Scanning electron microscope evaluation of chlorhexidine gel and liquid associated with sodium hypochlorite cleaning on the root canal walls

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate, by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), the cleaning of the root canal walls after instrumentation and irrigation with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) associated with 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) gel or liquid, combined or not with 17% ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA).Study design. Sixty single-root human teeth were subjected to standardized root canal instrumentation with different irrigants (n = 10): G1) NaOCl + CHX liquid; G2) NaOCl + CHX liquid + EDTA + saline solution; G3) NaOCl + CHX gel; G4) NaOCl + CHX gel + EDTA + saline solution; G5) saline solution; G6) saline solution + EDTA. After instrumentation, the teeth were prepared for SEM analysis (x500 and x2,000) to evaluate the cleaning of the cervical, middle, and apical thirds. The area analyzed was quantified according to the percentage of open and closed tubules, and data were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance and Tukey tests (P = .05).Results. The number of open tubules was highest in G4 in all root thirds, showing statistically significant difference from G1, G2, and G5 (P < .05). G1 presented higher quantity of closed tubules significant than G2.Conclusion. Irrigation with NaOCl and CHX gel followed by EDTA and saline solution produced greater cleaning of the root canal walls. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2010;110:e82-e87)

Morphology of the walls of the cavernous sinus of Cebus apella (tufted capuchin monkey)

The morphology of the dura mater and its relationship with the structures of the cavernous sinus were analyzed in five tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) using histological sections, showing that the walls of the cavernous sinus of this species are similar to those of other primates, including man. Except for the medial wall of the cavernous sinus, the remaining walls consist of two distinct dura mater layers. The deep layer of the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus is contiguous to the sheath of the oculomotor, trochlear and ophthalmic nerves. Arterioles, venules, venous spaces, neuronal bodies and nervous fiber bundles are found on this lateral wall.

Diversity of vascular plants growing on walls of a Brazilian city

City walls are very specialized environments, conditioned by human activities. There is little information about plants that invade human-made habitats, and no study done in Brazil with plants growing up on walls. The aim of the present study was to survey the wall vascular flora of a Brazilian city, comparing the diversity found in its downtown and neighborhoods. Fieldwork was done in Jundiaí, São Paulo State, where data was collected in downtown and in five neighborhoods. In each place, three transects of 1 km were established and every plant individual was registered. Twenty-eight species were identified, all of them on the downtown transect and most also on the neighborhood transects. Five species were the most frequent, although none were dominant. The diversity indicies of the six transects were not significantly different, with an overall diversity of H′ = 2.93. © Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2006.

A BOUNDARY ELEMENT FORMULATION FOR MASONRY WALLS: NON-LINEAR ANALYSIS

In this work, a non-linear Boundary Element Method (BEM) formulation with damage model is extended for numerical simulation of structural masonry walls in 2D stress analysis. The formulation is reoriented to analyse structural masonry, the component materials of which, clay bricks and mortar, are considered as damaged materials. Also considered are the internal variables and cell discretization of the domain. A damage model is used to represent the material behaviour and the domain discretization is also proposed and discussed. The paper presents the numerical parameters of the damage model for the material properties of the masonry components, clay bricks and mortar. Some examples are shown to validate the formulation.

Residues of different gel formulations on dentinal walls: a SEM/EDS analysis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of residues of sodium hypo-chlorite gel, chlorhexidine gel, and EDTA gel on dentina l walls after canal preparat ion throughchemical SEM- elemental chemical microanal ys is (EDS) analysis. Forty-eight single-rootedteeth were selected. They had their crowns sectioned and were instrumented with a reciprocat-ing system. The canals were irrigated with 5 mL of saline solution during root canal preparation.After instrumentation, the root canals were irrigated with 3 mL 17% EDTA followed by 1 min ofultrasonic passive activation (33 20 sec) to remove the smear layer, and then irrigated with3 mL of saline solution. The specimens were randomized into three groups (n 5 12) accord ing tothe chemical substance that filled the root canal for 30 min: GI: 5.5% sodium hypochlorite gel;GII: 2% chlorhexidine gel; GIII: 24% EDTA gel; Negative c ontrol group: no substance was used.Then, the root canals were irrigated with 6 mL of saline solution followed by 1 min of ultrasonicpassive activation (33 20 sec). After ultrasonic activation , the canals were irrigated with 2 mLsaline. The roots were sect ioned, and the perce ntage of each chemical element present in thesamples was analyzed through chemi cal SEM-EDS microanalysis. All expe rimental groupsshowed a significantly higher percentage of chemical elements (Na and/or Cl) than the controlgroup (P < 0.03). This in vitro study has shown that, regardless of chemical solutions used evenafter the final irrigation protocol, chemical residues of d ifferent substances remained attached tothe r oot c anal wa lls. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:495–49 9, 2015.

Efficacy of NiTi rotary instruments in removing calcium hydroxide dressing residues from root canal walls

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three rotary instrument systems (K3, Pro Taper and Twisted File) in removing calcium hydroxide residues from root canal walls. Thirty-four human mandibular incisors were instrumented with the Pro Taper System up to the F2 instrument, irrigated with 2.5% NaOCl followed by 17% EDTA, and filled with a calcium hydroxide intracanal dressing. After 7 days, the calcium hydroxide dressing was removed using the following rotary instruments: G1. - NiTi size 25, 0.06 taper, of the K3 System; G2 - NiTi F2, of the Pro Taper System; or G3 - NiTi size 25, 0.06 taper, of the Twisted File System. The teeth were longitudinally grooved on the buccal and lingual root surfaces, split along their long axis, and their apical and cervical canal thirds were evaluated by SEM (x1000). The images were scored and the data were statistically analyzed using the Kruskall Wallis test. None of the instruments removed the calcium hydroxide dressing completely, either in the apical or cervical thirds, and no significant differences were observed among the rotary instruments tested (p > 0.05).

Totally implantable venous catheters: insertion via internal jugular vein with pocket implantation in the arm is an alternative for diseased thoracic walls

Purpose: Insertion of totally implantable catheters via deep vessels that drain into the superior vena cava results in a lower incidence of venous thrombosis and infection as compared to catheters inserted into femoral and arm veins. Superior vena cava obstruction and inadequacy of the thoracic wall are conditions that prevent reservoir implantation in the chest wall. In this article, we describe a technical innovation that enables the pocket to be fixed in the arm while still allowing access to be achieved via the internal jugular vein. Method: The procedure reported maintains the use of the internal jugular vein for access even when the patient's chest is not suited for reservoir implantation, which is localized in the arm. Results: The procedure was successful and no complications occurred. The position of the catheter tip did not alter with arm movement. Conclusion: The implantation of a port reservoir in the arm following venous access via the internal jugular vein is both safe and convenient.

Centrifuge modeling of earth-reinforced retaining walls

Object of this thesis has been centrifuge modelling of earth reinforced retaining walls with modular blocks facing in order to investigate on the influence of design parameters, such as length and vertical spacing of reinforcement, on the behaviour of the structure. In order to demonstrate, 11 models were tested, each one with different length of reinforcement or spacing. Each model was constructed and then placed in the centrifuge in order to artificially raise gravitational acceleration up to 35 g, reproducing the soil behaviour of a 5 metre high wall. Vertical and horizontal displacements were recorded by means of a special device which enabled tracking of deformations in the structure along its longitudinal cross section, essentially drawing its deformed shape. As expected, results confirmed reinforcement parameters to be the governing factor in the behaviour of earth reinforced structures since increase in length and spacing improved structural stability. However, the influence of the length was found out to be the leading parameter, reducing facial deformations up to five times, and the spacing playing an important role especially in unstable configurations. When failure occurred, failure surface was characterised by the same shape (circular) and depth, regardless of the reinforcement configuration. Furthermore, results confirmed the over-conservatism of codes, since models with reinforcement layers 0.4H long showed almost negligible deformations. Although the experiments performed were consistent and yielded replicable results, further numerical modelling may allow investigation on other issues, such as the influence of the reinforcement stiffness, facing stiffness and varying backfills.

Electromagnetic simulation and measurement of diffuse scattering from building walls

Il fenomeno dello scattering diffuso è stato oggetto di numerosi studi nell’arco degli ultimi anni, questo grazie alla sua rilevanza nell’ambito della propagazione elettromagnetica così come in molti altri campi di applicazione (remote sensing, ottica, fisica, etc.), ma la compresione completa di questo effetto è lungi dall’essere raggiunta. Infatti la complessità nello studio e nella caratterizzazione della diffusione deriva dalla miriade di casistiche ed effetti che si possono incontrare in un ambiente di propagazione reale, lasciando intuire la necessità di trattarne probabilisticamente il relativo contributo. Da qui nasce l’esigenza di avere applicazioni efficienti dal punto di vista ingegneristico che coniughino la definizione rigorosa del fenomeno e la conseguente semplificazione per fini pratici. In tale visione possiamo descrivere lo scattering diffuso come la sovrapposizione di tutti quegli effetti che si scostano dalle classiche leggi dell’ottica geometrica (riflessione, rifrazione e diffrazione) che generano contributi del campo anche in punti dello spazio e direzioni in cui teoricamente, per oggetti lisci ed omogenei, non dovrebbe esserci alcun apporto. Dunque l’effetto principale, nel caso di ambiente di propagazione reale, è la diversa distribuzione spaziale del campo rispetto al caso teorico di superficie liscia ed omogenea in congiunzione ad effetti di depolarizzazione e redistribuzione di energia nel bilancio di potenza. Perciò la complessità del fenomeno è evidente e l’obiettivo di tale elaborato è di proporre nuovi risultati che permettano di meglio descrivere lo scattering diffuso ed individuare altresì le tematiche sulle quali concentrare l’attenzione nei lavori futuri. In principio è stato quindi effettuato uno studio bibliografico così da identificare i modelli e le teorie esistenti individuando i punti sui quali riflettere maggiormente; nel contempo si sono analizzate le metodologie di caratterizzazione della permittività elettrica complessa dei materiali, questo per valutare la possibilità di ricavare i parametri da utilizzare nelle simulazioni utilizzando il medesimo setup di misura ideato per lo studio della diffusione. Successivamente si è realizzato un setup di simulazione grazie ad un software di calcolo elettromagnetico (basato sul metodo delle differenze finite nel dominio del tempo) grazie al quale è stato possibile analizzare la dispersione tridimensionale dovuta alle irregolarità del materiale. Infine è stata condotta una campagna di misure in camera anecoica con un banco sperimentale realizzato ad-hoc per effettuare una caratterizzazione del fenomeno di scattering in banda larga.

Application of Submerged Grouted Anchors in Sheet Pile Quay Walls

Sheet pile walls are one of the oldest earth retention systems utilized in civil engineering projects. They are used for various purposes; such as excavation support system, cofferdams, cut-off walls under dams, slope stabilization, waterfront structures, and flood walls. Sheet pile walls are one of the most common types of quay walls used in port construction. The worldwide increases in utilization of large ships for transportation have created an urgent need of deepening the seabed within port areas and consequently the rehabilitation of its wharfs. Several methods can be used to increase the load-carrying capacity of sheet-piling walls. The use of additional anchored tie rods grouted into the backfill soil and arranged along the exposed wall height is one of the most practical and appropriate solutions adopted for stabilization and rehabilitation of the existing quay wall. The Ravenna Port Authority initiated a project to deepen the harbor bottom at selected wharves. An extensive parametric study through the finite element program, PLAXIS 2D, version 2012 was carried out to investigate the enhancement of using submerged grouted anchors technique on the load response of sheet-piling quay wall. The influence of grout-ties area, length of grouted body, anchor inclination and anchor location were considered and evaluated due to the effect of different system parameters. Also a comparative study was conducted by Plaxis 2D and 3D program to investigate the behavior of these sheet pile quay walls in terms of horizontal displacements induced along the sheet pile wall and ground surface settlements as well as the anchor force and calculated factor of safety. Finally, a comprehensive study was carried out by using different constitutive models to simulate the mechanical behavior of the soil to investigate the effect of these two models (Mohr-Coulomb and Hardening Soil) on the behavior of these sheet pile quay walls.