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Background Based on several existing patient-oriented activities, Medicines Use Review (MUR) service was standardized and officially adopted in Slovenia in 2015. Service aims to provide adherence support and ensure safe and effective medicines use. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the benefits of MUR in Slovenia, primarily the impact on medication adherence. Methods A randomised controlled trial was performed in community pharmacies to compare MUR with standard care. Patients were randomised into either the test (patients received MUR by a certified MUR provider at visit 1), or control group. The study primary outcome was self-reported adherence to multiple medications, assessed by electronic ©Morisky Widget MMAS-8 Software at the first visit (V1) and after 12 weeks (V2). A sub-analysis of intentional and unintentional non-adherence was performed. MUR impact was defined as the relative difference in ©MMAS-8 score after 12 weeks between the test and control group. A multiple linear regression model was used to predict MUR impact based on baseline adherence (low versus medium and high). Several secondary outcomes (e.g. evaluation of drug-related problems (DRPs)) were also assessed. Results Data from 153 (V1) and 140 (V2) patients were analysed. Baseline adherence was low, moderate and high in 17.6, 48.4 and 34.0% patients, respectively. In the low adherence subpopulation, test group patients showed a 1.20 point (95% CI = 0.16–2.25) increase in total ©MMAS-8 score (p = 0.025) compared to control group patients. A 0.84 point (95% CI = 0.05–1.63) increase was due to intentional non-adherence (p = 0.038), and a 0.36 point (95% CI = − 0.23-0.95) was due to unintentional non-adherence (p = 0.226). Additionally, statistically significant decrease in the proportion of patients with manifested DRPs (p p = 0.029) were revealed. Conclusion MUR service in Slovenia improves low medication adherence and is effective in addressing DRPs and concerns regarding chronic medicines use. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov - NCT04417400; 4th June 2020; retrospectively registered.

Hypertension is a high-risk condition that causes of deaths, stroke, and coronary heart disease. This studyaims to determinethe effect of giving pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) baruasa on systolic and diastolic bloodpressure of elderly with hypertension.The research is quasy experimental design with pre-post test group. A total of 36 elderly people withhypertension were divided into intervention group and control group by random sampling. Data wereanalyzed using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon with 95% confidence level.The results of this study indicate that: There is an effect giving pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) baruasa on thesystolic blood pressure of elderly with hypertension (p = 0.001

Background Through a comprehensive analysis of the joint synovial fluid produced in the process of rabbit articular cartilage regeneration, the role and characteristics of knee synovial fluid in the process of decalcified bone transplantation-induced articular cartilage regeneration were explored. Methods Twenty New Zealand white rabbits (approximately 2.5 kg in weight) were selected, and bilateral distal femoral bones from two randomly selected rabbits were extracted. After decalcification, the bones were cut into 2 mm × 4 cm long decalcified bone strips. Meanwhile, the other 18 rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: the test group (8 rabbits), the positive control group (6 rabbits), and the blank group (4 rabbits). In the test group, the decalcified bone joint was transplanted into the rabbits at the articular cartilage defect; in the positive control group, the articular cartilage defect of the rabbits were treated and put aside; in the blank group, no rabbits were treated. On the day of transplantation, and on the 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th weeks after transplantation, the joint synovial fluid of each group was taken for two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis, and related database verification and identification, and compared with the positive control group and the blank group. Results Using 2D-PAGE to separate various proteins in the synovial fluid of the rabbit knee joints, it was found that there were differential protein spots in the test group compared with the blank group and the positive control group. After conducting a comparative search and query in the UniProt database, through comprehensive analysis, it was finally found that three proteins with molecular weights of 23,429.4, 57,431.4, and 26,071.1 that may be related to the regeneration of articular cartilage appeared in the test group. Conclusions In the process of inducing the regeneration of articular cartilage using decalcified bone transplantation, knee joint synovial fluid produced specific proteins, which may play an important role in the regeneration of articular cartilage. These findings may offer novel ideas in laying a foundation for the in-depth study of articular cartilage regeneration.

Background To investigate the regenerative effect of adjunctive use of guided tissue regeneration (GTR), bovine porous bone mineral (BPBM) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in intrabony defects. Methods Fourteen participants were enrolled, and for each patient their left and right 2 sides were randomized to the test group or control group. Only the worst intrabony defect on each side was analyzed. The test group received GTR, BPBM and PRF, while the control group received only GTR and BPBM. The PRF used in the trial was fluid PRF, which combined with the BPBM to form a BPBM-PRF complex. The patients were followed up by clinical and radiographic evaluation for 24 months after surgery. Results Probing depth (PD) in the test group was significantly less than that in the control group at 12 and 24 months after surgery, and the mean difference was approximately 0.5-0.7 mm. Clinical attachment level (CAL) gain in the test group was approximately 0.9 mm higher than that in the control group at 6 months after surgery, and the difference reached 1.0-1.1 mm 12 and 24 months after surgery. None of the other clinical or radiographic parameters differed significantly between the two groups at any time-point after the surgery. Conclusion Compared with GTR and BPBM, the combination of GTR and BPBM-PRF complex is more effective clinically, and results in better clinical outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Objectives. To predict the regenerative rate of liver in patients with HCCs after right hepatectomy using texture analysis on preoperative CT combined with clinical features. Materials and Methods. 88 patients with 90 HCCs who underwent right hepatectomy were retrospectively included. The future remnant liver was semiautomatically segmented, and the volume of future remnant liver on preoperative CT (LVpre) and the volume of remnant liver on following-up CT (LVfu) were measured. We calculated the regeneration index (RI) by the following equation: (LVfu – LVpre)/LVpre) × 100 (%). The support vector machine recursive method was used for the feature selection. The Naive Bayes classifier was used to predict liver RI, and 5-fold cross-validation was performed to adjust the parameters. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the model. Results. The mean RI was 142.99 ± 92.17%. Of all clinical parameters and texture features, the AST, ALB, PT-INR, Perc.10%, and S(5, −5)Correlat were found to be statistically significant with RI. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the model in the training group were 0.902, 0.634, and 0.768, and the AUC value of the obtained model was 0.841. In the test group, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the model were 1.0, 0.429, and 0.778, respectively, and the AUC value was 0.844. Conclusion. The use of texture analysis on preoperative CT combined with clinical features can be helpful in predicting the liver regeneration rate in patients with HCCs after right hepatectomy.

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of a cosmetic aluminium lactate/potassium nitrate/hydroxylapatite toothpaste for the reduction of dentine hypersensitivity (DH) pain as compared to a control toothpaste containing potassium nitrate.Methods: The study was a randomised, examiner-blind, two treatment arm, parallel controlled trial in healthy adults with at least 2 sensitive teeth (Schiff >2). At baseline, immediately after treatment and at 7 and 14 days of twice-daily brushing of the test or control toothpaste the sensitivity of 2 test teeth was measured following iced-water (Schiff and VAS) and tactile (Yeaple probe) stimuli, and a whole mouth plaque score was obtained. Participants also completed a whole-mouth VAS and DHEQ15 quality of life questionnaire at baseline, 7 and 14 days.Results: Both toothpastes reduced DH in test teeth, but pain reduction in the test group was significantly better at all timepoints and by all measures (p=0.005, tooth-level VAS immediately after brushing; pConclusion: This study demonstrated the efficacy of an aluminium lactate/potassium nitrate/hydroxylapatite toothpaste compared to a potassium nitrate control toothpaste for the prevention of dentine hypersensitivity both immediately and over a 2 week period. This agent appears to have potential for pain alleviation from the common oral pain condition of DH and further research is warranted.Clinical Significance: DH pain, whilst transient in nature, is arresting in magnitude, affecting quality of life. Daily application of efficacious toothpastes can relieve DH pain however, as yet, there is no gold standard treatment. The results of this study support further investigation of an aluminium lactate/potassium nitrate/hydroxylapatite toothpaste for DH management.

To explore the predictive performance of machine learning on the recurrence of patients with gastric cancer after the operation. The available data is divided into two parts. In particular, the first part is used as a training set (such as 80% of the original data), and the second part is used as a test set (the remaining 20% of the data). And we use fivefold cross-validation. The weight of recurrence factors shows the top four factors are BMI, Operation time, WGT and age in order. In training group:among the 5 machine learning models, the accuracy of gbm was 0.891, followed by gbm algorithm was 0.876; The AUC values of the five machine learning algorithms are from high to low as forest (0.962), gbm (0.922), GradientBoosting (0.898), DecisionTree (0.790) and Logistic (0.748). And the precision of the forest is the highest 0.957, followed by the GradientBoosting algorithm (0.878). At the same time, in the test group is as follows: the highest accuracy of Logistic was 0.801, followed by forest algorithm and gbm; the AUC values of the five algorithms are forest (0.795), GradientBoosting (0.774), DecisionTree (0.773), Logistic (0.771) and gbm (0.771), from high to low. Among the five machine learning algorithms, the highest precision rate of Logistic is 1.000, followed by the gbm (0.487). Machine learning can predict the recurrence of gastric cancer patients after an operation. Besides, the first four factors affecting postoperative recurrence of gastric cancer were BMI, Operation time, WGT and age.

Assessing speech discrimination skills in individual infants from clinical populations (e.g., infants with hearing impairment) has important diagnostic value. However, most infant speech discrimination paradigms have been designed to test group effects rather than individual differences. Other procedures suffer from high attrition rates. In this study, we developed 4 variants of the Visual Habituation Procedure (VHP) and assessed their robustness in detecting individual 9-month-old infants' ability to discriminate highly contrastive nonwords. In each variant, infants were first habituated to audiovisual repetitions of a nonword (seepug) before entering the test phase. The test phase in Experiment 1 (extended variant) consisted of 7 old trials (seepug) and 7 novel trials (boodup) in alternating order. In Experiment 2, we tested 3 novel variants that incorporated methodological features of other behavioral paradigms. For the oddity variant, only 4 novel trials and 10 old trials were used. The stimulus alternation variant was identical to the extended variant except that novel trials were replaced with "alternating" trials-trials that contained repetitions of both the old and novel nonwords. The hybrid variant incorporated elements from both the oddity and the stimulus alternation variants. The hybrid variant proved to be the most successful in detecting statistically significant discrimination in individual infants (8 out of 10), suggesting that both the oddity and the stimulus alternation features contribute to providing a robust methodology for assessing discrimination in individual infants. In Experiment 3, we found that the hybrid variant had good test-retest reliability. Implications of these results for future infant speech perception work with clinical populations are discussed.

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between periodontal health status and coronary slow flow phenomenon. METHODS: One hundred and two patients who underwent coronary angiography with the diagnosis of stable angina pectoris were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups: patients with coronary slow flow (Test group) (n=51), and patients with normal coronary angiography (Control group) (n=51). Diagnosis of slow coronary flow was made according to Beltrame criteria by coronary angiography. Demographic characteristics of the participants were recorded. The periodontal health was assessed by clinical periodontal parameters such as probing depth, clinical attachment level, gingival index, plaque index, and bleeding on probing. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups as regards the frequencies of hypertension, smoking (p>0.05). As for the periodontal parameters of the study groups, probing depth, gingival index, plaque index, bleeding on probing, and clinical attachment level values were statistically higher in the test group compared to the control group (p

In this paper, we present a serious game with the goal to provide an engaging and immersive experience to foster the players’ understanding of dynamic networked systems. Confronted with attacking swarm networks, the player has to analyse their underlying network topologies and to systematically dismantle the swarms using a set of different weapons. We detail the game design, including the artificial intelligence of the swarm, the play mechanics and the level designs. Finally, we conducted an analysis of the play performances of a test group over the course of the game which revealed a positive learning outcome.

The galvanic skin response (GSR, also widely known as electrodermal activity (EDA)) is a signal for stress-related studies. Given the sparsity of studies related to the GSR and the variety of devices, this study was conducted at the Human Health Activity Laboratory (H2AL) with 17 healthy subjects to determine the variability in the detection of changes in the galvanic skin response among a test group with heterogeneous respondents facing pleasant and unpleasant stimuli, correlating the GSR biosignals measured from different body sites. We experimented with the right and left wrist, left fingers, the inner side of the right foot using Shimmer3GSR and Empatica E4 sensors. The results indicated the most promising homogeneous places for measuring the GSR, namely, the left fingers and right foot. The results also suggested that due to a significantly strong correlation among the inner side of the right foot and the left fingers, as well as the moderate correlations with the right and left wrists, the foot may be a suitable place to homogenously measure a GSR signal in a test group. We also discuss some possible causes of weak and negative correlations from anomalies detected in the raw data possibly related to the sensors or the test group, which may be considered to develop robust emotion detection systems based on GRS biosignals.

In order to explore the effectiveness of the 5Why-based nursing intervention method in blood purification nursing, this paper takes 108 patients from Changzhou Second Hospital in the past three years as an example for experimental analysis. Moreover, this paper uses mathematical statistics to group patients into groups, and the two groups of patients are comparable. After grouping, this paper conducts preexperiment processing and then conducts patient grooming through various basic tasks so that the test results have a certain degree of reliability. On this basis, this paper verifies the nursing intervention methods through controlled trials. Among them, the control group is treated with the hospital’s conventional nursing methods and allowed patients to master self-nursing methods, while the test group is treated with 5Why-based nursing intervention on the basis of traditional nursing methods. Finally, this paper combines mathematical statistics to evaluate the effect of blood purification nursing. From the research results, it can be known that the 5Why-based nursing intervention method has certain effectiveness in blood purification nursing.

To study the application effect of rapid rehabilitation nursing intervention in thoracic surgery nursing, this paper researches controlled trials. First, this paper sets up a control group and a test group. The control group uses traditional nursing methods for thoracic surgical nursing intervention, and the test group adds rapid rehabilitation nursing intervention based on traditional nursing intervention. In addition, the operation and rehabilitation conditions of the control group and the test group are the same. Moreover, this paper records rehabilitation information in real time, performs data processing through statistical methods, and conducts follow-up surveys on the rehabilitation process of patients. In addition, this paper compares nursing effects through data comparison and histogram comparison. From the research results, various parameters of the patient’s recovery process and the user satisfaction of the rapid rehabilitation can be seen. Furthermore, nursing is higher than those of the control group, which shows that the rapid rehabilitation nursing method can positively affect the nursing of thoracic surgery.

In order to explore the curative effect of early enteral nutrition nursing on patients with severe acute pancreatitis and the improvement of patients’ mental health and inflammation levels, this paper compares the curative effect of early enteral nutrition nursing and traditional care on patients with severe acute pancreatitis and the improvement effects of patients’ mental health and inflammation levels through controlled trials. Moreover, this paper combines statistical methods for data processing and visually expresses data through statistical graphs and statistical tables. Through the comparison of experiments, it can be seen that the improvement effect in all aspects of patients in the test group is significantly higher than that in the control group. Finally, through the analysis of the test results, it can be known that the use of early enteral nutrition nursing for patients with acute severe acute pancreatitis has a certain effect in improving their nutritional status, regulating immune function, and promoting mental health.

Objective To explore the application value of medical cooperative management model in nursing management of internal medicine in primary hospital. Methods A total of 100 patients were enrolled in our hospital from January 2016 to January 2017. All patients were divided into two groups by random number table. The patients were divided into two groups: control group and experimental group, 50 cases in each group. The control group was treated with routine nursing mode, and the test group was treated with medical care and nursing model. The nursing effect of the two groups was compared. Results The average hospital stay was 11.3 ± 4.8 days, the average score was 82.3 ± 12.4 points, the total length of hospital stay was 8.9 ± 4.3 days, and the satisfaction score was 90.5 ± 11.7 points. The scores of hospitalization were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the scores of satisfaction were significantly higher than those of the control group (P

Objective: to observe the rehabilitation training combined neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for the curative effect of organophosphorus late-onset neuropathy (OPIDP). Methods: 44 patients with OPIDP were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, 22 cases in each group. The control group after admission to start rehabilitation training; On the basis of the experimental group patients increased NMES treatment. Compare two groups of patients with short form Fugl - Meyer rating scale (FMA) score, modified Barthel index (MBI) score, Berg balance scale (BBS) rating points and ulnar nerve and peroneal nerve conduction velocity of total nerve. Results: 10 weeks after treatment, two groups of score FMA, MBI scores and BBS are higher than before the treatment, scores and test group is superior to the as group (P

In order to explore the prediction effect of amplitude-integrated EEG on the brain damage and long-term nervous system development of late preterm infants, this paper uses the hospital’s late preterm infants as the research object and analyzes the prediction effect of amplitude-integrated EEG on the brain damage and long-term nervous system development of late preterm infants through controlled trials. Among them, the test group used amplitude-integrated EEG for prediction analysis, and the control group used traditional clinical prediction methods. Furthermore, the real-time monitoring and short-term prediction effects of amplitude-integrated EEG on brain damage in late preterm babies and the prediction impact on long-term nervous system development are evaluated in this study. It incorporates statistical techniques to evaluate the findings statistically. In addition, a nonparametric rank-sum test is used in this work, and a chi-square test is used to compare enumeration data across groups. Through experimental research, it can be seen that the amplitude-integrated EEG has a pronounced prediction effect on the brain damage and long-term nervous system development of late preterm infants, and the effect is higher than that of the traditional clinical prediction methods.

Simple Summary The bone, as a vertebrate support tissue, is capable of adapting its structure and function to the mechanical demands resulting from the loads that are produced during the performance of its activity. This regulatory action also occurs during the healing processes of a fracture. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent a dynamic load was capable of modulating the bone healing response around a titanium implant. The study was carried out on experimental rabbits, to which dental implants were placed in the tibiae and there were two test groups, one in which they did not undergo exercise during healing period and another that ran daily during this process on a treadmill. The trail results showed an improvement in the osseointegration process of the implant in the group in which it was subjected to load. The importance of these results is that it opens the door to a better understanding of the mechanisms that can modulate bone healing, especially around dental implants, supporting implant loading protocols that are based on efficiency. Abstract Objectives: To determine the effect of mechanical loading of bone on the stability and histomorphometric variables of the osseointegration of dental implants using an experimental test in an animal model. Materials and Methods: A total of 4 human implants were placed in both tibiae of 10 New Zealand rabbits (n = 40). A 6-week osseointegration was considered, and the rabbits were randomly assigned to two groups: Group A (Test group) included 5 rabbits that ran on a treadmill for 20 min daily during the osseointegration period; Group B (Controls) included the other 5 that were housed conventionally. The monitored variables were related to the primary and secondary stability of the dental implants (implant stability quotient—ISQ), vertical bone growth, bone to implant contact (BIC), area of regenerated bone and the percentage of immature matrix. Results: The results of the study show a greater vertical bone growth (Group A 1.26 ± 0.48 mm, Group B 0.32 ± 0.47 mm, p < 0.001), higher ISQ values (Group A 11.25 ± 6.10 ISQ, 15.73%; Group B 5.80 ± 5.97 ISQ, 7.99%, p = 0.006) and a higher BIC (Group A 19.37%, Group B 23.60%, p = 0.0058) for implants in the test group, with statistically significant differences. A higher percentage of immature bone matrix was observed for implants in the control group (20.68 ± 9.53) than those in the test group (15.38 ± 8.84) (p = 0.108). A larger area of regenerated bone was also observed for the test implants (Group A 280.50 ± 125.40 mm2, Group B 228.00 ± 141.40 mm2), but it was not statistically significant (p = 0.121). Conclusions: The mechanical loading of bone improves the stability and the histomorphometric variables of the osseointegration of dental implants.

Objective: To assess the effect of orthodontic forces on changes in root length of immature mandibular second premolars. Methods: Sixty-four mandibular second premolars (MSP) with immature apices (left and right sides) of 32 patients aged between 10 and 13 years were evaluated. Orthodontic treatment was started after obtaining periapical radiographs (T1) from the MSPs of each patient. Brackets were bonded, except the ones of MSPs (left or right by random as control MSP, and the other side as test MSP). After 9-12 months, a second periapical radiograph (T2) was obtained from the MSPs of each patient. Then, brackets were bonded to the control MSPs, which were not bonded before. After 18 ± 3 months, a third periapical radiograph (T3) was obtained. Changes in root length were evaluated by using a new formula. The test and control MSPs at T1, T2 and T3 were compared using repeated measures ANOVA and parametric tests. P-value smaller than 0.05 was statistically significant. Results: There was no significant difference between the test and control groups in the mean root length of MSP at T1 (p= 0.48) and T3 (p= 0.078). The root length at T2 (p= 0.001) was significantly different between test and control MSPs, and the test group showed longer root length than the control group. Conclusions: Orthodontic force applied for leveling and alignment of immature MSPs may not have destructive effects on the roots, and may accelerates root formation in short-term. Normal root length was achieved at the end of root development. RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito das forças ortodônticas nas mudanças do comprimento radicular de segundos pré-molares inferiores com raízes incompletas. Métodos: Foram avaliados 64 segundos pré-molares inferiores (SPI) com raízes incompletas (lados direito e esquerdo da mandíbula) de 32 pacientes com idades entre 10 e 13 anos. O tratamento ortodôntico teve início após a obtenção de radiografias periapicais (T1) dos SPIs de cada paciente. Foram colados braquetes em todos os dentes, com exceção dos SPIs (do lado esquerdo ou direito, de forma aleatória, como grupo controle; e o SPI contralateral como grupo teste). Após 9 a 12 meses, uma segunda radiografia periapical (T2) foi obtida dos SPIs de cada paciente. Então, braquetes foram colados nos SPIs do grupo controle, que não haviam sido colados anteriormente. Após 18 ± 3 meses, uma terceira radiografia periapical (T3) foi obtida. As mudanças no comprimento radicular foram avaliadas por meio de uma nova fórmula. Os SPIs teste e controle foram comparados em T1, T2 e T3 usando ANOVA para medidas repetidas e testes paramétricos. Valores de p< 0,05 foram considerados estatisticamente significativos. Resultados: Não foi encontrada diferença significativa no comprimento radicular médio dos SPIs entre os grupos teste e controle em T1 (p= 0,48) e T3(p= 0,078). O comprimento radicular dos SPIs em T2 (p= 0,001) foi significativamente diferente entre os lados teste e controle, sendo que o grupo teste apresentou maior comprimento radicular do que o grupo controle. Conclusões: As forças ortodônticas aplicadas para o alinhamento e nivelamento de SPIs com raízes incompletas podem não ter efeitos danosos nas raízes, podendo, inclusive, acelerar a formação radicular em curto prazo. O comprimento radicular normal foi alcançado ao fim da formação radicular.

One of the goals of functional-appliance devices is to modify the vertical growth pattern, solving several kinds of malocclusion. This study aimed to evaluate Class II malocclusion treatment’s stability with Austro Repositioner, followed by fixed appliances, and assess its capacity to modify vertical dimensions in brachyfacial patients. A test group of 30 patients (16 boys and 14 girls, mean 11.9 years old) with Class II malocclusion due to mandibular retrognathism and brachyfacial pattern treated with Austro Repositioner and fixed appliance were compared to a matched untreated Class II control group of 30 patients (17 boys and 13 girls, mean age 11.7 years old). Lateral cephalograms were taken at T1 (initial records), T2 (end of treatment), and T3 (one year after treatment). Statistical comparisons were performed with a paired-sample t-test and two-sample t-tests. Significant improvements in the skeletal Class II relationship were observed in the treated group. The ANB angle decreased (4.75°), the SNB angle increased (3.92°), and the total mandibular length (Co-Pg) increased (8.18 mm) (p &lt, 0.001). Vertical dimensions were also significantly modified, the FMA angle increased (3.94°), LAFH-distance increased (3.15 mm), and overbite decreased (3.35 mm). These changes remained stable one year after treatment. The Austro Repositioner was adequate for treating the skeletal Class II malocclusion resulting from the mandible retrusion in brachyfacial patients.

Introduction: C-reactive Protein (CRP) as an inflammatory biomarker can be easily determined in saliva, but the values of salivary CRP in periodontitis are not well-studied. The aim of this study was to analyze and determine the values of salivary CRP in non-smokers with periodontitis stage 3 or 4 before and after supragingival and subgingival full-mouth periodontal therapy.Methods: Standard periodontal parameters and saliva samples were collected in 12 non-smoking patients. Patients in the test group (n = 6) underwent supragingival and subgingival full-mouth periodontal therapy, and the control group (n = 6) received only supragingival full-mouth therapy. Both groups received the same oral hygiene instructions in addition to therapy. After 3 months, re-registration of periodontal parameters and re-sampling of saliva for analysis of salivary CRP were done for both groups.Results: Statistical analysis revealed large differences in the values of clinical periodontal parameters and CRP levels in the test group after therapy. Values of salivary CRP in the test and control groups were lower 3 months the therapy; however, the results were not statistically significant. The correlation of clinical periodontal parameters and salivary CRP varied in both groups.Conclusion: Our pilot study reveals decreased concentrations of salivary C-reactive protein in non-smoking patients following non-surgical periodontal therapy. Further studies are needed to prove the reliability of salivary CRP as a biomarker for periodontitis.

At present, there is a lack of necessary technical parameters for sludge vacuum reinforcement. To explore the effects of the drain board type on sludge vacuum reinforcement, the Fenton reagent was used to pretreat the landfill sludge in a sludge landfill area in Shanghai, and then, vacuum preloading contrast tests of different prefabricated vertical drainage types were carried out. During the test, the discharge and settlement of sludge were recorded. After the test, the moisture content, shear strength, and appearance of PVD were measured and analysed. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the optimum ratio of H2O2 and Fe2+ is 2 for the landfill sludge; (2) the total displacement and accumulated settlement of the test group with integral prefabricated vertical drainage are 1.7 times and 1.2 times those of the separate prefabricated vertical drainage, respectively; (3) the type of prefabricated vertical drainage has no effect on the distribution of water content and shear strength; and (4) when the sludge is vacuum strengthened, the integral prefabricated vertical drainage should be preferred.

Purpose Ischemic myocardial contracture (IMC) or “stone heart” is a condition with rapid onset following circulatory death. It inhibits transplantability of hearts donated upon circulatory death (DCD). We investigate the effectiveness of hemodynamic normalization upon withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST) in a large-animal controlled DCD model, with the hypothesis that reduction in cardiac work delays the onset of IMC. Methods A large-animal study was conducted comprising of a control group ($$n=6$$ n = 6 ) receiving no therapy upon WLST, and a test group ($$n=6$$ n = 6 ) subjected to a protocol for fully automated computer-controlled hemodynamic drug administration. Onset of IMC within 1 h following circulatory death defined the primary end-point. Cardiac work estimates based on pressure-volume loop concepts were developed and used to provide insight into the effectiveness of the proposed computer-controlled therapy. Results No test group individual developed IMC within $${1} \text { h}$$ 1 h , whereas all control group individuals did (4/6 within $${30}{\text { min}}$$ 30 min ). Conclusion Automatic dosing of hemodynamic drugs in the controlled DCD context has the potential to prevent onset of IMC up to $${1}{\text { h}}$$ 1 h , enabling ethical and medically safe organ procurement. This has the potential to increase the use of DCD heart transplantation, which has been widely recognized as a means of meeting the growing demand for donor hearts.

The aim of the study was to investigate the intelligent recognition of radiomics based on the convolutional neural network (CNN) in predicting endometrial cancer (EC). In this study, 158 patients with EC in hospital were selected as the research objects and divided into a training group and a test group. All the patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery. Based on the CNN, the imaging model of EC prediction was constructed according to the characteristics. Besides, the comprehensive prediction model was established through the clinical information and imaging parameters. The results showed that the area under the working characteristic curve (AUC) of the radiomics model and comprehensive prediction model was 0.897 and 0.913 in the training group, respectively. In addition, the AUC of the radiomics model was 0.889 in the test group and that of the comprehensive prediction model was 0.897. The comprehensive prediction model was established through specific imaging parameters and clinical pathological information, and its prediction performance was good, indicating that radiomics parameters could be applied as noninvasive markers to predict EC.

Objective to explore the effect of network teaching platform in Five-year Higher Vocational Basic nursing teaching. After the implementation of the teaching, the final theoretical examination and skill operation examination results of the two groups were compared. Results: after the implementation of the teaching, the test group students’ skill operation examination scores were higher than the control group, the difference was statistically significant; there was no significant difference between the two groups of students’ final theoretical examination scores; the total score and each subscale score of the test group students’ autonomous learning ability were higher than the control group, the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: the application of network teaching platform improves the skills operation level and autonomous learning ability of five-year higher vocational nursing students.

Aim: to compare the esthetic outcome of two surgical techniques used in single immediate implant placement(computer guided vs free hand) in the esthetic zone in terms of pink esthetic score (PES) and gingivalrecession (GR).Methods: This was a randomized clinical trial, where twenty patients with a failing tooth in the esthetic zonewere recruited for immediate implant placement and restored with non-functional provisional crowns. Theywere randomly allocated to either computer guided (test group) or free hand (control group). Six monthsafter surgery the patients were restored with their definitive crowns. Pink esthetic score was recorded twice(after surgery and after definitive crown), while gingival recession was recorded after the definitive crown.Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the mean differences of pink esthetic scorebetween both groups and within each group overtime. Regarding gingival recession, 2 implants showedgingival recession in the computer guided group while none in the free hand group.Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study (sample size and follow-up duration), immediate implantplacement using computer guided surgical guides would consume more time, effort and expenses yet itprovided similar results with the free hand which seems beneficial for the learning curve for unexperiencedclinicians.

Background: Stress is defined as a mental or emotional strain resulting from very demanding circumstances.In recent years, traumatic episode and poor results following school examination have made stress anissue of major concern in academics. This study aimed to investigate examination induced stress amongapparently healthy University students in relation to some biochemical parameters and antioxidants status preand post-examination.Materials and Methods: This is a case controlled study involving 40 examinees as test group and 40non-examinees as control group. Serum concentrations of cortisol and progesterone were estimated byELISA method, and total antioxidants status (TAS) was quantified by colorimetric method. Data obtainedwere subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS software application (version 16.0) and the results expressedas mean ± standard deviation.Results: The results showed that cortisol level was significantly decreased in pre (34.84±8.50) examinationthan in post (21.18±1453) examination while progesterone level was significantly increased from 0.42±0.32to 0.92±0.96 (p 0.05). The mean serum cortisolin subjects with outstanding academic activity was not statistically significant when compared to subjectswithout outstanding academic activity (p>0.05).Conclusion: the differences in the biochemical parameters observed in this study pre and post examinationsuggest that examination has the tendency to induce stress which could culminate to oxidative damage inchronic cases.

Serious health consequences can occur not only from acute exposure to environmental toxicants, but also from chronic exposures to minute quantities. Petroleum substances are widely distributed and used in huge amount, mainly as fuels. A total number of 45 males aged between 20 and 45 years participated in this study. The participants were divided in to two groups: The first group of 25 subjects worked at least 8hours/day in different oil product distribution companies in both Basrah and Thiqar Governorates-Iraq. The second group (control group) of 20 healthy individuals with age and weight matched with the test group and lived far away from hazardous exposure. Heavy metals levels in hair were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism (version 6.0). Higher levels of lead and cupper were observed in the hair of subjects working in different oil product distribution companies compared to control group. Heavy metals evaluation in hair samples could be used as a good bioindicator of heavy metal exposure in occupational and environmental surveys for various populations for screening for heavy metals toxicity. In the present study high levels of heavy metals were observed in workers at different oil product distribution companies in Iraq.

We investigate if providing shoppers with Augmented reality (AR) as a shopping tool can lead to an increase in purchase rate compared with conventional shopping applications. In a ”simulated shopping” study with two groups with a total number of 20 participants, a test group used a wearable AR device (HoloLens) as a primary shopping method while a control group used a tablet as a conventional 2D shopping device. According to the surveys collected from participants, 19 participants (95%) commented that the AR method was more joyful than conventional 2D method. Furthermore, all participants said that their experience with AR technology was more realistic. 16 participants (80%) believed that the AR method was more influential than the conventional method, but the other four participants (20%) said that neither of the methods had any impact on their buying intentions. Although the mean number of products added to the basket by each person in HoloLens experience and tablet experience was not significantly different (p=0.675), the mean number of bought items was significantly higher in HoloLens experience compared to the tablet experience (p=0.004). In conclusion, AR increased customer’s interest in shopping. While it had no significant impact on adding products to the shopping cart, it affected the rate of purchase.

As with most software development projects, the WADcher observatory to monitor web accessibility must cater to the needs of the eventual users, be they web commissioners, developers or expert reviewers. However, these three different groups show quite different requirements with regard to their tasks and their proficiency when using monitoring tools and also understanding of technologies and web accessibility in general. Therefore, a common observatory needs to consider all of these requirements and as best as possible fulfil them. The realization of this claim then can only be tested through extensive user testing with representatives of all groups. Another important aspect regarding web accessibility are the different legal frameworks that have been set up in European countries as well as the different tools and rulesets that can and should be used. To verify whether all national requirements are actually met, the tests also need to extend beyond a single country and must include a widespread test group.

Introduction/Background After the LACC trial, the scientific evidence has focused on confirming and finding the cause of why the open route presents better results than minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Even though the independent factors involved in relapse has not been studied. Methodology Primary objective to know the independent clinical, surgical and anatomopathological factors involved in the relapse of patients with stage IB1 cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy (2013–2014). Secondary objective To create a risk predictive index (RPI) that allows us to better select and stratify patients with a higher probability of relapse. Methods Starting from 1272 patients from the European database belonging to the SUCCOR study and after applying the different inclusion and exclusion criteria we obtained 1156 patients. We randomly divided our sample into a test group and a validation group in a proportion of 60% to 40%. The test group was used to identify the variables independently associated with relapse and to define the relapse RPI. The RPI was applied to calculate a relapse risk score for each participant in the validation group. According to their risk of relapse, participants were classified into 3 risk groups. Results Women who relapse are more likely to have tumours larger than 2 cm on imaging assessment (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.33- 3.5) and to undergo MIS (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.00- 2.57). On the other hand, conisation is inversely associated with the risk of relapse (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.17- 0.60). The AUC in the validation group for RPI is (0.72; 95% CI 0.65- 0.79). Depending on their score, patients were classified at low, medium or high risk of relapse. The relapse rate observed in each group was 3.4%, 9.8% and 21.3% respectively. With a median follow-up of 58 months, the mean DFS in the validation group for low, medium and high risk categories were 75.4 (95% CI 73.8- 76.9), 75.5 (95% CI 72.4- 78.5) and 64.1 (95% CI 59.4- 68.9) months respectively (P Conclusion Our risk predictor index proved to be valid and therefore may help to identify those patients who would benefit from adjuvant therapy and close follow-up after radical hysterectomy.

The diagnosis of thoracic endometriosis (TE) is challenging, hence resulting in under-diagnosis as well as long delays before arriving at a correct definitive diagnosis. Our aim is to review the histopathological findings in TE, summarise the diagnostic features, identify any major histo-morphological indicator(s) hitherto unrecognised as such, suggest diagnostic criteria; all with the aim of improving the diagnostic capacity and reducing observer error even where the clinical suspicion is low. A case-control study in which a search in the pathology archives of a referral hospital over a 10-year period was conducted. Twenty-six cases of TE were identified, reviewed, and compared with a control population of 48 cases taken from common benign thoracic diseases. Nine notable histological features were identified in varying permutations in the test group, namely: endometrioid glands, lymphoid clusters, ceroid macrophages, siderophages, cholesterol crystals, capillary congestion, multinucleated giant cells, smooth muscle bundles and fibrosis. The first 6 features were frequent; each being present in over 13 (13/26; 50%) test cases. The first 8 features showed significant association with TE by the Chi-squared test (P

BackgroundMembranous nephropathy (MN) and minimal change disease (MCD) are two common causes leading to nephrotic syndrome (NS). They have similar clinical feature but different treatment strategy and prognosis. M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) is considered as a specific marker of membranous nephropathy. However, its sensitivity is only about 70%. Therefore, there is a lack of effective and noninvasive tools to distinguish PLA2R-negative MN and MCD patients without renal biopsy. We aim to develop a discrimination model using noninvasive parameters for distinguishing the two diseases and support immediate treatment before result of renal biopsy.MethodsA total 949 patients who were pathologically diagnosed as idiopathic MN or primary MCD in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2017 to August 2019 were enrolled in this study, including 805 idiopathic MN (605 PLAR2-positive MN and 200 PLA2R-negative MN) and 144 primary MCD. Based on the basic information and laboratory examination of 200 PLA2R-negative MN and 144 MCD, we used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to select the relevant variables and develop the discrimination model. ROC curves and calibration curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic ability and calibration ability of the model. The decision curve was used to show the net benefit. We also tested the effectiveness of our model in all 949 patients.ResultsA novel model that included age, albumin, urea, high density lipoprotein, urea and red blood cell count was established for PLA2R-negative MN and MCD. The discrimination model has good differential capability (an AUC of 0.889 in training group and an AUC of 0.920 in test group) and calibration capability. When testing in all 949 patients, our model also showed good discrimination ability for all idiopathic MN and MCD.Conclusion We constructed a discrimination model with high diagnostic effectiveness for PLA2R-negative MN and MCD. The model could also be used for all idiopathic MN and MCD patients.

Objectives The aim of the study was to compare the performance of narrow diameter implants in patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) and normo-glycemic individuals during the first 12 months after implant loading. Material and methods In 16 T2DM patients with HbA1C > 6.5% (test group) and 16 normo-glycemic patients (HbA1C < 6.0%; control group), one to two narrow diameter tissue level implants were placed in the posterior maxilla or mandible. After 3-month lasting integration period, implants were loaded by fixed dentures. The clinical parameters probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), attachment loss (CAL), recession and papilla bleeding index (PBI) were assessed manually at loading and after 12 months of function. The paired digital periapical radiographs were analyzed with regard to the change in marginal bone level (MBL) from baseline to 12 months’ control. The mean values calculated for both patient groups were statistically analyzed. The technical complications were recorded. Results The T2DM group accounted 13 patients due to 3 dropouts. The overall implant survival rate after 12 months was 100%. The differences in means for the clinical parameters and the MBL were statistically non-significant between the T2DM and normo-glycemic patients for the short period of loaded function reported here. No technical complications were recorded. Conclusions The study demonstrated an encouraging clinical outcome with narrow diameter implants in patients with uncontrolled T2DM compared to non-diabetics after 12 months post loading. For the short observation period, no biological and technical complications were reported regardless the glycemic status. Clinical relevance Patients with HbA1C > 6.5% may benefit from the treatment with narrow diameter implants by avoiding complex surgical interventions with augmentation procedures. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04630691

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dehydrated amnion allograft with coronally positioned flap procedure in paired Millers class I recession defects. Methods: Total of 51 subjects were included in the study with bilateral Miller’s class 1 gingival recession defects. In the test group, patients were treated with an amniotic membrane with a coronally positioned flap while in the control group, patients were treated with coronally positioned flap alone. Clinical Parameters such as Recession Depth, Recession width, Probing depth, Relative attachment level, Width of keratinised gingiva and Thickness of keratinised gingiva were recorded at baseline and after five years of follow up. Result: The mean baseline recession was 2.95±0.89 in test group whereas 2.70±0.85 in control group and both were statically non-significant. At the end of 6 months, all the parameters, when compared with the baseline, showed a significant improvement. Intergroup comparison showed the non-significant difference in all settings except the thickness of keratinised gingiva (TKG). Conclusion: Amniotic membrane proved to help improve the thickness of keratinised gingiva. This increase in thickness helps in the long-term maintenance of the gingival margin in Miller's class I recession defect.

Background: Athletic soldiers undergo strenuous and high-endurance training to prepare for competition. Stress and deprivation of proper nutrition can weaken the immune system in athletic soldiers. Therefore, enhancing the immune system function in addition to enhancing the performance of athletic soldiers can lead to a reduction in health costs for the military. Objectives: In this study, the effects of probiotic supplementation on the immune response of soldiers were assessed. Methods: In a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, 42 athletic soldiers were randomly divided into two groups of 21 members. Participants in the probiotic group daily received one glass of fruit juice containing Bacillus coagulans (2 × 109 CFU/g). The control group consumed the placebo at the same time. At the beginning and end of the study, as well as at specific times, IgA, CD4, lactate, and urea were measured in blood samples of all participants. Results: Probiotic supplementation increased the concentration of IgA (+115.7 ± 28.3 vs. -108.3 ± 25.7 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and CD4 levels (+129.1 ± 42.6 vs. -54.5 ± 114.6 cells/µL, P < 0.001) after three months in the test group. In addition, a significant decrease was seen in serum lactate (-5.7 ± 10.1 vs. +10.1 ± 7.4. mg/L, P < 0.001) and urea (-9.9 ± 6.7 vs. +2.3 ± 5.6 mg/dL, P < 0.001) concentrations following probiotic supplementation compared to the placebo. Conclusions: Probiotic consumption for 12 weeks has a positive effect on the immune response of soldiers.

Radiotherapy technicians are classified as radiation occupational with continuous exposure to radiation,radiation can damage human cells including Hematopoietic cells. The present study dealt with estimationof both count and activity of peripheral microphages. A total of (23) hospital occupational were tested usingperipheral Microphages count in blood film and phagocytic activity by NBT reduction test. Results showedthat Test group G1 (12 technicians) recorded normal ratios of microphages count; but diminished in theiractivity when compared with control group G2 (11 occupational). Conclusions: there is a great associationbetween radiation exposure dose and Microphage activity even though their counts are within normal range.And that harmful effect can increase due to synergistic effect of poor special PPE supply

To investigate of effects of using phase-contrast video technique on education in oral hygiene training. This one blind, parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted in a tertiary clinic. Fifty-three patients who presented to the orthodontics department aged 12-20 years were divided into two groups randomly by computer-generated assigned codes to receive oral hygiene education. The participants were blinded to type of education method. Before orthodontic therapy, the control group was trained only by the conventional method, while the test group was trained by phase-contrast video microscopy method in addition to conventional method. Some images and videos of moving microorganisms in dental plaque were shown to the patients in test group on a computer monitor.The bacterial count, plaque index, and gingival index scores were compared. Measurements were obtained in baseline and follow-ups which were repeated with 1-month intervals after the training.The plaque index scores (1.05 ± 0.1 vs. 1.43 ± 0.2; P0.001) and gingival index scores (0.90 ± 0.1 vs. 1.14 ± 0.2; P0.001) in test group was statistically lower than those in control group at the end of the study. The gingival index scores reduced by 39% in test group vs. 14% in control group. The number of bacteria significantly decreased in the group trained with phase-contrast video microscope technique (8,059,133 ± 3016 vs. 10,830,600 ± 4919; 0.018).The training with phase-contrast microscopy has a more positive effect than the traditional method in oral hygiene education.

Objetivo: Avaliar a eficácia do uso da solução de fluoreto de sódio a 4% para o tratamento da Hipersensibilidade Dentinária Cervical (HSDC) em comparação ao LASER de baixa potência. Método: Foi realizado um ensaio clínico controlado randomizado, constituído por um grupo teste (47 dentes) e grupo controle (47 dentes). Para o grupo teste foi realizada aplicação do fluoreto de sódio a 4%, e o grupo controle recebeu irradiação do LASER de baixa potência. As terapias dos dois grupos foram realizadas em três sessões com intervalo de uma semana entre elas. Previamente ao tratamento (T0), imediatamente após a aplicação das terapias em cada sessão (T1, T2 e T3), e nos tempos de 1 (T4), 3 (T5) e 6 (T6) meses, os elementos dentários foram submetidos aos estímulos táctil e térmico-evaporativo e as respostas foram obtidas através da Escala Visual Numérica (EVN). A análise estatística dos dados foi realizada através dos testes não paramétricos Wilcoxon, Friedman e Mann-Whitney. Resultados: Em T6, a média de dor do grupo teste passou de 5,93 para 1,73 (p < 0,05) ao estímulo evaporativo e de 3,63 para 0,804 ao estímulo táctil (p < 0,05). Para o grupo controle, a média da dor passou de 6,020 para 1,854 (p < 0,05) ao estímulo evaporativo e de 3,50 para 0,937 (p < 0,05) ao estímulo táctil. Não houve diferença entre as duas modalidades de tratamento em T6. Conclusão: O fluoreto de sódio a 4% foi tão eficaz quanto o LASER na redução da HSDC.

PURPOSE This investigation aimed to evaluate clinical, prosthetic, and patient-based outcomes of a milled bar with polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and metal housings for inclined implants supporting mandibular overdentures. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighteen edentulous participants received four implants in the interforaminal area of the mandible (two vertically and two distally inclined), and implants were connected with milled bars. Overdentures were attached to the bars with PEEK female housing (test group). The control group consisted of participants who received milled bar overdentures with conventional metal housings but were case matched to the test group and served as a historical cohort. Clinical parameters (Plaque Index, Gingival Index, pocket depth, and bone loss) were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Patient satisfaction (using visual analog scale) and prosthetic complications were recorded after 12 months. RESULTS The control group showed a significantly higher plaque score and marginal bone resorption compared with the test group. The test group showed higher satisfaction with retention, stability, speech, and esthetics compared with the control group (P < .048). The test group showed a significantly lower incidence of female housing wear (P = .017), plastic clip wear (P < .001), and plastic clip fracture/renewal (P = .049) than the control group. No difference between groups was noted for other clinical, prosthetic, and patient-based outcomes. CONCLUSION PEEK housing of a milled bar may be a successful alternative to conventional metal housing for inclined implants supporting mandibular overdentures, as it is associated with favorable clinical, prosthetic, and patient-based outcomes after 1 year.

PURPOSE To evaluate the influence on healing of the bony window elevated inward in the sinus cavity as a cortical bone graft. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eighteen rabbits were included in the experiment. At the test sites (bony window), the antrostomy was prepared and the remaining bony window was elevated together with the sinus mucosa. At the control sites, the bony window was gently detached before the sinus mucosa elevation and discarded. The space obtained was grafted with deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM). A collagen membrane was positioned on the antrostomy at both sides. The rabbits were euthanized after 2, 4, and 8 weeks in groups of six each. Histologic analyses in different regions of the elevated space were carried out, and a Wilcoxon test was used to estimate differences. Microcomputed tomography (microCT) analyses were also performed. RESULTS After 2 weeks of healing, higher proportions of new bone were found in the test group compared with the control group due to the higher amount of bone formed in the region subjacent to the sinus mucosa. In this region, higher amounts of new bone were also found in the test group after 4 (P = .028) and 8 weeks of healing (P = .345). After 8 weeks of healing, the percentage of new bone was higher at the control sites compared with the test sites, with the proportions being 25.4% ± 3.2% and 21.3% ± 6.1%, respectively. In this period of evaluation, the bony window contributed with 20.1% ± 5.3% of vital bone in the test group. A fraction of 60.4% ± 10.8% of its surface was surrounded by new bone. In the microCT analysis, after 8 weeks of healing, fractions of 22.3% ± 1.6% and 22.2% ± 0.7% of bone were found in the test and control groups, respectively. CONCLUSION The presence of the bony window positively influenced the healing in the elevated space, especially in the submucosa region. The bony window was vital and incorporated into newly formed bone.

Objective To assess the benefits of bimodal listening (i.e., addition of contralateral hearing aid) for cochlear implant (CI) users on real-world tasks involving high-talker variability speech materials, environmental sounds, and self-reported quality of life (quality of hearing) in listeners' own best-aided conditions. Study design Cross-sectional study between groups. Setting Outpatient hearing clinic. Patients Fifty experienced adult CI users divided into groups based on normal daily listening conditions (i.e., best-aided conditions): unilateral CI (CI), unilateral CI with contralateral HA (bimodal listening; CIHA), or bilateral CI (CICI). Intervention Task-specific measures of speech recognition with low (Harvard Standard Sentences) and high (Perceptually Robust English Sentence Test Open-set corpus) talker variability, environmental sound recognition (Familiar Environmental Sounds Test-Identification), and hearing-related quality of life (Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire). Main outcome measures Test group differences among CI, CIHA, and CICI conditions. Results No group effect was observed for speech recognition with low or high-talker variability, or hearing-related quality of life. Bimodal listeners demonstrated a benefit in environmental sound recognition compared with unilateral CI listeners, with a trend of greater benefit than the bilateral CI group. There was also a visual trend for benefit on high-talker variability speech recognition. Conclusions Findings provide evidence that bimodal listeners demonstrate stronger environmental sound recognition compared with unilateral CI listeners, and support the idea that there are additional advantages to bimodal listening after implantation other than speech recognition measures, which are at risk of being lost if considering bilateral implantation.

The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 has aroused widespread concern around the world and poses a severe threat to public health worldwide. In this paper, the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was used to predict the epidemic trend of COVID-19 in mainland of China. We collected the cumulative cases, cumulative deaths, and cumulative recovery in mainland of China from January 20 to June 30, 2020, and divided the data into experimental group and test group. The ARIMA model was fitted with the experimental group data, and the optimal model was selected for prediction analysis. The predicted data were compared with the test group. The average relative errors of actual cumulative cases, deaths, recovery and predicted values in each province are between −22.32%−22.66%, −9.52%−0.08%, −8.84%−1.16, the results of the comprehensive experimental group and test group show The error of fitting and prediction is small, the degree of fitting is good, the model supports and is suitable for the prediction of the epidemic situation, which has practical guiding significance for the prevention and control of the epidemic situation.Highlights:We predicted future COVID-19 occurrences in mainland of China based on ARIMA model.We validated the model based on the previous outbreak data with actual data for June, 2020.The measures taken by the government have contained spread of the epidemicThe combination of multiple models may improve the robustness of the model

Objective To investigate the relationship between CT radiomic features, pathological classification of pulmonary nodules, and evaluate the prediction effect of different stratified progressive radiomic models on the pathological classification of pulmonary nodules. Methods Altogether, 189 patients pathologically confirmed with pulmonary nodules from July 2017 to August 2019 who had complete data were enrolled, including 71 patients with benign nodules, 51 with malignant non-invasive nodules, and 67 with invasive nodules. Three CT radiomic models were established respectively. Model 1 classified benign and malignant nodules (including malignant non-invasive and invasive nodules). Model 2 classified malignant non-invasive and invasive nodules. Model 3 classified benign, malignant non-invasive, and invasive nodules. High-throughput feature collection was carried out for all delineated regions of interest (ROIs), and the best models were established by screening features and classifiers using intelligent methods. ROC curves and areas under the curve (AUCs) were used to evaluate the prediction efficacy of the models by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, accuracies, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values. Results Through Models 1, 2, and 3, we screened out 20, 2, and 20 radiomic features, respectively, and plotted the ROC curves. In the test group, the AUC values were 0.85, 0.89, and 0.84, respectively; the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 79.66 %, 70.42 %, 84.59 %, and 81.74 % and 67.57％ for Model 1, 88.06 %, 74.51 %, 82.2 %, 81.94 %, and 82.61 % for Model 2, and 71.34 %, 85.05 %, 70.37 %, 83.2 %, and 76.3 % for Model 3. Conclusion The radiomic feature models based on CT images could well reflect the differences between benign nodules, malignant non-invasive nodules, and invasive nodules, and assist in their classification.

Electronic and mobile health (eHealth/mHealth) are rapidly growing areas in medicine and digital technologies are gaining importance. In dentistry, digitalization is also an emerging topic, whereby more and more applications are being offered. As an example, using real-time feedback, digital application software (an app) was designed to help users brush their teeth more accurately. However, there is no data on the effectiveness and haptic of such apps. Therefore, a single-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial was designed: twenty volunteers received an electric toothbrush with an associated app to assess whether the app-assisted toothbrushing is better than without. After a short period of familiarization with the electric toothbrush, plaque index (O&lsquo, Leary et al. 1972) was recorded and subjects were assigned to the test (with app, n = 10) or the control group (no app, n = 10). At the end of the 2-week pilot study period, plaque was again assessed and participants in the test group completed a questionnaire about the app&rsquo, s user-friendliness. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the test and control groups. The plaque index improved on average by 8.5% points in the test and 4.7% points in the control group. Fifty percent of the test group participants were of the opinion that they had achieved better cleaning results and would recommend the app to others, although the app contributed only marginally to increased plaque removal. However, such apps may nevertheless be helpful as motivational tools, especially when tracking and monitoring cleaning data. Therefore, more development and research on this topic is indicated.

In recent years, with the rapid development of the UAV manufacturing technology, great progress has also been made in the Quadcopter. Usually, the small Quadcopter is flexible and easy to be operated. The stability is one of the most important evaluation indexes for the flight quality of the Quadcopter. However, external environmental impacts (such as the wind power) or internal design problems often cause the Quadcopter to deviate to one side during the flight. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, this paper adopts the method of physical weight gain and low-cost design. Then, we did experiments in the windless condition indoors and in the windy condition outdoors. We test and analyze how weight gain affects the Quadcopter’s flight stability. By comparing the test group and control group, we find that test group is more stable and faster than the control group. Also, the experiments show that when the weight of the Quadcopter increases, with the help of the low-cost design and the mathematic model, the flight offset can be reduced to 20% at most. Thus, the flight stability of the Quadcopter is improved as well. In addition, our stability design is not affected by the environment. Also, this design doesn’t need to change the internal structure of the Quadcopter.

Efficient snail production is essential for the proper maintenance of the Schistosoma mansoni life cycle in the laboratory. In order to improve the breeding of Biomphalaria glabrata under laboratory conditions, this study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a handmade shell-based substrate on the physiological performance of B. glabrata. The shells used to make the substrate were cleaned, sterilized and macerated until a powder was obtained (yield of 92.3%). B. glabrata specimens were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: negative control group (NCG) exposed to a clay-only substrate; a positive control group (PCG) containing clay, oyster flour and calcium carbonate; and the test group (TG) with the shell-based substrate and clay. B. glabrata bred in the test group showed improved growth, sexual maturity, fertility, mortality rate, and shell morphology when compared to the NCG, and similar to the PCG. Therefore, the shell-based substrate proved to be efficient and has a low cost for the breeding of B. glabrata.

The present in vitro study evaluated a new drill design to improve the temperature control during the osteotomies for dental implant installation, comparing with two drill designs that use conventional external irrigation. Three blocks of synthetic cortical bone were used for osteotomy procedures. Three groups were created: control group 1 (Con1), where a conical multiple drill system with a conventional external irrigation system was used; control group 2 (Con2), where a single bur with a conventional external irrigation system was used; and, test group (Test), where the new single bur (turbo drill) with a new irrigation system was used. Twenty osteotomies were made without irrigation and with intense irrigation, for each group. A thermocouple was used to measure the temperature produced during the osteotomies. The measured temperature were: 28.9 ± 1.68 °C for group Con1; 27.5 ± 1.32 °C for group Con2; 26.3 ± 1.28 °C for group Test. Whereas, the measured temperatures with irrigation were: 23.1 ± 1.27 °C for group Con1; 21.7 ± 1.36 °C for group Con2; 19.4 ± 1.29 °C for group Test. The single drill with a new design for improving the irrigation and temperature control, in comparison with the drill designs with conventional external irrigation.

The aim of this trial was to determine whether a toothpaste with microcrystalline hydroxyapatite is not inferior to a fluoride toothpaste in prevention of caries in children. This double-blinded randomized control trial compared two toothpastes regarding the occurrence of caries lesions using International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) ≥ code 1 on the primary dentition within 336 days. The test group used a fluoride-free hydroxyapatite toothpaste three times daily while control group used a toothpaste with fluoride. 207 children were included in the intention-to-treat analysis; 177 of them finished the study per protocol. An increase in caries ICDAS ≥ code 1 per tooth was observed in 72.7% of the hydroxyapatite-group (n = 88), compared with 74.2% of the fluoride-group (n = 89). The exact one-sided upper 95% confidence limit for the difference in proportion of participants with ICDAS increase ≥ 1 (-1.4%) was 9.8%, which is below the non-inferiority margin of 20% demonstrating non-inferiority of hydroxyapatite compared to the fluoride control toothpaste. This RCT showed for the first time, that in children, the impact of the daily use of a toothpaste with microcrystalline hydroxyapatite on enamel caries progression in the primary dentition is not inferior to a fluoride control toothpaste (Clinical Trials NCT03553966).

(1) Background: dental lasers have numerous applications for periodontal therapy which include surgical procedures of soft tissue and osseous structures, and non-surgical treatments such as pathogen reduction, removal of surface accretions, and photobiomodulation. The aim of this review was to evaluate the scientific literature to ascertain whether lasers have a beneficial role when used adjunctively in initial non-surgical periodontal therapy. (2) Methods: A PubMed search was performed specifically for randomized clinical trials where a dental laser was used adjunctively for initial periodontal therapy on human patients published from January 2010–April 2020. The first search identified 1294 eligible studies. After additional criteria and filters were applied, 20 manuscripts were included in this review. (3) Results: The chosen manuscripts reported on investigations into initial therapy for patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis. After periodontal charting, conventional instrumentation such as hand and ultrasonic scaling was performed on all patients in the studies, and then a test group or groups of patients were treated adjunctively with a laser. That adjunctive laser group’s periodontal findings showed various degrees of improved health compared to the group treated with only conventional methods. (4) Conclusion: This systematic review found that 70% of the included studies reported significantly better outcomes in certain clinical parameters, but no improvement in others. The remaining 30% of the manuscripts reported no significant difference in any of the measurements. With consideration to correct parametry, lasers have an adjunctive role in initial non-surgical periodontal therapy.