Finite Element Combined Design and Material Optimization Addressing the Wear in Removable Implant Prosthodontics.

Wear at the male-female interface of retentive elements in implant-supported removable prostheses is the most frequent complication in such applications. The lack of an ideal/optimal insertion path, as well as the fabrication inaccuracies, are the primary contributors to this issue. A male attachment with a common ball anchor enhanced by lateral flexibility was investigated as a solution, compared to the widely used rigid ball anchor design.

Factors Influencing Length of Care in Physical Therapy After Pediatric and Adolescent Concussion.

Context: Social determinants of health including insurance type, income, race, and ethnicity have been shown to influence the utilization of physical therapy and recovery after an orthopedic injury. The influence of social determinants of health on the utilization of physical therapy and recovery from concussion is not well understood.

Design: Prospective observational registry study in a specialty concussion program.

How can restaurants entice patrons to order environmentally sustainable dishes? Testing new approaches based on hedonic psychology and affective forecasting theory.

Encouraging restaurant guests to order vegetarian dishes plays a key role in creating a more environmentally sustainable tourism sector. However, for many consumers eating a meat dish is an important aspect of their enjoyment-focused restaurant experience. Identifying new approaches that support restaurants in selling more vegetarian dishes are urgently needed.

Invariance of Mitochondria and Synapses in the Primary Visual Cortex of Mammals Provides Insight Into Energetics and Function.

The cerebral cortex accounts for substantial energy expenditure, primarily driven by the metabolic demands of synaptic signaling. Mitochondria, the organelles responsible for generating cellular energy, play a crucial role in this process. We investigated ultrastructural characteristics of the primary visual cortex in 18 phylogenetically diverse mammals, spanning a broad range of brain sizes from mouse to elephant.

Validation of the Employment Precariousness Scale and its associations with mental health outcomes: results from a prospective community-based study of pregnant women and their partners in Dresden, Germany.

Objective: To translate the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES) from Spanish into German (EPRES-Ge), adapt it to the German context, assess the psychometric properties and show prospective associations with mental health outcomes within the peripartum period.

Design: Analyses encompassed descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the structure of the EPRES, and multivariate regression analyses with mental health outcomes 8 weeks after birth.

Participants: Self-report data from 3,455 pregnant women and their partners within the Dresden Study on Parenting, Work, and Mental Health prospective longitudinal cohort study were used.

Using the Multicomponent Aerosol FORmation Model (MAFOR) to Determine Improved VOC Emission Factors in Ship Plumes.

International shipping's particulate matter primary emissions have a share in global anthropogenic emissions of between 3% and 4%. Ship emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can play an important role in the formation of fine particulate matter. Using an aerosol box model for the near-plume scale, this study investigated how the changing VOC emission factor (EF) for ship engines impacts the formation of secondary PM in ship exhaust plumes that were detected during a measurement campaign.

Extracellular vesicles produced by HIV-1 Nef-expressing cells induce myelin impairment and oligodendrocyte damage in the mouse central nervous system.

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are a spectrum of cognitive impairments that continue to affect approximately half of all HIV-positive individuals despite effective viral suppression through antiretroviral therapy (ART). White matter pathologies have persisted in the ART era, and the degree of white matter damage correlates with the degree of neurocognitive impairment in patients with HAND. The HIV protein Nef has been implicated in HAND pathogenesis, but its effect on white matter damage has not been well characterized.

Stability and inter-family associations of hair endocannabinoid and N-acylethanolamines across the perinatal period in mothers, fathers, and children.

Analysis of endocannabinoids (ECs) and N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) in hair is assumed to retrospectively assess long-term EC/NAE concentrations. To inform their use, this study investigated stability of EC/NAE hair concentrations in mothers, fathers, and their children across the perinatal period as well as associations between family members. In a prospective cohort study, EC (AEA, 1-AG/2-AG) and NAE (SEA, PEA, OEA) levels were quantified in hair samples taken four times in mothers (n = 336) and their partners (n = 225) from pregnancy to two years postpartum and in offspring (n = 319) from shortly after birth to two years postpartum.

Small Extracellular Vesicles Promote Stiffness-mediated Metastasis.

Unlabelled: Tissue stiffness is a critical prognostic factor in breast cancer and is associated with metastatic progression. Here we show an alternative and complementary hypothesis of tumor progression whereby physiologic matrix stiffness affects the quantity and protein cargo of small extracellular vesicles (EV) produced by cancer cells, which in turn aid cancer cell dissemination. Primary patient breast tissue released by cancer cells on matrices that model human breast tumors (25 kPa; stiff EVs) feature increased adhesion molecule presentation (ITGα2β1, ITGα6β4, ITGα6β1, CD44) compared with EVs from softer normal tissue (0.

E-cadherin interacts with EGFR resulting in hyper-activation of ERK in multiple models of breast cancer.

The loss of intercellular adhesion molecule E-cadherin is a hallmark of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), during which tumor cells transition into an invasive phenotype. Accordingly, E-cadherin has long been considered a tumor suppressor gene; however, E-cadherin expression is paradoxically correlated with breast cancer survival rates. Using novel multi-compartment organoids and multiple in vivo models, we show that E-cadherin promotes a hyper-proliferative phenotype in breast cancer cells via interaction with the transmembrane receptor EGFR.

A phenotypic screening platform for identifying chemical modulators of astrocyte reactivity.

Disease, injury and aging induce pathological reactive astrocyte states that contribute to neurodegeneration. Modulating reactive astrocytes therefore represent an attractive therapeutic strategy. Here we describe the development of an astrocyte phenotypic screening platform for identifying chemical modulators of astrocyte reactivity.

In Vitro Handling Characteristics of a Particulate Bone Substitute for Ridge Preservation Procedures.

While particulate bone substitute materials are applied in a variety of augmentation procedures, standardized defects are being used for preclinical testing. This in vitro study evaluated the density and homogeneity of a particulate bone substitute in ridge preservation procedures. Premolars and molars were extracted in ten semimandibles of minipig cadavers.

Does parental mental health mediate the association between parents' perceived stress and parent-infant bonding during the early COVID-19 pandemic?

Background: The spread of the COVID-19 virus was declared a pandemic in March 2020. New restrictions such as 'lockdowns' and 'social distancing' created challenges for individuals' work-life balance, financial situation, family life, and physical and mental health. The global population's stress levels rose in response to these changes, leading to a widespread deterioration of mental health.

Reducing Hemoglobin A1C Levels in Type II Diabetes: A Retrospective Analysis of the Renew Procedure.

Introduction: Periodontal disease and type 2 diabetes are interrelated, with inflammation playing a significant role in the progression of both conditions. Previous research has demonstrated the potential of various treatments, such as diet, exercise, and periodontal therapies, to improve glycemic control in diabetic patients.

Method: This study proposed a novel surgical approach, the Renew Procedure, as a potential solution to enhance glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients with periodontal issues.

Childbirth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms - examining associations with hair endocannabinoid concentrations during pregnancy and lifetime trauma.

Evidence has linked alterations of the endocannabinoid system with trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Childbirth-related PTSD symptoms (CB-PTSS) affect about every eighth woman and can negatively influence the entire family. While aetiological models of CB-PTSD include psychological risk factors such as maternal trauma history and negative subjective birth experience (SBE), they lack biological risk indicators.

A unique cell population expressing the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-transcription factor Snail moderates microglial and astrocyte injury responses.

Insults to the central nervous system (CNS) elicit common glial responses including microglial activation evidenced by functional, morphological, and phenotypic changes, as well as astrocyte reactions including hypertrophy, altered process orientation, and changes in gene expression and function. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that initiate and modulate such glial response are less well-defined. Here we show that an adult cortical lesion generates a population of ultrastructurally unique microglial-like cells that express Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transcription factors including Snail.

Reliability of human retina organoid generation from hiPSC-derived neuroepithelial cysts.

The possible applications for human retinal organoids (HROs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) rely on the robustness and transferability of the methodology for their generation. Standardized strategies and parameters to effectively assess, compare, and optimize organoid protocols are starting to be established, but are not yet complete. To advance this, we explored the efficiency and reliability of a differentiation method, called CYST protocol, that facilitates retina generation by forming neuroepithelial cysts from hiPSC clusters.

Measurement and Modeling of Ship-Related Ultrafine Particles and Secondary Organic Aerosols in a Mediterranean Port City.

Maritime transport emerges as a major source of ultrafine particle (UFP) pollution in coastal regions with consequences for the health of people living in port cities. Inhalation of UFPs can cause inflammation and oxidative stress, which are starting points for further diseases. In addition to primary particles, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) may form through the photo-oxidation of volatile organic compounds emitted in ship exhaust.

Evaluation of different debridement strategies for implant-abutment connections: An in vitro study.

Statement Of Problem: Technical complications, including abutment fracture, are a clinical reality. After retrieving failed components, re-establishing a reliable implant-abutment connection is essential, but recommendations on how to clean the interface are lacking.

Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate different clinical debridement strategies for removing titanium powder from an implant-abutment interface with regard to their efficacy and associated risk of damaging the interface.

B cell depletion modulates glial responses and enhances blood vessel integrity in a model of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by a compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) resulting in central nervous system (CNS) entry of peripheral lymphocytes, including T cells and B cells. While T cells have largely been considered the main contributors to neuroinflammation in MS, the success of B cell depletion therapies suggests an important role for B cells in MS pathology. Glial cells in the CNS are essential components in both disease progression and recovery, raising the possibility that they represent targets for B cell functions.

A missense variant in DGKG as a recessive functional variant for hepatic fibrinogen storage disease in Wagyu cattle.

Hepatic fibrinogen storage disease (HFSD) was diagnosed in a 5-month-old Wagyu calf with a history of recurrent respiratory disease. It was characterized by lethargy, dehydration, acidemia, and increased liver enzyme activities. Histologically, disseminated hepatocytes were swollen and showed a single, sharply demarcated, faintly eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion with a ground-glass appearance, with the nucleus in an eccentric position.