PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between tooth loss and sub-clinical atherosclerosis in Korean adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects were part of a cohort study conducted in Ansan city by the Korea University medical school as part of the Korean Genome project. 749 subjects over than 40 years old were evaluated. After taking panoramic radiography, the amount of tooth loss was calculated. The intima-media thickness (IMT) was assessed by using ultrasonography at the common carotid artery. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors for atherosclerosis were also evaluated. The relationship between tooth loss and the IMT was evaluated using ANOVA with Scheffe's multiple comparison method in univariate analysis. Multiple regression analysis was also performed to determine the significance between the IMT and tooth loss. RESULTS: With age, tooth loss increased, but there was no significant increase in other traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Univariate analysis revealed the IMT to be positively related with the amount of tooth loss. Regression analysis of the IMT in the anterior and posterior tooth loss revealed that only the posterior tooth loss was significantly related with the IMT at all sites of the common carotid artery (right far wall, P = .015; left far wall, P = .008; right near wall, P < .001; left near wall, P = .001). CONCLUSION: This study verified the positive relationship between the increased tooth loss at the posterior area and the accumulation of atheroma in arteries.
Adult ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Cohort Studies ; Genome ; Humans ; Korea ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Radiography, Panoramic ; Risk Factors ; Schools, Medical ; Tooth ; Tooth Loss

Alveolar ridge defects may limit or restrict placement of implants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical and histopathologic results which occur following guided bone regeneration using platelet-rich plasma, bovine bone powder and e-PTFE membrane in the localized alveolar bone defects. Ten patients who required guided bone regeneration in implant placemnet, were slelected. Alveolar crest height and width were measured at baseline and, afer 2nd surgery 5 months later At 5 months , we obtained histopathological results as follows: 1. Alveolar crest height was an average of 8.20+/-3.74 mm preoperatively and decreased to an average of 7.40 +/-1.84 mm postoperatively. There was no significant difference. 2. Alveolar crest width was an average of 4.25+/-2.03 mm preoperatively and significantly increased to an average of 7.20+/-2.44 mm postoperatively (P<0.01) 3. The change of Alveolar crest height and width were 0.80+/-1.40 mm, 2.95+/-1.09 mm 4. Histopathological evaluations revealed new bone formation with graft material and laminated bone containing the presence of osteocyte-like cell In conclusion, guided bone regeneration using platelet-rich plasma, bovine bone powder and e-PTFE membrane would provide a viable therapeutic alternative for implant placement in the localized alveolar defect or implant failure
Alveolar Process ; Bone Regeneration ; Humans ; Membranes ; Osteogenesis ; Platelet-Rich Plasma* ; Transplants*

Aspergillosis ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Fungi ; Humans ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mycetoma ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Retrospective Studies ; Sinusitis

BACKGROUND: Central dark-signal intensity with high-signal, hypertrophic mucosal wall of paranasal sinuses on T2-weighted images (T2WI) is a characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) feature of sinonasal fungus ball. However, this finding is usually interpreted as non-fungal chronic sinusitis with central normal sinus air. In addition, T1-weighted images (T1WI) and T2WI are basic sequences of all magnetic resonance (MR) examinations. Therefore, we evaluated the usefulness of T1WI for detecting fungus balls comparing with computed tomography (CT) findings and T2-weighted MRI findings. METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Korea University Guro Hospital. Two reviewers assessed preoperative CT and MR images of 55 patients with pathologically confirmed fungus balls. Reviewers evaluated the presence and patterns of calcifications on CT. Overall signals and the presence and extent of certain signals of fungus balls on MRI were also assessed. The relationship between calcifications and MRI signals was also evaluated. RESULTS: Of the patients, 89.1% had calcifications on CT. All had dark signal portions with high signal, hypertrophic mucosal walls on T2WI. Most (92.7%) patients showed iso- to hyper-intense overall signals on T1WI and 89.1% had T1-weighted high signal portions on MRI. The presence, patterns, and location of calcifications had no significant correlation with T1-weighted high-signal intensity portion. CONCLUSION Fungus ball can be suggested by the presence of the hyper-signal intensity portions in the fungal mass on T1WI in conjunction with dark-signal lesions surrounded by high-signal, hypertrophic mucosal walls in paranasal sinuses on T2WI.