Fracture resistance of monolithic gradient zirconia crowns with different finish line designs and cement spaces.

Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the effects of various finish line designs and cement gap thicknesses on the fracture resistance of gradient zirconia crowns.

Methods: Sixty crowns were fabricated on stainless-steel dies with yttria multi-layered (YML) zirconia and categorized into three primary groups according to finish line type (knife-edge, chamfer, and rounded shoulder). Each group was further classified into two subgroups (n = 10) according to cement space thickness (50 or 80 μm).

International consensus statement on microbiome testing in clinical practice.

There is growing interest in the potential exploitation of the gut microbiome as a diagnostic tool in medicine, but evidence supporting its clinical usefulness is scarce. An increasing number of commercial providers offer direct-to-consumer microbiome diagnostic tests without any consensus on their regulation or any proven value in clinical practice, which could result in considerable waste of individual and health-care resources and potential drawbacks in the clinical management of patients. We convened an international multidisciplinary expert panel to standardise best practices of microbiome testing for clinical implementation, including recommendations on general principles and minimum requirements for their provision, indications, pre-testing protocols, method of analyses, reporting of results, and potential clinical value.

The Critical Role of Host and Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles in Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory, oestrogen-dependent disorder that is defined by the presence of endometrium-like tissue in the extra-uterine environment. It is estimated to affect approximately 10% of women of reproductive age, and the cause is still largely unknown. The heterogenous nature and complex pathophysiology of the disease results in diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Common Mental Health Conditions and Self-Stigma in Saudi Adults: Implications for Promotion and Intervention.

Objective: Saudi Arabian adults face high rates of depression, stress, and anxiety. Self-stigma complicates the situation, hindering timely treatment and resulting in adverse outcomes. This study examined the prevalence of these mental health conditions and self-stigma among adults and their association with sociodemographic factors in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia.

Next-generation cancer therapeutics: PROTACs and the role of heterocyclic warheads in targeting resistance.

One of the major obstacles to sustained cancer treatment effectiveness is the development of medication resistance. Current therapies that block proteins associated with cancer progression often lose their efficacy due to acquired drug resistance, which is frequently driven by mutated or overexpressed protein targets. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) offer an alternative therapeutic strategy by hijacking the cell's ubiquitin-proteasome system to degrade disease-causing proteins, presenting several potential advantages.

Vascular Complications After Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: A CT Study.

Objectives: Vascular complications after venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) remains poorly studied, although they may highly impact patient management after ECMO removal. Our aim was to assess their frequency, predictors, and management.

Design: Retrospective, observational cohort study.

Fusion of Color Correction and HSV Segmentation Techniques for Automated Segmentation of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

This article presents an enhanced segmentation methodology for the accurate detection of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in blood smear images. The proposed approach integrates color correction techniques with HSV color space segmentation to improve white blood cell analysis. Our method addresses common challenges in microscopic image processing, including sensor nonlinearity, uneven illumination, and color distortions.

The circulating methylome in childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease.

The genetic contribution to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompassing both Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), accounts for around 20% of disease variance, highlighting the need to characterise environmental and epigenetic influences. Recently considerable progress has been made in characterising the adult methylome, in epigenome-wide association studies. We report detailed analysis of the circulating methylome in 86 patients with childhood-onset CD,UC and 30 controls using the Illumina Infinium Human MethylationEPIC platform.

Pediatric Respiratory Infections ‎After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single-Center Experience.

Background Pediatric respiratory infections, mainly bronchiolitis, are a substantial clinical burden. The most common etiology is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Other viruses include human rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, influenza, adenovirus, coronavirus, and parainfluenza viruses.

Peritonitis Secondary to Ruptured Hydatid Liver Cyst in a Young Postpartum Woman: A Rare Case Report.

Hydatid disease, caused primarily by Echinococcus granulosus, is prevalent in regions where livestock farming is common. Although typically considered benign, ruptured hydatid cysts into the abdominal cavity present a rare but severe complication requiring urgent surgical intervention. We hydatid liver cyst, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of this occurrence, as it has never been reported in the literature before.

The road to a world-unified approach to the management of patients with gastric intestinal metaplasia: a review of current guidelines.

Objective: During the last decade, the management of gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) has been addressed by several distinct international evidence-based guidelines. In this review, we aimed to synthesise these guidelines and provide clinicians with a global perspective of the current recommendations for managing patients with GIM, as well as highlight evidence gaps that need to be addressed with future research.

Design: We conducted a systematic review of the literature for guidelines and consensus statements published between January 2010 and February 2023 that address the diagnosis and management of GIM.

β-resorcylic acid released by Limosilactobacillus reuteri protects against cisplatin-induced ovarian toxicity and infertility.

Chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian insufficiency (CIPOI) triggers gonadotoxicity in women undergoing cancer treatment, leading to loss of ovarian reserves and subfertility, with no effective therapies available. In our study, fecal microbiota transplantation in a cisplatin-induced POI mouse model reveals that a dysbiotic gut microbiome negatively impacts ovarian health in CIPOI. Multi-omics analyses show a significant decrease in Limosilactobacillus reuteri and its catabolite, β-resorcylic acid , in the CIPOI group in comparison to healthy controls.

Prospective multi-center evaluation of the incidence of unplanned extubation and its outcomes in French intensive care units. The Safe-ICU study.

Background: We aimed to determine the epidemiology and outcomes of unplanned extubation (UE), both accidental and self-extubation, in ICU.

Methods: A multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted in 47 French ICUs. The number of mechanical ventilation (MV) days, and planned and unplanned extubation were recorded in each center over a minimum period of three consecutive months to evaluate UE incidence.

Targeted gene therapy for cancer: the impact of microRNA multipotentiality.

Cancer is a life-threatening disease and its management is difficult due to its complex nature. Cancer is characterized by genomic instability and tumor-associated inflammation of the supporting stoma. With the advances in omics science, a treatment strategy for cancer has emerged, which is based on targeting cancer-driving molecules, known as targeted therapy.

Comparative Analysis of Logistic Regression, Gradient Boosted Trees, SVM, and Random Forest Algorithms for Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury Requiring Dialysis After Cardiac Surgery.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the best-performing algorithm for predicting Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) necessitating dialysis following cardiac surgery.

Patients And Methods: The dataset encompassed patient data from a tertiary cardiothoracic center in Malaysia between 2011 and 2015, sourced from electronic health records. Extensive preprocessing and feature selection ensured data quality and relevance.

Jejunocolic intussusception after colonic esophageal interposition-A case report.

The management of gastrointestinal complications in patients with complex medical history poses significant challenges to healthcare clinicians. A 42-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency department with excruciating abdominal pain and signs of bowel obstruction. The patient had a previous history of schizophrenia and esophageal stricture, treated 6 years ago with colonic esophageal interposition.

Cannabidiol (CBD) facilitates cocaine extinction and ameliorates cocaine-induced changes to the gut microbiome in male C57BL/6JArc mice.

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a global health problem with no approved medications. One potential treatment target is the gut microbiome, but it is unknown if cocaine induces long-lasting effects on gut microbes. A novel therapeutic candidate for CUD, cannabidiol (CBD), can improve gut function in rodent models.

Change in microbiota profile after vaginal estriol cream in postmenopausal women with stress incontinence.

Introduction: Vaginal estrogen is a treatment for genitourinary symptoms of menopause (GSM), which comprises vaginal atrophy and urinary dysfunction, including incontinence. Previous studies show that estrogen therapy promotes lactobacilli abundance and is associated with reduced GSM symptoms, including reduction of stress incontinence. However, detailed longitudinal studies that characterize how the microbiome changes in response to estrogen are scarce.

Sample size determination for conducting a pilot study to assess reliability of a questionnaire.

This article is a narrative review that discusses the recommended sample size requirements to design a pilot study to assess the reliability of a questionnaire. A list of various sample size tables that are based on the kappa agreement test, intra-class correlation test and Cronbach's alpha test has been compiled together. For all calculations, type I error (alpha) was set at a maximum value of 0.