Intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex®) findings over time: ultrasound and ultra-widefield fundus photography.

Background: Ozurdex® (Allergan®, AbbVie Company, North Chicago, Illinois, EUA), is composed of 0.7 mg of dexamethasone, fused in a solid biodegradable PLGA polymer, whose degradation occurs naturally in the vitreous cavity, usually in six months after its application.

Methods: In this study, we included patients aged ≥ 18 years with one or two eyes who had an indication for Ozurdex implants.

Minimally invasive type A aortic dissection repair: aortic valve resuspension with neomedia creation and the Ascyrus Medical Dissection Stent.

Type A aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate surgical intervention. The goal of traditional approaches is to treat the disease promptly, regardless of invasiveness, in order to achieve the quickest surgical outcome. This strategy has been shown to be associated with significant morbidity, extended recovery and postoperative complications.

Biology and medicine on ocular surface restoration: Advancements and limits of limbal stem cell deficiency treatments.

Ocular vision can be hampered by corneal damages, sensibly reducing patients' quality of life and having important social and economic consequences. Ocular surface diseases, which often lead to corneal opacities with visual impairment are the most severe forms of the Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD). The present review provides an updated perspective on the available treatments for LSCD, focusing on clinical and biological features, as well as critical points to monitor during clinical translation.

Response of a Blood Clot Adherent to Bone, Oral Mucosa and Hard Dental Tissues to a Uniaxial Tensile Test: An In Vitro Study.

: Periodontal therapy aims to arrest the progression of periodontal diseases and possibly to regenerate the periodontal apparatus. To shift healing from repair to regeneration, the blood clot that fills the periodontal defect and remains in contact with structures such as tooth root, mucosa and bone needs to be stable, which is a reason why the treatment of non-containing periodontal bone defects, in which the clot may undergo displacement, is challenging. The gingival soft tissue, properly sutured, may act as a wall for blood clot stabilization.

Maxillary sinus lift augmentation: A randomized clinical trial with histological data comparing deproteinized bovine bone grafting vs graftless procedure with a 5-12-year follow-up.

Introduction: Different protocols and procedures for sinus lift and implant placement are available, generally involving the use of grafts to increase the tissue volume and/or prevent the Schneiderian membrane from collapsing. Among xenografts, deproteinised bovine bone graft (DBBP) is frequently used in sinus lift procedures. Leaving an ungrafted space following membrane elevation has proven to have a bony regenerative potential as well.

Iodine Plaque Brachytherapy a Customized Conservative Approach to the Management of Medium/Large-sized Uveal Melanoma.

Background/aim: The objective of this study was to assess the role of iodine (I) plaque brachytherapy in the management of uveal melanoma.

Patients And Methods: This is a retrospective study of 50 patients (median age 67 years; range=33-86 years) with uveal melanoma, treated with I plaque brachytherapy at the University Hospital of Pisa. Uveal melanoma was diagnosed with A-scan and B-scan standardized echography, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green-angiography, optical coherence tomography, and/or magnetic resonance imaging.

Myofunctional Speech Therapy for Facial Rejuvenation and Orofacial Function Improvement: A Systematic Review.

This review aims to reveal the effectiveness of myofunctional speech therapy on facial rejuvenation and/or improvement of orofacial function. A systematic review of four medical electronic databases (Medline, Google Scholar, SciELO, and LILACS) was conducted between January and March 2023. The research question was defined using the PICO model: Population (P): adult subjects with signs of physiological aging of facial skin.

Development and Validation of a META-Algorithm to Identify the Indications of Use of Biological Drugs Approved for the Treatment of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases from Claims Databases: Insights from the VALORE Project.

Purpose: This research aimed to develop and validate a META-algorithm combining individual immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID)-specific algorithms to identify the exact IMID indications for incident biological drug users from claims data within the context of the Italian VALORE project.

Methods And Patients: All subjects with at least one dispensing of TNF-alpha inhibitors, anti-interleukin agents, and selective immunosuppressants approved for IMIDs were identified from claims databases of Latium region in Italy (observation period: 2010-2020). Validated coding algorithms for identifying individual IMIDs from claims databases were found from published literature and combined into a META-algorithm.

Minimally Invasive Blood Collection for an Mpox Serosurvey among People Experiencing Homelessness.

Background: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are underrepresented in public health and clinical research. Study methods that can improve participation by this group are needed.

Methods: In late 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted an mpox serological survey using venipuncture among PEH in San Francisco, California.

Comparing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of sulfonylureas and newer diabetes drugs as second-line therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: We aimed to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness profiles of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1-RA), sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) compared with sulfonylureas and glinides (SU).

Research Design And Methods: Population-based retrospective cohort study based on linked regional healthcare utilization databases. The cohort included all residents in Lombardy aged ≥40 years, treated with metformin in 2014, who started a second-line treatment between 2015 and 2018 with SU, GLP-1-RA, SGLT2i, or DPP-4i.

Molecular Analysis of Peri-implant Soft Tissue Response to Different Abutment Materials in Humans: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the response of human peri-implant soft tissue (PIST) to different healing abutment materials 24 hours after positioning by assessing the expression of genes related to the early connective tissue wound healing response.

Materials And Methods: The following four materials were used to create experimental abutments that were mounted on implants placed in five patients (four different abutments in each patient): group A-grade 4 titanium (Ti), group B-grade 5 Ti, group C-zirconia (Zr), and group D-polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Before implant placement, a gingival biopsy (control, CT) sample was obtained using a 2-mm-diameter punch (T0).

Switching patterns of biological drugs in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis: insight from the VALORE database network.

Background: Switch patterns among different biologics and from originators to biosimilars (and vice versa) can be complex in patients with psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe switching patterns of biological drugs in PsO/PsA patients and to explore predictors of multiple switches and switch-back.

Research Design And Methods: A large-scale retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Italian VALORE database.

Photon vs proton hypofractionation in prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: High-level evidence on hypofractionated proton therapy (PT) for localized and locally advanced prostate cancer (PCa) patients is currently missing. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic literature review to compare the toxicity and effectiveness of curative radiotherapy with photon therapy (XRT) or PT in PCa.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched up to April 2022.

State-of-the-art silicon carbide diode dosimeters for ultra-high dose-per-pulse radiation at FLASH radiotherapy.

The successful implementation of FLASH radiotherapy in clinical settings, with typical dose rates >40 Gy s, requires accurate real-time dosimetry.Silicon carbide (SiC) p-n diode dosimeters designed for the stringent requirements of FLASH radiotherapy have been fabricated and characterized in an ultra-high pulse dose rate electron beam. The circular SiC PiN diodes were fabricated at IMB-CNM (CSIC) in 3m epitaxial 4H-SiC.

First use of silicon carbide detectors with graphene-enhanced contacts for medical dosimetry.

Silicon Carbide (SiC) is a radiation hard wide bandgap semiconductor, which makes it an interesting alternative for radiation detector fabrication, with potential applications such as High Energy Physics, synchrotron and radiotherapy instrumentation. In addition, by reducing the amount of metal over the active area of said detectors (typically used for electrical connectivity with the implant of the pn-junction) unwanted effects from secondary interactions which can affect the accuracy of the measurement can be diminished, essential to meet the medical standards of precision. In this article, the use of epitaxially-grown graphene is explored as an alternative to metallic contacts with these prototypes.

Xenograft Combined with a Mixture of Polynucleotides and Hyaluronic Acid (PNs-HA) for Horizontal Alveolar Bone Regeneration: Clinical and Histologic Assessments in a Case Series.

The present case series aims to investigate the use of polynucleotides mixed with hyaluronic acid (PNs-HA) in the form of gel to promote bone regeneration in horizontal alveolar defects. Overall, 6 adult patients underwent localized horizontal guided bone regeneration by means of xenogeneic bone substitute and a resorbable barrier with a staged approach. The graft consisted in a mixture of deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) particles and PNs-HA gel in a 3:1 ratio, respectively.

COVID-19 monitoring of school personnel through molecular salivary test and dried blood spot analysis.

Background: When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic broke out, most countries enforced school closures as a precautionary measure. Although COVID-19 is still present three years later, schools have been reopened. We aimed to test the association of molecular salivary testing (MST) and dried blood spot (DBS) analysis for community surveillance by investigating the immunological profile of a group of school staff during and following COVID-19 vaccination.

Impact of culture media on primary human corneal endothelial cells derived from old donors.

Corneal endothelial dysfunction is a major indication for corneal transplantation. However, a global shortage of donor corneal tissues and risks associated with corneal surgeries have prompted exploration of alternative options, including tissue-engineered grafts or cell injection therapy. Nonetheless, these approaches require a controlled culture of primary human corneal endothelial cells (HCEnCs).

New trends in science communication fostering evidence-informed policymaking.

This article aims to assess novel trends in science communication relating to how policymakers in the field of innovation and digitalisation policy consume and use scientific findings. We investigate the mutual influence that science communication and policy have on each other and answer the question how emerging science communication trends in the science-policy nexus might influence the use of scientific findings in the policymaking process. By using Google and the largest scholarly repositories, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Academia.