Beta-tricalcium phosphate patient-specific gap implants in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: an innovative treatment method to enhance the mandibular border contour. Part 1: concept and workflow.

Antegonial notching can occur after bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) and may lead to unpleasant aesthetic outcomes in both young and older patients. This clinical study presents a new concept to potentially overcome this problem and describes the workflow. Beta-tricalcium phosphate patient-specific gap implants (β-TCP gap-PSIs) are biocompatible and resorbable bone grafts that are placed in the space of the osteotomy gap during orthognathic procedures; they are virtually planned and printed in 3D.

A new Mediterranean Lifestyle Pyramid for children and youth: a critical lifestyle tool for preventing obesity and associated cardiometabolic diseases in a sustainable context.

Cardiovascular risk factors begin in childhood and track into adulthood, increasing the possibility of impaired cardiometabolic health. Adopting healthy dietary patterns can help curb childhood obesity, a worrisome epidemic problem at present. In the era of personalized nutrition, dietary recommendations should be adapted to different stages of life, including children (older than 3 years) and adolescents.

XIS-Temperature: A daily spatiotemporal machine-learning model for air temperature in the contiguous United States.

The challenge of reconstructing air temperature for environmental applications is to accurately estimate past exposures even where monitoring is sparse. We present XGBoost-IDW Synthesis for air temperature (XIS-Temperature), a high-resolution machine-learning model for daily minimum, mean, and maximum air temperature, covering the contiguous US from 2003 through 2023. XIS uses remote sensing (land surface temperature and vegetation) along with a parsimonious set of additional predictors to make predictions at arbitrary points, allowing the estimation of address-level exposures.

Synthetic ion channels made of DNA.

Natural ion channels have long inspired the design of synthetic nanopores with protein-like features. A significant leap towards this endeavor has been made possible using DNA origami. The exploitation of DNA as a building material has enabled the construction of biomimetic DNA nanopores with a range of pore dimensions and stimuli-responsive capabilities.

Estimating the effect of annual PM exposure on mortality in India: a difference-in-differences approach.

Background: In 2019, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study attributed 0·98 million deaths to ambient air pollution in India based on potentially inappropriate exposure-response functions from countries with low air pollution levels. Instead, using data from India, we investigated long-term exposure to PM and all-cause mortality with a causal inference method.

Methods: We collected national counts of annual mortality from 2009 to 2019 from the Civil Registration System at the district level to calculate annual district-level mortality rate as our main outcome and obtained annual PM concentrations from a high-resolution spatiotemporal model.

Treatment effects of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor on people with cystic fibrosis heterozygous for 3849+10kbC->T and a class I variant.

Background: The splice variant 3849+10kbC->T (c.3717+12191C>T) (3849 variant) is a residual function CFTR variant, characterized by insertion of an in-frame stop codon into most CFTR transcripts. Both ivacaftor (Iva) and tezacaftor/ivacaftor (Tez/Iva) have been approved for people with CF (pwCF) carrying the 3849 variant.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis radiologic features in interstitial lung diseases.

Background: The radiologic criteria of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) guidelines focus on four HP compatible features (HPCF) in high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT): ground glass opacities, mosaic attenuation, air-trapping, and centrilobular nodules. However, evidence to support these criteria are limited.

Methods: Consecutive interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients who underwent HRCT between 2016 and 2021 in three medical centers were included.

Conceptual framework for data harmonisation in mental health using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: an example with the R2D2-MH consortium.

Introduction: Advancing research and support for neurologically diverse populations requires novel data harmonisation methods that are capable of aligning with contemporary approaches to understanding health and disability.

Objectives: We present the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework to support harmonisation of mental health data and present a proof of principle within the Risk and Resilience in Developmental Diversity and Mental Health (R2D2-MH) consortium.

Method: 138 measures from various mental health datasets were linked to the ICF following the WHO's established linking rules.

Rapid and specific screening of monoclonal antibodies in hybridoma supernatants by an enzyme-based dipstick immunoassay.

Hybridoma technology remains a cornerstone of monoclonal antibody (mAb) discovery. Classical screening practices such as ELISA, western blot, and dot blot require laborious, time-consuming procedures, rendering them inefficient in time-restricted decision-making. Additionally, due to these assays' practical and technical limitations, specificity testing of the mAbs is usually omitted during the primary screening of hybridoma libraries.

Protocol for handling and using SOD1 mice for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pre-clinical studies.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive neurodegenerative disease that has no proper cure. Pre-clinical studies on ALS mice are an essential milestone toward clinical trials. Here, we present a protocol for handling and using SOD1 mice for ALS pre-clinical studies.

October 7th 2023 mass casualty incident in southern Israel: lessons for emergency preparedness and management.

Background: Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs) pose significant challenges for healthcare systems. While policies are typically crafted based on past experiences, the lessons learned from each incident play a crucial role in enhancing emergency preparedness. On October 7th, 2023, Israel came under the largest terror attack in its history.

Shedding light on biodiversity: reviewing existing knowledge and exploring hypothesised impacts of agrophotovoltaics.

The growing demand for energy and the shift towards green energy solutions have led to the conversion of open spaces and agricultural fields into photovoltaic (PV) power plants, exacerbating the "food-energy-environment" trilemma. Agrophotovoltaics (APVs), a dual-use system combining agriculture and energy production on the same land, presents a potential solution to this challenge. While the environmental impacts of ground-mounted utility-scale PV (USPV) power plants and the effects of APV systems on agricultural yields have been extensively studied and reviewed, the implications for wildlife and biodiversity remain largely unexplored.

Professional development: a mixed methods study of Masters of Public Health alumni.

Introduction: We examined the perceptions of the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree graduates regarding their personal competencies, job performance and professional development using a mixed method, explanatory sequential design.

Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered questionnaire of the Haifa School of Public Health alumni who graduated between 2005 and 2022 was disseminated to 849 graduates between March and June 2022, from which 127 responded (response rate: 14.90%).

Fentanyl Initiation Rate Following the Requirement for Specialist Approval.

Background: Healthcare organizations attempt to address unwarranted fentanyl use, which often leads to increased risk of addiction and overdose.

Objective: To assess the impact of a requirement for a specialist's approval on fentanyl initiation for non-oncological pain.

Design: A retrospective cohort study based on observational data.

The COVID-19 period influence on pediatric deep neck abscess: Occurrences and clinical presentation.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of deep neck infections (DNIs) in pediatric patients. In addition, it describes the clinical, laboratory, and microbiology presentation as well as the clinical outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Trends of common laboratory biomarkers after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Most studies that explore the long-term effects of COVID-19 are based on subjectively reported symptoms, while laboratory-measured biomarkers are mainly examined in studies of relatively small cohorts. This study investigates the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on common laboratory biomarkers.

Methods: We utilized a retrospective cohort of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals and rigorously matched controls based on demographic and clinical characteristics, examining 63 common laboratory biomarkers.

Glycemic control contributes to the neuroprotective effects of Mediterranean and green-Mediterranean diets on brain age: the DIRECT PLUS brain-magnetic resonance imaging randomized controlled trial.

Background: We recently reported that Mediterranean (MED) and green-MED diets significantly attenuated age-related brain atrophy by ∼50% within 18 mo.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the contribution of specific diet-induced parameters to brain-volume deviation from chronologic age.

Methods: A post hoc analysis of the 18-mo DIRECT PLUS trial, where participants were randomly assigned to the following groups: 1) healthy dietary guidelines, 2) MED diet, or 3) green-MED diet, high in polyphenols, and low in red meat.

MedConceptsQA: Open source medical concepts QA benchmark.

Background: Clinical data often includes both standardized medical codes and natural language texts. This highlights the need for Clinical Large Language Models to understand these codes and their differences. We introduce a benchmark for evaluating the understanding of medical codes by various Large Language Models.

Comparison and development of cross-study normalization methods for inter-species transcriptional analysis.

Performing joint analysis of gene expression datasets from different experiments can present challenges brought on by multiple factors-differences in equipment, protocols, climate etc. "Cross-study normalization" is a general term for transformations aimed at eliminating such effects, thus making datasets more comparable. However, joint analysis of datasets from different species is rarely done, and there are no dedicated normalization methods for such inter-species analysis.

Exploring the relationship between temporomandibular disorders and sexual function.

Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) encompass various conditions affecting the temporomandibular joint and surrounding structures, often presenting with pain, limited movement, and functional impairments. TMDs may affect kissing and oral sex, in addition to influencing sexual function, as any other chronic pain condition.

Objective: The study sought to examine the connection between TMDs and sexual function.