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Multimedia resources, such as instructional videos, are currently enjoying a certain popularity in the training programs for medical and dental students. The major challenge is to create such resources with quality content that is approved by students. In order to answer this challenge, it is imperative to find out which features of instructional videos are considered to be necessary and useful by students, thus being able to excite them, to hold their attention, and to stimulate them in learning with pleasure. Aim: We investigated the opinions of a sample of 551 students from four medical universities in Romania, in order to identify the students’ preferred characteristics in instructional videos, both globally and comparatively on genders and age groups and also according to their general preferences for using internet services. Material and methods: We used univariate (hypothesis testing) and multivariate (two-step clustering) data analysis techniques and revealed three clusters of students, primarily determined by their perceptions of the visual appearance of the instructional videos. Results: The structure of the clusters by gender and age group was relatively similar, but we recorded differences associated with the students’ expressed preferences for certain internet services compared to others. The first identified cluster (35.4% of the cases) contains students who prefer instructional videos to contain images used only for aesthetic purposes and to fill the gaps; they use internet services mainly for communication. The second cluster of students (34.8%) prefers videos designed as practical lessons, using explanatory drawings and diagrams drawn at the same time as the explanations; they also use internet services mainly for communication. The last cluster of students (29.8%) prefer videos designed as PowerPoint presentations, with animated pictures, diagrams, and drawings; they are slightly younger than the others and use internet services mainly for information and communication, but also for domestic facilities. Conclusions: The students’ preferences for certain features of instructional videos depend not only on gender and age but are also related to their developmental background and general opinions about modern technologies.

Our study’s aim was to evaluate the clinicopathological profile of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients from North-East Romania in relation to the Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS). We designed a retrospective study on 108 CRC patients using the fully automated real-time PCR-based molecular testing system, IdyllaTMKRAS Mutation Test (Biocartis, Mechelen, Belgium). Of the patients, 64 (59.3%) were men and 62 (57.4%) were older than the group average, with left bowel location in 38 cases (35.2%), adenocarcinoma NOS in 102 cases (94.4%), mixed histological pattern in 65 cases (60.2%), T3 in 60 patients (55.6%), N2 in 46 patients (42.6%), and 7–12 tumour buds registered in 58 tumours (53.7%). A total of 54 tumour samples (50%) showed KRAS mutation. Statistical comparative analyses associated KRAS mutations with the histopathological pattern (p = 0.018), tumour grade (p = 0.030), depth of invasion (pT) (p < 0.001), lymph node involvement (pN) (p < 0.001), venous vascular invasion (p = 0.048), and tumour buds’ number (p = 0.007). Our results demonstrate the relationship between KRAS mutation and clinicopathological features, with possible impact in clinical tumour stratification and therapeutic management.

Background/Objectives: Aesthetics is a challenging aspect to restore for both dentists and dental technicians. One of the characteristics of aesthetic restoration is the shade. The purpose of the study is to assess the accuracy of the shade selection feature of intraoral scanners (CEREC Omnican, 3Shape TRIOS) in comparison with an already established method—the VITA Easyshade V spectrophotometer (VE)—and test if there is any significant difference between the three devices. Methods: To conduct this in vitro study, the VITA Classical shade guide was used. The intraoral scanners would not be able to scan the VITA Classical as it is, hence, a study model (SM) was fabricated. To be able to test the accuracy of the intraoral scanners (IOSs) in detecting the dental color, a spectrophotometer had to be included in the study, as it was shown that it is the most accurate instrument for this purpose. Therefore, for the current study, the VITA Easyshade V spectrophotometer (VITA Zahnfabrik, Bad Sackingen, Germany) was selected. Results: The accuracy of the three devices when measuring the shade of the study model was calculated as a percentage. When comparing the primary results of the VE and the results obtained by the Omnicam and TRIOS, the latter is the most accurate (26.67%), whereas the other two scored 20%. The study also revealed the limitations of the instrumental devices that were used. Conclusions: First, both the VE and IOSs obtained unexpectedly low accuracy results. Possibly, the material VC is made of influenced the final accuracy values, but in practice, on a daily basis, dental materials represent a factor that cannot really be controlled.

In order to determine the effects of frontal sinus morphology on the morpho-functionality of the dento-maxillary apparatus and the therapeutic management of pathologies in the orthodontic or maxillofacial surgery area, paraclinical evaluation is extremely important. During time, radiography – a relatively old method, allowed complex explorations of the extreme cephalic area, providing details of cephalometric and facial indexes and information regarding the pneumatization and neuro- and viscera-cranium at the same time. Aim: This manuscript focuses on the correlation of elements related to craniofacial anomalies, in which frontal sinus malformations hold a particularly important place, with various dental anomalies which are particularly important aspects in optimizing the diagnostic and therapeutic protocol in both, orthodontic and orthognathic surgical approaches. Materials and methods: We set out to examine the frontal sinus, including a number of 112 patients, aged 4 to 78 years old, with malocclusions, the research being performed in the Radiology Clinic of Emergency Clinical Hospital “Sf. Spiridon” Iasi, during 2018-2020. We used in our research the landmarks represented by the frontal median septum and the upper orbital margin, on the basis of which we calculated the dimensions of the frontal sinus. The cases were as follows: 66 women (58,9%) and 46 men (41,1%), and age distribution was as follows: •4 – 9 years (20 cases – 17,9%); •10 – 19 years (22 cases – 19,6%); •20 – 45 years (31 cases – 27,7%); •46 – 60 years (19 cases – 17,0%); •over 60 years (20 cases – 17,9%). Results and discussions: The data obtained in our study are superimposable on those found in the literature, noting a frequency of absence of bilateral frontal sinus in 9,8% of cases, the elements of specificity belonging to the percentage of 6,1% for women and 15,2% for men, all cases being between 5-15 years. There are not significant differences between the planimetric measurements at patients with sinusitis compared with the others; instead, we found statistically significant differences between the planimetric measurements concerning the right sinus as well as the left sinus at the 3 classes of malocclusion – the patients in the I-st class have the smallest sinuses, the patients in the II-nd class have intermediary mesurements, while the patients in the III-rd class have the biggest measurements of the sinuses. Conclusions: In dental practice, cascading effects are extremely important, starting from frontal sinus malformations, which lead to different types of dento-dental anomalies, the implications being found in specific orthodontic therapy and orthognathic surgery.

The aim of this study is to carry out an epidemiological retrospective of COVID-19 with individualization of the peculiarities of manifestation on the territory of Moldova, the evolutionary peculiarities being in full agreement with the general status of the patient up to that moment. 779 patients with COVID-19, hospitalized between September 2020 and April 2021, 386 men (49.6%) and 393 women (50.4%), aged between 7 and 93 years, were investigated; the mean age of the patients was 52.26 ± 15.844 years, with no significant differences between men (52.26 ± 15.830 years) and women (52.26 ± 15.878 years). More than half of the patients (59.6%) are aged between 30-59 years; 8.3% are young people under 30 years old, and about a third (32.1%) are elderly, over 60 years old (table 1) – without statistically significant differences between the sexes ( Pearson Chi – squared = 3.102, p = 0.875 ). There are certain correlations between the symptoms noticed in patients, their comorbidities and the appearance of lung changes on CT, respectively febrile or afebrile evolution. Among the characteristic symptoms of COVID-19, patients with comorbidities present more frequently cough, physical asthenia, inappetence and other than chest pain compared to those without comorbidities.

The therapeutic solutions chosen were ceramics on a zirconium support or ceramics on a metal infrastructure made by laser technique, which is a therapeutic alternative beneficial for the relationship with the affected tissues, a situation that is found in patients with cardiovascular or other types of general diseases. In addition to the technological line chosen, the biomaterials chosen are also extremely important, with Co-Cr alloys remaining a biocompatible option that satisfies the optimal parameters of the final prosthetic construction. From the study group we selected a representative clinical case for cardiovascular pathology in conjunction with partial edentulousness.The aim of this study is to identify how modern fixed prosthodontic technologies optimize the integration of fixed prostheses in the context of the current oral manifestations which occur as a consequence of different types of systemic damage.The study group consisted of 200 patients diagnosed with different forms of partial edentulousness and at the same time presenting different general status disorders. Non-invasiveness in conjunction with precise modern technologies with a different degree of biocompatibility creates the prerequisites for a good integration of oral rehabilitation against the background of different types of complications in the territory of oral manifestations in patients with different types of systemic diseases.

Aim of the study In the field of dentistry, emergencies can occur unexpectedly, requiring immediate attention and prompt action.The study aims to shed light on the experiences and knowledge of dental students in handling emergency situations and their understanding of the role of first aid in dental practice. Material and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Dental Medicine, Iasi. The questionnaire was updated on the Google Forms platform, and the link was distributed to dental students in their 3rd, 4th, and 5th years of study. Out of Approximately 420 students, 205 of them agreed to respond to the questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 27.0. Initially, the group was characterized using descriptive statistics, and subsequently, the comparative responses of the students based on their years of study were analyzed using the Chi-square test. The collected data was then analyzed for frequency distributions. Results The findings indicate that dental students possess awareness regarding the risks associated with routine dental practice. While they exhibit a satisfactory level of theoretical knowledge, they lack the necessary confidence to administer first aid, thereby highlighting a disparity between their theoretical understanding and practical skills. Conclusions The findings underscore the need for comprehensive education and training in dental emergency management to equip dental students with the necessary skills and knowledge to handle emergency situations effectively. By incorporating these insights into dental curricula, educators can contribute to the development of competent dental professionals who prioritize patient safety.

Composite materials are biomaterials frequently used in dental restorations, offering an extremely wide range of structures adapted to both the location and the aesthetic and biomechanical requirements of the dental structure to which they are applied. The indications for the use of these biomaterials are not only restricted to the field of conservative dentistry but also in the preparation and reconstruction of dental structures involved in prosthetic therapy, periodontology and dental alveolar surgery, their choice being in accordance with the specifics of the operation performed. The aim of our study was to observe the influence of different beverage environment conditions on two types of obturation dental materials with different compositions from a morpho-structural point of view, water sorption characteristics of the restorative dental composites were determined through DVS measurements. By associating the value of isotherms with the degree of porosity of the surfaces of the two samples analysed, we can conclude that the surface alteration is relatively similar for the two types of material, with higher values being obtained for sample P1 in the presence of Red Bull and then Fanta.

Radiographic methods provide useful information about bone tissue changes, and radiographs have the advantage that they can be stored and reevaluated at any time. However, radiographic evaluations are subject to several sources of error. The purpose of this study was to analyze the maxillary bones by computer tomographic analysis, assessing the value of their density as a predictive element in the success of oral rehabilitation by classical or modern methods. In this study, we selected 35 patients for dental CT scans made with a Somatom Emotion device, Siemens in order to apply dental implants and removable prostheses. 20 women and 15 men aged between 60-80 years participated in the study . For comparison, 6 dental CT scans from the group of patients under the age of 65 were analyzed. The measurements were made on approximately symmetrical right-left areas. A line parallel to the long axis of the horizontal branch of the mandible, tangential to the lower edge, was drawn. The correlative aspects established between the patient’s sex, bone density and the dimensions of the edentulous ridges underline a prevalence, in percentage of 55%, of medium ridges in the frontal area, associated with the female sex and a D3 bone density, while medium ridges both frontally and laterally associated with D3 density and association with the male sex. The value of the CT examination in evaluating the quality of edentulous ridges and some foreign bodies and sinus inflammatory processes with the evaluation of the proximity of important anatomical structures as landmarks in implantology is evident.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to was to count the number of endo-periodontal lesions in ENT cancer patients, as all patients included in the study will benefit from radio and chemotherapy. Materials and methods: our study included 33 cancer patients with ENT and 30 healthy persons. Both the cancer patient group and the control group were examined by two radiologists, an endodontist and an ENT doctor. We took blood samples to correlate the presence, the size of the periapical lesions by using OPT and CBCT with the bone resorbtion biomarker TRAP- 5. Results: Evaluating the OPT, the depth of the periapical lesions found in the control group varies between 0 and 5.00 mm, with an average of 0.700 ± 1.3859; in the ENT cancer group the size of the periapical lesions also varies between 0 and 6.00 mm, but with an average of 1,664 ± 2,1383, obviously and statistically significantly higher than in the control group. The evaluation of CBCT 3D shows in the control group the maximum size found for periapical lesions is 7.60 mm, with an average of 1.1867 ± 2.20043, and in the ENT cancer group the maximum size for periapical lesions found is 10.81 mm, with an average almost three times higher than in the control group, 3.1658 ± 3.54104. The mean value for TRAP 5B in cancer patients is 0.3539 ± 0.0195, significantly higher than the mean observed in the control group of 0.3034 ± 0.0144. Discussions: There are statistically significant differences between the control group and the group of cancer patients in terms of the size of the observed periapical lesions, assessed by both OPT investigation and CBCT 3D. The evaluation of CBCT 3D highlights the same phenomenon, but the magnitude of the periapical lesions found is higher, both in the control group and in the ENT cancer group. Regarding the comparative evaluations of the results obtained by the ELISA kit, TRAP 5B, in healthy patients compared to those with cancer, there are statistically significant differences. Conclusions: By using CBCT, several periapical lesions were found in the same patients and significant differences were observed in their size. We can say that there is a correlation between the presence of periapical lesions and the values ​​of the biomarker TRAP 5B.

Dental composites, through their structural diversity, represent the biomaterials frequently used in dental reconstructive therapy. The aim of our study was to observe the influence of different beverage environment conditions on seven types of obturation dental materials with different compositions. Our research focused on the surface modification analysis of the materials after the immersion in the different beverages; in this regard, we used the EDAX technique correlated with the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The pH of the drinks and that of the simulated saliva solution were determined by the titrimetric method, a sodium hydroxide solution 0.1 mol/dm3 was prepared and used for the titration. An amount of 5 mL of each analyzed solution was added to 15 mL of distilled water to obtain a dilution, to which 3 drops of phenolphthalein (as a color indicator—Phenolphthalein, 3,3-Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1(3H)-isobenzofuranone, C20H14O4 Mw: 318.32, purchased from Merck) were added for each analysis. For each solution, the experiment was repeated three times in order to obtain accurate results. The results of our study materialized into a real plea for modifying the patients’ behavior in terms of diet and preferences for acidic drinks, so that their quality-of-life valence can be improved by keeping the composite materials in a long-term unalterable state on the one hand; on the other hand, systemic damage can be prevented as well.

The success of blended learning programmes, based on digital tools, depends on several factors that significantly influence students’ performance, of which demographics (gender and age group) are the most common. Other factors play an important role too. Among these, we focused on the students’ general attitude towards the digital environment and the importance they attach to it in their daily activities. We investigated a sample of five hundred fifty-one students from four Medical Universities in Romania, mostly females (76.2%), from years 1 and 2 of study (63.7%) and aged between 18 and 20 years (53.9%), and we recorded their general opinion about the effectiveness of four types of teaching tools and the intensity of using Internet services in their daily activities. We conducted univariate (hypothesis testing) and multivariate (two-step clustering) analyses of the recorded responses, and we found that the students’ general behaviour as the users of Internet services significantly influences their choices for certain teaching tools over others. Students who prefer classic oral presentations and PowerPoint presentations are predominantly females, aged between 18 and 20, who use Internet services mainly for communication. Students who prefer educational videos are also mainly females, evenly distributed by age groups; they enjoy using multimedia resources during learning and use Internet services for communication, information or entertainment. Students who prefer the use of online documentary sources are evenly distributed by gender and are over 20 years of age; they also enjoy using multimedia resources during learning and use Internet services mainly for communication and information. The obtained results show that, to optimally combine the teaching tools used in blended learning, it is useful to assess in advance the attitude towards the digital environment of the students to whom it is addressed.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of smoking on salivary RANKL and OPG levels in patients with generalized, stage III, grade B periodontitis. Material and methods: The salivary concentrations of RANKL and OPG were determined for 18 patients, aged between 23 and 50 years old, of which 8 were smokers, all presenting with a form of generalized, stage III, grade B periodontitis. Results: smokers had higher salivary levels of RANKL (p=0,0009) and a higher RANKL/OPG ratio (p=0,019), compared to non-smokers. OPG salivary levels did not differ much between smokers and non-smokers. Conclusions: Smoking has a higher impact on RANKL than on OPG salivary levels, for patients with generalized, stage III, grade B, periodontitis.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the opportunity of metal or non- metallic reinforcement of mobilizable prostheses in accordance with the main factors can lead to fracture of partial or totally removable prostheses. Equally, establishing the correlations between the evaluated anatomical features and the intervention of general and loco-regional factors is part of the objectives of the statistical study, crowned with the mirror of the necessary treatment, a clear premise of the motivation of research to improve the quality of total prosthesis. For this purpose, we evaluated a study group consisting of a number of 84 patients diagnosed with total uni and bimaxillary edentation, subtotal and partially extended edentation that were presented in the Clinical Education Base of the Faculty of Dentistry Iasi, respectively in practice private offices, in the period 2018-2020. Regarding the need to reinforce the total prostheses , we remarked a need for 39%, 15% for nemetallic reinforcement and 24% for metallic reinforcement. The clinical statements encountered in the jaw antagonist of the total edentulous one have been edentulous partially stretched, respectively edentulous subtotal that involve forces higher in time carrying out the functions of mastication ( in the case of prosthetic joint ) elements which call for optimizing the possibilities of reinforcing the total prosthesis.

Calcium and magnesium are minerals with important functions throughout the body. The deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and prostate cancer, and affects the skin and teeth. Some studies have associated it with osteoarthritis. Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative pathology with a high prevalence that affects the knee joint, and prevention is necessary in the context of the lack of understanding of pathophysiology. The role of serum calcium and magnesium levels was considered in this regard. The study included a group of 371 hospitalized patients for unilateral or bilateral knee pain, of whom 326 patients had knee osteoarthritis and were the subject of the research. The risk factors such as age, gender, body mass index, weight status, and certain anatomical changes were analyzed, including the varus and valgus alignment. The results show the inverse relationship of Ca values with the radiological classification of knee osteoarthritis and the importance of risk factors such as age, gender, and obesity for the onset and progression of the pathology. Serum Mg values were not statistically significant in this study group.

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement with bone resorption of the mandible is a rare complication in systemic sclerosis (SSc), leading to restrictive mandibular movements, malocclusion, difficult swallowing and mastication, and subsequently altered nutrition. We report a case of SSc-related TMJ pathology in a 23-year woman, emphasizing the relevance of advanced imaging. Extensive bone resorption of mandibular condyle reveled on dental panoramic image explains the malocclusion and impaired interincisal opening, while CBCT demonstrates reshaping of the mandibular condyle with cortical lysis, osteophytes, decreased height and flattening. Furthermore, electromyography confirms masticatory muscles involvement.

The progression of liver fibrosis and the presence of portal hypertension are two key points in the follow-up and severity assessment of patients with chronic liver disease. Objective evaluation of such aspects has proven to be difficult due to the lack of reproducible and standardized non-invasive methods. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether spleen stiffness (SS) can rule out the presence of high-risk varices (HRVs) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We designed a prospective follow-up of a cohort of 48 consecutive patients diagnosed with compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) due to NAFLD, between January 2020 and January 2021. After clinical evaluation, laboratory testing, ultrasonography (US), and shear-wave elastography (2D-SWE.GE) of both the liver and the spleen, patients were endoscopically screened for esophageal varices, gastric varices, and portal hypertensive gastropathy. Correlations and predictors were assessed. After univariate, multivariate, and predictive analyses, SS could be referred to as an independent predictor for high-risk varices (AUROC 0.987, p < 0.001, OR 4.985, 95% CI: 1.57–15.73, p = 0.006), with a calculated cutoff value of 17.95 kPa. These results are consistent with those of other, similar studies using both 2D-SWE.GE and a similar module (2D-SWE.SSI) in patients with metabolic liver disease. When confirmed by subsequent larger studies, SS could potentially become a useful non-invasive tool in the assessment of clinically significant portal hypertension in patients with advanced fatty liver disease.

Introduction: Orofacial pain is a common occurrence in daily dental practice; it is frequently attributed to temporomandibular dysfunction, one of its major causes, followed by pathology of the salivary glands, without avoiding interference at the level of the pain pathways caused by complications of periodontal pathology. The main objective of this study is to identify an important cause of pain in the oral–maxillofacial territory by quantifying the changes at the salivary glandular level using stereological methods. The secondary objective of the present research is to identify the implications of periodontal changes as a consequence of salivary quantitative and qualitative changes, quantified using periodontal indices, on the balance of the temporomandibular joint, dysfunction of it being an important cause of facial pain and having a profound impact on the complex oral rehabilitation algorithm of each clinical case, a condition evaluated with the analysis of the results of the Souleroy questionnaire. Material and methods: In a retrospective study, we evaluated the clinical results obtained after applying complex rehabilitation treatment to 35 subjects, 20 women and 15 men with salivary and TMJ dysfunctions, selected between 2020 and 2021 from the Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery, Iasi. Results and discussion: The most common symptoms of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) that were identified through the Souleroy questionnaire were pain and different types of damage to the masticatory muscles. The most significant changes in elders are reported in the case of serous cells, which reduced their percentage volume from 46.7% to 37.4%. Conclusion: As regards stereological analysis in conjunction with histological images, there were significant changes in diameters, perimeters, and longitudinal axes in the adult patients as opposed to the elderly patients, which were also influenced by the type of pathology at this level. The scores recorded on the diagnostic Souleroy scale indicated a large number of patients with low efficiency and maximum stress levels: 20.0% in level 1, 25.7% in level 2, and 25.7% in level 3.

Aim of the study was to identify the degree of satisfaction of patients about quality of the private dental medicine practices from Iasi, Romania. Material and methods. The authors of this study tested a representative sample of the population, consisting of 144 people, with different professions and ages. The data collection tool was an original questionnaire. Through its administration, it was intended to assess the patient’s satisfaction with the dental care they received in different dental offices in Iasi during year 2018. Results. The results of the study show that 74.31% of the total patients surveyed are satisfied with the clinical quality of the dental care received, and 18.06% of them are worried about the high prices. The questioned patients believe that dentists with private practice have the necessary equipment and materials to provide dental services at the proper quality. Conclusions. Our study offers useful information for quality management of dental medicine services provided to the local population.

Aim of the study was to investigate the Romanian population regarding the awareness of childhood language impairment. Material and methods: 75 Romanian volunteers (37 male and 38 female) aged 18-78 randomly selected were surveyed through a questionnaire carried out by Working Group 3 of Cost Action IS1406, between March-May 2018. The questions were grouped in 5 sections: personal information, knowledge about childhood language impairment, management/ therapy/ intervention, the role of parents in intervention and improving the lives of these children. Multiple answers were analysed by the SPSS 16.0 package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) for Windows. Results: 57.3% respondents knew the term childhood language impairment. 42.7% respondents heard about language therapy for children. 40% respondents believe that parents should engage in team work with the therapist. 77.3% of respondents believe that school education is the best ways to spread information about childhood language impairments. The correlations between answers and age groups, level of education, the economic status of the volunteers and the parents of the children under 18 have shown statistically significant differences (p

The clinical reality of the total edentation from the point of view of the impact on the general condition of the patient, with extremely serious disturbances on the body pattern, correlated with the variety of clinical situations, always impregnated by the current social aspects, are only a few elements that advocate optimizing the total prosthesis structure by different reinforcement methods. The aim of the study is the practical materialization of the possibilities of optimization of the parameters of totally removable prostheses by associating the types of acrylate with the method of reinforcement with polyethylene fibers and metal nets. Material and method :A total of 12 specimens were made in the form of thin rectangular plates with a longitudinal dimension of 40 mm, a width of about 20 mm, having a thickness ranging from 1.8 to 2.5.Biomechanical tests were done on a HEKERT 50 machine (on a 10 kN scale) and on a Textenser test machine (500N maximum force).The test specimens have combined the different types of acrylate used in dental practice by associating it with various forms of reinforcement, represented by metal nets, respectively polyethylene fibers. Results and discussions: After the examination of the traction patterns of the traction specimens, the following aspects were noted: Unarmed materials showed cross-sectional sections, slightly corrugated with respect to the direction of force. The armed (asymmetric) materials yielded to areas without reinforcement (cracks usually starting from the hole made at the gripping ends). The cracks produced in the reinforcing areas had the following directions: transverse to the reinforcing fibers: I (acrylate and randomly arranged polyethylene fibers), II (acrylate, longitudinally disposed polyethylene fibers), III (acrylate, metal mesh). Conclusions: In the optimization of the therapeutic solutions excellent results are obtained in case of reinforcement with polyethylene fibers longitudinally disposed. It is known that the clinical particularity dictates the final design of the total prosthesis, so in the case of patients with muscular hypertonia, the optimal therapeutic solution remains the reinforcement with polyethylene fibers due to the very good adherence of the polyethylene fibers to the acrylate followed by the metal mesh reinforcement.

The assessment of fibrosis in chronic liver diseases using non-invasive methods is an important topic in hepatology. The aim of this study is to identify patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and advanced liver fibrosis by establishing correlations between biological/ultrasound markers and non-invasively measured liver stiffness. This study enrolled 116 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which were evaluated clinically, biologically, and by ultrasound. Liver fibrosis was quantified by measuring liver stiffness by shear wave elastography (SWE). Multiple correlation analysis of predictors of liver fibrosis identified a number of clinical, biological, and ultrasound parameters (BMI, blood glucose, albumin, platelet count, portal vein diameter, bipolar spleen diameter) that are associated with advanced liver fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The correlations between the degree of liver fibrosis and the risk values of some serological and ultrasound markers obtained in our study could be useful in clinical practice for the identification of advanced fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.

The aim of our study was to correlate systemic bone loss by evaluating human Dickkopf-related protein 1 (Dkk-1) biomarker compared to horizontal bone loss as well as the presence and size of periapical lesions assessed by dental X-ray (ortopantomography—OPT) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in patients with cancer in the ears, nose and throat (ENT) region vs. healthy controls. The study included 63 subjects divided into a study group of 33 cancer patients with ENT cancer (larynx/oropharynx/sinuses) and a control group of 30 healthy individuals. Blood samples were collected from both groups to assess Dkk-1 level using a sandwich enzyme immunoassay. The dental radiological examination consisted of a panoramic X-ray and a CBCT in order to appraise the horizontal bone loss, the presence and size of the periapical lesions in 2D vs. 3D images. The panoramic X-ray showed that in the control group, the maximum bone loss reached 13.2 mm, with an average of 4.930 ± 3.258 mm, while in the study group, the maximum horizontal bone loss was 11.3 mm, with an average of 5.191 ± 2.109 mm. The CBCT 3D investigation, when compared to the OPT, showed increased values for horizontal bone loss, both in the control group and in the study group; in the control group, the maximum bone loss reached 14.10 mm, with an average of 5.736 ± 3.471 mm, and in the study group, the maximum value was 12.40 mm, and the average was again slightly higher (6.152 ± 2.519 mm). The mean value for Dkk-1 in cancer patients was 1.209 ± 0.110 ng/mL, significantly lower than the value observed in healthy patients (1.712 ± 0.100 ng/mL). CBCT revealed higher values for the investigated parameters when compared to panoramic X-rays. Taking into account the preliminary nature of our study, we observed a significant correlation between the level of bone loss recorded by the Dkk-1 biomarker and radiological dental examination in patients with ENT cancer when compared to the control group.

The study aimed to investigate the possibilities to use the system expert K-Scoring developed by Prof. Norina Consuela Forna and Neo-Tech, Romania, in the stomatological patients’ evaluation and treatment planning. Materials and method. The study groups included 88 patients treated in the Clinical Base of Dental Medicine Faculty, ”Gr. T. Popa” U.M.Ph. Iasi. The computerized planning and the measurement of clinical-biological indices were performed using PRODENT and K-Scoring Indici (Neo-Tech, România). Results. We found an increasing of the mean value of clinical-biological indices from the primary assessment to the secondary assessment, by values that are related to the clinical indices at the starting point of the treatment and after preparation of the general, loco-regional and local status. For the treated patients, the scoring program offered different values for the prosthetic therapy with different ranges of score with excellent, medium or poor prognosis of the case. Conclusions. The Scoring application is extremely accurate in the possibility to optimize the treatment plan, to help chose the appropriate therapeutic solutions and to make prognosis on short, medium and long term, by analysing the entire clinical-biological indices and scores.

Aim of the study The aim of this study is to emphasize the important role of career counselling in choosing the right career path. The dental students have multiple choices in their future career; the most important thing is to have access at objective tools in order to identify the most suitable trajectory. Material and methods We applied a questionnaire among the dental students from Iasi, the 6th year of study, during a period of 7 years (2011-2017) in order to identify their choices for the future career. The statistical processing was made in SPSS 20.0 and we reported the descriptive and the analytical results. Results It will be structured as shown here. Conclusions The study has shown that targeted career counselling has an important and valuable role in establishing the correct professional trajectory according to the individual skills, competences and aspirations

Purpose The aim of our study was to verify the variety of some permanent teeth, known as having multiple morphological variations: maxillary incisors, maxillary molars, mandibular premolars and molars. Material and Method. For this study we used intraoral images taken in a dental private practice, in Athens (Greece), between July 2014-July 2016. The study group was composed by 239 patients (105 males and 134 females) aged 17 to 52 years. The results were statistically analyzed with SPSS 16.0. Results. We found some expected morphological aspects, as are described in the literature, but there are some findings quite surprising, especially the number of cusps in mandibular premolars and molars. Conclusions The dentist should be aware that the diversity in human body it is found also in the diversity of teeth morphology. Although in dental school he is receiving a large amount of knowledge, he must continue to learn from his own clinical experience, because in real life, the real morphology is more diverse than in textbooks.

Objective: The objective of our study was to evaluate a possible relation between the volume of atypical meningiomas (AMs) and the risk of tumour recurrence, as well as progression-free survival (PFS). Material and methods: We evaluated 81 patients diagnosed with AMs (WHO grade II meningioma) who have undergone surgery at the "Prof. Dr. N. Oblu" Emergency Clinical Hospital Iasi between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019. The recorded data were demographic and imagistic (MRI, contrast-enhanced T1WI). We calculated the tumour volume prior to the surgery and evaluated the tumour recurrence using MRI at 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months after the surgery. Results: 50.6% of patients had meningioma volume < 26.4 cm3. Women had larger tumour volumes than men (52.6%). Patients of age ≤ 60 years old, had tumour volumes ˃ 26.4 cm3 in 58.5% of cases and meningiomas with volumes ˃ 26.4 cm3 recurred earlier (p=0.010). Also, patients who had tumour volumes ˃ 26.4 cm3, had a shorter PFS (40.976 months), compared to patients with tumour volumes < 26.4 cm3, who had better PFS (53.4 months). Conclusions: the tumour volume of AMs ˃ 26.4 cm3 represents a negative prognostic factor for both early tumour recurrence and reduced PFS.

Over recent years, studies have shown that in patients with left-sided heart failure, arterial hypertension, and acute coronary syndrome, hyponatremia is a negative prognostic factor. In this context, there is raising interest in the association between hyponatremia and pulmonary embolism (PE). This retrospective cohort study includes 404 consecutive patients with confirmed acute nonfatal pulmonary embolism divided into four groups according to their sodium fluctuation pattern. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality and determining the recurrence rate among patients with nonfatal PE using serum sodium levels as a continuous variable. Patients with acquired and persistent hyponatremia had a significantly higher rate of mortality rate than those in the normonatremia group (12.8% and 40.4%, OR- 7.206, CI: 2.383–21.791, p = 0.000 and OR-33.250, CI: 11.521–95.960, p = 0.000 vs. 2%, p < 0.001, respectively). Mean survival time decreases from 23.624 months (95% CI: (23.295–23.953)) in the normonatremia group to 16.426 months (95% CI: (13.17–19.134)) in the persistent hyponatremia group, statistically significant (p = 0.000). The mean survival time for all patients was 22.441 months (95% CI: (21.930–22.951)). The highest recurrence rate was recorded at 12 and 24 months in the acquired hyponatremia group (16.7% and 14.1%, respectively). Serum sodium determination is a simple and cost-effective approach in evaluating the short and long-term prognosis in patients with acute PE.

During the statistical analysis of medical data, in many situations it is necessary to identify the multiple correlations established between the studied parameters. In this purpose, one of the most useful methods is to build a model of multiple regression, which allows the modeling of a dependant variable values having at least the ordinal type, based on its linear relation with more than one independent variables satisfying the same restriction, called predictors. The multiple linear regression model is a generalization of the simple linear regression model, which identifies the parameters of an equation with n variables y = b0+b1x1+b2x2+…+ bnxn+e, based on which we can find the predictors that have a statistically significant influence over the dependant variable. We used this model to identify, on a set of 202 patients having different types of oral lesions, the biochemical analysis which can be eventually correlated with the oral diagnosis. We found that the values of leucocytes, hemoglobin and hematocrit are significant for the general oral diagnosis, the cholesterol and glucose values for the oral lesion type, and the hemoglobin for the periodontal disease. The identified predictors are useful for further data processing.

The “image warping” functions are useful techniques to match image objects when there are strong correlations between the positions of these objects in space. In order to do this, a function f, called warping function, is defined and is used to convert a given image into a reference known image. Several types of warping functions are described in the specialized literature – affine function, Procrustes transformation, bilinear transformation, perspective transformation and mosaic transformation. In this work, we present these functions and apply them to process several dental radiology images in a controlled manner, defined by a variation range of parameters.

An important aspect in the analysis of medical data is represented by their statistical processing, which gives useful directions in finding the diagnosis and the most adequate treatment, especially when the amount of statistical data is very large and extended in time. We give an example in this paper, by presenting a statistical evaluation on a consignment of patients who have addressed the Dental Ambulatory for Children (Iaşi) for orthodontic consulting over a period of 10 years (2000 – 2010). The study has been performed on 375 patients (157 boys and 218 girls), with ages between 4-24 years and malocclusions. The diagnosis was established by clinical and paraclinical exams (cast and radiological measurements). Both removable and fixed appliances were used in conducting the treatment. The patients in need of orthodontic treatment presented malocclusion I-st Class 63,2%, II-nd Class 28,3%, and III-rd Class 5,8%. The group and isolated malocclusion proportion varied on the basis of the clinical manifestations associated to the malocclusion class. Based on age, the patients were applied with prophylactic treatment 3%, interceptive treatment 5% and curative 92%. The Pearson correlations made on the sample of patients proved the existence of a directly proportional connection between the therapeutic results, the diagnosis of the malocclusions and the treatment chosen to be carried out. The results regarding the prevalence malocclusion types are comparable with those from the literature. The correlations that were carried out were based on medical reasoning. All these results are useful to depict the general characteristics of the Dental Ambulatory’s potential patients and, as a consequence, to establish easier the most accurate treatment.

Background/Objectives: Aesthetics is a challenging aspect to restore for both dentists and dental technicians. One of the characteristics of aesthetic restoration is the shade. The purpose of the study is to assess the accuracy of the shade selection feature of intraoral scanners (CEREC Omnican, 3Shape TRIOS) in comparison with an already established method—the VITA Easyshade V spectrophotometer (VE)—and test if there is any significant difference between the three devices. Methods: To conduct this in vitro study, the VITA Classical shade guide was used. The intraoral scanners would not be able to scan the VITA Classical as it is, hence, a study model (SM) was fabricated. To be able to test the accuracy of the intraoral scanners (IOSs) in detecting the dental color, a spectrophotometer had to be included in the study, as it was shown that it is the most accurate instrument for this purpose. Therefore, for the current study, the VITA Easyshade V spectrophotometer (VITA Zahnfabrik, Bad Sackingen, Germany) was selected. Results: The accuracy of the three devices when measuring the shade of the study model was calculated as a percentage. When comparing the primary results of the VE and the results obtained by the Omnicam and TRIOS, the latter is the most accurate (26.67%), whereas the other two scored 20%. The study also revealed the limitations of the instrumental devices that were used. Conclusions: First, both the VE and IOSs obtained unexpectedly low accuracy results. Possibly, the material VC is made of influenced the final accuracy values, but in practice, on a daily basis, dental materials represent a factor that cannot really be controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common clinical manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our study aims to quantitatively analyze CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in different areas and LN classes and describe a specific distribution pattern that is correlated with the severity of LN-specific lesions. In total, 53 LN renal biopsies were immunohistochemically investigated using anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 antibodies. T lymphocytes were counted in 3 areas, including intraglomerular, periglomerular, and interstitial regions. The severity of glomerular and tubulo-interstitial lesions was assessed using an original semi-quantitative algorithm based on the renal corpuscle score (RC_S) and the tubulo-interstitial score (TI_S). The number of CD8+ T lymphocytes was higher than that of CD4+ T lymphocytes in each of the three areas and in each LN class, showing statistically significant differences. ANOVA analysis of all LN classes showed significant differences between periglomerular and interstitial CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, respectively. Irrespective of location, the number of CD8+ T lymphocytes statistically correlates with the RC_S and the TI_S; no significant correlations were found between the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes and the RC_S and the TI_S for all three considered areas. Our data provide strong evidence supporting the major role of CD8+ lymphocytes in LN lesion progression, with CD4+ lymphocytes playing a limited role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]