As an optimal quality of the restorations, there should be a least amount of seating discrepancy between the casting and abutment teeth. However, high viscosity of the cementing medium and its resulting thickness ay prevent complete seating of the restoration. The use of die spacing material provides adequate internal relief for the cementing medium. The purpose of this study is to compare the thickness of three commonly used die spacing materials. Materials and Methods : Stone plates were fabricated and divided into 12 sections to be painted with die spacers. Tru-Fit, Whip-Mix and Belle de St. Claire die spacer which are commonly used in dental practice were tested in this study. Each die spacers were painted layer by layer according to the manufacturer's recommendation. The average thickness of each die spacers were measured with light microscope(x100) and compared between them. Results and Conclusions: A silver-colored Tru-Fit die spacer has the lowest value of thickness without statistical significance comparing with a gold-colored Tru-Fit die spacer and a gray layer of Whip-Mix die spacer has the highest value of thickness without any statistical significance comparing with Belle de St. Claire die spacer. Three and four layers of Tru-Fit die spacer and two layers of Whip-Mix and Belle de St. Claire die spacers seem to be in the acceptable range of thickness of 25 to 45micrometer for optimal seating of the restorations. The standard experimental design and method should be further evaluated for more consistent and objective results.
Paint ; Research Design ; Tooth ; Viscosity

Nineteen cases of leiomyoma of the skin were examined clinicopathologically. This group included 12 cases of angioleiomyoma, 5 cases of solitary piloleiomyoma, and 2 cases of multiple piloleiomyomas. 1) All twelve angioleiomyomas occured as solitary lesion in the extremities. There was a preponderance in females with a ratio of 2:1. The ages of patients ranged from 24 to 80 years and only one was below the age of 30 years. Six tumors were either painful or tender. Nine tumors in subcutaneous fat were shelled out at surgery. All tumors did not exceed 4cm in diameter. Histologically they could be separated into ten cases of the solid type and two cases of venous type according to Morimoto's classification. Although actin or desmin was easily detected in all tumors, the diagnosis was better made using a combination of hematoxylin-eosin and Masson trichrome stains. 2) Five cases of solitary piloleiomyoma were slow-growing intradermal nodules. The ages of patients ranged from 10 to 77 years. All five cases were female. The lesions were located on the extremities, back and sholuder. Pain or tenderness was present in 3 cases among these tumors. Histologically, all tumors were characterized by subtle poorly circumscribed proliferation of benign smooth muscle in the dermis. 3) Two multiple piloleiomyomas from two female patients, aged 50 and 40 years, were situated on the shoulder and thigh, respectively. Pain was induced by change of temperature in the shoulder lesion. Histologically they were identical to the solitary piloleiomyoma.
Female ; Humans

PURPOSE: Although most researchers agree that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a good source of autogenous growth factors, its effect on bone regeneration is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether increasing angiogenic factors in the human PRP to enhance new bone formation through rapid angiogenesis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In vitro, the human platelets were activated with application of shear stress, 20 microgram/ml collagen, 2 mM CaCl2 and 10U thrombin/1 x 109 platelets. Level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet microparticle (PMP) in the activated platelets were checked. In the animal study, human angiogenic factors-enriched PRP was tested in 28 athymic rat's cranial critical bone defects with beta-TCP. Angiogenesis and osteogenesis were evaluated by laser Doppler perfusion imaging, histology, dual energy X-ray densinometry, and micro-computed tomography. RESULTS: In vitro, this human angiogenic factors-enriched PRP resulted in better cellular proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. In vivo, increasing angiogenic potential of the PRP showed significantly higher blood perfusion around the defect and enhanced new bone formation around acellular bone graft material. CONCLUSION: Angiogenic factor-enriched PRP leads to faster and more extensive new bone formation in the critical size bone defect. The results implicate that rapid angiogenesis in the initial healing period by PRP could be supposed as a way to overcome short term effect of the rapid angiogenesis.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Animals ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Regeneration ; Calcium Phosphates ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen ; Durapatite ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Osteogenesis ; Perfusion ; Perfusion Imaging ; Platelet-Rich Plasma ; Rats, Nude ; Transplants ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

BACKGROUND: Institutionalized subjects were assumedly suggested to be a high-risk for the infectious source of syphilis. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to study the syphilis prevalence institutionalized subjects who were admitted in Taegu Hope Village for the poor or crippled and to evaluate the presence of neurosyphilis among them. MEHTODS: We conducted the serologic tests for syphilis with the qalitative and quantative VDRL and TPHA tests in 1558 subjects(M:936, F:622). The trend of the rcactive rate was compared with those of the two studies dong, in the same institute in 1983-1985 and 1988. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination was perfarmed among the reactive subjects. RESULTS: There were 97(6.2%) reactive subjects. There were 80(82.5%) reactive subjects with titers of 1:4 or below and 17(17.5%) with titers of 1:8 or over The biologic false positive rate of VDRL test was 12.6%, showing 92.3% with the titer below 1:4. The reatest number of the subjects were in their 40s and 50s in both sexes. The rate in subjects in their 40s or over was 3 times higher than in the younger groups. The CSF examination showed 5(5.2%) with significant neurosyphili;ic findings. There were 1 male and 4 females, with an avechge age of 47.8 years. Four had asymplomatic and 1 meningovascular forms. The CSF findings revealed an increased number of white cells in 4 and an increased total protein level in 3. The CSF-VE)RL titers were trended lower than seum titers. From the comparison of the results since 1983, i.e., 11,6% in 1983-1985, 7.5% in 1988 and 6.2 % in 1992, the reactive rate of syphilis was gradually decreasing, but still remained high. CONCLUSION: The drastic control in the sociomedical aspect is needed n institutionalized subjects who are at high-risk for syphilis was well as the CSF examination for the presence of neurosyphilis among the reactive subjects.
Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Daegu ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Female ; Hope ; Humans ; Male ; Neurosyphilis ; Prevalence* ; Serologic Tests ; Syphilis*

STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-eight patients with thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fractures were evaluated according to the treatment methods of the retropulsed fragments. OBJECTIVE: To confirm the pure effect of ligamentotaxis according to the approaching methods to tile involved area. SUMMARY OF BACK GROUND DATA: Retropulsed fragments were effectively treated by indirect posterior reduction. Regardless of size of the retropulsed fragments, remodelling process of the retropulsed fragments was progressed during follow-up period. METHODS: 38 patients with burst fractures of thoracolumbar and lumbar spine were divided into two groups according to tile reduction method of the retropulsed fragments ; the one group consisted of 18 cases which were treated by posterior instrumentation and indirect reduction(Group I: ligamentotaxis) and the other groups consisted of 20 cases which were treated by posterior instrumentation and posterior direct reduction(Group II). Change of neural canal compromise rate, neurologic status, remodelling process of the retropulsed fragments were measured using pre-, post-operative and follow-up radiographs and CT. RESULTS: Comparing the two groups, neural canal compromise rates were decreased at postoperative period but, there were no significant differences in both groups. There were no correlation of neurologic status and neural canal compromise rate. We could confirm the remodelling process of the retropulsed fragments, but there were no significant changes according to the size of the retropulsed fragments between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Indirect reduction by posterior instrumentation( ligamentotaxis ) could effectively treat the retropulsed fragments in burst fractures of thoracolumbar and lumbar spine without directs posterior reduction.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neural Tube ; Postoperative Period ; Spine

No abstract available.
Colon* ; Diverticulitis* ; Laparoscopy*

Primary cutaneous meningiomas are extremely rare tumors found in the cutis or subcutis, and generally have a benign course. The tend to be located on the scalp, face, neck. or paravertebral area. The primary cutaneous meningioma bears similarities to developmental defects and probably originates from arachnoid cell rests in the skin, although diverse groups of cutaneous meningiomas seem to arise from several different sources. A case of primary cutaneous meningioma occuring in the scalp of left parietal area of a 27-year-old female is presented. Clinically the lesion appeared as indolent, slow growing cutaneous mass and has no connection with underlying brain tissue, as determined by examination of the roentgenographs. The definite diagnosis was made after pathological examination. Microscopically the tumor is composed of sheets and nests of meningothelial cells. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic studies reveal the typical findings of meningioma.
Female ; Humans ; Meningioma

No abstract available.
Adolescent* ; Humans ; Naloxone* ; Self-Injurious Behavior*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Leukoplakia* ; Papilloma*

Telomerase is an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase that synthesizes TTAGGG telomeric DNA onto chromosomal ends to compensate for sequence loss during replication. It has been detected in a variety of human malignancies, suggesting that such activity may play a role in the tumorigenic process. To determine whether telomerase is reactivated in malignant fibrous histiocytoma, 12 tissue samples with this tumor were analyzed for the telomerase activity by a radioactive PCR-based TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay. All of the tumors were further investigated for the expression of human telomerase RNA (hTR) by an in situ hybridization (ISH). Telomerase activity was detected in one (8.3%) sample. Expression of hTR was demonstrated in 7 (58.3%): one telomerase-positive and six telomerase-negatives. These data indicate that the reactivation of telomerase is an uncommon event and not an important factor involved in tumorigenesis in malignant fibrous histiocytoma. It is noteworthy that 50% of the patients with grade 2 tumors expressed hTR, suggesting that telomerase RNA may be useful as a marker for identifying tumor aggressiveness earlier than the conventional histopathologic grading scale.
Carcinogenesis ; DNA ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; RNA* ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ; Telomerase*