Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: a universal analytical technique with promising applications in forensic analyses.

Contemporary criminal investigations are based on the statements made by the victim and the eyewitnesses. They also rely on the physical evidences found in the crime scene. These evidences, and more particularly biological ones, have a great judicial value in the courtroom.

Social support and pre-operative anxiety in patients undergoing elective surgical procedures: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pre-operative anxiety may adversely affect post-operative recovery and treatment satisfaction. This systematic review assessed the impact of social support on pre-operative anxiety in elective surgery patients. MEDLINE via Ovid, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, Emcare and LILACS were searched for publications (1950-2021).

Molecular Targets for Antibody-Based Anti-Biofilm Therapy in Infective Endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a heart disease caused by the infection of heart valves, majorly caused by . IE is initiated by bacteria entering the blood circulation in favouring conditions (e.g.

Renewal MI Dental Composite Etch and Seal Properties.

This study's aim was to assess whether the Renewal MI composite can self-etch enamel, seal sound cavities, and stabilize demineralized dentine. Etching was assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cavity sealing was quantified using the ISO-11405 dye microleakage test.

Treatment of periodontitis and C-reactive protein: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Background: Systemic inflammation is implicated in the onset and progression of several chronic diseases. Periodontitis is a potential trigger of systemic inflammation.

Purpose: To comprehensively appraise all the evidence on the effects of the treatment of periodontitis on systemic inflammation assessed by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.

Teacher feedback and student learning-The students' perspective.

Introduction: Feedback from teachers to students plays an important role in informing students about the outcome of their assessments. It contributes to students' ongoing learning. The aim of this study was to investigate dental students' perceptions of the feedback given to them by their teachers in Europe.

Collagen-depletion strategies in dentin as alternatives to the hybrid layer concept and their effect on bond strength: a systematic review.

Strategies aiming to improve the longevity of resin-dentin adhesive interface developed so far have only been able to retard the problem. Different approaches are thus needed. The objective of this review was to determine whether the use of collagen-depletion strategies after acid-etching procedures may improve the bond strength of resin-based materials to dentin.

The Roles of Neutrophils Linking Periodontitis and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases.

Inflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and development of atherosclerosis. Periodontitis is a common chronic disease linked to other chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The mechanistic pathways underlying this association are yet to be fully understood.

In vivo evaluation of traumatic and malignant oral ulcers with optical coherence tomography: A comparison between histopathological and ultrastructural findings.

Ulcers in the oral mucosa is a relatively common, although challenging, entity in oral medicine, as it can arise due to a wide range of traumatic, infective, autoimmune, and neoplastic disorders. Although histopathology of lesional and peri‑lesional tissues remains the gold standard for persistent oral breaching, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been recently suggested as a potential ally to enhance the early or non-invasive diagnosis of likely causation. The aim of the present study was to provide an in-vivo OCT analysis and description from a sample of 70 patients affected by traumatic or neoplastic-related ulcers, located on the buccal mucosa, tongue or gingiva, and compare the OCT data with those of 20 patients with healthy oral mucosa.

Eight-year retrospective study investigating tooth survival after primary non-surgical root canal treatment in a UK military cohort.

Introduction: Root canal treatment (RCT) plays an important role in preserving the dentition by deferring other invasive treatments. Data on tooth survival and predictive factors for tooth loss after RCT in the military cohort are lacking. This investigation aimed to determine the proportion of teeth surviving in an 8-year period after RCT and identify potential predictive factors for tooth loss in a UK military cohort.

Materials and extracellular matrix rigidity highlighted in tissue damages and diseases: Implication for biomaterials design and therapeutic targets.

Rigidity (or stiffness) of materials and extracellular matrix has proven to be one of the most significant extracellular physicochemical cues that can control diverse cell behaviors, such as contractility, motility, and spreading, and the resultant pathophysiological phenomena. Many 2D materials engineered with tunable rigidity have enabled researchers to elucidate the roles of matrix biophysical cues in diverse cellular events, including migration, lineage specification, and mechanical memory. Moreover, the recent findings accumulated under 3D environments with viscoelastic and remodeling properties pointed to the importance of dynamically changing rigidity in cell fate control, tissue repair, and disease progression.

Can Specular Gloss Measurements Predict the Effectiveness of Finishing/Polishing Protocols in Dental Polymers? A Systematic Review and Linear Mixed-effects Prediction Model.

Purpose: The current gold standard measure to assess polishing efficacy is surface roughness (SR) assessed in laboratory research. Specular gloss (SG) has been negatively correlated to SR, which raises the following question: Can SG be used to accurately determine the effectiveness of a finishing/polishing procedure in direct resin composites?

Methods: A systematic approach and search strategy, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, was developed and conducted in five electronic databases: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE (Ovid), and SciELO/LILACS to identify laboratory studies that assessed SR and SG, simultaneously, of resin composites, without date or language restriction. Risk of bias assessment was carried out by two reviewers, independently.

Full-mouth treatment modalities (within 24 hours) for periodontitis in adults.

Background: Periodontitis is a highly prevalent, chronic inflammation that causes damage to the soft tissues and bones supporting the teeth. Conventional treatment is quadrant scaling and root planing (the second step of periodontal therapy), which comprises scaling and root planing of teeth in one quadrant of the mouth at a time, with the four different sessions separated by at least one week. Alternative protocols for anti-infective periodontal therapy have been introduced to help enhance treatment outcomes: full-mouth scaling (subgingival instrumentation of all quadrants within 24 hours), or full-mouth disinfection (subgingival instrumentation of all quadrants in 24 hours plus adjunctive antiseptic).

Bonding of Clear Aligner Composite Attachments to Ceramic Materials: An In Vitro Study.

Background: We aim to evaluate the effect of surface conditioning, bonding agents and composite types on surface roughness (SR) and shear bond strength (SBS) of clear aligner composite attachments bonded to ceramics. Methods: One hundred and eighty IPS e.max CAD specimens were prepared.

Scurvy presenting primarily as gingival manifestation in a young child: a diagnostic dilemma.

Vitamin C deficiency, historically known as scurvy, was associated with sailors in the Victorian times, however, a global review in 2020 suggests it still exists in certain at-risk groups.A case is presented of a young non-verbal child with learning difficulties and on a restricted diet, in which the primary symptom was gingival inflammation. It posed a diagnostic dilemma due to the non-specific symptoms, and a delay in the diagnosis, until vitamin C deficiency was confirmed.

Patient-reported outcome measures for children and adolescents having dental bleaching in the UK.

Purpose: Dental bleaching in paediatric patients can be used to address discolouration of teeth due to trauma, endodontic treatment, or enamel and dentine defects. Despite being a minimally invasive and successful treatment, the use of bleaching products in children and young people remains controversial. This evaluation was designed to provide insight into the child's perspective on dental bleaching and the influence that this treatment has upon their life.

Students' perceptions of tutor feedback: a pilot study.

Background: Feedback offered to dental students by their tutors should aim to elicit ongoing learning and motivation. Previous studies looked at the impact on learning of feedback delivered by tutors from tutors' perspectives. However, what students know about feedback and its purposes and how they experience them during their study effect the impact of feedback on learning.

Prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the oral cavity and mobile genetic elements that disseminate antimicrobial resistance: A systematic review.

The objective of this review was to assess the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the oral cavity and identify mobile genetic elements (MGEs) important in disseminating them. Additionally, to assess if age, geographic location, oral site, bacterial strains and oral disease influence the prevalence of these genes. Three electronic databases (Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library) were used to search the literature.

Characteristics and natural history of early-stage cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis.

Aims: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is increasingly diagnosed at an early stage of the disease natural history, defined as National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC) ATTR Stage I. The natural history of early-stage ATTR-CM remains poorly characterized.

Methods And Results: A retrospective multi-centre observational study of 879 patients with ATTR-CM, either wild-type TTR genotype or carrying the p.

Decellularization of tumours: A new frontier in tissue engineering.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The tumour extracellular matrix (ECM) has unique features in terms of composition and mechanical properties, resulting in a structurally and chemically different ECM to that of native, healthy tissues. This paper reviews to date the efforts into decellularization of tumours, which in the authors' view represents a new frontier in the ever evolving field of tumour tissue engineering.

The effect of extraction of the lower first permanent molar on the developing third molar in children.

Objective: To find the effect of extraction of the lower first permanent molar in children (aged 8-11 years) on the position and angle of the developing third molar.

Design: Retrospective radiographic analysis.

Participants: Two cohorts of participants were identified: an extraction group, who had extraction of one or more first permanent molars aged 8-11 years; and a non-extraction group, who retained all mandibular teeth.

The Role of Diet and Gut Microbiota in Regulating Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Disease.

Diet is an important lifestyle factor that is known to contribute in the development of human disease. It is well established that poor diet plays an active role in exacerbating metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Our understanding of how the immune system drives chronic inflammation and disease pathogenesis has evolved in recent years.