Morphological and ultrastructural comparative analysis of bone tissue after Er:YAG laser and surgical drill osteotomy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze morphological, chemical, and crystallographic changes of bone tissue after osteotomy performed with an erbium:yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Er:YAG) laser and a low speed pilot drill.

Materials And Methods: Bone blocks were prepared from porcine ribs, and on each block, two tunnel preparations were performed using the Er:YAG laser (pulse energy: 1000 mJ, pulse duration: 300 μs, pulse repetition rate: 20 Hz) or the low-speed surgical pilot drill. The morphological changes of the cortical and the spongious surface of the tunnel preparations were analyzed under the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) at low and high resolution.

Biofilm in nasal polyps.

Introduction: Bacterial biofilms are involved in many human bacterial infectious processes and in chronic rhinosinusitis as well. The aim of this study was to determine whether biofilm exists in nasal polyps, both in diffuse nasal polyposis (DNP) and antrochoanal polyps (ACP).

Method: Tissue samples were taken from seven patients suffering from DNP and three patients suffering from ACP, based on the defined patient inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Composite photopolymerization with diode laser.

Under clinical conditions, the time needed for the proper light curing of luting composites or the multi-incremental buildup of a large restoration with halogen curing units is quite extensive. Due to the development of high power curing devices, such as argon lasers and plasma arc lights and, in order to decrease curing time, halogen and LED devices have developed a high intensity polymerization mode. This study compared the degree of conversion using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) of two composite materials: Tetric Ceram and Tetric EvoCeram polymerized with three polymerization modes (high, low and soft mode) of a Bluephase 16i LED curing unit and blue diode laser intensity of 50 mW on the output of the laser beam and 35 mW/cm2 on the resin composite sample.

Cytotoxicity of nanosize V(2)O(5) particles to selected fibroblast and tumor cells.

Two kinds of nanosize V(2)O(5) particles were synthesized in our own laboratory and concomitantly applied to V79 and L929 fibroblasts and SCCVII, B16F10 and FsaR tumor cells. The morphologies of the cells were monitored using an inverted inverse microscope equipped with digital camera, while quantitative determination of the cytotoxicity of nanosize V(2)O(5) particles was measured using crystal violet bioassay. Twenty four hours after the addition of nanosize V(2)O(5) particles (20muM), noticeable changes in the morphology and density of fibroblast and cancer cells were observed.