PURPOSE: Three-dimensional (3D) printing must go through a post-processing procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cleaning methods on 3D printed three-unit fixed partial dentures using 3D analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-unit fixed partial denture was designed and printed using two different printers. The evaluation was taken regarding cleaning method with ethanol (ETH) or isopropanol (IPA), and combining ultrasonic (US) technique for the following groups: group 1, ETH; group 2, ETH+US; group 3, IPA; group 4, IPA+US; and group 5, US. The 3D evaluation was conducted by calculating the mean distance between two specific points and analyzing various angular deviations, utilizing the geometry-embedded library. In addition, visual analysis was performed by creating sectional planes in different points of view. Normality test and independent t-test were performed to compare results between the two printers used in this study. In addition, one-way ANOVA was performed to compare cleaning method groups. RESULTS: Mean distance results showed statistical differences between printers for groups IPA, US, and IPA+US, whereas no significant differences were found among cleaning methods. Angular measurements were taken at the bucco-lingual, proximal, and occlusal planes to assess deviations in the internal surfaces. Overall results showed a tendency of shrinkage of the printed three-unit fixed partial denture. CONCLUSION Ultrasonic treatment may impact the washing efficiency when used with other cleaning solutions regarding angular and longitudinal deformation. Adequate selection of post-processing methods is crucial to decrease morphological deformities in 3D printed materials.

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional (3D) printing must go through a post-processing procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cleaning methods on 3D printed three-unit fixed partial dentures using 3D analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-unit fixed partial denture was designed and printed using two different printers. The evaluation was taken regarding cleaning method with ethanol (ETH) or isopropanol (IPA), and combining ultrasonic (US) technique for the following groups: group 1, ETH; group 2, ETH+US; group 3, IPA; group 4, IPA+US; and group 5, US. The 3D evaluation was conducted by calculating the mean distance between two specific points and analyzing various angular deviations, utilizing the geometry-embedded library. In addition, visual analysis was performed by creating sectional planes in different points of view. Normality test and independent t-test were performed to compare results between the two printers used in this study. In addition, one-way ANOVA was performed to compare cleaning method groups. RESULTS: Mean distance results showed statistical differences between printers for groups IPA, US, and IPA+US, whereas no significant differences were found among cleaning methods. Angular measurements were taken at the bucco-lingual, proximal, and occlusal planes to assess deviations in the internal surfaces. Overall results showed a tendency of shrinkage of the printed three-unit fixed partial denture. CONCLUSION Ultrasonic treatment may impact the washing efficiency when used with other cleaning solutions regarding angular and longitudinal deformation. Adequate selection of post-processing methods is crucial to decrease morphological deformities in 3D printed materials.

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional (3D) printing must go through a post-processing procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cleaning methods on 3D printed three-unit fixed partial dentures using 3D analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-unit fixed partial denture was designed and printed using two different printers. The evaluation was taken regarding cleaning method with ethanol (ETH) or isopropanol (IPA), and combining ultrasonic (US) technique for the following groups: group 1, ETH; group 2, ETH+US; group 3, IPA; group 4, IPA+US; and group 5, US. The 3D evaluation was conducted by calculating the mean distance between two specific points and analyzing various angular deviations, utilizing the geometry-embedded library. In addition, visual analysis was performed by creating sectional planes in different points of view. Normality test and independent t-test were performed to compare results between the two printers used in this study. In addition, one-way ANOVA was performed to compare cleaning method groups. RESULTS: Mean distance results showed statistical differences between printers for groups IPA, US, and IPA+US, whereas no significant differences were found among cleaning methods. Angular measurements were taken at the bucco-lingual, proximal, and occlusal planes to assess deviations in the internal surfaces. Overall results showed a tendency of shrinkage of the printed three-unit fixed partial denture. CONCLUSION Ultrasonic treatment may impact the washing efficiency when used with other cleaning solutions regarding angular and longitudinal deformation. Adequate selection of post-processing methods is crucial to decrease morphological deformities in 3D printed materials.

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional (3D) printing must go through a post-processing procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cleaning methods on 3D printed three-unit fixed partial dentures using 3D analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-unit fixed partial denture was designed and printed using two different printers. The evaluation was taken regarding cleaning method with ethanol (ETH) or isopropanol (IPA), and combining ultrasonic (US) technique for the following groups: group 1, ETH; group 2, ETH+US; group 3, IPA; group 4, IPA+US; and group 5, US. The 3D evaluation was conducted by calculating the mean distance between two specific points and analyzing various angular deviations, utilizing the geometry-embedded library. In addition, visual analysis was performed by creating sectional planes in different points of view. Normality test and independent t-test were performed to compare results between the two printers used in this study. In addition, one-way ANOVA was performed to compare cleaning method groups. RESULTS: Mean distance results showed statistical differences between printers for groups IPA, US, and IPA+US, whereas no significant differences were found among cleaning methods. Angular measurements were taken at the bucco-lingual, proximal, and occlusal planes to assess deviations in the internal surfaces. Overall results showed a tendency of shrinkage of the printed three-unit fixed partial denture. CONCLUSION Ultrasonic treatment may impact the washing efficiency when used with other cleaning solutions regarding angular and longitudinal deformation. Adequate selection of post-processing methods is crucial to decrease morphological deformities in 3D printed materials.

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional (3D) printing must go through a post-processing procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different cleaning methods on 3D printed three-unit fixed partial dentures using 3D analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-unit fixed partial denture was designed and printed using two different printers. The evaluation was taken regarding cleaning method with ethanol (ETH) or isopropanol (IPA), and combining ultrasonic (US) technique for the following groups: group 1, ETH; group 2, ETH+US; group 3, IPA; group 4, IPA+US; and group 5, US. The 3D evaluation was conducted by calculating the mean distance between two specific points and analyzing various angular deviations, utilizing the geometry-embedded library. In addition, visual analysis was performed by creating sectional planes in different points of view. Normality test and independent t-test were performed to compare results between the two printers used in this study. In addition, one-way ANOVA was performed to compare cleaning method groups. RESULTS: Mean distance results showed statistical differences between printers for groups IPA, US, and IPA+US, whereas no significant differences were found among cleaning methods. Angular measurements were taken at the bucco-lingual, proximal, and occlusal planes to assess deviations in the internal surfaces. Overall results showed a tendency of shrinkage of the printed three-unit fixed partial denture. CONCLUSION Ultrasonic treatment may impact the washing efficiency when used with other cleaning solutions regarding angular and longitudinal deformation. Adequate selection of post-processing methods is crucial to decrease morphological deformities in 3D printed materials.

Safe and effective sedation depends on various factors, such as the choice of sedatives, sedation techniques used, experience of the sedation provider, degree of sedation-related education and training, equipment and healthcare worker availability, the patient’s underlying diseases, and the procedure being performed. The purpose of these evidence-based multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines is to ensure the safety and efficacy of sedation, thereby contributing to patient safety and ultimately improving public health. These clinical practice guidelines comprise 15 key questions covering various topics related to the following: the sedation providers; medications and equipment available; appropriate patient selection; anesthesiologist referrals for high-risk patients; pre-sedation fasting; comparison of representative drugs used in adult and pediatric patients; respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and sedation depth monitoring during sedation; management of respiratory complications during pediatric sedation; and discharge criteria. The recommendations in these clinical practice guidelines were systematically developed to assist providers and patients in sedation-related decision making for diagnostic and therapeutic examinations or procedures. Depending on the characteristics of primary, secondary, and tertiary care institutions as well as the clinical needs and limitations, sedation providers at each medical institution may choose to apply the recommendations as they are, modify them appropriately, or reject them completely.

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of susceptibility map-weighted imaging (SMwI) taken in different acquisition planes for discriminating patients with neurodegenerative parkinsonism from those without. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, observational, single-institution study enrolled consecutive patients who visited movement disorder clinics and underwent brain MRI and 18F-FP-CIT PET between September 2021 and December 2021. SMwI images were acquired in both the oblique (perpendicular to the midbrain) and the anterior commissure-posterior commissure (AC-PC) planes. Hyperintensity in the substantia nigra was determined by two neuroradiologists. 18F-FP-CIT PET was used as the reference standard. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using Cohen’s kappa coefficient. The diagnostic performance of SMwI in the two planes was analyzed separately for the right and left substantia nigra. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with generalized estimating equations was applied to compare the diagnostic performance of the two planes. Results: In total, 194 patients were included, of whom 105 and 103 had positive results on 18F-FP-CIT PET in the left and right substantia nigra, respectively. Good inter-rater agreement in the oblique (κ = 0.772/0.658 for left/right) and AC-PC planes (0.730/0.741 for left/right) was confirmed. The pooled sensitivities for two readers were 86.4% (178/206, left) and 83.3% (175/210, right) in the oblique plane and 87.4% (180/206, left) and 87.6% (184/210, right) in the AC-PC plane. The pooled specificities for two readers were 83.5% (152/182, left) and 82.0% (146/178, right) in the oblique plane, and 83.5% (152/182, left) and 86.0% (153/178, right) in the AC-PC plane. There were no significant differences in the diagnostic performance between the two planes (P > 0.05). Conclusion There are no significant difference in the diagnostic performance of SMwI performed in the oblique and AC-PC plane in discriminating patients with parkinsonism from those without. This finding affirms that each institution may choose the imaging plane for SMwI according to their clinical settings.

Background: In addition to vascular endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are subject to continuous shear stress because of blood circulation. The angiogenic properties of VSMCs in extracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) may exceed those of normal blood vessels if the body responds more sensitively to mechanical stimuli. This study was performed to investigate the hypothesis that rapid angiogenesis may be achieved by mechanical shear stress. Methods: VSMCs were obtained from six patients who had AVMs and six normal controls. The target genes were set to angiopoietin-2 (AGP2), aquaporin-1 (AQP1), and transforming growth factor-beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1). Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR were implemented to identify the expression levels for target genes. Immunofluorescence was also conducted. Results: Under the shear stress condition, mean relative quantity values of AGP2, AQP1, and TGFBR1 in AVM tissues were 1.927±0.528, 1.291±0.031, and 2.284±1.461 when compared with neutral conditions. The expression levels of all three genes in AVMs were higher than those in normal tissue except for AQP1 under shear stress conditions. Immunofluorescence also revealed increased staining of shear stress-induced genes in the normal tissue and in AVM tissue. Conclusions Shear stress made the VSMCs of AVMs more sensitive. Although the pathogenesis of AVMs remains unclear, our study showed that biomechanical stimulation imposed by shear stress may aggravate angiogenesis in AVMs.

Background: Only a few studies have evaluated the differences between varying concentrations of a fixed dose of local anesthetics. This study was conducted to compare the effects of two different concentrations of a fixed dose of ropivacaine used in ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block. Methods: This prospective, randomized, double-blind study included 62 patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery under general anesthesia. The patients were randomly assigned to receive ultrasound-guided interscalene block with 75 mg of ropivacaine at one of two concentrations: 0.75% (10 ml; group C) or 0.375% (20 ml; group V). Time to onset of sensory blockade, degree of blockade, pulmonary function changes, analgesic duration of the interscalene block, postoperative opioid requirement within 24 h, postoperative pain scores, satisfaction, and incidence of complications were recorded. Results: Although the time to onset of sensory blockade was shorter for group C (P = 0.015), successful blockade was achieved at 30 min after the interscalene block in both groups. The analgesic duration of the interscalene block was not significantly different between the groups. The amount of opioid used within 24 h after surgery was significantly reduced for group V compared with group C (P = 0.016). The rest of the parameters did not show any significant differences between the two groups. Conclusion Compared with 10 ml of 0.75% ropivacaine, interscalene block with 20 ml of 0.375% ropivacaine could be effective for the reduction of postoperative opioid requirement within 24 h after surgery despite it might not prolong the analgesic duration.

Background: Sore throat and hoarseness frequently occur following general anesthesia with tracheal intubation and are effectively reduced when dexamethasone is used prophylactically. Alchemilla vulgaris in glycerine (Neo Mucosal Activator®) suppresses inflammatory response, possibly relieving sore throat. Methods: We enrolled 94 patients (age ≥ 18 years) scheduled for thoracic surgery using double-lumen tube intubation. Before intubation, 0.2 mg/kg of dexamethasone was administered intravenously and 2 ml of normal saline was sprayed into the oropharyngeal cavity (Group D; n = 45), or 0.04 ml/kg normal saline was administered intravenously and 1 g of Neo Mucosal Activator® mixed with 1 ml of normal saline was sprayed into the oropharyngeal cavity (Group N; n = 43), in a double blind and prospectively randomized manner. Postoperative sore throat and hoarseness were recorded using a numeral rating scale and a 4-point scale to detect a change in voice quality following tracheal extubation (at 1, 6, and 24 h). The primary outcome was the incidence of sore throat at 24 h following surgery. The secondary outcomes were incidence and severity of sore throat and hoarseness. Results: There were no significant differences in the incidence of sore throat at 24 h following surgery (57.8% vs. 46.5%; P = 0.290) or in the incidence and intensity of sore throat and hoarseness at 1, 6, and 24 h following surgery between the groups. Conclusions A. vulgaris in glycerine did not significantly differ from dexamethasone for preventing sore throat and hoarseness owing to intubation.