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Bone is the second most manipulated tissue after blood. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) may become a convenient source of MSC for bone regenerative protocols. Surprisingly, little is known about the most significant biomolecules these cells produce and release after being osteoinduced. Therefore, the present study aimed at dosing 13 candidates chosen among the most representative cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors within the conditioned media of osteodifferentiated and undifferentiated ASCs. Two acknowledged osteoblastic cell models, that is, MG-63 and SaOs-2 cells, were compared. Notably, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and VEGF were highly produced and detectable in ASCs. In addition, while IL-6 and IL-8 seemed to be significantly induced by the osteogenic medium, no such effect was seen for MCP-1 and VEGF. Overall SaOS-2 had a poor expression profile, which may be consistent with the more differentiated phenotype of SaOs-2 compared to ASCs and MG-63. Instead, in maintaining medium, MG-63 displayed a very rich production of IL-12, MCP-1, IP-10, and VEGF, which were significantly reduced in osteogenic conditions, with the only exception of MCP-1. The high expression of MCP-1 and VEGF, even after the osteogenic commitment, may support the usage of ASCs in bone regenerative protocols by recruiting both osteoblasts and osteoclasts of the host.

The maxillary sinus floor elevation procedure has gained popularity with predictable results, and is a safe, acceptable technique for bone augmentation, providing a base for dental implant treatment. Faint radiopaque lesions at the base of the maxillary sinus are frequent diagnoses on radiographs and must be identified during dental implant planning. The use of autografts, xenografts, allografts, and alloplasts or a combination between them has been demonstrated to be effective for increasing bone height and bone volume in maxillary sinus. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of subjects with considerable sinus membrane pathology (test group) undergoing maxillary sinus floor augmentation using Platelet Rich Fibrin (PRF) as a filling material, in association with the Bio-Oss and Sint-Oss and simultaneous implant placement in a one-stage surgical procedure. All patients reported no pain to percussion, no sign of tissue suffering to the soft peri-implant tissues, the presence of an optimal primary stability of the inserted implants, and the increase in the peri-implant bone density. No complications were encountered during follow-up periods in these patients, including no negative evolution in the sinusitis and all implants are functioning successfully. In conclusion, the use of PRF and Piezosurgery reduced the healing time, favoring optimal bone regeneration and allowing sinus membrane integrity to be maintained during surgical procedures, according to evidence-based dentistry.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an uncommon autoimmune intraepithelial blistering disease. In most cases, the oral lesions were the first manifestation of the pathology. We report the case of a 42-year-old woman with a 4-month history of oral ulcerations. The patient reported that the lesions caused considerable discomfort and affected her normal oral function. On intraoral examination, ulcers were observed on the cheek and palatal mucosa and ventral surface of the tongue. No skin lesions were seen on extra oral examination. A diagnosis of PV was made after evaluating the biopsy samples. The main complication of PV is the reduced quality of life related to soreness or pain, particularly in ulcerative/erosive lesions. The presence of lesions among gingival tissues makes oral hygiene procedures very difficult, but plaque control and rigorous oral hygiene are a fundamental requisite for the treatment of any oromucosal disease.

The field of immediate loading implantology has grown rapidly, offering quicker solutions for prosthetic rehabilitation. However, the complexity of this technique raises significant medico-legal concerns regarding patient safety, treatment planning, and professional liability. These issues are particularly relevant in elective procedures where failure could lead to litigation. A comprehensive review of current literature, including clinical studies, legal rulings, and malpractice claims, was conducted to assess the legal implications of immediate loading implantology. The analysis focused on professional liability, patient consent, and complications during treatment. The evidence indicates that a high standard of care, including detailed preoperative planning, risk assessment, and clear patient communication, is essential in minimizing legal risks. Malpractice claims often arise from inadequate patient information or failure to follow established protocols. Proper documentation of informed consent and adherence to evidence-based dentistry (EBD) guidelines are crucial to protect both patients and practitioners. Immediate loading implantology offers numerous benefits, but it requires meticulous planning and patient management to avoid medico-legal issues. Ensuring comprehensive patient consent and following evidence-based practices are key to reducing professional liability and improving outcomes. Further studies should explore standardized protocols for reducing complications and legal disputes in implantology.

Flavonoids, ubiquitously distributed in the plant world, are regularly ingested with diets rich in fruit, vegetables, wine, and tea. During digestion, they are partially absorbed in the stomach. The present work aimed to assess the in vitro effects of quercetin and ten structurally related flavonoids on the rat gastric fundus smooth muscle, focussing on ATP-dependent K + (K ir 6.1) channels, which play a central role in the regulation of resting membrane potential, membrane excitability and, consequently, of gastric motility. Whole-cell currents through K ir 6.1 channels (I Kir6.1 ) were recorded with the patch-clamp technique and the mechanical activity of gastric fundus smooth muscle strips was studied under isometric conditions. Galangin ≈ tamarixetin > quercetin > kaempferol > isorhamnetin ≈ luteolin ≈ fisetin > (±)-taxifolin inhibited pinacidil-evoked, glibenclamide-sensitive I Kir6.1 in a concentration-dependent manner. Morin, rutin, and myricetin were ineffective. The steric hindrance of the molecule and the number and position of hydroxyl groups on the B ring played an important role in the activity of the molecule. Molecular docking simulations revealed a possible binding site for flavonoids in the C-terminal domain of the K ir 6.1 channel subunit SUR2B, in a flexible loop formed by residues 251 to 254 of chains C and D. Galangin and tamarixetin, but not rutin relaxed both high K + - and carbachol-induced contraction of fundus strips in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, both flavonoids shifted to the right the concentration-relaxation curves to either pinacidil or L-cysteine constructed in strips pre-contracted by high K + , rutin being ineffective. In conclusion, I Kir6.1 inhibition exerted by dietary flavonoids might counterbalance their myorelaxant activity, affect gastric accommodation or, at least, some stages of digestion., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Extreme polymorphism of HLA and killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) differentiates immune responses across individuals. Additional to T cell receptor interactions, subsets of HLA class I act as ligands for inhibitory and activating KIR, allowing natural killer (NK) cells to detect and kill infected cells. We investigated the impact of HLA and KIR polymorphism on the severity of COVID-19. High resolution HLA class I and II and KIR genotypes were determined from 403 non-hospitalized and 1575 hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected patients from Italy collected in 2020. We observed that possession of the activating KIR2DS4*001 allotype is associated with severe disease, requiring hospitalization (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.20-1.85, p c  = 0.017), and this effect is greater in individuals homozygous for KIR2DS4*001 (OR = 3.74, 95% CI 1.75-9.29, p c  = 0.003). We also observed the HLA class II allotype, HLA-DPB1*13:01 protects SARS-CoV-2 infected patients from severe disease (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.33-0.74, p c  = 0.019). These association analyses were replicated using logistic regression with sex and age as covariates. Autoantibodies against IFN-α associated with COVID-19 severity were detected in 26% of 156 hospitalized patients tested. HLA-C*08:02 was more frequent in patients with IFN-α autoantibodies than those without, and KIR3DL1*01502 was only present in patients lacking IFN-α antibodies. These findings suggest that KIR and HLA polymorphism is integral in determining the clinical outcome following SARS-CoV-2 infection, by influencing the course both of innate and adaptive immunity., (© 2023 The Authors. HLA: Immune Response Genetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Fast C-type inactivation confers distinctive functional properties to the hERG potassium channel, and its association to inherited and acquired cardiac arrythmias makes the study of the inactivation mechanism of hERG at the atomic detail of paramount importance. At present, two models have been proposed to describe C-type inactivation in K + -channels. Experimental data and computational work on the bacterial KcsA channel support the hypothesis that C-type inactivation results from a closure of the selectivity filter that sterically impedes ion conduction. Alternatively, recent experimental structures of a mutated Shaker channel revealed a widening of the extracellular portion of the selectivity filter, which might diminish conductance by interfering with the mechanism of ion permeation. Here, we performed molecular dynamics simulations of the wild-type hERG, a non-inactivating mutant (hERG-N629D), and a mutant that inactivates faster than the wild-type channel (hERG-F627Y) to find out which and if any of the two reported C-type inactivation mechanisms applies to hERG. Closure events of the selectivity filter were not observed in any of the simulated trajectories but instead, the extracellular section of the selectivity filter deviated from the canonical conductive structure of potassium channels. The degree of widening of the potassium binding sites at the extracellular entrance of the channel was directly related to the degree of inactivation with hERG-F627Y > wild-type hERG > hERG-N629D. These findings support the hypothesis that C-type inactivation in hERG entails a widening of the extracellular entrance of the channel rather than a closure of the selectivity filter.

Background: Osseo-integrated implants provide effective treatment results for edentulous patients. However, despite the high success and survival rates of dental implants, several factors, such as poor oral hygiene and a history of periodontal disease, and systemic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, could influence the outcome of the treatment. In fact, poor glycemic control can affect the healing process. Diabetes mellitus is considered a relative contraindication for dental implant therapy due to the fact that the success rates of the implants seem to be lower in diabetic patients, even if there is no total agreement among the results reported in the literature. The analysis of peri-implant inflammation indices, bone loss around the implant and glycemic index can provide us with useful information on the relationship between glycaemia in diabetic patients and the course of peri-implantitis, as well as implant success in the short term., Objective: The purpose of this review is to establish how peri-implant inflammation parameters vary in diabetic versus non-diabetic patients., Methods: This review was conducted on the basis of PRISMA. The search was conducted by three independent reviewers searching for keywords in three databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web Of Sciences (WOS), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial., Results: A total of 1159 records were identified, and 11 articles were included in the qualitative analysis., Conclusion: The analysis of the extracted data from the included studies suggests that some periimplant inflammation indices, such as bleeding on probing and bone loss around the implant, appear to be increased in diabetic patients with glycometabolic decompensation, compared with control not affected by diabetes mellitus., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The transmembrane glycoprotein CD93 has been identified as a potential new target to inhibit tumor angiogenesis. Recently, Multimerin-2 (MMRN2), a pan-endothelial extracellular matrix protein, has been identified as a ligand for CD93, but the interaction mechanism between these two proteins is yet to be studied. In this article, we aim to investigate the structural and functional effects of induced mutations on the binding domain of CD93 to MMRN2. Starting from experimental data, we assessed how specific mutations in the C-type lectin-like domain (CTLD) affect the binding interaction profile. We described a four-step workflow in order to predict the effects of variations on the inter-residue interaction network at the PPI, based on evolutionary information, complex network metrics, and energetic affinity. We showed that the application of computational approaches, combined with experimental data, allowed us to gain more in-depth molecular insights into the CD93-MMRN2 interaction, offering a platform for developing innovative therapeutics able to target these molecules and block their interaction. This comprehensive molecular insight might prove useful in drug design in cancer therapy., Competing Interests: VC was employed by the company Toscana Life Sciences Foundation. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Cicaloni, Karmakar, Frusciante, Pettini, Visibelli, Orlandini, Galvagni, Mongiat, Silk, Nardi, Ascher, Santucci and Spiga.)

Alkaptonuria (AKU, OMIM: 203500) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the Homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (HGD) gene. A lack of standardized data, information and methodologies to assess disease severity and progression represents a common complication in ultra-rare disorders like AKU. This is the reason why we developed a comprehensive tool, called ApreciseKUre, able to collect AKU patients deriving data, to analyse the complex network among genotypic and phenotypic information and to get new insight in such multi-systemic disease. By taking advantage of the dataset, containing the highest number of AKU patient ever considered, it is possible to apply more sophisticated computational methods (such as machine learning) to achieve a first AKU patient stratification based on phenotypic and genotypic data in a typical precision medicine perspective. Thanks to our sufficiently populated and organized dataset, it is possible, for the first time, to extensively explore the phenotype-genotype relationships unknown so far. This proof of principle study for rare diseases confirms the importance of a dedicated database, allowing data management and analysis and can be used to tailor treatments for every patient in a more effective way., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

[Figure: see text].

In this review, we focus on bioinformatic oncology as an integrative discipline that incorporates knowledge from the mathematical, physical, and computational fields to further the biomedical understanding of cancer. Before providing a deeper insight into the bioinformatics approach and utilities involved in oncology, we must understand what is a system biology framework and the genetic connection, because of the high heterogenicity of the backgrounds of people approaching precision medicine. In fact, it is essential to providing general theoretical information on genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics to understand the phases of multi-omics approach. We consider how to create a multi-omics model. In the last section, we describe the new frontiers and future perspectives of this field.

Purpose: Numerous studies in the literature confirm the importance of the use of probiotics in inflammatory states of the prostate in humans. Our pilot study aimed to test probiotics strains ability to improve urinary bacterial load in male subjects., Methods: Twenty healthy men aged 55-65 years, with recurrent urinatory infections were enrolled and randomized into 2 groups. Urine culturing to detect Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia Coli and Enterococcus faecalis) was performed at baseline and at 12 weeks after the starting of the study., Results: We found that taking the probiotic reduces the bacterial load of E. coli and E. faecalis in urine cultures. The use of the probiotic in these inflammatory states does not affect the change in weight in the tested subjects., Conclusions: Our data confirm and improve the main results reported in the scientific literature on the importance of taking probiotics in prostatitis.

Purpose: It has been customary to explain the dentally beneficial effects of xylitol and certain other natural compound as lysozyme and seas salt in terms of microbiological effects only. Several studies have tested the use of natural ingredients, alcohol and fluoride free, in mouthwashes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a combined mouthwash formulation containing natural antibiofilm agents in oral care wound healing after routinely oral surgery (extraction) procedures., Methods: Patients were assigned following a blinded randomized controlled trial and divided into two groups, an experimental group (I = 15) and a control (placebo) group (II = 15). Any infectious complications, wound healing, plaque accumulation in the stitches, and presence of trismus and inflammation were evaluated at ten and thirty days after extraction procedure. Pain and swelling were evaluated using the well-known visual analogue scale (VAS) scale throughout study period following extraction. The mean difference in Pre and Post values were compared among the groups. The change in pre-post score was analyzed using the paired t test., Results: An appreciable wound healing was seen in the experimental group when compared to the control sites, with no reported adverse effects. Four weeks postoperative patient's satisfaction level, to subjective and objective outcome measurements in documenting the result of a mouthwash treatment showed an interesting difference between groups., Conclusions: Since combined mouthwash formulations, containing natural/bioactive substances, could provide a cheap, safe and acceptable alternative in oral care, further studies will also be required to study these effects and their mechanism of action in detail.

Objective: To evaluate the different behavior of two different human adult adipocytes derived stem cells (hASCs) during proliferation and osteogenic differentiation., Patients and Methods: Human adult adipocytes stem cells (hAT-SCs) from visceral (hAV-SCs) and subcutaneous (hAS-SCs) sites were obtained after surgery procedures of seven patients. All samples were fully investigated and the different proliferation rates were evaluated. All MSCs clusters were cultured with an osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation medium. Homogeneous pools of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) were confirmed by Flow-Cytometry Analysis (FACS) and Spectrophotometric Assay. The differentiated cells were eventually assessed for the expression of Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Alizarin Red (AR) and Oil Red-O (OR-O) detection, and analyzed by the Spectrophotometric Assay. After osteogenic differentiation, the cell clusters were incubated and analyzed with Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and fluorescence microscopy., Results: The FACS analysis performed on hAT-SCs confirmed the homogenous presence of MSCs in all samples. The ALP, AR stain confirmed the osteogenic differentiation capacity of MSCs towards osteoblast-like-cells. The colorimetric cell metabolic activity (MTS) assay showed an increase in the proliferation rate with different values in both sets hAS-SCs vs. hAV-SCs., Conclusions: These in vitro findings of both hAS-SCs and hAV-SCs suggested an important role of these stem cells for future clinical use in bone regeneration. Indeed, the final outcomes suggested a better performance of cells coming from subcutaneous adipose tissue vs. those from visceral fat tissue.

Background: Identification of Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) is a major challenge in modern molecular biology and biochemistry research, due to the unquestionable role of proteins in cells, biological process and pathological states. Over the past decade, the PPIs have evolved from being considered a highly challenging field of research to being investigated and examined as targets for pharmacological intervention., Objective: Comprehension of protein interactions is crucial to known how proteins come together to build signalling pathways, to carry out their functions, or to cause diseases, when deregulated. Multiplicity and great amount of PPIs structures offer a huge number of new and potential targets for the treatment of different diseases., Methods: Computational techniques are becoming predominant in PPIs studies for their effectiveness, flexibility, accuracy and cost. As a matter of fact, there are effective in silico approaches which are able to identify PPIs and PPI site. Such methods for computational target prediction have been developed through molecular descriptors and data-mining procedures., Results: In this review, we present different types of interactions between protein-protein and the application of in silico methods for design and development of drugs targeting PPIs. We described computational approaches for the identification of possible targets on protein surface and to detect of stimulator/ inhibitor molecules., Conclusion: A deeper study of the most recent bioinformatics methodologies for PPIs studies is vital for a better understanding of protein complexes and for discover new potential PPI modulators in therapeutic intervention., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

X-ray structure of methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD) of MeCP2, an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) involved in Rett syndrome, offers a rational basis for defining the spatial distribution for most of the sites where mutations responsible of Rett syndrome, RTT, occur. We have ascribed pathogenicity for mutations of amino acids bearing positively charged side chains, all located at the protein-DNA interface, as positive charge removal cause reduction of the MeCP2-DNA adduct lifetime. Pathogenicity of the frequent proline replacements, outside the DNA contact moiety of MBD, can be attributed to the role of this amino acid for maintaining both unfolded states for unbound MeCP2 and, at the same time, to favor some higher conformational order for stabilizing structural determinants required by protein activity. These hypotheses can be extended to transcription repressor domain, TRD, the other MeCP2-DNA interaction site and, in general, to all the IDP that interact with nucleic acids.

Purpose: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a respiratory disorder characterized by repeated obstructive episodes affecting upper airways.This study aims at examining the anatomical craniofacial and pharyngeal characteristics of the patient as to identify the obstructive site which triggers the pathologic process.Correlations between otolaryngologic data observed in the patient and the cephalometric ones for the identification of the obstructive site were also highlighted., Materials and Methods: We worked on a sample of 16 patients, 12 males and 4 females, attended to at the Otolaryngology Operative Unit of Bari University Hospital.The patients underwent an otolaryngologic (ORL) diagnostic procedure which provided for ApneaGraph (AG) recording, and a dental diagnostic procedure with cephalometric assessment., Results: The statistical analysis highlighted a strict correlation between the otolaryngologic value of AHI and the cephalometric values of the ANB angle, with the distance between the hyoid bone and the mandibular plane and with the distance between the hyoid bone and the plane passing between C3 and Me., Conclusions: We observed a concurrence between the ORL diagnosis of the obstruction level assessed with AG and the cephalometric values regarding respiratory tracts (IPAS and SAS). More precisely, we observed the correlation between the otolaryngologic value of AHI with cephalometric values of the ANB angle, with the distance between hyoid bone and mandibular plan, and with the distance between the hyoid bone and the plane passing between C3 and Me. Furthermore, the identification of the caudal position of the hyoid bone can be considered an alarm bell in the diagnosis of severe OSAS.

Introduction: Oral rehabilitation with overdenture on implants of upper jaw must be taken into consideration a variety of anatomical and biomechanical issues. It is possible to provide for rehabilitation with two or more implants, in different positions, solidarizing them with a bar., Materials & Methods: The present study involved a patient rehabilitated with 4 Xive implants (Friadent GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) solidarized with a titanium bar crafted with CAD-CAM technology for maximal comfort, precision and structural lightness., Results & Discussion: The follow-up was 54 months, with an implant survival of 100%. Based on our clinical evidence, bars engineered with CAD-CAM technology are promising in terms of precision and comfort despite higher costs.

Purpose: Fixed retainers are used to stabilize dental elements after orthodontic treatment. Being it a permanent treatment, it is necessary to instruct patients about a constant and continuous monitoring of their periodontal conditions and a correct oral hygiene. The aim of this study was to highlight the possible adverse effects of bonded retainers on parameters correlated to the health conditions of periodontal tissues., Materials and Methods: We selected 16 patients, under treatment in the Orthodontics Department of University of Bari Dental School, who had undergone a lingual retainer insertion at the end of the orthodontic treatment. The patients were then divided into two groups (Control Group and Study Group) and monitored for 3 and 36 months, respectively. The following indexes were taken into consideration: gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI) and the presence of calculus (Calculus Index, CI), the probing depth and the presence of gingival recession on the six inferior frontal dental elements., Results: After the observation was carried out, any of the patients showed periodontal sockets and gingival recession. In the Study Group, only 1 patient had a PI score=3, the 7 left had scores between 0.66 and 2.83. In the Control Group, one patient had score=0, the other ones showed values between 0.5 and 1.66. The mean GI in the Study Group peaked at a score of 2.83, the minimum was 0.66; whereas in the Control Group the maximum value was 2 and the minimum 0.66. The CI in the Group Study was between 1 and 2. In the Control Group it was absent in only 1 patient, whereas in the remaining 7, it had a value between 0.3 and 1. The clinical data were studied by means of the Wilcoxon test. We found a statistically significant difference for what concerns the Plaque Indexes (PI) (P>0.05) and Calculus Indexes (CI) (P>0.1) in both groups, with higher scores in the Study Group, having retainers for 36 months. Any statistically significant difference was calculated for the GI., Conclusions: We can therefore conclude that patients with lingual retainers need periodontal hygiene and treatment as to prevent, in the course of time, periodontal damages non-detectable in short-term.

Purpose: This study was aimed at assessing the effectiveness and the importance of an oral hygiene (OH) protocol in patients undergoing radiation therapy and chemotherapy after prosthesis rehabilitation, in order to reduce or minimize oral complications., Materials and Methods: This study was carried out at the Department of Dental Science, at the University of Bari-Italy from December 2012 to December 2015 on 34 selected patients with primary oral cancer undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy after prosthesis rehabilitation. They were divided into 2 groups according to their age, sex and cancer therapy. Seventeen patients were assigned to the control group and seventeen in the experimental one. In the experimental group (Table 1), patients underwent an oral hygiene protocol whereas in the control group (Table 2) patients received the usual care provided within the clinical setting. All the patients gave written informed consent. It has been asked and obtained the authorisation from the Ethics Committee of the Dental Science and Surgery Department., Results: Results show that in patients undergoing the oral hygiene protocol, the complications and the risks of infection and permanent dental problems have been minimized. Indeed, of the seventeen patients undergoing the OH protocol, 70% obtained positive results and were satisfied with the program outcome., Conclusions: The role of the health care providers is essential to educate patients to adhere to the prescribed treatments and reinforce their motivation in oral hygiene. The oral hygiene procedures prevent and ameliorate oral complications due to the radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Bone is the second most manipulated tissue after blood. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) may become a convenient source of MSC for bone regenerative protocols. Surprisingly, little is known about the most significant biomolecules these cells produce and release after being osteoinduced. Therefore, the present study aimed at dosing 13 candidates chosen among the most representative cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors within the conditioned media of osteodifferentiated and undifferentiated ASCs. Two acknowledged osteoblastic cell models, that is, MG-63 and SaOs-2 cells, were compared. Notably, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and VEGF were highly produced and detectable in ASCs. In addition, while IL-6 and IL-8 seemed to be significantly induced by the osteogenic medium, no such effect was seen for MCP-1 and VEGF. Overall SaOS-2 had a poor expression profile, which may be consistent with the more differentiated phenotype of SaOs-2 compared to ASCs and MG-63. Instead, in maintaining medium, MG-63 displayed a very rich production of IL-12, MCP-1, IP-10, and VEGF, which were significantly reduced in osteogenic conditions, with the only exception of MCP-1. The high expression of MCP-1 and VEGF, even after the osteogenic commitment, may support the usage of ASCs in bone regenerative protocols by recruiting both osteoblasts and osteoclasts of the host.

Endocanalar posts are necessary to build up and retain coronal restorations but they do not reinforce dental roots. It was observed that the dislodgement of post-retained restorations commonly occurs after several years of function and long-term retention may be influenced by various factors such as temperature changes. Temperature changes, in fact, produce micrometric deformations of post and surrounding tissues/materials that may generate high stress concentrations at the interface thus leading to failure. In this study we present an optical system based on the projection moiré technique that has been utilized to monitor the displacement field of endocanalar glass-fibre posts subjected to temperature changes. Measurements were performed on forty samples and the average displacement values registered at the apical and middle region were determined for six different temperature levels. A total of 480 displacement measurements was hence performed. The values of the standard deviation computed for each of the tested temperatures over the forty samples appear reasonably small which proves the robustness and the reliability of the proposed optical technique. The possible implications for the use of the system in the applicative context were discussed.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective case-control study was to identify, in a group of growing children and adolescents affected by malocclusion, specific dento-skeletal characteristics which could be correlated to the onset, in the above-mentioned subjects, of craniomandibular disorders (CMD)., Materials and Methods: Among the patients treated at the Paedodontics and Orthodontics department of Bari Dental School, we recruited a group of patients with malocclusion and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders, as an experimental group. We considered as controls those patients who, match-paired to their skeletal class depending on the ANB angle, did not show any CMD sign or symptom., Results: Of the 128 examined patients, 15 showed signs and/or symptoms of CMD (11.7%). When compared to 15 patients non-affected by CMD, we could not detect statistically significant differences in both skeletal and occlusal characteristics. It is still interesting to notice how in CMD patients, characteristics of skeletal hyperdivergence are often to be found., Conclusions: The present study seems to confirm that in growing children and adolescents, the presence of signs and/or symptoms of CMD is not associable to a specific vertical skeletal growth pattern or to other specific occlusal characteristics.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the periodontal status of people with scleroderma and their response to non-surgical treatment protocol aimed at controlling the evolution of the disease. The response to non-surgical periodontal treatment was tested on patients belonging to a scleroderma group and a control group: the data show an improvement of the periodontal conditions of all these patients in response to treatment. When compared on the same diagram, a slight remission of the periodontal disease was obtained in both scleroderma and healthy patients. This highlights the benefit to soft tissues produced by non-surgical periodontal treatment also in patients affected by systemic diseases.

The finishing and polishing of composite materials affect the restoration lifespan. The market shows a variety of finishing and polishing procedures and the choice among them is conditioned by different factors such as the resulting surface roughness. In the present study, 156 samples were realized with three composite materials, -microfilled, nanofilled and silorane-, and treated with different finishing and polishing procedures. Profilometric analyses were carried out on the samples' surface, the measured roughness values were submitted to statistical analysis. A complete factorial plan was drawn up and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to investigate whether the following factors affect the values of roughness: (i) material; (ii) polishing/finishing procedure. Tukey post-hoc test was also conducted to evaluate any statistically significant differences between the material/procedure combinations. The results show that the tested materials do not affect the resulting surface quality but roughness values depend on the finishing/polishing procedure adopted. The procedures that involve: (a) the finishing with medium Sof-Lex discs and (b) the finishing with two tungsten carbide multi-blade milling cutters Q series and UF series are those that allow the lowest values of roughness to be obtained.

Objectives: Although there is nowadays wide agreement on bacteria being the main etiologic agents of periodontal disease, their sole presence cannot damage periodontal tissues in all subjects. This suggests that an individual response and an adaptation to a certain quantity of bacterial biofilm can occur without the disease progressing and vice versa. Depression, stress and anxiety have not been confirmed yet as risk conditions but, in some observational studies, they have been identified as potential risk factors of periodontal disease. The current study aims at investigating the role which these psychological disorder have in the onset and progression of advanced stage periodontitis., Materials and Methods: The case selection was carried out by means of clinical and radiological periodontal assessment involving a total of 108 subjects, both male and female, aged between 24 and 67. Patients were then divided in two groups of 54 patients each: the first group included patients with severe periodontal disease, the second group was formed by periodontally healthy subjects. Clinical assessment was performed by a sole examiner who selected and divided periodontopathic patients from non-periodontopathic ones. From the current study were excluded: patients with systemic pathologies; smokers; patients taking antidepressant drugs; pregnant women., Results: For what concerns depression, in the group of periodontopathic patients it was found that the 62.5% of them were depressed, against the 38.86% in the group of periodontally healthy subjects. For the other two psychological conditions taken into consideration, anxiety and stress, it emerged a different percentage of subjects with anxiety in the periodontal group (31.48%) against healthy controls (20.37%)., Conclusions: For each of the psychological variables considered (depression, anxiety, stress), a significant correlation could be observed with periodontal disease, it can be therefore be suggested that the importance these disturbs have in the onset and progress of the dental disease which supports the existing available data in literature. The innovative aspect of this research was the focus on the assessment of compliance, monitoring the ability of periodontal patients to follow oral hygiene instructions aiming at the improving and keeping their own periodontal condition, even though this takes more time than the control group.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a rheumatic disease which affects fibrous tissues and muscles; it is characterized by chronic pain and it is often associated with craniomandibular disorders (CMD). 31 patients were assessed from March 2012 to October 2012 through the administration of specific questionnaires and following neurologic and gnatologic assessment. A relevant corre-lation between FM and CMD emerges from the present study, as 80.6% of our patients report CMD symptoms with high prevalence of myofascial pain (84%). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the patients in the present study did not differ in score of quality of life questionnaires from patients with fibromyalgia. The neuropathic pain diagnostic question-naire (DN4) scores were positively affected by belonging to group II of Research Diagnostic Criteria of Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/ TDM) classification, suggesting the possibility of a neuropathic component in chronic pain in this CMD group, as already speculated in our study on the correlation between burning mouth syndrome and CMD and by other au-thors in studies on chronic low back pain. However, further clinic and instrumental studies are needed in order to test this as-sumption.

Background and Aim: Dental implants have today deeply changed the dental field. In fact, after almost 50 years, the permanent placement of a titanium screw with an attached tooth have, step by step, changed the society's standard toward a permanently replacement of missed or severely damaged teeth. In fact, the host of benefits born from dental implants have affected both patients and dental professionals. The aim of the present study is to report the outcomes of an implant therapy protocol supporting fixed prostheses implanted soon after extractions and loaded with flapless guided surgery by a 3D software planning., Materials and Methods: 37 patients, requiring rehabilitation of booth dental arches with a one-to-one technique, were enrolled in a follow-up study plan which established clinical and radiological examinations on the day after surgery, seven months and one year later. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), in combination with autogenous bone, organic bone material and organic bone substitutes, was used before implant-prosthetic rehabilitation with an its prompt loading just before the implant insertion phase., Results: Definitive restorations were delivered at 6-12 months after surgical procedure. One year after loading there were no dropouts and no failure of the definitive prosthesis. Furthermore, the feedback from patients resulted positive., Conclusions: Patients resulted satisfied both aesthetically and functionally regarding these types of prosthetic reconstructions made at the time.

Introduction: Since human papillomavirus (HPV) is the central casual factor in cervical cancer, understanding the epidemiology and geographical area distribution of the most prevalent HPV genotypes constitutes an important step towards development of strategies of prevention., Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HPV infection and to determine HPV types distribution among 822 HPV positive women and some sexual male partners in Apulia (Italy)., Methods: HPV DNA detection and genotyping was performed by nested-PCR for the L1 region and reverse line blot hybridization allowing the specific detection of 24 HPV genotyping both high risk (HR) and low risk (LR)., Results: The most prevalent HPV genotypes were HPV 16 (35%), HPV 31 (16%) HPV 6 (9%), HPV 58 and 66 (7%), followed by HPV 33 (6%), HPV 18 and 56 (4%), HPV 70 and 45 (3%), HPV 53 and 11 (2%). Currently 1.5% of tested specimens remained unclassified. Multiple infections with at last two different high- risk HPV genotypes were observed in 10% of specimens., Conclusions: This finding adds knowledge to HPV epidemiological investigation, and addresses further studies aimed to consider public health for identifying groups at risk for cervical cancer.

The purpose of this study is to compare the shear bond strength of different resin bases and artificial teeth made of ceramic or acrylic resin materials and whether tooth-base interface may be treated with aluminium oxide sandblasting. Experimental measurements were carried on 80 specimens consisting of a cylinder of acrylic resin into which a single tooth is inserted. An ad hoc metallic frame was realized to measure the shear bond strength at the tooth-base interface. A complete factorial plan was designed and a three-way ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA) was carried out to investigate if shear bond strength is affected by the following factors: (i) tooth material (ceramic or resin); (ii) base material (self-curing or thermal-curing resin); (iii) presence or absence of aluminium oxide sandblasting treatment at the tooth-base interface. Tukey post hoc test was also conducted to evaluate any statistically significant difference between shear strength values measured for the dif-ferently prepared samples. It was found from ANOVA that the above mentioned factors all affect shear strength. Furthermore, post hoc analysis indi-cated that there are statistically significant differences (p-value=0.000) between measured shear strength values for: (i) teeth made of ceramic material vs. teeth made of acrylic resin material; (ii) bases made of self-curing resin vs. thermal-curing resin; (iii) specimens treated with aluminium oxide sandblasting vs. untreated specimens. Shear strength values measured for acryl-ic resin teeth were on average 70% higher than those measured for ceramic teeth. The shear bond strength was maximized by preparing samples with thermal-curing resin bases and resin teeth submitted to aluminium oxide sandblasting.

The aim of this report is to analyze the clinical symptoms, ethologic factors, and prosthetic rehabilitation in a case of Combination Syndrome (CS). The treatment of CS can be conventional or surgical, with or without the bone reconstruction of maxilla. The correct prosthetic treatment helps this kind of patients to restore the physiologic occlusion plane to allow a correct masticatory and aesthetic function. Management of this kind of patients can be a challenge for a dental practitioner.

Background: Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is a chronic disease characterized by absence of any lesions and burning of the oral mucosa associated to a sensation of dry mouth and/or taste alterations. The purpose of our study is to estimate signs and symptoms of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) in patients with BMS and to investigate for the existence of an association between BMS and TMD., Materials and Methods: Forty-four BMS patients were enrolled; BMS subtype was established according to the classification of Lamey. After a gnathological evaluation, according to the protocol of the European Academy of Craniomandibular Disorders, patients were classified by RDC/TMD criteria. The data were compared and analyzed using a chi-square test to describe the existence of an association between BMS and TMD., Results: 65.9% the BMS patients showed disorders classified as primary signs and symptoms of TMD according to RDC / TMD criteria, and 72.7% showed parafunctional habits. The chi-square test revealed a statistically significant association (p = 0.035) between BMS and TMD., Conclusion: The data suggest that there is a possible relationship not yet well understood between BMS and TMD, may be for neurophatic alterations assumed for BMS that could be also engaged in TMD pathogenesis.