OBJECTIVE To test the null hypothesis that SmartClip self-ligating brackets are more effective than conventional brackets for initial mandibular alignment and identify influential factors. METHODS Fifty patients were randomly allocated to two equal treatment groups by using an online randomization program: self-ligating group (SmartClip brackets) and conventional group (Gemini brackets). The ...

We present 2 cases of ovarian masses diagnosed as tumours but turned out to be pregnancy. Ovarian pregnancy, a form of ectopic gestation has a distinct pathology though it can be a source of diagnostic difficulty clinically and intraoperatively. A total of 71 ectopic pregnancies were seen in the department from January 2001 to December 2005, of these only two were ovarian ectopics. Both patient...

INTRODUCTION Although there are numerous studies in the literature on alignment stability in the lower arch, there are few referring to the upper arch. AIMS To assess upper arch stability (irregularity index, widths and length of arch, overjet and overbite) in orthodontically treated patients by comparing late incisor stability with the initial malocclusion and type pf treatment undertaken. ...

A complete characterization of field-aligned ionospheric irregularities responsible for the scintillation of transionospheric satellite signals includes not only their spectral properties (power spectral strength, spectral index, outer-scale, and anisotropy) but also their bulk motion, or drift. At low latitudes, the irregularity drift is predominantly zonal and controlled by the F region dynam...

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the long-term occlusal stability in a group treated early with headgear (HG) compared with a control group. The total study group comprised 68 children (40 males and 28 females) aged 7.6 years (standard deviation 0.3), randomly divided into two groups of equal size. In the first group, HG treatment was initiated immediately, while in the control g...

OBJECTIVE Given the considerable disagreement between the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) index and the American Board of Orthodontics Cast-Radiograph Evaluation, we aimed to develop a novel assessment system-the Improvement and Completion of Outcome (ICO) index-to evaluate the outcome of orthodontic treatment. METHODS Sixteen criteria from 4 major categories were established to represent the pr...

An edge irregular total k-labeling φ : V ∪ E → {1, 2, . . . , k} of a graph G = (V,E) is a labeling of vertices and edges of G in such a way that for any different edges uv and u′v′ their weights φ(u) +φ(uv) +φ(v) and φ(u′) +φ(u′v′) +φ(v′) are distinct. The total edge irregularity strength, tes(G), is defined as the minimum k for which G has an edge irregular total k-labeling. In this paper, we...

A total vertex irregular k-labeling φ of a graph G is a labeling of the vertices and edges of G with labels from the set {1, 2, . . . , k} in such a way that for any two different vertices x and y their weights wt(x) and wt(y) are distinct. Here, the weight of a vertex x in G is the sum of the label of x and the labels of all edges incident with the vertex x. The minimum k for which the graph G...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the morphological changes of meibomian glands (MGs) in primary blepharospasm (PBS) by in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and to investigate the correlations between clinical data of PBS and LSCM parameters of MGs. This prospective and case-control study recruited 30 consecutive PBS patients and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Afte...