This paper aims to assess the role of laser therapy in periodontitis through an innovative approach involving computational prediction and advanced modeling performed through network analysis (Gaussian graphical models-GGMs) and structural equations (SEM). Forty patients, exhibiting periodontal pockets with a minimum depth of 5 mm, were randomly divided into two groups: a control group and a laser group. Four specific indicators were measured for each tooth, namely periodontal pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index (PI), and the mean of six measured values was recorded at five time markers (baseline, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 4 years).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examines the role played by individual characteristics and specific treatment methods in the evolution of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), through the lens of an observational study performed in a comparative approach between the first and second waves of coronavirus pandemic in Romania. The research endeavor is configured on a two-fold approach, including a detailed observation of the evolution of 274 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (145 in the first wave and 129 in the second wave of infection) according to specific treatment methods applied and patients' individual features, as well as an econometric (quantitative) analysis through structural equation modeling and Gaussian graphical models designed to acknowledge the correlations and causal relationship between all considered coordinates. The main results highlight that the specific treatment methods applied had a positive influence on the evolution of COVID-19 patients, particularly in the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
February 2021
Given the COVID-19 pandemic crisis that has deeply affected the health and well-being of people worldwide, the main objective of this paper was to explore the existing relationship between health, welfare, and population aging until the pandemic burst, on the basis of two distinctive groups of European Union (EU) countries, namely, the old and the new member states. The methodological endeavor was based on two advanced econometric techniques, namely, structural equation modelling and network analysis through Gaussian graphical models, applied for each group of EU countries, analyzed during the period of 1995-2017. The main results revealed significant differentiation among the new and old EU countries as follows: public health support was found to have a positive impact on healthy aging and well-being of older people, on other social determinants, and on people's perceived good and very good health; overall, significant influences were revealed in terms of the aging dimensions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Hepatic resection had an impressive growth over time, both by broadening the range of its indications and the occurrence of changes and technical tricks in order to reduce postoperative mortality and morbidity.
Material And Methods: This study is a retrospective study presenting an analysis of 133 patients hospitalized in the Department of Hepatic Surgery in City Hospital Timisoara, between January 2000 and November 2011, in which a surgical intervention was performed, either for a primary hepatic tumor (benign or malignant) or a secondary liver tumor. All cases were analyzed in terms of etiopathogenesis, preoperative and intraoperative investigations, indication and type of hepatectomy performed, the surgical technique used and postoperative evolution.
Unlabelled: The purpose of this study is to review our postoperative outcomes with liver packing in complex abdominal trauma.
Patients And Methods: 76 liver trauma were admitted for operative procedures in the Surgical Department of City Hospital Timisoara between April 1994 - September 2009 and 16 cases were identified in our series as requiring liver packing. In all cases, this method was efficient, with no postoperative bleeding.