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Objectives: To examine the association between social mobility and tooth loss in adults from the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study and whether race modifies this association. Methods: The Oral Health Study used data from 541 individuals who were followed up to 31 years of age. Social mobility, composed of the participants' socioeconomic position (SEP) at birth and at age 30, was categorized as never poor, upwardly mobile, downwardly mobile and always poor. The outcome was the prevalence of at least one tooth lost due to dental caries when the participants were examined at 31 years of age. The effect modifier was race (Black/Brown versus white people). Log‐binomial regression models were used to estimate crude and sex‐adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and to determine whether the association varied with race. Statistical interactions were tested using an additive scale. Results: The prevalence of any tooth loss was 50.8% (n = 274). In social mobility groups, the prevalence of at least one tooth lost in the never‐poor group was about 31% points higher for Black/Brown (68.2%) than for white people (37.4%). Antagonistic findings were found for the interaction between race and social mobility (Sinergy Index = 0.48; 95% CI 0.24, 0.99; and relative excess of risk due to the interaction = −1.38; 95% CI −2.34, −0.42), suggesting that the observed joint effect of race and social mobility on tooth loss was lower than the expected sum of these factors. The estimates for Black/Brown people were smaller for those who were always poor during their lives, relative to their white counterparts. Conclusions: The findings suggest a higher prevalence of at least one tooth lost among people in the downward mobile SEP group and Black/Brown people. Greater racial inequity was found among Black/Brown people who had never experienced episodes of poverty, with Black/Brown people having a greater prevalence of at least one tooth lost than their white counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted therapy has the potential to be used in the neoadjuvant setting for odontogenic tumors, reducing the morbidities associated with major surgery. In this regard, the aim of this study was to summarize the current evidence on the different forms of targeted therapy, effectiveness, and drawbacks of this course of treatment. Four databases were searched electronically without regard to publication date or language. Grey literature searches and manual searches were also undertaken. Publications with sufficient clinical data on targeted therapy for odontogenic tumors were required to meet the criteria for eligibility. The analysis of the data was descriptive. A total of 15 papers comprising 17 cases (15 ameloblastomas and 2 ameloblastic carcinomas) were included. Numerous mutations were found, with BRAF V600E being most common. Dabrafenib was the most utilized drug in targeted therapy. Except for one case, the treatment reduced the size of the lesion (16/17 cases), showing promise. Most of the adverse events recorded were mild, such as skin issues, voice changes, abnormal hair texture, dry eyes, and systemic symptoms (e.g., fatigue, joint pain, and nausea). It is possible to reach the conclusion that targeted therapy for ameloblastoma and ameloblastic carcinoma may be a useful treatment strategy, based on the findings of the included studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myofibromas are rare benign neoplasms composed of myoid cells and myofibroblasts. This study aimed to systematically review case reports and a series of myofibromas (MF) and myofibromatosis (MFT) occurring in the oral and maxillofacial regions in order to describe their main clinicopathological features. Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Electronic searches were conducted in 2023 in four databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE. A manual search and a search in the grey literature were also conducted. The lesions were classified as MF or MFT according to their original report. Results: A total of 169 cases were included in this systematic review. Men were slightly more affected, with a painless nodule. When occurring in soft tissue, MF usually developed in the gingiva (mean age:29.23 ± 21.93 years) and when it was intra‐osseous, it occurred more frequently in the posterior mandible (mean age:14.33 ± 15.62 years). MFT occurred mainly in the mandible and was predominantly described as well‐circumscribed masses of spindle cells organized in fascicles with a prominent vascular activity in a hemangiopericytoma‐like pattern. The lesions were mainly positive for smooth muscle actin and vimentin immunomarkers. Surgical excision was the treatment of choice in the majority of cases and recurrence was observed in only three cases. Conclusion: MF and MFT affect more men, with an indolent clinical course. Intra‐osseous tumors and MFT seem to occur more frequently in younger individuals. These lesions seem to have a good prognosis and low recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights functional neurological disorder (FND) as a distinct diagnostic entity, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis based on positive and negative clinical findings to improve patient outcomes and reduce emergency department (ED) visits. Topics include diagnostic criteria for FND, challenges in differentiating it from organic conditions, and strategies for managing functional seizures.

The article examines the relationship between oral mucositis (OM) and the salivary microbiome in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients, emphasizing the prevalence of OM and the need for further research. Topics discussed include the impact of conditioning protocols, microbial diversity variations over time, and the absence of a significant association between OM and oral microbiome alterations in HSCT patients.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of head and neck Ewing sarcoma (ES) concerning patients' demographic and clinical features, histopathological findings, treatment, follow‐up, and survival rate. Materials and Methods: An electronic search was undertaken in four databases. Articles describing case reports or case series were included. Outcomes were evaluated by the Kaplan–Meier method along with Cox regression. Results: The search yielded 186 studies describing 227 ES cases. The mean age was 22.7 years, and males were slightly more affected. Interestingly, more than half the cases were diagnosed up to 20 years. The respiratory tract was the most reported site, followed by the jawbones. Clinically, symptomatic swelling or nodules were described, with a mean duration of 4 months. Management involved multimodal treatment regimens. Local recurrence, lymph node and distant metastasis were observed in 10.7%, 12.6%, and 20.3% of cases, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that older patients with distant metastasis had a lower overall survival rate (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study provides an overall view of head and neck ES that can assist oral and maxillofacial pathologists with the diagnosis and extend the knowledge of surgeons and oncologists about this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Interictal blood–brain barrier dysfunction in chronic epilepsy has been demonstrated in animal models and pathological specimens. Ictal blood–brain barrier dysfunction has been shown in humans in vivo using an experimental quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol. Here, we hypothesized that interictal blood–brain barrier dysfunction is also present in people with drug‐resistant epilepsy. Methods: Thirty‐nine people (21 females, mean age at MRI ± SD = 30 ± 8 years) with drug‐resistant epilepsy were prospectively recruited and underwent interictal T1‐relaxometry before and after administration of a paramagnetic contrast agent. Likewise, quantitative T1 was acquired in 29 people without epilepsy (12 females, age at MRI = 48 ± 18 years). Quantitative T1 difference maps were calculated and served as a surrogate imaging marker for blood–brain barrier dysfunction. Values of quantitative T1 difference maps inside hemispheres ipsilateral to the presumed seizure onset zone were then compared, on a voxelwise level and within presumed seizure onset zones, to the contralateral side of people with epilepsy and to people without epilepsy. Results: Compared to the contralateral side, ipsilateral T1 difference values were significantly higher in white matter (corrected p <.05), gray matter (uncorrected p <.05), and presumed seizure onset zones (p =.04) in people with epilepsy. Compared to people without epilepsy, significantly higher T1 difference values were found in the anatomical vicinity of presumed seizure onset zones (p =.004). A subgroup of people with hippocampal sclerosis demonstrated significantly higher T1 difference values in the ipsilateral hippocampus and in regions strongly interconnected with the hippocampus compared to people without epilepsy (corrected p <.01). Finally, z‐scores reflecting the deviation of T1 difference values within the presumed seizure onset zone were associated with verbal memory performance (p =.02) in people with temporal lobe epilepsy. Significance: Our results indicate a blood–brain barrier dysfunction in drug‐resistant epilepsy that is detectable interictally in vivo, anatomically related to the presumed seizure onset zone, and associated with cognitive deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although evidence regarding the effects of high‐intensity interval training (HIIT) on mental health has increased in recent years, there is still no consensus regarding the effects of HIIT on the symptoms of depression and anxiety in a healthy population. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to investigate the effects of HIIT on depressive and/or anxiety symptoms in healthy individuals. The following four databases were searched: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and PsycINFO. Only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included. We performed a random‐effects meta‐analysis based on standardized mean difference (SMD). The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB 2.0 tool, and the certainty of the evidence was evaluated based on recommendations GRADE. Eight RCTs evaluating 471 participants (81% female) were considered eligible for inclusion. The results of the meta‐analysis showed that HIIT‐based interventions had no significant effect on reducing anxiety (SMD = −0.17; 95% CI: −0.53, 0.19; p = 0.27) and depressive symptoms (SMD = −0.38; 95% CI: −1.06, 0.30; p = 0.17) compared with the passive control group. In conclusion, HIIT does not improve symptoms of depression and anxiety in healthy individuals. This finding is based on evidence of very low certainty. Therefore, the evidence is still not consistent enough to support HIIT as a viable strategy to reduce both outcomes because of the limited number of included studies and the overall quality of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to systematically review the clinicopathological data regarding foreign body reactions (FBR) related to esthetic procedures in the orofacial region. Electronic searches were performed in six databases and in gray literature using PEO acronym for the review question. Case series and case reports describing FBR related to esthetic procedures in the orofacial region were included. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist–University of Adelaide tool was used for measuring the risk of bias. Eighty‐six studies reporting 139 cases of FBR were identified. The mean age at diagnosis was 54.12 years (14–85 years), with most of the cases reported in America, North America (n = 42/30.70%) and Latin America (n = 33/23.60%), mainly occurring in women (n = 131/94.40%). Asymptomatic (n = 60/43.40%) nodules (n = 71/50.60%) were the main clinical characteristics. The lower lip represented the most affected anatomical location (n = 28/22.20%), followed by the upper lip (n = 27/21.60%). Surgical removal was the treatment of choice (n = 53/35.70%). Twelve different dermal fillers were reported in the study, and the microscopic characteristics of the cases varied according to the material used. The results based on case series and case reports showed that nodule and swelling were the main clinical characteristics of FBR related to orofacial esthetic fillers. The histological characteristics depended on the type of the filler material used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the lack of a functional dentition and edentulism with mortality in a cohort of older adults in a Southern Brazilian city. Materials and Methods: This is a longitudinal study carried out with community‐dwelling older adults (≥60 years old) from Pelotas, Brazil, using data from the baseline (2014) and the first follow‐up (2017). Main exposures were functional dentition (20+ teeth present) and edentulism (absence of all teeth), derived from self‐reported number of teeth. All‐causes mortality was evaluated according to the city's Epidemiological Surveillance Department. Potential confounders were age, sex, socioeconomic position, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and body mass index (BMI). To test the association between functional dentition and edentulism with mortality, Poisson regression models with robust variance were used, to estimate Relative Risks and 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 1289 older adults had information on all variables of interest and comprise the analytical sample (from 1451 at baseline). When analysing the presence of functional dentition, only 222 individuals (17.2%) had 20 or more teeth in their mouth, while 490 older adults were edentulous (38.0%). Crude analysis showed an association between tooth loss indicators and mortality. Models adjusted for sociodemographic variables and health conditions and behaviours revelled no association between the exposures and mortality. Conclusions: With the findings of this study, we did not identify an association between edentulism and functional dentition with mortality, after considering important shared risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyses on a complete year of Digisonde data are conducted to investigate the sporadic‐E (Es) layers over Santa Maria (29.7°S, 53.8°W, dip lat.: −37°), Brazil. This region is undergoing a transition from low latitude to midlatitude within the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA), which provides a key motivation to explore their behavior and the associated tidal periodicities. The Es are classified into four types: flat (Esf), low (Esl), high (Esh), and cusp (Esc). The diurnal and seasonal variations of their top (ftEs) and blanketing (fbEs) frequencies and virtual height (h′Es) are examined. The frequency parameters show the presence of intense Es during equinoxes besides summer. It is also remarkable that the higher values of mean h′Es during winter compared to the other seasons during daytime. These observations differ from previous theories about midlatitude Es layers. The diurnal occurrence rates of the Esb types exhibited distinct dependencies on both local time and seasons. The Esh and Esc were observed exclusively during the daytime, with the former dominating the occurrences in all seasons. To investigate any tidal periodicities embedded in the ftEs, fbEs, and h′Es time series, the Lomb‐Scargle technique was employed. The analysis revealed the presence of 24‐, 12‐, 8‐, and 6‐hr periodicities in both fbEs and h′Es when considering the entire year of data. However, when the data are fractioned into seasons, the predominant periodicities were found to be 24‐ and 12‐hr cycles. Furthermore, when considering the different Esb types, the Lomb‐Scargle analysis indicated varying periodicities. Key Points: Intense Es layers are observed in equinoxes besides summer, differing to some extent from previous observations about midlatitude Es layersThe mean height of Es is found to be different from previous investigations, with higher values in winter compared to summerSpectral peaks reveal the 24‐, 12‐, 8‐, and 6‐hr periodicities embedded in the Es parameters' time series measured in Santa Maria [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Obtaining robust evidence about the local mortality levels, trends and impact of oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancer, especially for women, is imperative in the fight against cancer. This descriptive retrospective ecological time‐series study explored trends in oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancer mortality rates for women in Brazil from 1980 to 2018, by geographic region and anatomical location. Methods: The crude and age‐adjusted annual mortality rates were obtained by sex, anatomical location and macro‐regions of Brazil. The number of deaths from oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancers in Brazil was based on official population counts and estimates. The annual percentage change was calculated based on age‐adjusted rates. Data set were analysed using the Joinpoint Regression program. Results: A total of 81,918 individuals died of oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancer between 1980 and 2018 in Brazil. The age‐adjusted mortality rate for women was 0.47 and 0.57 per 100,000 in 1980 and 2018, respectively. The cumulative female mortality rates standardized by age were 0.01/100,000 for lip cancer and 0.5/100,000 for oral cavity and base of tongue cancers. A decrease in deaths related to oral cavity and base of tongue cancers was identified in the 1980s; however, over the last two decades, there has been an increase in the number of deaths of women with cancer at the base of tongue and neighbouring areas and on the floor of mouth. Importantly, Brazilian regions showed wide variability in trends of oral cavity, base of tongue and lip cancers rate and, in 2018, the regions with the highest rates were the Southeast, South and Northeast for both sexes and specifically for women. The North region showed the greatest recent significant upward trend. Conclusions: During the last 38 years, Brazil has shown a significant increase in the trend of the mortality rate due to oral cavity/base of tongue and lip cancers in women. Preventive strategies with control of risk factors should be strongly emphasized in order to improve the survival rates of individuals with oral cavity/base of tongue and lip cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The first steps towards gender equity in science are measuring the magnitude of inequity and increasing awareness of the problem. Objectives: To describe trends in gender disparities in first and last authorship in the most cited dental publications and general dental literature over a 20‐year period. Methods: Articles and bibliometric data were retrieved from the Scopus database for the period 1996 to 2015. Two groups of 1000 articles each were retrieved: a random sample and another sample of top‐cited articles for each year. The gender of the first and last author of each publication was manually identified. When this was not possible, we used an online software platform (https://genderize.io/). Descriptive analyses identified the proportion of women first and last authors in both samples, stratifying by dental discipline and geographic region. Trends were ascertained by frequency metrics across years. Gender disparity was observed in both first and last authorship, with a larger gap being observed in the top‐cited sample. Results: Women led 28.4% and 20.3% of articles in the random and top‐cited samples, respectively. A similar pattern was observed for the last authorship group (22.1% and 16.1%, respectively). An increasing trend in the proportion of articles led by women over time was observed in both samples. This increase was larger in the top‐cited sample (from 15.0% in 1996–2000 to 25.1% in 2015) than in the random sample (from 26.3% in 1996–2000 to 33.2% in 2011). Conclusions: Clear gender disparities in dental research publications in the last 20 years were identified in both general and top‐cited manuscripts, across dental disciplines, across countries, across first and last authorship, and over time. It is paramount that actions are taken to attract, retain and promote women in science, as well as to monitor and ensure progress towards gender equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review aimed to incorporate published information about synchronous odontogenic tumors (SOTs) with an analysis of the demographic and clinical characteristics from the cases published in the literature. Case reports and case series of SOT were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Twenty‐eight studies comprising 30 cases of SOTs were included. Considering all cases published, SOTs mostly occurred simultaneously in the maxilla and mandible (n = 19/63.3%). Lesions were bifocal in 13 (43.3% of all the 30 cases) and multifocal in 17 cases (56.7% of all the 30 cases). All SOTs available in the literature presented the same type of lesion, and two of them also involved another different SOT (n = 2/6.7% of all the 30 cases). Out of all published cases, the most frequent SOTs in the literature were odontomas (n = 10/33.3% of all the 30 cases), squamous odontogenic tumors (OTs) (n = 8/26.7% of all the 30 cases), calcifying epithelial OTs (n = 8/26.7% of all the 30 cases), and adenomatoid OTs (n = 2/6.7% of all the 30 cases). Considering all SOTs cases included, the overall recurrence was 13.3%. Inside a subgroup of the lesion, synchronous calcifying epithelial OT presented the highest (25%). Five cases (16.7% of all the 30 cases) had a previously associated syndrome, with two cases of Schimmelpenning syndrome being reported. Among published SOTs, odontomas were the most common. All SOTs available in the scientific literature showed the same type of OT and mainly affected both jaws simultaneously. Only a few of these cases were associated with a syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Anxiety and depression are frequent conditions among individuals undergoing antineoplastic therapy, but their relationship with oral mucositis is unclear. This systematic review evaluated the potential association of anxiety and depression with frequency and severity of chemo/radiotherapy‐induced oral mucositis. Materials and Methods: Electronic searches were undertaken in five databases supplemented by manual scrutiny and gray literature searches in three other databases. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool. Results: Eight observational studies conducted on 954 individuals (male‐to‐female ratio: 1.1:1; age range: six‐82 years). Three (37.5%) studies included patients with solid tumors, two (25%) studies included hematopoietic/lymphoid tissue tumors, and two (25%) studies comprised mixed types of malignant neoplasms. Eight different instruments were used to assess oral mucositis, while seven different instruments were used to evaluate anxiety and depression. Associations of anxiety and/or depression with oral mucositis severity were reported in six (75.0%) studies. Oral mucositis‐related symptoms, especially pain, were linked with depression in three (37.5%) studies. Conclusion: A relatively low number of cases and data heterogeneity hamper definitive conclusion about the potential association between anxiety/depression and oral mucositis. Further studies that could guide more personalized treatments are warranted to investigate this plausible bidirectional interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the demographic, clinical, histopathological, diagnosis, treatment, and follow‐up data on the occurrence of oral and maxillofacial tuberculosis (OMTB). Methods: Electronic searches without publication date restrictions were undertaken in four databases. Case reports and case series describing the occurrence of OMTB were included. Critical evaluation of studies was done using the Joanna Briggs Institute – University of Adelaide tool for case reports or case series. Results: A total of 217 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, for a total of 301 cases of OMTB. Of these patients, 192 (63.7%) were male, with an average age of 39.6 ± 19.8 (15 months to 81 years). The tongue (n = 80/26.6%) represented the most common affected site, followed by the mandible (n = 43/14.3%). The clinical presentation consisted mainly of a painful ulcerated lesion (n = 156/56.5%). Histopathological analysis showed a granulomatous inflammation in most cases (n = 156/63.1%). The main diagnostic methods used were sputum test (n = 53/26.8%), culture (n = 49/24.7%) and purified protein derivative (PPD), or Mantoux test (n = 49/24.7%). Antituberculosis therapy was used in 244 cases (100.0%) and 5.2% of patients died. Conclusions: This systematic review provided clinical, demographic data and information about diagnostic methods of OMTB lesions and served as an important guide to assist health professionals in the early diagnosis of these lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: It is unclear how much physical activity (PA) people with fibromyalgia (PwF) engage in. We conducted a meta‐analysis to examine PA levels in PwF and compared levels with age‐ and gender‐matched controls and between objective and subjective assessments. Methods: Embase, PubMed and CINAHL Plus were searched by two independent reviewers from inception till 3 January 2023 using the keywords: 'fibromyalgia' OR 'fibrositis' AND 'physical activity' OR 'exercise' OR 'sports'. A random effects meta‐analysis adjusting for publication bias was conducted. Results: Across 22 studies, there were 5997 (5956 women) PwF (median age = 44 years). After trim and fill adjustment, PwF spent a mean of 4.0 (95% CI = 2.3–5.8) min/day in vigorous PA, 67.5 (95% CI = 35.4–99.6) min/day in moderate intensity PA and 270.5 (95% CI = 99.6–441.4) min/day in light PA. Only 37.7% (95% CI = 18.7–61.5) of PwF achieved the public PA recommendation of 150 min of moderate to vigorous PA per week. PwF walked 5663.7 (95% CI = 4493.5–6833.9) steps per day, which is below the 6000 steps per day recommendation. PwF spent 39.0 min/day (95% CI = 22.8–55.1, p < 0.001) less in PA than healthy controls, while MET‐minutes per week is 1324.7 (95 % CI = 237.6–2411.7, p = 0.017) lower. There were no significant differences between subjective and objective PA assessments (p = 0.69). Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that the majority of PwF are still insufficiently physically active to obtain significant health benefits. Future clinical PA interventions specifically targeting the prevention of physical inactivity in PwF and engaging physically inactive PwF to become physically active are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the application of model‐based systems engineering (MBSE) is an alternative for designing digital twins (DTs), MBSE possesses a steep learning curve, and quite often companies struggle to translate its theoretical benefits into their reality. Furthermore, the challenge of determining the DT model's fidelity, which brings balance between simulation accuracy and development costs, increases the modelling task difficulty. This paper presents the initial results from the research into facilitating the design of a system‐based DT, where various models are combined to obtain the desired representation of reality. The main contribution of this paper is towards MBSE practice, where a simplified eight‐step MBSE modelling approach for system‐based DTs is proposed. The modelling approach begins with the existing physical product and the need for a DT and results in a simulation model that constitutes the core of an actionable virtual twin. To shorten the MBSE learning curve, a set of guidelines is proposed to delimitate the Systems Modelling Language (SysML) use in Eclipse Papyrus, and a Python parser was built to convert the SysML models' information into the simulation model. The approach, guidelines and parser are analysed via an application example. In this example, the model's creation, validation and use are illustrated. The initial results indicate that the approach and modelling guidelines provide the necessary scaffolding for simplifying and facilitating MBSE application and SysML use in the design of system‐based DTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral conditions represent a critical public health challenge, and together with descriptive and predictive epidemiology, causal inference has a crucial role in developing and testing preventive oral health interventions. By identifying not just correlations but actual causes of disease, causal inference may quantify the average effect of interventions and guide policies. Although authors are not usually explicit about it, most oral health studies are guided by causal questions. However, methodological deficiencies limit their interpretability and the implementation of their findings. This manuscript is a call to action on the use of causal inference in oral research. Its application starts with asking theoretically sound questions and being explicit about causal relationships, defining the estimates to evaluate, and measuring them properly. Beyond promoting causal analytical approaches, we emphasize the need for more causal thinking to promote thoughtful research questions and the use of appropriate methods to answer them. Causal inference relies on the plausibility of assumptions underlying the data analysis and the quality of the data, and we argue that high‐quality observational studies can be used to estimate average causal effects. Although individual efforts to embrace causal inference in dentistry are essential, they will not yield substantial results if not led by a systematic and structural change in the field. We urge scientific societies, funding bodies, dental schools, and journals to promote transparency in research, causal thinking, and causal inference projects to move the field toward more meaningful studies. It is also time for researchers to move forward and connect with the community, co‐produce investigations and translate their findings, and engage in interventions that impact public health. We conclude by highlighting the importance of triangulating results from different data sources and methods to support causal inference and inform decision‐making on interventions to effectively improve population oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generating sources of renewable systems, like photovoltaic module or fuel cell, have a low‐output voltage that has to be boosted for most of applications, such as grid‐tie inverters. To accomplish this, an isolated DC–DC high step‐up single‐ended primary‐inductor converter (SEPIC) with a Greinacher voltage doubler cell is presented. It has the advantage of continuous input current, high efficiency, and high‐voltage gain and isolation and demands a single switch, being suitable for low‐power grid‐tie photovoltaic systems. The operating principles and steady‐state analysis are presented, including the detailed analysis of resonant stage, and the effects of transformer winding capacitances on converter operation are investigated. Moreover, the effects of resonance frequency variations on converter efficiency are experimentally investigated. Experimental results on a 50 kHz and 200 W prototype are presented to validate the proposed concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High step‐up converters are often used in photovoltaic applications due to low voltage of photovoltaic modules. In this paper, two new topologies, obtained with the insertion of voltage multiplier cells on secondary side of isolated SEPIC, are proposed. They have the advantages of continuous input current, isolation, high efficiency, and high voltage gain, being suitable for low power applications. To perform this study, theoretical and comparative analyses are accomplished. They include a description of each converter, tables, and curves with relevant information, such as voltage gain, total voltage stress, and total current stress. Moreover, the identification of the use of coupled inductor or transformer based on the analysis of DC magnetizing current is presented. Theoretical analysis and experimental results on 37.4/400 V, 50 kHz, and 200 W prototypes of selected isolated SEPIC with voltage doubler cell and voltage quadrupler cell are presented to validate the proposed topology and concept, where the maximum efficiency obtained for the converter with doubler cell is 96.85%, while for the converter with quadrupler cell is 97.75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The understanding of how subjective socioeconomic status (SSS) relates to objective socioeconomic status (OSS), and how both conditions act together in oral health outcomes is still unclear. This study aims to test the independent and joint association between OSS and SSS with oral health, to assess the role of socioeconomic status discrepancies, and to evaluate the role of SSS in the association between OSS and oral health. Methods: Data from 1140 adults from a population‐based study in Southern Brazil were used. We applied diagonal reference models DRM to disentangle the effects of OSS (education) and SSS (MacArthur Scale) to oral health outcomes. The outcomes were functional dentition clinically evaluated (FD ≥20 teeth) and self‐reported oral health SROH. We also examined the discrepancy between OSS and SSS to oral health indicators and the effect measure modification (EMM) of SSS on the association between OSS and oral health. Results: Subjective socioeconomic status and OSS contributed equally to SROH, while OSS explained a substantially higher amount of FD than SSS (0.85 vs 0.15). An EMM of SSS was found on the association between OSS and fair/poor SROH, with a relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) of 1.08. Less evidence of EMM was found for FD (RERI = 0.14). Individuals with lower SSS and OSS had four times the risk of the outcomes than the reference group. Conclusions: Adults with concordant lower SSS and OSS have a worse oral health than those with concordant higher status. There was evidence that the association between OSS and SROH is modified by SSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether the association between social support and oral health outcomes is modified by levels of household income. Methods: Data were from the National Study of Adults Oral Health (NSAOH 2004‐06), a nationally representative study comprising n = 3619 adults in Australia. Effect measure modification (EMM) analysis was adopted to verify whether the association between social support and poor/fair self‐rated oral health, lack of a functional dentition (<21 teeth) and low Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL; measured using OHIP‐14) varies according to levels of income. Poisson regressions adjusted for age, sex, education, country of birth, main language spoken at home and remoteness were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for oral health outcomes for each stratum of social support (overall, family, friends and significant other) and income (effect modifier). We then computed the Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction (RERI), which represents the risk that is over what would be expected if the combination of low social support and low income was entirely additive. Sensitivity analyses for different cut‐offs of household income were performed. Results: Adults with lower levels of social support had a 2.1, 1.2 and 1.9 times higher prevalence of fair/poor self‐rated oral health, <21 teeth and poor OHRQoL respectively. The RERIs observed were 0.98 (95% CI −0.01; 1.96) for poor/fair self‐rated oral health; 0.52 (95% CI −0.06; 1.10) for lack of a functional dentition and 0.50 (95% CI −0.16; 1.15) for poor OHRQoL. For all outcomes and all individual domains of social support, the positive RERIs indicated that the joint association of low social support and low household income surpassed the sum of their separate associations with objective and subjective oral health indicators. Conclusion: Individuals with lower levels of social support had poorer oral health than those with high levels of social support, although this association was small for the outcome <21 teeth. The association between social support and poor oral health indicators is modified by levels of household income. Hence, the provision of social support had a stronger association with the oral health of low‐income participants, suggesting that socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals would mostly benefit from a social support intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digisonde data obtained from July 2019 to June 2020 are used to study the overall occurrences of the blanketing types (Esf, Esl, Esh, Esc) of the sporadic layers (Esb) over Santa Maria, a transition station from low to middle latitude in the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA). The results show that the average occurrence of the Esb layers is 54%, being maximum in summer (66%), followed by spring (63%), autumn (55%), and winter (40%). Except during the winter, the Esf is the predominant type, while the Esc generally presents the lower occurrence. In general, the top (ftEs) and the blanketing (fbEs) frequencies range from 3 to 4 MHz between 100 and 110 km, with more pronounced values during daytime compared to nighttime. A comparison between the Esb occurrences between Santa Maria and stations outside the SAMA shows a great reduction in Santa Maria. It is caused by the low intensity of the geomagnetic field, which affects the layer formation process controlled by the ion dynamics. The performance of the E‐Region Ionospheric Model (MIRE), which use the tidal wind components provided by the Global Scale Wave Model as input, is analyzed in simulating the fbEs parameter and compared with measurements. The discrepancies between the modeled and measured fbEs are reduced when the meridional/zonal wind components are adjusted by some factor. This comparison contributes to our understanding of the role of the tidal winds over Santa Maria, a transition station from low to middle latitude in Brazil. Key Points: Blanketing Es layers (Esb) occurrences in ionograms are lower in Santa Maria, in the SAMA region, compared to ionospheric stations outside the SAMAEsb layers over Santa Maria, a transition station, present characteristics similar to those found in the middle latitude zoneDigisonde data and modeling results are used to study the fbEs parameter and the role of the tidal winds over Santa Maria [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the number of diagnoses of oral and maxillofacial lesions in public laboratories after one year of COVID‐19 outbreak in Brazil. Material and Methods: This is a cross‐sectional study. Biopsies submitted to histopathologic examination from March 2019 to February 2020 (pre‐pandemic period) and from April 2020 to March 2021 (pandemic period) in nine Brazilian public oral pathology laboratories were retrieved and the number of diagnoses, types of lesion, and percentage changes during both periods were analyzed. Results: There were 7389 diagnoses in the pre‐pandemic period and 2728 in the pandemic era, indicating a reduction of 63.08%. The reduction was 64.23% for benign lesions and 49.48% for malignant lesions, with a 50.64% reduction in squamous cell carcinoma. The largest decreases were observed in April 2020 and January 2021. Conclusion: An important reduction in the diagnoses of benign and malignant lesions was noted in the Brazilian public oral pathology laboratories during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To integrate the available data published on malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNST) of the oral and maxillofacial region. Searches in Embase, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were conducted for the identification of case reports/case series in English language. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool. Outcomes were evaluated by Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier methods. A total of 306 articles were retrieved, 50 of which reporting 57 MPNST were included. The lesion showed a predilection for the mandible (n = 18/31.57%) of middle‐aged adults (~40.5 years) with a male/female ratio of 1.1:1. The individuals were mostly symptomatic with a mean evolution time of 9.6 months. Surgical removal plus adjuvant therapy (especially radiotherapy) was the main approach (51.86%). Recurrence was reported in 39.62% of cases. Nodal and distant metastases were identified in 28.26% and 26.66% of cases, respectively. The 2‐year cumulative survival rate was 55%. Independent predictors of poor survival were the presence of neurofibromatosis type 1 (p = 0.04) and distant metastases (p = 0.004). The diagnosis of MPNST is challenging due to the variety of its clinical and histopathological presentations. Local aggressiveness and the potential for metastases are common outcomes of this neoplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During pregnancy, urinary infections are an important cause of maternofetal morbidity and mortality and may lead to several complications. Objective: To verify whether the use of antibiotic therapy in a single dose when compared with multiple doses in lower tract urinary infections during pregnancy is effective to obtain microbiologic cure. Search strategy: Online databases were searched. Keywords used were "single‐drug dose", "antibiotic", "fosfomycin", "amoxicillin", "trimethoprim", "pregnancy", and "urinary tract infection". Selection criteria: Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials, the population was pregnant woman, microbiologic cure was attained, and one of the treatment groups received single‐dose antibiotic therapy. Data collection and analysis: Preselected studies have been independently read by pairs, and data were extracted according to a predetermined sheet. The Cochrane tool was used for the risk of bias. Main results: A total of 1063 women from nine studies were included. The primary outcome was the microbiologic cure attested by urine culture. When compared with the multiple‐day use of antibiotics, the single‐dose treatment has shown statistically similar results in reaching culture cure (odds ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.73–1.44). Conclusion: The current study has shown that the use of single‐dose treatment for lower tract urinary infections during pregnancy can be recommended, especially using fosfomycin. Systematic review registration: This review has not been registered. Single‐dose antibiotic therapy was statistically similar to multiple‐day treatment in curing lower urinary tract infections in pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity documents (or IDs) play an important role in verifying the identity of a person with wide applications in banks, travel, video‐identification services and border controls. Replay or photocopied ID cards can be misused to pass ID control in unsupervised scenarios if the liveness of a person is not checked. To detect such presentation attacks on ID card verification process when presented virtually is a critical step for the biometric systems to assure authenticity. In this paper, a pixel‐wise supervision on DenseNet is proposed to detect presentation attacks of the printed and digitally replayed attacks. The authors motivate the approach to use pixel‐wise supervision to leverage minute cues on various artefacts such as moiré patterns and artefacts left by the printers. The baseline benchmark is presented using different handcrafted and deep learning models on a newly constructed in‐house database obtained from an operational system consisting of 886 users with 433 bona fide, 67 print and 366 display attacks. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach achieves better performance compared to handcrafted features and Deep Models with an Equal Error Rate of 2.22% and Bona fide Presentation Classification Error Rate (BPCER) of 1.83% and 1.67% at Attack Presentation Classification Error Rate of 5% and 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Parental caregivers of children with Down Syndrome (DS) have a greater burden of daily activities that may affect their health. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the impact of caregiving of children with Down syndrome on parenting quality of life, stress, mental and oral health. Methods: Fifty‐four parental caregivers of children with DS and 51 parents of children without physical or mental disabilities participated of this study. All participants were clinically examined to evaluate the presence of dental caries, gingival conditions and answered a sociodemographic questionnaire. Depression, anxiety, quality of life and coping strategies were assessed using specific instruments. Hair cortisol level was assessed as biological marker of chronic stress. Results: Psychological and quality of life parameters were similar between the groups of caregivers (p >.05). Caregivers of children with DS were older (48.6 vs. 41.5, p <.001), had longer caregiving period (> 10 vs < 10 years, p =.003), presented higher gingival bleeding index (6.1 vs. 4.7, p =.014) and higher cortisol levels (55.9 vs. 38.4, p =.07) as compared with parents of children without disabilities. Sociodemographic data has no influence on cortisol levels (p >.05). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the caregiving of children with DS has an impact on parenting oral health and stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific advice is increasingly used to inform policy. Often, experts are asked to give advice when stakes are high, time pressure is severe and uncertainty looms. In such environments, decisions may be guided by instincts and priors, rather than reason. Yet, the extent of these intuitive judgements is unknown. We use a database of fish stock assessments to detect and quantify the systematic tendency to put too much weight on previous information, known as anchoring, in scientific advice. By exploiting exogenous variation in procedures and possibilities to vary model assumptions, we find consistent evidence for intuitive judgement. We find that anchoring is strongest if model choices are flexible and the fish stock is in crisis, potentially increasing pressure and stakes. By providing advice that is biased towards previous results, the stock assessments may be more robust but may also give a false sense of security as more drastic changes may go undetected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Oral mucositis (OM) is an acute toxicity related to cancer treatment. This systematic review aimed to identify potential risk factors associated with the development of OM in pediatric cancer patients. Methods: A search was performed in four electronic databases to identify studies that analyzed risk factors for OM in pediatric cancer patients. Results: Nineteen articles were included. The incidence of OM ranged from 20% to 80.4%. Chemotherapeutic agents were potential risk factors for OM in eight (42%) studies. Hematological, hepatic, and renal parameters were also considered in eight (42%) studies, while specific individual factors were reported in five (26.3%) studies. Baseline disease, oral microbiota, genetic profile, and biomarkers were reported in four (21.5%) studies each. Meta‐analysis showed that groups submitted to high‐risk chemotherapy for OM had a 2.79‐fold increased risk of OM. Conclusions: Identifying risk factors for OM is essential in order to allow individualized and early prevention treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the impact of biologic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) treatment on the prevalence, seroconversion rate, and longevity of the humoral immune response against SARS–CoV‐2 in patients with immune‐mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Methods: Anti–SARS–CoV‐2 IgG antibodies were measured in a prospective cohort of health care professional controls and non–health care controls and IMID patients receiving no treatment or receiving treatment with conventional or biologic DMARDs during the first and second COVID‐19 waves. Regression models adjusting for age, sex, sampling time, and exposure risk behavior were used to calculate relative risks (RRs) of seropositivity. Seroconversion rates were assessed in participants with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–positive SARS–CoV‐2 infection. Antibody response longevity was evaluated by reassessing participants who tested positive during the first wave. Results: In this study, 4,508 participants (2,869 IMID patients and 1,639 controls) were analyzed. The unadjusted RR (0.44 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.31–0.62]) and adjusted RR (0.50 [95% CI 0.34–0.73]) for SARS–CoV‐2 IgG antibodies were significantly lower in IMID patients treated with bDMARDs compared to non–health care controls (P < 0.001), primarily driven by treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) inhibitors, and IL‐23 inhibitors. Adjusted RRs for untreated IMID patients (1.12 [95% CI 0.75–1.67]) and IMID patients receiving conventional synthetic DMARDs (0.70 [95% CI 0.45–1.08]) were not significantly different from non–health care controls. Lack of seroconversion in PCR‐positive participants was more common among bDMARD‐treated patients (38.7%) than in non–health care controls (16%). Overall, 44% of positive participants lost SARS–CoV‐2 antibodies by follow‐up, with higher rates in IMID patients treated with bDMARDs (RR 2.86 [95% CI 1.43–5.74]). Conclusion: IMID patients treated with bDMARDs have a lower prevalence of SARS–CoV‐2 antibodies, seroconvert less frequently after SARS–CoV‐2 infection, and may exhibit a reduced longevity of their humoral immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systematically integrate the available data published in the literature on oral pigmented lesions (OPL) associated with syndromes, summarizing the clinical and demographic features of the individuals. Materials and Methods: An electronic search was undertaken in six databases. Eligibility criteria were articles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese describing case reports or case series of OPL associated with syndromes. Data were aggregated and statistically evaluated. Results: About 108 articles reporting 149 cases of individuals with syndromes were identified. Among the affected individuals, nine syndromes were reported. The mean age at diagnosis was 35.93 years (0.41 to 83 years), with a predilection for white (n = 85/85.86%) female (n = 102/68.46%) individuals. As regards the number of lesions, 109 (73.15%) were multiple and 40 (26.85%) were single. Lip represented the anatomical location more affected (122 cases/38.01%), followed by the buccal mucosa (100 cases/31.15%). Brownish lesions accounted for 82 (69.49%) cases. The mean time of evolution was 10.52 years (0.16 to 56 years). OPL preceding diagnosis of the syndrome was observed in 111 (74.50%) cases. Conclusions: Although these syndromes are uncommon, dentists should be able to recognize their manifestations, since oral manifestations can represent an important aspect in early diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This meta‐analysis aims to: (i) describe the pooled prevalence of diabetes in people with intellectual disabilities, (ii) investigate the association with demographic, clinical and treatment‐related factors and (iii) compare the prevalence versus age‐ and gender‐matched general population controls. Methods: Pubmed, Embase and CINAHL were searched until 01 May 2021. Random effects meta‐analysis and an odds ratio analysis were conducted to compare rates with controls. Results: The trim‐ and fill‐adjusted pooled diabetes prevalence amongst 55,548 individuals with intellectual disabilities (N studies = 33) was 8.5% (95% CI = 7.2%–10.0%). The trim‐ and fill‐adjusted odds for diabetes was 2.46 times higher (95% CI = 1.89–3.21) (n = 42,684) versus controls (n = 4,177,550). Older age (R2 =.83, p <.001), smoking (R2 =.30, p =.009) and co‐morbid depression (R2 =.18, p =.04), anxiety (R2 =.97, p <.001), and hypertension (R2 = 0.29, p <.001) were associated with higher diabetes prevalence rates. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that people with intellectual disabilities are at an increased risk of diabetes, and therefore routine screening and multidisciplinary management of diabetes is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Research on racial oral health inequities has relied on individual-level data with the premise being that the unequal distribution of dental diseases is an intractable problem. We address these insufficiencies by examining the relationships between structural racism, structural sexism, state-level income inequality, and edentulism-related racial inequities according to a structural intersectionality approach.Methods: Data were from two sources, the 2010 survey of the U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and Patricia Homan et al.'s (2021) study on the health impacts from interlocking systems of oppression. While the first contains information on edentulism from a large probabilistic sample of older (65+) respondents, the second provides estimates of racism, sexism, and income inequality across the US states. Taking into account a range of individual characteristics and contextual factors in multilevel models, we determine the extent to which structural forms of marginalization underlie racial inequities in edentulism.Results: Our analysis reveals that structural racism, structural sexism, and state-level income inequality are associated with the overall frequency of edentulism and the magnitude of edentulism-related racial inequities, both individually and intersectionally. Coupled with living in states with both high racism and sexism (but not income inequality), the odds of edentulism were 60% higher among non-Hispanic Blacks, relative to Whites residing where these structural oppressions were at their lowest.Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that racial oral health inequities cannot be disentangled from social forces that differentially allocate power and resources among population groups. Mitigating race-based inequities in oral health entails dismantling the multifaceted systems of oppression in the contemporary U.S. society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sporadic‐E (Es) layers are investigated over five Digisonde stations located inside (Santa Maria and Cachoeira Paulista), boundary (São Luís), and outside (Millstone Hill and Port Stanley) the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA) in the course of the 25 August 2018, geomagnetic storm. Data from Digisondes and ground‐based magnetometer and a numerical model of the E‐region (MIRE) are analyzed to search the roles of neutral winds and electric fields as physical processes responsible for the generation of Es layers. Moreover, it is observed for the first time over Santa Maria a type of Es layer that resembles the Esa detected in the auroral region. The characterization of such signatures in ionograms and the investigations of its formation mechanism are the main focus of this study. Hiss waves activities detected by the Van Allen Probe‐B data provide evidence that energetic particle precipitations are the most likely process responsible for this type of Es layer inside the SAMA in the night hours during the geomagnetic storm recovery phase. An attempt is also made to explain the presence of Esq over São Luís in terms of the expansion of the Equatorial Electrojet to higher latitudes. Finally, the results bring a new observational and modeling indication of a concomitant action of multiple formation mechanisms in the Es layers development in the American sector during the 25 August 2018, geomagnetic storm. Key Points: Sporadic‐E layer of auroral type (Esa) is reported for the first time over Santa Maria station (29.7°S, 53.8°W), BrazilHiss waves may be responsible for the particle precipitation over SAMA during the generation of the Esa layers during the recovery phaseEsa layers are appearing in stations further west in South America due to the westward motion of the SAMA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this systematic review was to incorporate the information published on metastatic lesions in the in the oral and maxillofacial region into a comprehensive analysis of their demographic, clinical, and imaginological features and survival rate. Materials and methods: An electronic search was undertaken in the subsequent databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and LILACS. All papers included were case reports or case series. Absolute and relative frequencies were obtained by descriptive analysis. Overall survival was defined by the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: This systematic review identified 217 studies from 33 countries, comprising 348 cases. Male individuals were more affected (n = 199/57.68%) in the 5th to 7th decades of life. The most usual primary site was the lung in men (n = 49/14.08%) and the breast in women (n = 40/11.49%). Jawbones were affected in 183 cases (53.19%), with the posterior mandible (n = 96/66.66%) representing the preferred site. In soft tissues, the gingiva (n = 80/23.25%) was more affected. Clinical presentation was a nodular mass with or without ulceration (n = 280/85.89%). Imaginological examinations revealed radiolucent/hypodense lesions (n = 115/59.28%). The mean survival time was eight months. Conclusion: Despite the rare occurrence of metastatic lesions in the oral and maxillofacial region, the current systematic review offers substantial data that could assist clinicians and surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: B cell depletion is an established therapeutic principle in a wide range of autoimmune diseases. However, B cells are also critical for inducing protective immunity after infection and vaccination. We undertook this study to assess humoral and cellular immune responses after infection with or vaccination against SARS–CoV‐2 in patients with B cell depletion and controls who are B cell–competent. Methods: Antibody responses (tested using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) and T cell responses (tested using interferon‐γ enzyme‐linked immunospot assay) against the SARS–CoV‐2 spike S1 and nucleocapsid proteins were assessed in a limited number of previously infected (n = 6) and vaccinated (n = 8) autoimmune disease patients with B cell depletion, as well as previously infected (n = 30) and vaccinated (n = 30) healthy controls. Results: As expected, B cell and T cell responses to the nucleocapsid protein were observed only after infection, while respective responses to SARS–CoV‐2 spike S1 were found after both infection and vaccination. A SARS–CoV‐2 antibody response was observed in all vaccinated controls (30 of 30 [100%]) but in none of the vaccinated patients with B cell depletion (0 of 8). In contrast, after SARS–CoV‐2 infection, both the patients with B cell depletion (spike S1, 5 of 6 [83%]; nucleocapsid, 3 of 6 [50%]) and healthy controls (spike S1, 28 of 30 [93%]; nucleocapsid, 28 of 30 [93%]) developed antibodies. T cell responses against the spike S1 and nucleocapsid proteins were found in both infected and vaccinated patients with B cell depletion and in the controls. Conclusion: These data show that B cell depletion completely blocks humoral but not T cell SARS–CoV‐2 vaccination response. Furthermore, limited humoral immune responses are found after SARS–CoV‐2 infection in patients with B cell depletion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To verify the association between periodontal conditions and preterm birth. Materials and methods: This study used data from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, Brazil. Pregnant women expected to give birth in 2015 were interviewed and dentally examined by a trained dentist, with periodontal measures collected in all teeth, six sites per tooth. Exposure was periodontal disease. Outcomes were preterm birth (all births <37 weeks of gestational age) and early preterm birth (<34 weeks). Analysis was carried out using Poisson regression according to a directed acyclic graph. Results: A total of 2,474 women participated in the study. Incidence of preterm births was 10.2% and of early preterm births was 3.5%. Frequency of gingivitis was 21.7%, and periodontitis was 14.9%. Periodontitis was associated with a risk almost two times higher of having early preterm delivery compared with healthy pregnant women (RR 1.93; 95% CI 1.09–3.43). Presence of 5+ mm periodontal pocket with bleeding on probing was also associated with higher risk for early preterm delivery. Conclusions: The association between periodontal disease in pregnancy and the occurrence of preterm delivery is sensitive to the case definitions. Periodontal disease increased the risk of early preterm delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the present systematic review was to analyze the available data regarding acinic cell carcinoma of the oral and maxillofacial region.Methods: A search strategy was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase electronic databases.Results: Available data revealed a slight female preference (54.73%) and a mean age at diagnosis of 47.51 ± 19.85 years. The parotid glands (67.72%) were most frequently affected, and most cases were asymptomatic (69.54%). A microcystic histopathological pattern was reported in 21.56% of the cases, and the Periodic acid-Schiff was the staining method most frequently used, after the hematoxylin and eosin staining, in the tumors analyzed. The lesions were mainly treated by surgical removal (72.32%). Recurrence was reported in 81 cases (27.83%) and metastasis in 100 (42.91%). Statistical data analysis revealed that tumors located in major salivary glands and exhibiting high-grade histology were associated with local recurrence (P = .01). In addition, the patients older than 57 years, lesions with bone involvement, the high-grade tumors and the cases with a history of recurrence and metastasis were associated with a lower overall survival (P < .05).Conclusion: By assembling all eligible cases in the literature, the present systematic review determined the most common clinicopathological profile of acinic cell carcinoma and the most relevant prognostic factors in a distinctly representative sample. The survey demonstrated the importance of considering the histopathological grading in order to better define the treatment for each case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This longitudinal study assessed the prevalence of dental fear in adulthood and the association with socio‐economic, behavioural and clinical variables. Also, the existence of a vicious cycle of dental fear was tested. Methods: A random sample of adults (n = 535) from the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort, Brazil, was selected. Socio‐economic data, behavioural characteristics and clinical variables were collected during different cohort waves. Oral health data were collected at ages 15, 24 and 31 years old, using questionnaires and oral examination. Dental fear (the outcome) was assessed by the question: 'Are you afraid of going to the dentist?', with possible responses: dichotomized into 'No' or 'A little/Yes/A lot'. Exposure variables were as follows: dental visit in the last years (at the ages 15 and 31); caries experience (DMFT ≥ mean) at the ages 15 and 31; the trajectory of caries prevalence from 15 to 31 years old; dental pain in the last six months in the two ages evaluated; and self‐rated oral health at age 31. Several multivariable Poisson regression models were used to investigate the association between each of the exposure variables and dental fear. Results: Dental fear prevalence was 22.1%, and it was more prevalent among non‐white individuals and females. After controlling for potential confounders, dental fear was more likely to be reported by those individuals who had dental pain or a higher prevalence of dental caries at the age 15. Dental fear was also associated with a worse trajectory of dental caries, negative self‐rated oral health at age 31 and with not having visited the dentist in the last year (at the age 31). Results supported the proposed vicious cycle of dental fear. Conclusions: Dental fear in adulthood was related to exposures occurring across the lifecourse. Also, it was possible to observe the occurrence of the vicious cycle of dental fear in the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort. Therefore, preventive measures during different periods of the life course are required to prevent dental fear and adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymphomas in the oral and oropharyngeal regions are relatively uncommon, and their diagnosis is challenging and complex due to the myriad histopathological subtypes. Herein, we report a large series of oral and oropharyngeal lymphomas and compare our data with the currently available literature. Methods: All cases diagnosed as lymphomas affecting the oral and oropharyngeal regions were retrospectively retrieved from seven Brazilian institutions. Clinicodemographic data and histopathological features were evaluated and described, while a comprehensive literature review was undertaken in order to compare our findings. Results: A total of 304 cases of oral and oropharyngeal lymphomas were obtained, mostly affecting individuals aged 60–69 years (n = 68) with a mean age at diagnosis of 54.2 ± 20.1 years. Males and females were equally affected. Mature B‐cell neoplasms (87.2%) were the most common group, followed by mature T‐ and NK‐cell neoplasms (11.2%) and precursor lymphoid neoplasms (1.6%). The most frequent subtypes in each group were diffuse large B‐cell lymphomas, not otherwise specified (n = 99), extranodal NK/T‐cell lymphomas, nasal type (n = 12), and B‐lymphoblastic leukaemia/lymphomas, not otherwise specified (n = 4). The most commonly involved sites were the palate (26.3%), mandible (13%), and maxilla (10.5%). Conclusion: Diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified, remains the most common subtype of lymphomas in the oral and oropharyngeal region. Older patients are the most affected, with no gender predilection and the palate and jaw are usually affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several tests are available to assess the different components of physical fitness, including cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and flexibility. However, the reliability and validity of physical fitness tests in people with mental disorders has not been meta‐analyzed. Aims: To examine the reliability, concurrent, and convergent validity of physical fitness tests in people with mental disorders. Methods: Studies evaluating the reliability, concurrent, and convergent validity of physical fitness tests in people with mental disorders were searched from major databases until January 20, 2020. Random‐effects meta‐analyses were performed pooling (1) reliability: test–retest correlations at two‐time points, (2) convergent validity between submaximal tests and maximal protocols, or (3) concurrent validity between two submaximal tests. Associations are presented using r values and 95% confidence intervals. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies and the Critical Appraisal Tool. Results: A total of 11 studies (N = 504; 34% females) were included. Reliability of the fitness tests, produced r values ranging from moderate (balance test‐EUROFIT; [r = 0.75 (0.60–0.85); p = 0.0001]) to very strong (explosive leg power EUROFIT; [r = 0.96 (0.93–0.97); p = 0.0001]). Convergent validity between the 6‐min walk test (6MWT) and submaximal cardiorespiratory tests was moderate (0.57 [0.26–0.77]; p = 0.0001). Concurrent validity between the 2‐min walk test and 6MWT (r = 0.86 [0.39–0.97]; p = 0.0004) was strong. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that physical fitness tests are reliable and valid in people with mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases (ARSs) catalyze the first step of protein biosynthesis (canonical function) and have additional (non‐canonical) functions outside of translation. Bi‐allelic pathogenic variants in genes encoding ARSs are associated with various recessive mitochondrial and multisystem disorders. We describe here a multisystem clinical phenotype based on bi‐allelic mutations in the two genes (FARSA, FARSB) encoding distinct subunits for tetrameric cytosolic phenylalanyl‐tRNA synthetase (FARS1). Interstitial lung disease with cholesterol pneumonitis on histology emerged as an early characteristic feature and significantly determined disease burden. Additional clinical characteristics of the patients included neurological findings, liver dysfunction, and connective tissue, muscular and vascular abnormalities. Structural modeling of newly identified missense mutations in the alpha subunit of FARS1, FARSA, showed exclusive mapping to the enzyme's conserved catalytic domain. Patient‐derived mutant cells displayed compromised aminoacylation activity in two cases, while remaining unaffected in another. Collectively, these findings expand current knowledge about the human ARS disease spectrum and support a loss of canonical and non‐canonical function in FARS1‐associated recessive disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe and compare the findings of endoscopic sensory assessment in COPD patients and healthy controls. Design: A prospective cross‐sectional study. Setting: Otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic at a university hospital. Participants: 27 adults with COPD and 11 age‐matched healthy controls. Main outcome measures: Group differences in light touch endoscopic tests of pharyngeal and laryngeal sensation, controlling for pooled salivary secretions in the pharynx and laryngo‐pharyngeal reflux as measured by the Reflux Finding Score (RFS). Results: A significant difference in laryngeal sensation was found between the study groups (P =.047), with reduced laryngeal sensation in the COPD patients. Additionally, a significant relationship was found between impaired oropharyngeal sensation and the presence of pooled salivary secretions in the pharynx (P =.018), especially in the pyriform sinuses (P =.012). No differences in the frequency of abnormal RFSs were found between groups. Conclusion: Individuals with COPD were significantly more likely to present with impaired laryngeal sensation. Additionally, impaired sensation in the oropharynx was associated with pooled salivary secretions in the pharynx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, transition metal borides attracted increased attention as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. Here, we show how the incorporation of nickel into nanoscale dicobalt boride results in an improvement of the activity and stability of the catalyst in alkaline electrolytes. The borides are obtained by a one‐step solution synthesis, calcined, and characterized by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. For (Co1‐xNix)2B (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5), (Co0.9Ni0.1)2B shows the best performance with an overpotential of η=371 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH. Normalization to the electrochemical surface area shows a clear dependence on the activity with rising nickel content. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the catalyst is modified under reaction conditions and indicates that CoOOH and Ni(OH)2 are formed as active surface species. Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (F‐AAS) measurements show that no cobalt is dissolved during the electrochemical investigations, but the nickel concentration is increased on the surface of the catalyst as follows from XPS measurements after the electrochemical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]