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Chemical surface modification of lithium disilicate needles of a silica-based ceramic after HF-etching and ultrasonic bath cleaning: impact on the chemical bonding with silane
No full textRecommendations to obtain the best bonding to silica-based ceramics are to prepare its surface by hydrofluoric-acid HF etching and regular application of a silane. This study investigated how the HF-etching followed by ultrasonic water bath cleaning or by an additional phosphoric acid treatment impacts the adhesion properties of a resin (G-CEM LinkForce®) with a lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (IPS Emax Press, Ivoclar Vivadent). Comparison is based on results obtained with HF etching and direct silane application. After HF-etching, a water ultrasonic bath (4 minutes), and a final air drying, the scratch test critical load increases (+ 46%) thanks to chemical bonding. Additional tests are presented including heat treatments (at 85 °C before and after silanization). If HF-etching is followed by phosphoric acid treatment and drying of silane at 85 °C, scratch test critical load increases (+ 42%) due to mechanical bonding. Similar adhesion properties are obtained with two opposite protocols. </p
Telemedicine in very elderly patients affected by end-stage Heart Failure: Wishful thinking or real opportunity?
No full textTelemedicine is a network of computerization and telecommunication technologies that provides health care services to remote patients. There is increasing evidence that telemedicine interventions are associated with a reduction in hospital admission rates and mortality in patients with heart failure [1,2]. </p
Oral health status and treatment needs of soft drink factory workers of Bareilly City: A cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: General health is closely related to oral health. Communication is made simpler and a person’s dignity and individuality are enhanced by optimum dental health. The working conditions of soft drink industry employees affected their oral health. Objective: To determine the level of oral condition and treatment requirements for soft drink employees in Bareilly City. Method: 175 employees of soft drink factories participated in cross-sectional research. The individuals gave their informed consent and we received ethical approval. The 2013 WHO Oral Health Assessment Form for Adults was used to get the findings. Results: The findings indicate a higher frequency of oral health issues among soft drink industry workers, including dental caries, gingivitis, periodontal pockets, loss of attachment, fluorosis and tooth erosion. Conclusion: According to the survey, these soft drink industry employees have poor oral health and require more dental care than usual.</p
Survival benefits and safety of chemotherapy regimens for pancreatic cancer: An umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials
No full textIntroduction: Several meta-analyses have reported the survival benefits and safety issues of chemotherapy regimens for pancreatic cancer (PC). The aim was to perform an umbrella review to summarize the existing evidence from meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane database of systematic reviews, and Epistemonikos were searched from inception to October 31st, 2021.Methodological quality was assessed using the A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2). The quality of evidence was evaluated using GRADE criteria (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations).Results: A total of 2,732 records were identified with 24 articles corresponding to 168 meta-analyses in resected/metastatic PC. Two (8.3%) studies were found to be of high methodological quality. Eighty (47.6%) meta-analyses reported survival benefits of using combination chemotherapy, while 88 (52.4%) meta-analyses reported safety outcomes. 78 (46.42%; 36-efficacy, 42-safety outcomes) of the 168 meta-analyses were statistically significant (P ≤0.05). No meta-analyses were found to be of high-quality evidence. Twelve meta-analyses reporting the survival benefits of gemcitabine combinations were graded as moderate quality of evidence. Combination regimen FOLFIRINOX, gemcitabine nab-paclitaxel (gem/nab), and gemcitabine capecitabine (gem/cap) compared to gemcitabine monotherapy were found to improve overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) for both resected (OS: HR = 0.78 (0.69-0.89); PFS: HR=0.79 (0.66-0.94)) and advanced PC (OS: HR = 0.76 (0.68-0.85); PFS: HR = 0.68 (0.60 -0.78)). One meta-analysis comparing the gemcitabine combination regimens (with Nab/Paclitaxel or Capecitabine) versus monotherapy among metastatic PC patients was upgraded to high quality after a sensitivity analysis excluding small-sized studies (PFS; HR = 0.78 (95% CI, 0.69-0.88)). The remaining meta-analyses were either low or very low quality of evidence. Conclusion: Our review showed that the use of combination chemotherapy regimens demonstrated survival benefits over gemcitabine monotherapy, which were supported by moderate to high-quality evidence. Gemcitabine combined with taxanes particularly showed high benefits for overall survival but only a modest benefit for progression free survival for metastatic PC. SWOG-1505 study compared perioperative FOLFIRINOX vs gem/nab in patients with resectable PC but no differences in survival was found. To date, FOLFIRINOX and gem/nab have been compared in the perioperative setting but no phase III trials have performed direct head-to-head comparisons for FOLFIRINOX against gemcitabine-based combination treatments in the metastatic setting. In future, head-to-head clinical trials comparing safety and efficacy for FOLFIRINOX vs gemcitabine-based combinations regimens (specifically gem/nab and gem/cap) in the metastatic setting are required.</p
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)- Associated central retinal vein occlusion: A case report and literature review
No full textCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) that is associated with several inflammatory and vascular endothelial complications. Ocular vascular occlusive events were reported in COVID-19 patients including both Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) and Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO). We report a case of a 34-years-old patient with right CRVO after 14 days of COVID-19 infection presenting with decreased vision. In addition, we provide a summary of both CRVO and CRAO reported in the literature.</p
Kundudo feral horse: Trends, status and threats and implication for conservation
No full textKundudo feral horses are the only feral horse in Ethiopia and are located Kundudo Mountain in the eastern part of Ethiopia. The purpose of this short communication report was to compile data from different sources including secondary data, reports from the woreda focal office, and interviews with woreda experts and guards directly working on Kundudo feral horses. Data such as trends, status, and threats to Kundudo feral Horses were compiled from mentioned sources. Currently, the Kundudo feral horses were conserved in situ at the top of Kundudo Mountain. currently, in 2021 and 2022 there are a total of 30 feral horses on the top of the mountain protected by guards and the number of this horse breed will be expected to rise if protected well. The main threat Kundudo feral horses face is a logistic problem, inbreeding, low conservation activities, and animal encroachment for feeding. The major activities performed for better conservation of Kundudo feral horses are awareness-raising campaigns, Kundudo Mountain was recognized as an in-situ site by the community, and the horses moved to their original place on the mountain, personnel was hired and a management plan was developed for stakeholders. Furthermore, having many negotiations among stakeholders, prominent stakeholders have reached a consensus and signed MoU on further engagement and tried to develop a new way of communication and management arrangement. Generally, the conservation of biological diversity is important particularly the conservation of threatened animal genetic resources like the unique horse species of Kundudo Mountain because there is no duplicate copy of species that has been conserved.</p
Application of a 3R-method: Time-dependent spasmolytic effect of nonylphenols (NPs) and nonylphenolethoxylates (NPEs)
No full textNonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) are non-anionic surfactants that were used as detergents, emulsifiers, wetting, and dispersing agents in a wide variety of consumer products, commercial products, and many industrial cleaning processes. In some parts of the world such as China or South Africa, nonylphenol (NP) and NPE remain a problem. NP and short-chained NPE as breakdown products are toxic and considered endocrine disruptors. This study used a 3R-method to investigate the time-dependent spasmolytic effect in isolated terminal ilea of guinea pigs. Nonylphenol (4-NP), nonylphenol-n-ethoxylate (NP3) and 4-n-nonylphenol (4-n-NP) with a straight nonyl-chain were used. 4-n-NP did not show a significant time-dependent effect, whereas NP3 resulted in a time-dependent decrease in the force of contraction. 4-NP in a concentration of 3 µmol/l caused a decrease and a concentration of 10 µmol/l initially increased and then decreased the force of contraction. The inference from this study is that the branching of the NP and the ethoxylates had different spasmolytic effects and the results indicate that this organ model could supplement in-vitro 3R test batteries to screen for environmental effects.</p
New Evolutionary Model on “Autistic Spectrum Disorder” (PEMA), the severity scale (PASS), and the clinical questionnaire for the late teenage years and adults (PTAS-Qa)
No full textStarting from the concept of “Autism Spectrum Disorder”, as framed in the DSM-V, the present research proposes a new etiological theory (PETA) focused on the evolutionary model of the neurobiological matrix, overcoming the modest or inconsistent psychodynamic or conspiracy theses present in the international scene. Based on this assumption, therefore, a new study model (PEMA) was suggested that can focus on the presence or absence of 9 dysfunctional traits (type-deficit and type-clinical features) centered on the areas of social, emotional, and cognitive-communication and interaction, grading the impairment according to a precise 5-level severity scale (PASS), underpinning the 40-item questionnaire (Perrotta Dysfunctional Traits of the Autistic Spectrum Questionnaire for the late teenage years and Adults, PTAS-Qa) on a binary Y/N scale and based on a total score of 11/11, thus offering a more structured view of the patient’s cognitive and psychological organization, avoiding diagnostic fragmentations that might be inconsistent with the nosographic picture and therefore not perfectly framed. By exemplifying the category, it is, therefore, possible to more easily frame the patient, who would thus be analyzed from a strictly functional point of view, also facilitating the therapeutic interventions to be prepared, according to models already known in the literature (e.g. ABA).</p
Why is it necessary to declare the Strait of Gibraltar an environmental control area?
No full textAir pollution remains one of the most sensitive and harmful environmental concerns. According to a recent report 1 published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) [1] and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2012, ambient air pollution was still responsible for about 500 000 premature deaths in Europe.</p
The relationship between the naked mole-rat and hyaluronic acid, as mediated by its receptor CD44: A Mini-Review
No full textThe life expectancy of the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is longer than that of other rodents. In NMR cells, the hyaluronic acid concentration is at a higher level. The extracellular matrix’s primary constituent is hyaluronic acid, and CD44 and RHMM are the receptors for hyaluronic acid in the cells. Hyaluronan synthases (HAS); HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3 are located in the plasma membrane and produce hyaluronic acid. Moreover, there are six types of hyaluronic degradation enzymes (Hyal-1, Hyal-2, Hyal-3, Hyal-4, and PH-20). Hyaluronic acid is known to have anti-cancerous effects and acts as a double-edged sword promoting cell senescence and protecting against cellular aging at the same time. NMR’s lengthy lifespan may probably be due to the high molecular weight of hyaluronic acid. INK4 isoforms (P16ink4a/b and pALTINK4a/b) and p27kip1 conferring on NMR a 2-way (early and regular respectively) defense mechanism make NMR more resistant to cancer cells than, humans and mice with only regular contact inhibition (regular (p27kip1). This study, therefore, aims to examine the existing molecular interactions within the NMR-HA-CD44 axis and the ability to confer cancer resistance to mammalian cells through INK4 isoforms gene transfer using the CRISPR method. A lot of potential thus exists in studying these relationships and the prospects for answering the yet unknowns in this area.</p