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In a recent scientific development, researchers at King’s College London have made significant progress toward enabling adults to regrow their own teeth. Published in the ACS Macro Letters journal, this research introduces a promising alternative to traditional dental treatments by offering a potentially natural method for tooth repair and regeneration.

For over a decade, scientists at King’s College London’s
Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences have been exploring the
possibilities of lab-grown teeth. Their latest collaborative study with
Imperial College London has led to the development of a novel biomaterial that
replicates the natural conditions of early tooth development. This innovation
allows cells to communicate in a way that initiates the formation of tooth
structures.

Xuechen Zhang, from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral &
Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London, and author of the study said: “Fillings
aren’t the best solution for repairing teeth. Over time, they will weaken tooth
structure, have a limited lifespan, and can lead to further decay or
sensitivity. Implants require invasive surgery and good combination of implants
and alveolar bone. Both solutions are artificial and don’t fully restore
natural tooth function, potentially leading to long-term complications.”

Discussing possible approaches to using this breakthrough in
clinical settings, Xuechen added: “We have different ideas to put the teeth
inside the mouth. We could transplant the young tooth cells at the location of
the missing tooth and let them grow inside mouth. Alternatively, we could
create the whole tooth in the lab before placing it in the patient’s mouth. For
both options, we need to start the very early tooth development process in the
lab.”

Corresponding author of the study, Dr Ana Angelova Volponi
from King’s College London, emphasised the broader implications of this
research: “As the field progresses, the integration of such innovative
techniques holds the potential to revolutionise dental care, offering
sustainable and effective solutions for tooth repair and regeneration.”

Reference: Zhang X, Contessi Negrini N, Correia R,
Sharpe PT, Celiz AD, Angelova Volponi A. Generating Tooth Organoids Using
Defined Bioorthogonally Cross-Linked Hydrogels. ACS Macro Lett. 2024 Dec
17;13(12):1620-1626. doi: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00520. Epub 2024 Nov 12. PMID:
39532305; PMCID: PMC11656705.

The study aimed to evaluate the three-dimensional accuracy of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) in fabricating all-ceramic crowns using various cuttable materials, assessed through reverse engineering. The original resin tooth morphology of the left maxillary mesial incisor and left maxillary first molar from a standard resin tooth model, along with the two corresponding prepared teeth, were scanned and imported into exocad software. The digitally reproduced crown morphology was utilized to fabricate crowns from cut porcelain-reinforced resin ceramic (Uh group, Upcera Hyramic), lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (e.max group, IPS e.max Cad), and zirconia ceramic (Ue group, Upcera Explore). All specimens were subsequently rescanned, and the root mean square (RMS) values were calculated after overlaying with the original crown CAD data using the 3D analysis software Geomagic Studio 2013 to compare the dimensional accuracy. Results: Among the mesial incisor and first molar specimens, the e.max group demonstrated the highest dimensional accuracy of the all-ceramic crowns, followed by the Ue group, while the Uh group exhibited the lowest accuracy. The differences in dimensional accuracy among the three groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The digital replication technique effectively restored the original crown morphology with a high degree of accuracy. For the same CAM pattern, the dimensional accuracy of all-ceramic crowns varied depending on the CAD/CAM porcelain material, with lithium disilicate glass-ceramic showing the superior results.

Reference:

Wang, H., Qu, W., Wang, T. et al. Accuracy analysis of all-ceramic crowns with different materials in CAD/CAM digital replication mode. BMC Oral Health 25, 491 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05892-9

Keywords:

Digital, Replication, technique, accurately, restore, original, crown morphology, suggests, study, Wang, H., Qu, W., Wang, T, Computer-aided design and fabrication, All-ceramic crowns, Three-dimensional deviation, Accuracy

Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent degenerative joint disease leading to pain, stiffness, and loss of mobility, particularly in elderly populations. Exercise is an integral part of OA treatment, yet there has been limited evidence for the relative effects of different exercise types, including yoga and strengthening, on patients with knee pain and functional recovery.

This parallel-arm, active-controlled, single-center randomized clinical trial enrolled 117 patients, 58 to yoga and 59 to strengthening. All patients had a baseline knee pain score of 40 or greater on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS), which is moderate to severe pain. The average age was 62.5 years (SD 8.3), and 72.6% were women.

The intervention lasted for 24 weeks, during which the participants went through 12 weeks of supervised yoga or strengthening exercise (two in-person sessions and one home session weekly), followed by another 12 weeks of unsupervised home sessions. The main outcome was the difference in knee pain during 12 weeks measured with the VAS. A prespecified non inferiority margin of 10 mm was used to assess whether yoga was not inferior to strengthening by a clinically significant amount. Secondary outcomes were WOMAC pain, function, and stiffness scores, patient global assessment, physical performance tests, depression (PHQ-9), neuropathic pain, and quality of life (AQoL-8D).

Results

• The trial discovered that the 12-week difference in VAS knee pain between groups was similar.

• The difference between pain decrease using yoga compared with strengthening was −1.1 mm (95% CI, −7.8 to 5.7 mm) and stayed within the prespecified margin of noninferiority, which demonstrated that yoga was no worse than strengthening exercises at lessening pain.

Significantly, 7 of 27 secondary outcomes that were measured at 12 and 24 weeks were in favor of yoga, statistically significant. The yoga group had superior improvement in:

• WOMAC pain: −44.5 mm (95% CI, −70.7 to −18.3)

• WOMAC function: −139 mm (95% CI, −228.3 to −49.7)

• WOMAC stiffness: −17.6 mm (95% CI, −30.9 to −4.3)

• Patient global assessment: −7.6 mm (95% CI, −15.1 to −0.2)

• 40-m fast walk test: +1.8 seconds (95% CI, 0.4 to 3.2)

• Also, depression (PHQ-9) at 12 weeks was better in the yoga group with a between-group difference of −1.1 (95% CI, −1.9 to −0.2), and quality of life (AQoL-8D) at 24 weeks was better in the yoga group (difference of 0.04; 95% CI, 0.00 to 0.07). Mild adverse events were reported equally by both groups, and no serious adverse events were linked to the interventions.

This randomized clinical trial found that yoga was noninferior to strengthening exercises for decreasing knee pain in people with knee osteoarthritis. In addition, yoga also had modest but significant benefits in joint function, patient-reported outcomes, and mental well-being through 24 weeks. These results substantiate the role of yoga as an effective, holistic exercise approach in OA management programs.

Reference:

Abafita BJ, Singh A, Aitken D, et al. Yoga or Strengthening Exercise for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(4):e253698. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.3698

Sheng Guan, Department of Neurointervention, Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital, Henan, Zhengzhou, China, and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 21 consecutive patients who underwent endovascular treatment with the WCS between July 2017 and July 2022. BBAs are typically located at non-branching sites of the internal carotid artery and are structurally fragile due to the absence of key arterial layers, making treatment particularly complex.

This series involved 15 female and six male patients with an average age of 51.6 years. The immediate postoperative results were encouraging—angiographic evaluations confirmed complete occlusion of all aneurysms without endoleak. While the parent artery remained patent in all cases, the procedure was not without complications. Occlusion of the ophthalmic artery was noted in five patients, accounting for 23.8% of the cases. Additionally, one patient developed delayed thrombosis of the stent three days post-surgery.

During an average angiographic follow-up period of just over nine months, all aneurysms remained completely sealed. There were no cases of aneurysm rupture, recurrence, or need for retreatment. Mild to moderate asymptomatic in-stent stenosis was detected in two individuals. Clinical follow-up, which spanned an average of 20 months, revealed excellent functional outcomes—20 patients scored a zero on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), indicating no disability, while one scored a one.

The Willis-covered stent, designed initially for use in complex intracranial pathologies such as pseudoaneurysms and carotid-cavernous fistulas, offers a promising treatment avenue for BBAs. Its structure—a combination of a balloon-expandable stent and a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane—enables it to seal the aneurysm while maintaining vessel integrity.

Despite the encouraging outcomes, the researchers emphasized that the procedure is not without risks, particularly for technical challenges related to stent delivery and potential complications like branch artery occlusion or in-stent stenosis. Given the small sample size and limited follow-up duration, they called for larger prospective studies with longer observation periods to validate these findings and refine treatment protocols.

“The findings from the case series add to the growing body of evidence supporting the Willis covered stent as a safe, feasible, and effective option for the endovascular management of blood blister-like aneurysms,” the authors noted.

However, they cautioned that its use warrants careful attention to potential procedural challenges, including stent delivery difficulties and related complications, to ensure the best possible clinical outcomes.

Reference:

Jin, Y., Guo, X., Chen, Z. et al. Endovascular treatment of intracranial blood blister-like aneurysms with the Willis covered stent: a case series. BMC Surg 25, 140 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12893-025-02874-0

The findings were published online in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) on February 17, 2025.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease with limited treatment options. The sigma-1 (σ1) receptor has gained attention as a potential therapeutic target due to its role in cellular protection and neurodegeneration. Jeremy M. Shefner, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the effects of pridopidine, a selective σ1-receptor agonist, in slowing ALS progression and preserving motor function.

For this purpose, the researchers evaluated pridopidine as part of the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, a multicenter, phase 2/3 randomized study conducted at 54 sites in the US from January 2021 to July 2022. A total of 163 participants with ALS were assigned to receive either pridopidine or a placebo, with an additional 122 placebo participants included in the analysis. Participants received either 45 mg of oral pridopidine twice daily or a matching placebo for 24 weeks.

The primary outcome measured disease progression using a model integrating functional decline and survival, while secondary outcomes assessed respiratory function, bulbar symptoms, and survival-related measures.

The key findings of the study were as follows:

• The trial included 162 patients with a mean age of 57.5 years, of whom 35% were female.
• A total of 136 participants (84%) completed the study.
• There was no significant difference between pridopidine and placebo in disease progression (DRR: 0.99, 95% credible interval: 0.80-1.21, probability of DRR <1: 0.55).
• There were no improvements in ALS functional rating scale components or survival.
• Pridopidine showed no benefit on secondary outcomes.
• Common adverse events included falls (28.1% in the pridopidine group vs. 29.3% in the placebo group) and muscular weakness (24.0% vs. 31.7%, respectively).

The HEALEY ALS Platform Trial findings indicate that pridopidine did not demonstrate any meaningful impact on disease progression in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Over the 24-week study period, there was no significant difference between pridopidine and placebo in terms of disease severity, functional decline, or survival. Additionally, the treatment showed no benefit across key secondary outcomes.

“These results suggest that pridopidine may not be an effective therapeutic option for ALS, highlighting the continued need for further research to identify viable treatments that can slow disease progression and improve patient outcomes,” the authors concluded.

Reference:

Writing Committee for the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, HEALEY ALS Platform Trial Study Group. Pridopidine in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The HEALEY ALS Platform Trial. JAMA. 2025;333(13):1128–1137. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.26429