Association between metabolic syndrome and lupus nephritis activity.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) represents an additional burden and a poor prognostic factor for the onset or worsening of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular complications. In many patients with lupus nephritis (LN), MetS is often already manifested initially. Our work aimed to determine the frequency and characteristics of MetS in patients with LN, as well as the relationship components of MetS and characteristics of disease activity.

Supporting Individuals With an Acquired Brain Injury: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study Exploring the Everyday Lives of Caregivers.

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is one of the most common causes of disability and death globally. Support from informal caregivers is critical to the well-being and quality of life of people with ABI and supports the sustainability of global health and social care systems. This study presents an in-depth qualitative analysis of the experiences of eight British informal caregivers supporting someone with ABI.

The significance of biomarkers of inflammation in predicting the activity of Lupus nephritis.

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most severe manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There are increased studies examining the role of different markers that would facilitate diagnosis, LN activity monitoring, relapse occurrence, and the right time to introduce maintenance therapy. We aimed to examine the importance of determining the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immuneinflammatory index (SII) and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) in LN, comparing their significance with other standard parameters of active disease.

Comparison urine neutrophil gelatinase - associated lipocalin with standard parameters in monitoring activity Lupus nephritis: Class IV.

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most serious complications in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus, that can adversely affect the course and prognosis of this autoimmune disease. Therefore, monitoring the effect of applied therapy, achieving remission, or monitoring class IV LN activity is still a great challenge for nephrologists. This study aimed to compare the urinary neutrophile gelatinase associated lipocalin (u/NGAL) with traditionally accepted parameters for LNactivity to indicate the importance of its determination in these patients.

Cytomorphometric and Clinical Changes in Gingival Tissue after Subgingival Tooth Preparation-A Pilot Study.

Tooth preparation for a metal-ceramic crown with a subgingival finish line can lead to inflammatory changes in the gingival tissue, often accompanied by cell damage. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical signs of inflammation and the cytomorphological status of the gingival tissue before and after tooth preparation. The research included a homogeneous group of 19 patients with an indication for upper canine preparation.

Using the Transformative Storytelling Technique to Generate Empowering Narratives for Informal Caregivers: Semistructured Interviews, Thematic Analysis, and Method Demonstration.

Background: The transformative storytelling technique is an innovative top-down approach to narrative therapy that aims to provide building blocks for creating flourishing narratives for target groups or populations. This approach acts as a facilitator for implementing the human-centered design in developing digital self-help tools for larger samples or target groups.

Objective: This study applied the transformative storytelling technique, as a new approach in mental health, to develop empowering audio narratives for informal caregivers.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) with Oleic Acid as an Efficient Biofilm Repellent.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), widely used in dentistry, is unfortunately a suitable substrate for (.) colonization and biofilm formation. The key step for biofilm formation is .

A Novel Hybrid NN-ABPE-Based Calibration Method for Improving Accuracy of Lateration Positioning System.

Positioning systems based on the lateration method utilize distance measurements and the knowledge of the location of the beacons to estimate the position of the target object. Although most of the global positioning techniques rely on beacons whose locations are known , miscellaneous factors and disturbances such as obstacles, reflections, signal propagation speed, the orientation of antennas, measurement offsets of the beacons hardware, electromagnetic noise, or delays can affect the measurement accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel hybrid calibration method based on Neural Networks (NN) and Apparent Beacon Position Estimation (ABPE) to improve the accuracy of a lateration positioning system.

Can the chokeberry juice be used as additional therapy for burning mouth syndrome in menopausal women?

The researchers' aims were to evaluate the effects of chokeberry juice in the treatment of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and oral discomfort in menopausal women. The following validated scales and questionnaires were used before and after treatment: questionnaire used for selection of research participants with xerostomia, the xerostomia inventory, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), localization of pain before and after treatment, short-form McGill pain questionnaire. There was statistically significant decrease in number of research participants who felt pain after therapeutic procedure ( < 0.

The potential of transformative video design for improving caregiver's wellbeing.

The existing interventions for informal caregivers assist with managing health outcomes of the role burden. However, the deeper meaning-making needs of informal caregivers have been generally neglected. This paper reflects on the meaning-making needs of informal caregivers, through the theory of narrative identity, and proposes a new approach - the Transformative Video Design technique delivered via video storytelling.

Oral Health-Related Risk Factors Among Students in Southeast Serbia.

BACKGROUND An association between insufficient or irregular oral hygiene with the occurrence of dental caries, gingival/periodontal diseases, and consequently general diseases has been established. The null hypothesis that there is no difference in the oral health status among students in a preclinical medical program and those who went through a clinical medical program was tested. The main objective of the study was to analyze oral health risk factors (oral hygiene practices, attitudes, and behavior) as well as their impact on oral health by using convenience sampling.

Can Salivary Biomarkers Be Used as Predictors of Dental Caries in Young Adolescents?

BACKGROUND Identifying caries predictors in the subpopulation at risk is one of the preconditions for developing effective caries prevention measures. The present exploratory study aimed to examine the significance of socio-demographic characteristics, dietary-hygiene habits, salivary pH, and salivary antimicrobial HNP-1, hBD-2, and LL-37 peptides as potential caries risk predictors in children ages 11-13 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS This prospective 1-year study enrolled 213 children ages 11-13 years.

Digital Mental Health Tools for Caregivers of Older Adults-A Scoping Review.

Informal caregivers have an important role in bridging the gap between the assistance care recipients need and what can be provided by the health care systems across Europe. The burden of the caregiving role places a significant threat to caregiver health, and the vast majority of caregiver's report stress and emotional strain, depression, and increased rates of chronic diseases. In line with this, strengthening the caregiver's mental health is one of the main goals for optimal caregiving.

A New Photocatalyst Bismuth Oxo Citrate: Synthesis, Characterization, and Photocatalytic Performance.

  A new photocatalyst bismuth oxo citrate was synthesized by facile precipitation process with calcination at 200 °C. The photocatalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, N2 sorptometry, and elemental analysis. Morphologically, it is composed of polyhedral particles with different, irregular shapes and sizes.

Hexosomes with Undecylenic Acid Efficient against Candida albicans.

Due to the growing issues with fungal infections, especially with , there is still a need to develop novel anti- materials. One of the known antifungal agents is undecylenic acid (UA), which still cannot be efficiently used due to its oily nature, and thus limited solubility. By taking advantage of the properties of UA, we developed an emulsion with hexagonal phase, i.

Anti-inflammatory effect of the Salvia sclarea L. ethanolic extract on lipopolysaccharide-induced periodontitis in rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Salvia sclarea L., clary, is an aromatic plant traditionally used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases and conditions. Although it has been primarily used as a stomachic, there are data on traditional use of S.

Artificial saliva effect on toxic substances release from acrylic resins.

Background/aim: Acrylic-based resins are intensively used in dentistry practice as restorative or denture-base materials. The purpose of this study was to analyze the surface structure of denture base resins and the amount of released potentially toxic substances (PTS) immediately upon polymerization and incubation in different types of artificial saliva.

Methods: Storage of acrylic samples in two models of artificial saliva were performed in a water bath at the temperature of 37 +/- 1 degrees C.

Phenolic Compounds from Atriplex littoralis and Their Radiation-Mitigating Activity.

From the aerial parts of Atriplex littoralis, three new flavonoid glycosides named atriplexins I-III (1-3), a known flavonoid glycoside, spinacetin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (4), arbutin (5), and 4-hydroxybenzyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (6) were isolated. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR (COSY, NOESY, TOCSY, HSQC, HMBC) and HRESITOF MS data. The compounds were tested for in vitro protective effects on chromosome aberrations in peripheral human lymphocytes using a cytochalasin-B-blocked micronucleus (MN) assay in a concentration range of 0.

A Novel Biosorbent Lagenaria vulgaris Shell - ZrO₂for the Removal of Textile Dye From Water.

A new biosorbent, abbreviated as LVB-ZrO₂, was synthesized by chemically modifying Lagenaria vulgaris shell with ZrO₂. The removal of textile dye RB19 from aqueous solution by LVB-ZrO₂was studied. Characterization by SEM, FTIR and XRD confirmed the chemical modification of the biomaterial, which showed significant improvement of removal efficiency compared with unmodified Lagenaria vulgaris shell.

Specificities of transplantation of kidneys procured from donors with situs inversus totalis--a case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Situs inversus totalis (SIT) represents a total vertical transposition of the thoracic and abdominal organs which are arranged in a mirror image reversal of the normal positioning. We presented a successful pre-dialysis kidney transplantation from a living sibling donor with SIT and the longest donor follow-up period, along with analysis of the reviewed literature.

Case Report: The pair for pre-dialysis kidney transplantation included a 68-year-old mother and 34-year-old daughter at low immunological risk.

Oral health-related quality of life of edentulous patients after complete dentures relining.

Background/aim: Tooth loss affects oral health-related life quality. More than a third of edentulous patients are not fully satisfied with their complete dentures and mainly complain of insufficient stability, retention, and pain during mastication. Solving the problem may include relining by materials that are based on silicone or acrylic.

Kidney failure as an unusual initial presentation of biclonal gammopathy (IgD multiple myeloma associated with light chain disease)--a case report.

Introduction: Immunoglobulin D (IgD) myeloma is a rare disease, about 2% of all myelomas, even rarer when accompanied with another multiple myeloma in biclonal gammopathy. We presented a case of biclonal gammopathy-as-sociated manifestation of IgD myeloma and light chain disease in a patient who initially had renal failure.

Case Report: 37-year-old male approximately one month before hospitalization began to feel malaise and fatigue along with decreased urination.

Determination of vertical dimension of occlusion by using the phonetic vowel "O" and "E".

Background/aim: The vertical dimension of occlusion is a very important parameter for proper reconstruction of the relationship between the jaws. The literature describes many methods for its finding, from the simple, easily applicable clinically, to quite complicated, with the use of one or more devices for determination. The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of determining the vertical dimension of occlusion using the vocals "O" and "E" with the control of values obtained by applying cognitive functions.