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Introduction: Crown lengthening is one of the most common periodontal surgical procedures carried out to increase the amount of supragingival tooth structure. There is a lot of literature on crown lengthening surgeries, but very few systematic reviews comparing treated and adjacent sites over a six-month period. The purpose of this systematic review and meta -analysis was to evaluate the outcomes of crown lengthening surgery in terms of changes in periodontal clinical parameters and periodontal tissue stability between treated and adjacent sites., Methods: Electronic databases were searched up to 28 February 2022 with no restriction on publication status. A manual search of journals was also performed. Predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select the relevant articles that assessed dimensional changes in periodontal tissues after crown lengthening surgery. The risk of bias was assessed using the JBI critical appraisal checklist. Data meta -analysis was performed using a statistical software program., Results: A total of 78 studies were identified, of which, four clinical controlled trials containing 182 crown lengthening surgical procedures across 111 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed no statistically significant changes after three or six months in terms of supracrestal tissue attachment levels, bone level and probing pocket depth between treated and adjacent sites. However, clinical attachment level changes were statistically significant, favouring adjacent teeth at six months., Conclusions: Within the limitation of this systematic review, crown lengthening surgery results in stable periodontal tissues over time according to the acceptable periodontal healing parameters. Further evidence is still required to substantiate these findings., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 King Saud University.)

Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) reduces dimensional changes following tooth extraction. We evaluated the changes in alveolar ridge dimensions after ARP using bone substitutes and collagen membranes. Objectives included the tomographic evaluation of sites prior to extraction and six months after ARP and the assessment of the extent ARP preserved the ridge and reduced the need for additional augmentation at the time of implant placement. A total of 12 participants who underwent ARP in the Postgraduate Periodontics Clinic (Faculty of Dentistry) were included. Cone beam computed tomography images were used to retrospectively assess 17 sites prior to and six months after dental extraction. Alveolar ridge changes were recorded and analysed using reproducible reference points. The alveolar ridge height was measured at buccal and palatal/lingual aspects, whilst width was measured at crestal level, 2 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm below the crest. Statistically significant changes were found in alveolar ridge width at all four heights, with mean reduction differences ranging from 1.16 mm to 2.84 mm. Likewise, significant changes in the palatal/lingual alveolar ridge height (1.28 mm) were observed. However, changes of 0.79 mm in buccal alveolar ridge height were not significant ( p = 0.077). Although ARP reduced dimensional changes following a tooth extraction, some degree of alveolar ridge collapse could not be avoided. The amount of resorption on the buccal aspect of the ridge was less compared to the palatal/lingual after ARP. This indicated that the use of bone substitutes and collagen membranes was effective in reducing changes in the buccal alveolar ridge height.

Objective:  Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of morbidity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), highlighting a significant social and economic burden impacting the development of the country. Studies have shown a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and periodontal disease. The awareness of this relationship is imperative not only for dentists but also for the physicians who contribute toward enhancing a diabetic patient's health and lifestyle. There is a general need to highlight the importance of maintaining periodontal health and its positive effect on controlling diabetic health status. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge of the physicians regarding diabetes and periodontal health., Materials and Methods:  A cross-sectional study involving a questionnaire was distributed to the physicians who were attending the Arab Health Conference in Dubai in 2019., Statistical Analyses:  A cross-tabulation analysis compared attitude, knowledge, and awareness across sector, gender, and country of graduation. A logistic regression model was used to explain the "knowledge" regarding possible confounding factors., Results:  A total of 344 physicians with an average age of 38.11 (9.31) years, comprising of 186 (53.8%) males, participated in the survey. Of those participants, 285 (82.8%) were working in the government sector health care centers versus the private health care organizations. Also, 108 (31.4%) of the participants graduated within the universities based in the UAE, while the remaining 263 (68.6%) participants graduated from medical schools from other countries. At least 265 (77%) of the participants had positive outlook toward referring patients with diabetes to their dental colleagues, while 283 (82.3%) of the physicians acknowledge that diabetes affects periodontal health. While a majority of participants 261 (76%) treat diabetic patients in their clinical practice, only 50 (19%) of the participants admit to referring these patients for a dental consultation. In addition, the survey also revealed that 225 (65.5%) physicians comprehend the bidirectional relationship of periodontal disease and diabetes., Conclusion:  An appropriate dental referral protocol is recommended for all diabetic patients who visit physicians. This survey demonstrated that although the physicians present with good knowledge, they rarely refer diabetic patients to receive proper periodontal care., Competing Interests: None declared., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Introduction: Telecytology offers a suitable solution to the cost and time efficiency questions on rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE). An increasing number of institutions are adopting new telecytology systems to meet the increasing ROSE requests, although there is no agreement on the details of how a telecytology validation study needs to be conducted. We propose a standardized approach for telecytology validation studies that could be done in a variety of practices., Materials and Methods: Consecutive cases from 6 months prior were chosen to reflect a case mix comparable to real life. A fellow assessed the slides at the ROSE site while 6 cytopathology faculty convened in a conference room with a television screen, and noted the adequacy, diagnostic category, and specific diagnoses. All participants were blinded to the original adequacy assessment and final diagnoses. For each case, evaluation time and the slides counts were noted., Results: Fine-needle aspiration specimens from 52 patients were included in the study. Of these, 13 cases were used in the first "test" session. The adequacy concordance rates ranged between 92.3% and 100%, with an overall concordance rate of 94.8%. The diagnostic category concordance rates ranged between 90.3% and 95.5%, with an overall concordance rate of 91.9%. The specific diagnosis concordance rates ranged between 84.6% and 92.9%, with an overall concordance rate of 88.1%., Conclusions: Validation of telecytology requires a standardized approach just like any other new technology. In this study, we propose an efficient and accurate method for cytopathology departments of various case volumes to conduct telecytology validation studies., (Copyright © 2022 American Society of Cytopathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) procedures can limit bone changes following tooth extraction. Flapped and flapless surgical approaches have been used for ARP; however, there is a lack of strong scientific evidence regarding their specific influences on the clinical outcomes of ARP. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of flapped and flapless surgical approaches on the dimensional changes of hard and soft tissues and patient-reported outcomes following ARP. Electronic databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared flapped ARP by means of a coronally advanced flap to flapless ARP where barrier membranes were left exposed. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool. Data were analysed using a statistical software program. A total of 754 studies were identified, of which five studies with 149 extraction sockets in 128 participants were included. Overall, meta-analysis did not show any significant differences in the changes in ridge width or height between flapped and flapless ARP. The use of flapless ARP was associated with significantly less postoperative pain, thicker labial soft tissues, and marginally more favourable changes in width of the keratinized tissues compared to the flapped approach. The short-term hard tissue changes following ARP with a flapped or flapless approach are comparable. Postoperative pain and labial soft tissue changes are more favourable following ARP using a flapless approach. Further evidence from long-term RCTs is still required to substantiate the current findings., (Copyright © 2021 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: This research was undertaken with the aim of using personality traits, learning styles and handedness to develop and evaluate a scale to measure a new concept in operative dentistry, symmetrisation. An initial hypothesis was proposed, stating that handedness, personality trait and learning style could be used to predict symmetrisation potential in the domain of operative dentistry., Methods: Participants completed three questionnaires: the Edinburgh handedness inventory assessment; the Keirsey Temperament Sorter-II (KTS-II); and the learning style assessment (VARK). Then, participants prepared a cavity on an artificial third molar tooth in the traditional phantom head using their non-dominant hand. For evaluation and comparison purposes, Standard Tessellation Language images were obtained from prepared teeth using a CAD/CAM scanner and then aligned against a reference "unprepared" tooth image using a custom software developed by the authors based on the Iterative Closest Point algorithm., Results: Extroverts, intuitive and participants characterised as relying on their feelings were more accurate compared to introverts, sensory and toughminded participants, respectively. Extroverts were faster to complete the task compared to introverts. Participants with a preference for read/writing learning style produced more errors than any of the other groups. Handedness, however, did not show any significant association with performance., Conclusions: It was concluded that both the KTS-II and the learning style assessment (VARK) questionnaires possess potential as useful measures of symmetrisation potential and the ability to use the non-dominant hand in operative dentistry, as well as platform for continuing research., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Pharmaceuticals are becoming one of the largest environmental concerns when it comes to the water treatment industry. Increased usage of these chemicals poses a serious risk to ecology and human health due to their leakage into surface waters. In the present study, carbide derived carbon (CDC) was used for the first time as a new adsorbent to remove ibuprofen from synthetic water and wastewater effluent., Methods: The morphology, chemical composition, surface area and surface charge of the CDC particles were investigated using the transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, BET analysis and zeta potential measurements. The effects of CDC dosage, temperature, initial pH and agitation speed on the adsorption process were examined by using batch adsorption experiments. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics, and isotherms were investigated., Results: Adsorption and kinetic equilibrium data demonstrate that the adsorption of ibuprofen onto the CDC obeys the Langmuir isotherm model and the kinetics follow the pseudo-2nd order mechanism. The thermodynamic results reveal that ibuprofen adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous. The ibuprofen removal by CDC was mainly controlled by the electrostatic forces at high pH of the feed solution and by the dispersive interactions in acidic media. The ibuprofen removal is promoted at high temperature, high agitation speed and low pH. The highest adsorption capacity of ibuprofen onto the CDC was 367 mg/g at pH 3. Furthermore, the CDC efficiently removed ibuprofen from spiked treated sewage effluent., Conclusions: The obtained data indicate that the CDC provides a fast and efficient adsorptive removal of ibuprofen both from a model aqueous solution and treated sewage effluent., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interestThe authors of this article declare that they have no conflict of interests or competing interests). , (© The Author(s) 2020.)

Objective: To investigate the presence of titanium particles in peri-implant tissues in cases diagnosed with peri-implantitis, and to identify immunological reactions that these particles may elicit., Methods: Ten peri-implant tissue biopsies of patients diagnosed clinically and radiographically with peri-implantitis were obtained from the archives of Oral Pathology Centre, University of Otago. The inclusion criteria involves: bleeding on probing, ≥6 mm probing depth and ≥3 mm radiographic bone loss around the dental implant. Peri-implant tissue samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to identify of sites with/without titanium particles. Antibodies against human transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), interleukin 33 (IL-33) and cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68) were used to stain the specimens. ImageJ software was used to standardise the sampling area, compare and characterise the inflammatory infiltrate in tissues with/without titanium particles. Inflammatory cytokines positivity was assessed using the immunoreactive scores (IRSs)., Results: Light microscopy and SEM-EDS analysis identified titanium wear particles in 90% of the tissue samples, associated with a mixed chronic inflammatory infiltrate. Quantification analysis of RANKL revealed significantly higher IRS and intensity scores (p < 0.05) in areas containing titanium. High intensity, proportion and IRSs of TGF-β1 and IL-33 were observed in areas with titanium. CD68 had higher IRSs in the absence of titanium particles., Conclusions: Significant overexpression of the cytokine RANKL was observed, with a trend for over-expression of IL-33 and TGF-B1 in areas with titanium. Further studies with large sample size and appropriate control group for quantification analysis is needed to confirm the role of titanium particles in initiating bone loss., Competing Interests: None., (© 2019 The Authors.)

Balance quality measurement is a key element in the evaluation of numerous conditions, including frailty. Four parameters were extracted from the balance quality assessment for older subjects: Rising Rate (RR), Duration of the stabilization segment (ZD), Stabilogram Area (SA) and Average Velocity of the Trajectory (TV). These are then scored and weighted, thus creating an overall indicator of balance quality. The reliability, the absolute reliability and the minimum difference of the four parameters were evaluated using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), the standard error measurement (SEM) and the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC), respectively. Reproducibility was very high, with ICC values of 0.83, 0.85, 0.88 and 0.95 for RR, ZD, SA and TV, respectively. These results revealed that the parameters are a reliable measure for evaluating balance quality measurement.

Introduction: Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare usually self-limited non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis of unknown etiology. Nodal and extranodal RDD appear to represent distinct conditions with different molecular alterations and prognosis. They also pose different diagnostic challenges on biopsies and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology. The aim of this study was to report on 3 cases of intra-abdominal RDD and perform an extensive review of the literature on FNA findings of RDD., Materials and Methods: We reviewed FNA specimens from cases diagnosed histologically or cytologically as RDD during the past 10 years. We searched the PubMed and Google Scholar databases for cases of RDD sampled by FNA., Results: We identified 3 cases of intra-abdominal RDD, involving the kidney, periportal lymph node, and pancreas. FNA of the latter was hypocellular with fibrosis and was nondiagnostic. FNA of the first 2 yielded hypercellular smears that were diagnosed as RDD due to the identification of emperipolesis occurring in large uni- or binucleated histiocytes with large nuclei, fine chromatin, and prominent nucleoli in smears and cell-block sections. Immunohistochemistry showed positive staining for S100 and CD68 and negative staining for CD1a. The large histiocytes with emperipolesis were more difficult to identify histologically and their demonstration required immunohistochemical stains., Conclusion: Our experience and an extensive review of the literature suggest that extranodal RDD can be diagnosed on FNA, and that the recognition of histiocytes with emperipolesis may be less challenging cytologically than histologically. The fibrosis frequently seen in extranodal RDD may lead to nondiagnostic aspirates, however., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Novel thin film composite (TFC) polyamide (PA) membranes blended with 0.01⁻0.2 wt.% of Acacia gum (AG) have been prepared using the interfacial polymerization technique. The properties of the prepared membranes were evaluated using contact angle, zeta potential measurements, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and surface profilometer. It was found that the use of AG as an additive to TFC PA membranes increased the membrane's hydrophilicity (by 45%), surface charge (by 16%) as well as water flux (by 1.2-fold) compared with plain PA membrane. In addition, the prepared PA/AG membranes possessed reduced surface roughness (by 63%) and improved antifouling behavior while maintaining NaCl rejection above 96%. The TFC PA/AG membranes were tested with seawater collected from the Arabian Gulf and showed higher salt rejection and lower flux decline during filtration when compared to commercial membranes (GE Osmonics and Dow SW30HR). These findings indicate that AG can be used as an efficient additive to enhance the properties of TFC PA membranes.

Inorganic membrane science and technology is an attractive field of membrane separation technology, which has been dominated by polymer membranes. Recently, the inorganic membrane has been undergoing rapid development and innovation. Inorganic membranes have the advantage of resisting harsh chemical cleaning, high temperature and wear resistance, high chemical stability, long lifetime, and autoclavable. All of these outstanding properties made inorganic membranes good candidates to be used for water treatment and desalination applications. This paper is a state of the art review on the synthesis, development, and application of different inorganic membranes for water and wastewater treatment. The inorganic membranes reviewed in this paper include liquid membranes, dynamic membranes, various ceramic membranes, carbon based membranes, silica membranes, and zeolite membranes. A brief description of the different synthesis routes for the development of inorganic membranes for application in water industry is given and each synthesis rout is critically reviewed and compared. Thereafter, the recent studies on different application of inorganic membrane and their properties for water treatment and desalination in literature are critically summarized. It was reported that inorganic membranes despite their high synthesis cost, showed very promising results with high flux, full salt rejection, and very low or no fouling., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene oxide (GO) as common nanostructures were modified with silver sulfide (Ag 2 S) using chemical vapor deposition. The raw and modified materials were tested for the removal of Dibenzothiophene (DBT) from a model fuel in batch mode adsorption experiments. The maximum adsorption capacities of DBT were 52.18 and 49.65 mg g -1 , using CNT-Ag 2 S and GO-Ag 2 S, respectively. The adsorption isotherm was modeled using Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin models using linear and non-linear regression. The squared correlation coefficient (R 2 ) and HYBRID error function were used to determine the best adsorption model. IR spectroscopy was used to study the DBT adsorption mechanism, and it was found that the DBT molecules lie flat on the surface of the developed adsorbents. Significant improvement was achieved in the adsorption of DBT using CNT-Ag2S and GO-Ag 2 S, where the maximum adsorption capacity increased by 127% and 117% respectively, which indicates a stronger interaction between DBT and the modified adsorbents.

In this work, we report the transfer of graphene onto eight commercial microfiltration substrates having different pore sizes and surface characteristics. Monolayer graphene grown on copper by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process was transferred by the pressing method over the target substrates, followed by wet etching of copper to obtain monolayer graphene/polymer membranes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle (CA) measurements were carried out to explore the graphene layer transferability. Three factors, namely, the substrate roughness, its pore size, and its surface wetting (degree of hydrophobicity) are found to affect the conformality and coverage of the transferred graphene monolayer on the substrate surface. A good quality graphene transfer is achieved on the substrate with the following characteristics; being hydrophobic (CA > 90°), having small pore size, and low surface roughness, with a CA to RMS (root mean square) ratio higher than 2.7°/nm.

Indeterminate cytologic diagnoses in endoscopic ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNA) of solid pancreatic lesions include the diagnostic categories "atypical" (ATY) and "suspicious for malignancy" (SUSP), which are used at variable rates and are associated with variable underlying risk of malignancy. The aim of this study was to determine individual cytopathologists' rates of indeterminate diagnoses in EUS-FNA of solid pancreatic lesions and their relationship to cytopathologists' experience and volume of pancreatic EUS-FNA examined, as well as the potential impact of departmental consensus review on indeterminate diagnoses., Design: The diagnostic rates of ATY and SUSP and their underlying risk of malignancy were calculated for six cytopathologists who diagnosed 1,114 of 1,225 EUS-FNA of solid pancreatic lesions from 1/1/2001 to 9/15/2014, and were then compared for the periods before and after the implementation of departmental consensus review during 2009., Results: The six cytopathologists diagnosed 10% of cases as indeterminate; 82 (7.4%) as "atypical" and 29 (2.6%) as "suspicious". The individual cytopathologists' indeterminate diagnosis rates varied twofold (6.67-12.80%) and did not correlate with their experience, total or annual volume of EUS-FNAs. Of the 56/99 (56.57%) cases with follow-up, the underlying rate of malignancy was 47% (35/75; for "atypical" and 87.5% (21/24); for "suspicious"). The underlying rates of malignancy were 33-67% for "atypical" and 80-100% for "suspicious" diagnoses made by individual cytopathologists. The rate of indeterminate diagnoses decreased from 11.55 to 7.88% after the implementation of departmental consensus review., Conclusion: Individual cytopathologists' rates of indeterminate diagnoses and their significance vary; however, consensus review is helpful in reducing these rates. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:3-13. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Aim: To evaluate in vitro topographical and composition changes by piezoelectric ultrasonic instrumentation with metallic and plastic tips on machined and moderately roughened titanium surfaces., Methods: Twenty machined and moderately roughened laser-marked titanium discs were ultrasonically instrumented with metallic and plastic tips. Surface instrumentation was carried out with controlled pressure for 20 and 30 seconds at two power settings. For each time and power setting, instrumentation was repeated four times with one instrumentation per disc quadrant. Surface topography analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Surface roughness measurements were compared between instrumented and non-instrumented surfaces. Surface element composition and rinsing solutions were evaluated using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and trace elemental analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), respectively., Results: SEM photomicrographs and CLSM 3D surface plot images of instrumented machined and moderately roughened surfaces demonstrated severe surface topographical alterations with metallic tips and mild to moderate changes for plastic tip instrumented sites. ICPMS analysis of the rinsing solutions identified titanium and other metal traces with the use of metallic tips, and mainly titanium and carbon when plastic tips were used. Surface EDS analysis showed elemental traces of the ultrasonic tips., Conclusion: Ultrasonic instrumentation with metallic or plastic tips created surface topographical and compositional changes. Different changes in surface topography were noted between the surfaces, as the roughness of the machined surfaces increased while the extent of roughness of the moderately roughened surfaces decreased. The clinical relevance of these changes is yet to be determined., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Most pancreatic cancers arise from a single cell type, although mixed pancreatic carcinomas represent a rare exception. The rarity of these aggressive malignancies and the limitations of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) pose significant barriers to diagnosis and appropriate management. We report a case of a 54-year-old man presenting with abdominal pain, jaundice and a hypodense lesion within the uncinate process on CT. FNA suggested poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, which was subsequently resected via pancreaticoduodenectomy. Pathological analysis yielded diagnosis of invasive mixed acinar-neuroendocrine-ductal pancreatic carcinoma. Given the rare and deadly nature of these tumours, clinicians must be aware of their pathophysiology and do practice with a high degree of clinical suspicion, when appropriate. Surgical resection and thorough pathological analysis with immunohistochemical staining and electron microscopy remain the standards of care for mixed pancreatic tumours without gross evidence of metastasis. Diligent characterisation of the presentation and histological findings associated with these neoplasms should continue in order to promote optimal diagnostic and therapeutic strategies., (2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess 1-year clinical success of one-piece zirconia implants compared with similar-design titanium implants, in the context of a novel protocol for implant distribution., Materials and Methods: Twenty-four edentulous participants were randomly allocated to one-piece titanium or zirconia implant group. Each participant received four implants in the maxilla (mid-palatal and three anterior crestal implants) and three implants in the mandible (mid-symphyseal and two bilateral distal implants). Conventional loading protocol was followed. Marginal bone remodeling and clinical success of implants were evaluated. The data were statistically analyzed, and risk predictors for implant failures were evaluated., Results: There was no significant difference in the survival rate between the two groups. In the mandible, the survival rate of titanium implants was 95.8% vs. 90.9% for the zirconia implants. The corresponding values in the maxilla were 71.9% and 55%, respectively. Three implants in the zirconia group fractured. Statistically significant less marginal bone loss was observed around titanium implants (0.18 mm) compared with the zirconia group (0.42 mm). The prediction model revealed a higher risk for implant failures in the maxilla (P < 0.0001)., Conclusion: The outcome of this study indicates caution before recommendation can be made for the use of single-piece zirconia implants for overdenture support. Their use should be limited to cases with proven allergy to titanium. This is mainly due to the increased bone loss and higher fracture rate observed for zirconia implants. Future biomaterial research should focus on producing surface characteristics on zirconia implants with outcomes similar to those established for the optimum osseointegration of titanium implants., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We report selective ionic transport through controlled, high-density, subnanometer diameter pores in macroscopic single-layer graphene membranes. Isolated, reactive defects were first introduced into the graphene lattice through ion bombardment and subsequently enlarged by oxidative etching into permeable pores with diameters of 0.40 ± 0.24 nm and densities exceeding 10(12) cm(-2), while retaining structural integrity of the graphene. Transport measurements across ion-irradiated graphene membranes subjected to in situ etching revealed that the created pores were cation-selective at short oxidation times, consistent with electrostatic repulsion from negatively charged functional groups terminating the pore edges. At longer oxidation times, the pores allowed transport of salt but prevented the transport of a larger organic molecule, indicative of steric size exclusion. The ability to tune the selectivity of graphene through controlled generation of subnanometer pores addresses a significant challenge in the development of advanced nanoporous graphene membranes for nanofiltration, desalination, gas separation, and other applications.

We report graphene composite membranes with nominal areas more than 25 mm(2) fabricated by transfer of a single layer of CVD graphene onto a porous polycarbonate substrate. A combination of pressure-driven and diffusive transport measurements provides evidence of size-selective transport of molecules through the membrane, which is attributed to the low-frequency occurrence of intrinsic 1-15 nm diameter pores in the CVD graphene. Our results present the first step toward the realization of practical membranes that use graphene as the selective material.

Background: Mandibular overdentures are a successful treatment option for the edentulous patients with long-term predictable outcomes, using conventional loading protocols. Currently, both early and immediate loading protocols for mandibular implant overdentures are prevalent in the literature., Purpose: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the current published literature on comparative studies using conventional versus either early and/or immediate loading protocols for mandibular implant overdentures., Materials and Methods: The review was carried out in accordance with the QUOROM (Quality of Reporting of Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparisons, Outcomes) format was used in conjunction with predefined inclusion criteria. A literature search of PubMed (1969-October 2008), EMBASE (1998-October 2008), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Controlled Trial Register was conducted. In addition, hand searching through refereed dental journals was also performed for the years 2000 to 2008. The meta-analysis was conducted by using the MIX software v.1.7 (Kitasato Clinical Research Center, Kanagawa, Japan)., Results: A total of 191 studies were identified through the electronic search. After full-text screening and cross-matching with the predefined inclusion criteria, only 10 studies with a minimum follow-up of 2 years were eligible for inclusion in this review. Of the 10 included studies, seven have compared the outcome of conventional versus early loading of implants supporting mandibular overdentures. The remaining three studies, on the other hand, compared the outcome of conventional versus immediate loading. The meta-analysis revealed no significant difference in the outcome between conventional and either early (p = .72) or immediate (p = .08) loading of implants supporting mandibular implant overdentures., Conclusions: Short-term outcomes of early or immediate loading protocols for mandibular implant overdentures achieved comparable success to conventional loading ones. No evidence was found of long-term studies to support or refute either early or immediate loading protocols for mandibular implant overdentures.

Introduction: Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD), originally described as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a rare histiocytic proliferative disorder with a distinctive microscopic appearance. It formerly was thought to be a process limited to lymph nodes, yet RDD has been documented to occur in many organ systems, notably the bone, skin, soft tissue, central nervous system, eye and orbit, and upper respiratory tract. The digestive system, however, is affected only exceptionally, with this being only the second documented case involving the pancreas., Case Description: In this case report, we present a case of a 63-year-old African-American female who was found to have a pancreatic head mass and right middle lobe pleural nodule during evaluation for obstructive jaundice., Discussion and Conclusion: She underwent a Whipple procedure. Her pathology of both the pancreatic mass and RML lung wedge resection showed sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, along with extensive fibrosis intertwined with nodular mixed inflammatory infiltrate. The histiocytes characteristically showed "emperipolesis," in which lymphocytes had penetrated the cytoplasm and remained viable within the histiocytes (lymphocytes continued to have free movement in the histiocyte). In addition, the histiocytic cells were positive with S-100 protein and CD68, hallmarks of RDD. Although rare, Rosai-Dorfman disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with pancreatic and/or lung nodules, especially when biopsy or cytology results report atypical inflammatory findings.

Previously, this laboratory showed that in utero and in vitro ethanol exposure significantly reduces developing serotonin (5-HT) neurons and that treatment with a 5-HT1A agonist such as buspirone or ipsapirone prevents the ethanol-associated loss. The present study investigated whether ethanol decreases fetal rhombencephalic neurons, including 5-HT neurons, by causing apoptosis. We also investigated whether ipsapirone prevents the ethanol-associated deficit of fetal rhombencephalic neurons by reducing apoptosis. The results of these studies strongly suggest that the ethanol-associated reduction in fetal rhombencephalic neurons that accompanies both in utero and in vitro exposure to physiological concentrations of ethanol is associated with increased apoptosis in these neurons. A physiological concentration of ethanol (i.e., 50 mM) increases apoptosis in fetal rhombencephalic neurons and decreases the number 5-HT neurons. It also appears that the 5-HT1A agonist ipsapirone provides neuroprotection to these neurons by reducing apoptosis. Another mechanism by which ethanol-associated apoptosis can be blocked is by including serum proteins in the media at a concentration of 1% or higher; this concentration of serum proteins is high in comparison to the protein concentration in cerebrospinal fluid.