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Background/Objectives: Impacted teeth are a common phenomenon, in both young and adult populations, as extensively documented in the literature. This study aims to systematically assess the global prevalence of impacted third molars and to analyze their demographic predictors. Methods: The present review adheres to PRISMA guidelines and includes studies published until December 2023. Three databases (MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane) were searched, and studies reporting prevalence rates and demographic predictors of impacted third molars were selected for analysis. A meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model to calculate pooled prevalence and assess demographic variations. Results: This review yielded 98 studies involving 183,828 subjects. The pooled prevalence of impacted third molars was 36.9% [95% CI: 33.1–40.7%] per subject and 46.4% [95% CI: 36.7–56.1%] per tooth, with the highest rates in Asia (43.1% [95% CI: 34.6–51.7%]) and the lowest in Europe (24.5% [95% CI: 16.1–33.9%]). An odds ratio of 1.173 [95% CI: 1.021–1.347%] indicated a slightly higher likelihood of third molar impaction among women compared to men, and mandibular third molar impaction was more frequent than maxillary impaction. The meta-regression indicated insufficient consistency for the geographic area to be considered a source of heterogeneity in the prevalence of impacted third molars. Conclusions: The present meta-analysis highlights the substantial prevalence of impacted third molars worldwide and underscores the influence of demographic predictors. These findings may inform region-specific clinical guidelines and preventive approaches for managing impacted third molars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To measure the level of emotional intelligence in medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses. Design: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: Data were collected through a digital form comprising a questionnaire divided into two sections: first – sociodemographic and professional characterization; second – a Portuguese version of the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale. The internal consistency of the instrument, measured by Cronbach’s alpha (unidimensional), was 0.878. Data were collected between 27 January and 16 March 2023. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to enroll the participants. Results: The final sample consisted of 168 medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses. Their mean emotional intelligence score was 105.28 points, with a standard deviation of 10.56 points. The variables academic degree (p = 0.002) and gender (p = 0.035) showed a statistically significant association with the total emotional intelligence score. Conclusion: This study allowed to measure the level of emotional intelligence in medical-surgical nursing specialist nurses, yielding high mean scores. Nevertheless, it is essential to invest in strategies for the acquisition of emotional intelligence skills by professionals with low mean scores [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To identify attitudes and barriers to evidence-based practice from the perspective of Portuguese nurses specialized in medical-surgical nursing. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: Data collection in 2022, via a digital form comprising a questionnaire on socio-professional characterization and the Portuguese version of the “Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice in Primary Care”. Non-probability convenience sampling. Data analysis performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 24. The checklist used was “Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology”. Results: The final sample consisted of 218 specialist medical-surgical nurses working in clinical practice settings in Portugal, who showed a generally positive attitude towards evidence-based practice. The barriers to evidence-based practice highlighted were lack of incentives, support from expert colleagues, training, financing, and time. Conclusion: Specialist medical-surgical nurses value evidence-based practice and recognized its benefits, but also identified barriers that make its practical implementation a challenge. The identification of the attitudes and barriers allows for the identification of shortcomings and the making of tailored training plans, thereby increasing the integration of evidence into the practice of these renowned professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) positively impacts the safety and quality of care for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis (HD). Objective: To assess nurses' attitudes toward EBP and the barriers they face in implementing it when caring for people with CKD on HD. Methodology: A cross-sectional, exploratory, and descriptive study was conducted and applied the Portuguese version of the Attitudes to Evidence-Based Practice questionnaire to 147 nurses working in HD. Results: Nurses demonstrated attitudes promoting EBP and perceived aptitude for searching (76.1%) and evaluating evidence (78.2%), which were related to professional group (p =.001; r = -0.278) and academic qualifications (p =.02; r = -0.191). Lack of time (66%), lack of education (68.6%), and lack of experts sharing information (72.1%) were reported as the main barriers. Conclusion: Nurses recognize that EBP contributes to professional development, demonstrate positive attitudes toward EBP, and identify the associated barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Limited data are available on the prognostic performance of Adjuvant! Online (AOL) and Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) in young breast cancer patients.Methods: This multicentre hospital-based retrospective cohort study included young (⩽40 years) and older (55-60 years) breast cancer patients treated from January 2000 to December 2004 at four large Belgian and Italian institutions. Predicted 10-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) using AOL and 10-year OS using NPI were calculated for every patient. Tools ability to predict outcomes (i.e., calibration) and their discriminatory accuracy was assessed.Results: The study included 1283 patients, 376 young and 907 older women. Adjuvant! Online accurately predicted 10-year OS (absolute difference: 0.7%; P=0.37) in young cohort, but overestimated 10-year DFS by 7.7% (P=0.003). In older cohort, AOL significantly underestimated both 10-year OS and DFS by 7.2% (P<0.001) and 3.2% (P=0.04), respectively. Nottingham Prognostic Index significantly underestimated 10-year OS in both young (8.5%; P<0.001) and older (4.0%; P<0.001) cohorts. Adjuvant! Online and NPI had comparable discriminatory accuracy.Conclusions: In young breast cancer patients, AOL is a reliable tool in predicting OS at 10 years but not DFS, whereas the performance of NPI is sub-optimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Information is vital to cancer patients. Physician-patient communication in oncology presents specific challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate self-reported information of cancer patients in ambulatory care at a comprehensive cancer centre and examine its possible association with patients' demographic and clinical characteristics. Patients and methods: This study included adult patients with solid tumours undergoing chemotherapy at the Institute Jules Bordet's Day Hospital over a ten-day period. EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-INFO25 questionnaires were administered. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results: 101 (99%) fully completed the questionnaires. They were mostly Belgian (74.3%), female (78.2%), with a mean age of 56.9 ± 12.8 years. The most frequent tumour was breast cancer (58.4%). Patients were well-informed about the disease and treatments, but presented unmet information domains. The Jules Bordet patients desired more information on treatment side effects, long-term outcome, nutrition, and recurrence symptoms. Patients on clinical trials reported having received less information about their disease and less written information than patients outside clinical trials. Higher information levels were associated with higher quality of life (QoL) scores and higher patient satisfaction. Conclusion: Patients were satisfied with the information they received and this correlated with higher QoL, but they still expressed unmet information wishes. Additional studies are required to investigate the quality of the information received by patients enrolled in clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trastuzumab administered in combination with various chemotherapy regimens has led to outstanding improvements in both disease-free survival and overall survival. So far, thousands of patients have been treated in this way which has proven to be reasonably safe, with cardiac events being the predominant recognisable toxicity requiring surveillance. Notwithstanding the large cumulative experience of the oncology community in treating early HER2/neu-positive breast cancer with trastuzumab, some uncertainties remain, with key issues being the ideal time of chemotherapy administration and the optimal duration of trastuzumab therapy. This paper discusses these issues in the light of the recent updates of some of the pivotal clinical trials in the adjuvant context. © 2013 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the first reported microwell whole-cell bioconversion using a water immiscible substrate that matches the specific activity and yield achieved in a 1.2 L stirred tank bioreactor. Maximum yields of 0.6 g/Ltotal 1-dodecanol achieved in 24 h compare favorably to 0.28 g/Ltotal 1-dodecanol after 48 h obtained in a stirred tank reactor. Using the microwell platform we present a rapid and systematic approach to identify the key bottlenecks in the bio-oxidation of long-chain alkanes using Escherichia coli expressing the alkane hydroxylase (alkB) complex. The results indicate that mass transfer rates limit productivity in the n-dodecane bio-oxidation system, rather than inherent enzyme activity. Furthermore, substrate solubility, oxygen availability and glucose concentration act cooperatively to affect the amount of by-product, dodecanoic acid. Optimizing these factors using response surface methodology enabled specific yields of 1-dodecanol to increase eightfold and overoxidation to dodecanoic acid to be reduced from 95% to 55%. This resulted in specific activities of 10.4 µmol/min/gdcw on n-dodecane; approximately 50% of the 21 µmol/min/gdcw obtained with n-octane. For the first time, this in vivo rate difference is within the range reported for the purified enzyme. Finally, the results obtained also provide strong evidence that the mechanism of E. coli interaction with alkanes is mainly via uptake of alkanes dissolved in the aqueous phase rather than by direct cell-droplet contact. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 2179-2189. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Advances in breast cancer therapies have given rise to a growing number of patient survivors. Nevertheless, these women deal with long-term sequelae that impair their quality of life and that are lacking satisfactory assessment and expeditious management. Importantly, a new era is raising in the oncology field, namely, survivorship. Methods: A search for English-language articles on Medline was undertaken covering the last 15 years, using the terms “cancer survivorship”, “quality of life”, “fatigue”, “insomnia”, “sleep disturbances”, “depression”, “cognitive dysfunction”, “chemofog”, “peripheral neuropathy”, “fertility”, “sexual behaviour”, “menopause”, “lymphedema”, “physical activity” and “breast neoplasms”. Selection was limited to systematic reviews and meta-analysis, but their reference list was examined to include papers of potential interest. Results: We found the most common symptoms affecting breast cancer survivors were fatigue, insomnia, depression, cognitive dysfunction, reproductive and menopausal symptoms and lymphoedema. Conclusion: Some of these symptoms have even been the objective of randomised controlled trials, but consistent data are missing. The available interventions include pharmacological, behavioural therapies and complementary and alternative medicine approaches and will mostly depend on the type of symptom. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Bone regeneration procedures represent a major challenge in oral surgery. This study aimed to evaluate a composite PRF/particulate xenograft in guided bone regeneration. Methods: Edentulous patients with horizontal ridge deficiencies in the anterior maxilla and candidates to an immediate-loading full-arch rehabilitation were included. Horizontal linear measurements indicating bone gain were assessed from computer beam computer tomography (CBCT) scans obtained at pre-surgery, post-surgery, and the 12-month follow-up. Mean bone values were presented as mean ± 95% CI. Non-parametric tests were used as appropriate, and the effect size was calculated with Cohen's d repeated measures. Results: Eighteen patients were rehabilitated with 72 implants. The mean horizontal bone width was 4.47 [4.13–4.80] mm pre-surgically, 9.25 [8.76–9.75] mm post-surgically, and 7.71 [7.28–8.14] mm 12 months after. Conclusions: PRF associated with a xenograft seems to promote an effective horizontal bone gain. Randomized clinical trials are needed to confirm the benefits of this surgical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study evaluated the survival rate of short, sandblasted acid-etched surfaced implants with 6 and 8 mm lengths with at least 120 days of follow-up. Data concerning patient, implant and surgery characteristics were retrieved from clinical records. Sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA)-surfaced tissue-level 6 mm (TL6) or 8 mm (TL8) implants or bone-level tapered 8 mm (BLT8) implants were used. Absolute and relative frequency distributions were calculated for qualitative variables and mean values and standard deviations for quantitative variables. A Cox regression model was performed to verify whether type, length and/or width influence the implant survival. The cumulative implant survival rate was assessed by time-to-event analyses (Kaplan–Meier estimator). In all, 513 patients with a mean age of 58.00 ± 12.44 years received 1008 dental implants with a mean follow-up of 21.57 ± 10.77 months. Most implants (78.17%) presented a 4.1 mm diameter, and the most frequent indication was a partially edentulous arch (44.15%). The most frequent locations were the posterior mandible (53.97%) and the posterior maxilla (31.55%). No significant differences were found in survival rates between groups of type, length and width of implant with the cumulative rate being 97.7% ± 0.5%. Within the limitations of this study, the evaluated short implants are a predictable option with high survival rates during the follow-up without statistical differences between the appraised types, lengths and widths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focuses attention on the First Portuguese Republic post-war era (1919- 1926), searching the historical meaning of those disturbed years, characterized by permanent political instability and social unrest. We think that there is one explanation that turns those apparently chaotic last years of the republican regime understandable: similarly to other European countries, the specificity of the Portuguese 20's resides in a phenomenon of political polarization, of mobilization and organization of social forces conforming to the fields of modern Left and Right. Specifically, our objects of study are the republican Left, a new autonomic field within republicanism, and the radical bloc, analytic concept under which we group heteroclite manifestations (parties, arms, intellectuals, unitarian initiatives) of the phenomenon of polarization in the Left. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexuality and sexual functioning is a cardinal domain of health-related quality of life in breast cancer patients, namely in the younger population. Young women below 40 years of age go through a time in their lives where sexual self-identity has recently matured, their professional obligations are demanding and they bear interpersonal and childbearing expectations, all of which can suffer a devastating turnaround with cancer diagnosis and its physical and psychological aftermath. Although these women's sexuality and directed interventions have remained largely unaddressed so far, concepts are evolving and treatment options are becoming diversified, chiefly on the field of non-hormonal pharmacological therapy of sexual dysfunction. This review will examine the definitions of female sexual dysfunction, the etiology of the disorders in young breast cancer patients, the assessment methods, the non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment options and the challenges that lie ahead.

Mitoxantrone-based combinations are a standard palliative treatment in hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) but with no survival benefit. Imatinib has shown preclinical activity against HRPC although minimal clinical therapeutic efficacy. Our previous in vitro studies demonstrated that simultaneous combination of imatinib with mitoxantrone yielded additive growth inhibition effects against PC-3 cell line. The main aim of the work was to develop novel liposomal formulations comprising imatinib co-encapsulated with mitoxantrone, by different loading methods and experimental conditions, in order to achieve the highest drug loading and maximum physical stability. In the optimized formulations, imatinib and mitoxantrone were actively co-loaded by means of a (NH4)2SO4 transmembrane gradient. Encapsulation efficiency, mean size diameter and drug retention in storage and in biological conditions were characterized. Our study presented for the first time an active loading method for imatinib and suggests that the optimized liposomal formulation co-encapsulates both drugs with high encapsulation efficiency (> 95%), shows enhanced drug retention under tested conditions and delivers a drug:drug ratio capable of improving tumor cell growth inhibition with a mitoxantrone dose reduction of 2.6-fold as compared to single liposomal formulation. Therefore, our nanotechnology-based drug combined platform may constitute a promising strategy in prostate cancer therapy.