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.

Georgios Photeinos and his (1835) published in Ottoman Smyrna.

The , authored by Ottoman pharmacist Georgios Photeinos and published in 1835 in Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, T??rkiye), is a historically significant yet largely overlooked work in 19th-century pharmaceutical literature. At a time when modern pharmaceutical resources in Greek were scarce, Photeinos sought to address this gap by creating a comprehensive pharmacopoeia that extensively drew from the Austrian Pharmacopoeia, as well as French and Latin sources. Although he initiated the project around 1804, political upheavals delayed its completion by more than three decades.

Pharmaceutical company PLIVA: from Nobel laureate Vladimir Prelog to global blockbuster - antibiotic azithromycin.

The history of the Croatian pharmaceutical company PLIVA from the very beginning to the status of a recognisable European and global player is described. Special attention is paid to PLIVA's cooperation with the Croatian Nobel laureate Vladimir Prelog and the invention of the proprietary antibiotic azithromycin. The antibiotic was commercialised in cooperation with the US-based company Pfizer.

Validity of one-time phantomless patient-specific quality assurance in proton therapy with regard to the reproducibility of beam delivery.

Background: Patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) is a crucial yet resource-intensive task in proton therapy, requiring special equipment, expertise and additional beam time. Machine delivery log files contain information about energy, position and monitor units (MU) of all delivered spots, allowing a reconstruction of the applied dose. This raises the prospect of phantomless, log file-based QA (LFQA) as an automated replacement of current phantom-based solutions, provided that such an approach guarantees a comparable level of safety.

Modeling absorbed alpha particle dose from diffusing alpha-emitters radiation therapy in changing tissue volumes.

Background: Diffusing alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy ("Alpha DaRT") is a promising new radiation therapy modality for treating bulky tumors. Ra-carrying sources are inserted intratumorally, producing a therapeutic alpha-dose region with a total size of a few millimeter via the diffusive motion of Ra's alpha-emitting daughters. Clinical studies of Alpha DaRT have reported 100% positive response (30%-100% shrinkage within several weeks), with post-insertion swelling in close to half of the cases.

Leading Women in Respiratory Care: Letter From Saudi Arabia.

Special Series: Leading Women in Respiratory Clinical Sciences.

Comparative Analysis of 4NQO- and Ethanol-Induced Oral Epithelial Dysplasia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Male and Female Mice: Association With Peripheral Blood Inflammatory Markers.

Background: Considering that peripheral blood biomarkers are prognostic predictors for several human tumors, this study aimed to comparatively analyze the association of hematological alterations with the incidence of epithelial dysplasia (ED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in male and female mice treated with 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4NQO) and ethanol (EtOH).

Methods: 120 C57Bl/6J mice (60 males and 60 females) were allocated to four groups (n = 15). They were treated firstly either with 5 mg/mL propylene glycol (PPG) or 100 μg/mL 4NQO in the drinking water for 10 weeks, followed by sterilized water (HO) or 8% EtOH (v/v) for 15 weeks, as follows: PPG/HO, PPG/EtOH, 4NQO/HO, and 4NQO/EtOH (CEUA-UFU, #020/21).

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.

Factors Associated with Low/Moderate Perceived Risk for HIV Acquisition Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Eligible to Use Pre-exposure Prophylaxis from Brazil, Mexico, and Peru.

Perceived risk for HIV acquisition among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) may not align with their actual sexual HIV exposure. Factors associated with low/moderate perceived risk among GBMSM eligible for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) (based on their high estimated HIV exposure) have been poorly described in Latin America. This is a secondary analysis of a 2018 web-based cross-sectional survey in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru.

Brain Midline Approximation to Improve Symmetry Analysis of Brain CT Scans.

Analysis of the symmetry of the brain hemispheres at the level of individual structures and dominant tissue features has been the subject of research for many years in the context of improving the effectiveness of imaging methods for the diagnosis of brain tumor, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease, among others. One useful approach is to reliably determine the midline of the brain, which allows comparative analysis of the hemispheres and uncovers information on symmetry/asymmetry in the relevant planes of, for example, CT scans. Therefore, an effective method that is robust to various geometric deformations, artifacts, varying noise characteristics, and natural anatomical variability is sought.

Efficacy, Safety, and Cost-effectiveness of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Whitfield's Spirit Solution for Treating Superficial Fungal Foot Infections: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: A novel antifungal formulation combining zinc oxide nanoparticles and Whitfield's spirit solution (ZnO-WFs) was developed to enhance the treatment of superficial fungal foot infections.

Methods: This 8-week, randomized, double-blinded controlled trial compared the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of ZnO-WFs with those of Whitfield's spirit solution (WFs) alone and a zinc oxide nanoparticle solution (ZnOs). Seventy of the 84 enrolled patients completed the trial.

Age-threshold for increased risk of developing back disorders: prospective cohort with 74 000 individuals from the UK Biobank.

Objective: To investigate the prospective associations between age and the risk of low back disorders (LBD), dorsal disorders (DD), and cervical disorders (CD), and to identify a potential age-threshold for increased risk of back disorders.

Methods: Prospective cohort from the UK Biobank comprising adults with no history of back disorders. We examined different ages and their association with the risk of back disorders derived from diagnoses of hospital registers.

Exploring factors associated with Kidney Disease Quality of Life in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease: the Reach-J CKD cohort study.

Background: Although several studies have examined the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the factors associated with kidney-related symptoms have not been fully explored.

Methods: This nationwide multicenter cohort study enrolled 2248 patients. To identify the factors associated with each item or the three KDQOL domains, such as burden of kidney disease, symptoms/problems of kidney disease, and impact of kidney disease on daily life, multiple regression analysis was performed using baseline data.

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.

Role of the gut microbiome in psychological symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel diseases.

The brain-gut axis constitutes the basis for the bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract driven by neural, hormonal, metabolic, immunological, and microbial signals. Alterations in the gut microbiome composition as observed in inflammatory bowel diseases can modulate brain function and emerging empirical evidence has indicated that interactions among the brain-gut microbiome-axis seem to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of both inflammatory bowel diseases and psychiatric disorders and their comorbidity. Yet, the immunological and molecular mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of inflammatory bowel diseases and psychological symptoms are still poorly understood.

An Exploration of the Interplay Between Caffeine and Antidepressants Through the Lens of Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics.

Caffeine consumption is regarded as a widespread phenomenon, and its usage has continued to increase. In addition, the growing usage of antidepressants worldwide and increase in mental health disorders were shown in recent statistical analyses conducted by the World Health Organisation. The coadministration of caffeine and antidepressants remains a concern due to potential interactions that can alter a patient's response to therapy.

Determination of adequate bony resection margins in inflammatory jaw pathologies using SPECT-CT in primary mandibular reconstruction with virtually planned vascularized bone flaps.

Objectives: In advanced stages of osteoradionecrosis, medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, and osteomyelitis, a resection of sections of the mandible may be unavoidable. The determination of adequate bony resection margins is a fundamental problem because bony resection margins cannot be secured intraoperatively. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT-CT) is more accurate than conventional imaging techniques in detecting inflammatory jaw pathologies.

Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass Impact in Patient's Metabolic, Gut Microbiome, and Immuno-inflammatory Profiles-A Comparative Study.

Background: Bariatric surgery is the most long-term effective treatment option for severe obesity. The role of gut microbiome (GM) in either the development of obesity or in response to obesity management strategies has been a matter of debate. This study aims to compare the impact of two of the most popular procedures, sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GB), on metabolic syndrome parameters and gut bacterial microbiome and in systemic immuno-inflammatory response.

Mending a World of Problems: 12-Year Review of Medical Tourism Inbound Complications in a Tertiary Centre.

Background: Medical tourism is a rapidly expanding multi-billion-dollar industry. Reduced costs, all-inclusive vacation packages that include cosmetic surgery, globalization, and affordable flight expenses have encouraged patients to seek aesthetic procedures in different countries. Cosmetic medical tourism is associated with high complication rates, such as severe infections, wound dehiscence, pain or discomfort, aesthetic dissatisfaction, and even death.

Retrieval of conditioned immune response in male mice is mediated by an anterior-posterior insula circuit.

To protect the body from infections, the brain has evolved the ability to coordinate behavioral and immunological responses. The conditioned immune response (CIR) is a form of Pavlovian conditioning wherein a sensory (for example, taste) stimulus, when paired with an immunomodulatory agent, evokes aversive behavior and an anticipatory immune response after re-experiencing the taste. Although taste and its valence are represented in the anterior insular cortex and immune response in the posterior insula and although the insula is pivotal for CIRs, the precise circuitry underlying CIRs remains unknown.

Maternal cell-free DNA in early pregnancy for preeclampsia screening: a systematic review.

Purpose: To quantify the separation between maternal blood cell-free (cf)DNA markers in preeclampsia and unaffected pregnancies and compare with existing markers. This approach has not been used in previous studies.

Methods: Comprehensive systematic literature search of PubMed to identify studies measuring total cfDNA, fetal cf(f)DNA or the fetal fraction (FF) in pregnant women.