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Biomedical subjects

R Blackman

Publications and source records attributed to R Blackman.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of sprue design on the marginal accuracy of titanium castings.

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of sprue number and position on cast titanium crown margins. Twenty-four complete veneer crown wax patterns were fabricated on a stainless steel die with a 30 degrees bevel finish line. Twelve wax patterns were sprued with one 8-gauge wax sprue and the remaining 12-gauge double sprued. All patterns were invested with a phosphate bonded investment. Castings were made with a titanium casting machine following the manufacturer's instructions and using commercially pure titanium (> 99.5%) ingots. The castings were than carefully cleansed and the margins were examined with indirect impression technique. Data were analysed with an ANOVA and the Student's t-test with confidence level at 95%. The results revealed that the marginal discrepancy for the double sprueing group (32.1 +/- 12.8 microm) has significantly less discrepancy (P < 0.001) than the single sprueing group (49.8 +/- 16.4 microm). There was no statistically significant differences in marginal discrepancy between locations within the sprueing techniques (P > 0.05). An improvement in the degree of casting accuracy of titanium crown was indicated by the double sprue design used in this investigation.

Analysis of Variance↗

The effects of sprue design on the roughness and porosity of titanium castings.

PURPOSE: This study measured the effects of the sprue number and position on the roughness and porosity of cast titanium crowns. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four complete veneer crown wax patterns were fabricated on a stainless steel die with a 30-degree bevel finish line. Twelve wax patterns were sprued with one 8-gauge wax sprue and the remaining 12 were double sprued. All patterns were invested with a phosphate bonded investment. Castings were made with a titanium casting, according to the manufacturer's instructions, with commercially pure titanium (> 99.5%) ingots. The castings were carefully cleaned and the surface roughness was measured with a profilometer. The specimens were then embedded and sectioned. Internal porosities were quantified with photographs by computerized image analysis. Data were analyzed with an ANOVA and the Student's t test with a confidence level of 95%. RESULTS: The roughness value of the occlusal third of the crowns for the single sprue group (Ra = 3.0 +/- 0.9 microns) was significantly higher than other measurements (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in values of porosity areas between the single sprue group (1.5 +/- 0.7 mm2) and the double sprue group (0.2 +/- 0.2 mm2) (p < 0.01). The double sprue design resulted in a relatively smoother casting surface and less internal porosity than the single sprue design. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in the degree of roughness and porosity of titanium crown castings were the result of the double sprue design.

Analysis of Variance↗

Marginal accuracy and geometry of cast titanium copings.

The biocompatibility of titanium with human tissue is well established; its potential as an alternate metal for crown restorations has yet to be fully investigated. This study measured the geometry and accuracy of coping margins cast in Ti, 99.5% chemically pure. Twenty castings with 45-degree facial and 90-degree palatal margins were made by indirect technique with a commercial system using recommended procedures. They were then cemented with ZnPO4 cement. The coping and die assemblies were embedded in resin, sectioned longitudinally, and measured with a microscope at x50 power. Casting shrinkage was characteristic, particularly along the horizontal axis in the plane of the shoulder. Although horizontal linear shrinkage of 45-degree margins was greater than that for the 90-degree form, the surface of marginal discrepancy was greatest with the 90-degree configuration.

Analysis of Variance↗

Modern concepts in endodontics. Part 1. Diagnosis.

Diagnosis is the basic procedure from which further endodontic treatment decisions flow. Although we still use diagnostic tools which differ little from those of 50 years ago, our understanding and interpretation of their results has been slowly changing. As an example, we now believe that the painful responses to hot and cold occur via different a delta and C fibre pathways, involving changes in intra pulpal pressure and neuropeptides such as VIP and SP. As treatment planning is becoming more sophisticated and treatment modalities and options are expanding, correct endodontic diagnosis is even more important in the new age of rising patient expectations and ever-increasing legal complexities. Endodontists are frequently called upon to deal with difficult diagnostic situations, or manage situations of misdiagnosis where treatment has been initiated but the original chief complaint mysteriously persists. In the future, new exciting techniques such as pulse oximetry or laser doppler analysis may be clinically available as endodontic diagnostic aids. This paper will try and cover some of the broader concepts involved in correctly diagnosing a patient's chief complaint.

Dental Pulp Diseases↗

Dimensional changes in casting titanium removable partial denture frameworks.

The difficulties encountered in casting titanium and its alloys have until recently hindered any widespread use of titanium in restorative dentistry. Now both equipment and materials are available for the routine use of titanium in the dental laboratory. This study used one of the casting systems and examined dimensional changes that occur during the construction of a removable partial denture framework. Nineteen castings were measured for horizontal and vertical plane changes. Results show these castings to have cross arch contraction, vertical plane expansion, and near neutral anterio-posterior change. It seems that pure titanium is within the range of dimension changes generally accepted for base metal removable partial denture alloys of the nickel-chromium variety.

Dental Casting Investment↗

Influence of ceramic thickness on the polymerization of light-cured resin cement.

The curing of two light-activated resin cements under two ceramic materials was examined to assess the influence of ceramic thickness on polymerization. The degree of resin cure was determined by microhardness measurements (Knoop) on resin cement samples cured under five ceramic thicknesses with light exposures of 30 to 120 seconds. These cements cured under thin ceramic specimens with recommended exposures. With thick ceramics, both cements cured better under the glass-ceramic, but neither reached a level of maximum cure under the porcelain.

Ceramics↗

An evaluation of the biocompatibility of a glass ionomer-silver cement in rat connective tissue.

Pellets of a glass ionomer-silver cement and a zinc oxide-eugenol cement were implanted into the soft tissues and bones of 30 rats. Following experimental periods of 14, 30, and 80 days, the animals were killed and tissue sections were prepared. The responses to each of the materials initially and at 30 days consisted of mild inflammation. No severe inflammatory responses were noted in any of the groups. By 80 days, although mild inflammation persisted, the materials appeared to be well tolerated. Bone apposition occurred in the glass ionomer-silver cement group; the zinc oxide-eugenol group produced fibrosis.

Animals↗

Immunofluorescent staining with antibodies to factor VIII, fibronectin, and collagenous basement membrane protein in normal human skin and port wine stains.

Specific antibodies directed against three important components of the vessel wall (collagenous basement membrane protein-type IV collagen, fibronectin, and factor VIII) were used to study and compare the distribution of these proteins in normal skin and port wine stains. Collagenous basement membrane protein was localized to the basement membrane and basal lamina zones of blood vessels, appendages, arrector pili muscles, endoneurium and perineurium, and the dermoepidermal junction of both port wine stains and normal skin. Vessels of the port wine stain as well as those of normal skin showed a similar narrow uniform homogeneous line of fluorescence. Granular endothelial staining was seen in the blood vessels of both normal skin and port wine stains. The distribution of fibronectin was that of a low-intensity punctate pattern situated in the subendothelial region of both port wine stain and normal vessels and in the basement membrane zones of hair follicles, endoneurium and perineurium, and the dermoepidermal junction.

Adolescent↗

Sequence homologies in the 5' regions of four Drosophila heat-shock genes.

We report nucleotide sequences of the regions surrounding the 5' ends of the genes for Drosophila melanogaster heat-shock proteins hsp83, hsp68, and hsp26, located at chromosome positions 63BC, 95D, and 67B, respectively. As in other eukaryotic genes, the sequence T-A-T-A-A-A-A-T occurs about 30 nucleotides upstream from the sites of mRNA initiation. Three additional sequence homologies and a dyad symmetry were noted at approximately corresponding locations in the three genes and in the gene for another heat-shock protein, hsp70. We also found an intron near the 5' end of the hsp83 gene, with sequences at its boundaries typical of splice sites found in other organisms.

Animals↗

Gastrointestinal tissue diagnosis by laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy at endoscopy.

An endoscope-compatible, optical fiber system has been developed which can be used to obtain laser-induced fluorescence spectra of mucosal abnormalities during endoscopy in real time. The results of our previous in vitro studies have suggested that laser-induced fluorescence tissue spectra are sufficiently unique that they can be used to accurately diagnose mucosal abnormalities in some systems. To test this hypothesis in vivo, laser-induced fluorescence spectra were obtained during colonoscopy from 31 colonic adenomas, 4 hyperplastic polyps, and 32 examples of normal mucosa in 20 patients. The resulting spectra could be used to correctly differentiate adenomas from normal colonic mucosa and hyperplastic polyps in 97% of the specimens studied with the resulting sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of 100%, 97%, and 94%, respectively. These results, although preliminary in nature, suggest that laser-induced fluorescence spectra can be used in the recognition and differential diagnosis of mucosal abnormalities at endoscopy.

Adenoma↗