The management of deep carious lesions and the exposed pulp in fully developed and immature teeth with irreversible pulpitis: a questionnaire-based study among Greek dentists.

Objectives: The study aimed to identify the preferred management techniques used by dentists in Greece for treating deep carious lesions or pulp exposure during the removal of carious tissue in teeth with irreversible pulpitis. Additionally, the study sought to explore how patient-related factors (such as age and symptoms) and operator-related factors (like material choice and the use of antibiotics) influence these management decisions.

Materials And Methods: The questionnaire, developed by five investigators, was divided into two parts: the first gathered respondent demographics, and the second presented clinical scenarios of deep carious lesions, requesting treatment strategies, materials used, and antibiotic prescription practices.

Teeth Eruption Disorders: A Critical Review.

Dental eruption refers to the vertical displacement of a tooth from its initial non-functional towards its functional position. Tooth eruption disorders may be expressed in various clinical conditions, which may be grouped as "primary retention" and "secondary retention". The purpose of this article is to review the literature and the clinical parameters of the various conditions related to tooth eruption disorders.

Digitally captured signatures: A method for the normalization of force through calibration and the use of the zeta function.

Digitally captured signatures (DCS) are entering the scope of the Forensic Handwriting Examiner (FHE), and the meaningful comprehension and comparison of the captured information is essential in order to proceed to the examination of authenticity of DCS. In DCS solutions, force is captured and presented as pressure levels, but the relation between exercised force and the assigned pressure levels is not provided by the manufacturers of these solutions. For this purpose, we constructed an experimental array that allows the correlation of exercised force and assigned pressure levels, in a combination of three different digitizers, six different styli and four different capturing software.

The challenge of comparing digitally captured signatures registered with different software and hardware.

Along with the growing popularity of electronic documents authorised with digitally captured signatures, such evidence has appeared in the work of forensic practitioners. Many different vendors offer signature pads with varying specifications. It is therefore expected that forensic handwriting experts will be called upon to compare questioned and known samples captured with completely or partially different hardware and software combinations.

Features of digitally captured signatures vs. pen and paper signatures: Similar or completely different?

The question of whether digitally captured signatures and conventional signatures executed with a pen on paper differ in their characteristics is of practical relevance for forensic handwriting examiners. Due to gaps in the current literature, the present research is dedicated to this issue. Eighty persons signed in three conditions: a) with a stylus on a pad, b) with an inking pen on a sticky note attached to a signature pad allowing to obtain a digital and an analogue version on paper of one and the same writing simultaneously, and c) with a pen on paper.

Recommendations for capturing signatures digitally to optimize their suitability for forensic handwriting examination.

The use of digitally captured signatures in everyday course of business increases annually and, compared to pen and paper signatures, provides various advantages concerning the administration of documents. These signatures may also become subjects of a forensic handwriting examination and, therefore, in order to optimize their suitability for this purpose, they should satisfy several requirements. This paper presents recommendations drawn up by forensic handwriting examiners associated with ENFHEX (ENFSI) in a project aimed at defining best practices in forensic examination of digitally captured signatures.

Capsule endoscopy findings in patients with occult or overt bleeding older than 80 years.

Background:   Overt and occult bleeding are the main indications for a wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) study of the small bowel. Most published studies omit patients aged over 80.

Aim:   To determine whether WCE is feasible in patients with overt or occult bleeding over age 80 and to define the spectrum of small bowel pathologies in this age group.

Endoscopic esophagitis is more severe in gastroesophageal reflux patients with a positive family history.

Background: The role of genetic factors in the etiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is still uncertain.

Aim: To define whether the presence of reflux symptoms in first-degree relatives can affect the severity of the endoscopic picture of patients with GERD and disease evolution during follow-up.

Patients/methods: A total of 1930 consecutive patients with GERD were referred for endoscopy from Trikala prefecture, had an entry endoscopy and a follow-up if needed.

Validation of the Capsule Endoscopy Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CECDAI or Niv score): a multicenter prospective study.

Background And Study Aims: The Capsule Endoscopy Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CECDAI or Niv score) was devised to measure mucosal disease activity using video capsule endoscopy (VCE). The aim of the current study was to prospectively validate the use of the scoring system in daily practice.

Methods: This was a multicenter, double-blind, prospective, controlled study of VCE videos from 62 consecutive patients with isolated small-bowel Crohn's disease.

The role of cytology and HPV typing as a screening tool in patients with intraanal warts.

Background And Aim: Given that anorectal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been related to anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) and rectal cancer, we conducted this study to evaluate the role of cytology of anal smears in the diagnosis of intraanal disease and related AIN and to correlate it to HPV genotypes.

Method: A total of 72 patients (58 males and 14 females) with perianal warts underwent anoscopy with biopsies and anal cytologic examination. Cytology was carried out for the identification of any dysplasia according to the Bethesda system.

Determination of the sequence of latent fingermarks and writing or printing on white office paper.

Latent fingermarks were deposited onto white office paper samples containing writing or printing from several media (for example, ballpoint pens and laser printers). Fingermarks were deposited both before and after writing/printing. The marks were then treated with appropriate latent fingermark development techniques.

Quality of small bowel preparation for video-capsule endoscopy. Prospective comparison of two different preparations.

Background/aim: The best preparation for successful small bowel video-capsule endoscopy (VCE) is still unknown. The primary aim of our study was to compare sodium phosphate (PS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) purge on the quality of small bowel preparation.

Methodology: In this prospective, non-randomized, two centers study, we evaluated 47 and 48 consecutive outpatients who received PS and PEG preparations, respectively.

Comparison of two schemes of small bowel preparation for capsule endoscopy with polyethylene glycol: a prospective, randomized single-blind study.

Objective: Small bowel preparation for capsule endoscopy remains controversial. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of 2 and 4 l of polyethylene glycol.

Methods: One hundred and one patients (group A) received 2 l and 100 (group B) received 4 l in a prospective, randomized single-blind trial.

PillCam Colon capsule endoscopy does not always complement incomplete colonoscopy.

Background: There are no data on the role of PillCam Colon capsule (PCC) endoscopy for examination of the colon in incomplete colonoscopy cases.

Objective: To evaluate whether PCC endoscopy can complete colon examination after failure of conventional colonoscopy to visualize the cecum.

Setting: Three tertiary centers.

Effects of ageing on small bowel video-capsule endoscopy examination.

Objectives: The effects of ageing on small bowel video-capsule endoscopy (VCE) studies have not been studied prospectively yet.

Methods: We prospectively investigated 120 consecutive VCE studies. Patients were divided into three age groups: <40, 40-64, and > or =65 yr.

Clinical trial: effectiveness of chewing-gum in accelerating capsule endoscopy transit time--a prospective randomized, controlled pilot study.

Background: Capsule endoscopy (CE) fails to reach the caecum in approximately 20% of patients. Data suggest that chewing-gum, simulating sham feeding, provokes the cephalic phase of gastrointestinal (GI) motor response and may increase GI motility.

Aim: To determine whether chewing-gum increases the ability of CE reaching the caecum.

Evaluation of capsule endoscopy in active, mild-to-moderate, overt, obscure GI bleeding.

Background: The role of capsule endoscopy (CE) in the diagnosis of active mild-to-moderate GI bleeding (GIB) immediately after a negative EGD and ileocolonoscopy has not been prospectively evaluated.

Objective: To estimate the diagnostic yield and clinical significance of CE in patients with acute, obscure, overt, mild-to-moderate GIB.

Design: A single-center prospective study.

Effect of three bowel preparations on video-capsule endoscopy gastric and small-bowel transit time and completeness of the examination.

Objective: Video capsule endoscopy fails to visualize the caecum in about 20% of patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different bowel preparations on video capsule endoscopy gastric- (GTT) and small-bowel transit time (SBTT) and the rate of caecal visualization.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively examined 186 consecutive capsule endoscopy videos undertaken over a 3-year period, excluding cases with diabetes mellitus or gastric surgery (n=28), cases with unknown bowel preparation and those with unreadable data CDs (n=27).

Capsule endoscopy retention as a helpful tool in the management of a young patient with suspected small-bowel disease.

Capsule endoscopy is an easy and painless procedure permitting visualization of the entire small-bowel during its normal peristalsis. However, important problems exist concerning capsule retention in patients at risk of small bowel obstruction. The present report describes a young patient who had recurrent episodes of overt gastrointestinal bleeding of obscure origin, 18 years after small bowel resection in infancy for ileal atresia.

Video-capsule endoscopy gastric and small bowel transit time and completeness of the examination in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Small intestine video-capsule endoscopy examination in patients with diabetes mellitus may be incomplete due to delayed gastric emptying.

Aim: To measure video-capsule endoscopy gastric and small bowel transit time and to assess the completeness of the examination in diabetes mellitus patients.

Methods: In this retrospective, case-control study, we examined capsule endoscopy videos from 29 consecutive diabetes mellitus patients.

How adherent to treatment with azathioprine are patients with Crohn's disease in long-term remission?

Background: Patients with longstanding quiescent Crohn's disease on azathioprine usually maintain an excellent quality of life but are also concerned about long-term safety. This may affect adherence to treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess the adherence to azathioprine in a cohort of patients with Crohn's disease in long-term remission.