BACKGROUND: The main objective of this study was to create an experimental model of idiopathic scoliosis (i.s.), and to assess the effect of Lateral Electrical Surface Stimulation (LESS) on the organism both intra vitam and post mortem. The experiment made it possible to determine the extent to which LESS affects overall development of the organism, apart from its positive clinical effect in correcting i.s. in children and youth. An attempt is also made to explain the basis of systemic complications accompanying this method. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Studies were carried out on 10 white New Zealand male rabbits aged 3.5 months. They were divided into two groups, 5 animals in each group. The LESS group was stimulated using an SCOL-2 apparatus, 9 hours a day. The second group served as controls. After three months, the animals were sacrificed. Detailed macroscopic and microscopic examinations were performed on the rabbits' testicles. Scraps were collected immediately after the animal's death, from the free brim of the testis. The ultrastructure was examined with a TESLA BS-500 electron microscope. RESULTS: In the LESS group, histopathological examination of the testicles revealed considerable necrosis of the seminiferous epithelium, frequently coupled with peritubular fibrosis, atrophy of seminal tubules, and proliferation of Leydig cells. Ultrastructural examination revealed a multi-layered basal lamina, collagen appearing in the proper membrane of the seminiferous epithelium and blood vessels, lysis of supporting and sex cells of the tubular epithelium, mitochondrial damage, and the formation of myelin-like bodies in the round spermatids and the middle segment of the elongated spermatid tails. Lysis of the cytoplasm of Leydig cells was observed in the testes. CONCLUSION: Traditional electrostimulation induced regressive changes in the testes, in the form of necrosis of the seminiferous epithelium, atrophy of seminal tubules, and destruction of Leydig cells.

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[Studies on the response of epithelial cells of the hard palate to prolonged pressure exerted by prosthesis].

Microscopic examination was done of biopsy material of hard palate mucosa in healthy subjects with normal teeth and in edentulous patients with a long history of complete upper prostheses. The examination in transmission electron microscope included cells of the multilayer flat-cell epithelium of the mucosa covering the hard palate. Isolated cilia were found in the cells of the germinative layer and in the lamina propria of the mucosa where they penetrated from the epithelium across the basement membrane. The cilia were present in a significantly higher number of cells in hard palate epithelium subjected to long-term pressure exerted by the prosthesis. On the basis of observations of the structure of cilia and its environment one may assume that this apparatus may serve as an epithelial receptor of local changes produced by long-term and changing pressure of the mucosa through the mediation of masticatory forces transmitted onto the mucosa by the plate of the prosthesis.

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Psychologic interventions for the anxious dental patient.

This article asserts that pharmacologic usage can be reduced by understanding that pain is composed of somatic, affective, and cognitive elements; the dentist should be assertive in addressing and dealing with the emotional and psychological aspects of the anxious and fearful patient. The dentist can measure levels of anxiety and fear through self-report and records of dental care; an easily administered test of dental anxiety, such as the Dental Anxiety Scale; and a structured interview in a nonoperatory setting. For those patients exhibiting a moderate amount of anxiety, attention to basic aspects of good clinic care should be sufficient. For those patients manifesting a high level of anxiety, a treatment program implemented by a dental clinical assistant is outlined and recommended. The treatment program is intended to increase patient relaxation, positive cognitive coping statements, sensory information, sense of control, and confidence in handling the dental procedures. At any level of anxiety, it is recommended that patients be abundantly praised for any element of success in dealing with the stress of their dental experience. Lastly, for those patients who do not respond to treatment efforts to reduce anxiety, it is recommended that the dentist establish a regular consultation with a psychologist who is an expert in treating dental fear and anxiety.

Anxiety↗

PubMedDate not supplied