Purpose: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the degree of heat generation when a novel drill design with an irrigation slot was used with metal sleeve-free (MF) and metal sleeve-incorporated (MI) surgical guides in an environment similar to that of the actual oral cavity.
Methods: A typodont with a missing mandibular right first molar and 21 bovine rib blocks were used. Three-dimensional-printed MF and MI surgical guides, designed for the placement of internal tapered implant fixtures, were used with slot and non-slot drills.
Solar-energy-enabled photocatalysis is promising for sustainable water purification. However, photoreactor design, especially immobilizing nano-sized photocatalysts, remains a major barrier preventing industrial-scale application of photocatalysis. In this study, we immobilized photocatalytic graphitic carbon nitride on chitosan to produce g-CN/chitosan hydrogel beads (GCHBs), and evaluated GCHB photoreactivity for degrading phenol and emerging persistent micropollutants in a 3D printed compound parabolic collector (CPC) reactor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Regurgitant volume (RVol) calculated using the proximal flow convergence method (proximal isovelocity surface area [PISA]) has been accepted as a key quantitative parameter for the diagnosis of and clinical decision-making with regard to severe mitral regurgitation (MR). However, a recent prospective study showed a significant overestimation of RVol by the echocardiographic PISA method compared with the MR volume measured using magnetic resonance imaging. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of overestimation of RVol by the PISA method and the clinical conditions that require a different quantitative method to correct the overestimation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aims of this study were to evaluate the three-dimensional features and geometric determinants of the vena contracta (VC) in functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and to identify optimal width cutoff values for assessing functional TR severity.
Methods: Real-time three-dimensional full-volume and color Doppler and two-dimensional Doppler echocardiographic images were obtained in 52 patients with various degrees of functional TR and in sinus rhythm. The tricuspid valve and right ventricle were geometrically analyzed.