Expression of beam hardening artifacts on horizontally stitched cone-beam computed tomography images.

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the expression of beam hardening artifacts generated by high atomic number materials in stitched cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images, compared to the traditional acquisition mode.

Materials And Methods: CBCT volumes were acquired using an acrylic resin phantom embedded with pairs of cylinders made from amalgam dental alloy, cobalt-chromium alloy, gutta-percha, titanium, and zirconium. These cylinders were placed within the overlapping zones of the stitching reconstruction area.

Evaluation of post-COVID mortality risk in cases classified as severe acute respiratory syndrome in Brazil: a longitudinal study for medium and long term.

Background: There are few studies in the literature evaluating post-COVID mortality in Brazil, along medium and long term, especially in those who presented severe clinical disease.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the factors associated with post-COVID mortality of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) cases from 2020 to 2023 in Brazil, along medium and long term.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study using notification data of SARS classified as COVID-19 from the Brazilian National Information System, "Sistema de Vigilância Epidemiológica (SIVEP)," during the period 2020 to 2023.

Factors associated with access to health services among people with long COVID in the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: Access to healthcare services for the population with long COVID is a challenge, as healthcare systems have been tasked with responding effectively to the extensive clinical heterogeneity of this disease.

Objective: To analyze the factors associated with access to health services among people with long COVID in the Brazilian Amazon.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using a quantitative method, conducted through an online survey between May 2023 and January 2024.

Lipophagy and epigenetic alterations are related to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease progression in an experimental model.

Background: Genetic and epigenetic alterations are related to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) pathogenesis.

Aim: To evaluate micro (mi)RNAs and lipophagy markers in an experimental model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

Methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into two groups: Control group ( = 10) fed a standard diet; and intervention group ( = 10) fed a high-fat-choline-deficient diet for 16 weeks.

Immunogenicity and safety of the fourth dose of quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in immunosuppressed women who did not seroconvert after three doses.

Introduction: Immunocompromised persons have high risk of persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV-related diseases, and lower immune response to vaccines. This study evaluated the immunogenicity and safety of administering a fourth dose of quadrivalent (4v)HPV vaccine in immunosuppressed women who did not seroconvert after three doses.

Methods: An open-label, not-controlled trial included immunosuppressed women (solid organ transplant patients and women receiving treatment for SLE) who did not seroconvert to at least one of the four HPV vaccine types after three 4vHPV vaccine doses.

Longitudinal Changes in Medial Meniscal Extrusion After ACL Injury and Reconstruction and Its Relationship With Cartilage Degeneration Assessed Using MRI-Based T1ρ and T2 Analysis.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury often leads to posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), despite ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Medial meniscal extrusion (MME) is implicated in PTOA progression but remains understudied after ACL injury and ACLR.

Hypothesis/purpose: It was hypothesized that MME would increase longitudinally after ACL injury and ACLR, with greater changes in the ipsilateral knee compared with the contralateral knee, leading to cartilage degeneration.

Chronic stress triggers impairments of the redox status of salivary glands associated with different histological responses in rats.

Stress occurs as a reaction to mental and emotional pressure, anxiety, or scarring. Chronic stress is defined as constant submission to these moments. It can affect several body systems, increase blood pressure, and weaken immunity, thereby interfering with physiological health processes.

Psychometric properties of the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS) in the Brazilian general population.

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS).

Methods: The scale was tested on two Internet-based samples: GPS-CCC (n = 657) and GPS-Brazil (n = 431). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on GPS-CCC.

Molecular dynamics of transferrin receptor binder peptides: unlocking blood-brain barrier for enhanced CNS drug delivery.

A cystine-dense peptide (CDP) named TfRB1 was identified for its ability to bind to the transferrin receptor (TfR). CDPs are stabilized by their disulfide bonds, and variants of TfRB1 - specifically TfRB1G1, TfRB1G2, and TfRB1G3 - are explored for their potential to transport molecules across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the central nervous system (CNS). This study employed molecular modeling and dynamics simulations to characterize the interactions between these TfRB1 variants and TfR.

Streamlining Global Germplasm Exchange: Integrating Scientific Rigor and Common Sense to Exclude Phantom Agents from Regulation.

This collaborative work by over 180 researchers from 40+ countries addresses the challenges posed by "phantom agents"-putative pathogenic agents named in literature without supporting data on their existence. Those agents remain on regulatory lists, creating barriers in trade and plant certification. Historically identified based solely on symptoms, these agents lack isolates or sequence data, making reliable detection or risk assessment impossible.

Interfacial Engineering of Pillared Co(II) Metal-Organic Framework@NiMn-Layered Double Hydroxide Nanocomposite for Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysis.

Clean energy conversion and storage require simple, economical, and effective electrode materials to achieve promising results. The development of high-performance electrocatalysts with adequate stability and cost-effectiveness is essential to ensure low overpotentials toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, a cobalt-based metal-organic framework with 4,4,4-6T14 topology in combination with various ratios of NiMn-layered double hydroxide (Co-MOF@%NiMn-LDH, = 5, 10, 20, and 40%) is applied as an effective electrocatalyst for the oxidation of water.

Rheumatic Diseases Following Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) has been associated with weight reduction and obesity complications improvement. However, there is no clear evidence of the extent and consistency of the effects of this procedure on rheumatic diseases. This study aims to conduct a meta-analysis to address the impact of MBS on rheumatic diseases.

Do instrument kinematics and the apical preparation limit influence canal disinfection and bacterial extrusion?

This in vitro research assessed the influence of the instrument kinematics (rotary and reciprocating) and the apical preparation limit on the root canal disinfection and apical bacterial extrusion. After 21 days of Enterococcus faecalis biofilm formation in 72 mesial root canals of mandibular molars, the root canals were distributed into 2 groups (n = 36) according to the systems used for preparation: ProDesign S and Reciproc. The groups were redistributed according to the limit of apical preparation (n = 11): (a) 1 mm up to the apical foramen (TL-1); (b) at the apical foramen (TL = 0); (c) 1 mm beyond the apical foramen (TL + 1).

Esthetic Solutions in Pediatric Patients With Conical Teeth, From Digital Planning to Execution.

The quest for an esthetically pleasing smile is a key driver in seeking dental interventions aimed at achieving a more balanced and harmonious appearance. The purpose of this report is to discuss the restoration of conical lateral incisors in an 11-year-old patient. The treatment approach employed direct composite resin restorations associated with the Digital Smile Design (DSD) technology.

The mini-flank lumbotomy for pyeloplasty in association with the Ottoni pyelostent: An inexpensive and efficient combination.

Pyeloplasty at an early age (<2 years) can be treated by a flank open, laparoscopy or robotic approach. We want to demonstrate our strategy and how to construct a very inexpensive pyelostent from a Foley tube. The Ottoni catheter is made from a Foley tube, sectioning the proximal end keeping a plastic circular basement for fixation to the skin.

Longitudinal analysis of hospital morbidity and mortality due to skin cancer from 2012 to 2022: comparison with demographic and geographic factors in Brazilian states.

Background: Skin cancer is the most common neoplasm among Brazilians, accounting for 31.3% of all cancer cases in the country.

Objectives: To analyze the longitudinal morbimortality of skin cancer and compare it with the latitude and the prevalence of white skin color in each federative unit of the country.

Cost-of-illness analysis of chronic urticaria clinical management in five countries of Latin America.

Introduction: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a disease with a high impact on the quality of life of patients. There are some evaluations of the economic cost of the disease in developed countries, but there is little information about the economic cost of the disease in developing countries. Our aim was to assess the economic diagnostic and therapeutic expenses of CSU in five Latin American (LA) countries.

A Biokinetic Approach in Primary Knee Osteoarthritis Prevention and Management - Exploring Movement Profiles and Kinetic Chain Interactions: Current Concepts.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease characterized by increasing prevalence and significant physical, psychological, and economic burdens. Despite extensive research, the definition, risk factors, and effective cost-efficient treatments for knee OA remain unclear. This article aims to revisit primary knee OA, understanding its etiology, and focusing on prevention and individualized non-operative treatment modalities.

Apical periodontitis and systemic health: a bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most-cited publications.

Background: Bibliometric analysis quantitatively measures the impact of scientific articles within their respective fields, with citation counts being a key indicator of influence. This study aimed to identify the top 100 most-cited articles related to apical periodontitis (AP) and systemic health, analyzing their main characteristics.

Methods: The top 100 most-cited articles were identified using Web of Science (WoS).

Enhanced remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils using biochar and zeolite combinations with additives: a meta-analysis.

Soil heavy metal (HM) contamination is a major concern in agricultural lands due to its potential to enter the food chain and its adverse health effects. Remediation materials such as biochar (BC) and zeolites (ZE) have been studied for their potential to mitigate risks associated with soil HM contamination. This meta-analysis evaluates changes in the availability of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn following the application of BC and ZE to soil, whether applied individually, in combination (BC+ZE), or with additives (BC+ZE+A).

Galactokinase and galactose metabolism in Leishmania spp.

In Leishmania, the nucleotide-sugar UDP-galactose can be synthesized by a salvage pathway, the Isselbacher route, involving phosphorylation of galactose and the action of UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase. The first enzyme of the pathway, galactokinase, has yet to be studied in this parasite. Here, we report a molecular and biochemical characterization of this enzyme in Leishmania mexicana.