Assessment of the relationship between labial gingival thickness and the underlying bone thickness in maxillary anterior teeth by two digital techniques

This study aimed to noninvasively assess the relationship between the labial gingival thickness (GT) and the underlying bone thickness (BT) of maxillary anterior teeth by two digital techniques. A total of 30 periodontally healthy participants with 172 maxillary anterior teeth were enrolled. GT and BT were measured at 2, 4 and 6 mm apical to the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) by two digital techniques: M1—cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and M2—digital intraoral scanning (DIS) combined with CBCT. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the correlation between GT and BT. A significant negative correlation was identified between GT and BT at 2 mm apical to the CEJ for central incisors (CI), lateral incisors (LI), and canines (CA) both by M1 and M2, while a weak negative correlation at 4 mm apical to the CEJ was observed by M1 for CA. No significant correlation was found at other sites by both M1 and M2. The labial BT was < 1 mm in most cases (85% of CI; 97% of LI; and 90% of CA). Within the limitation of this study, it was concluded that GT and BT seemed to be negatively correlated at 2 mm apical to the CEJ. Therefore, caution is warranted when implant restoration at the esthetic area of the anterior teeth.

Effect of preoperative keratometry on visual outcomes after small-incision lenticule extraction for myopia

Purpose To investigate the relationship between preoperative keratometry (K) and postoperative refraction and compare the visual outcomes after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) between preoperative flat and steep corneas. Methods This study involved 814 consecutive eyes of 409 patients who underwent SMILE. A month later, a linear regression analysis of the relationship between preoperative K and the residual spherical equivalent (SE) along with eyes divided by a single standard deviation between flat and steep corneas (< 41.85 D, > 44.57 D, respectively) was conducted. Eyes were distinguished based on the degree of myopia. Results One month after surgery, no significant correlation existed between mean preoperative K and residual SE (P = 0.459). Linear regression analysis showed a weak negative correlation between flat corneas (r2 = 0.042, P = 0.025) rather than steep corneas (P = 0.908). Eyes with preoperative low myopia (< 3.00 D) (r2 = 0.233, P = 0.001) had a weak correlation compared with moderate and high myopia (P = 0.272, P = 0.257, respectively). Twelve months later, the predictability, safety, and efficacy did not vary between preoperative flat and steep corneas (P > 0.05). Conclusions One month after SMILE for myopia, the corneas were flatter in the preoperative flat corneas or all the low myopic corneas, and they were more overcorrected. However, preoperative corneal curvature does not influence visual outcomes at 1 year after SMILE.

Teachers’ metacognition and Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTs) of Elementary School learners in Eastern Samar, Philippines

This investigation aimed to identify a significant relationship between teachers' metacognition and learners’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTs). The correlational research method was employed to satisfy the investigation's primary objective. Two respondents were involved, including a total enumeration of Grade VI teachers and randomly selected Grade VI learners in Can-avid District. Through the administration of adapted sets of questionnaires and analysis of data using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical tools, the study revealed the following salient findings: (1) majority of the teacher respondents indicated a very high level of conceptual knowledge of cognition and planning skills of cognition regulation rather than procedural knowledge and evaluating and monitoring skills; (2) learners have exhibited very poor higher-order thinking skills in terms of scientific inquiry skills of analyzing, evaluating, and creating; and that (3) teachers’ metacognition only manifested a weak negative correlation with learners creating skills. The study recommends the advancement of teachers’ metacognition and learners’ HOTs through active integration of said skills in the curriculum and providing opportunities for teachers’ professional advancement. Finally, future researchers should conduct a larger-scale inquiry to fully comprehend the relationship between the variables studied in this study and to fully realize the impact of metacognition on learners' skills, which was not demonstrated in this paper.

The Association Between Three Adipocytokines (Adiponectin, Resistin and Visfatin) And Thyroid Status in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Autoimmune Thyroiditis

Autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) are the most common endocrinological diseases worldwide. Relation between these diseases explains several hypotheses. One of them is influence of some adipocytokines. This study evaluated association between three adipocytokines (adiponectin, resistin and visfatin) and thyroid and glycid status in patients with DM2 and AIT compared to the control group (CG). The group consisted of four subgroups: patients with DM2 without thyreopathies, patients with AIT on substitution therapy without diabetes and prediabetes, patients with DM2 and AIT on substitution therapy and healthy subjects as the CG. We investigated parameters of thyroid and glucose metabolism and serum levels of three adipocytokines. The mean level of resistin in the group of patients with diabetes and thyroiditis was significantly higher than in patients with thyroiditis without diabetes and than in the CG. We found a weak negative correlation between visfatin and fasting glucose levels in patients with thyroiditis without diabetes. We detected a weak negative correlation between resistin and glycated hemoglobin and a weak negative correlation between visfatin and thyroid gland volume in patients with diabetes without thyroiditis. In the CG we determined a weak positive correlation between visfatin and free thyroxin. Our results are consistent with several studies, which confirmed association between AIT and adipocytokines.

The Effectivity of Thymus vulgaris Extract on IL-1 Level and Bacterial Count in The Heart of Balb-c Mice Infected with MRSA

Background: The increasing phenomenon resistance of bacteria to various types of antibiotics, for example MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) became a serious problem. Over the last few decades S. aureus has become the dominant cause of endocarditis. MRSA data in Indonesia are still rarely reported. This has led to the importance of extracting natural substances that have anti-bacterial effects or that modulate immune response such as Thymus vulgaris (TV). It was hypothesized that TV can overcome MRSA infection by increasing IL-1, which is the initial cytokine in a natural immune response stimulated by the presence of S. aureus. Objective: This study was to investigate the effect of Thymus vulgaris extract on IL-1 and bacterial counts in the heart of balb-c mice infected with MRSA. Methods: There were 30 male Balb-c mice randomly divided into six groups. Group K (mice infected with MRSA without treatment),P1(mice treated with TV extract 7 days later infected with MRSA), P2(mice infected and treated with vancomycin), P3(mice infected and treated with TV+vancomycin extract), P4(mice infected and treated with amoxicillin), and P5 (mice infected and treated with TV extract+amoxicillin). IL-1 and bacterial count was assessed by ELISA and microbiological culture. Results: The result showed that there was a significant increase in IL-1 between groups (p=0.001).The median decrease in the bacterial count in the heart was 0 in almost treatment group except for P4 group which its median was 26.000 (p=0.161). The correlation between IL-1 levels and MRSA count in the heart had a weak negative correlation (r=-0.182). Conclusion: Thymus vulgaris extract was effective to increase IL-1 levels significantly but was not proven to decrease MRSA count in the heart of balb-c mice.

Aneurysm risk metrics and hemodynamics are associated with greater vessel wall enhancement in intracranial aneurysms

Vessel wall enhancement (VWE) in contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a potential biomarker for intracranial aneurysm (IA) risk stratification. In this study, we investigated the relationship between VWE features, risk metrics, morphology and hemodynamics in 41 unruptured aneurysms. We reconstructed the IA geometries from MR angiography and mapped pituitary stalk-normalized MRI intensity on the aneurysm surface using an in-house tool. For each case, we calculated the maximum intensity (CR stalk ) and IA risk (via size and the rupture resemblance score (RRS)). We performed correlation analysis to assess relationships between CR stalk and IA risk metrics (size and RRS), as well as each parameter encompassed in RRS, i.e. aneurysmal size ratio (SR), normalized wall shear stress (WSS) and oscillatory shear index. We found that CR stalk had a strong correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient, PCC = 0.630) with size and a moderate correlation (PCC = 0.472) with RRS, indicating an association between VWE and IA risk. Furthermore, CR stalk had a weak negative correlation with normalized WSS (PCC = −0.320) and a weak positive correlation with SR (PCC = 0.390). Local voxel-based analysis showed only a weak negative correlation between normalized WSS and contrast-enhanced MRI signal intensity (PCC = −0.240), suggesting that if low-normalized WSS induces enhancement-associated pathobiology, the effect is not localized.

Effect of the Melt Pool Boundary Network on the Anisotropic Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser Melted 304L

Anisotropic mechanical properties are a well-known issue in selective laser melted parts. The microstructure produced by selective laser melting (SLM) is directional, including the solidified melt pool structures and grains. This work investigates the melt pool boundary’s effects on 304L stainless steel’s compressive properties. 304L stainless steel solid cylinders were built using a pulse laser SLM machine in four directions using three hatch angle rotations: 0°, 67°, and 105°. The twelve samples were compression tested, and the results were analyzed. Numerical models were also created with the different hatch angles and directions. The melt pool boundary network (MPBN) in each build was tracked using the model across multiple planes. Results showed that both the hatch angle and build orientation influenced the concentration of melt pool boundaries present in the manufactured samples. A weak negative correlation of compressive strength to the melt pool boundaries’ concentration was also observed, indicating that the melt pool boundary concentration negatively affected the material’s strength. Local anisotropic plastic deformation was also observed in some of the compressed samples. In those samples, it was observed that directions that plastically deformed more also contained higher concentration of the melt pool boundaries.

Zoomed out? Depersonalization is Related to Increased Digital Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

Depersonalisation is a common dissociative experience characterised by distressing feelings of being detached or ‘estranged’ from one’s self and body and/or the world. The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to socially distance from others and to change life habits. We have conducted an online study on 622 participants worldwide to investigate the relationship between digital media-based activities and distal social interactions in influencing peoples’ sense of self during the lockdown as opposed to before the pandemic. We found that increased use of digital media-based activities and online social e-meetings correlated with higher feelings of depersonalisation. We also found that people reporting higher experiences of depersonalisation also reported enhanced vividness of negative emotions (as opposed to positive emotions). Our study also reveals a weak negative correlation between the frequency of physical exercise during the lockdown and the occurrence of depersonalisation experiences. Finally, participants who reported that lockdown influenced their life to greater extent had higher occurrences of depersonalisation experiences. Our findings may help address key questions regarding well-being during a lockdown, in the general population. Our study points to potential risks related to an overly sedentary and hyper-digitalized life habits that may induce feelings of living in one’s ‘head’ (mind), disconnected from one’s body, self and the world.

Psychosocial assessment of patients with chronic pain

The main object of this study is to evaluate the psychological status of chronic pain patients (CPP) and describe the characteristics and frequency of psychological disorders of CPP. Two hundred sixty-three patients with complaints of chronic pain longer than 1 year and fifty healthy volunteers were included in the study. Patients with cancer were not included. Turkish version of Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL- 90-R) was used for the assessment of the psychological status of participants. CPP were divided into 5 subgroups regarding their painful regions: Headache, cervical or upper extremity pain, axial or radicular back pain, lower extremity pain, and diffuse pain. Global severity index (GSI) and subscales of SCL-90-R were analyzed. In CPP, GSI and almost all subscale scores of SCL-90-R were significantly higher than the control group. Headache patients had worse psychological symptoms than other subgroups of CPP. SCL-90-R scores of female patients were significantly higher than males. 24.7% of patients had moderate and 14.8% had severe psychological symptoms. While the intensity of the pain had a moderate correlation with increased psychological symptoms, the level of education and age had a weak negative correlation with SCL- 90-R scores. Patients with chronic pain are convenient to have phycological symptoms. While almost half of the patients have increased psychological symptoms, the degree of the symptoms can be serious in some of them. Thus, treatment of chronic pain necessitates a multidisciplinary approach.

The Association in Myopic Tractional Maculopathy With Myopic Atrophy Maculopathy

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between myopic tractional maculopathy (MTM) and myopic atrophy maculopathy (MAM).Method: Two hundred and six eyes with definitive myopic retinoschisis were assessed in the retrospective observational case series study and the atrophic and tractional features were further evaluated. Atrophic changes were analyzed according to the atrophic component in the ATN classification and the occurrence of gamma zones and delta zones. Tractional changes were evaluated based on different retinoschisis layers, the location and range of outer retinoschisis, retinal detachment, inner lamellar macular hole (ILMH), outer lamellar MH (OLMH), full-thickness MH (FTMH), and paravascular abnormalities.Results: Of all the eyes, 29.6, 42.7, 19.4, and 8.3% presented MAM grades with A1, A2, A3, and A4, respectively. The three layers of retinoschisis and the entire macular retinoschisis had the highest incidences in A2 (38.6%; 54.5%). The numbers of retinoschisis layers and the grades of outer retinoschisis had a weak negative correlation with MAM (r = −0.138, P = 0.048; r = −0.139, P = 0.047). All the eyes had gamma zones, and 82.52% of eyes also had delta zones. The incidence of retinal detachment and OLMH reached the peak in A2 and then decreased gradually. With MAM aggravation, the prevalence of ILMH decreased. Eyes with A1 and A2 were more likely to have OLMH, and those with A3 and A4 were more likely to have FTMH (P = 0.028; OR, 3.423; 95% CI, 1.144–10.236; P = 0.004; OR, 7.752; 95% CI, 1.951–30.803). With the MAM grades growing, the types of paravascular abnormalities increased (r = 0.165, P = 0.018).Conclusion: Diffuse chorioretinal atrophy was the dominant MAM grade in eyes with MTM. In the study, 72.3% of eyes with MTM presented with diffuse chorioretinal atrophy and a tessellated fundus. Over 80% of eyes with MTM had both gamma zones and delta zones. Diffuse chorioretinal atrophy might be a complicated stage for MTM with the highest rate of three layers of retinoschisis, the entire macular retinoschisis, RD, and OLMH. Atrophic progression might involve the development of MH. When MTM combines with well-defined atrophy, the occurrence of FTMH should be noted.