• Applied Microscopy
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 1986

The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphology and intercellular junctions of the odontoblast of dental pulp in the rat incisor by means of the freeze fracture electron microscopy. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing $150{\sim}200g$ were used. After being anesthetized by an intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 ml sodium pentobarbital per kg in body weight(60 mg/ml) the animals were perfused with 2.5% glutaraldehyde-2% paraformaldehyde fixative in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer, pH 7.2 through the ascending aorta for one hour. The incisors were carefully extracted from the jaws and demineralized by suspending them in 0.1 M EDTA in 3% glutaraldehyde (pH 7.2) for two weeks. After demineralization, the specimens were obtained from the portion divided into five equal parts. For freeze-fracture replication, demineralized tissues were infiltrated for several hours with 10%, 25% glycerol in 0.1M cacodylate buffer as a cryoprotectant and then frozen in liquid Freon 22 and stored in liquid nitrogen. Fracturing and replication were done in Balzers BAF 400D high-vacuum freeze-fracture apparatus at $-120^{\circ}C$ under routine $5X10^{-7}$ Torr vacuum. The tissue was immediately replicated with platinum unidirectionally at $45^{\circ}$ angle and reinforced with carbon at $90^{\circ}$ angle unidirectionally or by using a rotary stage. The replication process was monitored by a quartz-crystal device. The replicas were immersed in 100% methanol overnight. The tissue was then digested from the replica by clorox (laundry bleach), placed into 5% EDTA, and washed repeatedly with distilled water. The replicas were picked up on 0.3% formvar-coated 75 mesh grids and examined in the JEOL 100B electron microscope. The results were as follows; 1. Both in thin sections and freeze-fracture replicas, three types of intercellular junctions were recognizable in the plasma membrane of odontoblast: gap junction, tight junction and desmosome-like junction. 2. The nuclear pores were evenly distributed over the nuclear envelope. The pore complex formed a ring about 70 nm in diameter. 3. Gap junctions were found between odontoblasts as well as odontoblasts and neighbouring pulp cells (fibroblast, subodontoblastic cell process, nerve-like fibre). Gap junctions, which were round, ellipsoid and pear-shaped and 600 nm in diameter, were observed in the odontoblast. 4. Numerous round and ellipsoid gap junctions could be frequently seen on the plasma membranes in cell body and apical part of the odontoblasts. On the P face, the junctions were recognized as a cluster of closely packed particles, measuring about 9 nm in diameter, and on the E face, the junctions were recognized as a shallow grooves.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.26-30
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the apical foramen morphology and the length of merged canal at the apex in type II root canal system. Materials and Methods: This study included intact extracted maxillary and mandibular human premolars (n = 20) with fully formed roots without any visible signs of external resorption. The root segments were obtained by removing the crown 1 mm beneath the cementum-enamel junction (CEJ) using a rotary diamond disk. The distance between the file tip and merged point of joining two canals was defined as Lj. The roots were carefully sectioned at 1 mm from the apex by a slow-speed water-cooled diamond saw. All cross sections were examined under the microscope at ${\times}50$ magnification and photographed to estimate the shape of the apical foramen. The longest and the shortest diameter of apical foramen was measured using ImageJ program (1.44p, National Institutes of Health). Correlation coefficient was calculated to identify the link between Lj and the apical foramen shape by Pearson's correlation. Results: The average value of Lj was 3.74 mm. The average of proportion (P), estimated by dividing the longest diameter into the shortest diameter of the apical foramen, was 3.64. This study showed a significant negative correlation between P and Lj (p < 0.05). Conclusions: As Lj gets longer, the apical foramen becomes more ovally shaped. Likewise, as it gets shorter, the apical foramen becomes more flat shaped.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.67-71
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• 2014

Intravascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables imaging of the three-dimensional (3D) microstructure of a blood vessel wall. While 3D vascular visualization provides detailed information of the vessel wall and intraluminal structures, a longitudinal imaging pitch that is several times bigger than the imaging resolution of the system has limited true high-resolution 3D imaging. In this paper we demonstrate high-speed intravascular OCT in vivo, acquiring images at a rate of 350 frames per second. A 47-mm-long rabbit aorta was imaged in 3.7 seconds, after a short flush with contrast agent. The longitudinal imaging pitch was 34 micrometers, comparable to the transverse imaging resolution of the system. Three-dimensional volume rendering showed greatly enhanced visualization of tissue microstructure and stent struts, relative to what is provided by conventional intravascular imaging speeds.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.300-305
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• 2011

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the various NiTi rotary instruments regarding their ability to provide a circular apical preparation. Materials and Methods: 50 single canal roots were selected, cut at the cementodentinal junction and the coronal 1/3 of the canals was flared using Gates Glidden burs. Samples were randomly divided into 5 experimental groups of 10 each. In group I, GT files, Profile 04 and Quantec #9 and #10 files were used. In Group II Lightspeed was used instead of Quantec. In Group III, Orifice shaper, Profile .06 series and Lightspeed were used. In Group IV, Quantec #9 and #10 files were used instead of Lightspeed. In Group V, the GT file and the Profile .04 series were used to prepare the entire canal length. All tooth samples were cut at 1 mm, 3 mm and 5 mm from the apex and were examined under the microscope. Results: Groups II and III (Lightspeed) showed a more circular preparation in the apical 1mm samples than the groups that used Quantec (Group I & IV) or GT files and Profile .04 series.(Group V)(p < 0.05) There was no significant difference statistically among the apical 3, 5 mm samples. In 5 mm samples, most of the samples showed complete circularity and none of them showed irregular shape. Conclusions: Lightspeed showed circular preparation at apical 1 mm more frequently than other instruments used in this study. However only 35% of samples showed circularity even in the Lightspeed Group which were enlarged 3 ISO size from the initial apical binding file (IAF) size. So it must be considered that enlarging 3 ISO size isn't enough to make round preparation.