VITA (Germany)

Usually, dentin and enamel shades are layered in dental restorations with the purpose of mimicking the natural appearance of teeth. The main objective of this study was to develop and assess accuracy of a color-prediction method for both monolithic and layered dental resin-based composites with varying shades and under different illuminants. A total of 15 different shades of VITAPAN Excell, VITAPAN Dentine and VITA Physiodens as well as VITA Enamel of five different thicknesses (0.5–2.5 mm range) were used to manufacture monolithic and layered samples. A non-contact spectroradiometer with CIE geometry was used to measure the color of all samples over a standard ceramic black background. Second-degree polynomial regression was used as predictive method for CIE-L*a*b* color coordinates. Performance of predictive models was tested using the CIEDE2000 total color difference formula (), while accuracy was evaluated by comparative assessment of with corresponding 50:50% acceptability () and perceptibly () thresholds for dentistry. A mean color difference between measured (real) and predicted color of , with 62.86% of the color differences below and 28.57% below , was registered for monolithic samples. For bi-layered samples, the mean color difference was roughly , with generally 100% and more than 85% of the estimations below and , respectively. The predictive method allowed highly accurate color estimations for both monolithic and layered dental resin-based composites with varying thicknesses and under different illuminations. These results could be useful to maximize the clinical success of dental restorations.

BackgroundExhaustive exercise causes muscle damage accompanied by oxidative stress and inflammation leading to muscle fatigue and muscle soreness. Lemon verbena leaves, commonly used as tea and refreshing beverage, demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a proprietary lemon verbena extract (Recoverben®) on muscle strength and recovery after exhaustive exercise in comparison to a placebo product.MethodsThe study was performed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study with parallel design. Forty-four healthy males and females, which were 22–50 years old and active in sports, were randomized to 400 mg lemon verbena extract once daily or placebo. The 15 days intervention was divided into 10 days supplementation prior to the exhaustive exercise day (intensive jump-protocol), one day during the test and four days after. Muscle strength (MVC), muscle damage (CK), oxidative stress (GPx), inflammation (IL6) and volunteer-reported muscle soreness intensity were assessed pre and post exercise.ResultsParticipants in the lemon verbena group benefited from less muscle damage as well as faster and full recovery. Compared to placebo, lemon verbena extract receiving participants had significantly less exercise-related loss of muscle strength (p = 0.0311) over all timepoints, improved glutathione peroxidase activity by trend (p = 0.0681) and less movement induced pain (p = 0.0788) by trend. Creatine kinase and IL-6 didn’t show significant discrimmination between groups.ConclusionLemon verbena extract (Recoverben®) has been shown to be a safe and well-tolerated natural sports ingredient, by reducing muscle damage after exhaustive exercise.Trial registrationThe trial was registered in the clinical trials registry (clinical trial.gov NCT02923102). Registered 28 September 2016

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) alone or combined with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-Ds) featuring automatic home monitoring (HM) function can be monitored remotely on a daily basis. Different ways of implementing HM into clinical routines are possible, with efficient patient management being the main objective. In this study, a concept using a telemedical service center (TmSC) to manage HM data was developed and investigated regarding patients' satisfaction, physicians' satisfaction, and alert filtering. Fifty-five ICD or CRT-D patients with symptomatic heart failure were enrolled. The TmSC received HM data, identified "actionable parameters" (APs) by following protocol-defined procedures, conducted structured patient interviews, and forwarded selected APs to the respective follow-up clinic. Satisfaction of patients and physicians with the TmSC was evaluated at the end of the study by purpose-designed questionnaires. During a mean follow-up of 402±200 days, 3,831 APs were identified and analyzed at the TmSC (5.28 per patient-month). Most APs were triggered by a pilot detection algorithm for worsening heart failure (2.80 per patient-month), followed by atrial tachyarrhythmia episodes (1.10 per patient-month) and ventricular pacing issues (0.87 per patient-month). The TmSC forwarded 682 APs (18% of all APs) to 10 study sites. Approximately 65% of physicians and patients deemed the TmSC improved patient care. The TmSC-based management concept was well accepted and appreciated by the majority of physicians and patients. It may be helpful in gaining symptomatic information on top of automatic HM data and in supporting smaller clinics in the follow-up of their device patients.

Very small embryonic-like (VSEL) cells have been described as putatively pluripotent stem cells present in murine bone marrow and human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) and as such are of high potential interest for regenerative medicine. However, there remain some questions concerning the precise identity and properties of VSEL cells, particularly those derived from hUCB. For this reason, we have carried out an extensive characterisation of purified populations of VSEL cells from a large number of UCB samples. Consistent with a previous report, we find that VSEL cells are CXCR4+, have a high density, are indeed significantly smaller than HSC and have an extremely high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. Their nucleoplasm is unstructured and stains strongly with Hoechst 33342. A comprehensive FACS screen for surface markers characteristic of embryonic, mesenchymal, neuronal or hematopoietic stem cells revealed negligible expression on VSEL cells. These cells failed to expand in vitro under a wide range of culture conditions known to support embryonic or adult stem cell types and a microarray analysis revealed the transcriptional profile of VSEL cells to be clearly distinct both from well-defined populations of pluripotent and adult stem cells and from the mature hematopoietic lineages. Finally, we detected an aneuploid karyotype in the majority of purified VSEL cells by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. These data support neither an embryonic nor an adult stem cell like phenotype, suggesting rather that hUCB VSEL cells are an aberrant and inactive population that is not comparable to murine VSEL cells.

The temperature-frequency behavior of quartz crystals depends on the as-grown lattice defects in the volume as well as on process-induced surface damage. The influence of some special lattice distortions on the vibration behavior is calculated, assuming some simplified models. The degree of lattice damage is measured on blanks of different manufacturers and after different surface processing by means of the X-ray /spl Theta/-scan and /spl Omega/-scan methods. Single grains in the measuring area as well as reflection curve broadening and intensity changes are detected. It is necessary to check the lattice damage in blanks before further production steps in order to avoid crystal losses due to such damage. The curve-width and intensity measurement can be combined with automatic cut angle sorting, and the corresponding values can be used as additional sorting criteria.