Mathematical analysis of occlusal rest design for cast removable partial dentures.

Aims: To establish the minimum dimensions for a non-precious cast metal occlusal rest by using mathematical analysis. An occlusal rest in a removable partial denture (RPD) provides vertical support and allows occlusal forces to be transmitted through the long axis of the abutment tooth.

Methods: The stress status of an occlusal rest in a posterior tooth-bounded RPD resembles that of a cantilever beam under a uniformly distributed load.

Hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies: an emerging dilemma.

The surge in consumption of herbal remedies has been stimulated by several factors, including the notion that all herbal products are safe and effective, consumers becoming more proactive in self-treating, and lack of regulation by the Food and Drug Administration. Although herbal remedies are generally perceived as harmless, reports of hepatotoxicity associated with herbal use are accumulating, suggesting they are not completely innocuous. On the basis of various case reports, the liver injury from herbal remedies has ranged from mild elevations of liver enzymes to fulminant liver failure requiring liver transplantation.