Biomedical subjects

Chiarella Sforza

Publications and source records attributed to Chiarella Sforza.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Growth patterns of human ovarian volume during intrauterine and postnatal organogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian volumes during pre-pubertal, reproductive or menopausal life in a healthy female have been studied by in vivo and anatomical methods. In contrast, conclusive studies on normal human ovarian volume during intrauterine and postnatal organogenesis, when the folliculogenesis occurs, do not exist. AIM: To assess the growth patterns of ovarian volume during human ovarian definitive histogenesis using morphometric methods. SUBJECTS: Twenty-five left ovaries removed from fetuses, newborns and children with karyotype 46,XX, ranging from 15 to 74 weeks of development. OUTCOME MEASURES: The ovaries were completely cut obtaining serial sections. Ovarian volume was calculated both with the ellipsoid method, using its length, maximum and minimum diameters, and the Cavalieri quantitative morphometric method. The age-related pattern of ovarian volume was studied using linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Ovarian volume calculated with the Cavalieri method increased from 16 mm3 at the 15th week of development to over 300 mm3 at the end of the process, with a 20-fold increase compared to the initial volume. Ovarian volume calculated with the ellipsoid method ranged between 25 to over 380 mm3, with a 15-fold increase. On average, ellipsoidal volume over-estimated the true Cavalieri volume (mean difference -14%, S.D. 29, p=0.014, Student's t-test for paired samples). Linear regression curves were developed to predict ovarian volume at any age. Overall, the approximation was better for Cavalieri volume (approximately, 72% of variance explained by the linear regression) than for ellipsoid volume (59% of explained variance). CONCLUSIONS: During the intrauterine and postnatal organogenesis, the normal growth rate of human ovary was almost linear. The calculation of ovarian volume using Cavalieri method does not depend on assumptions about the organ shape and it appears to be more appropriate.

Female↗

PubMed2004

Maximal bite forces in healthy young adults as predicted by surface electromyography.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the repeatability of maximal bite force estimates as obtained by submaximal electromyographic-force relationships performed simultaneously and symmetrically in both sides of the mouth. The protocol could be used in a clinical context to obtain indicative values for the occlusal loads to be resisted by the prosthetic reconstructions. METHODS: Ten young healthy subjects performed; (1) a maximum voluntary clench (MVC) directly on their occlusal surfaces; (2) four simultaneous recording of submaximal bite forces (98, 196, 304 and 392 N on two transducers positioned on the left and right first mandibular molars) and surface EMG potentials of the masseter and temporalis anterior muscles. The actual force peak value was recorded. For each subject, a linear regression was run between the simultaneous bite force and EMG submaximal values recorded in the four tests. Using the EMG potentials obtained during the MVC tests, the best fitting line was used to estimate a maximum bite force. Two independent recordings were made by each subject (2 week interval) and analyzed by correlation analysis, paired Student's t-test, and Dahlberg statistic. RESULTS: Significant linear relationships were found between bite force and EMG potentials (p<0.01). The two series of indirect estimates of maximal bite force were correlated (r=0.626) without systematic differences (Student's t, p>0.01). Dahlberg statistic was 115.37 N (approximately 36% of the total variance of the group). CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneously recorded submaximal bite forces and surface EMG potentials of mandibular elevator muscles had a linear relationship. The estimates of maximum bite force were repeatable on a short-term basis (2 weeks). The method limited the disadvantages of bite force recordings, and it could be used to obtain indicative values for the occlusal loads to be resisted by the prosthetic reconstructions.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Soft tissue facial morphology in obese adolescents: a three-dimensional noninvasive assessment.

The number of obese adolescents is increasing in the Western society. For a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying this pathology, the quantitative characteristics of the facial soft tissues should also be investigated. The three-dimensional coordinates of 12 soft tissue facial landmarks were obtained by computerized digitizers in 11 male and 14 female adolescents aged 13-17 years, all with a body mass index larger than 30 kg/m2 (mean 31.67 kg/m2, SD 1.58). From the landmarks, several facial dimensions were calculated. Data were compared with those collected in normal individuals of the same age, ethnicity, and sex by computing z scores. Significant (paired Student's t-test, P < .05) larger dimensions were found for skull base width (girls), mandibular width (both sexes), lower face depth (girls), and mandibular corpus length (girls). In the pooled sample (boys plus girls), the faces of obese adolescents were significantly wider transversally (skull base width, mandibular width), deeper sagittally (mid and lower face depth, mandibular corpus length), and shorter vertically (upper facial height) than those of their normal school companions. "Borderline" obese adolescents possessed some facial characteristics typical of patients with more substantial obesity. The effect of an increased body weight-per-height was therefore present also in subjects not already referred to a medical control.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Soft tissue facial anthropometry in Down syndrome subjects.

The three-dimensional coordinates of 50 selected soft tissue facial landmarks were digitized on 28 white Italian subjects with Down syndrome (17 male and 11 female subjects aged 12 to 45 years) and 429 healthy controls of comparable ages by an electromechanical instrument. From the landmarks, 16 facial dimensions were calculated. Data were compared with those collected in healthy individuals by computing z-scores. Overall, most variables were smaller in subjects with Down syndrome than in their normal controls selected for sex, age, and ethnicity (negative z-scores), even if not all of them reached statistical significance. Independently of sex, subjects with Down syndrome had faces that were significantly (P <0.05, paired Student t test) narrower (skull base and mandible), less deep (upper, middle, and lower face), and shorter (face and nose height) than the faces of normal subjects. Additionally, ear width and length were significantly reduced on both sides of the face. Only facial height was significantly different between sexes (P = 0.023, unpaired Student t test), with a female z-score that was more than two times the relevant male value. The present investigation represents the first detailed quantitative analysis of the facial soft tissue characteristics of Italian white subjects with Down syndrome.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Three-dimensional assessment of nose and lip morphology in subjects with down syndrome.

Nasolabial morphology was assessed 3-dimensionally in 28 subjects with Down syndrome aged 12-45 years and in 449 sex- and age-matched controls. Subject and reference data were compared by computing z scores and calculating Student's t tests. The nose was significantly smaller (volume, area) in the subjects with Down syndrome than in the reference subjects, and it had a different shape (more flat angle of alar slope, more acute nasal tip angle). The vertical (length of the nasal bridge, height of the nose) and anteroposterior (nasal tip protrusion) dimensions were reduced, while the horizontal dimensions (alar base width, superior and inferior widths of the nostrils) were increased. The lower lip was significantly smaller (volume, area, vermilion height), while the upper lip was larger (area, vermilion height) in the subjects with Down syndrome. The mouth width was also significantly smaller. In conclusion, the analyzed subjects with Down syndrome had a hypoplastic nose and different upper and lower lips than reference, normal subjects.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Neuromuscular coordination of masticatory muscles in subjects with two types of implant-supported prostheses.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the electromyographic (EMG) characteristics of masticatory muscles in patients with fixed implant-supported prostheses and implant overdentures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nineteen subjects aged 45-79 years were examined. Fourteen were edentulous and had been successfully rehabilitated with (a) maxillary and mandibular implant-supported fixed prostheses (seven patients); (b) mandibular implant overdentures and maxillary complete dentures (seven patients). Five control subjects had natural dentition or single/partial (no more than two teeth) tooth or implant fixed dentures. Surface EMG of the masseter and temporal muscles was performed during unilateral gum chewing and during maximum teeth clenching. To reduce biological and instrumental noise, all values were standardized as percentage of a maximum clenching on cotton rolls. RESULTS: During clenching, temporal muscle symmetry was larger in control subjects and fixed implant-supported prosthesis patients than in overdenture patients (analysis of variance, P=0.005). No differences were found in masseter muscle symmetry or in muscular torque. Muscle activities (integrated areas of the EMG potentials over time) were significantly larger in control subjects than in implant-supported prosthesis patients (P=0.014). In both patient groups, a poor neuromuscular coordination during chewing, with altered muscular patterns, and a smaller left-right symmetry than in control subjects were found (P=0.05). No differences in masticatory frequency were found. CONCLUSION: Surface EMG analysis of clenching and chewing showed that fixed implant-supported prostheses and implant overdentures were functionally equivalent. Neuromuscular coordination during chewing was inferior to that found in subjects with natural dentition.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2004

Induced oral breathing and craniocervical postural relations: an experimental study in healthy young adults.

The influence of induced oral breathing on head and craniocervical posture was studied in ten healthy young adults. After a baseline recording, oral respiration was induced by using a swimmer's type nose clip. The subjects were filmed 15 and 90 minutes after wearing the nose clip, immediately and 15 minutes after taking it off. The angles C7-tragion versus the true vertical, nasion-tragion versus the vertical, and C7-tragion-nasion were calculated, and the difference between the baseline and the four experimental recordings was computed. During the experiment, head and neck positions were modified in all subjects, but with a large variability for both the direction (flexion or extension) and the extent of the modification. Overall, the mean differences were minimal with large standard deviations. Differences between baseline and the experimental recordings were significant only for the C7-tragion versus the vertical angle (analysis of variance, p=0.0083). In conclusion, induced oral respiration may have a significant role in the alteration of head and craniocervical posture, but the effect was highly variable.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Aging of oocyte, ovary, and human reproduction.

We review age-related changes in the ovary and their effect on female fertility, with particular emphasis on follicle formation, follicle dynamics, and oocyte quality. The evidence indicates that the developmental processes leading to follicle formation set the rules determining follicle quiescence and growth. This regulatory system is maintained until menopause and is directly affected in at least some models of premature ovarian failure (POF), most strikingly in the Foxl2 mouse knockout, a model of human POF with monogenic etiology (blepharophimosis/ptosis/epicanthus inversus syndrome). Several lines of evidence indicate that if the ovarian germ cell lineage maintains regenerative potential, as recently suggested in the mouse, a role in follicle dynamics for germ stem cells, if any, is likely indirect or secondary. In addition, age-related variations in oocyte quality in animal models suggest that reproductive competence is acquired progressively and might depend on parallel growth and differentiation of follicle cells and stroma. Genomewide analyses of the mouse oocyte transcriptome have begun to be used to systematically investigate the mechanisms of reproductive competence that are altered with aging. Investigative and therapeutic strategies can benefit from considering the role of continuous interactions between follicle cells and oocytes from the beginning of histogenesis to full maturation.

Aging↗

PubMed2004

Variations in facial soft tissues of italian individuals with ectodermal dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To supply quantitative information about the facial soft tissues of patients with ectodermal dysplasia (ED). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: The three-dimensional coordinates of soft tissue facial landmarks were obtained using an electromagnetic digitizer in 20 Caucasian patients with ED (11 male and 9 female patients aged 7 to 41 years) and 391 healthy controls (163 female and 228 male subjects of comparable ages). From the landmarks, 15 facial dimensions and two angles were calculated. Data were compared with those collected in healthy individuals by computing z-scores. Two summary anthropometric measurements for quantifying craniofacial variations were assessed in both the patients and reference subjects: the mean z-score (an index of overall facial size) and its standard deviation, called the craniofacial variability index (an index of facial harmony). RESULTS: In patients with ED, a large variability was found for both the mean z-score and the craniofacial variability index. On average, the patients had a somewhat smaller facial size than the normal individuals, with a global disharmonious appearance. Overall, 70% of patients fell outside the quantitative definitions for normal facial size, harmony or both. When examining the distribution of the single z-scores of the 17 selected measurements, variable patterns were found, without consistent effects of age or sex. CONCLUSIONS: The facial soft tissue structures of patients with ED differed both in size and shape from those of normal controls of the same age, sex, and ethnic group.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Growth and aging of facial soft tissues: A computerized three-dimensional mesh diagram analysis.

The normal growth, development, and aging of facial soft tissues was studied by three-dimensional (3D) computerized mesh diagram analysis. The 3D coordinates of 50 soft-tissue landmarks were collected from 591 healthy white northern Italians (351 males, 240 females) 6-40 years of age. For each gender and age class, mean values were computed, and a standardized mesh of equidistant horizontal, vertical, and anterior-posterior lines was constructed. Within each age group, male meshes were superimposed on female meshes. For each gender, the 6-year-old reference mesh was superimposed on the reference mesh of each age group. The global (size plus shape) difference was evaluated by calculating the relevant displacement vectors for each landmark. Consequently, a size normalization was carried out and the shape difference was evaluated by calculating new relevant displacement vectors for each landmark. Growth and development were different along the three spatial planes: the largest increment was observed in the vertical dimension, with major modifications in the soft-tissue profile. The vertical dimension in males increased even after 30 years of age: ear dimensions increased, trichion moved superiorly and posteriorly, and pogonion, menton, and gonion moved anteriorly and inferiorly. In all age groups, size-standardized shape differences were found in the forehead, lower-third facial profile, eyes, cheeks, and ears. In each age class, male dimensions were larger than female dimensions. During childhood, gender differences in size were limited; shape differences were even less manifest. Overall, the profile was more anterior and inferior, the gonia were more inferior and more lateral, the forehead was more anterior, and the ears were larger in males than in females of corresponding age.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Position of follicles in normal human ovary during definitive histogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Follicular growth in the mammalian ovary follows a geographically determined pattern, but no exhaustive data about their spatial localization in the cortex of human ovary exists. AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the spatial position of the follicles during human ovarian definitive histogenesis using morphometric methods. SUBJECTS: Ovaries removed from four fetuses, five newborns and one 8-month-old child with 46,XX karyotype was used. OUTCOME MEASURES: The position of the different follicle categories (primordial, primary, secondary and antral) was estimated as percentage distance of the centroid of the follicle from the cortico-medullary boundary. RESULTS: In normal ovaries, during definitive histogenesis, the primordial follicles progressively occupy more peripheral parts of the cortex (on average, 41% of cortical length at 20 weeks of fetal development, 53% at birth, 68% at 8 postnatal months). Primary follicles were crowded in the inner part of the cortex (newborn: 30-40% of cortical length; 8 months: 52% of cortical length). Secondary and antral follicles were sampled in all neonatal specimens and in the 8-month old specimen; they were grouped next to the cortico-medullary boundary. CONCLUSIONS: Ovarian development corresponded to a migration of the maximum crowding of follicles from a position next to the medulla towards a more peripheral location. The control of the primordial follicle assembly, recruitment and development are coordinated by locally produced paracrine factors. The action of these factors seems to follow a negative gradient from the cortex toward the medulla.

Female↗

PubMed2003

Relation between vertical facial morphology and jaw muscle activity in healthy young men.

The aim of the current investigation was to quantitatively analyze the relation between the activity of masticatory muscles and the inclination of the mandibular plane in a group of 73 healthy white men aged 20-36 years. The three-dimensional coordinates of soft-tissue landmarks gnathion and left and right gonion were digitized using an electromagnetic computerized instrument, the orientation of mandibular plane relative to the true vertical was computed and projected on the anatomical sagittal plane. The electromyographic (EMG) potentials of left and right masseter and temporalis anterior during maximum voluntary teeth clenching were recorded, and the mean EMG amplitude calculated. Two groups of men with opposite facial morphology were then selected: all men with a steep mandibular plane (higher than the mean plus one standard deviation) entered a first group (10 'long face' subjects), while all men with a relatively more horizontal mandibular plane (lower than the mean minus one standard deviation) entered a second group (13 'short face' subjects). Mean EMG potentials computed in the two groups were compared by using Student's t -test for independent samples. All the EMG potentials recorded during maximum voluntary clench in the 'long face' men were lower than that recorded in the 'short face' men, with statistically significant differences for all four analyzed muscles (p < 0.05). In conclusion, a non-invasive three-dimensional method confirmed that facial morphology and muscular function are significantly related, at least in men with a sound stomatognathic apparatus.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Quantitative effects of a nickel-titanium palatal expander on skeletal and dental structures in the primary and mixed dentition: a preliminary study.

The present study analysed the six-month effects of a nickel-titanium (NiTi) palatal expander on the dental and palatal structures of four primary (mean age 5.8 years) and nine mixed dentition children (mean age 8.7 years), with a posterior unilateral crossbite. Standardized dental and palatal landmarks were digitized using a three-dimensional (3D) electromagnetic instrument. Collected data were analysed with geometric-mathematical models. During a six-month interval, the natural growth and development of the dental arches and hard tissue palate was negligible, as assessed in seven control children (two in the primary dentition, mean age 4.4 years; five in the mixed dentition, mean age 7.7 years). In all children the crossbite was completely corrected. Indeed, dental expansion was always more than or corresponded to the palatal expansion. A smoothing of the size-independent (shape) palatal curvature in the transverse plane was observed. No differences in maximum palatal height were noted. Symmetrical derotation of the anchorage teeth in a distal direction occurred in almost all children. The inclination of the facial axis of the clinical crown (FACC) in the anatomical transverse plane of those teeth with differences between dental and palatal expansion always showed significant modifications (vestibular inclination up to 16.7 degrees). The clinical crown height of anchorage teeth remained nearly the same in all patients. No significant modifications in mandibular arch size were observed. The increase in maxillary arch width, especially in younger children, was probably due to a combination of different effects: opening of the midpalatal suture, tipping of the alveolar process, and molar tipping.

Alveolar Process↗

PubMed2003

A quantitative three-dimensional assessment of soft tissue facial asymmetry of cleft lip and palate adult patients.

The three-dimensional coordinates of 23 selected soft-tissue facial landmarks were digitized on 18 cleft lip and palate (CLP) white patients (11 male and 7 female patients aged 19-27 years) and 161 healthy controls (73 female and 89 male subjects aged 18-30 years) by an electromagnetic instrument. Facial asymmetry was quantified by detecting a plane of symmetry and the centers of gravity (CG) of the right and left hemifaces and by calculating the distance between the two CG (distance from symmetry [DFS]). Both absolute (millimeters) and percentage (of the nasion center of gravity distance) DFS was obtained. The asymmetry of single landmarks was also quantified. Overall, asymmetry in operated CLP patients appeared only moderately larger than that measured in the healthy reference population, with the largest value being only 5% larger than the maximum normal asymmetry. Female patients had a somewhat larger lateral asymmetry than male patients, and unilateral CLP patients (particularly the men) were more asymmetrical than bilateral CLP patients. Pronasale and subnasale landmarks were asymmetrical in 8 patients, whereas endocanthion, zygion, cheilion, and gonion landmarks were symmetrical in all patients. In conclusion, the facial soft-tissue structures of CLP patients operated on as adults were only moderately more asymmetrical than those measured in a reference group of the same age, sex, and ethnicity.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Three-dimensional lip morphometry in adults operated on for cleft lip and palate.

Measurements were taken from 18 patients operated on for cleft lip and palate, aged 19 to 27 years, and 162 control subjects matched for sex, age, and ethnic group. Nine soft-tissue landmarks on the lips were digitized by a three-dimensional electromagnetic instrument. From the landmarks, several linear distances (mouth width, philtrum width, vermilion height of upper and lower lip, total vermilion height, total lip height), the interlabial angle, and some areas (vermilion of upper lip, vermilion of lower lip, total vermilion) and volumes (upper lip volume, lower lip volume, total lip volume) were calculated. Patient and reference data were compared by t tests and Watson-Williams tests. In the men, significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in width of the philtrum, height and area of the vermilion part of the upper lip, and total vermilion height and area (all larger in male patients than in controls). In the women, significant differences were found in the height and area of the vermilion part of the upper lip (larger in female patients than in controls), and in the height and area of the vermilion part of the lower lip (smaller in patients than in controls). In both sexes, the interlabial angle was smaller than in the reference population. In conclusion, the upper lip of adult patients operated on for cleft lip and palate differed from that of healthy controls of the same age, sex, and ethnic group. Surgical correction of cleft lip and palate failed to provide a completely normal appearance. The analysis pointed out those parts of the lips and mouth (in particular, the vermilion part of the upper lip) that differed the most from the norm. The method may be used to indicate to the surgeon and patient where additional procedures might be performed to approximate the morphologic characteristics of a reference population.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Three-dimensional nasal morphology in cleft lip and palate operated adult patients.

Nasal morphology was assessed three-dimensionally in 18 cleft lip and palate operated patients aged 19 to 27 years, and in 161 sex- and age-matched control subjects. Comparisons were performed by Student t and Watson-Williams' tests. No differences were found in nasal volume or surface. Nasal width, alar base width, and inferior width of the nostrils were significantly larger in male patients than in the reference men. The nasal bridge was shorter. Similar differences were found in the female patients. In addition, the right nostril was larger and the nasal height shorter. In men, the nasolabial and the nasal tip angles were smaller in the patients than in the reference subjects, whereas the facial convexity angle was larger in the patients. In conclusion, the nose of adult operated cleft lip and palate patients differed from that of normal control subjects. Surgical corrections of the cleft lip and palate failed to provide a completely normal appearance. The methods might be used to indicate where additional procedures might be performed to approximate a reference population.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

A quantitative three-dimensional assessment of abnormal variations in facial soft tissues of adult patients with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To supply quantitative information about the facial soft tissues of adult operated patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: The three-dimensional coordinates of soft tissue facial landmarks were obtained using an electromagnetic digitizer in 18 Caucasian patients with CLP (11 males and 7 females aged 19 to 27 years) and 162 healthy controls (73 females and 89 males aged 18 to 30 years). From the landmarks, 15 facial dimensions and two angles were calculated. Data were compared with those collected in healthy individuals by computing z-scores. Two summary anthropometric measurements for quantifying craniofacial variations were assessed in both the patients and reference subjects: the mean z-score (an index of overall facial size), and its SD, called the craniofacial variability index (an index of facial harmony). RESULTS: In treated patients with CLP, facial size was somewhat smaller than in normal individuals, but in all occasions the mean z-score fell inside the normal interval (mean +/- 2 SD). Almost all patients had a craniofacial variability index larger than the normal interval, indicating a global disharmonious appearance. Overall, in patients pronasale, subnasale, and pogonion were more posterior, the nose was shorter and larger, the face was narrower, and the soft tissue profile and upper lip were flatter than in the reference population. CONCLUSIONS: The facial soft tissue structures of adult operated patients with CLP differed from those of normal controls of the same age, sex, and ethnic group. In this patient group, surgical corrections of CLP failed to provide a completely harmonious appearance, even if the deviations from the reference were limited. Further analyses of larger groups of patients are needed.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Influence of training on maintenance of equilibrium on a tilting platform.

To assess the influence of training on the maintenance of equilibrium on a tilting platform, 13 young healthy male athletes aged 19 to 33 years were randomly divided into experimental (n=7) and control (n=6) groups. Two experimental sessions were performed before and after a specific 4-wk. training by the experimental group. Subjects stood upright on a tilting platform. The athletes were asked to maintain the platform as horizontal as possible during a 30-sec. test. The three-dimensional movements of the platform versus the ground were recorded by using a computerized optoelectronic digitiser. The platform plane was calculated and its directrix computed. The area of oscillation and instantaneous angular velocity of the directrix at standardized height were calculated. In both groups the area of oscillation and the angular velocity were reduced in Session 2, but the reduction was significant only in the experimental group. Specific training can significantly improve skill at maintaining equilibrium in young healthy sport performers.

Adult↗