Nevin Manimala

Bioessays. 2022 Mar 13:e2100170. doi: 10.1002/bies.202100170. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Complex-trait genetics has advanced dramatically through methods to estimate the heritability tagged by SNPs, both genome-wide and in genomic regions of interest such as those defined by functional annotations. The models underlying many of these analyses are inadequate, and consequently many SNP-heritability results published to date are inaccurate. Here, we review the modelling issues, both for analyses based on individual genotype data and association test statistics, highlighting the role of a low-dimensional model for the heritability of each SNP. We use state-of-art models to present updated results about how heritability is distributed with respect to functional annotations in the human genome, and how it varies with allele frequency, which can reflect purifying selection. Our results give finer detail to the picture that has emerged in recent years of complex trait heritability widely dispersed across the genome. Confounding due to population structure remains a problem that summary statistic analyses cannot reliably overcome.

PMID:35279859 | DOI:10.1002/bies.202100170

Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2022 Mar 13. doi: 10.1111/ppc.13064. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The present study was conducted in a cross-sectional and descriptive design to examine the relations between alexithymia levels and social media addictions of nursing students.

METHOD: The study population consisted of nursing department students, and the sampling consisted of 202 students who had social media accounts and who volunteered to participate in the study. The study data were collected online between November 01, 2020 and November 08, 2020 with the questionnaire, Social Media Addiction Scale-Adult Form, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. The data were evaluated with the Student’s t, one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and correlation analysis.

RESULTS: It was found that 75.2% of the students were female, 57.9% were in the 18-20 age group, 60.3% of them spent 2-3 h a day on social media; social media addiction mean score was 64.81 ± 5.80 alexithymia mean score was 71.27 ± 8.62, and 46.03% were completely alexithymic. It was also found that there was a statistically positive and significant relation between the social media addiction and alexithymia scores of the students (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: It was determined that the mean alexithymia and social media addiction scores of the students were high, and they affected each other. In this respect, it is recommended that students be given training on limiting the use of social media.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Social media addiction average score was found to be high in nursing department students. The alexithymia score averages of the nursing department students were found to be high. It was determined that the COVID pandemic nursing department students increased the time they use social media.

PMID:35279855 | DOI:10.1111/ppc.13064

Eur J Dent. 2022 Mar 13. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1741376. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to analyze the occurrence of stress on teeth with abfraction lesions restored with six different restorative materials, and by introducing the tensile strength parameters to calculate the safety factor of the material under the load (ratio between the strength of the material and the maximum stress).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three-dimensional models of the mandibular premolar are created from a microcomputed tomography images. An abfraction lesion is modeled on the tooth. The stress of the dental tissues and six restorative materials under functional and nonfunctional occlusal loading of 200 (N) are analyzed by finite element method.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: CTAn program 1.10 and ANSYS Workbench (version 14.0) were used for analysis. Results are presented in von Mises stress.

RESULTS: Oblique loads caused ≈ four times higher stress in restorative materials than the axial ones. It is noticeable that high values of von Mises stress are measured at the bottom of the sharp lesion, even up to 240 MPa, that are significantly reduced after the restoration. The highest stresses at the restorative material are present at the lower (gingival) margin of the restoration. The highest stresses under both types of loads are measured in nanohybrid composite (Tetric EvoCeram, Ivoclar Vivadent). The lowest values of the stress are measured in the flowable composite (Tetric Flow, Ivoclar Vivadent), but at the same time, the highest value of the stress is measured in the surrounding dental tissues on the tooth restored with the flowable composite. The microhybrid composite (Herculite XR, Kerr), with the highest safety factor, is the material that best withstands the stresses it is exposed to. The obtained safety factor did not exceed the critical limit, except for the glass ionomer cement, with the safety factor lower than 1.

CONCLUSION: The type of tooth loading has the greatest influence on the intensity of stress. The value of the obtained stresses in the restorative material and dental tissues differ due to the different mechanical properties of the materials. Restoration of noncarious lesions significantly reduces extremely high stress values at their bottom.

PMID:35279820 | DOI:10.1055/s-0041-1741376

Eur J Dent. 2022 Mar 13. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1743148. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most widely used materials in three-dimensional (3D) printing technology due to its multiple advantages such as biocompatibility and biodegradable. However, there is still a lack of study on 3D printing PLA for use as a denture base material. The goal of this study was to compare 3D printing PLA to traditional poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a denture basis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PMMA (M) and PLA (L) specimens were fabricated by compression molding, and fuse deposition modeling technique, respectively. Each specimen group was divided into three different temperature groups of 25°C (25), 37°C (37), and 55°C (55). The glass transition temperature (T_g) of raw materials and specimen was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The heat deflection temperature (HDT) of each material was also observed.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data of flexural strength and flexural modulus were analyzed with two-way analysis of variance, and Tukey honestly significant difference. The T_g and HDT data, on the other hand, were descriptively analyzed.

RESULTS: The results showed that PLA had lower flexural strength than PMMA in all temperature conditions, while the PMMA 25°C (M25) and PMMA 37°C (M37) obtained the highest mean values. PLA 25°C (L25) and PLA 37°C (L37) had significant higher flexural modulus than the other groups. However, the flexural properties of L55 could not be observed, which may be explained by T_g and HDT of PLA.

CONCLUSION: PLA only meets the flexural modulus requirement, although it was greater than flexural modulus of PMMA. On the other hand, PMMA can meet both good flexural strength and modulus requirement. However, increase in temperature could reduce flexural strength and flexural modulus of PMMA and PLA.

PMID:35279819 | DOI:10.1055/s-0042-1743148

Eur J Dent. 2022 Mar 13. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1743150. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the technical quality of root canal fillings and the presence of iatrogenic errors in the cases treated by undergraduate dental students using radiographic images.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 480 root-filled teeth, which were evaluated using intraoral periapical radiographic images. The technical quality of obturation was assessed by observing the length, density, and taperness of the root filling. Ledges, apical transportation, fractured instruments, zipping, and root perforation were recorded as iatrogenic errors. Teeth were classified as acceptable if the technical parameters were adequate and there were no iatrogenic errors.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were statistically analyzed using Pearson’s chi-squared test.

RESULTS: The quality of root filling was acceptable in 183 of the 480 teeth. The rate of acceptable quality was higher for the teeth treated by 4th-year students (41.9%) than for those treated by 5th-year students (27.4%; p = 0.004). Length and taperness were adequate in more of the patients treated by the 4th-year students (p<0.05). There was a significant difference in the incidence of ledge formation and apical transportation in relation to the student’s level (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The technical quality of root fillings performed without iatrogenic errors by undergraduate dental students was declared acceptable in 38.1% of the assessed teeth. There was a noticeable difference in the quality of root canal treatment between the 4th- and 5th-year students.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings demonstrate that periodic assessment of the technical quality of root filling performed by undergraduate dental students provides feedback on curriculum standards.

PMID:35279818 | DOI:10.1055/s-0042-1743150

Eur J Dent. 2022 Mar 13. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1741377. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Esthetics have become a primary influencing factor for patient satisfaction, thus dental restorations shade selection is critical, as it should closely resemble a healthy tooth. During various dental procedures, teeth are subjected to dehydration. The commonly used shade guides are being replaced with electronic color measurement devices for more precise measurements. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dehydration time on tooth color measurement using a spectrophotometer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study sample is represented by 20 extracted caries-free maxillary central incisors, which were obtained from several private clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and soaked in normal saline for 24 hours. The VITA Easyshade Advance 4.0 spectrophotometer was used to measure the color at different areas of the tooth (cervical, middle, and incisal thirds) at three time intervals (baseline, after 1 hour of dehydration, and after 2 hours of dehydration).

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: All color coordinates across the different areas of each tooth at the incisal, middle, and cervical thirds descriptive statistics of mean (standard deviation) values were calculated and were compared at the different time intervals at baseline, after 1 hour of dehydration, and after 2 hours of dehydration. Finally, the color change value ∆E was calculated using the formula ∆E*_ab = √ (L₂∗ – L₁∗)² + (a₂∗ – a₁∗)² + (b₂∗ – b₁∗)².

RESULTS: The color difference ∆E showed statistically significant changes at different time intervals: at baseline, after 1 hour of dehydration, and after 2 hours of dehydration (p < 0.001). Hue had statistically significant changes between 1 hour and 2 hours of dehydration (p = 0.002). Chroma value also showed statistically significant changes (p < 0.001) in all time intervals.

CONCLUSION: By using VITA Easyshade Advance 4.0 spectrophotometer, it was indicated that the tooth color measurements were significantly affected by dehydration time, and tooth shade appeared lighter due to changes in the refractive indices as air replaces the interprism spaces within the enamel. Tooth color measurements for shade selection should be taken as soon as possible to limit dehydration effect and ensure a more accurate shade selection for an enhanced esthetic result.

PMID:35279817 | DOI:10.1055/s-0041-1741377

Adv Ther. 2022 Mar 12. doi: 10.1007/s12325-022-02099-0. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Given the relatively short life expectancy of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), quality of life (QOL) plays a significant role in treatment selection. This analysis aimed to compare time to deterioration (TTD) in QOL with transarterial radioembolization (TARE) and atezolizumab-bevacizumab, as well as sorafenib, in advanced and unresectable HCC.

METHODS: Patient-level data from SARAH (TARE using SIR-Spheres^® Y-90 resin microspheres [SIR-Spheres] versus sorafenib) and aggregate data from IMbrave150 (atezolizumab-bevacizumab versus sorafenib) randomized controlled trials were used to conduct an anchored matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC). Patients with a Child-Pugh score B in SARAH were excluded to align with exclusion criteria in IMbrave150. To identify potential effect modifiers for adjustment, the literature was searched and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were implemented using SARAH data. Patients from SARAH were then weighted to balance with baseline characteristics from IMbrave150. Median TTD in QOL and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated.

RESULTS: Four potential effect modifiers were identified and used for adjustment: cause of disease (viral/non-viral), macrovascular invasion, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score, and alpha-fetoprotein level. The MAIC included 217 patients from SARAH (TARE = 94; sorafenib = 123). Median TTD in QOL was 11.23 and 8.64 months for atezolizumab-bevacizumab and TARE, respectively (HR = 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75-1.50; p = 0.725). A sensitivity analysis was conducted adjusting for cause of disease defined as hepatitis B/hepatitis C/non-viral: median TTD in QOL was higher for TARE compared with atezolizumab-bevacizumab (19.88 vs 11.23 months; HR = 0.66; 95% CI 0.36-1.19; p = 0.163). Sorafenib resulted in the shortest TTD in QOL, with statistically significant differences in both base case and sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSION: TARE using SIR-Spheres may achieve similar TTD in QOL compared with atezolizumab-bevacizumab, as the analyses found no statistically significant differences between these two interventions. Both TARE using SIR-Spheres and atezolizumab-bevacizumab seem to be more efficacious than sorafenib in maintaining QOL.

PMID:35279814 | DOI:10.1007/s12325-022-02099-0

Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2022 Mar 13. doi: 10.1007/s13555-022-00704-2. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The lifetime incidence of nail psoriasis in patients with psoriasis is 80-90%, with 23-27% of patients having nail psoriasis at any given time. Nail psoriasis is even more prevalent in patients with comorbid psoriatic arthritis. Complete psoriasis clearance, an achievable therapeutic goal, should ideally include the resolution of nail psoriasis. Here, we assessed simultaneous skin and nail clearance in patients with psoriasis across five head-to-head trials comparing ixekizumab with other biologics.

METHODS: Data were assessed in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis (with or without psoriatic arthritis) with nail psoriasis at baseline from the IXORA-R, IXORA-S, UNCOVER-2, UNCOVER-3, and SPIRIT-H2H trials. Ixekizumab patients received IXEQ2W to week 12 and IXEQ4W beyond week 12. PASI 100 depicted complete skin clearance, and PGA-F 0 (IXORA-R) or NAPSI 0 (all other trials) depicted complete nail clearance. Treatment comparisons were evaluated using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test. Non-responder imputation was used for missing data.

RESULTS: Ixekizumab achieved significantly greater simultaneous skin and nail complete clearance than etanercept (UNCOVER-2: p < 0.001 and UNCOVER-3: p < 0.001) at week 12, demonstrating an efficacious and rapid response. Across all five head-to-head trials, ixekizumab achieved a high rate of simultaneous skin and nail clearance (range: 28.6-45.9% of patients) by week 24 that was maintained up to week 52 (range: 40.5-51.4% of patients). Ixekizumab achieved numerically greater simultaneous complete clearance than guselkumab at week 24 (p = 0.079), but statistically significant greater simultaneous clearance compared to ustekinumab (p < 0.001) and adalimumab (p = 0.006) at week 24 and week 52 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively).

CONCLUSION: In five head-to-head trials, ixekizumab-treated patients had higher rates of simultaneous complete skin and nail clearance compared to etanercept, guselkumab, ustekinumab, and adalimumab, thereby reinforcing ixekizumab’s ability to achieve high levels of efficacy in multiple domains of psoriatic disease.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01474512, NCT01597245, NCT01646177, NCT03573323, NCT02561806, and NCT03151551.

PMID:35279805 | DOI:10.1007/s13555-022-00704-2

Mol Biotechnol. 2022 Mar 12. doi: 10.1007/s12033-022-00477-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The present study was defined to evaluate the effect of a combinational approach of applying phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and alkaline phosphatase for plant growth promotion as a novel strategy. An extracellular phosphatase producing novel Pseudomonas asiatica strain ZKB1 was isolated from ant hill soil. Alkaline phosphatase production was statistically optimized by Plackett-Burman and central composite designs with a yield of 42.45 U/ml and 5.88-fold enhancement. Alkaline phosphatase was purified by column chromatography (DEAE-Cellulose and Sephadex G-100) with 17.55-fold purification and specific activity of 87.77 U/mg. The molecular mass of purified phosphatase was ~ 45 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature were 9.0 and 50 °C, respectively, revealing alkali-thermostability. Phosphatase exhibited the highest specificity toward p-nitrophenyl phosphate disodium salt. Kinetic analysis revealed K_m (0.434 mM) and V_max (264.44 U/mg). Alkaline phosphatase and Pseudomonas asiatica strain ZKB1 as phosphate-solubilizing bacteria were assessed for their ability to induce plant growth in pot experiments with Phaseolus mungo seeds. Seeds soaked in bacterial culture broth and irrigated with increased phosphatase concentration demonstrated better growth with plumule and radical length of 14.8 ± 0.2 cm and 3.5 ± 0.4 cm, respectively. Results were consistent with the combinational approach in terms of enhanced growth. The study suggests the application of alkaline phosphatases in agricultural management, crop improvements, and soil fertility enhancement.

PMID:35279799 | DOI:10.1007/s12033-022-00477-1

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022 Mar 13. doi: 10.1007/s00787-021-01932-1. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The stability and effectiveness of the Treatment Program for Children with Aggressive Behavior (THAV) in terms of reducing behavioral problems in children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) were examined at a 10-month follow-up (FU). A total of 76 families and their children (boys aged 6-12 years), who previously participated in a randomized controlled trial comparing THAV with an active control group, took part in the 10-month FU assessment. Outcome measures were rated by parents and included the evaluation of child aggressive behavior, prosocial behavior, problem-maintaining and problem-moderating factors, and comorbid symptoms. Linear mixed models for repeated measures (MMRM) were conducted. The results revealed that THAV effects remained stable (problem-maintaining and problem-moderating factors; comorbid symptoms) and even partially improved (aggressive behavior; ADHD symptoms) over the FU period. Additionally, the differences between the THAV intervention group and the control group, which were apparent at the end of the treatment (post), mainly also remained at the FU assessment. It can be concluded that THAV is an effective and stable intervention for boys aged 6-12 years with ODD/CD.

PMID:35279770 | DOI:10.1007/s00787-021-01932-1