Category: Nevin Manimala

Clin Oral Investig. 2023 Apr 22. doi: 10.1007/s00784-023-05027-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: A variety of dental materials are available for the fabrication of telescopic crowns. The aim was to investigate the impact of material combinations and removal and insertion cycles on their retention forces.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: CAD/CAM-fabricated cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCr) and zirconia (ZrO₂) primary crowns were combined with polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), CoCr, and ZrO₂ secondary crowns (four combinations included PEEK/PEKK secondary crowns in a thickness of 0.5 mm bonded to the CoCr tertiary construction), resulting in 12 different material combinations: CoCr-PEEK; CoCr-PEKK; CoCr-ZrO₂; CoCr-CoCr; CoCr-PEEK 0.5; CoCr-PEKK 0.5; ZrO₂-PEEK; ZrO₂-PEKK; ZrO₂-ZrO₂, ZrO₂-CoCr; ZrO₂-PEEK 0.5; and ZrO₂-PEKK 0.5 (n = 15 pairings per material combination). Pull-off tests were performed with a universal testing machine initially and after 500, 5000, and 10,000 removal and insertion cycles in a mastication simulator. Descriptive statistics with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U tests were computed (α = 0.05).

RESULTS: The tested parameters, material combination, and removal and insertion cycles had significant impact on the retention force values (p < 0.001). An increase in removal and insertion cycles was associated with a decrease in retention forces within CoCr and ZrO₂ secondary crowns, regardless of the primary crown material. In contrast, PEEK and PEKK secondary crowns presented higher retention load values after 10,000 cycles than initially.

CONCLUSION: Different material combinations behaved differently after simulated removal and insertion regimens. This difference should be considered during treatment planning.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Telescopic crown systems should be made of materials with predictable retention forces that do not deteriorate with time. The implementation of new materials and technologies facilitates reproducibility and time-saving fabrication.

PMID:37086284 | DOI:10.1007/s00784-023-05027-w

Eur Heart J. 2023 Apr 22:ehad238. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad238. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Evidence suggests that a high-dose statin loading before a percutaneous coronary revascularization improves outcomes in patients receiving long-term statins. This study aimed to analyse the effects of such an additional statin therapy before surgical revascularization.

METHODS AND RESULTS: This investigator-initiated, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial was conducted from November 2012 to April 2019 at 14 centres in Germany. Adult patients (n = 2635) with a long-term statin treatment (≥30 days) who were scheduled for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were randomly assigned to receive a statin-loading therapy or placebo at 12 and 2 h prior to surgery using a web-based system. The primary outcome of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) was a composite consisting of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and a cerebrovascular event occuring within 30 days after surgery. Key secondary endpoints included a composite of cardiac death and MI, myocardial injury, and death within 12 months. Non-statistically relevant differences were found in the modified intention-to-treat analysis (2406 patients; 1203 per group) between the statin (13.9%) and placebo groups (14.9%) for the primary outcome [odds ratio (OR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.74-1.18; P = 0.562] or any of its individual components. Secondary endpoints including cardiac death and MI (12.1% vs. 13.5%; OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.69-1.12; P = 0.300), the area under the troponin T-release curve (median 0.398 vs. 0.394 ng/ml, P = 0.333), and death at 12 months (3.1% vs. 2.9%; P = 0.825) were comparable between treatment arms.

CONCLUSION: Additional statin loading before CABG failed to reduce the rate of MACCE occuring within 30 days of surgery.

PMID:37086268 | DOI:10.1093/eurheartj/ehad238

Res Nurs Health. 2023 Apr 22. doi: 10.1002/nur.22313. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Nurses are greatly affected by patient safety incidents, but little is known about the classifications of nurses’ second victim experiences and their effects on job insecurity and turnover intention. This study aimed to identify the profiles of nurses’ second victim experiences, including perceived support and distress, and explore the effects of the different experiences on nurses’ job insecurity and turnover intention. A convenience sample of 2000 nurses, who were directly involved in patient safety incidents within a year at 25 hospitals in 13 provinces in China, was invited to participate. The online surveys included the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool-Chinese version, job insecurity scale, and turnover intention scale. Data were analyzed using regression and latent profile analysis to identify second-victim nurses’ different experience predictors and examine the relationships among the factors. A total of 1298 valid questionnaires were obtained. Three profiles of second victim experiences were identified. Univariate analysis demonstrated that nurses’ experience, education level, hospital type, specialty, working hours, credentials, clinical ladder, type of employment, income, training on adverse events, and the type of adverse event were statistically significant (p < 0.05) variables differentiating the three profiles. After controlling these significant variables, the multiple regression analysis showed that the higher the support and the lower the distress level of the second victim, the lower the job insecurity and turnover intention. This study highlights the significance of nurse’ leader and organizational support. Nursing leaders should recognize nurses’ second-victim experiences, provide the support nurses need, and help them reduce job insecurity and turnover intention.

PMID:37086263 | DOI:10.1002/nur.22313

J Esthet Restor Dent. 2023 Apr 22. doi: 10.1111/jerd.13056. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the influence of the group and individual education of students on shade matching quality. Secondary study objective included a survey-assessment of quality and difficulty level of color matching.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty dental student participants in Integrated Academic Studies of Dentistry at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš (26 female, 14 male) 21-25 years old, signed consent to voluntarily participate in the research. The Ethics Committee of the Clinic of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, approved the study under number 14/11-2019-2EO. They were randomly divided into two groups (n = 20), experimental (IE, individual education) and control (GE, group education). Each group was divided into four subgroups (n = 5). The study was performed in three phases. In Phase I (I) and III (III), students matched the shade of the maxillary central left incisor (#9) using three different shade guides. Each of the students served as a “patient” for shade matching, while the other members of the subgroup, individually (VM_I ) and as a team (VM_T ), visually matched the tooth shade. In Phase II (between phases I and III), group IE received standard group and individual education and training, while group GE had only group education. Shade matching results in before and after education were compared with results obtained by an intraoral spectrophotometer. CIELAB (∆E*), and CIDE2000 color differences (∆E₀₀ ) were calculated. The color differences between VM_I or VM_T and ES readings were graded. In addition, the students rated the level of difficulty and quality of shade matching from 1 to 5, signifying the most to least difficult, and the worst to best match, respectively. Means and standard deviations were calculated. Differences were compared using the Student t-test.

RESULTS: Means (s.d.) of CIEDE2000 color differences for VM_I before and after IE were 4.5 (1.5) and 3.3 (0.9), respectively. Corresponding values for group GE were 4.4 (1.4) and 4.0 (1.0), respectively. As compared with GE, group IE achieved 15% better results for the best matches and 27.5% for one of the three best matches in by-point comparison. Mean (s.d.) results for VM_T in the experimental group before and after IE were 3.6 (2.4) and 2.8 (1.6), respectively. Corresponding results for the control group were 4.4 (2.1) and 3.5 (1.7), respectively. Group IE had statistically higher VM_I and VM_T scores than GE, while, for GE, only VM_T scores were statistically higher. Group IE achieved better results in by-point comparison. After education and training, the students rated the shade matching as more precise and less difficult. Results were significantly better for Quality (IE) (sig = 0.010) and Difficulty (GE) (sig = 0.021).

CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of the study, the experimental group achieved significantly better results in individual color matching after education and training than the control group, while both groups made progress in team color matching. Both groups rated shade matching more accurate and easier after education.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Improving the quality of shade matching is expected to enhance the esthetics of dental restorations, increase patient satisfaction, and reduce color corrections.

PMID:37086204 | DOI:10.1111/jerd.13056

Stat Med. 2023 Apr 22. doi: 10.1002/sim.9718. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Longitudinal observational data on patients can be used to investigate causal effects of time-varying treatments on time-to-event outcomes. Several methods have been developed for estimating such effects by controlling for the time-dependent confounding that typically occurs. The most commonly used is marginal structural models (MSM) estimated using inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) (MSM-IPTW). An alternative, the sequential trials approach, is increasingly popular, and involves creating a sequence of “trials” from new time origins and comparing treatment initiators and non-initiators. Individuals are censored when they deviate from their treatment assignment at the start of each “trial” (initiator or noninitiator), which is accounted for using inverse probability of censoring weights. The analysis uses data combined across trials. We show that the sequential trials approach can estimate the parameters of a particular MSM. The causal estimand that we focus on is the marginal risk difference between the sustained treatment strategies of “always treat” vs “never treat.” We compare how the sequential trials approach and MSM-IPTW estimate this estimand, and discuss their assumptions and how data are used differently. The performance of the two approaches is compared in a simulation study. The sequential trials approach, which tends to involve less extreme weights than MSM-IPTW, results in greater efficiency for estimating the marginal risk difference at most follow-up times, but this can, in certain scenarios, be reversed at later time points and relies on modelling assumptions. We apply the methods to longitudinal observational data from the UK Cystic Fibrosis Registry to estimate the effect of dornase alfa on survival.

PMID:37086186 | DOI:10.1002/sim.9718

Artif Organs. 2023 Apr 22. doi: 10.1111/aor.14549. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) represent an important therapeutic option for patients progressing to end-stage heart failure. LVAD has previously been shown to have a promising role in improving mitral regurgitation (MR). Nevertheless, the prognostic value of preoperative uncorrected MR in this population remains unclear.

METHODS: A systematic database search with meta-analysis was conducted of comparative original articles of patients with preoperative mild MR (Grade 0-I) versus moderate-severe MR (Grade II-III) undergoing LVAD implantation, in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane database, and Google Scholar, from inception to June 2022. Primary outcomes were overall and operative mortality. Secondary outcomes were neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal bleeding, right heart failure, LVAD thrombosis, and driveline infection.

RESULTS: Our search yielded 2228 relevant studies. A total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 11 873 patients. LVAD caused a statistically significant decrease of 35.9% in the number of patients with moderate-severe MR (grade II-III) postoperatively. No significant difference was observed in terms of overall mortality, operative mortality, GI bleeding, LVAD thrombosis, and driveline infection rates between mild and moderate-severe MR. An increased rate of right heart failure was seen among patients with moderate-severe MR, while lower rates of neurological events were also observed.

CONCLUSION: LVAD improves the haemodynamics of the left ventricle, to promote resolution of MR. Nevertheless, the severity of preoperative mitral regurgitation in patients undergoing LVAD deployment does not seem to affect mortality.

PMID:37086154 | DOI:10.1111/aor.14549

Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2023 Apr 22. doi: 10.1080/14737159.2023.2206519. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Many scientific societies have emphasized the importance of evaluating the clinical utility of reproductive carrier screening (RCS). This systematic review aims to assess the clinical utility of RCS and synthesize the outcomes in a meta-analysis.

AREAS COVERED: A total of eleven studies were included. The number of conditions screened in the studies varied from three to 176 and led to the identification of one to 24 high-risk couples (HRCs) per 1,000 screened individuals. Pooled estimations were as follows: the prenatal diagnosis (PND) rate among pregnant HRCs 0.644 (95% CI=0.364, 0.923), the termination rate among affected pregnancies 0.714 (95% CI=0.524, 0.904), and the rate of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) 0.631 (95% CI=0.538, 0.725). There is a statistically significant decrease in the rates of undertaking PND and termination as the number of screened conditions increases. Carriers of conditions classified as having a more severe impact were found to be more likely to choose termination or IVF with PGT.

EXPERT OPINION: Our review suggests that the number and the severity of screened conditions can significantly impact HRCs’ reproductive decisions. Future work needs to investigate the definition of clinical utility and the design of screening panels.

PMID:37086152 | DOI:10.1080/14737159.2023.2206519

Scand J Public Health. 2023 Apr 22:14034948231168434. doi: 10.1177/14034948231168434. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: This study aimed to compare the sickness absence (SA; over 10 days) rates of migrant and non-migrant care workers in Finland.

METHODS: Two cohorts were randomly sampled from nationwide registers and analysed together in a three-year follow-up design (2011-2013, 2014-2016). The pooled data consisted of 78,476 care workers, of whom 5% had a migrant background. Statistical methods included cross-tabulations and Poisson regression modelling.

RESULTS: Thirty-five percent of the Finnish-born care workers had at least one SA during the follow-up. Care workers from the post-2004 EU countries (30%, at least one SA), Russia, the Former Soviet Union and the Balkan states (25%) and the Global South and East (21%) had fewer episodes of SA than the Finnish-born care workers. The two latter groups also had lower SA rates after we controlled for occupation, gender, age, income and region of residence. Care workers from Western Europe and the Global North (36%) had higher SA rates than the Finnish-born care workers.

CONCLUSIONS: The following explanations were discussed: population-level health differences – migrants from lower-income non-EU countries are generally healthier than the Finnish-born population (due to, e.g., the ‘healthy migrant effect’); discrimination in recruitment and employment – migrants from lower-income non-EU countries need to be healthier than Finnish-born jobseekers to gain employment (in the care sector or more broadly); and sickness presenteeism – migrants from lower-income non-EU countries underuse their right to sickness allowance (due to, e.g., job insecurity). It is likely that these mechanisms affect migrants differently depending on, for example, their countries of origin and social status in Finland.

PMID:37086115 | DOI:10.1177/14034948231168434

Eur Heart J. 2023 Apr 22:ehad235. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad235. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce the risk of major heart failure events, an action that is statistically linked to enhanced erythropoiesis, suggesting that stimulation of erythropoietin and cardioprotection are related to a shared mechanism. Four hypotheses have been proposed to explain how these drugs increase erythropoietin production: (i) renal cortical reoxygenation with rejuvenation of erythropoietin-producing cells; (ii) counterregulatory distal sodium reabsorption leading to increased tubular workload and oxygen consumption, and thus, to localized hypoxia; (iii) increased iron mobilization as a stimulus of hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α)-mediated erythropoietin synthesis; and (iv) direct HIF-2α activation and enhanced erythropoietin gene transcription due to increased sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) signaling. The first two hypotheses assume that the source of increased erythropoietin is the interstitial fibroblast-like cells in the deep renal cortex. However, SGLT2 inhibitors do not alter regional tissue oxygen tension in the non-diabetic kidney, and renal erythropoietin synthesis is markedly impaired in patients with anemia due to chronic kidney disease, and yet, SGLT2 inhibitors produce an unattenuated erythrocytic response in these patients. This observation raises the possibility that the liver contributes to the production of erythropoietin during SGLT2 inhibition. Hypoxia-inducible factor-2α and erythropoietin are coexpressed not only in the kidney but also in hepatocytes; the liver is a major site of production when erythropoietin stimulation is maintained for prolonged periods. The ability of SGLT2 inhibitors to improve iron mobilization by derepressing hepcidin and ferritin would be expected to increase cytosolic ferrous iron, which might stimulate HIF-2α expression in both the kidney and liver through the action of iron regulatory protein 1. Alternatively, the established ability of SGLT2 inhibitors to enhance SIRT1 might be the mechanism of enhanced erythropoietin production with these drugs. In hepatic cell lines, SIRT1 can directly activate HIF-2α by deacetylation, and additionally, through an effect of SIRT in the liver, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α binds to hepatic nuclear factor 4 to promote transcription of the erythropoietin gene and synthesis of erythropoietin. Since SIRT1 up-regulation exerts direct cytoprotective effects on the heart and stimulates erythropoietin, it is well-positioned to represent the shared mechanism that links erythropoiesis to cardioprotection during SGLT2 inhibition.

PMID:37086098 | DOI:10.1093/eurheartj/ehad235

Br J Radiol. 2023 Apr 22:20221110. doi: 10.1259/bjr.20221110. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Although prostate calcification is often identified on pelvic CT images, calcification itself is usually not considered clinically significant. A recent histological study proposed an association between prostate calcification and prostate cancer occurrence. Our aim was to determine the predictive value of prostate calcifications for future prostate cancer occurrence.

METHODS: We retrospectively analysed male patients (≥50 years old) without prior prostate cancer history, who underwent unenhanced pelvic CT between April 2010 and March 2011, and followed-up until December 2021. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess prostate cancer risk with prostate calcification (defined as a high-density area larger than 3 mm with CT attenuation values ≥ 130 HU), controlling for age, body mass index (BMI), hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

RESULTS: A total of 636 male patients (mean age, 68 years ± 9 [standard deviation]) were evaluated. At the end of follow-up, prostate cancer had been more frequently diagnosed in patients with prostate calcification than those without prostate calcification (6.5% vs 2.6%). Multivariate analysis revealed that prostate calcification on CT was a significant predictor of future prostate cancer occurrence (hazard ratio [HR], 2.7; 95% CI: 1.20, 5.91; p = 0.016). No statistical differences were observed in any other factors.

CONCLUSION: Prostate calcification may be a significant predictor of future prostate cancer occurrence, and may be used for risk stratification and to guide screening protocols.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Presence of prostate calcification on unenhanced CT scan was associated with increased incidence of prostate cancer occurrence on long term follow-up.

PMID:37086073 | DOI:10.1259/bjr.20221110