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The effect of Aquaphor and petrolatum ointments on the healing of open granulating wounds in rats was studied. Wounds were observed up to ten days after wounding. The rate of wound contraction and epithelization was measured. Aquaphor- and petrolatum- treated wounds were significantly smaller by day ten. The rate of epithelization was retarded in treated wounds observed six days after wounding, but returned to normal by day ten. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, are considered to be the treatment of choice to prevent thromboembolic events, but problems, such as the need for frequent dose adjustment and monitoring of coagulation status, as well as multiple drug and food interactions, make their use difficult for both physician and patient. Two new anticoagulants are now being considered as possible replacements of vitamin K antagonists. Dabigatran, an oral direct thrombin inhibitor has already been approved in the USA for prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Rivaroxaban, a factor Xa inhibitor, and dabigatran are licensed in Europe and Canada for short-term thromboprophylaxis after elective hip or knee replacement surgery. The advantages of these drugs are that they are safe and effective, require no monitoring, have a direct mode of action against only one clotting factor (thrombin or factor Xa), have limited drug interactions, and have rapid peak blood levels. Based on the fact that dabigatran has already been approved for use in the USA, it would appear that it has an advantage over rivaroxaban in becoming the replacement drug for vitamin K antagonists., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In February 2009, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) published an information statement in which the organization "recommends that clinicians consider antibiotic prophylaxis [AP] for all total joint replacement patients prior to any invasive procedure that may cause bacteremia." The leadership of the American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM) thought that there was a need to respond to this new statement., Methods: The authors reviewed the literature on this subject as it relates to the AAOS's February 2009 information statement. The draft of the resulting report was reviewed and approved by the leadership of the AAOM and several dentists in North America who have expertise on this subject., Results: The risk of patients' experiencing drug reactions or drug-resistant bacterial infections and the cost of antibiotic medications alone do not justify the practice of using AP in patients with prosthetic joints., Conclusions: The authors identified the major points of concern for a future multidisciplinary, systematic review of AP use in patients with prosthetic joints. In the meantime, they conclude that the new AAOS statement should not replace the 2003 joint consensus statement., Clinical Implications: Until this issue is resolved, dentists have three options: inform their patients with prosthetic joints about the risks associated with AP use and let them decide; continue to follow the 2003 guidelines; or suggest to the orthopedic surgeon that they both follow the 2003 guidelines.

This article reviews the literature (with an emphasis on articles published from 2005-2008) regarding a possible association between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease. Both clinical studies and review papers were included. A number of studies continue to demonstrate such an association; however, none of the studies to date have shown a cause-and-effect relationship between the diseases. Based on the findings of this literature review, dentists still should apply the recommendations made by the American Heart Association in its 2004 statement.

Antibiotics are used in dentistry to treat an existing infection therapeutically or to prevent an infection prophylactically. To prevent a perioperative infection (primary prophylaxis), prophylactic antibiotics may be administered when a surgical device, such as a prosthetic cardiac valve, is placed. They also may be administered to patients who have an existing medical condition or have received a previously placed device to reduce the risk of infection from a bacteremia (secondary prophylaxis). Although it is common to prescribe secondary prophylaxis for many dental conditions, there is a general lack of scientific evidence of its effectiveness and accumulating evidence suggests that such prescriptions may be unnecessary. In the past, antibiotic prophylaxis has been used for conditions with no proven benefit. Risks associated with antibiotics include allergic reactions (for example, anaphylaxis), development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, development of superinfections, pseudomembranous colitis, cross-reactions with other drugs, and death. The costs involved with the use of antibiotics can be significant as well. This article reviews the current status of secondary antibiotic prophylaxis use in dentistry.

Dental management for the patient who abuses drugs is always a challenge. The numbers of patients abusing methamphetamines appears to be increasing. The dentist needs to be aware of the clinical presentation and medical risks presented by these patients and to attempt to get the patient to seek professional help. Additionally, special attention will be necessary for the high prevalence and severity or oral manifestations including: rampant caries, enamel erosion, xerostomia, bruxism and muscle trismus.

Over the last 40 years, diabetes mellitus has increased sixfold in the United States. Reported cases increased by more than 6.0% in 2006. Type 2 diabetes accounts for approximately 90% of all cases and is becoming more common in children and adolescents. The cause of Type 2 diabetes involves both genetic and environmental factors. The recent increase in the incidence and prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is related largely to obesity. Type 2 diabetes is managed by lifestyle interventions, drug therapy, and control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Patients with renal failure can be treated by transplantation of a kidney and pancreas. Islet cell transplantation is available, but long-term results have not been good. Pharmacologic treatment is accomplished with several classes of oral drugs. This article reviews the literature to provide recent innovations in the pharmacologic management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The incidence of diabetes mellitus has increased dramatically in the United States over the last 40 years. In 2006, reported cases of diabetes mellitus increased by 6.0%. The vast majority of these increased cases involve Type 2 diabetes, which is becoming much more common in children, adolescents, and young adults. This article reviews the pharmacological treatments available for Type 1 diabetes, the monitoring necessary for diabetes patients, the regimens of intensive insulin therapy that have replaced conventional therapy, and the complications of insulin therapy. Alternate methods of insulin delivery and options for patients are discussed.

The objective of our work has been to investigate the use of ultrasound image-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to non-invasively produce conduction block in rabbit sciatic nerves in vivo, a technique that could become a treatment of spasticity and pain. The work reported here involved the investigation of the duration of such conduction blocks after HIFU treatment and whether they resulted in axon degeneration. The right sciatic nerves of 12 rabbits were treated, under guidance of ultrasound imaging, with repeated 5-s applications of 3.2 MHz HIFU with in situ intensity of 1930 W/cm(2) (spatial-average, temporal-average) until conduction block was achieved. Survival endpoints were 0, 7, or 14 days after HIFU treatment, at which point the nerve conduction was assessed. Qualitative and quantitative histological analysis of nerve sections proximal and distal to the HIFU site was performed. Conduction block of all 12 nerves was achieved with average HIFU treatment time of 10.5+/-4.9 s (mean+/-SD). The volume of necrosis of adjacent muscle was measured to be 1.59+/-1.1 cm(3) (mean+/-SD). For all nerves, conduction block remained at the survival endpoint and the block resulted in degeneration of axons distal to the HIFU site, as confirmed by electrophysiological and histological methods. Potential clinical applications include treatment of spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury or pain in cancer patients.

Melanoma is one of the most serious skin cancers. It arises from neural crest-derived melanocytes located in the epidermis or dermis of the skin. Melanoma also can arise from melanocytes located in other regions of the body such as the eye, meninges, digestive tract, mucosal surfaces, or lymph nodes. There are no proven causes of melanoma but the most commonly associated factor is episodic exposure to the sun. Melanoma is a common cancer that has been increasing in incidence for the last 35 years. The median age at the time of diagnosis is 53 years. It is much more common in whites than in people of color. Five-year survival rates for melanoma of the skin have been increasing since 1976. There are four types of melanoma: superficial spreading melanoma, nodular melanoma, lentigo maligna melanoma, and acral lintiginous melanoma. Clinical signs indicating possible melanoma are asymmetry, border irregularity, color variation, increase in diameter, elevation, ulceration, and bleeding of pigmented lesions. Histopathologic findings (tumor thickness, tumor invasion), surface ulceration, spread to lymph nodes, and distant metastases are used to project patient prognosis. Treatment consists of surgical excision, lymph node dissection, limb perfusion, regional chemotherapy infusion, radiation, intralesional immunotherapy, systemic chemotherapy, and/or interferon-alpha, depending on the staging of the melanoma. Oral melanomas are rare; however, approximately 20% of all melanomas are found in the head and neck region. The role of the dentist is to be alert for changes in pigmented lesions of the oral mucosa and skin of the head and neck. Lesions suspected of melanoma must be biopsied, which usually involves referral of the patient.

Dental management for the patient who abuses drugs is always a challenge. The number of patients abusing methamphetamines appears to be increasing. The dentist needs to be aware of the clinical presentation and medical risks presented by these patients and to attempt to get the patient to seek professional help. Additionally, special attention will be necessary for the high prevalence and severity of oral manifestations including rampant caries, enamel erosion, xerostomia, bruxism, and muscle trismus.

This article reviews the recent literature regarding the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The dental management of patients with Alzheimer's disease is discussed in some detail.