Identifying key policy objectives for strong primary care: a cross-sectional study.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify key policy objectives by investigating the perception of important stakeholders and affected professionals concerning relevance and feasibility of a successful primary care (PC) reform.

Background: Since 2013, the Austrian PC system has been undergoing a reform process to establish multiprofessional primary care units. The reforms have various defined objectives and lack clear priorities.

Voriconazole plasma concentrations and dosing in paediatric patients below 24 months of age.

Voriconazole (VCZ) is an important first-line option for management of invasive fungal diseases and approved in paediatric patients ≥24 months at distinct dosing schedules that consider different developmental stages. Information on dosing and exposures in children <24 months of age is scarce. Here we report our experience in children <24 months who received VCZ due to the lack of alternative treatment options.

Outcomes After Endovascular Aortic Intervention in Patients With Connective Tissue Disease.

Importance: Endovascular treatment is not recommended for aortic pathologies in patients with connective tissue diseases (CTDs) other than in redo operations and as bridging procedures in emergencies. However, recent developments in endovascular technology may challenge this dogma.

Objective: To assess the midterm outcomes of endovascular aortic repair in patients with CTD.

Clinical benefits of systemic amoxicillin/metronidazole may depend on periodontitis stage and grade: An exploratory sub-analysis of the ABPARO trial.

Aim: Assessment of treatment response after systemic amoxicillin/metronidazole adjunctive to subgingival instrumentation (SI) according to stages and grades of the 2018 classification of periodontal diseases.

Materials And Methods: We carried out exploratory re-analysis of the placebo-controlled, multi-centre ABPARO trial (52; 45/60 years of age; 205 males, 114 active smokers). Patients were randomized to SI with systemic amoxicillin 500 mg/metronidazole 400 mg (three times a day for 7 days, n = 205; ANTI) or placebo (n = 200; PLAC) and maintenance therapy every 3 months.

Variants of the Anterior Subtemporal Approach to the Gasserian Ganglion and Related Structures: An Anatomical Study With Relevant Implications for Keyhole Surgery.

Background: The advantages and limitations of different craniotomy positions and approach trajectories to the gasserian ganglion (GG) and related structures using an anterior subtemporal approach have not been studied systematically. Knowledge of these features is of importance when planning keyhole anterior subtemporal (kAST) approaches to the GG to optimize access and minimize risks.

Methods: Eight formalin-fixed heads were used bilaterally to assess temporal lobe retraction (TLR), trigeminal exposure, and relevant anatomical aspects of extra- and transdural classic anterior subtemporal (CLAST) approaches compared with slightly dorsally and ventrally allocated corridors.

Cardiac angiogenesis enhances by activating Mir-126 and related target proteins in type 2 diabetic rats: Rescue combination effect of Sodium butyrate and voluntary exercise therapy.

Objective: type 2 diabetes, metabolic disorder, is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease, leading to angiogenesis injury. The present study wanted to discover the effect of sodium butyrate (NaB) and voluntary exercise, alone or together, on miR-126 and related proteins in rats with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: thirty-five male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were randomly divided into five groups: control, diabetes, diabetes-NaB, diabetes-exercise, and diabetes-NaB-exercise.

FKBP12 inhibits hepcidin expression by modulating BMP receptors interaction and ligand responsiveness in hepatocytes.

The expression of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin in hepatocytes is regulated by the BMP-SMAD pathway through the type I receptors ALK2 and ALK3, the type II receptors ACVR2A and BMPR2, and the ligands BMP2 and BMP6. We previously identified the immunophilin FKBP12 as a new hepcidin inhibitor that acts by blocking ALK2. Both the physiologic ALK2 ligand BMP6 and the immunosuppressive drug Tacrolimus (TAC) displace FKBP12 from ALK2 and activate the signaling.

Long-term changes in the subgingival microbiota in patients with stage III-IV periodontitis treated by mechanical therapy and adjunctive systemic antibiotics: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To explore whether adjunctive antibiotics can relevantly influence long-term microbiota changes in stage III-IV periodontitis patients.

Materials And Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial on periodontal therapy with adjunctive 500 mg amoxicillin and 400 mg metronidazole or placebo thrice daily for 7 days. Subgingival plaque samples were taken before and 2, 8, 14 and 26 months after mechanical therapy.

Northernmost (Subarctic) and deepest record of Paleodictyon: paleoecological and biological implications.

Paleodictyon is one of the most iconic and widespread of trace fossils in the geological record. However, modern examples are less well known and restricted to deep-sea settings at relatively low latitudes. Here, we report the distribution of Paleodictyon at six abyssal sites near the Aleutian Trench.

The influence of interradicular anatomy on the predictability of periodontal regenerative therapy of furcation defects: a retrospective, multicenter clinical study.

Background: The relationship between the anatomy of the interradicular space and success in regenerative therapy of furcation defects is discussed in this paper. The goal of this retrospective, multicenter clinical study is to clinically evaluate the relationship between the interradicular conformation and regenerative therapy success with the use of a novel measurement method.

Methods: One hundred thirty-eight radiographs of mandibular molars with furcation defects that had been treated with regenerative therapy were collected from six clinical centers.

HDR-brachytherapy for accelerated partial breast irradiation: Long-term experience from a Japanese institution.

Purpose: We investigated the long-term oncological outcome of high-dose-rate (HDR) multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy (MIB) for adjuvant accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) after breast conserving surgery in Japanese patients.

Material And Methods: Between June 2002 and October 2011, 86 breast cancer patients were treated at National Hospital Organization Osaka National Hospital (trial number of the local institutional review board, 0329). Median age was 48 years (range, 26-73 years).

Saturday Night Fever: Interpersonal Violence as a Reason for Presentation in a University Emergency Department.

(1) Presentations to a trauma emergency department following a violent confrontation account for a relevant proportion of the overall population. To date, violence (against women) in the domestic setting has been studied in particular. However, representative demographic and preclinical/clinical data outside of this specific subgroup on interpersonal violence are limited; (2) Patient admission records were searched for the occurrence of violent acts between 1 January and 31 December 2019.

Bile acid sequestrants in poor healing after endoscopic therapy of Barrett's esophagus.

Background/aims: Endoscopic therapy for neoplastic Barrett's esophagus (BE) has become the standard of care over the past two decades. In clinical practice, we regularly encounter patients who fail to achieve complete squamous epithelialization of the esophagus. Although the therapeutic strategies in the individual stages of BE, dysplasia, and esophageal adenocarcinoma are well studied and largely standardized, the problem of inadequate healing after endoscopic therapy is only marginally considered.

Work-Related Dermatoses of the Feet in Professional Dancers: A Pilot Study.

Objective: The feet of professional dancers are exposed to high work-related stresses. To date, data from the professional dance sector concerning this matter are lacking. The aim of this exploratory project was to analyze and evaluate skin health in the foot area with regard to the prevalence of dermatoses, their locations, as well as gender-specific and load-specific differences.

time course of organ uptake and blood-brain-barrier permeation of poly(L-lactide) and poly(perfluorodecyl acrylate) nanoparticles with different surface properties in unharmed and brain-traumatized rats.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a dramatic impact on mortality and quality of life and the development of effective treatment strategies is of great socio-economic relevance. A growing interest exists in using polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) as carriers across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for potentially effective drugs in TBI. However, the effect of NP material and type of surfactant on their distribution within organs, the amount of the administrated dose that reaches the brain parenchyma in areas with intact and opened BBB after trauma, and a possible elicited inflammatory response are still to be clarified.

Sodium butyrate and voluntary exercise through activating VEGF-A downstream signaling pathway improve heart angiogenesis in type 2 diabetes.

Background: Inadequate angiogenesis in patients with type 2 diabetic heart could result in deprived collateral formation. Herein, we aimed to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate (NaB) along with voluntary exercise simultaneously on the mechanisms acting on cardiac angiogenesis.

Materials And Methods: Animals were divided into the following five groups: control (Con), diabetic rats (Dia), diabetic rats treated with NaB (200 mg/kg, i.

Additional benefit of systemic antibiotics in subgingival instrumentation of stage III and IV periodontitis with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans: A retrospective analysis.

Aim: To evaluate subgingival instrumentation (SI) in periodontitis stage III and IV, grade B and C with systemic antibiotics (AB) only after detection of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.

Materials And Methods: Patients of the Department of Periodontology of Goethe University Frankfurt/Germany were screened for microbiological testing between 2008 and 2018. All patients with aggressive and generalized severe chronic periodontitis were tested.

The Ongoing Evolution of Abdominal Aortic Surgery.

Abdominal aortic surgery has witnessed significant paradigm shifts in recent years with the introduction of structured screening programs, as well as the evolution of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), which has allowed physicians to promptly identify and successfully treat an increasing number of patients, even including those previously considered unfit for open repair [...

COVI-Prim international: Similarities and discrepancies in the way general practices from seven different countries coped with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: General practitioners (GPs) are frequently patients' first point of contact with the healthcare system and play an important role in identifying, managing and monitoring cases. This study investigated the experiences of GPs from seven different countries in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: International cross-sectional online survey.

Subannular repair for functional mitral regurgitation with reduced systolic ventricle function: rationale and design of REFORM-MR registry.

Background: Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is one of the most common heart valve diseases that is a sequel of left ventricular remodelling. Although mitral valve annuloplasty is a standard treatment of FMR, the recurrence of FMR is a major drawback and occurs in 10-50% of patients. The REFORM-MR registry aims to investigate the effectiveness of standardized papillary muscle relocation and ring annuloplasty and to identify the risk factors associated with recurrent FMR.

Subsiding of Periodontitis in the Permanent Dentition in Individuals with Papillon-Lefèvre Syndrome through Specific Periodontal Treatment: A Systematic Review.

Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome (PLS) is a rare hereditary disease characterized by palmoplantar hyperkeratosis (PPK) and periodontitis in the primary and permanent dentition, usually resulting in edentulism in youth. Subsiding of PLS-associated periodontitis through specific therapy has occasionally been reported. We aimed to systematically assess periodontal treatment strategies that may decelerate disease progression.

Electrolyzed water for the microbiologic control in the pandemic dental setting: a systematic review.

Background: Electrolyzed water has brought recent attention due to its antimicrobial properties. Indeed, electrolyzed water has been proposed to sterilize dental materials and instruments without compromising their structural integrity. In addition, electrolyzed water has been proposed as a mouthwash to control bacterial and viral oral infections without detrimental effects on the oral mucosa.

Percutaneous Approach in Endovascular Aortic Procedures Using a Suture-Mediated Closure Device.

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a suture-mediated closure device during percutaneous endovascular aortic repair.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective analysis of patients undergoing endovascular repair for infrarenal, thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections via percutaneous femoral access between April 2017 and June 2021 was performed. The primary endpoint of the study was the efficacy and technical success of the Perclose ProGlide closure device during percutaneous endovascular procedures.

Predictors for adherent behavior in the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional telephone survey.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, protective measures have been prescribed to prevent or slow down the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and protect the population. Individuals follow these measures to varying degrees. We aimed to identify factors influencing the extent to which protective measures are adhered to.