Bridging Classrooms and Communities: The Transformative Impact of Community-Based Dental Education on the Learning Experiences of Undergraduate Students.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of community-based dental education (CBDE) on the learning experiences of undergraduate dental students and recent dental graduates from two diverse geographical regions.

Methods: The study followed a cross-sectional design, conducted online using Google Forms, with ethical approval from Qatar University. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to recruit dental students and recent graduates from three institutions in India and one in Qatar.

T-2 Toxin Nephrotoxicity: Toxic Effects, Mechanisms, Mitigations, and Future Perspectives.

T-2 toxin is a highly toxic fungal toxin that threatens humans and animals' health. As a major detoxifying and metabolic organ, the kidney is also a target of T-2 toxin. This article reviews T-2 toxin nephrotoxicity research progress, covering renal structure and function damage, nephrotoxicity mechanisms, and detoxification methods to future research directions.

Synergistic effects of GmLFYa and GmLFYb on Compound Leaf Development in Soybean.

Legume leaves exhibit diverse compound forms, with various regulatory mechanisms underlying the development. The transcription factor-encoding KNOXI genes are required to promote leaflet initiation in most compound-leafed angiosperms. In non-IRLC (inverted repeat-lacking clade) legumes, KNOXI are expressed in compound leaf primordia but not in others (IRLC).

Leading Women in Respiratory Care: Letter From Saudi Arabia.

Special Series: Leading Women in Respiratory Clinical Sciences.

Where does the tether break in vertebral body tethering cases? Clinical insights from revision cases after tether breakage.

Purpose: To evaluate the sites where the tether breaks in vertebral body tethering (VBT) cases.

Methods: Intraoperative evaluation of broken tethers in patients who had anterior revision.

Inclusion Criteria: anterior revision of VBT cases with explantation of the full implant and photo documentation.

Anatomic variations in origin and coursing of the transverse cervical artery: morphogenesis and relation to the high arch-shaped subclavian artery.

This case report presents an atypical transverse cervical artery with its detailed anatomy, morphogenesis, and association with the high arch-shaped subclavian artery. The atypical arteries, related arteries, and adjacent cervical and brachial plexuses were macroscopically examined in a 98-year-old Japanese female cadaver donated to The Nippon Dental University for medical education and research. The atypical deep branch of the transverse cervical artery originated from the internal thoracic artery and passed through between the C5 and C6 roots, in close contact with the C5 and C6 junction, to reach the dorsal side of the brachial plexus.

Preserved brain youthfulness: longitudinal evidence of slower brain aging in superagers.

Background: Superagers, older adults with exceptional cognitive abilities, show preserved brain structure compared to typical older adults. We investigated whether superagers have biologically younger brains based on their structural integrity.

Methods: A cohort of 153 older adults (aged 61-93) was recruited, with 63 classified as superagers based on superior episodic memory and 90 as typical older adults, of whom 64 were followed up after two years.

Kurarinone Mitigates LPS-Induced Inflammatory Osteolysis by Inhibiting Osteoclastogenesis Through the Reduction of ROS Levels and Suppression of the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway.

Inflammatory bone resorption represents a pathological condition marked by an increase in bone loss, commonly associated with chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis. Current therapies primarily focus on anti-inflammatory drugs and bisphosphonates; however, these treatments are limited due to side effects, inadequate efficacy, and unpredictable long-term complications. Kurarinone (KR), a bioactive compound isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Sophora flavescens, exhibits a range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and cardiovascular protective effects.

The legacy of endophytes for the formation of bioactive agents, pigments, biofertilizers, nanoparticles and bioremediation of environment.

Endophytes have significant prospects for applications beyond their existing utilization in agriculture and the natural sciences. They form an endosymbiotic relationship with plants by colonizing the root tissues without detrimental effects. These endophytes comprise several microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi.

In Vivo Confocal Microscopy for Automated Detection of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Study Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.

The objectives of this study are to construct a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model to diagnose and classify meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) based on the in vivo confocal microscope (IVCM) images and to evaluate the performance of the DCNN model and its auxiliary significance for clinical diagnosis and treatment. We extracted 6643 IVCM images from the three hospitals' IVCM database as the training set for the DCNN model and 1661 IVCM images from the other two hospitals' IVCM database as the test set to examine the performance of the model. Construction of the DCNN model was performed using DenseNet-169.

Design and Validation of a High-Fidelity Left Atrial Cardiac Simulator for the Study and Advancement of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion.

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common chronic cardiac arrhythmia that increases the risk of stroke, primarily due to thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage (LAA). Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) devices offer an alternative to oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention. However, the complex and variable anatomy of the LAA presents significant challenges to device design and deployment.

Assessing online chat-based artificial intelligence models for weight loss recommendation appropriateness and bias in the presence of guideline incongruence.

Background And Aim: Managing obesity requires a comprehensive approach that involves therapeutic lifestyle changes, medications, or metabolic surgery. Many patients seek health information from online sources and artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot before consulting health professionals. This study aims to evaluate the appropriateness of the responses of Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot to questions on pharmacologic and surgical management of obesity and assess for bias in their responses to either the ADA or AACE guidelines.

Effects of obstructive sleep apnea on nocturnal changes in blood pressure - a retrospective study.

To explore the effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on nocturnal changes in blood pressure (BP), we enrolled 2037 participants who underwent polysomnography (PSG) between 2019 and 2020 and examined BP changes before and after sleep. BP was measured in the evening and the following morning using an electronic wrist sphygmomanometer in the supine position. The severity of OSA was determined by PSG and graded based on the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI).

Promoting Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Medical and Scientific Writing and Publishing of Research: A Statement from the Inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advocacy Team of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) has a long-standing history of publishing manuscripts focused on health equity and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in scientific writing and publishing. This is extremely important in the current climate where false narratives and attacks on DEI and health equity are rampant. To demonstrate their commitment to DEI and health equity, the JGIM Editors-in-Chief created an inaugural DEI Advocacy Team.

Predictors of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 in a Diverse Urban Population.

Background: Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) are ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms present at least 3 months after infection. Predictors of PASC, particularly across diverse racial and ethnic groups, remain unclear.

Objectives: Assess the prevalence of PASC 1 year after infection, examining differences in PASC prevalence by the social construct of race.

Climatically Specialized Lineages of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and its Likely Asian Origins.

Chytridiomycosis is a wildlife disease that has caused significant declines in amphibian populations and species extinctions worldwide. Asia, where the causal pathogens Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamndrivorans (Bsal) originated, has not witnessed mass die-offs.

Draft Genome of Naganishia uzbekistanensis from a Clinical Pulmonary Infection.

This study presents the first high-quality assembled genome of Naganishia uzbekistanensis, derived from a clinical isolate CY11558 obtained from a patient with a postoperative pulmonary infection. This work provides an improved reference assembly for downstream research and diagnosis of infections caused by this species.

Effect of Acupuncture on Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been effectively treated with acupuncture, but the significance of quality of life, depression, and anxiety in the assessment of IBS patients has received little consideration. This study examined the impact of acupuncture on depression, anxiety, and quality of life in IBS patients.

Method: PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), EMBASE, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Chinese Biological Medical (CBM, SinoMed) Database, and the Wan Fang Database were among the electronic databases from which relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were systematically retrieved between their inception and July 2023.

Kdm2a inhibition in skeletal muscle improves metabolic flexibility in obesity.

Skeletal muscle is a critical organ in maintaining homoeostasis against metabolic stress, and histone post-translational modifications are pivotal in those processes. However, the intricate nature of histone methylation in skeletal muscle and its impact on metabolic homoeostasis have yet to be elucidated. Here, we report that mitochondria-rich slow-twitch myofibers are characterized by significantly higher levels of H3K36me2 along with repressed expression of Kdm2a, an enzyme that specifically catalyses H3K36me2 demethylation.

Preventing the progression of cirrhosis to decompensation and death.

Two main stages are differentiated in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD), one compensated (cACLD) with an excellent prognosis, and the other decompensated (dACLD), defined by the appearance of complications (ascites, variceal bleeding and hepatic encephalopathy) and associated with high mortality. Preventing the progression to dACLD might dramatically improve prognosis and reduce the burden of care associated with ACLD. Portal hypertension is a major driver of the transition from cACLD to dACLD, and a portal pressure of ≥10 mmHg defines clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) as the threshold from which decompensating events may occur.

Quality of orthodontic care in an academic setting in the Middle East.

Assessment of the quality of orthodontic care in a UAE-based orthodontic postgraduate training institution was conducted using multiple indices, including the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR), American Board of Orthodontics Objective Grading System (ABO-OGS), and Index of Complexity Outcome and Need (ICON). Retrospective evaluation of pre- and post-treatment records of patients (n = 201) treated with fixed orthodontic appliances was performed by two examiners Statistical analysis assessed the influence of gender, type of malocclusion, need for extraction, missed appointments and number of treating residents on treatment duration. The average numerical reduction of the PAR and ICON scores at the start and end of the treatment were 17.