Regulation of CCN2 gene expression and possible roles in developing tooth germs.

CCN proteins are extracellular and cell-associated molecules involved in several developmental processes, but their expression patterns and regulation in tooth development remain unclear. Here we first determined the expression patterns of CCN genes in mouse tooth germs. We found that at early stages CCN2 was detected in dental lamina, dental mesenchyme, and primary enamel knot, while other CCN family members were expressed broadly.

A problem-based learning tutorial for dental students regarding elderly residents in a nursing home in Japan.

This educational trial was an eight-day problem-based learning (PBL) course for fourth-year predoctoral students at Okayama University's dental school who interviewed elderly residents living in a nursing home. The purpose of this PBL course was to introduce geriatric dentistry to the students by allowing them, independently, to discover the clinical problems of elderly patients as well as the solutions. The sixty-five students were divided into nine small groups and received patient information (age, gender, degree of care needed, medical history, food type, medications, and oral condition) in datasheets before visiting the nursing home.

Matrix metalloproteinase-8 is the major potential collagenase in active peri-implantitis.

Purpose: Current clinical procedures to control or regenerate bone loss due to peri-implantitis are not predictable neither accomplish complete resolution. Therefore, early detection of the onset and the active periods of bone loss are crucial for prevention of extensive peri-implant bone resorption. This study aimed to determine a possible association between the presence of collagenases (MMP-1, MMP-8 and MMP-13) in peri-implant sulcular fluid (PISF) and active periods of bone loss by annually adjusted vertical bone loss (AVBL) measurements.

Comparison of inter-twin concordance in symptoms of temporomandibular disorders: a preliminary investigation in an adolescent twin population.

There is controversy as to the genetic contribution to the pathogenesis of temporo-mandibular disorders (TMD). Several reports reveal a marked familial aggregation in the signs and symptoms of TMD, while others do not. Therefore, our goal was to investigate the hypothesis using a sophisticated research design, which was a well-known genetic survey inter-twin concordance assessment in the symptoms of TMD.

[A case report of a speech disturbance patient treated by a magnetic attachment overdenture].

Patient: A 50-year-old female who wore a cast-clasp-supported removable partial denture (RPD) complained of speech disturbance, because the clasps disturbed her tongue movement during speech. She wished to receive dental implant treatment, but it was difficult to solve the esthetic problem by the planned implant-supported fixed partial denture. Therefore, the RPD (overdenture) supported by magnetic attachments was inserted to recover the speech disturbance.

Expression and roles of connective tissue growth factor in Meckel's cartilage development.

Meckel's cartilage is a prominent feature of the developing mandible, but its formation and roles remain unclear. Because connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, CCN2) regulates formation of other cartilages, we asked whether it is expressed and what roles it may have in developing mouse Meckel's cartilage. Indeed, CTGF was strongly expressed in anterior, central, and posterior regions of embryonic day (E) 12 condensing Meckel's mesenchyme.

Connective tissue growth factor expressed in rat alveolar bone regeneration sites after tooth extraction.

Objective: To understand bone regeneration process after tooth extraction could be a clue to develop a new strategy for alveolar bone reconstruction. Recently, accumulated evidences support that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is implicated in tissue repair of many tissues. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal expression of CTGF in the rat tooth extraction sockets.

Cbfa1/Runx2 gene expression in articular chondrocytes of the mice temporomandibular and knee joints in vivo.

Healthy articular cartilage is thought to be maintained by the modulation of Cbfa1 expression, although little is currently known about Cbfa1 expression in such tissues. Therefore, we examined in vivo Cbfa1 transcript levels in the temporomandibular (TM) and knee joints of 3- and 10-week-old male ICR mice (weighing 50-70 g). A digoxigenin-11-UTP-labeled single-stranded RNA probe (0.

Tyrosine kinase-type receptor ErbB4 in chondrocytes: interaction with connective tissue growth factor and distribution in cartilage.

In order to identify receptor molecules that participate in the growth and differentiation of chondrocytes, we cloned a number of cDNA fragments from HCS-2/8 chondrocytic cells, by using tyrosine kinase-specific primers for amplification. The mRNA expression of one such receptor, ErbB4, was increased by connective tissue growth factor/hypertrophic chondrocyte-specific gene product (CTGF/Hcs24), which promotes all stages of the endochondral ossification in vitro. ErbB4 expression was observed through all stages of chondrocytic differentiation in vitro, corresponding to the wide distribution of CTGF/Hcs24 target cells.

Quality of life assessment in patients with implant-supported and resin-bonded fixed prosthesis for bounded edentulous spaces.

Objectives: Dental implants have become increasingly popular in the prosthetic rehabilitation of patients with bounded edentulous spaces. Oral condition-related quality of life (QOL) levels have rarely been assessed in these patients.

Material And Methods: Two groups of subjects with bounded edentulous spaces were studied: an implant-supported fixed prosthesis group (11 patients) and a resin-bonded fixed prosthesis group (33 patients).