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Introduction: Aggressive periodontitis (AgP), according to the diagnostic criteria set by the American Academy of Periodontology, is an infrequent periodontal disease. However, certain cases originally diagnosed as AgP due to young age and the involvement of first molars, when not responding to therapy, can diagnostically involve more severe systemic conditions such as the rare disorder Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).Case Presentation: A 25-year-old white male, with no known systemic diseases, was referred to the Postgraduate Clinic of the Department of Periodontology and Implant Biology, Dental School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. Clinical and radiographic examination and comparison with a previous evaluation revealed a rapidly progressive lesion involving the molar region in all quadrants, although the patient had been treated by a periodontist during the last 2 years. Molars were extracted and biopsies taken, which demonstrated morphologic and immunohistochemical cha...

PURPOSE.: Brain thalami are important for a wide range of sensorimotor and neuropsychiatric functions. This study was carried out to calculate normative values for thalami volume during fetal life. METHODS.: Fetal thalami volumes were measured using 3D ultrasound in 122 normal, singleton fetuses at 20(+0) -34(+6) weeks' gestation. Virtual Organ Computer-aided AnaLysis (VOCAL) was used to obtain a sequence of six sections of each thalamus, starting from the transthalamic view of the brain at an axial plane. Thalamic contour was drawn manually. Volume contrast imaging was used to enhance image quality when needed. The volume of the thalamus distal to the transducer was also measured by a second operator in 30 randomly selected cases, blind to the measurements of the first, to calculate interobserver agreement. RESULTS.: Thalamic volume increased with gestational age, following a quadratic equation (R(2) = 0.83). There was no significant difference in volume between the right and left thalamus. The mean volume of each thalamus increased from 0.45 ml at 20(+0) weeks, to 1.39 ml at 28(+0) weeks, to 2.17 ml at 34(+0) weeks. The 95% limits of interobserver agreement for thalamic volume were -14.3% to +17.2%. CONCLUSIONS.: The increase in thalamic volume with gestation can be described adequately by a quadratic equation. The moderate interobserver repeatability is attributed to the similar echogenicity between the thalamus and its surrounding structures. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2012. J Clin Ultrasound

AIM:: To investigate the relaxation of as-received and retrieved silk sutures and characterize the compositional and structural changes occurred during service. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: Silk sutures were tested in three conditions: (a) as-received, (b) retrieved from the oral cavity of patients, and (c) retrieved from extraoral sites of patients following 4 days. Specimens of the first group were fabricated by tying a knot on a plastic cable of 5 mm diameter. Specimens (n = 6) of groups (b) and (c) were placed in the appropriate surgical site and retrieved. Specimens were subjected to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for the characterization of molecular composition; low vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LV-SEM) to investigate the morphological variation; and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis to assess the elemental composition of integuments formed onto the materials. To investigate the stress relaxation of elastics, a portable test assembly was developed to monitor the force exerted by a stretched suture for a period of 4 days. RESULTS:: Retrieved specimens demonstrated absorption of proteinaceous matter comprising of amide I and II and alcohol, as well as precipitation of Mg, Si, Cl, and Ca for the extraorally aged specimens and additional K and P for the intraorally exposed sutures. Aged specimens showed swelling and disorganization and rupture of suture bundles. Stress relaxation data were indicative of no difference between the three groups, which relaxed at 30% of the initial value, whereas the curves showed similar slopes. SIGNIFICANCE:: Significant relaxation was found for silk sutures, which seems to be independent of surgical site. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 2009.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease which very rarely affects the oral cavity. It has many forms of expression on cutaneous and mucosal surfaces. This paper describes an unusual case of psoriasis with oral involvement affecting the skin graft used to reconstruct an oral mucosal defect. Diagnosis was based on clinical and microscopic findings and confirmed by the concurrent cutaneous disease.