Electromyography of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Ear Muscles in Healthy Probands and Patients with Unilateral Postparalytic Facial Synkinesis

There are currently no data on the electromyography (EMG) of all intrinsic and extrinsic ear muscles. The aim of this work was to develop a standardized protocol for a reliable surface EMG examination of all nine ear muscles in twelve healthy participants. The protocol was then applied in seven patients with unilateral postparalytic facial synkinesis. Based on anatomic preparations of all ear muscles on two cadavers, hot spots for the needle EMG of each individual muscle were defined. Needle and surface EMG were performed in one healthy participant; facial movements could be defined for the reliable activation of individual ear muscles’ surface EMG. In healthy participants, most tasks led to the activation of several ear muscles without any side difference. The greatest EMG activity was seen when smiling. Ipsilateral and contralateral gaze were the only movements resulting in very distinct activation of the transversus auriculae and obliquus auriculae muscles. In patients with facial synkinesis, ear muscles’ EMG activation was stronger on the postparalytic compared to the contralateral side for most tasks. Additionally, synkinetic activation was verifiable in the ear muscles. The surface EMG of all ear muscles is reliably feasible during distinct facial tasks, and ear muscle EMG enriches facial electrodiagnostics.

Denosumab-Induced Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (DRONJ): A 5-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Denosumab (Dmab) has been suggested as a first-line therapy for osteoporotic patients. However, a standardized protocol for the prevention of Dmab induced medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) has not yet been established. Thus, we investigated the factors that can affect Dmab induced MRONJ (DRONJ) to elucidate the relationship between invasive dental treatment and Dmab administration in patients who underwent Dmab and invasive dental treatment (especially tooth extraction) between October 2016 and March 2020. Four of the 98 patients developed MRONJ before and after tooth extraction. Two out of 4 patients developed MRONJ regardless of invasive treatment after Dmab administration and proceeded with extraction, and one patient developed DRONJ after Dmab administration and extraction. The other patient underwent a tooth extraction without osteoporosis treatment, and spontaneous DRONJ developed after Dmab administration. All MRONJ/DRONJ cases reported in this study show that MRONJ/DRONJ can develop as chronic inflammation without invasive dental treatment, therefore, implementing preventive dental treatment before initiating Dmab treatment is necessary to reduce the likelihood of DRONJ.

THE FREQUENCY OF USE OF EEG AND NEUROFEEDBACK IN SPORT, SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Increasing athlete performance is an eternal challenge in the world of sports. The success of the training work performed can be checked by performance diagnostics. Proper brain processing is essential for skill learning and the implementation of effective motor performance. It was important for brain mapping technology to improve the capabilities of imaging devices in order to measure cognitive-motor performance in the field. The primary purpose of this review was to summarize the frequency of applications of EEG and its associated neurofeedback in sport. Examine the differences and characteristics of protocols. Assess whether there is this uniform, standardized protocol for each sport and how often it is used among both elite and amateur athletes. Electroencephalography was initially used most in sports in which the stable setting was followed by only minimal movement. These include sport shooting, archery and golf and baseball. Later, it was possible to analyze more complex movements with EEG, such as cycling. One of the most commonly used techniques is neurofeedback training, but despite some research on the topic, the arena of neurotechnology in sports psychology still exists in its rudimentary form and is constrained by a plethora of technological problems.

Biosafety and Proteome Profiles of Different Heat Inactivation Methods for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Inactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an important step to guarantee biosafety for subsequent M. tuberculosis identification and related research, notably in areas of endemicity with minimal resources. However, certain biomolecules might be denatured or hydrolyzed because of the harsh inactivation process, and a standardized protocol is yet to be determined.

MRI Radiomics in Prostate Cancer: A Reliability Study

BackgroundRadiomics can provide quantitative features from medical imaging that can be correlated to clinical endpoints. The challenges relevant to robustness of radiomics features have been analyzed by many researchers, as it seems to be influenced by acquisition and reconstruction protocols, as well as by the segmentation of the region of interest (ROI). Prostate cancer (PCa) represents a difficult playground for this technique, due to discrepancies in the identification of the cancer lesion and the heterogeneity of the acquisition protocols. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of radiomics in PCa magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).MethodsA homogeneous cohort of patients with a PSA rise that underwent multiparametric MRI imaging of the prostate before biopsy was tested in this study. All the patients were acquired with the same MRI scanner, with a standardized protocol. The identification and the contouring of the region of interest (ROI) of an MRI suspicious cancer lesion were done by two radiologists with great experience in prostate cancer (>10 years). After the segmentation, the texture features were extracted with LIFEx. Texture features were then tested with intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) analysis to analyze the reliability of the segmentation.ResultsForty-four consecutive patients were included in the present analysis. In 26 patients (59.1%), the prostate biopsy confirmed the presence of prostate cancer, which was scored as Gleason 6 in 6 patients (13.6%), Gleason 3 + 4 in 8 patients (18.2%), and Gleason 4 + 3 in 12 patients (27.3%). The reliability analysis conversely showed poor reliability in the majority of the MRI acquisition (61% in T2, 89% in DWI50, 44% in DWI400, and 83% in DWI1,500), with ADC acquisition only showing better reliability (poor reliability in only 33% of the texture features).ConclusionsThe low ratio of reliability in a monoinstitutional homogeneous cohort represents a significant alarm bell for the application of MRI radiomics in the field of prostate cancer. More work is needed in a clinical setting to further study the potential of MRI radiomics in prostate cancer.

THE INFLUENCE OF CRYOCORSERVED PLACENTA ON THE DYNAMICS OF CHANGES IN CLINICAL INDICATORS IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH PHLEGMONS OF JAW-FACIAL LOCALITIS

Today, information about circadian rhythms is widespread. Circadian rhythms are generated by clocks that are endogenous in nature and fluctuate even in the absence of environmental signals. Circadian clocks affect a wide range of biological processes, including neuronal, endocrine, metabolic, and behavioral functions. One of the key factors influencing behavioral patterns is the chronotype, which is defined as the human circadian typology and is a behavioral manifestation of the human internal circadian clock system that can be assessed using several methodologies that classify people into morning or evening chronotypes[1]. The aim of our study was to establish how to use a standardized protocol for medical care for odontogenic phlegmons of maxillofacial localization, taking into account the biological rhythm of patients.A total of 30 patients with odontogenic phlegmons of maxillofacial localization (2-3 cell spaces), aged 35 to 60 years, without systemic chronic diseases, regardless of gender, who underwent surgery in the form of opening and drainage of phlegmon with intravenous introduction of cryopreserved placenta.For clinical characterization of the process of purulent wound healing we used the proposed standardization tables of quantitative values of indicators that determine the dynamics of changes in general condition (P-1), the dynamics of local changes in patients with phlegmons of maxillofacial localization (P-2) and the dynamics of changes in a purulent wound (indicator P-3).Analyzing the dynamics of changes in the P-1.1 indicator, it should be emphasized that this indicator reached its maximum values for 1 day after surgery, which is probably due to the body's response to iatrogenic trauma on the background of the inflammatory process. Analyzing the decrease of this indicator during the 3rd and 5th days, it should be noted that its significant value is observed in the period between the 3rd and 5th days closer to the 5th, on average by 1.78 ± 0.24. Analysis of the dynamics of the indicator P-1.2 gives grounds to show its uniform decrease during 1, 3 and 5 days after the operating period with normalization of the indicator for 7 days. The change in the dynamics of the P-1.3 indicator by its significant decrease on the 3rd day in 28% of cases and on the 5th day in 72% of cases with normalization of quantitative data on the 7th day is noteworthy. In the study of masticatory disorders (indicator P-4) should be noted the maximum value of this indicator on the 1st day, which is associated with known complications onthe background of purulent inflammatory process and the presence of additional inflammatory process. A significant decrease in this indicator by 0.31 ± 0.09 points on the 5th day in 62% of cases with partial normalization on the 7th day in 62.3% and full normalization in 37.7% of cases is noteworthy. A similar picture was observed in the study of the dynamics of changes in P-1.5, but in contrast to the previous indicator, normalization on day 7 occurred in 82.9% of cases.In the study of indicators showing the dynamics of local changes deserves special attention indicator P- 2.1, which on the 1st day after the operating period reached maximum values with a gradual decrease throughout the postoperative period, but the largest difference in its reduction by an average of 0.23 ± 00.9 scores were recorded on the 5th day in 56.9% of cases in patients with morning chronotype, operated on in the first half of the day.According to the study, it was found that intravenous cryopreserved placenta have an impact on the course of reparative processes in patients with purulent-inflammatory diseases of the maxillofacial localization, depending on the time of surgery.

Fracture Incidence of Kedo-S Square Pediatric Rotary Files: A Prospective Clinical Study

Objective The primary focus of this clinical study was to analyze the probability of occurrence of instrument fracture after root canal preparation of primary molars with the help of Kedo-S Square pediatric rotary file. Materials and Methods Three experienced specialists treated 100 primary maxillary and mandibular molars (335 root canals) using a standardized protocol over 2 months. Biomechanical preparations were carried out using Kedo-S Square file, as per the suggestions given by the manufacturer. Every instrument in Group A helped handle three clinical cases, while for groups B, C and D, they helped in handling 5, 9, and 12 cases, respectively. Making use of an operational microscope, the rotary files, after being pulled out from the canal, were observed. The values were tabulated, and descriptive statistics were performed. Results There were two fractures (2%), of which 1 occurred in group C in the apical 1/3rd of distobuccal canal of maxillary molar, and the other occurred in group D in the apical 1/3rd of mesiobuccal canal of maxillary molar. Conclusions The fracture rate of Kedo-S Square rotary file is quite low. It is primarily in the buccal canals of the maxillary molars and the apical third of the root canal that the instrument has a greater probability of separation.

La pandemia COVID-19: Priorización sanitaria en España

La pandemia COVID-19, desarrollada durante 2020 y 2021, ha sido un acontecimiento que ha ocasionado que varios aspectos en la organización de nuestra sociedad se hayan visto afectados, produciendo el desarrollo de una crisis originalmente sanitaria, que ha tenido numerosas consecuencias. Dentro del ámbito de la salud, uno de los procesos más relevantes que ha tenido que ser adaptado a esta nueva situación ha sido el triaje a causa de los escasos recursos sanitarios. Este proceso ha pasado por numerosas etapas con el fin de conseguir un protocolo estandarizado para toda España, elaborado mediante la colaboración del Ministerio de Sanidad, el Comité de Bioética de España y otras entidades. Para ello ha sido fundamental el papel de la bioética, así como el de expertos en el ámbito de la salud, científicos y juristas, ya que la visión conjunta de todos ellos ha permitido una evaluación más amplia de la situación. Al igual que en España, otros países como Francia e Italia han tenido que recurrir a comités de bioética para el manejo de la situación. La vacunación también ha necesitado del establecimiento de un triaje al no haber suficientes dosis para todos. Estos aspectos se analizan en este estudio. The COVID-19 pandemic, developed during 2020 and 2021, has been an event that has caused that several aspects in the organization of our society have been affected, producing the development of an originally health crisis, which has had numerous consequences. Within the health field, one of the most relevant processes that has had to be adapted to this new situation has been triage due to scarce health resources. This process has gone through numerous stages in order to achieve a standardized protocol for Spain, prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Bioethics Committee of Spain and other entities. For this, the role of bioethics has been fundamental, as well as that of experts in the field of health, scientists and lawyers, since the joint vision of all of them has allowed a broader evaluation of the situation. As in Spain, other countries such as France and Italy have had to resort to bioethics committees to manage the situation. Vaccination has also required the establishment of a triage as there are not enough doses for everyone. These aspects are evaluated in this study.

Preparation of Competent Cells of M. bovis BCG v1

This protocol is a standardized protocol obtained from the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and is in current use in SC 193 Laboratory under Prof. Au Wing Ngor for M. bovis BCG experimentation. The cells produced thereof are electrocompetent.