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Background: Implant surface decontamination is a critical step in peri‐implantitis treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the effect chemotherapeutic agents have on reosseointegration after treatment on ligature‐inducted peri‐implantitis. Methods: Six male canines had 36 implants placed and ligatures were placed around them for 28 weeks to establish peri‐implantitis. The peri‐implant defects were randomly treated by 1 of 3 methods: 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX test group), 1.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl test group), or saline (Control group). Sites treated with NaOCl and CHX were grafted with autogenous bone, and all sites then either received a collagen membrane or not. Histology sections were obtained at 6 months postsurgery to assess percentage of reosseointegration. Results: Thirty‐five implants were analyzed (CHX: 13; NaOCl: 14; Control:8). NaOCl‐treated sites demonstrated reosseointegration with direct bone‐to‐implant‐contact on the previously contaminated surfaces (42% mean reosseointegration), which was significantly higher than Controls (p < 0.05). Correspondingly, clinical improvement was noted with a significant reduction in probing depth from 5.50 ± 1.24 mm at baseline to 4.46 ± 1.70 mm at 6‐months postsurgery (p = 0.006). CHX‐treated sites demonstrated a nonsignificant reosseointegration of 26% (p > 0.05); however, in the majority of cases, the new bone growth was at a distance from the implant surface without contact. Probing depths did not improve in the CHX group. The use of membrane did not influence reosseointegration or probing depths (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: Titanium implants with peri‐implantitis have the capacity to reosseointegrate following regenerative surgery. However, treatment response is contingent upon the chemotherapeutic agent selection. Additional chemical treatment with 1.5% NaOCl lead to the most favorable results in terms of changes in defect depth and percentage of reosseointegration as compared to CHX, which may hinder reosseointegration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesTo examine the prevalence and correlates of smoking cessation and receiving professional cessation advice among older smokers in Taiwan.MethodsCross-sectional data from the 2008-2010 and 2012 Taiwan Adult Smoking Behavior Survey was used to form a sample of 4081 recent active smokers aged 50+, comprising current smokers and former smokers who quit smoking within the past 12months. We examined three outcome variables: quit attempt in the past 12months, successful cessation for at least 3months, and receipt of health professional cessation advice. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify significant correlates.ResultsDuring the study period, the annual quit attempt rate was 41.4%, annual successful cessation rate was 4.7%, and prevalence of receiving cession advice among smokers who visited health professionals within the past 12months was 72.3%. After controlling for other covariates, quit attempts were significantly higher in 2009 and positively associated with higher education, poorer health status, smoke-free homes, and receipt of cessation advice. Successful cessation was significantly higher in 2009, positively associated with older age, higher income, and smoke-free homes, and negatively associated with receiving cessation advice. Receipt of cessation advice was significantly lower in 2010 and 2012, positively associated with male gender, older age, and poorer health status, and negatively associated with higher education.ConclusionsOur results suggest that targeting lower educated and lower income subgroups, adopting effective strategies to increase voluntary smoke-free home rules, and improving professional cessation advice will have great potential to further reduce smoking prevalence in older smokers.

ObjectivesTo assess the costs of the health effects of cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure to society.DesignPrevalence-based, disease-specific cost-of-illness study. We used an epidemiological population-attributable risk method to determine the costs that can be attributed to smoking and SHS exposure.SettingTaiwan.ParticipantsAll adult population aged 35 and older.Primary outcome measuresDirect costs of healthcare expenditures spent for treating tobacco-related diseases, indirect mortality costs measured by the value of lost productivity due to tobacco-related premature deaths and indirect morbidity costs measured by the value of time lost from work due to tobacco-related illness.ResultsIn 2010, direct costs of smoking and SHS exposure amounted to US$828 million, accounting for 3.4% of Taiwan's total personal healthcare expenditures. Smoking and SHS exposure also contributed to 15 555 premature deaths-corresponding to a loss of 284 765 years of life and US$820 million in productivity-and US$22 million in indirect morbidity costs. These direct and indirect costs totalled US$1670 million, representing 0.4% of Taiwan's gross domestic product and averaging about US$720/adult smoker. The share of the total costs was greater from active smoking (92%) than SHS exposure (8%), and greater for men (92%) than women (8%).ConclusionsSmoking and SHS exposure impose a huge financial loss in Taiwan. Sustained tobacco control efforts to encourage people to quit smoking, prevent smoking uptake by children and young adults and protect all people from SHS exposure are needed.

This study pioneers the integration of augmented reality (AR) with reality puzzle games to enrich local cultural understanding and enhance the sense of place. By merging AR’s interactive capabilities with the narrative depth of geography, we offer an innovative approach to experiential learning. Our research demonstrates how AR can transform the learning experience, making local history and culture more engaging and memorable for learners. Through an empirical study involving learners engaged in AR-enhanced reality puzzle-solving activities, we found significant improvements in their comprehension of regional historical contexts and emotional connections to the place. This paper not only showcases the potential of AR in educational settings but also contributes to the literature by providing a novel method for fostering deeper connections between people and their local environments. Our findings suggest that AR can serve as a powerful tool in the geography education domain, offering a dynamic and immersive learning experience that traditional methods struggle to match. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant health literacy research is unclear about the contribution of health literacy to health behaviors and is limited regarding women's health issues. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the association between health literacy and five health behaviors (Pap smear screening, annual physical checkup, smoking, checking food expiration dates, and monitoring physical changes) in women and to test whether the association is mediated by health knowledge. A national sample of 1,754 female adults in Taiwan was included in the study. Result showed that health literacy was positively and independently related to checking food expiration dates and monitoring physical changes, and that health literacy was not related to physical checkup and Pap smear screening. Interestingly, women with high health literacy were more likely to be a current smoker. Study findings suggest that efforts to improve health promotion behaviors in women should consider health literacy as an important factor and that the effect of health literacy on health prevention behaviors may vary by women's access to care. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)