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Introduction/Objective. Bone resorption is a common problem in dentistry, and bone reparation cannot be easily achieved. Several techniques of bone grafting and the use of low-level laser treatment (LLLT) as a new therapeutic optional recommended for improving bone repair were applied. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of LLLT in bone repair of artificially made bone defects in the rat mandible using histomorphometry. Methods. The research was carried out on 60 female rats. Bone defects were made in the mandible, and animals were divided into two groups, each containing 30 animals. In the study group, the implantation site was submitted to GaAlAs laser irradiation 670 nm, 5 mW, 4 minutes per day for 5 days. The control group had no postoperative treatment. The animals were sacrificed after two, six, and eight weeks post LLLT, and preparations were analysed by histomorphometry, determining bone area fraction, bone area, integral density, mean density, and density variation. Results. Histomorphometric analysis revealed statistically higher values of area fraction, area, and integral density in the study group after two and six weeks. However, no beneficial laser effect was noticed after eight weeks. Conclusion. Low-level lasers have a stimulating effect on reparatory mechanisms in the early regeneration stage of artificially made bone defects in the rat mandible and can be used as a useful helping method in bone treatment. more...

Introduction/Objective. Stress is proposed as one of the risk factors linked to periodontal disease. The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant negative impact in population on mental and somatic health. This study aimed to examine the possible association between COVID-19 resultant stress and periodontal health. Methods. An observational pilot study was conducted from March 2020 to October 2021 and included 202 participants. Participants graded their stress level using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Periodontal Disease Index and Clinical Attachment Level were determined. Participants were categorized into following groups: Ia (low stress), IIa (moderate stress), IIIa (high stress) and Ib (healthy parodontium), IIb (mild periodontal disease), IIIb (severe periodontal disease). The cause/effect relationship between stress and health was measured. Results. The results indicated a statistically significant difference between the groups classified according to the stress level concerning values of all the measured parameters. The Poisson regression analysis showed that in both models, crude and adjusted, periodontal health-related covariables were higher in subjects perceiving greater stress (Periodontal Disease Index ? Pradjusted = 1.042, 95% CI [1.030?1.055] and Clinical Attachment Level ? PRadjusted = 1.108, 95% CI [1.094?1.122]). Conslusion. During COVID-19 pandemic increased stress has a negative impact on mental health and may result in the deterioration of the entire oral cavity?s health, including the periodontium. more...

This review summarizes the current knowledge on pinguisane-type sesquiterpenoids, unique secondary metabolites of Hepaticae, their isolation, structural elucidation, possible biosynthetic pathways, total synthesis, and biological/pharmacological activities. Overall, 76 compounds are presented, the majority of which are isolated from or detected in liverwort material as secondary metabolites, while 4 compounds represent artifacts of the isolation procedure. Pinguisane-type sesquiterpenes can be used as chemotaxonomic markers for different taxonomic levels of liverworts, as well as to delineate chemical as well as evolutionary relationships within the Marchantiophyta phylum. more...

Introduction/Objective. Comparing two materials under the same conditions is the best way to define differences between them. Ceramic-reinforced polyether-etherketone (PEEK) is a polymer that has many possible uses in dentistry as already well-known lithium disilicate ceramics. The aim of this study was to compare peri-implant soft tissue healing and evaluate patient satisfaction with esthetics in different observation periods, as well as the success and survival rate of both types of crowns. Methods. The study was conducted as a clinical, prospective, randomized split-mouth study on 17 patients with bilaterally missing upper teeth of the same type, replaced with dental implants. Study outcomes have been analyzed with subjective (visual analogue scale ? VAS scale) and objective parameters (modified bleeding index ? MBI, modified plaque index ? MPI and peri-implant probing depth ? PPD) baseline, six and twelve months after fixing crowns onto the implants. Results. Comparison of the results between PEEK and lithium disilicate crowns showed no statistical differences in terms of MPI, MBI, and PPD in the observed periods. Analyzing MPI during observation periods in the PEEK group of crowns, statistical significance was registered between baseline values and after six months. Also, statistical significance was noticed in terms of PPD during the observation time both in the study and control group of crowns. Results for VAS for the esthetics showed no statistically significant difference between the groups, while VAS for restoration satisfaction showed a statistically significant difference. Conclusion. This study showed that scores of the applied subjective and objective parameters can be a reliable tool to rate the clinical outcome of implant-retained single crowns over time. more...

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is used for activation of nerves and muscles in order to restore their normal functions after an injury or stroke. Taking into consideration that electrical stimulation does not directly activate neural tissues, our intention was to show how this power is distributed in the tissues. In order to estimate the power (energy) distribution in the natural multilayer system of different tissues (skin, fat, muscle, and bone) we considered their respective geometries and electrical properties. Simulation was performed using a tissue model based on a finite element method. We present the energy distribution for each layer, and show that the largest portion of the energy is lost in the top skin layer, and that only a fraction reaches the targeted neural tissue. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 175016] more...

Introduction. Ileostomy represents a necessary procedure to solve various surgical diseases in children. As the result of increased fluid loss and colonic exclusion in its regulation, it is often followed, particularly during the first months after birth, by chronic dehydration and failure to thrive. Objective. The aim of the paper was to present our experience related to the application of oral rehydration solution (ORS) to compensate the intestinal loss of water and electrolytes in infants with ileostomy. Methods. Treatment was performed with ORS containing 65 mmol/L of sodium in five infants aged 1.5-8 months (3.8?2.46 months) with dehydration and undernutrition after ileostomy performed in the first five days after birth. Results. After rehydration, the continual application of ORS in the daily dosage of 63.90?25.03 ml/kg, i.e. approximately matching the volume of intestinal content elimination (57.00?19.23 ml/kg), resulted in all infants in optimal water and electrolyte homeostasis, and in further course also in the improvement of their nutritional status (p=0.023). Conclusion. Our experience indicates that continual application of reduced sodium content of ORS in the approximate equal quantity of intestinal content loss represents the method of choice in water and electrolyte homeostasis maintenance in infants with ileostomy. more...

In this paper we present a method for optimization of multi-pad electrode spatial selectivity during transcutaneous Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) of hand. The presented method is based on measurement of individual muscle twitch responses during low frequency electrical stimulation via pads within multi-pad electrode. Twitch responses are recorded by Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) accelerometers. The aim of this methodology is to substitute bulky sensors, torque sensors and goniometers, in multi-pad electrode optimization algorithm with smaller and lighter sensors; therefore making multi-pad stimulation suitable for daily use. Additionally we present method for minimizing number of MEMS accelerometers, which relies on characteristic waveforms of joint acceleration during wrist or fingers flexion/extension. These signals can be used to train Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to distinguish between different waveform classes and define correlation of each pad and activated muscle beneath. Results presented in this paper show high agreement of goniometers based classification and accelerometers based classification. As for classification with minimized number of sensors (one accelerometer) our ANN backed algorithm achieved high degree of accurate classification in intra-subject testing, but lower performance in inter-subject testing. more...

We present methods to treat Low Back Pain (LBP) with electrical stimulation. The conventional method of treating LBP with electrical stimulation is based on mechanisms of reduction of pain. The method that we suggest uses electrical stimulation of trunk muscles at motor suprathreshold level synchronized with exercising of the trunk muscles. The hypothesis was that the combination of voluntary activity augmented with electrical stimulation would lead to higher levels of recovery of postural control and thereby, reduction of LBP. The electrical stimulation in this treatment was delivered with the lumbar belt with eight pairs of electrodes named Stimbelt. The outcome measures included: a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the Oswestry LBP disability questionnaire, the SF-12 health survey, and Manual Muscle Test (MMT). We specifically address the selection of the most appropriate statistical tests for the analysis of results. The analysis of the results of the clinical study indicates significant benefits of the addition of the Stimbelt to the conventional therapy. more...