• Imaging Science in Dentistry
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.41-49
• /
• 2009

Purpose: To detect the progression of experimentally induced periapical lesions on periapical radiograph and cone beam computed tomograph (CBCT) by quantitative analysis. Materials and Methods: After the removal of coronal pulps from premolars of two Beagle dogs, the root canals of premolars were exposed to oral environment during one week and then sealed for 70 days. Digital periapical radiographs and CBCTs were taken at baseline and every 7 days for 77 days after pulp exposure. We examined occurrence and areas of periapical bone resorption. Three comparative groups of CBCT radiographs were prepared by average projection of thin slabs with different bucco-lingual thicknesses (0.1, 3.0, and 8.0 mm) using a 3D visualization software. Radiographic densities were compensated by image normalization. Digital images were processed with mathematical morphology operations. The radiographic density and morphological features of periapical lesions were compared among three groups of CBCT in different time points. Results: In the CBCT group with 0.1 mm thickness, radiographic density (p<0.05) and trabecular bone area (p<0.01) were significantly decreased at the fifth week. However, in the CBCT groups with 3 mm and 8 mm thickness and periapical radiographs, none of densitometric and morphological features showed any significant differences in different time points. Radiographic density of periapical lesion showed increasing tendency at the eleventh week after pulp exposure. Conclusion: Radiographic detection of periapical lesions was possible at the fifth week after pulp contamination by quantitative method and was affected by buccolingual bone thickness.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.461-472
• /
• 2004

Objectives : For the screening of neuroprotective effects of medicinal herbs, the complex system of animal models suffer some disadvantages in controlling critical parameters such as blood pressure and body temperature. Additionally, application of drugs to the appropriate brain area sometimes is difficult, due to poor permeability though the blood brain barrier, and so potential protective effects might be masked. Methods : Organotypic hippocampal slice culture (OHSC) method has the advantages of being relatively easy to prepare and of maintaining the general structure, including tissue integrity and the connections between cells. Drugs can easily be applied and neuronal damage can easily be quantified by using tissues and culture media. This study demonstrates neuroprotective effects of Puerariae radix (葛根, PR), Salviae miltiorrhizae radix (丹蔘, SR), Rhei rhizoma (大黃, RR), and Bupleuri radix (柴胡, BR). These were screenedand compared to MK-801, antagonist of NMDA receptors, by using OHSC of 1 week-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) were conducted in an anaerobic chamber $(85%\;N_2,\;10%\;CO_2\;and\;5%\;H_2)$ in a deoxygenated glucose-free medium for 60 minutes. Water extracts of each herbs were treated to culture media with $5\;{\mu}g/ml$ for 48 hours. Results : Neuronal cell death in the cultures was monitored by densitometric measurements of the cellular uptake of propidium iodide (PI). PI fluorescence images were obtained at 48 hours after the OGD and medicinal herb treatment. Also TUNEL-positive cells in the CAI and DG regions and LDH concentrations in culture media were measured at 48 hours after the OGD. According to measured data, MK-801, PR, SR and BR demonstrated significant neuroprotective effect against excessive neuronal cell death and apoptosis induced by the OGD insult. Especially, PR revealed similar neuroprotective effect to MK-801 and RR demonstrated weak neuroprotective effect. Conclusions : These results suggest that OHSC can be a suitable method for screening of neuroprotective effects of medicinal herbs. (This work was supported by the research program of Dongguk University and Grant 01-PJ9-PG1-01CO03-0003 from Ministry of Health & Welfare.)