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Introduction: Dental stem cell research has become an important field in regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, the depth of knowledge and awareness of dental stem cells remain vague among the professional groups in Malaysia. The objective of this study is to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of professional groups in Malaysia on dental stem cells and their applications in regenerative medicine. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was implemented using online and hard-copy questionnaires that was distributed among medical doctors, scientists, and dentists to assess the level of knowledge and awareness (n=157). The questionnaire consists of 3 sections consisting of demographics, knowledge assessment and perception among the professional groups. The data were analysed using SPSS analysis. Results: Results showed that professional groups in Malaysia were knowledgeable and aware of dental stem cells and their application. Majority of the respondents were dentists (41.91%), followed by medical doctors (35.29%) and scientists (22.79%). 50.74% of respondents were unsure about the similar characteristics between dental stem cells (DSCs) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs). Most respondents were aware of the derivation of DSCs from pulp and periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues (77.21%) and that DSCs are considered an adult stem cell source (51.11%). Most respondents were familiar with the characteristics of DSCs. They were aware that DSCs have the unique ability to self-renew and differentiate into trilineage differentiation (69.12%). They agreed that DSCs are an excellent cell resource for therapeutic approaches to neural repair and regeneration (63.24%). 63.24% of the respondents demonstrated a positive outcome for dental stem cell research. 59.56% of them would be willing to donate their extracted teeth for research. About 56.62% of respondents would conserve their teeth in stem cell banks and 52.94% are interested in investing in the stem cell industry. Conclusion: A high level of perception and awareness about dental stem cells and its application was noted among professional groups in Malaysia. They are supportive and willing to invest for dental stem cell research.

Designers of machine-cut objects must often consider whether and how their design can be fabricated with their available materials. In contrast to tools that support preparing finished designs for fabrication, we investigate shortening the feedback loop between design creation and fabrication preparation. To this end, we present Fabricaide, a fabrication-aware tool that interleaves the processes of creating and preparing designs for fabrication. By providing live feedback on how parts should be placed onto material sheets, analyzing how much material is consumed, and alerting users when designs are infeasible, Fabricaide enables users to proactively tailor their design to their available material. Fabricaide achieves this with a custom packing algorithm that arranges parts onto material sheets at interactive speeds. Our qualitative user study shows how Fabricaide can support different workflows, encourage material-conscious design practices, and provide insights on how to further improve similar interfaces in the future.

The presence of an oesophageal foreign body is a medical emergency requiring urgent evaluation and treatment and in cases with complications such as migration of foreign body or oesophageal perforation, surgical intervention may be necessary. We present a case of a 23 year old Chinese female with no significant past medical history who presented to the emergency department with central chest discomfort for a week. She had throat discomfort prior which started after she accidentally swallowed a small piece of cockle shell while eating. CXR and lateral neck X-ray were done which did not reveal any abnormalities. A referral was made to the ENT team to rule out the possibility of a foreign body, and a nasoendoscopy was performed which did not reveal any abnormalities. In view of her persistent symptoms, a CT chest was performed which revealed a curvilinear radio dense opacity at the aortopulmonary window measuring 1.0cm, which is suspicious for a foreign body. The differential for a radio dense opacity in the aorto-pulmonary window is calcification of the ligamentum arteriosum, which was the final diagnosis after exclusion with further investigations inpatient.