Analgesic effect of ultrasound-guided extraoral mandibular nerve block compared to intraoral conductive block of the inferior alveolar nerve after lower third molar alveolectomy: a clinical prospective study.

Background: The analgesia after lower third molar alveolectomy is based on the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that have significant risks, and are contraindicated in the third trimester of pregnancy. Aiming to reduce NSAIDs use after this surgery, we quantified analgesic effects of ultrasound (US)-guided extraoral mandibular nerve block.

Methods: Thirty-six patients were equally allocated to the experimental or control group, based on their willingness to receive experimental US-guided extraoral mandibular nerve block for postoperative analgesia.

Environmentally Friendly Masonry Mortar Blended with Fly Ash, Corn Cob Ash or Ceramic Waste Powder.

Implementing a circular approach through waste valorization in mortar production with environmentally efficient mix design is a viable pathway for relieving the ecological burden of greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion and waste management. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of using fly ash (FA), corn cob ash (CCA), and ceramic waste powder (CWP) as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in cement-lime masonry mortars. As part of an extensive experimental study, twelve mortar mixtures were made: three reference and nine blended, with mixing ratios of 1:1:5, 1:0.

First-year nursing students' attitudes towards artificial intelligence: Cross-sectional multi-center study.

Aim: To assess the attitudes of nursing students toward artificial intelligence.

Background: Possible applications of artificial intelligence-powered systems in nursing cover all aspects of nursing care, from patient care to risk management. Although the final acceptance of artificial intelligence in practice will depend on positive 'nurses' attitudes toward artificial intelligence, those attitudes have gained little attention so far.

Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation Unmasked by Pregnancy: A Review of Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Changes in Pregnancy.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations are abnormal, direct communications between the branches of the pulmonary artery and pulmonary veins, but without pulmonary capillaries between them. During pregnancy, PAVMs can enlarge and become symptomatic, causing even serious complications like haematothorax. To recognize the PAVM that becomes symptomatic in pregnancy, one must be able to distinguish the patient's symptoms caused by developing complications of PAVM, as in the case we present, from physiological changes accompanying a healthy pregnancy, including their degree in relation to the stage of pregnancy.

Effects of Grinding Methods and Water-to-Binder Ratio on the Properties of Cement Mortars Blended with Biomass Ash and Ceramic Powder.

To combat environmental challenges-such as the depletion of natural resources and a high carbon footprint-and contribute to the effort of achieving zero-waste technology and sustainable development, the use of agricultural and industrial wastes in the cement industry has created a research interest. This study explores the potential of two types of harvest residue ash (HRA) and three types of ceramic waste (CP) as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) through: (1) the characterization of raw materials and (2) examining the physical properties and mechanical performance of cement-based mortar samples prepared with 10%, 30% and 50%wt of the selected SCMs ground into powder form as cement replacement. Two main variables were the water-to-binder ratio (w/b) and the effect of different grinding procedures.

Serum S100A12 levels in children with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic juvenile arthritis, and systemic undefined recurrent fevers.

Background: We compared serum levels of S100A12, a proinflammatory protein predominantly secreted by neutrophils, in children with newly diagnosed childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE), systemic juvenile arthritis (sJIA), and systemic undefined recurrent fevers (SURFS) to examine its role as a diagnostic and discriminative marker of inflammation and to indirectly point out the importance of neutrophils and innate immunity in the pathogenesis of these diseases.

Materials And Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the serum levels of S100A12 protein of 68 children (19 with cSLE, 18 with sJIA, 7 with SURFS, and 24 controls) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared between groups and with clinical and laboratory findings.

Results: The median serum S100A12 levels were 469 ng/mL in the cSLE group, 6103 ng/mL in the sJIA group, 480 ng/mL in the SURFS group, and 44 ng/mL in the control group.

Combination of the T7 Unilateral Erector Spinae Plane Block and T10 Bilateral Retrolaminar Blocks in a Patient with Multiple Rib Fractures on the Right and T10-12 Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Case Report.

Multiple vertebral compression and rib fractures in elderly patients with pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a common scenario associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Severe pain prevents normal ventilation and leads to atelectasis, consolidation, and pneumonia. Subsequently, these patients frequently develop respiratory failure and require intubation and critical care.

Pinyon Engraver Beetle Acoustics: Stridulation Apparatus, Sound Production and Behavioral Response to Vibroacoustic Treatments in Logs.

Bark beetles are among the most influential biotic agents in conifer forests, and forest management often focuses on bark beetle chemical communication for tree protection. Although acoustic communication occurs in many bark beetle species, we have yet to utilize acoustic communication for bark beetle control. Here, we describe the stridulatory organs and 'stress' chirps of the pinyon engraver, , a significant pest and mortality agent of pinyon pine in western North America.

How does stellate ganglion block alleviate immunologically-linked disorders?

Background: The stellate ganglion is an autonomic nervous ganglion, formed by the fusion of the inferior cervical sympathetic ganglion and the first thoracic sympathetic ganglion, which is present in about 80% of people. It is anterior to the neck of the first rib and contains neurons that supply sympathetic innervation to the head and neck. Injection of local anesthetics near the stellate ganglion (stellate ganglion block; SGB) has been used for multiple clinical indications including sympathetic-mediated pain and vascular insufficiency syndromes of the upper extremity.

Massive Upper Body and Cervicofacial Subcutaneous Emphysema Following Robotic Myomectomy.

Subcutaneous emphysema is defined as the unintentional introduction of air or carbon dioxide in the subcutaneous tissues. The use of robotic surgical techniques has greatly expanded over the past decade specifically to treat intraperitoneal pathology. In general, advantages of these minimally invasive procedures are reported to decrease operating time, patient morbidity, and shorten hospital stay providing a safe alternative to traditional surgery.

The presence of high mobility group box-1 and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products in juvenile idiopathic arthritis and juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: The involvement of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases has been documented but clinical trials on the contribution of this pro-inflammatory alarmin in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are basically absent. To address the presence of HMGB1 and a soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) in different subtypes of JIA and additionally in children with SLE, we enrolled a consecutive sample of children harvested peripheral blood as well as synovial fluids (SF) at diagnosis and correlated it with ordinary acute-phase reactants and clinical markers.

Methods: Serum and synovial fluids levels of HMGB1 and sRAGE in total of 144 children (97 with JIA, 19 with SLE and 27 healthy controls) were determined by ELISA.

Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus in Croatia: demographic, clinical and laboratory features, and factors influencing time to diagnosis.

Objectives: Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) presents with diverse clinical features and often with non-classical symptoms that may delay diagnosis and increase risk of morbidity and mortality. This paper aims to analyse incidence, and clinical and laboratory features of cSLE in Croatia between 1991 and 2010, and to identify factors influencing time to diagnosis.

Results: Medical records at three university-based tertiary care centres were analysed retrospectively for 81 children with cSLE (68 girls).

Loci associated with N-glycosylation of human immunoglobulin G show pleiotropy with autoimmune diseases and haematological cancers.

Glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) influences IgG effector function by modulating binding to Fc receptors. To identify genetic loci associated with IgG glycosylation, we quantitated N-linked IgG glycans using two approaches. After isolating IgG from human plasma, we performed 77 quantitative measurements of N-glycosylation using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) in 2,247 individuals from four European discovery populations.

Methylglyoxal modification of Nav1.8 facilitates nociceptive neuron firing and causes hyperalgesia in diabetic neuropathy.

This study establishes a mechanism for metabolic hyperalgesia based on the glycolytic metabolite methylglyoxal. We found that concentrations of plasma methylglyoxal above 600 nM discriminate between diabetes-affected individuals with pain and those without pain. Methylglyoxal depolarizes sensory neurons and induces post-translational modifications of the voltage-gated sodium channel Na(v)1.

Which clinical variables have the most significant correlation with quality of life evaluated by SF-36 survey in Croatian cohort of patient with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis?

The aim of our study was to assess clinical variables with the best correlation to quality of life (QOL) assessed by medical outcome survey Short-Form 36 (SF-36) in patients with spondyloarthritides, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We analyzed the cohort of 54 patients (22 patients with PsA and 32 patients with AS), who filled the Croatian version of SF-36. For each type of arthritis, patients were clinically evaluated using the extensive list of clinical variables categorized into subjective and objective group.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) as early predictors for survival in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Background: Severe sepsis, septic shock, and resulting organ failure appear as the most common cause of death in intensive care medicine. Inflammatory mediators (interleukin-6/IL-6), cell adhesion molecules (intercellular adhesion molecule-1/ICAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1/VCAM-1), and redox active substances (manganese superoxide dismutase/MnSOD, macrophage migration inhibitory factor/MIF) must be considered to be central hubs in the inflammatory process. However, their exact pathophysiologic function and prognostic value are still poorly understood.

Targeting Fas in osteoresorptive disorders.

Importance Of The Field: Fas receptor is a mediator of the external apoptotic pathway in many cells and tissues. It is proposed that Fas receptor mediates osteoresorptive effects of estrogen deficiency and local/systemic inflammation.

Areas Covered In This Review: This review covers the past two decades of research on the expression and function of the Fas-Fas ligand system on bone cells, involvement in the pathogenesis of osteoresorption and potential therapeutic modulation.

RAGE and ICAM-1 cooperate in mediating leukocyte recruitment during acute inflammation in vivo.

The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) contributes to the inflammatory response in many acute and chronic diseases. In this context, RAGE has been identified as a ligand for the beta(2)-integrin Mac-1 under static in vitro conditions. Because intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 also binds beta(2)-integrins, we studied RAGE(-/-), Icam1(-/-), and RAGE(-/-) Icam1(-/-) mice to define the relative contribution of each ligand for leukocyte adhesion in vivo.

Fas receptor is required for estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss in mice.

Bone mass is determined by bone cell differentiation, activity, and death, which mainly occur through apoptosis. Apoptosis can be triggered by death receptor Fas (CD95), expressed on osteoblasts and osteoclasts and may be regulated by estrogen. We have previously shown that signaling through Fas inhibits osteoblast differentiation.

Peripheral blood expression profiles of bone morphogenetic proteins, tumor necrosis factor-superfamily molecules, and transcription factor Runx2 could be used as markers of the form of arthritis, disease activity, and therapeutic responsiveness.

Objective: To assess whether different forms of arthritis and disease activity could be distinguished by peripheral blood expression profiles of bone-regulatory factors including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-superfamily [TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), the Fas ligand (FasL), and the ligand for herpesvirus entry mediator (LIGHT)] and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-family members (BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-6) as well as osteoblast differentiation gene Runx2.

Methods: Blood cells from healthy controls (n = 25) and patients at different disease stages with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 49), osteoarthritis (OA; n = 17), or spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS; n = 27) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA; n = 23), were processed for quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Gene expression was assessed in comparison with control samples, correlated with clinical data of different forms of arthritis, and analyzed for discriminative efficacy between groups by receiver-operation characteristic (ROC) curves.

Bone morphogenetic proteins and receptors are over-expressed in bone-marrow cells of multiple myeloma patients and support myeloma cells by inducing ID genes.

We assessed the expression pattern and clinical relevance of BMPs and related molecules in multiple myeloma (MM). MM bone-marrow samples (n=32) had increased BMP4, BMP6, ACVR1 and ACVR2A, and decreased NOG expression compared with controls (n=15), with BMP6 having the highest sensitivity/specificity. Within MM bone-marrow, the source of BMPs was mainly CD138(+) plasma-cell population, and BMP6 and ACVR1 expression correlated with plasma-cell percentage.