Position statement on longitudinal cracks and fractures of teeth.

This position statement is a consensus view of an expert committee convened by the European Society of Endodontology (ESE). The statement is based on current clinical and scientific evidence as well as the collective reflective practice of the committee. The aim is to provide clinicians with evidence-based, authoritative information on the aetiology, clinical presentation, and management of cracks and fractures that typically manifest along the long axis of the crown and/or root.

Hypotensive Episodes Identified on 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Impaired Cognitive Function: Insights From the SPRINT Study.

Background: Hypotensive episodes detected by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring capture daily cumulative hypotensive stress and could be clinically relevant to cognitive impairment, but this relationship remains unclear.

Methods: We included participants from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (receiving intensive or standard BP treatment) who had 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring measured near the 27-month visit and subsequent biannual cognitive assessments. We evaluated the associations of hypotensive episodes (defined as systolic BP drops of ≥20 mm Hg between 2 consecutive measurements that reached <100 mm Hg) and hypotensive duration (cumulative time of systolic BP <100 mm Hg) with subsequent cognitive function using adjusted linear mixed models.

Short Interval Repeat Colonoscopy After Inadequate Bowel Preparation Is Low Among Veterans.

Background: Adenoma detection rate and interval colon cancer rates are associated with bowel preparation quality. The US Multisociety Task Force recommends repeat colonoscopy for individuals with inadequate bowel preparation (IBP) within 1 year. However, little is known regarding the rate and associated factors of repeat colonoscopy after IBP.

Opportunities for predictive proteogenomic biomarkers of drug treatment sensitivity in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Genomic analysis has played a significant role in the identification of driver mutations that are linked to disease progression and response to drug treatment in ovarian cancer. A prominent example is the stratification of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) characterized by mutations in DNA damage repair genes such as for treatment with PARP inhibitors. However, recent studies have shown that some epithelial ovarian tumors respond to PARP inhibitors irrespective of their HRD or mutation status.

Associations of Concordant and Shared Lung Cancer Screening Decision Making with Decisional Conflict: A Multi-Institution Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Unlabelled: Many organizations recommend structured communication processes, including formal shared decision making (SDM), for patients undergoing lung cancer screening (LCS) using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). We sought to understand if concordant and shared LCS decision making was associated with decisional conflict. In this prospective, observational study, we enrolled patients from 3 medical centers (2 Veterans Health Administration, 1 academic facility) after a decision-making interaction about undergoing LCS but before receiving the LDCT.

Data-driven discovery of associations between prescribed drugs and dementia risk: A systematic review.

Abstract: Recent clinical trials on slowing dementia progression have led to renewed focus on finding safer, more effective treatments. One approach to identify plausible candidates is to assess whether existing medications for other conditions may affect dementia risk. We conducted a systematic review to identify studies adopting a data-driven approach to investigate the association between a wide range of prescribed medications and dementia risk.

Eye Tracking to Determine Noticeability of Pediatric Facial Scar Characteristics to Adult Observers.

Objective: Determine objectively noticeable features of pediatric facial scars using eye-tracking software and explore how skin tone impacts scar perception.

Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting: Tertiary care pediatric hospital.

The association between depressive symptoms and lower urinary tract symptoms and impact among women: Investigating behavioural, cognitive and physiological pathways.

Objective: Mechanistic studies are needed to understand why depressive symptoms are associated with poorer physical health. The objective of this study was to examine whether behavioural, cognitive and physiological factors mediated an association between depressive symptoms, measured in early adulthood, and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and their impact, a composite variable measured in mid-life adulthood, among women in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, conducted in four regions of the United States.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Portrayal of Deaf characters in Korean movies.

Characters in movies have the potential to influence perceptions of how people see themselves. Deaf adolescents who have little opportunity to interact with Deaf peers or family members may be particularly drawn to Deaf people they see in the media. How the media portrays Deaf people may impact Deaf adolescents' self-perceptions of and language preferences.

Interactive and unimodal relationships between plant biomass, abiotic factors, and plant diversity in global grasslands.

Grasslands cover approximately a third of the Earth's land surface and account for about a third of terrestrial carbon storage. Yet, we lack strong predictive models of grassland plant biomass, the primary source of carbon in grasslands. This lack of predictive ability may arise from the assumption of linear relationships between plant biomass and the environment and an underestimation of interactions of environmental variables.

Time to HIV viral rebound and frequency of post-treatment control after analytical interruption of antiretroviral therapy: an individual data-based meta-analysis of 24 prospective studies.

The only current strategy to test efficacy of novel interventions for sustained HIV control without antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people with HIV (PWH) is through an analytical treatment interruption (ATI). Inclusion of 'placebo' controls in ATIs poses ethical, logistical, and economic challenges. To understand viral dynamics and rates of post-treatment control (PTC) after ATI among PWH receiving either placebo or no intervention, we undertook an individual-participant data meta-analysis.

Effect of crystallization temperature on the flexural strength of lithium disilicate glass ceramics.

Purpose: This pilot study aimed to compare the flexural strength of Amber Mill CAD to IPS e.max CAD and to determine the impact of different crystallization protocols on the flexural strength of Amber Mill CAD ceramics.

Materials And Methods: Amber Mill CAD ceramic blocks of a known Vita Classic shade were selected for testing against control IPS e.

CAR-NK cell therapy: a potential antiviral platform.

Viral infections persist as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Conventional therapeutic approaches often fall short in fully eliminating viral infections, primarily due to the emergence of drug resistance. Natural killer (NK) cells, one of the important members of the innate immune system, possess potent immunosurveillance and cytotoxic functions, thereby playing a crucial role in the host's defense against viral infections.

Performance of Glomerular Filtration Rate Estimating Equations in Kidney Transplant Recipients of Various Races: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: We assessed the accuracy of different GFR estimating equations in kidney transplant recipients across diverse racial backgrounds, addressing the previously identified validation gap in multiethnic populations predominantly studied in White cohorts.

Methods: In this single-center study, eGFR was compared to the measured GFR (mGFR) one year following kidney transplantation.

Results: The 1-year eGFR and mGFR data from 1145 participants (54% Whites, 23% Hispanics, 9% Blacks, 7% Native Americans, and 6% Asians) revealed varied correlations across racial groups.

Transcatheter Pulmonary Flow Restrictors as a Palliative Bridge to Heart Transplant.

Background: In recent years, transcatheter implantation devices to restrict pulmonary arterial flow have emerged as a potential alternative to surgical pulmonary artery banding.

Case Presentation: A term male was diagnosed with critical aortic stenosis (AS) and severely reduced left ventricle (LV) systolic function. He underwent aortic balloon valvuloplasty on day 2 of life, resulting in some antegrade flow, but LV ejection fraction only improved to 15%.

Diagnostic performance of shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy for pleural-based and fissure-based pulmonary lesions.

Background: Sampling of peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) abutting the pleura carries a higher risk of pneumothorax and complications. Although typically performed with image-guided transthoracic biopsy, the advent of shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (ssRAB) provides an alternative diagnostic procedure for this subtype of lesions.

Methods: A retrospective study on PPL attached to the peripheral pleura (PP), comprising costal and diaphragmatic pleura, mediastinal pleura (MP), and fissural pleura (FP) sampled by ssRAB, from January 2020 to December 2023.

ASRA Pain Medicine consensus practice infection control guidelines for regional anesthesia and pain medicine.

Background: To provide recommendations on risk mitigation, diagnosis and treatment of infectious complications associated with the practice of regional anesthesia, acute and chronic pain management.

Methods: Following board approval, in 2020 the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine) commissioned evidence-based guidelines for best practices for infection control. More than 80 research questions were developed and literature searches undertaken by assigned working groups comprising four to five members.

More than a token photo: humanizing scientists enhances student engagement.

Despite broad consensus that highlighting counter-stereotypical scientist role models in educational materials promotes equity and success, the specific elements that make these materials effective remain untested. Are pictures of counter-stereotypical scientists enough to communicate to students that scientists come from a variety of backgrounds, or is additional information required? To parse the effects of including visual depictions and humanizing information about scientists featured in biology course materials, we distributed three randomized versions of assignments over several academic terms across 36 undergraduate institutions ( > 3700 students). We found that including humanizing information about scientists was key to increasing student engagement with the biology course materials.

Broad geographic dispersal is not a diversification driver for Emberizoidea.

The movement of species to new geographical areas has been proposed to be crucial for speciation. As such, dispersal has been regarded as a likely explanation for the variation in species richness among clades. The Emberizoidea are a highly diverse Oscine bird clade native to the New World that has been characterized for their ubiquitous distribution both ecologically and geographically, making this group ideal to test how biogeographical dispersal could promote speciation.

Some properties and applications of the tabletability equation.

A recently derived tabletability equation mathematically describes tablet tensile strength as a function of compaction pressure. In this work, further analysis of the tabletability equation reveals that the normalized slope at the inflection point correlates well with powder plasticity, indicating its potential use as a powder plasticity parameter. Additionally, we explore applications of the tabletability equation in quantifying errors caused by a tensile strength measurement method that disregards out-of-die elastic recovery for assessing tabletability.

Anxiety and depression in only children versus children with siblings: A cross-sectional study among Chinese medical students.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the characteristics, overall anxiety and depression status, and influencing factors of only-child and non-only-child students by examining a medical student population in the post-COVID-19 era.

Study Design: This study was a cross-sectional design.

Methods: An online questionnaire survey was administered among medical students.

Multi-Institutional Analysis of Surgery for Lichen Sclerosus Induced Penile Urethral Stricture: Establishing Single-Stage Urethroplasty as a Primary Treatment Option.

Introduction: Ideal treatment of lichen sclerosus (LS) induced penile urethral strictures (PUS) remains elusive. The objective of this study is to compare multi-institutional outcomes of single-stage urethroplasty (SSU) with oral mucosal graft (OMG), staged urethroplasty and perineal urethrostomy (PU) for treatment of LS induced PUS.

Methods: Multi-institutional analysis was performed at 9 centers on males undergoing SSU, staged urethroplasty or PU for LS induced PUS.

Future Directions in the Management of Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Due to 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency.

Context: The traditional management of classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is difficult and often suboptimal.

Objective: To review improvements in the diagnosis and management of 21OHD.

Design: Literature review, synthesis, and authors' experience.