The timing and operational management of the variables of bleaching in cases of rehabilitation in the esthetic field.

Managing esthetic restoration in the presence of discolored teeth is a challenge for both the clinical team and clinician, whose aim is to use methods that are as minimally invasive as possible, and materials that allow the preservation of dental tissue. Should one wish to act on the discoloration of teeth that are to be restored, or on adjacent ones, it becomes essential to take action on dental tissues. This is done through bleaching and dental restoration, using materials that allow various clinical situations to be managed, such as those with different tonalities between the teeth: prosthetic materials that offer adequate uniformity in their results in those areas where it is necessary to mask the discoloration.

Forces exerted during exercises by patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis wearing fiberglass braces.

Objective: To quantify and compare the forces exerted by scoliosis patients in fiberglass braces during exercises usually prescribed in departments where casts are made. The exercises are intended to increase corrective forces, activate muscles, stimulate ventilation and help the patient psychologically.

Setting: Outpatient care.

Effects of a hydroxyapatite-based biomaterial on gene expression in osteoblast-like cells.

Biostite is a hydroxyapatite-derived biomaterial that is used in periodontal and bone reconstructive procedures due to its osteoconductive properties. Since the molecular effects of this biomaterial on osteoblasts are still unknown, we decided to assess whether it may specifically modulate osteoblast functions in vitro. We found that a brief exposure to Biostite significantly reduced the proliferation of MG-63 and SaOS-2 osteoblast-like cells to approximately 50% of the plateau value.

Backpack as a daily load for schoolchildren.

34.8% of Italian schoolchildren carry more than 30% of their bodyweight at least once a week, exceeding limits proposed for adults. Given increasing evidence of back pain in children, the time has come to propose some limitations to backpack load.

Bone mass measurement by DXA: influence of analysis procedures and interunit variation.

Interunit variability among bone densitometers is due to different factors, including different calibration procedures and algorithms and variability in photon source energies and/or intensities. Other factors, such as the choice of scan parameters or the analysis procedures, can also introduce variability. The new generation of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has partially improved this situation.