Effect of Face Masks and Speech Style on Speech Intelligibility and Listener Effort in Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to quantify the combined effects of face masks and effortful speech styles on listener intelligibility and perceived listener effort in talkers with and without Parkinson's disease (PD).

Method: Ten people with PD and 10 healthy, older controls read aloud sentences in two face mask and three speech style conditions. Masks included no mask and KN95 masks.

Relative contributions of the supraspinatus cord and strap tendons to shoulder abduction and translation.

Background: The supraspinatus (SS) is formed by a larger anterior bipennate muscle with a cord-like tendon and a posterior unipennate muscle with a strap-like tendon. There is a tendinous connection between the 2 SS subunits. Yet, the relative mechanical contribution of the SS cord and SS strap musculotendinous units to load transmission and subsequent shoulder abduction force is unknown.

How Likes and Retweets Impacted Our Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The growing dependence on social media for health-related information boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, posing unprecedented challenges in navigating the vast amounts of information available right at our fingertips. Social media had a major impact on clinical decision-making affecting individuals, communities, and societies at large. In this review, we discuss the role of social media in amplifying information and misinformation as well as factors contributing to its reliance and prevalence.

Postresidency Impact of Alcohol and Drug Screening and Intervention Training.

Background And Objectives: Many residency programs provide alcohol and drug screening, brief intervention (BI), and referral to treatment (SBIRT) training, hoping to impact residents' future practice activities. Little is known about postresidency use of these skills. This study assesses postresidency impact of SBIRT training.

Drug screening and changing marijuana policy: Validation of new single question drug screening tools.

Background: Illicit drug use is common in U.S. medical settings.

Centric relation definitions taught in 7 dental schools: results of faculty and student surveys.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to assess the level of consensus regarding the definition of centric relation and its clinical use in 7 US dental schools.

Materials And Methods: The preclinical and clinical faculty in the departments of prosthodontics, operative, and general dentistry (n = 137) at 7 dental schools and a convenience sample of fourth year students (n = 150) at the same schools were invited to complete 2-page surveys regarding the definitions and use of centric relation at their institutions. The faculty and student survey included 6 commonly used centric relation definitions from the 1994 Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms, and provided space for writing in definitions not listed on the form.

Educating a patient with dental implants.

A functional dentition can be restored for edentulous and partially edentulous patients through the placement of dental implants. Dental assistants have a significant role in the education of implant patients so that meticulous oral self-care can be accomplished. Only through the combined team efforts of the dental office staff and patients themselves will the continued success of dental implantology be insured.

The effects of chlorhexidine on the attachment and growth of cultured human periodontal cells.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of chlorhexidine (CHX) on the attachment and growth of human gingival fibroblasts and periodontal ligament cells using an in vitro system where periodontal cells were grown on root surfaces treated previously with CHX. Our results indicate that the attachment of periodontal cells onto root surfaces was not adversely affected when roots were treated for 15 minutes with up to 0.12% CHX.

Prostaglandin E2 is a positive regulator of adrenocorticotropin receptors, 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, and 17 alpha-hydroxylase expression in bovine adrenocortical cells.

The maintenance of optimal steroidogenesis in adrenocortical cells primarily depends on the chronic action of cAMP. Herein we examine the effects of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on the differentiated functions of bovine adrenocortical (BAC) cells in primary culture. PGE2 (10 microM) treatment for 3 h stimulated steroidogenesis and cAMP production by over 100-fold.