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Surface Electromyography of masticatory muscles (sEMG) is used as a tool to support diagnosis and treatment of Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The study aimed at examining jaw muscles pattern in individuals with temporomandibular joint disc displacement with reduction (TMJ/DDR). This sort of subjects was supposed to have a different muscular pattern compared to the control group.Sixty-four women with unilateral TMJ/DDR and forty TMD-free women underwent a sEMG assessment of masticatory muscles. Descriptive statistics were performed. Student T-Test assessed differences between the two groups. Statistical significance was set at ρ0.05.The t-test showed statistically significant results only in BAR and SMI scores (ρ value0,0001). The other measurements did not differ between the two groups. BAR index values of all healthy subjects were within the reference range. Almost the entire TMJ/DDR group had BAR index out of reference range and anteriorly placed.Women with TMJ/DDR showed an altered recruitment of the jaw muscles, with significant difference between the activity of the couple of temporalis and the one of masseters, compared to the control group. A lower chewing efficiency was found in the DDR group compared to the control one.

The aim of this study was to evaluate functionality and clinical application of a novel immediate device in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). To address the research purpose, authors developed and implemented a randomized control clinical trial.Eighty patients were enrolled in this study and were randomly divided into two subgroups based on the treatment applied: patient group (PG) and control group (CG). The CG was not subjected to any kind of treatment, even placebo, in order to be able to assess the spontaneous development of the pathology over time. The PG was treated applying the novel device for a maximum of three months. The following parameters were evaluated at baseline (T0) and at the end of therapy (T1): presence/absence of articular noises, painful symptomatology (articular pains, muscle pains, headache, cervicalgia), parafunctional habits and duration of symptoms. The x2-index of association was performed, with a p-value0.05 considered as statistically significant.No patient in the PG worsened its symptomatology. Thirteen patients (33%) declared themselves cured from their symptoms and were included in a monitoring protocol. Twenty-seven patients (67%) improved their symptoms and were treated with other conservative conventional methods to complete the therapeutic cycle. Therefore, 100% of PG obtained benefits from the application of the new therapeutic approach. In contrast, among patients of CG, eighteen subjects (45%) worsened their symptoms, while eighteen (45%) were defined as stationaries compared to T0 and only four (10%) were defined as improved.The device presented the following advantages: immediacy of use, reduction of waiting times for its application, good tolerability and comfort and specificity in the execution of tongue rehabilitation exercises.

Background: Biomechanical intra capsular dysfunctions may develop into a pathological state that leads to the limitationof mouth opening caused by displacement of the articular disc without reduction, called closed lock. Various surgical and nonsurgical therapies for the treatment of this pathology have been proposed. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate, through a retrospective longitudinal study, the efficacy and efficiencyof the conservative treatment with a new device, called RADICA, specifically designed and patented for chronic joint locktreatment. Methods: 141 patients were recruited according to specific criteria from those arrived at our observation unit in thedecade 2001-2012. All patients were analyzed by measuring and comparing in the short and medium term specific clinicalparameters according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD). The data were evaluated by descriptive statistics and Kendall Tau-band Goodman and Kruskal's gamma coefficient tests. Results: The results achieved by the application of the conservative treatment protocol with the RADICA device haveshown evident and significant improvements of all parameters related to the functional recovery or to the different painfulstates analyzed. Conclusion: In view of these findings, this study suggest that this pathological state should be treated as early as possibleto get an effective and efficient therapeutic response that minimizes the progressive alteration of joint structure and limitsthe increase of comorbidity. Moreover, these data indicate that the distracting RADICA device represents the device ofchoice for the treatment of TMD joint lock.

10.1016/j.fct.2014.05.025 Metals such as aluminum, iron, copper, and zinc have been implicated in the etiology of certain neurodegenerative disorders. On the other hand, it is well known that citric acid enhances Al absorption through the diet, while melatonin may bind such metals and decrease ROS production. In this study, we determined the concentrations of Al, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn in various tissues of Tg2576 Al-treated mice. Female mice and wild type littermates were exposed to 1. mg Al/g plus 3.2% of citric acid and melatonin 10. mg/kg/day for 15. months. At 18. months of age, metal concentrations were measured in bone, liver, kidney and spleen, as well as in three brain regions. In the citric plus Al group, Al levels were higher in hippocampus than in cortex and cerebellum, while Al concentration in bone was higher than those in kidney, liver and spleen, The current results show that exposure to Al plus citric acid did not produce relevant changes in metal levels related with genotype. Moreover, co-administration of melatonin with Al did not modify significantly metal concentrations in tissues. The present results do not support that melatonin can diminish Al or Fe concentrations in various tissues

Fractures of the mandibular condyle represent 20% to 35% of all mandibular fractures. There are several clinical variants of this type of fracture that give rise to different problems in relation to their classification and treatment. A sample of 16 patients (of a total of 280 patients examined and treated from 1985 through 1995) with mono- and bilateral, displaced and decomposed, condylar fractures that occurred during growth were examined by the authors, who assessed, by a 2-year follow-up, the relevant clinical, functional, and instrumental parameters. On the basis of the data gathered by this study, a plan was drawn up for treating these patients that takes into account the different situations, such as either a nonsurgical or surgical treatment (by the use of condylectomy or external rigid fixation), and points out the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

In this report the authors develop a thorough statistic analysis upon the past 12-year activity (1980-1991) of the University of Rome, Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, in the field of the diagnosis and treatment of congenital or acquired maxillofacial malformations. They point out, in particular, the high frequency rate of bimaxillary osteotomy use in the surgical treatment of dentoskeletal malformations, that are the most frequent malformations in maxillofacial clinical practice. They also point out how wide the use of the rigid internal fixation technique in this surgical field has become.

The NORMAN network is a permanent self-sustaining network for the monitoring and biomonitoring of emerging environmental contaminants. The NORMAN working group on Bioassays (Bio WG) focuses on the application of bioanalytical tools for environmental quality monitoring. A main objective is to provide recommendations for the implementation of effect-based tools into regulatory frameworks. In this context, a blind interlaboratory study (ILS) was performed. The aim was to verify if a bioassay battery conducted in different laboratories following own protocols would produce comparable results when testing spiked surface water extracts. The lead in planning and organizing was taken by the Department of Ecosystem Analysis (ESA), RWTH Aachen University (DE). The ILS bioassay battery included acute-toxicity assays with organisms from different trophic levels (Algae, Daphnia, Zebrafish embryos); and mechanism-specific bioassays for estrogenicity (YES, ER-Luc cell lines) and mutagenicity (Ames fluctuation) assessment. Three to four participants performed each bioassay, including: BfG (DE), Waternet (NL), Waterproef (NL), INERIS (FR), IFREMER (FR), RECETOX (CZ), ISSeP (BE), ITM (SE), IVM-VU (NL), Entox/University of Queensland (AU), Ecotox Centre (CH), ESA-RWTH (DE). Clean water from a reference site was concentrated 10.000 times with large volume solid-phase extraction. Four emerging pollutants were used for spiking: triclosan, acridine, 3-nitrobezanthrone and 17-alpha-ethinylestradiol. Extracts were spiked with either single chemicals or a mixture, in concentrations aimed to produce full dose-response curves in bioassays. The spiked extracts were prepared, separated in aliquots, identified with codes, and sent to the participating laboratories. Standardized bioassay methods (OECD, ISO) were recommended but not mandatory, and biotesters could use their own protocols. Results were sent to RWTH, and a summary of the full ILS was provided to the ILS participants. In October 2014, a workshop was held at RWTH Aachen to present and discuss the ILS results. Bioassays produced mostly highly comparable results, even when protocols differed significantly. Suggestions for future improvements include harmonization of methods for data analysis and results evaluation. An important expected outcome of the ILS is the promotion of biotesting for water quality monitoring at the level of European policy-makers.