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The Rapid Acquisition Atmospheric Detector (RAAD), onboard the LIGHT-1 3U CubeSat, detects photons between hard X-rays and soft gamma-rays, in order to identify and characterize Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs). Three detector configurations are tested, making use of Cerium Bromide and Lanthanum BromoChloride scintillating crystals coupled to photomultiplier tubes or Multi-Pixel Photon Counters, in order to identify the optimal combination for TGF detection. High timing resolution, a short trigger window, and the short decay time of its electronics allow RAAD to perform accurate measurements of prompt, transient events. Here we describe the overview of the detection concept, the development of the front-end acquisition electronics, as well as the ground testing and simulation the payload underwent prior to its launch on December 21st, 2021. We further present a preliminary analysis of the detector's housekeeping data collected in orbit to evaluate the health of the instrument in operating conditions., 19 pages, 15 figures

OBJECTIVE: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been deeply investigated in regenerative medicine because of their crucial role in tissue healing, such as tissue regeneration. Dental-derived stem cells (d-DSCs) are easily available from dental tissues, which can be isolated from all age patients with minimal discomfort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Normal unerupted third molars tooth buds were collected from adolescents' patients underwent to extractions for orthodontic reasons. The expression of the genes Kruppel-like factor 4 (Klf-4), octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct-4), homeobox transcription factor Nanog (NANOG) was investigated in d-DSCs obtained from dental bud (DBSCs), differentiated toward osteoblastic phenotype and not. RESULTS: Our results showed that DBSCs expressed Oct-4, Nanog, and Klf-4 in undifferentiated conditions and interestingly the expression of such genes increased when the cells were kept in osteogenic medium. CONCLUSIONS: These attractive stemness properties, together with the effortlessly isolation, during common oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures, from undifferentiated tissues such as dental bud, make this kind of d-DSCs a promising tool in regenerative medicine, having the potential for clinical applications, and reinforcing the present challenge to develop new preventive and healing strategies in tissue regeneration.

SEC III protocol: Early treatment of dentoskeletal Class III malocclusions. The early treatment of dentoskeletal Class III malocclusion is one of the more challenging situations for orthodontists, mainly for the uncertainty of stable long-term results due to the interaction of both environmental and genetic aetiological factors. Several interceptive protocols have been proposed during the past decades. The SEC III protocol includes two occlusal acrylic Splints combined with Class III elastics and chin cup. The protocol was proposed to facilitate Class III dentoskeletal correction by eliminating the intercuspation and the tongue thrust with clockwise mandibular rotation and minimal dentoalveolar compensation. The main difference with all the other appliances is the vertical control, which is crucial in difficult cases such as hyperdivergent Class III malocclusions.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on dental pain felt during cavity preparation of carious lesions in permanent teeth of adults. Methods: The study was carried out on 88 teeth with dental caries requiring class I restorations in 24 subjects with a pain score > 7 but < 10 measured using a 0-10 visual analogue scale (VAS) in a preliminary test of pain threshold (PTPT) for each subject receiving a class I cavity preparation on another tooth without local anesthesia. The 88 teeth included were randomly allocated to test and control groups, each with 44 teeth. All teeth were treated with LLLT prior to the mechanical preparation of the cavity without local anesthesia, except that the laser device was kept in idle mode in the control group. After cavity preparation, subjects scored pain intensity using the VAS. The Wilcoxon test was used to analyze data and the values with P< 0.05 were considered significant. Results: All subjects scored a pain reduction in the test group compared with the control group (P< 0.0001), with a reduction of 42% and 16%, respectively, compared to pain felt during the PTPT. The use of LLLT prior to mechanical preparation of a cavity by lowering pain intensity might reduce the quantity of drugs used for pain control required during restorative procedures. (Am J Dent 2018;31:267-271 ).

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of cleft sidedness, and the number of congenitally missing teeth in regard to cleft type and gender. Methods: The charts, models, radiographs, and intraoral photographs of 201 cleft patients including 131 males with the mean age of 12.3 ± 4 years and 70 females with the mean age of 12.6 ± 3.9 years were used for the study. T test, Chi-square, and binomial tests were used for assessment of the data. Results and conclusions: One hundred forty-eight of the subjects suffered from cleft lip and palate followed by 41 subjects who suffered from cleft lip and alveolus. Chi-square test did not show any significant difference between the genders. Binomial test showed that left-sided cleft was more predominant in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients (P < 0.001). This study also showed that the upper lateral incisors were the most commonly missing teeth in the cleft area.

OBIETTIVI. Lo scopo di questo studio è stato valutare le caratteristiche, le altera- zioni morfostrutturali e le conseguenze disfunzionali dell’articolazione temporo- mandibolare (ATM) in pazienti affetti da artrite idiopatica giovanile (AIG).MATERIALI E METODI. Lo studio è stato condotto su 45 soggetti di età compresa tra 7 e 19 anni, affetti da AIG. Tutti i pa- zienti arruolati sono stati sottoposti a va- lutazione clinico-gnatologica (anamnesi, parametri di laboratorio, tipo di terapia) e strumentale mediante l’imaging a riso- nanza magnetica delle ATM.RISULTATI. Dei 45 pazienti del campio- ne,il37,8%presentavainteressamento dell’ATM. Tra questi pazienti (17 pazienti, 13 femmine e 4 maschi) si sono riscon- trate: forma poliarticolare 41,2% (7 ca- si), forma oligoarticolare 35,3% (6 casi), artrite sistemica 11,8% (2 casi), artrite psoriasica 5,9% (1 caso), sindrome ente- site-artrite (SEA) 5,9% (1 caso). I principalisintomi riportati erano: click temporo- mandibolare monolaterale e bilaterale, limitazione funzionale monolaterale e bi- laterale associata a dolore, click bilaterale e monolaterale durante la masticazione e laterodeviazione mandibolare associata a sintomatologia delle ATM.CONCLUSIONI. I risultati ottenuti in questo studio suggeriscono l’utilità di un’attenta valutazione gnatologica all’esordio dell’AIG. Controlli periodici associati a una diagnosi precoce sono infatti in grado di ridurre e migliorare le problematiche funzionali ed estetiche in questi giovani pazienti. OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics, the morphostructural and dysfunctional concerns of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).MATERIALS AND METHODS. The study was conducted on 45 subjects with JIA, aged between 7 and 19 years. All patients enrolled were subjected to clinical evalua- tion (medical history, laboratory param- eters and type of therapy) and instru- mental evaluation (magnetic resonance imaging of the TMJ).RESULTS. Of the 45 patients analyzed in the sample, 37.8% presented involvement of TMJ. These patients (17 patients, 13 fe- males and 4 males) presented with poly- articular arthritis 41.2% (7 patients), oli- goarticular arthritis 35.3% (6 patients), systemic arthritis 11.8% (2 patients), psoriatic arthritis 5.9% (1 patient), En- thesitis Arthritis Syndrome (EAS) 5.9% (1 patient). The main symptoms reported were: TMJ unilateral and bilateral click- ing, unilateral and bilateral functional limitation associated with pain, unilater- al and bilateral clicking during chewing and mandibular lateral deviation associ- ated with TMJ symptoms.CONCLUSIONS. The results obtained in this study underline the importance of a careful gnathological evaluation at the onset of JIA. Moreover, periodic follow-ups associated with an early di- agnosis are indeed capable of reducing and improving functional and aesthetic problems in these young patients.

Objectives . The purpose of this study was to investigate dental abnormalities in children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) in order to identify the most prevalent anomalies and the teeth most frequently affected. Materials and methods . We analyzed orthopanoramics X-rays (OPT), computed tomography Dental Scans, clinical records, and dental casts from 18 consecutive patients (10 boys, 8 girls; mean age 11.2 years, range: 6 to 18), with CLP (complete or incomplete, mono- or bilateral) and recorded the presence of the following anomalies: supernumerary teeth, agenesis, shape and size anomalies, ectopic and dystopic eruptions, rotations and retained teeth. Results . The most frequent abnormalities were: agenesis (prevalence: 22.5%), ectopic and dystopic eruption (19.3%), rotations (17.7%), shape and size anomalies (16.1%), and retained teeth (14.5%). The most frequently affected teeth were the lateral (45.1%) and central incisors (32.2%), the cuspids (14.5%), and the second bicuspid (6.4%). Lateral incisors were usually missing (39.2%) or retained (21.4%), while central incisors were more often rotated (50%) or deformed (25%). The cuspids were ectopic (66.6%) or retained (23%), while the bicuspids were missing (25%), retained (25%), or presented alterations in number (25%) or shape/size (25%).

PURPOSE: To assess under load the biomechanical behavior of the cementing system of feldspathic vs alumina porcelain veneers.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 3D model of a maxillary central incisor, the periodontal ligament (PDL) and the alveolar bone was generated. Incisors restored with alumina and feldspathic porcelain veneers were compared to a natural sound tooth. Enamel, cementum, cancellous and cortical bone were considered isotropic elastic materials; conversely, dentin was designated as orthotropic. The nonlinear visco-elatic behavior of the PDL was considered. The adhesive layers were modelled using spring elements. A 50-N load at a 60-degree angle to the tooth's longitudinal axis was applied and validated. Stress concentration in the interfacial volumes of the main models was identified and submodelled in a new environment.RESULTS: Regarding tooth structure, strain concentrations were observed in the root dentin below the CEJ. As to the cement layer, tensile stresses concentrated in the palatal margin of the adhesive complex.CONCLUSION: Despite the effects on tooth deformation, the rigidity of the veneer did not affect the stress distributions in the cement layer or in the adhesive layers. In both cases, the palatal and cervical margins seemed to be the most stressed areas.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate upper and lower dental changes after Mixed Palatal Expansion (MPE) treatment in growing patients with posterior single or bilateral crossbite and mild-to-moderate crowding, as compared to untreated growing subjects by dental cast analysis.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A group of 24 patients (18 girls, 6 boys) was treated with Hyrax-type device and compared with an untreated matched control group at T0 (8.6 yrs. ± 2) and at T1 (10 yrs. ± 2) using dental casts. The dental cast analysis was performed on four dental bilateral landmarks, on upper and lower casts; also upper and lower arch depths were measured. The groups were compared using independent sample t-test to estimate dental changes in upper and lower arches.RESULTS: The MPE group showed significant upper and lower arch changes when compared with the control group. Upper intermolar, interpremolar-2nd, interpremolar-1st (P

Aim The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a differently designed functional appliance (the R-appliance) with Fränkel-2. Study Design Twenty-seven patients (16 girls and 11 boys) with a mean age of 9.8 (SD 1.6) years were treated with the R-appliance for 15.4 (SD 0.4) months and twentyseven (15 girls and 12 boys) patients with a mean age of 9.1 (SD 1.1) years were treated with a Fränkel-2 appliance for 19 (SD 5.6) months. All patients had Class II division 1 malocclusions due to mandibular deficiency and all of them had prepubertal stages of skeletal development. Lateral cephalograms obtained at the beginning (T1) and at the end (T2) of the study were analysed. Results Paired t-tests showed that SNB significantly increased in both groups. The incisor mandibular plane angle (IMPA) was reduced in the R-appliance group by 2.2 (SD 4.9) degrees (P < 0.03) but increased by 2.2 (SD 2.6) degrees (P < 0.001) in the Fränkel-2 group. The SNA in the R-appliance group showed an increase of 0.2 (SD 2) degrees (P < 0.6), while it was decreased by 0.4 (SD 0.5) degrees (P < 0.6) in the Fränkel-2 group. Conclusions Both treatment modalities were successful in moving the mandible forward. However, with the R-appliance, this was achieved without proclination of the lower incisors.

Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that aims at the resolution of dental malocclusions. The specialist carries out the treatment using intraoral or extraoral orthodontic appliances that require forces of a given load level to obtain a tooth movement in a certain direction in dental arches. Orthodontic tooth movement is dependent on efficient remodeling of periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, correlated with several biological and mechanical responses of the tissues surrounding the teeth. A periodontal ligament placed under pressure will result in bone resorption whereas a periodontal ligament under tension results in bone formation. In the primary stage of the application of orthodontic forces, an acute inflammation occurs in periodontium. Several proinflammatory cytokines are produced by immune-competent cells migrating by means of dilated capillaries. In this paper we summarize, also through the utilization of animal models, the role of some of these molecules, namely, interleukin-1β and vascular endothelial growth factor, that are some proliferation markers of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, and the macrophage colony stimulating factor.