Orofacial Cleft and Its Association with Consanguineous Marriage and Other Risk Factors: A Case-control Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Jammu Province.

Background: Orofacial cleft is among the most common craniofacial malformations. It presents a complex and multifactorial etiology that involves genetic and environmental factors. One of the etiological factors is consanguinity (marriage between blood relatives).

Robotics-Assisted Cochlear Implant Insertion.

The degree of intracochlear trauma and force associated with manual electrode insertion may negatively impact cochlear implant (CI) outcomes and preservation of residual acoustic hearing. Robotics-assisted CI insertion systems have recently been developed to overcome human kinematic constraints associated with manual surgical techniques to allow lower force and slower electrode insertions, with the goal of improving performance and hearing preservation outcomes. The iotaSOFT (iotaMotion Inc.

Robotic assistance during cochlear implantation: the rationale for consistent, controlled speed of electrode array insertion.

Cochlear implants (CI) have revolutionized the treatment of patients with severe to profound sensory hearing loss by providing a method of bypassing normal hearing to directly stimulate the auditory nerve. A further advance in the field has been the introduction of "hearing preservation" surgery, whereby the CI electrode array (EA) is carefully inserted to spare damage to the delicate anatomy and function of the cochlea. Preserving residual function of the inner ear allows patients to receive maximal benefit from the CI and to combine CI electric stimulation with acoustic hearing, offering improved postoperative speech, hearing, and quality of life outcomes.

Combining Intraoperative Electrocochleography with Robotics-Assisted Electrode Array Insertion.

Objective: To describe the use of robotics-assisted electrode array (EA) insertion combined with intraoperative electrocochleography (ECochG) in hearing preservation cochlear implant surgery.

Study Design: Prospective, single-arm, open-label study.

Setting: All procedures and data collection were performed at a single tertiary referral center.

Evaluation of Real-Time Intracochlear Electrocochleography for Guiding Cochlear Implant Electrode Array Position.

This study evaluates intracochlear electrocochleography (ECochG) for real-time monitoring during cochlear implantation. One aim tested whether adjusting the recording electrode site would help differentiate between atraumatic and traumatic ECochG amplitude decrements. A second aim assessed whether associations between ECochG amplitude decrements and post-operative hearing loss were weaker when considering hearing sensitivity at the ECochG stimulus frequency compared to a broader frequency range.

Dermatoglyphics: Prediction for Prevention: An Innovative Tool in our Stash!

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) has created pandemonium worldwide and so in India which is alarming and accentuates the need to foster novel and effective preventive strategies that are synergistic with the current one. There are different methods to diagnose ECC. Nonetheless, up until now, there has been no method to predict ECC.

Custom-Made Ethyl Vinyl Acetate Insoles with Arch Support Could Improve Static Balance in Diabetic Women with Neuropathic Foot.

Background: Individuals with diabetic neuropathy may experience plantar ulcers and postural instability. Although use of an insole with arch support has the potential to decrease the incidence of plantar ulcers, the choice of proper design and material density concerning postural stability is challenging. The objective of this pilot study was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the immediate effects of custom-made ethyl vinyl acetate insoles with arch support and Shore A values of 30 or 50 on static balance in patients with diabetes and neuropathic foot/feet.

Artificial intelligence applications in prostate cancer.

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications have enabled remarkable advancements in healthcare delivery. These AI tools are often aimed to improve accuracy and efficiency of histopathology assessment and diagnostic imaging interpretation, risk stratification (i.e.

Middle Cranial Fossa Approach for Sporadic Vestibular Schwannoma: Patient Selection, Technical Pearls, and Hearing Results.

The middle fossa approach is an excellent technique for removing appropriate vestibular schwannomas in patients with serviceable hearing. Knowledge of the intricate middle fossa anatomy is essential for optimal outcomes. Gross total removal can be achieved with preservation of hearing and facial nerve function, both in the immediate and long-term periods.

Development of an abdominal dose accumulation tool and assessments of accumulated dose in gastrointestinal organs.

Online adaptive radiotherapy has demonstrated improved dose conformality in response to inter-fraction geometric variations in the abdomen. The dosimetric impact of intra-fractional variations in anatomic configuration resulting from breathing, gastric contraction and slow configuration motion, however, have been largely ignored, leading to differences between delivered and planned. To investigate the impact of intra-fractional abdominal motions on delivered dose, anatomical deformations due to these three motion modes were extracted from dynamic MRI data using a previously developed hierarchical motion modeling methodology.

Quality and Safety Considerations in Image Guided Radiation Therapy: An ASTRO Safety White Paper Update.

Purpose: This updated report on image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is part of a series of consensus-based white papers previously published by the American Society for Radiation Oncology addressing patient safety. Since the first white papers were published, IGRT technology and procedures have progressed significantly such that these procedures are now more commonly used. The use of IGRT has now extended beyond high-precision treatments, such as stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiation therapy, and into routine clinical practice for many treatment techniques and anatomic sites.

Real-time prediction of stomach motions based upon gastric contraction and breathing models.

Precision radiation therapy requires managing motions of organs at risk that occur during treatment. While methods have been developed for real-time respiratory motion tracking, non-breathing intra-fractional variations (including gastric contractile motion) have seen little attention to date. The purpose of this study is to develop a cyclic gastric contractile motion prediction model to support real-time management during radiotherapy.

The effects of a custom foot orthosis on dynamic plantar pressure in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. The plantar fascia supports the longitudinal arch and absorbs ground reaction forces during the static and dynamic phase(s) of weight-bearing. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial study was to determine the effects of CAD/CAM foot orthoses that were designed based on the dynamic plantar pressure in patients with plantar fasciitis.

Lutetium-177 DOTATATE: A Practical Review.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors that originate in endocrine tissues throughout the body. Though most are indolent, clinical outcomes vary greatly based on histologic differentiation and grade. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for patients with locally advanced and/or metastatic disease refractory to standard of care treatment.

Lutetium-177 Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Therapy: A Practical Review.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen is a transmembrane protein found predominately on prostate epithelium and is expressed at high levels in prostate cancer. In this review, we discuss the background, clinical data, patient selection, side effects, and necessary resources to deliver lutetium-177 prostate-specific membrane antigen in the research setting, or as standard of care if approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Targeted radionuclide therapeutics require understanding of fundamental principles of radiobiology and physics, and radiation oncologists and medical physicists are well-suited to play an integral role in their delivery and treatment response monitoring as key components of a multidisciplinary care team.

Compliance of Special Health Care Needs and Healthy Pediatric Patients with Preventive Visits after Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia.

To identify compliance of special health care needs and healthy pediatric patients with preventive dental appointments after treatment under general anesthesia (GA).
Records of special health care needs (SHCN) patients treated under GA in 2015 and 2016 were reviewed. The control group consisted of randomly selected healthy patients also treated under GA in the same time period and hospital.

Shortwave infrared otoscopy for diagnosis of middle ear effusions: a machine-learning-based approach.

Otitis media, a common disease marked by the presence of fluid within the middle ear space, imparts a significant global health and economic burden. Identifying an effusion through the tympanic membrane is critical to diagnostic success but remains challenging due to the inherent limitations of visible light otoscopy and user interpretation. Here we describe a powerful diagnostic approach to otitis media utilizing advancements in otoscopy and machine learning.

New Bioconjugated Technetium and Rhenium Folates Synthesized by Transmetallation Reaction with Zinc Derivatives.

The zinc dithiocarbamates functionalized with folic acid and were synthesized with a simple straightforward method, using an appropriated folic acid derivative and a functionalized zinc dithiocarbamate (). Zinc complexes and show very low solubilities in water, making them useful for preparing Tc-99m radiopharmaceuticals with a potentially high molar activity. Thus, the transmetallation reaction in water medium between the zinc complexes or and the cation -[Tc(HO)(CO)], in the presence of the monodentate ligand TPPTS, leads to the formation of the 2 + 1 complexes -[Tc(CO)(SS)(P)] bioconjugated to folic acid ( and ).

Modeling intra-fractional abdominal configuration changes using breathing motion-corrected radial MRI.

Abdominal organ motions introduce geometric uncertainties to gastrointestinal radiotherapy. This study investigated slow drifting motion induced by changes of internal anatomic organ arrangements using a 3D radial MRI sequence with a scan length of 20 min. Breathing motion and cyclic GI motion were first removed through multi-temporal resolution image reconstruction.

Bioconjugated technetium carbonyls by transmetalation reaction with zinc derivatives.

The transmetalation reaction between zinc dithiocarbamates functionalized with organic groups and the cation fac-[Tc(HO)(CO)] has been studied as a new strategy to bind biomolecules to this radionuclide for preparing radiopharmaceuticals with high molar activity. All complexes were obtained in high yields by heating at moderate temperatures and without subsequent purification. The chemical identity was ascertained by HPLC comparison with the homologous rhenium complexes.

A hierarchical model of abdominal configuration changes extracted from golden angle radial magnetic resonance imaging.

Abdominal organs are subject to a variety of physiological forces that superimpose their effects to influence local motion and configuration. These forces not only include breathing, but can also arise from cyclic antral contractions and a range of slow configuration changes. To elucidate each individual motion pattern as well as their combined effects, a hierarchical motion model was built for characterization of these 3 motion modes (characterized as deformation maps between states) using golden angle radial MR signals.

The Fusion of Incident Learning and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis for Data-Driven Patient Safety Improvements.

Purpose: Incident learning is a critical part of the quality improvement process for all radiation therapy clinics. Failure mode and effects analysis has also been adopted as a hazard analysis method within the field of radiation oncology based on the recommendations of American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group 100. In this work, we demonstrate a fusion of these techniques that is efficient and transferrable to all types of clinics and that allows data-driven targeting of the highest risk error types.