Nevin Manimala

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2021 Jun 26;122:104654. doi: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104654. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the fracture resistance of cervical lesion centered access cavity restored with short glass fibre reinforced resin materials in human mandibular premolars.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty freshly extracted human mandibular premolars were collected and assigned to positive control group (G1- Intact teeth) and other experimental groups (G2, G3. G4, G5, G6), Traditional Access Cavity(TAC) and Cervical Lesion Centered Access Cavity(CLCAC). Following endodontic therapy, samples were grouped accordingly, G2-CLCAC without restoration (Negative Control), G3-CLCAC restored with conventional nano-hybrid composite (Tetric-N-Ceram), G4-TAC restored with short glass fibre reinforced resin composite (Ever-X Posterior), G5-CLCAC restored with short glass fibre reinforced resin composite (Ever-X Posterior), G6- CLCAC restored with individually formed unidirectional fibre-reinforced post (Everstick post) and short glass fibre-reinforced resin composite (Ever-X Posterior). The samples were thermocycled (35 °C/28s, 15 °C/2s, 35 °C/28s, 45 °C/2s/10,000 cycles) and cyclically fatigued(2,50,000 cycles/15-30N/2 Hz) and then subsequently loaded to failure. The mean load to fracture (Newtons) were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post HOC test and failure mode analysis was also done.

RESULTS: The mean fracture resistance of the CLCAC design restored with fibre reinforced materials was higher when compared to the TAC design but the difference was not statistically significant. The negative control group (CLCAC without restoration) showed significantly the least fracture resistance (P < 0.05) when compared to all the other groups except for group 3 (CLCAC restored with conventional composites).

CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of the study, it can be concluded that short glass fibre reinforced resin composites improved the fracture resistance of endodontically treated mandibular premolars irrespective of the type of access cavity designs. Favourable fractures were seen more in cervical lesion centered access cavity restored with short glass fibre reinforced composite materials. Nevertheless, the applicability of this design in multirooted teeth, canal cleanliness efficacy, and long term clinical performance are yet to be explored to complement this new access design.

PMID:34325237 | DOI:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104654

Comput Biol Med. 2021 Jul 22;136:104679. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104679. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The appearance of high-density root obturating materials, such as gutta-percha and intracanal posts, on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans is substantially different from that seen in the specimen. This study evaluated the effectiveness of different CBCT software in the reduction of blooming artifacts when examining teeth with intracanal posts.

METHOD: The sample included 42 human single-rooted teeth with two types of posts: G1 – low-fusion alloy posts; G2 – gold alloy posts. CBCT scans were obtained using two scanners, PreXion 3D Elite® and Carestream 9000C 3D®. First, the posts were measured using a digital micrometer (standard reference, control). Post diameters were determined using the Blooming Artifact Reduction (BAR) tool of the e-Vol DX software and of the PreXion3D Image Analysis System. Statistical data were evaluated using the van Der Waerden nonparametric analysis of variance and, after that, normalized data were analyzed using the Tukey test. The level of significance was set at α = 5 %.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the diameters of intracanal posts on the CT scans when the e-Vol DX was used, or when these results were compared with those obtained using a micrometer. There were significant differences in post diameters determined using the PreXion3D Image Analysis System when compared with the e-Vol DX and the micrometer values (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The use of the e-Vol DX BAR filter eliminated blooming artifacts. There were no dimensional changes in the CBCT images of the low-fusion and gold alloy intracanal posts using the e-Vol DX BAR filter.

PMID:34325229 | DOI:10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104679

J Environ Radioact. 2021 Jul 26;237:106704. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106704. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The source term of ¹³⁷Cs from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident was estimated from the results of local-scale atmospheric dispersion simulations and measurements. To confirm the source term’s validity for reproducing the large-scale atmospheric dispersion of ¹³⁷Cs, this study conducted hemispheric-scale atmospheric and oceanic dispersion simulations. In the dispersion simulations, the atmospheric-dispersion database system Worldwide version of System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (WSPEEDI)-DB and oceanic dispersion model SEA-GEARN-FDM that were developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency were used. Compared with the air concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs measured by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, overall, the WSPEEDI-DB simulations well reproduced the measurements, whereas the simulation results partly overestimated some measurements. Furthermore, the validity of the deposition of ¹³⁷Cs by WSPEEDI-DB was investigated using SEA-GEARN-FDM and concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in seawater sampled from the North Pacific. Seawater concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs by the oceanic dispersion simulation, in which the deposition flux of ¹³⁷Cs by WSPEEDI-DB was used as input from the atmosphere to oceans, were statistically consistent to the measurement. However, the simulated seawater concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs were underestimated regionally in the North Pacific. Both the overestimation of air concentrations and underestimation of seawater concentrations could be attributed to the less amounts of ¹³⁷Cs deposition by less precipitation over the North Pacific. The overestimation and underestimation could be improved without contradiction between the air and seawater concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs using more realistic precipitation in atmospheric dispersion simulations. This shows that the source term validated in this study could reproduce the spatiotemporal distribution of ¹³⁷Cs from the FDNPS accident in both local and large-scale atmospheric dispersion simulations.

PMID:34325219 | DOI:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106704

Sex Med. 2021 Jul 26;9(5):100409. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100409. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Male sexual dysfunction is a common problem, and there are many self-report questionnaires for measuring sexual function among men; however, the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BSFI) is a tool that has 5 subscales, which is more complete than others. a validated self-report questionnaire, in the local language with modest expressions is required for men.

AIM: To determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the BSFI among men.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 males. The sampling process was performed in several stages from health centers. After the accomplishment of the standard process of back-translating the questionnaire from English to Persian, its face, content, and construct validity were evaluated. The collected data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficient. To determine the reliability of the instrument, the test-retest method was used with 2 weeks interval and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient method was applied to check the internal homogeneity.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reliability (internal consistency and test-retest) and validity were assessed RESULTS: According to the research findings, confirmatory factor analysis had an acceptable fit. By modifying the measurement model and fitting the final model, the fitting indices were obtained as the following: Chi-square statistic = 21.63, NPAR = 36, P = .001 > 0.05; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.956; comparative fit indices = 0.976; Normed Fit Index = 0.952; and root mean square error of approximation = 0.068. These values indicated that the obtained model had a good fit for the data. Moreover, Cronbach’s alpha and intra-cluster correlation coefficients of the whole questionnaire were calculated at 0.893 and 0.893, respectively (confidence interval between 0.811-0.950), showing the internal consistency of the items in the whole questionnaire and domain.

CONCLUSION: The BSFI questionnaire showed a 5-factor structure similar to the original structure and the 11-item Persian version of the questionnaire of male sexual function can be considered a valid and reliable tool to assess the level of male sexual function. Rezaei N, Sharifi N, Fathnezhad-Kazemi A, et al. Evaluation of Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory: A Cross-Sectional Study. Sex Med 2021;XX:XXXXXX.

PMID:34325191 | DOI:10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100409

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2021 Jul 22;263:120214. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120214. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), meaning functional or structural brain damage which appear as a result of the application of the external physical force, constitutes the main cause of death and disability of individuals and a great socioeconomic problem. To search for the new therapeutic strategies for TBI, better knowledge about posttraumatic pathological changes occurring in the brain is necessary. Therefore in the present paper the Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy and Raman microscopy were used to examine local and remote biochemical changes occurring in the rat brain as a result of focal cortex injury. The site of the injury and the dorsal part of the hippocampal formation together with the above situated cortex and white matter were the subject of the study. The topographic and quantitative biochemical analysis followed with the statistical study using principal component analysis showed significant biomolecular anomalies within the lesion site but not in the area of the dorsal hippocampal formation and in the above situated white matter and cortex. The observed intralesional anomalies included significantly decreased accumulation of lipids and their structural changes within the place of injury. Also the levels of compounds containing phosphate and carbonyl groups were lower within the lesion site comparing to the surrounding cortex. The opposite relation was, in turn, found for the bands characteristic to proteins and cholesterol/cholesterol esters.

PMID:34325168 | DOI:10.1016/j.saa.2021.120214

Epilepsy Behav. 2021 Jul 26;122:108202. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108202. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In patients with epilepsy, regular follow-up is vital for adequate seizure control, antiseizure drugs’ (ASDs) side effects, psychiatric comorbidities, and planning for epilepsy surgery. Non-attendance creates barriers to adequate patient care, inefficient allocation of resources, loss of income, and unnecessary emergency department visits due to lack of seizure control. This study aimed to determine the causes and sociodemographic characteristics of the non-attendant population at the Epilepsy Clinic.

METHODS: A prospective and observational study was carried out on patients treated at the Epilepsy Clinic of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery (NINN) in Mexico from August 2015 to June 2016. A phone interview was made with all those patients who did not attend the epilepsy consultation. This call incorporated ad hoc questions to meet the objectives of this study.

RESULTS: During the study period, 1299 patients had an appointment at the epilepsy clinic, where 233 (17.9%) patients missed their consultation, 123 (52.8%) were male, mean age was 35.9 ± 14.42 years. The most frequent cause of non-attendance was forgetfulness of the appointment in 62 patients (26.6%). Two patients died; no patient was reported to have experienced SUDEP. Non-attendant patients showed statistically significant overall prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities (41.6%), particularly depression, anxiety, and interictal psychosis.

CONCLUSION: Information on non-attendance at various specialist consultations is scarce, and to our knowledge, this is the first study to address non-attendance in patients with epilepsy in Latin America. Improving hospital protocols to reduce non-attendance can increase patient adherence to follow-up, ultimately improving the quality of care in the epilepsy clinic.

PMID:34325158 | DOI:10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108202

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2021 Jul 29;23(4):20m02876. doi: 10.4088/PCC.20m02876.

ABSTRACT

Background: Many midlife adults (aged 45-64 years) struggle to become physically active in the context of diminished psychological well-being and multiple concurrent stressors, despite the clear association of low physical activity with the development of chronic medical conditions.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility (rates of session completion) and acceptability (participant 0-10 ratings of weekly session ease and utility) of a novel 12-week, phone-delivered, midlife-adapted positive psychology-motivational interviewing (PP-MI) intervention to promote physical activity. Secondary aims were pre-post changes in accelerometer-measured physical activity and self-reported psychological and functional measures.

Methods: A single-arm proof-of-concept trial of the PP-MI intervention was conducted among 11 inactive midlife adults enrolled from the primary care practices of an urban academic medical center. Descriptive statistics were used to assess feasibility and acceptability outcomes, and mixed effects models were used to examine pre-post changes in psychological, functional, and physical activity outcomes from baseline to 12 weeks.

Results: The intervention exceeded a priori thresholds for feasibility and acceptability, with 80.3% session completion across all participants and mean session ratings of 8.3/10 (SD = 2.1). Participants also had medium effect size magnitude improvements in physical activity and psychological outcomes.

Conclusions: This remotely delivered, midlife-specific PP-MI intervention was feasible and well-accepted among inactive midlife adults, supporting next-step testing of this program in a randomized trial.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04745182.

PMID:34324798 | DOI:10.4088/PCC.20m02876

HIV Med. 2021 Jul 29. doi: 10.1111/hiv.13145. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: We compared the characteristics and clinical outcomes of hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 with [people with HIV (PWH)] and without (non-PWH) HIV co-infection in Spain during the first wave of the pandemic.

METHODS: This was a retrospective matched cohort study. People with HIV were identified by reviewing clinical records and laboratory registries of 10 922 patients in active-follow-up within the Spanish HIV Research Network (CoRIS) up to 30 June 2020. Each hospitalized PWH was matched with five non-PWH of the same age and sex randomly selected from COVID-19@Spain, a multicentre cohort of 4035 patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19. The main outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS: Forty-five PWH with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 were identified in CoRIS, 21 of whom were hospitalized. A total of 105 age/sex-matched controls were selected from the COVID-19@Spain cohort. The median age in both groups was 53 (Q1-Q3, 46-56) years, and 90.5% were men. In PWH, 19.1% were injecting drug users, 95.2% were on antiretroviral therapy, 94.4% had HIV-RNA < 50 copies/mL, and the median (Q1-Q3) CD4 count was 595 (349-798) cells/μL. No statistically significant differences were found between PWH and non-PWH in number of comorbidities, presenting signs and symptoms, laboratory parameters, radiology findings and severity scores on admission. Corticosteroids were administered to 33.3% and 27.4% of PWH and non-PWH, respectively (P = 0.580). Deaths during admission were documented in two (9.5%) PWH and 12 (11.4%) non-PWH (P = 0.800).

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that well-controlled HIV infection does not modify the clinical presentation or worsen clinical outcomes of COVID-19 hospitalization.

PMID:34324783 | DOI:10.1111/hiv.13145

J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio). 2021 Jul 29. doi: 10.1111/vec.13093. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Species-related differences in the prevalence, manifestation, and outcome of neonatal illness may impact management practices of neonatal intensive care. The study aimed to elucidate similarities between disease manifestations and mortality risks of critically ill (CI) neonatal crias and foals admitted to the same referral center.

DESIGN: A comparative, retrospective cohort evaluation of two species (camelid and equine).

SETTING: The study was conducted in a University hospital.

ANIMALS: Two hundred and forty-six CI neonatal crias (January 1999 to May 2016) and 356 neonatal foals (February 2001 to May 2016) under 4-week-old were admitted to a university hospital.

INTERVENTION: All data are presented descriptively and compared between groups using univariate and multivariate analyses.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Female crias (142/246, 57.7%) were significantly overrepresented in comparison to fillies (132/352, 37.5%). Congenital defects and transfer failure of passive immunity were more often observed in neonatal crias, while colic, diarrhea, patent urachus, septic arthritis, and omphalitis were significantly more common in CI foals. Overall survival to discharge (excluding fatal congenital defects) was comparable between crias (174/224; 77.8%) and foals (287/347, 82.1%), while crias (26/48; 54.2%) were more likely than foals (21/60; 35%) to die naturally than undergo euthanasia. Lower respiratory disease and indications for oxygen or IV glucose support increased mortality in the multivariate outcome models of both species. Species-specific adaptations of pediatric diagnostic criteria for sepsis were significantly associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis of patients with complete hematological datasets. However, the diagnosis of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) did not retain statistical significance as an independent outcome predictor.

CONCLUSIONS: Lower respiratory disease and oxygen or glucose dysregulation increased mortality irrespective of species. However, despite species-specific differences in disease prevalence, the success of intensive care management was comparable.

PMID:34324773 | DOI:10.1111/vec.13093

Int J Clin Pract. 2021 Jul 29:e14665. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14665. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Methylphenidate hydrochloride is used as a first-line treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, there is concern that this treatment may be associated with increased risk of refractive disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of methylphenidate therapy on myopic shifts in refraction in children diagnosed with ADHD.

METHODS: This study, children with ADHD and meeting inclusion criteria were examined before the initiation of methylphenidate treatment and 3,6 and 12 months after the initiation of treatment. Twenty age-gender matched participants who applied to the outpatient ophthalmology clinic with various complaints were included in the study as a control group. Cycloplegic refraction examination and detailed eye measurements were performed at each visit.

RESULT: Nineteen patients were included in this study and the group consisted of 11 (%57.9) females and 8 (%42.1) males. The mean age of patients was 11.3 ± 2. (range 8-18) years. During 12 months of use of mph, the spherical equivalent changed from -0.36 ± 1.08 to -0.39 ± 1.05, and this difference was not statistically significant. (p = 0.187) Axial length from 22.92 ± 0.66 There was a change to 22.93 ± 0.62, and this difference was not statistically significant. (p = 0.076) In the control group, the spherical equivalent changed from -0.43 ± 0.62 to -0.56 ± 0.84, and this difference was statistically significant. (p = 0.012) There was a change in axial length from 22.97 ± 0.78 to 22.99 ± 0.62, and this difference was statistically significant. (p = 0.015) CONCLUSION: No significant changes spherical equivalent and axial length were detected during 12-month mph use, but the increase spherical equivalent and axial length in the control group in the similar age group may indicate that mph may reduce myopic shifts in refraction progression through dopamine, similar to invivo studies.

PMID:34324770 | DOI:10.1111/ijcp.14665