PURPOSE: The object of this study was to determine if the low-priced alloy and metal UCLA abutment could be available for manufacturing bar-retained framework of implant prosthesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bar structure was classified into 4 groups, The specimen of group 1 and 2 were based on casting high noble metal alloys and noble metal alloys with gold UCLA abutment. The specimen of group 3 and 4 were based on casting noble metal alloys and base metal alloys with metal UCLA abutment. Cast bar structure was installed in an acrylic resin model and only the screw on the hexed abutment side was tightened to 20 Ncm. On the opposite side, vertical discrepancy was measured with stereo microscope from front, back, and lateral side of the implant-abutment interface. One-way ANOVA was performed to analyze the marginal fit discrepancy. RESULTS: One-way ANOVA test showed significant differences among all groups (P<.05) except for Group 1 and 3. Among them, difference between Group 1 and 2 was noticeable. Measured vertical discrepancies were all below 70 microm except to Group 2. CONCLUSION: Base metal alloy and metal UCLA abutment could be used as an alternative to high-priced gold alloy for implant bar-retained framework.
Alloys

No abstract available.
Eosinophilia* ; Proton Pumps* ; Protons*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of three dimensional culture using alginate-fibrin beads on the chondrogenic differentiation of rabbit's perichondrial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rib perichondrial cells from rabbit expanded by monolayer culture were cultured in monolayer, in alginate bead, and in alginate-fibrin beads. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for type I, II, X collagen, and aggrecan was performed at 3 weeks after culture. At that time, we removed the alginate component from the alginate-fibrin bead. Then, the cell-fibrin beads were transplanted into the partial physeal defect of proximal tibia, and some beads were cultured on for additional 3 weeks for RT-PCR. Histologic examination was performed at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after operation. RESULTS: At 3 weeks, type II collagen gene expression was maintained regardless of the culture system used. However, at 6 weeks it was maintained only in three-dimensional culture system using alginate beads and fibrin beads. Histologic examination showed that the implanted perichondrial cell-fibrin beads formed small nest composed of chondrocyte-like cells and matrix. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that alginate-fibrin beads may be used as a biodegradable scaffold for cartilage engineering using perichondrial cells.
Aggrecans ; Cartilage ; Collagen ; Collagen Type II ; Fibrin ; Gene Expression ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; Ribs ; Tibia

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The most commonly reported problem associated with dental implant restoration is the loosening of the screws. PURPOSE: This study compared the efficacy of an implant system incorporating an anti-rotational locking sleeve(Anti-Rotating Inner Post Screw System(ARIPS-system)) with other, traditional implant systems as a means of minimizing vibration loosening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three implant systems were examined; the conventional external hex type, the ARIPS-system, and the internal taper type implant system. 30 specimens(10 samples per group)were fabricated and each abutment screw was secured to the implant fixture with 32Ncm of torque force and loosening torque was measured using a Torque Gauge. The procedure was repeated 3 times, recording initial loosening torque each time. The re-tightened abutment screw was subjected to a cyclic load having a maximum force of 200N and minimum of 20N at 2Hz over a period of 12,600 cycles, after which the loosening torque was measured. Measured values were calaulated for statistical analysis. Analysis of measured value was performed by 3 methods: (i) as a percentage average of the initial 3 loosening-torque values(initial loosening value) to the tightening torque of 32Ncm, (ii) as a percentage of the loosening torque value after a load of 200N(experimental value) to the initial loosening value, and (iii) as a percentage of the experimental value to the 32Ncm of tightening torque. The analyses shows the amount of initial loosening at the screw, loosening by repetitive load and the the final loosening value. RESULTS: The results of this study were as follows. (1) Percentage of initial loosening value to tightening-torque was increased in order of external hex, ARIPS-system and internal taper and all values between each groups showed statistical significance (p<0.05). (2) Percentage of experimental value to initial loosening value was increased in order of external hex, ARIPS-system and internal taper. Value of internal taper showed significant difference with those of external hex and ARIPS-system (p <0.05). (3) Percentage of experimental value to tightening torque was increased in order of external hex, ARIPS-system and internal taper and all values between each groups showed statistical significance (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the analysis of the final loosening level value, which are closely correlated to clinical use, show that the ARIPS-system can be a useful means of minimizing abutment screw loosening when compared to the external hex type system. Although further clinical studies need to be made, the ARIPS-system should be considered to maximize the long-term success of the implant prosthesis.
Dental Implants ; Prostheses and Implants ; Torque ; Vibration

BACKGROUND: To evaluate exudative pleural fluid, thoracentesis for microbiological and cytological examination and pleural biopsy by using a Cope needle are traditionally performed. Even after these studies, about 20% of patients remain undiagnosed. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy and complications of 2-mm minithoracoscopy instead of blind biopsy in patients with undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion. METHOD: Fifteen patients with exudative pleural effusion underwent thoracoscopy between April 2002 and August 2003. The indication was undiagnosed pleural effusions after having performed sputum and pleural fluid examinations both microbiologically and cytologically. RESULT: The median age of the patients was 56 years (range 21-77). Pleural effusions were lymphocyte-dominant in 11 patients (73.3%) and neutrophil-dominant in 3 (20.0%). The remaining patient (6.7%) had pleural-fluid eosinophilia. Minithoracoscopic biopsy revealed accurate diagnosis in 14 patients (93.3%), consisting of tuberculous pleurisy in 8 (66.7%), malignant effusions in 4 (33.3%), and parapneumonic effusions in 2 (13.3%). One was diagnosed as having paragonimiasis from thoracoscopic findings and clinical considerations. There was no procedure-associated mortality. There were six cases of new onset fever (40%) and one of pneumothorax (6.7 %). CONCLUSION: Two-millimeter minithoracoscopy, which is less invasive than conventional thoracoscopy, was an accurate and safe method for undiagnosed exudative pleural effusion.
Biopsy* ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophilia ; Fever ; Humans ; Mortality ; Needles ; Paragonimiasis ; Pleural Effusion* ; Pneumothorax ; Sputum ; Thoracoscopy ; Tuberculosis, Pleural

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence supports an association between age-related loss of muscle mass and insulin resistance. However, the association has not been fully investigated in the general population. Thus, we investigated the association between appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and insulin resistance in an elderly Korean population. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 158 men (mean age, 71.8) and 241 women (mean age, 70.6) from the Korean Social Life, Health and Aging Project, which started in 2011. In this study, ASM was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis and was analyzed in three forms: ASM (kg), ASM/height2 (kg/m2), and ASM/weight (%). The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was used as a measure of insulin resistance. The relationships between the ASM values and the HOMA-IR were investigated by multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: The HOMA-IR was positively associated with ASM (beta=0.43, P<0.0001) and ASM/height2 (beta=0.36, P<0.0001) when adjusted for sex and age. However, after additional adjustment for body weight, HOMA-IR was inversely associated with ASM (beta=-0.43, P<0.001) and ASM/height2 (beta=-0.30, P=0.001). Adjustment for other potential confounders did not change these associations. Conversely, HOMA-IR was consistently and inversely associated with ASM/weight before and after adjustment for other potential confounders. CONCLUSION: Our results support the idea that lower skeletal muscle mass is independently associated with insulin resistance in older adults. When evaluating sarcopenia or muscle-related conditions in older adults, their whole body sizes also need to be considered.
Adult ; Aged* ; Aging* ; Body Size ; Body Weight ; Cohort Studies* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Electric Impedance ; Female ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance* ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal* ; Sarcopenia

Objective: Decreases in the hemoglobin level compared to the pre-injury lab results are often observed in patients with elderly hip fractures visiting the emergency department (ED). This decrease could be the outcome of the fracture itself or a complication caused by comorbidities. This study examined whether significant hemoglobin decreases, as detected in the ED, are related to other-than-hip-fracture bleeding focus or clinical outcomes. Methods: The electronic medical records were reviewed retrospectively at a single university ED from January 2012 to March 2019. ED diagnoses of hip fractures were screened and enrolled if the patient was 60 years or older and had hemoglobin levels recorded within the previous 6 months. A significant decrease in the hemoglobin level is defined as more than 2 g/dL. Results: Three hundred patients were enrolled in this study. Significant hemoglobin decreases were apparent in 43 patients (14.3%). Only four patients (1.3%) had an other-than-hip-fracture bleeding focus. One of those had a significant hemoglobin decrease. In a “significant decrease” versus “non-significant decrease” intergroup comparison, length of hospital stays (median and interquartile range: 17.0 [15.0-21.5] vs. 17.0 [12.0-21.0], P=0.55), survival discharge (4.7% vs. 2.3%, P=0.72), and other-than-hip-fracture bleeding focus (2.3% vs. 1.2%, P>0.99) did not differ significantly. Conclusion A decrease in hemoglobin level is common among elderly hip fracture patients. On the other hand, the incidence of other-than-hip-fracture bleeding focus was rare and unrelated to a decrease in significant hemoglobin levels. Similarly, neither the hospital length of stay nor survival discharge was unrelated to the hemoglobin level decrease.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of chlamydial infection is based on serology. The current gold standard of diagnosis is MIF(microimmunofluorescence), but this modality is subjective and time-consuming. Protein microarray with using a SPR(surface plasmon resonance) sensor has recently been suggested as a method for detecting infection. For developing a protein chip to diagnose chlamydial infection, EBs(elementary bodies) were immobilized on a gold chip and the interaction between an antibody for Chlamydophila pneumoniae and the EBs(elementary bodies) immobilized on the surface of the gold chip was measured by using an SPR sensor. METHODS: For the surface antigen, the EBs of Chlamydophila pneumoniae LKK1 were purified. Charged arrays were prepared by using PDDA(polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride) which has a positive charge. After immobilization of the chlamydial EBs on the PDDA surface, the investigation of the surface was done with using atomic force microscopy. After the antibody for C. pneumoniae was applied on chip, we monitored the SPR wavelength-shift to detect any antigen-antibody interaction with using a self-assembled SPR sensor. RESULTS: The chlamydial EBs on the positively charged PDDA were visible on the surface with using atomic force microscopy. The SPR wavelength increased after interaction of antibody for C. pneumoniae with the EBs immobilized on charged gold surface. The wavelength-shift was correlated with the concentration of antigens. CONCLUSION: The surface immobilization of EBs on the gold surface with the charged arrays was identified and the antigen-antibody interaction on the gold chip was detected via the SPR sensor. Further investigations are needed to apply this technique to the clinical field.
Antigens, Surface ; Chlamydial Pneumonia ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae ; Diagnosis* ; Immobilization ; Microscopy, Atomic Force ; Pneumonia* ; Protein Array Analysis*

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a precancerous clinical entity, which is characterized by the development of numerous adenomatous polyps throughout the colon and rectum. The majority of FAP are associated with mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. Until now, more than 1,000 different APC mutations have been reported and some mutations express attenuated phenotypes which are milder forms with 10~100 colorectal polyps. We identified a novel mutation of APC gene which expressed an attenuated FAP but caused large gastroduodenal tubular adenomas requiring repeated endoscopic resections. A 16-year-old girl was referred to Incheon St. Mary's Hospital for evaluation of gastric polyposis. Initial esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed numerous gastric polyps in the fundus and upper body and a few polyps in the duodenum. Pathologic examination confirmed gastric polyps as fundic gland polyps and duodenal polyps as tubular adenomas. Only a few colonic polyps of 2 to 5 mm in size were found on colonoscopy. Genetic analysis using polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing revealed a novel stop codon mutation at codon 1522 in exon 16 of APC gene. At 12-month, 18-month, and 35-month follow-up EGD, large duodenal polyp and gastric polyps were removed endoscopically.
Adenoma ; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli* ; Adenomatous Polyps ; Adolescent ; Codon ; Codon, Terminator ; Colon ; Colonic Polyps ; Colonoscopy ; Duodenum ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Exons ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genes, APC* ; Germ-Line Mutation* ; Humans ; Incheon ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polyps* ; Rectum

Computational virtual screening has become an essential platform of drug discovery for the efficient identification of active candidates. Moleculardocking, a key technology of receptor-centric virtual screening, is commonly used to predict the binding affinities of chemical compounds on target receptors. Despite the advancement and extensive application of these methods, substantial improvement is still required to increase their accuracy and time-efficiency. Here, we evaluate several advanced structure-based virtual screening approaches for elucidating the rank-order activity of chemical libraries, and the quantitative structureactivity relationship (QSAR). Our results show that the ensemble-average free energy estimation, including implicit solvation energy terms, significantly improves the hit enrichment of the virtual screening. We also demonstrate that the assignment of quantum mechanical-polarized (QM-polarized) partial charges to docked ligands contributes to the reproduction of the crystal pose of ligands in the docking and scoring procedure.
Drug Discovery* ; Ligands ; Mass Screening* ; Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship ; Reproduction ; Small Molecule Libraries