Advanced Lasers and Their Applications in Dentistry.

The development of laser technology has revolutionized dentistry, offering complementary and alternative approaches to traditional techniques. Lasers have been successfully integrated into various dental procedures, enhancing treatment outcomes and patient care. Several types of lasers can increase the acid resistance of enamel, thus preventing caries.

An Overview of Dentist-Patient Communication in Quality Dental Care.

Dentist-patient communication is at the core of providing quality dental care. This study aims to review the importance, challenges, strategies, and training of dentist-patient communication. The World Dental Federation (FDI) emphasizes the importance of effective communication between oral healthcare providers and patients as a critical component of high-quality care.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin as a Regulatory Protease Inhibitor Modulating Inflammation and Shaping the Tumor Microenvironment in Cancer.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a key serine protease inhibitor for regulating proteases such as neutrophil elastase. AAT restrains the pulmonary matrix from enzymatic degradation, and a deficiency in AAT leads to inflammatory tissue damage in the lungs, resulting in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Due to the crucial biological function of AAT, the emerging research interest in this protein has shifted to its role in cancer-associated inflammation and the dynamics of the tumor microenvironment.

Older Fallers' Comprehensive Neuromuscular and Kinematic Alterations in Reactive Balance Control: Indicators of Balance Decline or Compensation? A Pilot Study.

: Falls and fall consequences in older adults are global health issues. Previous studies have compared postural sways or stepping strategies between older adults with and without fall histories to identify factors associated with falls. However, more in-depth neuromuscular/kinematic mechanisms have remained unclear.

Overview of historical occupational exposure to trichloroethylene in China.

Objectives: Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a carcinogen that has been causally linked to kidney cancer and possibly other cancer sites including the liver and lymphatic system. Its use in China has increased since the early 1990s due to the growing metal and electronic industries. We aimed to summarize the major sources of occupational exposure to TCE over time in China.

The pattern of cytokine profile in children received extracorporeal blood purification.

We reported the cytokine profile in children <18 years old who received extracorporeal blood purification (EBP) for sepsis, rhabdomyolysis, hyperbilirubinaemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome or cytokine storm, and determined the factors affecting the cytokine removal kinetics. Plasma levels of 38 types of cytokine/chemokine were measured at pre-EBP, 12 and 24 h after initiating EBP. Altogether there were 11 eligible episodes admitted between April 2021 and December 2023.

Synergistic Enhancement of Ferroptosis via Mitochondrial Accumulation and Photodynamic-Controlled Release of an Organogold(I) Cluster Prodrug.

Effective delivery and controlled release of metallo-prodrugs with sustained activation and rapid response feed the needs of precise medicine in metal chemotherapeutics. However, gold-based anticancer drugs often suffer from detoxification binding and extracellular transfer by sulfur-containing peptides. To address this challenge, we integrate a thiol-activated prodrug strategy of newly prepared hypercoordinated carbon-centered gold(I) clusters (HCGCs) with their photosensitization character to augment the mitochondrial release of Au(I) in tumors.

scMMAE: masked cross-attention network for single-cell multimodal omics fusion to enhance unimodal omics.

Multimodal omics provide deeper insight into the biological processes and cellular functions, especially transcriptomics and proteomics. Computational methods have been proposed for the integration of single-cell multimodal omics of transcriptomics and proteomics. However, existing methods primarily concentrate on the alignment of different omics, overlooking the unique information inherent in each omics type.

Meridional anisotropy in contrast sensitivity and visual evoked potential in adults with high myopic astigmatism.

Purpose: Astigmatism can lead to meridional amblyopia, an orientation-specific visual deficit. This study investigated the effects of astigmatism on meridional anisotropy in contrast sensitivity (CS) and steady-state visual evoked potential (ssVEP) across a range of spatial frequencies.

Methods: Thirty-two young adults with a best-corrected distance visual acuity of logMAR 0 or better were categorized into two groups: highly astigmatic (HAS,  = 16) with spherical-equivalent error (SE) ≥ -6.

Associations of Retinal Microvascular Density and Fractal Dimension with Glaucoma: A Prospective Study from UK Biobank.

Objective: To explore the association between retinal microvascular parameters and glaucoma.

Design: Prospective study.

Subjects: The UK Biobank subjects with fundus images and without a history of glaucoma.

Exploring the toxicology, socio-ecological impacts and biodegradation of microplastics in Africa: Potentials for resource conservation.

Achieving upcycling and circularity in the microplastic economy predominantly depends on collecting and sorting plastic waste from the source to the end-user for resource conservation. Microplastics, whether from packaging or non-packaging materials, pose a significant environmental challenge as they are often not prioritized for collection or recycling initiatives. The presence of additives impedes the quality of plastic recyclates and the persistence of microplastics as shredded resultants remain a threat to the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem and its biodiversity.

bFGF-Chitosan "brain glue" promotes functional recovery after cortical ischemic stroke.

The mammalian brain has an extremely limited ability to regenerate lost neurons and to recover function following ischemic stroke. A biomaterial strategy of slowly-releasing various regeneration-promoting factors to activate endogenous neurogenesis represents a safe and practical neuronal replacement therapy. In this study, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-Chitosan gel is injected into the stroke cavity.

Vertical Gradient of Nitryl Chloride and Implications for Atmospheric Photochemistry in Pearl River Delta, China, during Wintertime.

Nitryl chloride (ClNO) is a key precursor of chlorine radicals, influencing atmospheric oxidation and secondary pollutants formation. Few studies have examined the ClNO chemistry from the perspective of the planetary boundary layer. Here, we conducted a vertically resolved investigation of ClNO at six heights (ranging from 5 to 335 m) on a 356 m tower in the Pearl River Delta, China, during winter 2021.

Self-Enhancement in Latin America: Is It Linked to Interdependence?

Although individuals of Latin American heritage ( in short) are considered interdependent, they also value traits like uniqueness and positivity, like individuals of European American cultural heritage, who are considered independent. It remains unclear whether this inclination toward positivity extends to a bias in self-perception known as self-enhancement. Moreover, if Latin Americans are indeed self-enhancing, it is uncertain how these tendencies align with their interdependent cultural orientation.

Consensus representation of multiple cell-cell graphs from gene signaling pathways for cell type annotation.

Background: Recent advancements in single-cell RNA sequencing have greatly expanded our knowledge of the heterogeneous nature of tissues. However, robust and accurate cell type annotation continues to be a major challenge, hindered by issues such as marker specificity, batch effects, and a lack of comprehensive spatial and interaction data. Traditional annotation methods often fail to adequately address the complexity of cellular interactions and gene regulatory networks.

Bridging animal models and humans: neuroimaging as intermediate phenotypes linking genetic or stress factors to anhedonia.

Background: Intermediate phenotypes, such as characteristic neuroimaging patterns, offer unique insights into the genetic and stress-related underpinnings of neuropsychiatric disorders like depression. This study aimed to identify neuroimaging intermediate phenotypes associated with depression, bridging etiological factors to behavioral manifestations and connecting insights from animal models to diverse clinical populations.

Methods: We analyzed datasets from both rodents and humans.

Latent profile analysis of sense of coherence and relationship with meaning of life and professional identity among nursing undergraduate.

Background: Enhancing nursing undergraduates' sense of coherence is crucial for the growth of the nursing workforce. Yet, existing research primarily examines the aggregate level of sense of coherence among nursing undergraduates and its correlations with other variables, overlooking the individual heterogeneity in nursing undergraduates' sense of coherence in nursing. This study aimed to identify different subgroups of nursing undergraduates' sense of coherence and explore the influencing factors pertinent to each subgroup.

Development and pilot testing of a nurse-led common-sense model of self-regulation-based heart failure self-care program.

Background: Self-care practices among people with heart failure (HF) remain suboptimal. Nurse-led self-care interventions hold promise in managing this condition. The Common-Sense Model (CSM) of Self-Regulation is a widely adopted theoretical framework that promotes behavior change and improves disease prognosis among patients.

A Dual-Pathway Responsive Mechanophore for Intelligent Luminescent Polymer Materials.

Mechanoluminescent units, when integrated into polymer matrices, undergo structural transformations in response to mechanical force, resulting in changes in fluorescence. This phenomenon holds considerable promise for the development of stress-sensing materials. Despite the high demand for robust, tunable mechanoluminescent mechanophores for force assessment and smart force-responsive materials, strategies for their design and synthesis remain underdeveloped.

Remodeling the Proinflammatory Microenvironment in Osteoarthritis through Interleukin-1 Beta Tailored Exosome Cargo for Inflammatory Regulation and Cartilage Regeneration.

Osteoarthritis (OA) presents a significant therapeutic challenge, with few options for preserving joint cartilage and repairing associated tissue damage. Inflammation is a pivotal factor in OA-induced cartilage deterioration and synovial inflammation. Recently, exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HucMSCs) have gained recognition as a promising noncellular therapeutic modality, but their use is hindered by the challenge of harvesting a sufficient number of exosomes with effective therapeutic efficacy.

KDIGO 2025 clinical practice guideline for the evaluation, management, and treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD): executive summary.

The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2025 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation, Management, and Treatment of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) represents the first KDIGO guideline on this subject. Its scope includes nomenclature, diagnosis, prognosis, and prevalence; kidney manifestations; chronic kidney disease (CKD) management and progression, kidney failure, and kidney replacement therapy; therapies to delay progression of kidney disease; polycystic liver disease; intracranial aneurysms and other extrarenal manifestations; lifestyle and psychosocial aspects; pregnancy and reproductive issues; pediatric issues; and approaches to the management of people with ADPKD. The guideline has been developed with patient partners, clinicians, and researchers around the world, with the goal to generate a useful resource for healthcare providers and patients by providing actionable recommendations.

Long-term Mental Health Morbidity in Adult Survivors of COVID-19 Critical Illness - A Population-based Cohort Study.

Background: Survivorship after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) critical illness may be associated with important long-term sequelae, but little is known regarding mental health outcomes.

Research Question: What is the association between COVID-19 critical illness and new post-discharge mental health diagnoses.

Study Design: AND METHODS: We conducted a population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada (January 1, 2020-March 31, 2022).