; pathology ; Male ; Organ Culture Techniques ; Rabbits

Acetylcysteine ; analogs & derivatives ; urine ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Deoxyguanosine ; analogs & derivatives ; urine ; Female ; Furans ; urine ; Humans ; Hydrocarbons, Aromatic ; analysis ; Male ; Occupational Exposure ; analysis ; Young Adult

Apoptosis ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy of Xingnaojing Injection (XI) in treatment of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE).

METHODSTotally 65 SAE patients were retrospectively analyzed at EICU from September 2010 to September 2013. They were assigned to the control group (32 cases) and the treatment group (33 cases) according to whether they received XI. Patients in the control group received anti-infection and symptomatic support, while those in the treatment group were intravenously injected with XI at 20 mL per day for additional 7-10 days. The fever clearance time, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), C-reactive protein (CRP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and improvement of electroen-cephalogram (EEG) were observed in the two groups.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the fever clearance time was shortened, CRP levels decreased, GCS score and efficacy of EEG was alleviated in the treatment group after treatment with statistical difference (P < 0.05). No adverse reaction occurred during medication.

CONCLUSIONX1 was safe and effective in treatment of SAE.

C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Injections ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; metabolism ; Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy ; drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome

China ; Humans ; Occupational Health Services

Burnout, Professional ; psychology ; Faculty ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Health