Peri-Implant Soft Tissue Augmentation

The peri-implant soft tissue (PIS) augmentation procedure has become an integral part of implant-prosthetic rehabilitation. Minimal width of keratinized mucosa (KM) of 2 mm is deemed necessary to facilitate oral hygiene maintenance around the implant and provide hard and soft peri-implant tissue stability. PIS thickness of at least 2 mm is recommended to achieve the esthetic appearance and prevent recessions around implant prosthetic rehabilitation. The autogenous soft tissue grafts can be divided into two groups based on their histological composition—free gingival graft (FGG) and connective tissue graft (CTG). FGG graft is used mainly to increase the width of keratinized mucosa while CTG augment the thickness of PIS. Both grafts are harvested from the same anatomical region—the palate. Alternatively, they can be harvested from the maxillary tuberosity. Soft tissue grafts can be also harvested as pedicle grafts, in case when the soft tissue graft remains attached to the donor site by one side preserving the blood supply from the donor region. Clinically this will result in less shrinkage of the graft postoperatively, improving the outcome of the augmentation procedure. To bypass the drawback connected with FGG or CTG harvesting, substitutional soft tissue grafts have been developed.

Selection of neural network architecture and data augmentation procedures for predicting the course of cardiovascular diseases

The article solves the problem of creating models for predicting the course and complications of cardiovascular diseases. Artificial neural networks based on the Keras library are used. The original dataset includes 1700 case histories. In addition, the dataset augmentation procedure was used. As a result, the overall accuracy exceeded 84%. Furthermore, optimizing the network architecture and dataset has increased the overall accuracy by 17% and precision by 7%.

Solving Optimal Reactive Power Dispatch Problem by Population Distinction and Pandemic Virus Algorithms

In this paper Noble, Depraved and Abhorrent (NDA) optimization algorithm and United Kingdom B117 Pandemic Virus algorithm (UPA) are applied for solving the power loss lessening problem. Power loss reduction has been done by with and without considering the voltage stability. In both cases power loss reduction has been achieved effectively. In NDA approach population passages in the direction of the noble member and evades the depraved member. Then abhorrent member plays a vital role in modernizing the population. In a perplexing change, the abhorrent member guides the population in circumstances opposite to people crusade. Position of the members in population is modernized in three subsequent segments. In the preliminary segment, population transfers in the direction of the noble member. Then UPA method is based on the idea of hoi polloi protection as a stratagem to battle the B117 COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Spreading of B117 COVID-19 variant is more influenced by the infested persons unswervingly come across other public associates. Communal separation is endorsed by health specialists to protect other populaces from the B117 COVID-19 variant infection. Hoi polloi protection progression is the Preliminary augmentation procedure. Rendering to the Fundamental Facsimile rate, the genetic factor unchanged or prejudiced by communal separation. Authenticity of the NDA optimization algorithm and UPA algorithm is substantiated in IEEE 30 bus system (with and without L-index). Factual power loss lessening is reached. Proportion of actual power loss lessening is augmented

Data Augmentation Using Background Replacement for Automated Sorting of Littered Waste

The introduction of sophisticated waste treatment plants is making the process of trash sorting and recycling more and more effective and eco-friendly. Studies on Automated Waste Sorting (AWS) are greatly contributing to making the whole recycling process more efficient. However, a relevant issue, which remains unsolved, is how to deal with the large amount of waste that is littered in the environment instead of being collected properly. In this paper, we introduce BackRep: a method for building waste recognizers that can be used for identifying and sorting littered waste directly where it is found. BackRep consists of a data-augmentation procedure, which expands existing datasets by cropping solid waste in images taken on a uniform (white) background and superimposing it on more realistic backgrounds. For our purpose, realistic backgrounds are those representing places where solid waste is usually littered. To experiment with our data-augmentation procedure, we produced a new dataset in realistic settings. We observed that waste recognizers trained on augmented data actually outperform those trained on existing datasets. Hence, our data-augmentation procedure seems a viable approach to support the development of waste recognizers for urban and wild environments.

Combining a convolutional neural network with autoencoders to predict the survival chance of COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 has caused many deaths worldwide. The automation of the diagnosis of this virus is highly desired. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown outstanding classification performance on image datasets. To date, it appears that COVID computer-aided diagnosis systems based on CNNs and clinical information have not yet been analysed or explored. We propose a novel method, named the CNN-AE, to predict the survival chance of COVID-19 patients using a CNN trained with clinical information. Notably, the required resources to prepare CT images are expensive and limited compared to those required to collect clinical data, such as blood pressure, liver disease, etc. We evaluated our method using a publicly available clinical dataset that we collected. The dataset properties were carefully analysed to extract important features and compute the correlations of features. A data augmentation procedure based on autoencoders (AEs) was proposed to balance the dataset. The experimental results revealed that the average accuracy of the CNN-AE (96.05%) was higher than that of the CNN (92.49%). To demonstrate the generality of our augmentation method, we trained some existing mortality risk prediction methods on our dataset (with and without data augmentation) and compared their performances. We also evaluated our method using another dataset for further generality verification. To show that clinical data can be used for COVID-19 survival chance prediction, the CNN-AE was compared with multiple pre-trained deep models that were tuned based on CT images.

Clinical, Radiographic, and Histomorphometric Evaluation of a Vertical Ridge Augmentation Procedure Using a Titanium-Reinforced Microporous Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Emrane: A Prospective Case Series with 1-Year Follow-Up

Vertical ridge augmentation for long-term implant stability is difficult in severely resorbed areas. We examined the clinical, radiological, and histological outcomes of guided-bone regeneration using novel titanium-reinforced microporous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (MP-ePTFE) membranes. Eighteen patients who underwent implant placement using a staged approach were enrolled (period: 2018–2019). Vertical ridge augmentation was performed in areas with vertical bone defects ≥ 4 mm. Twenty-six implant fixtures were placed in 14 patients. At implant placement six fixtures had relatively low stability. On cone-beam computed tomography, the average vertical changes were 4.2 ± 1.9 (buccal), 5.9 ± 2.7 (central), and 4.4 ± 2.8 mm (lingual) at six months after vertical ridge augmentation. Histomorphometric analyses revealed that the average proportions of new bone, residual bone substitute material, and soft tissue were 34.91 ± 11.61%, 7.16 ± 2.74%, and 57.93 ± 11.09%, respectively. Stable marginal bone levels were observed at 1-year post-loading. The residual bone graft material area was significantly lower in the exposed group (p = 0.003). There was no significant difference in the vertical height change in the buccal side between immediately after the augmentation procedure and the implant placement reentry time (p = 0.371). However, all implants functioned well regardless of the exposure during the observation period. Thus, vertical ridge augmentation around implants using titanium-reinforced MP-ePTFE membranes can be successful.

Hyaluronic Acid Fillers Enriched with Glycine and Proline in Eyebrow Augmentation Procedure

Background The eyebrow area is a clinically critical district due to the anatomical complexity and the propensity to aging-related atrophy. Hyaluronic acid fillers have been proposed to recover the dermal volume of the facial and lips regions. Aim The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate hyaluronic acid fillers enriched with glycine and proline for the treatment of eyebrow augmentation. Methods A total of 15 healthy patients were treated with eyebrow augmentation procedure. The distance between mid-bipupil to lateral eyebrow and mid-eyebrow to the medial eyebrow was measured before, immediately after treatment and at follow-up of 6 months. Results The healing period was uneventful, and no evidence of inflammation or swelling associated with the treatment was reported. No macroscopical alteration was reported in the surrounding tissues with no evidences of visible wheals or lumps in the treated sites at the follow-up. Before treatment, the angle was equal to 9.32 ± 0.2°, while after treatment it was 11.21 ± 0.4° (p < 0.01); after three and 6 weeks, it was, respectively, 10.66 ± 0.2° (p<0.05) and 10.02 ± 0.3°(p > 0.05). Conclusions The study results suggest that the hyaluronic acid fillers enriched with glycine and proline treatment resulted as being a useful procedure for augmentation, contour and volume definition and elevation of the eyebrow region with a high-level aesthetic result. Level of Evidence IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Nasal sill augmentation: an overlooked concept in rhinoplasty—a technical note and review of the literatures

Background Nasal sill is one of the components of the alar ring, affecting the esthetic outcomes of rhinoplasty; accordingly, we developed a novel technique to adjust defects in this area and compared it with the available techniques. Methods Our technique was based on creating a tunnel access to the nasal sill area through an incision made in the lower third of the columella using the open approach or through a nostril base incision in patients, who underwent alar base reduction, followed by insertion of a cartilaginous graft into the marked defect area. Results A total number of 54 patients with a defect in the nasal sill area were included in this study. Thirty-one patients underwent open rhinoplasty with the sill approach from the lower third of the columella, while 23 patients underwent rhinoplasty with a nostril base approach for nasal sill augmentation procedure. There were no reports of patient dissatisfaction, infection, bleeding, sensory dysfunction, or remaining asymmetry of the sill area. Conclusion Based on the findings of the present study, this technique can be successfully used in reconstructing the nasal sill area with minimal complications and morbidity.