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Objective Because of esthetic demand, awareness about orthodontic treatment has increased nowadays, especially among young people and adolescents, in addition to the fact that knowledge of orthodontics and various details of it is more significant among dental students according to what they learned in their curricula and their examination and observation of many cases of malocclusion. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the awareness of the final year of undergraduate dental students toward orthodontics. Materials and Methods About 532 (320 females and 212 males) students in the fifth year of six Iraqi universities were invited to participate in this questionnaire distributed via the Google classroom. This questionnaire included 20 questions about orthodontics. Pearson's chi-square test evaluated the gender and universities differences. Results In general, the awareness responses were very high in most of the questions answered except in three questions in which the percentage of positive answers varies from 49 to 76%. Also, there were no significant gender differences in 17 question answers, and only 3 showed significant gender differences. Females expressed a high level of awareness than males. Conclusion The high and close level of awareness expressed by students' responses in this study revealed the integrated education in orthodontic sciences in Iraqi dental colleges in different universities, except in some questions that deal with topics about the acceleration of tooth movement and the relation between vitamin D3 and teeth movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Spinal cord ischemia (SCI) is a potentially devastating complication of thoracic and thoraco-abdominal endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR and TAEVAR) that can result in varying degrees of short-term and permanent disability. This study was undertaken to evaluate the incidence, investigate the risk factors of SCI, and describe the clinical outcomes, reversibility, long-term functional impact, and influence on survival of SCI Methods: This study employed a retrospective design to investigate patients who underwent TEVAR and TAEVAR successfully within the past 11 years between January 2012 and June 2022 in a single center. The analysis focused on factors such as incidence, personal history, and detailed assessment of medical and surgical risk factors. Data was retrieved from medical records. SCI was defined by any new lower neurologic deficit not attributable to another cause and diagnosed through clinical examination immediately after emergence from anesthesia and frequently postoperatively, as well as during follow-up outpatient clinic visits. Results: A total of 137 patients were enrolled in the study. Among them, 15 patients developed lower limb paralysis with an incidence of 10.95%, three patients (20.1%) developed paralysis immediately postoperatively, and five patients (33.3%) developed paralysis on day 1 postoperatively (33.3%). Furthermore, the remaining patients experienced delayed onset paralysis, with the most recent case occurring 26 days after the operation. In terms of reversibility, nine patients had complete reversal of their motor and sensory symptoms to the baseline preoperative status. Two patients experienced a partial reversal of their symptoms, and four patients had persistent symptoms without any improvement. Data showed that 12 out of 81 patients (14.8%) who had functioning spinal drains developed paralysis. The duration of the procedure was the most significant risk factor for paralysis. Patients with a mean duration of 270 min had a higher risk of paralysis. Conclusion: Prediction of paralysis post-TEVAR and TAEVAR remains challenging, with data analysis indicating that the duration of the procedure is the sole statistically significant variable to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) was the first tumor virus identified in humans, and it is mostly linked to lymphomas and cancers of epithelial cells. Nevertheless, there is no FDA-licensed drug feasible for this ubiquitous EBV viral contagion. EBNA1 (Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1) plays several roles in the replication and transcriptional of latent gene expression of the EBV, making it an attractive druggable target for the treatment of EBV-related malignancies. The present study targets EBV viral reactivation and upkeep by inhibiting EBNA1 utilizing a drug-repurposing strategy. To hunt novel EBNA1 inhibitors, a SuperDRUG2 database (> 4,600 pharmaceutical ingredients) was virtually screened utilizing docking computations. In accordance with the estimated docking scores, the most promising drug candidates then underwent MDS (molecular dynamics simulations). Besides, the MM-GBSA approach was applied to estimate the binding affinities between the identified drug candidates and EBNA1. On the basis of MM-GBSA//200 ns MDS, bezitramide (SD000308), glyburide (SD001170), glisentide (SD001159), and glimepiride (SD001156) unveiled greater binding affinities towards EBNA1 compared to KWG, a reference inhibitor, with ΔGbinding values of −44.3, −44.0, −41.7, −40.2, and −32.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Per-residue decomposition analysis demonstrated that LYS477, ASN519, and LYS586 significantly interacted with the identified drug candidates within the EBNA1 binding pocket. Post-dynamic analyses also demonstrated high constancy of the identified drug candidates in complex with EBNA1 throughout 200 ns MDS. Ultimately, electrostatic potential and frontier molecular orbitals analyses were performed to estimate the chemical reactivity of the identified EBNA1 inhibitors. Considering the current outcomes, this study would be an adequate linchpin for forthcoming research associated with the inhibition of EBNA1; however, experimental assays are required to inspect the efficiency of these candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A DNA tumor virus called Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the cause of 1-2% of human cancers. EBV-associated carcinogenesis is caused by a persistent latent infection. The shortage of antiviral medications or vaccinations to control the virus led to a significant percentage of critically sickness individuals needing to be hospitalized. In the absence of an effective vaccine and approved drug, there is an immediate need for treatments that can combat EBV infection. Epstein Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) is continually expressed in all malignancies linked to EBV; it is a desirable target for curative interference. Herein, natural product compounds from the Nuclei of Bioassays, Ecophysiology and Biosynthesis of Natural Products (NuBBE) database were mined to identify potent EBNA1 inhibitors. The performance of the molecular docking technique was initially assessed in expecting the ligand-target binding pose according to the available experimental data. On the basis of the estimated docking protocol, the NuBBE database was virtually screened toward the EBNA1 protein, and the natural compounds with binding scores less than KWG (calc. − 7. 8 kcal/mol) were subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations followed by binding energy (Δ G binding ) calculation using MM/GBSA approach. Based on binding energy computations, NuBBE1460 revealed superior Δ G binding with a value of − 3 6. 2 kcal/mol, compared to KWG (calc. − 3 2. 4 kcal/mol). Post-MD analyses displayed a high steadiness of NuBBE1460 within the EBNA1 protein binding pocket. Furthermore, the physicochemical, pharmacokinetic and toxicity features of the identified compound were predicted, demonstrating high degrees of its oral bioavailability. The energetical and geometrical properties of NuBBE1460 were calculated using the DFT method. Conclusively, this study offers NuBBE1460 obtained from natural sources as a lead EBNA1 inhibitor for future investigation and development as a therapeutic for EBV. NuBBE database was virtually screened as potent EBNA1 inhibitors using in-silico calculations. Compared to KWG, a reference inhibitor, NuBBE1460 exhibited better binding affinity against EBNA1. NuBBE1460 demonstrated promising stability in complex with EBNA1 and unveiled good oral bioavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This in vitro study aimed to determine how three different energy drink types affected the force decay of three distinct brands of clear, short elastomeric chains over various time intervals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 600 pieces of clear, short elastomeric chains from three brands were examined. The initial force was measured immediately using a digital scale and after 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. These intervals followed immersion in the respective energy drink for 5 minutes twice daily. Using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests, the percentage of force decay was computed and compared across the different elastic brands, time intervals, and energy drinks. RESULTS: The force degradation of various elastic brands immersed in different energy drinks increased over time, following a similar pattern of decay. By the end of the fourth week, there were highly significant differences in the force decay percentage, varying from 68% to 83%. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the effects of brands, duration, and energy drinks, all the evaluated brands exhibited similar patterns of force decay, with highly significant differences noted. The force decay in Coca-Cola Energy and Fire ball drinks is relatively higher than in other beverages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the impact of Pediococcus pentosaceus strains not only on biogenic amine (BA) content, but also on antioxidant indices, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity and total phenolic content, in kisra, an African sourdough flatbread. Among forty-six lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from naturally fermented kisra sourdough, two strains (K-B21, K-B01) identified as P. pentosaceus, were selected due to their low BA-producing and high BA-degrading ability for kisra fermentation. Inoculation with P. pentosaceus K-B21 or P. pentosaceus K-B01 completely prevented the formation of tyramine and cadaverine during kisra fermentation. The levels of putrescine, histamine, spermine, and spermidine in kisra were reduced by about 90%, >31%, 55–61%, and 9–25%, respectively, by the two strains, compared to the control (natural fermentation). Additionally, DPPH scavenging activity was 83–84% in the control and inoculated groups of kisra. The total phenolic content was 1977.60 μg/g in the control and insignificantly lower in the inoculated groups (1850–1880 μg/g) than the control. These results suggest that P. pentosaceus K-B21 and K-B01 are promising candidates for use as sourdough starter cultures to produce kisra bread of higher quality, including both its safety and health functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental ethics mean the obligations and moral responsibilities towards the patients, professional peers, and society as large. In Orthodontic Clinical Practice all information should be given to the patients before orthodontic treatment like the risk and benefit of therapy and the treatment duration also all the patients have the right to choose and determine the type of orthodontic therapy by application of American dental association Principles of Ethics (ADA Code), all these elements involved under the term of orthodontic ethics .This review article elucidates the ethical dilemmas encountered by orthodontists in their regular clinical practice, with the aim of providing optimal treatment to their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Thalassemia is a genetics syndrome which lead to abnormal hemoglobin protein and this produce hemolysis, inefficient erythropoiesis, and moderate to severe anemia. Very few studies focus on the frequency of this disease. Therefore, the aims of current study is to determine features, and frequency of thalassemia patients at the thalassemia center in the Misan Governorate. In 2024, we performed a descriptive file-based study on 499 patients with thalassemia at the Thalassemia Center in Misan City. We reviewed the patient files and gathered the necessary data. After filling out a unique form with information about the patient's features from their medical records and from the patients or caregivers, data analysis was completed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The results showed that the majority of cases (78%), which were of the major type of B-thalassemia, were followed by intermediate cases (16%) and alpha-thalassemia (6%). Of these, 54% were female, and 48% were in the age range of 5-19 years. There were fewer cases in the age range of 0-4 years and older than 40 years. The study's findings also showed that 52% of patients lived in rural areas and 48% in urban areas. O had the highest blood group among the patients, followed by B, A, and AB. According to the study's findings, 64 patients had passed away, with both new and old cases accounting for 12% of all deaths. The kind of thalassemia, age group, and case outcome were statistically significantly correlated (p values were 0.006 and 0.0001, respectively). In conclusion, our research consider as the first a descriptive study at Misan province that sheds the light on B-thalassemia major. However, genetic study required next to stablish the database in Misan province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]