INTRODUCTION:Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with high-power lasers as the light source has been proven to be effective in disinfecting root canals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of PDT using toluidine blue O (TBO) and a low-energy light-emitting diode (LED) lamp after the conventional disinfection protocol of 6% NaOCl.METHODS:Single-rooted extracted teeth were cleaned, shaped, and sealed at the apex before incubation with Enterococcus faecalis for 2 weeks. Roots were randomly assigned to five experimental groups and three control groups. Dentin shavings were collected from the root canals of all groups with a #50/.06 rotary file, colony-forming units were determined, and the bacterial survival rate was calculated for each treatment.RESULTS:The bacterial survival rate of the NaOCl/TBO/light group (0.1%) was significantly lower (P < .005) than the NaOCl (0.66%) and TBO/light groups (2.9%).CONCLUSIONS:PDT using TBO and a LED lamp has the potential to be used as an adjunctive antimicrobial procedure in conventional endodontic therapy.

The objective of this study was to compare the sealing ability of ActiV GP/glass ionomer (GI) sealer (Brasseler USA, Savannah, GA), Resilon/Epiphany (Pentron Clinical Technologies, Wallingford, CT), and gutta-percha (GP)/AH Plus (Dentsply Maillefer, Tulsa, OK). Seventy-three human single-rooted teeth were randomly divided into three test groups (20 canals each) and two control groups (5 positive and 8 negative). Using Enterococcus faecalis, a split-chamber bacterial leakage model was developed to evaluate the sealing ability of the three obturation systems. Samples were monitored every 24 hours for 65 days. Thirteen teeth leaked in both the Resilon/Epiphany and GP/AH Plus groups, whereas 17 teeth leaked in the ActiV GP/GI group at the end of the observation period. There were no statistically significant differences in the resistance to leakage between the three obturation systems (p > 0.05).

Objective: To determine changes in clinical manifestations and cerebral blood flow (CBF) before and after administration of ECT to patients with catatonia due to schizophrenia or mood disorders. Methods: A sample of nine patients who met DSM-IV criteria for catatonia was studied. Patients received between 5 and 15 sessions (thrice per week) of ECT. Severity of catatonia was measured with the Modified Rogers Scale (MRS). Changes in CBF were measured with a brain single positron emission computer tomography (SPECT) that was performed 1 week before the first ECT and 1 week after the last ECT. Results: Catatonia was due to schizophrenia in five patients and mood disorders in four patients. There were no significant clinical and brain SPECT differences between these two groups before treatment. Pre- vs. post-ECT comparisons showed significant reduction of catatonic symptoms in both groups. However, patients with mood disorders needed less ECT sessions and showed greater clinical improvement. Brain SPECT showed significant increase in CBF in parietal, temporal, and occipital regions in patients with mood disorder and no significant changes in patients with schizophrenia. Conclusions: These results support the efficacy of ECT for treatment of catatonic patients, especially secondary to mood disorders, which seem to be correlated with improvements in CBF.