Factors associated with the dental service utilization by enrollees on the Lagos State health insurance scheme, Nigeria.

Background: Despite assumptions that insurance coverage would boost oral healthcare utilization in Nigeria, there is insufficient evidence supporting this claim. This study investigates the associations between residential location, awareness of the oral health insurance scheme, history of dental service utilization, and acceptance of oral health insurance among individuals benefiting from the Ilera Eko Scheme; a scheme that integrates preventive and curative oral health care into the state health insurance scheme.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to November 2023 recruiting from a database of 1520 enrollees aged of 18 and 72-years-old who had been on the scheme for at least three months.

Reliability of the OMERACT Giant cell arteritis Ultrasonography Score (OGUS): results of a patient-based exercise involving experts and non-experts in vascular ultrasonography.

Objective: To test the reliability of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Giant cell arteritis (GCA) Ultrasonography Score (OGUS) and other composite scores in a patient-based exercise involving experts and non-experts in vascular ultrasonography.

Methods: Six GCA patients were scanned twice (two rounds separated ≥3 hours) by 12 experts and 12 non-experts. Non-experts received 90 min of theoretical and 240 min of practical training between rounds 1 and 2.

Semi-standardized evaluation of extraprostatic extension and seminal vesicle invasion with [F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT: a comparison to MRI using histopathology as reference.

Background: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with prostate specific membrane antigen ligands (PSMA) is established for use in primary staging of prostate cancer to screen for metastases. It has also shown promise in local tumor staging, including detection of extraprostatic extension (EPE) and seminal vesicle invasion (SVI). Previous studies have shown high heterogeneity in methods and results.

Portuguese Society of Ophthalmology and Portuguese Society of Human Genetics Joint Clinical Practice Guidelines for Genetic Testing in Inherited Retinal Dystrophies.

The Portuguese Society of Ophthalmology and the Portuguese Society of Human Genetics developed clinical practice guidelines to streamline genetic testing for inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs), underlining the critical role of molecular diagnosis in enhancing patient care. Genetic testing is pivotal in diagnosis, genetic counselling, prognosis and access to clinical trials, and new gene-specific therapies. These guidelines recommend genetic testing in all IRD patients and provide a detailed assessment of available testing methods, ensuring that genetic counselling is integrated into ophthalmic care.

Melatonin, an Antitumor Necrosis Factor Therapy.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a biomarker of inflammation whose levels are elevated in patients with several diseases associated with dysregulation of the immune response. The main limitations of currently used anti-TNF therapies are the induction of immunodepression, which in many cases leads to serious adverse effects such as infection and cancer, and the inability to cross the blood-brain barrier in neuroinflammatory conditions. Melatonin, in addition to being a chronobiotic compound, is widely known for its antioxidant and immunomodulatory capacity to control inflammatory processes in different pathological contexts.

Oncological outcomes after radical prostatectomy of localized prostate cancer: stratified by magnetic resonance imaging and risk classification.

Background: We investigated whether combining T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and clinical risk categories improves upon established prognostic indicators of oncological outcomes in prostate cancer.

Methods: Patients who underwent radical prostatectomy, but not preoperative hormone therapy, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, for localized prostate cancer at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from October 2007 to April 2016 were included. MRIs were classified according to the Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS).

Single-nuclei RNA-sequencing fails to detect molecular dysregulation in the preeclamptic placenta.

Introduction: Single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) revolutionized our understanding of tissue complexity in health and disease and revealed massive transcriptional dysregulation across placental cell classes in early-onset, but not late-onset preeclampsia (PE). However, the multinucleated syncytium is largely inaccessible to cell dissociation. Nuclei isolation and single-nuclei RNA-seq may be preferable in the placenta; not least considering compatibility with long-term tissue storage.

Functional and Oncological Outcomes of Very Large Prostate Sizes Post Robotic Radical Prostatectomy: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Background: Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is widely used as the main surgical approach to treat prostate cancer in the United States. Prostate size is often described as a factor affecting the outcomes of RARP as shown by many studies. However, these studies are limited to a small number of patients.

Evaluation of volatile safety in children's play mats based on non-targeted screening and risk prioritization.

Given the widespread use of play mats and their close contact with children, it is crucial to identify potential chemical hazards associated with these products. In this study, 34 play mats, comprising four materials (3 EPE, 15 XPE, 5 PVC, 11 EVA), were subjected to non-targeted screening based on headspace gas chromatography-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HS-GC-Orbitrap HRMS), which screened out 71 volatile substances. The 20 significantly different substances were recognized by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), while the characteristic substances in each type of play mat were determined through clustering heat map and Venn diagram.

The Role of Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Evaluating Prostate Adenocarcinoma: A Partially-Blinded Retrospective Study of a Prostatectomy Patient Cohort With Whole Gland Histopathology Correlation and Application of PI-RADS or TNM Staging.

Background: Dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the current Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System version 2.1 (PI-RADS v2.1) is considered optional, with primary scoring based on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI).

Fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation of the medial femoral condyle in an elite football player.

We present an elite footballer in his 20s with a large and symptomatic osteochondral lesion of the weight-bearing area of the medial femoral condyle, who was proposed for a single plug fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation. The lesion was due to repetitive micro traumas and had become highly symptomatic being responsible for making the football practice at a professional level almost impossible, reaching a point that keeping an elite sports career was compromised. Six months after surgery, the athlete returned to sports and, at a 3-year follow-up, still participated in elite high-level football, with a Tegner Activity Scale 10/10, IKDC 93.

The effect of using Echinacea extract as an immune system stimulant and antioxidant on blood indicators, growth efficiency, and carcass characteristics in broiler chickens to produce a healthy product.

This study aimed to discover how Echinacea powder extract (EPE), an antioxidant, affects the growth rate, body composition, and blood parameters in broilers as an alternative to antibiotics. In a completely randomized design study, 4 experimental groups received 280 broiler chicks, 5-days-old (Cobb 500). Each group was distributed into 7 replicates, each containing ten unsexed chicks.

Effectiveness of cognitive fusion transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy when compared with final prostatectomy histology.

Introduction And Objectives: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. Cognitive fusion transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy is one of several modalities for diagnosing this disease. However, no existing studies have shown the clear superiority of one image-guided technique over another.

Inflammatory bowel disease and cardiac function: a systematic review of literature with meta-analysis.

Background: Morphological and functional cardiac involvement is rarely described in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but there is evidence that they have an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events despite the lower prevalence of traditional CV risk factors.

Objectives: Our systematic review and meta-analysis examined the relationship between IBD and cardiac function, namely the incidence of heart failure (HF) and subclinical echocardiographic changes.

Data Sources And Methods: Two medical databases, PubMed and Scopus, were systematically searched up to September 2022 to identify all studies reporting HF and/or echocardiographic changes in IBD patients.

Unraveling the Synergistic Role of Sm Doped NiFe-LDH as High-Performance Electrocatalysts for Improved Anion Exchange Membrane and Water Splitting Applications.

Effective first-row transition metal-based electrocatalysts are crucial for large-scale hydrogen energy generation and anion exchange membrane (AEM) devices in water splitting. The present work describes that SmNiFe-LDH nanosheets on nickel foam are used as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting and AEM water electrolyzer study. Tuning the Ni-to-Fe ratios in NiFe-LDH and doping with Sm ions improves the electrical structure and intrinsic activity.

Extension patellar engagement index: a new measurement of patellar height.

Introduction: Patellar instability is a multifactorial pathology requiring precise evaluation of its contributing factors, particularly patella alta. Patellotibial height measurement indexes, such as the Caton-Deschamps index, have the disadvantage of being referenced to the tibia. Patellotrochlear indexes are more appropriate but fail to account for variable knee flexion during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Effect of floral therapy in mothers of premature newborns: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To analyze the effect of using Bach's emergency compound, Five-Flower essence, on the stress level of mothers with premature newborns.

Methods: The randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted with 117 postpartum women. They were divided into intervention (with five-flower) and control groups.

Stillbirth and Congenital Syphilis: Autopsy and Placental Findings of 11 Cases and Review of the Literature.

Syphilis is a preventable and treatable disease, which continues to strike low-income countries and vulnerable populations in high-income countries. It is caused by , a spirochete capable of traversing the placental barrier, with a high rate of fetal and placental infection. Congenital syphilis (CoS) has poor prognosis if left untreated.

Metal-Free Electrocatalytic Alkaline Water Splitting by Porous Macrocyclic Proton Sponges.

Macrocycles are unique as they encapsulate and transfer guest molecules or ions and facilitate catalytic processes. Although metalated macrocycles are pivotal in electrocatalytic processes, using metal-free analogs has been rare. Following the strategy of Kanbara et al.

Babinski-Nageotte syndrome after vertebral artery dissection and foramen arcuale.

Vertebrobasilar ischaemia happens for a myriad of reasons. Among the rarest is the existence of a foramen arcuale (FA). This condition results from the ossification of the lateral edge of the posterior atlantooccipital membrane, closing, completely or partially, the top of this groove, turning it into a foramen or a channel.

Examination of Piezo1-TRPV4 Dynamics: Implications for Placental Endothelial Function in Normal and Preeclamptic Pregnancies.

Mechanosensation is essential for endothelial cell (EC) function, which is compromised in early-onset preeclampsia (EPE), impacting offspring health. The ion channels Piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1 (Piezo1) and Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 4 (TRPV4) are co-regulated mechanosensors in ECs. Current evidence suggests that both channels could mediate aberrant placental endothelial function in EPE.

Serum Neutrophil Biomarkers to Predict Crohn's Disease Progression and Infliximab Treatment Outcomes.

Background And Aims: Predicting the treatment outcomes of biological therapies is an unmet need in Crohn's Disease. In this study, we explored the potential of serum neutrophil-related biomarkers to predict infliximab therapeutic results and disease progression in Crohn's Disease patients, over a 2-year period, in a real-world setting.

Methods: The study included 100 asymptomatic Crohn's Disease patients in the IFX maintenance phase from the prospective, observational, multicenter DIRECT study.