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This article, published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, discusses a study that aimed to investigate the feasibility of visualizing the piriformis muscle (PM) and the sacral nerves using gynecological transvaginal ultrasound (TVS). The study included 305 patients and found that the PM was visualized in 96.4% of cases on the right side and 96.0% on the left side, with median antero-posterior (AP) diameters of 18.3mm and 18.4mm, respectively. The sacral nerves (S1-S3) were visualized in 81.6% of cases on the right side and 81.0% on the left side, with median AP diameters of 4.8mm. The authors suggest that integrating the assessment of these structures into routine pelvic TVS may be beneficial for women with deep endometriosis. [Extracted from the article]

Bladder DE was in 78/98 (80%), ureteral DE in 8 (8%) both ureteric and bladder DE in 12 (12%) patients present. Patients with UTE infiltrating the bladder were undergoing surgical treatment by dissection using a skinning technique or partial cystectomy. To test the accuracy of IDEA criteria for suspected urinary tract endometriosis (UTE) and to determine the distribution, size and consequences of UTE. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives:  To test the accuracy of TVS applying the IDEA approach for suspected rectosigmoid DE and to determine the frequency of other pelvic diseases mimicking DE in patients undergoing surgery., Materials Und Methods:  Prospective single center observational study including consecutive women undergoing TVS for clinically suspected rectosigmoid DE followed by conservative or surgical therapy. TVS findings were compared with those obtained by laparoscopy and confirmed histologically., Results:  Of the 671 included patients, 128 women opted for medical therapy, and 6 patients decided for surgery but did not give consent to participate in the study. 537 women were enrolled in the final analysis. 279 (52 %) exhibited surgically confirmed rectosigmoid DE. The sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV, NPV), positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR+/-) and accuracy of TVS for diagnosing DE in the rectosigmoid were 93.5 %, 94.6 %, 94.9 %, 93.1 %, 17.24, 0.07, 94.04 %. 12 women who were clinically suspected for DE and mimicked sonographic signs fulfilling the IDEA criteria did exhibit other pathologies. Diagnoses were as follows: vaginal Gartner duct cyst (3/291;1.0 %), anorectal abscess (3/291; 1.0 %), rectal cancer (2/291;0.7 %), hydrosalpinx (2/291;0.7 %), metastatic endometrial cancer (1/291;0.35 %) and Crohn's disease (1/291;0.35 %)., Conclusion:  TVS for diagnosing colorectal DE applying the IDEA criteria is highly accurate for presurgical diagnosis. However, additional pelvic pathologies are encountered in 4-5 % of women attending for suspected rectosigmoid DE. These need to be taken into account when investigating patients for suspected DE., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: Important alterations exist in the microbiomes of supragingival biofilm and saliva samples from adolescent patients developing induced or spontaneous gingivitis relative to healthy controls. These and the relationships to dental health are not fully understood yet., Subjects and Methods: Supragingival biofilm samples (n = 36) were collected from the teeth of 9 adolescents with gingivitis induced by orthodontic appliances, as well as dental plaques (n = 40) from 10 adolescents with spontaneous gingivitis, in addition to similar samples (n = 36) from 9 healthy controls. The bacterial metagenomes were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Salivary microbiomes of the same persons were characterized by shotgun metagenome sequencing. The data sets were examined using advanced bioinformatics workflows and two reference databases., Results: The composition and diversity of bacterial communities did not differ extensively among the three study groups. Nevertheless, the relative abundances of the genera Fusobacterium, Akkermansia, Treponema, and Campylobacter were prominently higher in gingivitis patients versus controls. In contrast, the genera Lautropia, Kingella, Neisseria, Actinomyces, and Rothia were significantly more abundant in controls than in either of the two gingivitis groups., Conclusions: The abundance pattern of certain taxa rather than individual strains shows characteristic features of potential diagnostic value. Stringent bioinformatics treatment of the sequencing data is mandatory to avoid unintentional misinterpretations., (© 2021 The Authors. Oral Diseases published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: DNA base identification is a proper and high specificity method. However, identification could be challenged in a situation where there is no database or the DNA sequence is almost identical, as in the case of monozygotic (MZ) twins. The aim of this study was to introduce a novel forensic method for distinguishing between almost identical MZ twins by means of an intraoral scanner using the 3D digital pattern of the human palate., Methods: The palatal area of 64 MZ twins and 33 same-sex dizygotic (DZ) twins (DZSS) and seven opposite-sex dizygotic twins (DZOS) were scanned three times with an intraoral scanner. From the scanned data, an STL file was created and exported into the GOM Inspect® inspection software. All scans within a twin pair were superimposed on each other. The average deviation between scans of the same subject (intra-subject deviation, ISD) and between scans of the two siblings within a twin pair (intra-twin deviation, ITD) was measured. One-sided tolerance interval covering 99% of the population with 99% confidence was calculated for the ISD (upper limit) and the ITD (lower limit)., Results: The mean ISD of the palatal scan was 35.3 μm ± 0.78 μm. The calculated upper tolerance limit was 95 μm. The mean ITD of MZ twins (406 μm ± 15 μm) was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than the ISD, and it was significantly lower than the ITD of DZSS twins (594 μm ± 53 μm, p < 0.01) and the ITD of DZOS twins (853 μm ± 202 μm, p < 0.05)., Conclusion: The reproducibility of palatal intraoral scans proved to be excellent. The morphology of the palate shows differences between members of MZ twins despite their almost identical DNA, indicating that this method could be useful in forensic odontology.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Cervitec Plus® on the level of mutans streptococcus (SM) and lactobacillus (LB) colonies and the development of white spot lesions (WSLs) in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances. Informed consent was obtained from 32 volunteers (age 16.5 ± 2.75 years). At baseline, levels of the bacterial colonies were determined in saliva and plaque using a chairside test (CRT Bacteria, Ivoclar-Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein), and the number of WSLs was registered. After placing the fixed appliance, Cervitec Plus® or placebo varnishes (Ivoclar-Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) were applied monthly around the brackets and tubes, randomly in the right or left (test and placebo) quadrants of the same dental arch. SM and LB colonies in saliva and the SM colonies in plaque were determined on 11-21, 13-23, 15-25, and 16-26 teeth monthly over a 6-month period. At the sixth month, the number of new WSLs was determined. By the end of the study, compared with baseline, the ratio of saliva samples belonging to the low-risk category was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.01) from the 2nd month regarding the SM (76 vs. 52%) and LB (69 vs. 52%); reduction of SM in plaque was significantly greater on the test than placebo sides (6.69 ± 1.71 and 4.45 ± 1.60, respectively; p ≤ 0.01). The mean number of new WSLs was significantly lower in the test (0.06 ± 1.60) than in the placebo quadrants (1.13 ± 1.50, p ≤ 0.01)., Conclusion: Monthly use of Cervitec Plus® could result in a significant improvement in oral health of orthodontic patients., (© 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a new chlorhexidine-fluoride varnish on mutans streptococci (MS) counts and laser fluorescence (LF) readings in fissures of permanent molars., Method and Materials: The study group consisted of 57 healthy schoolchildren (7 to 14 yrs) that volunteered after informed consent. A double-blind split-mouth design was employed and 87 pairs of non-cavitated permanent molars were randomly assigned to treatments with either chlorhexidine-fluoride varnish (CHX-F) or chlorhexidine-thymol varnish (CHX-T, Cervitec Plus) as active control. The varnishes were topically applied at baseline and every sixth week throughout the 24-week study period. Endpoints were MS counts (CRT test) and occlusal LF readings (DIAGNOdent pen) registered regularly during follow-up., Results: At baseline, > 50% of the occlusal fissures harbored high MS counts (≥ 105 CFU), but a significant decrease (P < .05) was found after treatment with both varnishes. After 24 weeks, less than 5% exhibited high counts. There were no significant differences between the varnishes at any time point. The mean LF values were similar in both treatment groups at baseline, but a significant reduction (P < .05) was scored in the CHX-F group after 12 and 24 weeks. A similar reduction was found also in the CHX-T group after 24 weeks. No adverse events were reported., Conclusion: There were no significant differences between the CHX-F and CHX-T varnishes in terms of MS suppression after four applications over 24 weeks. Both varnishes also reduced the LF readings significantly compared with baseline, but further long-term studies are needed to confirm a caries-preventive effect.

Direct comparison of key physical and chemical-engineering properties of two representative matrices for multipurpose immobilisations was performed for the first time. Polyvinyl alcohol lens-shaped particles LentiKats® and polyelectrolyte complex microcapsules were characterised by advanced techniques with respect to the size distribution of the particles, their inner morphology as revealed by fluorescent probe staining, mechanical resistance, size-exclusion properties, determination of effective diffusion coefficient and environmental scanning electron microscope imaging. While spherical polyelectrolyte complex microcapsules composed of a rigid semipermeable membrane and a liquid core are almost uniform in shape and size (diameter of 0.82 mm; RSD = 5.6 %), lens-shaped LentiKats® are characterised by wider size distribution (diameter of 3.65 mm; RSD = 10.3 % and height of 0.341 mm; RSD = 32.3 %) and showed the same porous structure throughout their whole volume at the mesoscopic (micrometre) level. Despite differences in their inner structure and surface properties, the pore diameter of ∼ 2.75 nm for regular polyelectrolyte complex microcapsules and ∼ 1.89 nm for LentiKats® were similar. These results were used for mathematical modelling, which provided the estimates of the effective diffusion coefficient of sucrose. This value was 1.67 × 10(-10) m(2) s(-1) for polyelectrolyte complex microcapsules and 0.36 × 10(-10) m(2) s(-1) for LentiKats®. Recombinant cells Escherichia coli-overexpressing enzyme cyclopentanone monooxygenase were immobilised in polyelectrolyte complex microcapsules and LentiKats® for comparison of their operational stability using model Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of (±)-cis-bicyclo [3.2.0] hept-2-en-6-one to regioisomeric lactones as important chiral synthons for potential pharmaceuticals. Both immobilisation matrices rendered high operational stability for whole-cell biocatalyst with no reduction in the biooxidation rate over 18 repeated reaction cycles.

We sought an isolated vascular preparation and experimental setting where the function of alpha2B-adrenoceptors could be demonstrated by non-recombinant technique. ST-91 (2-[2,6-diethylphenylamino]-2-imidazoline), an alpha 2B-adrenoceptor agonist with a mixed alpha adrenergic receptor type/subtype selection profile antagonized the relaxant effect of isoproterenol in endothelium-denuded rat mesenteric artery rings precontracted with phenylephrine. At 10(-7) M of ST-91, the antagonism was characterized by a rightward shift of isoproterenol dose-response curve (A50=6.81+/-1.40 e-7 (n=4) vs the control 1.29+/-0.25 e-7 M (n=4)) with no E(max) depression. At 10(-6) M the Emax depression was prevalent (36.1+/-7.0% (n=4) vs the control 79.9+/-5.1% (n=4)); both actions could be antagonized by the alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine. The not subtype-selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist xylazine (10(-7) M) did not affect the relaxant action of isoproterenol. Present findings are discussed in the light of previously reported hemodynamic effects attributed to alpha2B-adrenoceptors in receptor subtype-knockout animals.