Algirdas Puisys, DDS, Spec Perio, PhD/Saulius Zukauskas, DDS/Ricardas Kubilius, DDS, PhD/Mike Barbeck, PhD/Dainius Razukevičius, DDS, PhD/Laura Linkevičiene, DDS, PhD/Tomas Linkevičius, DDS, Dip Pros, PhD: This case series aimed to clinically and histologically evaluate porcine-derived membrane used for vertical thickening of thin soft tissues. Twenty porcine-derived collagen membranes and bone-level implants were placed in 20 patients. After 2 months, thickened soft tissues were measured and biopsy samples were harvested. All xenografts healed successfully. The average thickness of thin soft tissue before vertical thickening was 1.65 ? 0.36 mm, while tissue thickness increased to 3.45 ? 0.52 mm after the procedure (P < .001); the mean thickness increase was 1.8 ? 0.13 mm. Histologic analysis showed complete integration of the graft and no differences (P = .4578) in vascularization between the host (39.74 ? 17.15 vessels/mm²) and graft (30.43 ? 11.26 vessels/mm²). It can be concluded that porcine-derived membrane can be used for vertical soft tissue thickening with substantial gain in tissue height.

Bone remineralization around dental implants might be possible after early crestal bone loss.

Background and Objectives: The most popular surgical procedures among orthognathic surgeries for Class II and III patients are Le Fort 1 osteotomy for the maxilla and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO) for the mandible. Keeping the condyle in its proper place during fixation is one of the difficulties of orthognathic surgery. One of the worst post-orthognathic surgery consequences in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) area may be condylar resorption. Condylar remodeling refers to a group of processes that occur in reaction to forces and stress placed on the temporomandibular joint in order to preserve morphological, functional, and occlusal balance. A systematic review of the literature was performed with the aim of identifying the mandibular condylar component of TMJ changes after orthognathic surgery in class II and III patients. Materials and Methods: An electronic search was carried out using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, databases. The inclusion criteria included trials in non-growing patients upon whom orthognathic surgery was performed due to Angle II or Angle III classes malocclusion; in addition, a CT or cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan was performed before and after surgery to track the mandibular condylar component of TMJ changes. The quality of the studies was evaluated by two independent authors. The risk of bias was assessed by using the Downs and Black checklist. Results: The electronic and manual literature search yielded 12 studies that fulfilled all necessary inclusion criteria. Observed studies were evaluated as good (3), fair (8), and poor (1) quality. Two studies evaluated class II patients, six studies observed class III patients, and four studies were comparative. Most of the studies evaluated condyle angle and space changes, and the condylar surface and volume changes were also observed. However, the methodology of evaluation in the publications differs. Conclusions: Reduction of bone density, especially in class II patients, and morphological condyle reshaping, with the apposition of the bone, is the main adaptive mechanism after orthognathic surgery. However, all of the studies we examined were conducted using different methods of evaluation, measurement, and reference points.

Background and Objectives: The history of facial fillers is very broad, ranging from the use of various materials to modern technologies. Although procedures are considered safe, complications such as skin inflammation, infection, necrosis, or swelling may occur. It is crucial for specialists to be adequately prepared, inform patients how to prepare for corrective procedures, adhere to high safety standards, and continually educate. The goal of this systematic review is to identify complications arising during facial wrinkle correction procedures, as well as to explore safety and potential prevention strategies. Materials and methods: The review of the scientific literature followed the PRISMA guidelines. The search was performed in a single scientific database: PubMed. Considering predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, articles evaluating the safety of dermal fillers used for facial wrinkle correction, complications, and treatment outcomes were selected. The chosen articles were published from 15 February 2019 to 15 February 2024 (last search date: 25 February 2024). The selected articles compared the complications, product safety, and result longevity of various dermal fillers used for facial wrinkle correction. Results: In thirty-eight articles, which involved 3967 participants, a total of 8795 complications were reported. The majority of complications occurred after injections into the chin and surrounding area (n = 2852). Others were reported in lips and the surrounding area (n = 1911) and cheeks and the surrounding area (n = 1077). Out of the 8795 complications, 1076 were adverse events (AE), including two severe AE cases: mild skin necrosis (n = 1) and abscess (n = 1). There were no cases of vascular occlusion, visual impairment, or deaths related to the performed procedures. A total of 7719 injection site reactions were classified as mild or temporary, such as swelling (n = 1184), sensitivity (n = 1145), pain (n = 1064), bleeding (n = 969), hardening/stiffness (n = 888), nodules/irregularities (n = 849), and erythema (redness) (n = 785). Conclusions: Facial wrinkle correction procedures are generally safe and effective and the results can last from 6 to 24 months, depending on the dermal filler material and its components used. The most common complications after dermal filler injection usually resolve spontaneously, but if they persist, various pharmacological treatment methods can be used according to the condition, and surgical intervention is generally not required.

Seroprevalence rates and molecular characterization of hepatitis E virus (HEV) prevalent in the Lithuanian human population has not yet been evaluated. Immunosuppressed individuals have been recognized as a risk group for chronic hepatitis due to HEV genotype 3 (HEV-3) infections. The objectives of the present study were to determine prevalence rates of anti-HEV antibodies among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, to isolate and characterize HEV strain present in the Lithuanian human population, and to investigate its capacity to infect non-human primate (MARC-145 and Vero), swine (PK-15) and murine (Neuro-2a) cells in vitro. In the present study, the significant difference of anti-HEV IgG prevalence between healthy (3.0% (95% CI 0–6.3)) and immunosuppressed individuals (12.0% [95% CI 8.1–15.9]) was described. Moreover, our findings showed that anti-HEV IgG seropositivity can be significantly predicted by increasing age (OR = 1.032, p < 0.01), diagnosis of IBD (OR = 4.541, p < 0.01) and reception of SOT (OR = 4.042, <0.05). Locally isolated HEV strain clustered within genotype 3i subtype of genotype 3 and was capable of infecting MARC-145 cells. This study demonstrates higher HEV seroprevalence in the risk group compared to healthy control individuals without confidence interval overlap. The high level of genetic homology between human and animal strains in Lithuania and the capacity of locally isolated strains to infect cells of non-human origin suggests its potential for zoonotic transmission.

Wild boar-derived hepatitis E (HEV) genotype 3 virus has been successfully isolated in cell lines of human origin only. Considering the zoonotic potential and possible extrahepatic localisation of genotype 3 strain, it is important to investigate the viability of cell lines of different animal and tissue origins. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the permissiveness of non-human primate (MARC-145 and Vero) and swine (PK-15) cell lines of kidney origin, and a mouse neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) cell line for isolation of wild boar-derived HEV genotype 3. This study showed that MARC-145, PK-15, Neuro-2a and Vero cell lines were permissive to wild boar-derived HEV genotype 3 subtype 3i harbouring viral genome equivalents of 1.12 × 10⁷ copies/ml, 2.38 × 10⁵ copies/ml, 2.97 × 10⁷ copies/ml and 4.01 × 10⁷ copies/ml after five serial passages respectively. In all permissive cell lines, HEV was continuously recovered from growth medium between five and at least 28 days post-infection. Peak loads of HEV genome equivalents were observed on days 7, 12, 19 and 30 in MARC-145 (2.88 × 10⁷ copies/ml), Vero (4.23 × 10⁶ copies/ml), Neuro-2a (3.15 × 10⁶ copies/ml) and PK-15 (2.24 × 10⁷ copies/ml) cell lines respectively. In addition, successful virus isolation was confirmed by immunofluorescence assay targeting HEV capsid protein and sequencing of HEV isolate retrieved from cell cultures. This study showed that wild boar-derived HEV genotype 3 subtype 3i strain was capable of infecting cell lines of animal origin, including primate and porcine kidney cells (MARC-145, PK-15 and Vero), and mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a), supporting the notion of the capacity of HEV genotype 3 to cross the species barrier and extra-hepatic localisation of the virus. These findings warrant further studies of tested cell lines to investigate their capacity as an efficient system for HEV propagation. HEV isolates from other wild animal hosts should be isolated on tested cell lines in order to generate more data on HEV transmission between wild animal populations and their role as sources of human infections.