Paraformaldehyde has been used in the past as a pulpotomy agent. However, it has a severe cytotoxic effect and may cause alveolar bone necrosis. Depulpin, a devitalizing agent containing 49% paraformaldehyde, is no longer used frequently due to its severe side effects. In the two cases described in the present study, Depulpin was used as a devitalizing agent during root canal treatment. It caused a gradual loss of sensibility in adjacent teeth, gingival necrosis, and osteomyelitis. This case report demonstrates the serious side effects of using a paraformaldehyde-containing paste as a devitalizing agent for pulp, particularly mandibular bone necrosis.
Dental Pulp Cavity ; Necrosis* ; Osteomyelitis ; Pulpotomy ; Tooth

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of multiple decontamination procedures for salivary contamination after curing of a universal adhesive on dentin bond strength according to its etch modes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-two extracted bovine incisors were trimmed by exposing the labial dentin surfaces and embedded in cylindrical molds. A universal adhesive (All-Bond Universal, Bisco) was used. The teeth were randomly divided into groups according to etch mode and decontamination procedure. The adhesive was applied according to the manufacturer's instructions for a given etch mode. With the exception of the control groups, the cured adhesive was contaminated with saliva for 20 sec. In the self-etch group, the teeth were divided into three groups: control, decontamination with rinsing and drying, and decontamination with rinsing, drying, and adhesive. In the etch-and-rinse group, the teeth were divided into four groups: control, decontamination with rinsing and drying, decontamination with rinsing, drying, and adhesive, and decontamination with rinsing, drying, re-etching, and reapplication of adhesive. A composite resin (Filtek Z350XT, 3M ESPE) was used for filling and was cured on the treated surfaces. Shear bond strength was measured, and failure modes were evaluated. The data were subjected to one-way analysis of variation and Tukey's HSD test. RESULTS: The etch-and-rinse subgroup that was decontaminated by rinse, drying, re-etching, and reapplication of adhesive showed a significantly higher bond strength. CONCLUSIONS: When salivary contamination occurs after curing of the universal adhesive, additional etching improves the bond strength to dentin.
Adhesives* ; Decontamination* ; Dentin* ; Fungi ; Incisor ; Saliva* ; Tooth

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different remineralization agents on the shear bond strength (SBS) on enamel and to confirm remineralization capacity through quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF). Sixty non-carious human third molars were divided into eight groups based on remineralization agents agents (control, Tooth Mousse plusTM, Apapro, BGS-7 bioglass) and application time (24 h, 2 weeks). Enamel surfaces were prepared and treated with agents, followed by demineralization and remineralization. Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence (QLF) assessed fluorescence loss and recovery. After adhesive application and composite restoration, shear bond strength (SBS) was measured. Statistical analysis included Shapiro-Wilk, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, paired t-tests, Wilcoxon rank tests, and multiple comparison tests. SBS values did not show a significant difference between the groups according to the type and application time of the remineralization agents. QLF measurement, in the 24 h groups, showed no significant difference in the recovery amount between the groups. In the 2 week groups, a statistically significant difference was observed and the value was significantly higher in the BG group than that in the control group. There were no significant differences in the values based on the application time. Within the limitations of this study, bioactive glass showed higher remineralization ability than all the other experimental agents. The SBS was not affected by the remineralizing agent.

Over the past decade, an increasing number of neuroimaging studies have provided insight into the neurobiological mechanisms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD). In particular, molecular neuroimaging techniques have been employed in examining metabolic and neurochemical processes in PTSD. This article reviews molecular neuroimaging studies in PTSD and focuses on findings using three imaging modalities including positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Although there were some inconsistences in the findings, patients with PTSD showed altered cerebral metabolism and perfusion, receptor bindings, and metabolite profiles in the limbic regions, medial prefrontal cortex, and temporal cortex. Studies that have investigated brain correlates of treatment response are also reviewed. Lastly, the limitations of the molecular neuroimaging studies and potential future research directions are discussed.
Brain ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Metabolism ; Neuroimaging* ; Perfusion ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

OBJECTIVES: Neurological soft signs have been regarded as endophenotypes associated with the genetic basis of schizophrenia. This study was to investigate the intra-familial correlations of the neurological soft signs according to their genetic loading. METHODS: Schizophrenic patients(N=14) were included, who had one parent with a family history of schizophrenia and the other without it. Genetic loading was determined by the patient's family history of schizophrenia using the Family Interview for Genetic Studies(FIGS). These parents were subdivided into two groups. The first group was designated as'presumed carriers'(N=9) of genetic loading, who had one or more schizophreic first- or second-degree relatives. The second group was designated as'presumed non-carriers'(N=11) of genetic loading, who had no schizophrenic first- or second-degree relatives. Normal controls(N=12) consisted of people without schizophrenic relatives. NSS were evaluated using the Neurological Evaluation Scale-Korean Version (NES-K), and the intra-familial correlations of NSS were tested using the Intra-Class Coefficients(ICC) method. RESULTS: The scores of Motor Coordination subdimension of NES-K were significantly correlated between the patients and their presumed carriers(ICC=.804, p=.016), but not significantly correlated between the patients and their presumed noncarriers. In other subdimensions of NES-K, no significant correlation were found between the patients and their parents regardless of the genetic loading. But, there were no statistically significant differences in the scores of Motor Coordination subdimension of NES-K between the patients and controls. CONCLUSION: This study did not prove that the neurological soft signs might be an endophenotype of schizophrenia that cosegregate with the genetic loading. The future study using more subjects than this would be needed.
Endophenotypes ; Genetic Load ; Humans ; Parents ; Schizophrenia

The FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) is a co-chaperone that regulates the activity of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and has been reported to mediate stress resilience. This study aimed to determine the effects of Fkbp5 deletion on acute stress-induced recognition memory impairment and hippocampal GR signaling. Wild-type and Fkbp5-knockout mice were subjected to acute uncontrollable stress induced by restraint and electrical tail shock. First, we assessed the cognitive status of mice using a novel object recognition task. Next, we measured plasma corticosterone, GR levels, and the levels of GR phosphorylation at serine 211 in the hippocampus. Wild-type mice exhibited stress-induced memory impairments, whereas Fkbp5-knockout mice did not. Plasma corticosterone and GR levels did not differ between the non-stressed wild-type and Fkbp5-knockout mice, but the levels of phosphorylated GR were lower in Fkbp5-knockout mice than in wild-type mice. Wild-type and Fkbp5-knockout mice showed increased nuclear GR levels following stress, indicating GR translocation. However, cytosolic phosphorylated GR levels were lower in the hippocampi of Fkbp5-knockout mice following stress than in those of wild-type mice. These results suggest that FKBP5 deficiency increases resilience to acute stress by altering GR signaling.

Alcohol dependence is a serious disorder that can be related with a number of potential health-related and social consequences. Cortical thickness measurements would provide important information on the cortical structural alterations in patients with alcohol dependence. Twenty-one patients with alcohol dependence and 22 healthy comparison subjects have been recruited and underwent high-resolution brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and clinical assessments. T1-weighted MR images were analyzed using the cortical thickness analysis program. Significantly thinner cortical thickness in patients with alcohol dependence than healthy comparison subjects was noted in the left superior frontal cortical region, correcting for multiple comparisons and adjusting with age and hemispheric average cortical thickness. There was a significant association between thickness in the cluster of the left superior frontal cortex and the duration of alcohol use. The prefrontal cortical region may particularly be vulnerable to chronic alcohol exposure. It is also possible that the pre-existing deficit in this region may have rendered individuals more susceptible to alcohol dependence.
Alcoholism ; Brain ; Cerebral Cortex ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

OBJECTIVES: Firefighters and rescue workers are likely to be exposed to a variety of traumatic events; as such, they are vulnerable to the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The psychometric properties of the Korean version of the PTSD Checklist (PCL), a widely used self-report screening tool for PTSD, were assessed in South Korean firefighters and rescue workers. METHODS: Data were collected via self-report questionnaires and semi-structured clinical interviews administered to 221 firefighters. Internal consistency, item-total correlation, one-week test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and divergent validity were examined. Content validity of the PCL was evaluated using factor analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to estimate the optimal cutoff point and area under the curve. RESULTS: The PCL demonstrated excellent internal consistency (alpha = 0.97), item-total correlation (r = 0.72-0.88), test-retest reliability (r = 0.95), and convergent and divergent validity. The total score of PCL was positively correlated with the number of traumatic events experienced (p < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed two theoretically congruent factors: re-experience/avoidance and numbing/hyperarousal. The optimal cutoff was 45 and the area under the ROC curve was 0.97. CONCLUSIONS: The Korean version of the PCL may be a useful PTSD screening instrument for firefighters and rescue workers, further maximizing opportunities for accurate PTSD diagnosis and treatment.
Checklist* ; Diagnosis ; Firefighters* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Rescue Work* ; ROC Curve ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

TW-37 is a small molecule B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) homology 3 mimetic with potential anticancer activities. However, the in vivo anti-cancer effect of TW-37 in human oral cancer has not been properly studied yet. Here, we attempted to confirm antitumor activity of TW37 in human oral cancer. TW-37 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and increased the number of dead cells in MC-3 and HSC-3 human oral cancer cell lines. TW-37 enhanced apoptosis of both cell lines evidenced by annexin V/propidium iodide double staining, sub-G1 population analysis and the detection of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspase-3. In addition, TW-37 markedly downregulated the expression of Bcl-2 protein, while not affecting Bcl-xL or myeloid cell leukemia-1. In vivo, TW-37 inhibited tumor growth in a nude mice xenograft model without any significant liver and kidney toxicities. Collectively, these data reveal that TW-37 may be a promising small molecule to inhibit human oral cancer.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Myeloid Cells

Despite the great socioeconomic burden of stroke, there have been few reports of stroke statistics in Korea. In this scenario, the Epidemiologic Research Council of the Korean Stroke Society launched the “Stroke Statistics in Korea” project, aimed at writing a contemporary, comprehensive, and representative report on stroke epidemiology in Korea. This report contains general statistics of stroke, prevalence of behavioral and vascular risk factors, stroke characteristics, pre-hospital system of care, hospital management, quality of stroke care, and outcomes. In this report, we analyzed the most up-to-date and nationally representative databases, rather than performing a systematic review of existing evidence. In summary, one in 40 adults are patients with stroke and 232 subjects per 100,000 experience a stroke event every year. Among the 100 patients with stroke in 2014, 76 had ischemic stroke, 15 had intracerebral hemorrhage, and nine had subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke mortality is gradually declining, but it remains as high as 30 deaths per 100,000 individuals, with regional disparities. As for stroke risk factors, the prevalence of smoking is decreasing in men but not in women, and the prevalence of alcohol drinking is increasing in women but not in men. Population-attributable risk factors vary with age. Smoking plays a role in young-aged individuals, hypertension and diabetes in middle-aged individuals, and atrial fibrillation in the elderly. About four out of 10 hospitalized patients with stroke are visiting an emergency room within 3 hours of symptom onset, and only half use an ambulance. Regarding acute management, the proportion of patients with ischemic stroke receiving intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment was 10.7% and 3.6%, respectively. Decompressive surgery was performed in 1.4% of patients with ischemic stroke and in 28.1% of those with intracerebral hemorrhage. The cumulative incidence of bleeding and fracture at 1 year after stroke was 8.9% and 4.7%, respectively. The direct costs of stroke were about ₩1.68 trillion (KRW), of which ₩1.11 trillion were for ischemic stroke and ₩540 billion for hemorrhagic stroke. The great burden of stroke in Korea can be reduced through more concentrated efforts to control major attributable risk factors for age and sex, reorganize emergency medical service systems to give patients with stroke more opportunities for reperfusion therapy, disseminate stroke unit care, and reduce regional disparities. We hope that this report can contribute to achieving these tasks.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Ambulances ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Hope ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mortality ; Prevalence ; Reperfusion ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Writing