Occlusal Changes Research Articles

Neuroclusal rehabilitation with planas direct tracks in the treatment of anterior crossbite – literature review

Planas direct tracks (PDTs) are an alternative treatment based on neuro occlusal rehabilitation (NOR) of various occlusal changes in the primary dentition and in the beginning of mixed dentition. Anterior crossbite is a very common malocclusion during this period. The aim of the present work was to report on Planas direct tracks through a literature review based on neuro-occlusal rehabilitation as a therapy for anterior crossbite (ACB). The search for articles was performed in the databases SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine-USA) and Google Scholar. After searching for articles, 12 studies were listed, however, after evaluating the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only 5 articles remained. The articles found proved to be effective in resolving cases with PDTs based on NOR. PDTs were more suitable for the treatment of anterior crossbite in the primary dentition. The inclination of the tracks was variable, both in the anterior and posterior regions, between 20° and 45° degrees. Three case reports in primary dentition observed ACB correction after 30 days with PDT. As a result, two case reports reported that the treatment of ACB was resolved after 45 days with the effects of clockwise rotation of the mandible and its retropositioning. Another effect observed was the uncrossing of the anterior teeth, presenting an uncrossing of the bite and improvements in facial and postural symmetry. The NOR-based PDT for the case reports presented promoted the resolution of ACB malocclusion, promoting the correction of jaw posture, and in turn, improving the facial and postural symmetry of the mandible.

Orthodontic Risk Perspectives among Orthodontists during Treatment: A Descriptive Pilot Study in Greece and Slovakia.

This study explores orthodontists' perspectives on risks associated with orthodontic treatment, as described by Greek and Slovak orthodontists. Informed by the foundational importance of effective communication of risk perspectives in health sciences, particularly in facilitating valid consent and shared decision-making, this research addresses gaps identified in the literature concerning the consistent communication of potential treatment risks based on demographic and cultural characteristics. This study identifies 15 potential critical risks during orthodontic treatment. These risks include root resorption; temporary undesired changes to the occlusion; sleep difficulties; not achieving an ideal result; development of black triangles between teeth; taking additional X-rays; speech difficulties; using a protective splint during sports; duration of treatment; number of visits; transmission of infectious diseases; and swallowing orthodontic appliances. A questionnaire, distributed electronically to orthodontists in Greece (N1 = 570) and Slovakia (N2 = 210) from September 2022 to December 2022, aimed to assess risk communication practices, taking into consideration socio-demographic factors, such as country, gender, age, and academic-degree-related variations. A total of 168 valid questionnaires (91 from Slovakia and 77 from Greece) were obtained, indicating significant disparities in the risks emphasized and preferred forms of consent. The Greek orthodontists focused more on the risks involved, such as relapse, root resorption, temporal occlusal changes, and failure of desired movement, while the Slovak practitioners tended to be more interested in sleeping difficulties, temporal occlusal changes, and not achieving an ideal result. They also obtained written or digital consent from patients or their parents/guardians more frequently than the Greek team. Male orthodontists discussed specific risks more frequently, including relapse and extractions, whereas females preferred written or digital consent. PhD-trained orthodontists prioritized certain risks, indicating the need for tailored approaches. This study underscores the dynamic nature of risk assessment in orthodontic practice, emphasizing its ethical and strategic dimensions. The findings advocate for tailored risk communication strategies that recognize individual, contextual, and cultural factors, and the need for an orthodontic informed consent protocol for a tailored communication approach for patients to elevate the standard of care in European orthodontics. The reliance on digital tools reflects contemporary trends in enhancing patient understanding, thereby supporting ongoing innovation in orthodontic practices.

Central and Peripheral Changes in Retinal Vein Occlusion and Fellow Eyes in Ultra-Widefield Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

To explore the central and peripheral retinal and choroidal changes in retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and fellow eyes using ultra-widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (UWF-SS-OCTA). Fifteen ischemic central RVO (CRVO), 15 branch RVO (BRVO), and 15 age-matched healthy controls were prospectively recruited. Retinal and choroidal parameters, including retinal vessel flow density (VFD) and vessel linear density (VLD), choroidal vascularity volume (CVV), choroidal vascularity index (CVI), and VFD in the large and medium choroidal vessels (LMCV-VFD), were measured in the central and peripheral regions of the 24 × 20-mm UWF-SS-OCTA images. Ischemic CRVO and BRVO eyes showed increased foveal avascular zone area, perimeter, and acircularity index (AI) compared to their fellow eyes and healthy control eyes, and RVO fellow eyes also had larger AI values than controls (P < 0.05). For ischemic CRVO and BRVO eyes versus control eyes, VFD, VLD, CVV, CVI, and LMCV-VFD decreased, but retinal thickness and volume in the superficial capillary plexus, deep capillary plexus, and whole retina increased (P < 0.05). Moreover, RVO fellow eyes also showed significantly decreased retinal VFD, LMCV-VFD, and CVI, as well as increased retinal thickness and volume, compared with control eyes (P < 0.05). Alterations were not consistent throughout the retina, as they involved only the peripheral or central regions in some cases. The affected and unaffected fellow eyes of RVO patients both demonstrated central and/or peripheral structural and vascular alterations in the retina and choroid. Because UWF-SS-OCTA enables visualization and evaluation of the vasculature outside the posterior pole, it presents a promising approach to more fully characterize vascular alterations in RVO.

Effectiveness of Different Retention Protocols in Preventing Posttreatment Relapse After Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatment.

After undergoing comprehensive orthodontic treatment, maintaining the achieved results and preventing relapse remains a significant concern. Various retention protocols have been proposed to address this issue, but their comparative effectiveness is not well-established. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different retention protocols in preventing posttreatment relapse following comprehensive orthodontic treatment. A sample of 150 orthodontic patients who had completed their treatment was included in the study. The patients were divided into three groups based on the retention protocol they received: Group A (Hawley retainers), Group B (Essix retainers), and Group C (permanent retainers). Patients' dental casts were obtained at the end of the treatment (T0) and six months after treatment (T1). Various measurements, including anterior and posterior occlusal changes, were recorded. The results revealed that Group C (permanent retainers) showed the least amount of relapse compared to Groups A and B. In Group C, the mean anterior relapse was 0.2 mm, while in Groups A and B, it was 1.0 mm and 0.8 mm, respectively. Similarly, the mean posterior relapse in Group C was 0.1 mm, whereas in Groups A and B, it was 0.8 mm and 0.6 mm, respectively. These findings indicate that permanent retainers were more effective in preventing relapse compared to removable retainers. In preventing posttreatment relapse after comprehensive orthodontic treatment, permanent retainers demonstrated superior effectiveness compared to Hawley and Essix retainers.

A Real Time Face Recognition and Tracking Framework Using Lightweight Convolutional Neural Network

Human face recognition and tracking (FRT) plays a vital role in various fields, including security, authentication, and human-computer interaction. The main modules of the FRT system are detection, feature extraction, and FRT. Using a database, these units recognize faces as well as their location, movement, and visible features. The framework aims to process large visual data in real-time, enabling accurate and fast FRT. The paper develops a real-time FRT framework using a lightweight CNN convolutional neural network to accurately match images of faces and environments with different illumination and expression differences to improve performance. This paper focused on the development of real-time facial recognition and tracking systems. The model used to achieve this is based on deep learning (DL) using a lightweight convolutional neural network (CNN) and post-feature extraction using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) experiments demonstrate that DL with lightweight CNN models provides a good solution for FRT tasks, even in challenging situations including changes in position, expression, illumination, and occlusion. The results of CNN-based DL were compared with several experiments. The model was also compared with many modern methods and achieved better results. The lightweight CNN model for DL outperformed it 100% of the time. When the split rate is 70:30 and the learning rate is 0.001, the epoch is 100. This demonstrates the dominance of DL over other techniques and shows how well it handles FRT tasks using lightweight and even real-time CNN methods.

FishMOT: A Simple and Effective Method for Fish Tracking Based on IoU Matching

HighlightsExisting tracking methods face challenges in accuracy and robustness.FishMOT (Multiple Object Tracking for Fish) is a novel fish-tracking approach combining object detection and IoU matching.FishMOT outperforms state-of-the-art multi-target trackers and specialized fish-tracking tools on several metrics.The simplified workflow and strong performance make FishMOT a highly effective fish-tracking approach.Abstract. Fish tracking plays a vital role in understanding fish behavior and ecology. However, existing tracking methods face challenges in accuracy and robustness due to morphological changes in fish, occlusion, and complex environments. This article proposes FishMOT (Multiple Object Tracking for Fish), a novel fish tracking approach combining object detection and IoU (Intersection over Union) matching, including a basic module, an interaction module, and a refind module. Wherein, a basic module performs target association based on the IoU of detection boxes between successive frames to deal with the morphological change of fish; an interaction module combines the IoU of detection boxes and the IoU of fish entities to handle occlusions; and a refind module uses spatio-temporal information to overcome the tracking failure resulting from the missed detection by the detector in a complex environment. FishMOT reduces the computational complexity and memory consumption since it does not require complex feature extraction or identity assignment per fish and does not need a Kalman filter to predict the detection boxes of successive frames. Experimental results demonstrate FishMOT outperforms state-of-the-art multi-object trackers and specialized fish tracking tools in terms of MOTA (Multiple Object Tracking Accuracy), accuracy, computation time, memory consumption, etc. Furthermore, the method exhibits excellent robustness and generalizability for varying environments and fish numbers. The simplified workflow and strong performance make FishMOT a highly effective fish-tracking approach. The source codes and pre-trained models are available at: https://github.com/gakkistar/FishMOT. Keywords: Behavior analysis, Fish behavior, Fish tracking, Multiple object tracking, Object detection.

Joint Space Analysis Using Cone-beam Computed Tomography Imaging in Patients Diagnosed with Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis and Occlusal Changes

Joint Space Analysis Using Cone-beam Computed Tomography Imaging in Patients Diagnosed with Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis and Occlusal Changes

Low translational and rotational movements with 2-point stainless-steel retainers over aperiod of 1and 3years.

Long-term stabilization of orthodontic treatment outcomes is an everyday challenge in orthodontics. The use of permanently attached lingual retainers has become gold standard. However, in some cases, patients with fixed lingual retainers show retainer-associated side effects. Aiming to reduce these side effects, clinical knowledge about how tooth and arch form stability adaption takes place over time is important to improve long-term retention protocols. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate occlusion stability and risks for anewly developing malocclusion in atime-dependent manner in patients being treated with permanent 2‑point steel retainers. In this retrospective cohort study, atotal of 66consecutive patients with round stainless-steel retainers were analyzed for postorthodontic occlusion changes after 1year (group1, n = 33) and 3years (group2, n = 33). Digital Standard Tessellation Language (STL) datasets of the lower jaw were obtained before retainer insertion (T0), and after a1-(T1) or 3‑year (T2) retention period. Using superimposition software, T1and T2 situations were compared to T0 regarding rotational and translational changes in tooth positions in all three dimensions. Occlusion changes were low in both groups. The investigated lower canines were nearly stable in the 1‑ and 3‑year group, although aretention-time-dependent increase in tooth position change of the central and lateral incisors could be observed. The present data provide evidence for time-dependent development of posttherapeutic occlusal adaption limited to central and lateral incisors in patients treated with a2-point retainer. The observed occlusal changes should be interpreted as an occlusal adaption process rather than severe posttreatment changes associated with the orthodontic retainer.

Effect of mandibular advancement appliance use on oral and periodontal health in patients withOSA: a systematic review.

Use of a mandibular advancement appliance (MAA) is an effective treatment option for mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). MAA is well-tolerated but undesirable effects may be observed over time. The present systematic review aimed to assess the effect of MAA use on oral and periodontal health in patients with OSA. MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane, and Scopus were searched for randomized and non-randomized controlled trials (RCTs, NRCTs), cohorts, and case-control studies reporting on side effects of MAA treatment in OSA patients during a follow-up of at least 6months. From a total of 169 articles screened, 28 were selected. The most frequently reported MAA-related effects on oral health were: hypersalivation (weighted mean prevalence, 33.3%), occlusal changes (30.2%), muscle pain (22.9%), tooth discomfort or pain (20.2%), and xerostomia (18.3%). No MAA-related periodontal effect was reported. The periodontal status prior to MAA treatment was rarely assessed and described, but 5 studies (17.8%) stated that periodontitis was an exclusion criterion for MAA. Only one retrospective study specifically evaluated periodontal parameters and reported no significant changes in periodontally healthy patients withOSA using MAA for over 7years. MAA use is associated with a number of clinical consequences on oral health, but there is no evidence to conclude whether or notMAA affects periodontal health in patients withOSA. This aspect appears to be under-evaluated and should be further investigated in relation to the type of MAA, the duration of treatment, and prior history of periodontitis.

Changing faces: A case-based review of acromegaly

Acromegaly is a rare and underdiagnosed acquired disorder. It is commonly caused by an underlying pituitary adenoma that often requires surgical excision. Diagnosis is normally preceded by ~5–10 years of excessive growth owing to hypersecretion of growth hormone. This can have long-term medical complications and result in a reduced life expectancy. Acromegalic patients present to a number of healthcare professionals prior to diagnosis, including general dental practitioners. As changes in occlusion are often a patient's primary concern prior to acromegaly diagnosis, it is important that all dentists are aware of the presentation and differential diagnoses of such disorders. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Dentists should be aware of the initial presentation of acromegaly to facilitate early diagnosis.

КЛИНИЧЕСКИЙ СЛУЧАЙ СИНДРОМА ЧЕРЕПНО-КЛЮЧИЧНОГО ДИЗОСТОЗА: КЛИНИЧЕСКИЕ И РЕНГЕНОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ПРОЯВЛЕНИЯ

Objectives. Clinical case in the practice of an oral and maxillofacial surgeon: a child with cranioclavicular dysostosis. This cider was first described in 1898 by P. Marie and P. Sainton. H. Scheuthauer described the pathological manifestations of skeletal anomalies in more detail. Steithauer–Marie–Sainton syndrome, or cranioclavicular dysostosis, involves aplasia or hypoplasia of the clavicles, delayed dentition, supernumerary teeth, and other skeletal abnormalities. In this syndrome, skeletal abnormalities include clavicular aplasia, or hypoplasia, bell-shaped chest, enlarged cranial vault with a convex frontal bone, open fontanelle, brachydactyly, pelvic hypoplasia, short stature, severe abnormal development of teeth with changes in occlusion, that is, this is a fairly severe hereditary pathology . Retention and dystopia of permanent teeth are associated with the presence of one or more supernumerary teeth on the upper and lower jaws.&#x0D; Purpose. Conducting an anthropometric, dental, and x-ray examination of a child with cranioclavicular dysostosis.&#x0D; Methodology. The article presents photographs of the child, pediatric and dental examination data, plain radiography of the chest and collarbones, orthopantomography of the upper and lower jaw, and a treatment plan for cranioclavicular dysostosis. Currently, due to a problem with teething, she consulted a dentist; after an examination, the child was referred to a maxillofacial surgeon.&#x0D; Conclusions. Cranioclavical dysostosis syndrome is a complex congenital pathology, the complex rehabilitation of which should involve not only doctors of all dental specialties, but also maxillofacial surgeons, orthopedists, pediatricians, neurologists, speech therapists, and medical psychologists.

Arthrocentesis and intermaxillary traction appliance in a patient with unilateral posterior open bite caused by temporomandibular osteoarthritis : A Case Report

Osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) affects surrounding soft and hard tissues including cartilage, sub-chondral bone, and synovial membrane, causing TMJ remodeling and articular cartilage abrasion. When degenerative bone changes worsen in some patients with osteoarthritis, facial skeletal remodeling occur such as chin deviation, malocclusion. In patients with TMJ osteoarthritis, it is important to expand the joint space and decompress it. When pathological changes in the joint are observed, minimally invasive treatment such as intra-articular injection and arthrocentesis can be performed. An intermaxillary traction appliance can be applied for a short period of time to patients with TMJ osteoarthritis with oc-clusal changes. The purpose of this report is to review the case using arthrocentesis and intermaxillary traction appliance along with conservative treatment in a patient with unilateral posterior open bite caused by temporomandibular disorder(osteoarthritis), and to report the importance of appropriate diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorder.

Outcome measures of the surgery first approach for orthognathic correction of dentofacial deformities

In the surgery-first approach (SFA), orthognathic surgery is performed without the need for presurgical orthodontic treatment. This study was aimed at assessing the treatment durations and occlusal outcomes for a consecutive cohort of patients, with a range of dentofacial deformities, who had completed orthognathic treatment using SFA. The duration of orthognathic treatment was measured. The overall change in occlusion, and the quality of the final occlusion, were evaluated using the patients’ study casts. A single, independent, calibrated operator carried out the occlusal scores, using the validated Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) index. This was repeated to test intraoperator reliability. A total of 51 patients completed surgery-first treatment during the study period. The mean (range) age at surgery was 23.3 (15–47) years. The pre-treatment skeletal jaw relationship was Class III in 39 cases, and Class II in 12 cases. The mean (SD) overall treatment duration was 11.7 (5.7) months. The intraexaminer reliability of assessing the occlusion was high. The PAR scores confirmed a significant improvement in the quality of occlusion at the completion of treatment, which compares favourably with previous studies on the conventional orthodontics-first approach. The surgery first approach can be effective at correcting both Class II and Class III malocclusion types with reduced treatment times.

An In Vivo Study Using T-scan III Occlusal Analysis System: Does the Extraction Pattern Affect the Final Occlusion in Orthodontics?

The assessment of an orthodontic patient's occlusion throughout the treatment and after debonding permits the orthodontist to improve functional occlusion through interventional tooth movements, thus rendering the overall treatmentmore efficient in terms of stability and masticatory efficiency. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of four first premolarextractions during orthodontic treatment on the distribution of bite force using the T-scan III system (Tekscan Inc., Boston, MA). We aim to evaluate the effect of four first premolarextractions during orthodontic treatment on bite force distribution. Ten patients (mean age: 16 ± 2.72 years), who would be treated orthodontically with four first premolar extractions to treat their teeth crowding, were selected for this study. The T-scan III system was utilized to measure the occlusal bite force of the patients before and after treatment, and the findings were compared. There was a non-statistically significant decrease in the occlusal bite force's mean in the arch's anterior segment from 24.45% (± 8.50%) to 14.25% (± 12.93%) after the orthodontic treatment. A non-statistically significant increase in the occlusal bite force in the posterior right segment of the arch from 37.64% (± 18.13%) to 41.65% (± 11.52%) was found after the treatment. The occlusal bite force in the posterior left segment of the arch increased insignificantly from 30.53% (± 20.00%) to 43.95% (± 13.22%). There was an even distribution of bite force on both sides of the arch by the end of the treatment. Orthodontic treatment helps to achieve a functional occlusal balance by assisting in the uniform distribution of biting force on both sides of the arch. There was no statistically significant change in the distribution of bite force recordings collected before and after orthodontic treatment, indicating that the removal of the four first premolar teeth does notimpact the functional aspect of occlusion. The T-scan III system serves as an essential guide during orthodontic treatment to monitor occlusal changes.

Design and Analysis of an Expert System for the Detection and Recognition of Criminal Faces

The process of identifying a person using their facial traits is referred to as face recognition, and it is a form of biometric identification. The use of facial recognition might range from that of an entertainment tool to one of a security tool. Even while other forms of biometric identification, such as fingerprints and iris scans, are reliable, they require the active participation of an individual. As a result, criminals cannot rely on them as the most reliable means of verification. When a criminal database, which stores the individual details of a criminal, and facial recognition technology are brought together, it can identify a criminal who is depicted in an image or seen in a video feed. Not only does a criminal recognition system needs to have a high level of accuracy, but it also needs to be able to adapt to significant changes in lighting, occlusion, aging, expressions, and other factors. In this study, they were analyzed and compared with the many methods of face detection and face recognition, such as HAAR cascades, local binary patterns histogram, support vector machines, convolutional neural networks, and ResNet-34. These methods include a variety of different approaches to recognizing faces. An analysis of these strategies is also conducted and then put into practice to those that seem to be the most effective for the designed criminal recognition system. In addition to that, a variety of uses of this criminal recognition in the real world are also discussed.

Cephalometric changes associated with MAD therapy

Study objectives: The main objectives of this study were to assess the effect of mandibular advancement device (MAD) therapy on the upper airway morphology, as well as the occurence of dental and skeletal side effects following 1-year MAD therapy in patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: In this study we included 15 patients with mild to moderate OSA treated with MAD therapy. All subjects underwent sleep study and lateral cephalometric radiography at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed with respect to relevant variables. Results: MAD therapy reduced apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from 22.9±5.9 to 9.7±4.5 events/h (P&amp;lt;0.001) after 1-year of therapy. Oral area enclosure (3697.0±372.4 vs. 3381.5±336.4 mm2, P&amp;lt;0.001), superior airway space width (8.9±2.0 vs. 10.0±2.0 mm2, P=0.039), soft palate width (10.9±1.0 vs. 9.8±1.4, P=0.005) and length (45.4±3.8 vs. 43.9±4.2 mm, P=0.033) were significantly larger with the MAD intra-orally. Additionally, the tongue length decreased (84.1±5.3 vs. 80.7±5.9 mm, P=0.002), while the tongue height increased significantly (27.0±2.4 vs. 29.9±2.5 mm, P=0.003) with the MAD intra-orally. There were no significant changes in skeletal and dental cephalometric variables after 1 year of MAD therapy. Conclusions: Our results show significant enlargement of the upper airway dimensions with the MAD intra-orally in patients with mild to moderate OSA. Although there were no significant changes in skeletal and dental cephalometric variables after 1 year of MAD therapy, close follow-up during MAD therapy is advisable to prevent potentially relevant occlusal changes.

Condylar resorption post mandibular distraction osteogenesis in craniofacial microsomia: A retrospective study

The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of condylar resorption in craniofacial microsomia (CFM) patients following mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO).Patients with unilateral type-IIa and type-IIb CFM, who had completed MDO and mandibular distractor extraction (MDE), were recruited. The height and volume of the condyle were measured on three-dimension models created by the analysis of computed tomography (CT) data. Normality analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Data for the affected and unaffected sides were compared using the paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Data for both type-IIa and type-IIb CFM were compared using the independent-samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. The Pearson or Spearman correlation was used to determine the correlations of condylar resorption rate with related measurements.In total, 48 type-IIa and 48 type-IIb CFM patients were included. The condylar resorption rate in type-IIa CFM (0.35 ± 0.32) was significantly associated with the height of the condyle (r = 0.776, p < 0.001) and distraction distance (r = 0.447, p = 0.001), while the condylar resorption rate in type-IIb CFM (0.49 ± 0.46) was significantly associated with the height of the condyle (r = 0.924, p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in condylar resorption rate between type-IIa and type-IIb CFM (p = 0.075). In addition to occlusal changes, no other negative symptoms of the TMJ were observed with condylar resorption.Condylar resorption was evident in CFM patients following mandibular distraction osteogenesis, and the condylar resorption rate showed a relationship with distraction distance and condylar height.

Influence of Breathing Modes and Facial Growth Patterns on Electromyographic Fatigue of Masticatory Muscles in Children.

Introduction Changes in breathing patterns affect the harmonious development of the structures of the craniofacial system, leading to changes in posture, occlusion, and facial growth patterns. However, little is known about how these changes influence the muscle contraction patterns, either at rest or while functioning, and either in a normal or unbalanced condition. Objective To study the masseter and anterior temporal muscles fatigue during mastication in nasal- and mouth-breathing children, also considering their facial growth patterns. Methods: A total of 70 children aged 6 to 12 years old who met the study criteria were assessed. Speech-language-hearing, otorhinolaryngologic, and cephalometric assessments were performed to divide them into groups. In the electromyographic assessment, the children were asked to chew gum following a metronome until they felt fatigued. The median frequency of the muscles was analyzed at 15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds of mastication. The reported time of fatigue perception was recorded. The data were analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Kruskal-Wallis and the Mann-Whitney U tests. Results There were no median frequency decrease patterns nor differences in the myoelectric manifestations and reported time of fatigue between the groups. Conclusion The masticatory muscles did not reveal fatigue in the electromyographic analysis; however, the fatigue time was reported, despite the absence of physiological fatigue. The breathing mode, the facial growth pattern, and the association between them did not interfere with the behavior of the median frequency of the electromyographic signal and the fatigue time perception.

Progressive matching method of aerial-ground remote sensing image via multi-scale context feature coding

ABSTRACT The fine 3D model is the essential spatial information for the construction of a smart city. UAV aerial images with large-scale scene perception ability are common data sources for 3D modelling of cities at present. However, in some complex urban areas, a single aerial image is difficult to capture the 3D scene information because of the existence of some problems such as inaccurate edges, holes, and blurred building facade textures due to changes in perspective and area occlusion. Therefore, how to solve perspective changes and area occlusion of the aerial image quickly and efficiently has become an important problem. The ground image can be used as an important supplement to solve the problem of missing bottom and area occlusion in oblique photography modelling. Thus, this article proposes a progressive matching method via multi-scale context feature coding network to achieve robust matching of aerial-ground remote sensing images, which provides better technical support for urban modelling. The main idea consists of three parts: (1) a multi-scale context feature coding network is designed to extract feature on aerial-ground images efficiently; (2) a block-based matching strategy is proposed to pay more attention to local features of the aerial-ground images; (3) a progressive matching method is applied in block matching stage to obtain more accurate features. We used eight sets of typical data, such as aerial images captured by the drone DJI-MAVIC2 and ground images captured by handheld devices as experimental objects, and compared them with algorithms such as SIFT, D2-net, DFM and SuperGlue. Experimental results show that our proposed aerial-ground image matching method has a good performance that the average NCM has improved 2.1–8.2 times, and the average rate of correct matching has an average increase of 26% points with the average root of mean square error is only 1.48 pixels.

Neurotransmission, Vasculogenesis, and Osteogenesis Activities are Altered in the Aging Temporomandibular Joint of the Senescence-Accelerated Prone 8 Mouse Model

BackgroundAlterations in neurotransmission, vasculogenesis, and osteogenesis pathways that may play pivotal roles in age-related changes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are poorly understood. PurposeThis study aimed to measure the associations between gene and protein profiles in senescence-accelerated prone 8 (SAMP8) mice. Study designThe investigators designed and utilized three groups of two mouse models: 1) early aging SAMP8 at 24 weeks of age and control SAMR1 at 12 and 24 wks (each stage n=12). Predictor/exposure/independent variableThe independent variable was investigated using 3 mouse models: an early aging mouse model and a control mouse model (12 wks and 24 wks). Main outcome variable(s)The primary outcome variables were CGRP, VEGF-A, CD31, LYVE-1, osteocalcin, osteopontin, type I and II collagen, and MMP-2. The secondary outcome variables were histological characteristics. CovariatesNot applicable AnalysesThe gene and protein expression profiles of neurotransmitters, vasculogenesis, and osteogenesis were identified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and dot blot analysis, respectively. The cellular localization of these events was verified by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Bivariate statistics were computed for each of the outcome variables. Statistical significance was set to a P value < 0.05. ResultsThe expression of CGRP mRNA in the bony mandibular condyle (BMC) of SAMP8 mice (SAMP8, 3.3 ±0.39 vs. SAMR1, 0.001±0.0001) was high at 24 weeks of age (24 wks) (p<0.001). Higher numbers of cells positive for CGRP (MF, 1.97±0.13 vs. 0.35±0.05; CMC, 1.86±0.15 vs. 0.62±0.08; BMC, 1.32±0.10 vs. 0.28±0.06;) and VEGF-A (MF, 2.95±0.22 vs. 0.85±0.06; MC, 11.29±0.37 vs. 9.78 ±0.35; CMC, 12.4±0.53 vs. 1.41±1.25; BMC 1.97±0.15 vs. 0.63±0.06) antibodies were found in the TMJ (p<0.01). Conclusions and relevanceThe neurotransmitter, vasculogenesis, and osteogenesis pathways are associated with TMJ aging in the SAMP8 mouse model. In the future, the SAMP8 mouse model may prove to be a robust model for identifying molecular and biochemical events underlying the effects of feeding, occlusal changes, and tooth loss in the aging TMJ.