Effect of Sodium Selenite Administration and Procalcitonin-Guided Therapy on Mortality in Patients With Severe Sepsis or Septic Shock: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: High-dose intravenous administration of sodium selenite has been proposed to improve outcome in sepsis by attenuating oxidative stress. Procalcitonin-guided antimicrobial therapy may hasten the diagnosis of sepsis, but effect on outcome is unclear.

Objective: To determine whether high-dose intravenous sodium selenite treatment and procalcitonin-guided anti-infectious therapy in patients with severe sepsis affect mortality.

Removing fractured endodontic instruments with a modified tube technique using a light-curing composite.

Introduction: The aim of this in vitro study was to assess an alternative method using light-curing composite for removing fractured endodontic instruments with a tube technique.

Methods: Two different stainless steel endodontic instruments (ISO 20: Hedstrom files, K-files; VDW, Munich, Germany) were cut at the diameter of 0.4 mm.

Instrument intercomparison in the high-energy mixed field at the CERN-EU reference field (CERF) facility.

This paper discusses an intercomparison campaign performed in the mixed radiation field at the CERN-EU (CERF) reference field facility. Various instruments were employed: conventional and extended-range rem counters including a novel instrument called LUPIN, a bubble detector using an active counting system (ABC 1260) and two tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPCs). The results show that the extended range instruments agree well within their uncertainties and within 1σ with the H*(10) FLUKA value.

Efficiency of the polymer bur SmartPrep compared with conventional tungsten carbide bud bur in dentin caries excavation.

SmartPrep is a rotating instrument for dentin caries excavation made from a special polymer. The manufacturer's product information stated that SmartPrep removes carious dentin selectively. This in vitro study compared the efficiency of SmartPrep with conventional tungsten carbide bud burs.

Effectiveness of Carisolv compared with sodium hypochlorite and calcium hydroxide.

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Carisolv with that of two other alkaline substances: NaOCl and Ca(OH)2. Sixty extracted teeth were randomly divided into three groups and split down the center of a carious lesion. In group I, one half of the cavity was excavated with NaOCl (0.

Scanning electron microscopic investigation of incidence, location, and size of accessory foramina in primary and permanent molars.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the incidence, location, and size of accessory foramina in the furcation region of permanent and primary molars.

Method And Materials: A random sample of 100 extracted human permanent maxillary and mandibular first and second molars (25 teeth of each type) and a random sample of 100 extracted human primary maxillary and mandibular molars (50 teeth of each type) were used. The crowns and roots of each tooth were removed at a point 1.

Temperature rise in the pulp chamber induced by a conventional halogen light-curing source and a plasma arc lamp.

Purpose: To assess and compare the pulp chamber temperature increase during resin-based composite polymerization with two different light-curing units.

Methods: A Class I cavity was prepared in an extracted lower molar under standardized conditions using a specially designed industrial robot system. The dentin layer between the pulp chamber and the floor of the cavity was 1 mm thick.

Polymerisation characteristics of resin composites polymerised with different curing units.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the plasma arc light source Apollo 95E and the conventional halogen lamp Elipar Visio regarding a number of polymerisation characteristics of different resin composites.

Methods: Four different resin composites (Arabesk Top, Herculite XRV, Pertac II, Tetric) were irradiated using the Apollo 95E unit for one, two or three cycles of 3 s and using the Elipar Visio unit for 40 s. The investigated polymerisation characteristics were: flexural strength and modulus of elasticity, bond strength to dentine, depth of polymerisation, and quantity of remaining double bonds.

Long-term survival of root-canal-treated teeth: a retrospective study over 10 years.

In this retrospective study the survival rate of 190 root-canal-treated teeth of 144 patients after 10-yr minimum was evaluated. Students during their training in 1987 and 1988 had performed the treatments. Age, gender, jaw, or quantity of root canals had no influence to the success of a root-canal treatment.