Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Michigan, United States, have successfully used stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) to produce tissues that closely resemble physiologic dental pulp tissue. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Endodontics. Continue Reading

Alzheimer disease (AD) is currently diagnosed on the basis of neurocognitive assessments, and definitive diagnosis is possible only after the death of the individual, when the autopsy shows amyloid plaques. Now, researchers at The University of Western Ontario, Canada, have demonstrated that the size of the brain ventricles increase in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease, and could therefore be developed as a marker using neuroimaging tools for the early diagnosis of the disease. The findings of the study have been published online in the latest edition of the Brain. Continue Reading

Researchers from the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, have reported successful alveolar bone regeneration using extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT). The findings of this study have been published in the recent issue of theJournal of Dental Research. Continue Reading

A pioneering study headed by scientist Herng-Ching Lin and colleagues from the Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, has concluded that there is an increased risk of cerebrovascular disease after sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The study findings have been been published online in the June 2008 issue of Stroke.
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Polyethylene glycol (PEG), a non-toxic, ethylene oxide polymer, can reduce the behavioral complications associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) when administered within four hours of the injury, according to a study published in the recent issue of the Journal of Biological Engineering. Continue Reading

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) on patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) increases the possibility of detecting early and subtle neuropathological changes, thereby facilitating quicker management of MTBI, according to a recent study published in the journal Neurology.

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From a clinical standpoint, the treatment of patients with hyperdivergent class II occlusion (long lower anterior facial height and a high mandibular plane angle) is difficult. But in a recent study done at the Regional University Hospital Centre of Lille, Lille, France, researchers successfully treated hyperdivergent class II occlusion cases with complete incision of the pterygomasseteric sling during a sagittal split osteotomy of the mandibular ramus.

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Anaerobic pathogens in peritonsillar abscess (PTA) may increase the likelihood of recurrence, and therefore, may serve as a relative indication for tonsillectomy, according to an article published in the latest issue of Medicine.

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Capecitabine (Xeloda® | Roche) and oxaliplatin (Eloxatin® | Sanofi Aventis) therapy could be effectively substituted with fluorouracil (Efudex® | Valeant Pharmaceuticals) and cisplatin (Platinol® | Bristol-Myers Squibb) in the treatment of naive advanced esophagogastric cancer, according to an article published in the recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) has been estimated to occur in about 43-55 per million population in the United States. Despite the low incidence, hospitalization and rehabilitation charges for spinal cord injury can cause significant economic burden due to the devastating and debilitating neurological deficits. The management of SCI is mainly supportive, and an improvement in outcome is usually seen with administration of methylprednisolone within 8 hours of injury. In a recent study, W.L. Huang from the Neuroscience Centre, Institute of Cell & Molecular Science, Queen Mary University of London, UK, and colleagues evaluated the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in a rat model of SCI, and concluded that the outcome after SCI significantly improved by combining an initial acute intravenous injection of DHA followed by a sustained dietary supplementation (Brain, 2007).

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