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Purpose Malposition of dental elements can be easily corrected when the patient is young; however, the opposite is true for adults. Middle-age patients normally request a rapid solution, but they usually also have associated pathologic features, such as advanced periodontal disease, dental migration, and ankylosis. Shortening the orthodontic treatment time is possible but not easy to achieve. We applied piezosurgical bone cuts to 10 patients affected by different dental malformations to determine the effects of a shorter treatment time. Materials and Methods A total of 10 patients (8 women and 2 men) were treated using the monocortical tooth dislocation and ligament distraction technique. We included 5 patients with dental ankylosis (group A, with a range of 4 to 5 mm of dental intrusion into the bone), who presented with at least 4 elements included in the mandible, and 5 preoperative patients affected by maxillary hypoplasia and transverse maxillary diameter reduction (group B, with a range of 6 to 8 mm measured at the first molar palatal cusp). Results Dental repositioning was achieved within 18 to 25 days for the dental intrusion group (group A) and within 68 to 150 days for the preoperative group (group B). The average period was 20 days for group A and 100 days for both dental arches in group B. The decrease in orthodontic treatment time was 70% for the ankylotic teeth and 65% for the preoperative group. We observed no periodontal or gingival damage, although all 10 patients experienced moderate edema and pain. Conclusions This method of shortening the orthodontic treatment time is simple, and performing osteotomic lines laterally and apically to the tooth radix on the bone has proved useful in reducing the treatment time. In addition, the technique is very easy to use and has a low incidence of side effects.

Objectives: To determine whether there are differences in sperm parameters improvement after different varicocele correction techniques. To determine the role of age in sperm parameters improvement. Methods: 2 different European centers collected pre- and postoperative sperm parameters of patients undergoing varicocele correction. Among 463 evaluated patients, 367 were included. Patients were divided in procedure-related and age-related groups. Ivanissevich inguinal open surgical procedure (OS), lymphatic-sparing laparoscopic approach (LSL) and retrograde percutaneous transfemoral sclerotization (RPS) were performed. As outcome measurements sperm count (millions/mL, SC) and percentage of mobile sperms were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate regression between the defined groups; bivariate regression analysis between age and sperm count and motility. Results: Number of patients: OS 78; LSL 85; RPS 204. Mean age 30.2 (SD 6.83); postoperative SC increased from 18.2 to 30.1 (CI 95% 27.3-32.9; p < 0,001); motility from 25.6 to 32.56% (30.9-34.2; p < 0.001). OS: SC varied from 16.9 to 18.2 (p < 0.001); sperm motility from 29% to 33% (p < 0.001). LSL: SC from 15.5 to 17.2 (p < 0.001); motility from 27 to 31% (p < 0.001). RPS: SC from 18.9 to 36.2 (p < 0.001); motility from 24% to 32% (p < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate analysis confirmed the significant difference of SC variation in RPS, compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). No significance between LSL and OS (p = 0.826). No significant differences regarding motility (p = 0.8). Conclusions: Varicocele correction is confirmed useful in improving sperm parameters; sclerotization technique leads to a better sperm improvement compared to other studied procedures; improvement in seminal parameters is not affected by age of the patients treated.

A 23-year-old woman with a skeletal Class III relationship, a normal vertical jaw relationship, and missing maxillary lateral incisors was treated with bidimensional fixed edgewise appliance therapy combined with orthognathic surgery. A functional and esthetic occlusion in an improved facial profile was established at the end of the surgical and orthodontic treatment. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and long-term follow-up records for the patient are presented.

The aim of this study was to explore possible causal relationships among several variables in the coronally advanced flap for root coverage procedure using structural learning of Bayesian networks.Sixty consecutive patients with maxillary buccal recessions (or=2 mm) were enrolled. All defects were treated with the coronally advanced flap procedure. Age, gender, smoking habits, recession depth, width of keratinized tissue, probing depth, distance between the incisal margin and the cemento-enamel junction, root sensitivity, and distance between the gingival margin and the cemento-enamel junction were recorded and calculated for all patients at baseline, immediately after surgery, and at 6 months after surgery. A structural learning algorithm of Bayesian networks was used.The distance between the gingival margin and the cemento-enamel junction immediately after surgery was affected by the baseline recession depth; deeper recessions were associated with a more apical location of the gingival margin after surgery. Moreover, complete root coverage also seemed to be affected by the location of the gingival margin after surgery; a more coronal location of the gingival margin after surgery was associated with a greater probability of complete root coverage.The use of structural learning of Bayesian networks seemed to facilitate the understanding of the possible relationships among the variables considered. The main result revealed that complete root coverage seemed to be influenced by the post-surgical position of the gingival margin and indirectly by the baseline recession depth.

Isobutyl-2-cyanoacrylate (IBC) is an acrylic monomer which quickly polymerizes in contact with blood. It has been rarely used as an embolic material and never in embolization of renal cancer. The authors report their experience on the use of this substance as embolic material, based on an experimental study in the rat and on two human cases of renal cancer, where a preoperative transcatheter embolization was performed. IBC revealed as a substance which can produce a very efficient and lasting embolization. No complications were observed.

Thirty-nine patients with locally advanced breast cancer (T3b-4, N1-3 or inflammatory carcinoma) received 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy with estrogenic recruitment before surgery. The therapeutic regimen consisted of diethylstilbestrol (DES) orally on days 1-3, 5-Fluorouracil + Doxorubicin + Cyclophosphamide on day 4 q 21 days (DES-FAC). After surgery 6 additional cycles of chemotherapy (3 DES-FAC alternating with 3 DES-CMF with Methotrexate + F and C as in FAC) were administered. The objective response rate was 71.8% with 15.4% CR, and 56.4% PR; after surgery 36/39 (92.3%) patients were rendered disease-free. So far, 13 of 26 patients in stage IIIb have relapsed (9 of 13 with inflammatory carcinomas). Three-year survival and progression-free survival are 60% and 53.5%, respectively. Twenty-three of the 39 patients were subjected to serial tumor biopsies during the first DES-FAC regimen to allow for tumor-cell kinetic studies during DES and chemotherapy. A significant estrogenic recruitment occurred in 16 patients (69.6%), irrespective of estrogen-receptor status. At surgery, 3-4 weeks after induction chemotherapy, tumor proliferative activity was significantly depressed in comparison to basal values. These results indicate that breast cancer cells can be recruited in vivo with DES and that chemotherapy following estrogenic stimulation is effective and feasible with acceptable toxicity.