Publications by authors named "Alvin Wee"

Single cell sequencing technologies have revolutionized our understanding of biology by mapping cell diversity and gene expression in healthy and diseased tissues. While single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has been widely used, interest in single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) is growing due to its benefits, including the ability to analyze archival tissues and capture rare cell types that are challenging to dissociate. However, comparative studies across tissues have yielded mixed results, with some reporting enhanced cell type retention using snRNA-seq while others finding cell type identification to be challenging in snRNA-seq data.

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Statement Of Problem: Information on predicting the measurements of the nose from selected facial landmarks to assist in maxillofacial prosthodontics is lacking.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify the efficiency of machine learning models in predicting the length and width of the nose from selected facial landmarks.

Material And Methods: Two-dimensional frontal and lateral photographs were made of 100 men and 100 women.

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Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols have gained widespread acceptance as a means to enhance surgical outcomes. However, the intricate care required for kidney transplant recipients has not yet led to the establishment of a universally recognized and dependable ERAS protocol for kidney transplantation.

Objective: We devised a customized ERAS protocol to determine its effectiveness in improving surgical and postoperative outcomes among kidney transplant recipients.

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Statement Of Problem: Patient satisfaction and esthetic acceptance are important factors in predicting the success of implant therapy in the anterior maxilla. A standardized esthetic index to evaluate implant esthetic outcomes is still lacking.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to describe the newly developed images that correlate to the pink esthetic score and white esthetic score (PES/WES) for improved standardized documentation and to evaluate the validity and reliability of the proposed anterior implant esthetic index (AIEI) with patient satisfaction scores.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study tested how well a blood test called Tutivia can predict if a kidney transplant will be rejected early on.
  • 151 kidney transplant patients, mostly around 53 years old and mostly male, were watched to see how well Tutivia worked.
  • Tutivia was found to be better than just looking at one kidney function test, helping doctors predict rejection more accurately without invasive procedures.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate how different interdental spaces and the presence of the palate affect the accuracy of maxillary scans taken with three different intraoral scanners.
  • The research involved creating a virtual maxillary cast with varying interdental spaces (0, 1, 2, and 3 mm), which were then scanned using TRIOS4, iTero Element 5D, and Aoralscan2 to measure scanning accuracy through root mean square error calculations.
  • Results indicated that interdental spaces of 1 and 2 mm yielded the best accuracy, while scans including the palate were significantly more accurate than those without, highlighting the important role of these factors in achieving precise maxillary scans.
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Introduction: Wound related complications (WRC) are a significant source of morbidity in kidney transplant recipients, and may be mitigated by surgical approach. We hypothesize that the anterior rectus sheath approach (ARS) may decrease WRC and inpatient opiate use compared to the Gibson Approach (GA).

Methods: This double-blinded randomized controlled trial allocated kidney transplant recipients aged 18 or older, exclusive of other procedures, 1:1 to ARS or GA at a single hospital.

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Purpose: To develop a current profile of prosthodontics program directors (PPDs) in United States dental schools and describe the current challenges and responsibilities of those serving in the position and assess the professional needs of the program directors (PDs) to better support them in their roles.

Materials And Methods: A survey was sent to 51 participants who were identified as PPDs in North America via Qualtrics in 2019 to assess the professional needs of PDs to better support their roles. The survey consisted of 29 items organized into six sections: (1) demographic information; (2) hours and time spent in various areas of the job; (3) greatest challenges; (4) perceived importance of specific competencies; (5) opinions on the greatest rewards of the position; (6) their needs for support from the American College of Prosthodontists and advice for the future PD.

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Purpose: Minimally invasive kidney autotransplantation (KAT) has demonstrated reduced morbidity, however multiport robotic approach required patient repositioning and multiple sets of incisions. We present our initial series of single-port (SP) robotic KAT, ideal for multi-quadrant surgeries, and aim to evaluate feasibility and safety of the novel approach.

Methods: Between 2018 and 2022, 8 consecutive patients underwent SP KAT using the DaVinci SP platform.

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Prosthesis discomfort and a lack of skin-like quality is a source of patient dissatisfaction with facial prostheses. To engineer skin-like replacements, knowledge of the differences between facial skin properties and those for prosthetic materials is essential. This project measured six viscoelastic properties (percent laxity, stiffness, elastic deformation, creep, absorbed energy, and percent elasticity) at six facial locations with a suction device in a human adult population equally stratified for age, sex, and race.

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The effect of a novel nano-ceramic coating (TiO) using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique on the surface of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) material was investigated. The patients' and clinicians' perception and acceptance of the PMMA color with TiO coating were also examined. In vitro color measurement was performed on thirty specimens (light, original, and dark pink) before and after TiO coating.

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Background: There are limited data and no national capture of barriers associated with initiating and completing the donation process for potential living kidney donors (LKDs).

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 3001 intake forms completed by prospective LKDs from 2016 to 2019 at a single transplant center. We analyzed data from all potential donors who completed the intake until they became ineligible or withdrew or donation was complete.

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This study aimed to investigate and compare the color stability and stainability of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) restorative materials in their glazed (G) and polished (P) state when exposed to cigarette smoke, as well as after brushing. Three CAD/CAM restorative materials were investigated: lithium disilicate CAD (LD), zirconia (Zr), and Telio PMMA CAD (PMMA), according to their surface finishing and assignment to cigarette smoking exposure or soaking in the saliva (control) group. The color change (∆E) was calculated before and after the intervention performed for all specimens, using the L*a*b values to quantitatively assess the shade differences.

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Background: Patients undergoing simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation (SLK) have impaired native kidney function. The relative contribution of allograft versus native function after SLK is unknown. We sought to characterize the return of native kidney function following SLK.

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Emerging data support the safety of transplantation of extra-pulmonary organs from donors with SARS-CoV-2-detection. Our center offered kidney transplantation (KT) from deceased donors (DD) with SARS-CoV-2 with and without COVID-19 as a cause of death (CoV + COD and CoV+) to consenting candidates. No pre-emptive antiviral therapies were given.

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Tissue engineering offers a promising treatment strategy for ureteral strictures, but its success requires an in-depth understanding of the architecture, cellular heterogeneity, and signaling pathways underlying tissue regeneration. Here, we define and spatially map cell populations within the human ureter using single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial gene expression, and immunofluorescence approaches. We focus on the stromal and urothelial cell populations to enumerate the distinct cell types composing the human ureter and infer potential cell-cell communication networks underpinning the bi-directional crosstalk between these compartments.

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Objective: There are several shade matching instruments developed for clinical use, but the validity of their use in dental research has not been thoroughly investigated. The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of using two clinical color measuring instruments, VitaEasyshade and Spectroshade, against a referent laboratory color measuring instrument (Spectroradiometer PR670).

Methods And Materials: The validity and repeatability of the referent laboratory color measuring instrument was assessed using standard color patches with certified CIE L*a*b* values.

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Introduction: The American-Urological-Association(AUA) Guidelines for renal cancer(2017) recommend consideration for radical-nephrectomy(RN) over partial(PN) whenever there is increased oncologic-risk; and RN should be prioritized if three other criteria are all also met: 1) increased tumor-complexity; 2) no preexisting chronic-kidney-disease/ proteinuria, and 3) normal contralateral kidney that will likely provide estimated glomerular-filtration-rate (eGFR) >45ml/min/1.73m even if RN is performed. Our objective was to assess the complexity of decision-making about RN/PN and utility of AUA Guidelines statements regarding this issue.

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Coronavirus disease-19 has had a marked impact on the transplant population and processes of care for transplant centers and organ allocation. Several single-center studies have reported successful utilization of deceased donors with positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) tests. Our aims were to characterize testing, organ utilization, and transplant outcomes with donor SARS-CoV-2 status in the United States.

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Statement Of Problem: Limited data, especially in vivo data, exist regarding translucency parameter (TP) values for vital anterior nonrestored dentition. Additionally, published information on the CIELab values of vital enamel at a theoretical infinite thickness is lacking. Obtaining TP and CIELab values in a population that varies in terms of ethnicity, age, and sex would be useful to inform the development and placement of esthetic dental restorations that more accurately capture the complex optical qualities of enamel.

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Purpose: To evaluate a conceptually simple model to predict new-baseline-glomerular-filtration-rate (NBGFR) after radical nephrectomy (RN) based on split-renal-function (SRF) and renal-functional-compensation (RFC), and to compare its predictive accuracy against a validated non-SRF-based model. RN should only be considered when the tumor has increased oncologic potential and/or when there is concern about perioperative morbidity with PN due to increased tumor complexity. In these circumstances, accurate prediction of NBGFR after RN can be important, with a threshold NBGFR > 45 ml/min/1.

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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the kidney allograft is a relatively rare complication most commonly seen approximately a decade or more after transplant. We report a case of diffuse multifocal RCC within 6 months of transplant. The initial signal leading to an abnormality in the graft was an elevated routine cell-free DNA.

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Purpose: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate and compare three commonly used proportions that include the golden proportion, golden percentage, and Recurring Esthetic Dental (RED) proportion to identify which of the mathematical formulas, if any, can be used to provide predictable and repeatable esthetic clinical outcomes.

Methods: A comprehensive search of electronic databases that included EBSCO, ProQuest, SCOPUS, Science Direct, Wiley, Google Scholar and PubMed was conducted using the terms: "golden proportion," "golden percentage," and "Recurring Esthetic Dental (RED) proportions" alone or in concurrence with one or both ensuing terms: "tooth proportions" and "esthetic tooth proportions." In addition, the following journals were hand searched for relevant articles: Journal of Prosthodontics, Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry and Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry.

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Transplantation of solid organs from donors with active SARS-CoV-2 infection has been advised against due to the possibility of disease transmission to the recipient. However, with the exception of lungs, conclusive data for productive infection of transplantable organs do not exist. While such data are awaited, the organ shortage continues to claim thousands of lives each year.

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Radiotherapy is being performed in many situations as a curative approach for head and neck cancer instead of surgery due to the current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. A recent publication reported that even hypofractionation was being conducted in order to reduce the daily exposure of both patients and the medical staff involved in cancer therapies. As a result, dental teams may be requested more frequently than usual to fabricate intraoral stents (IOS).

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