Automated Orientation and Registration of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Scans.

Automated clinical decision support systems rely on accurate analysis of three-dimensional (3D) medical and dental images to assist clinicians in diagnosis, treatment planning, intervention, and assessment of growth and treatment effects. However, analyzing longitudinal 3D images requires standardized orientation and registration, which can be laborious and error-prone tasks dependent on structures of reference for registration. This paper proposes two novel tools to automatically perform the orientation and registration of 3D Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans with high accuracy (<3° and <2mm of angular and linear errors when compared to expert clinicians).

Satisfaction with government recommended pre-procedural mouth rinses in the mitigation of Covid-19 in Hong Kong SAR: A triple blind randomized controlled clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate satisfaction and acceptability with three pre-procedural mouthrinses recommended by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material And Methods: A triple-blind parallel-arm randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted. Following eligibility assessment, participants were block-randomised to the three intervention pre-procedural mouthrinses groups: Povidone-iodine, Hydrogen Peroxide and Chlorhexidine Digluconate.

Uncover your inner power: Breaking leadership biases in global healthcare.

Women currently represent approximately 70% of the global healthcare workforce, 60.9% of the global dental workforce, 77.6% of the US healthcare workforce, and 36.

An update on drug-drug interactions in older adults living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Introduction: People with HIV are living longer due to advances in antiretroviral therapy. With improved life expectancy comes an increased lifetime risk of comorbid conditions - such as cardiovascular disease and cancer - and polypharmacy. Older adults, particularly those living with HIV, are more vulnerable to drug interactions and adverse effects, resulting in negative health outcomes.

Fake Xanax: Designer Emerging Benzodiazepine Epidemic Linked to Morbidity and Mortality a Narrative Review.

Etizolam is a thienodiazepine derivative which produces an anxiolytic effect similar to benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax). Like classic benzodiazepines, etizolam has a high affinity towards the GABA receptor, and allosterically potentiates the effects of GABA resulting in neuronal hyperpolarization related to chloride influx. When taken in therapeutic doses, etizolam produces a similar effect to Xanax.

Tumor Necrosis Factor and Interleukin Modulators for Pathologic Pain States: A Narrative Review.

Chronic pain, a complex and debilitating condition, involves intricate interactions between central and peripheral inflammatory processes. Cytokines, specifically tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukins (IL), are key mediators in the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain states. Sensory neurons expressing receptors for cytokines like TNF, IL-1, and IL-6 are implicated in peripheral sensitization, contributing to increased signaling of painful sensations.

Artificial intelligence as a prediction tool for orthognathic surgery assessment.

Introduction: An ideal orthodontic treatment involves qualitative and quantitative measurements of dental and skeletal components to evaluate patients' discrepancies, such as facial, occlusal, and functional characteristics. Deciding between orthodontics and orthognathic surgery remains challenging, especially in borderline patients. Advances in technology are aiding clinical decisions in orthodontics.

The Evolving Role of Monomethyl Fumarate Treatment as Pharmacotherapy for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is the most common autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS) worldwide. Multiple sclerosis involves inflammatory demyelination of nerve fibers in the CNS, often presenting with recurrent episodes of focal sensory or motor deficits associated with the region of the CNS affected. The prevalence of this disease has increased rapidly over the last decade.

Hyponatremia With Anticonvulsant Medications: A Narrative Review.

Hyponatremia is an adverse effect of many antiseizure medications (ASMs). It occurs with interference with the normal balance of electrolytes within the body. Various risk factors associated with the development of hyponatremia in patients taking these medications include age, gender, dosage, and combinations with other drugs.

Investigating the Utility of a Compact Loudspeaker Array for Audiometric Testing.

Purpose: This project addressed the uses of a loudspeaker array for audiometric measurements. It sought to evaluate a prototype compact array in terms of the reliability of test results across sound booths.

Method: A seven-loudspeaker array was developed to deliver sounds from -60° to +60° on an arc with a radius of 0.

Frankincense () Extract Effects on Growth and Biofilm Formation of , and Its Intracellular Infection in Human Gingival Epithelial Cells.

Frankincense is produced by trees, which can be found throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia. extract has been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. Periodontitis is an oral chronic inflammatory disease that affects nearly half of the US population.

Odevixibat: A Novel Bile Salt Inhibitor Treatment for Pruritus in Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis.

Chronic pruritus is defined as an itch lasting greater than six weeks. It can manifest from a wide variety of etiologies, as many different substances can act as pruritogens, such as steroids, histamine, progesterone, endogenous opioids, and serotonin. In the setting of cholestatic liver disease, increased bile acids play a major role in chronic pruritus.

There is 'no cure for caregiving': the experience of women caring for husbands living with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The majority of the nearly 9 million people living with Parkinson's disease are men. As such, caregiving is often assumed by wives as the disease progresses.

Hot and scared: how do heatwaves and predation risk impact resource acquisition and allocation?

Heatwaves are increasingly prevalent and can constrain investment into important life-history traits. In addition to heatwaves, animals regularly encounter threats from other organisms in their environments, such as predators. The combination of these two environmental factors introduces a decision-making conflict-heat exposure requires more food intake to fuel investment into fitness-related traits, but foraging in the presence of predators increases the threat of mortality.

miRNAs mediate the impact of smoking on dental pulp stem cells via the p53 pathway.

Cigarette smoke changes the genomic and epigenomic imprint of cells. In this study, we investigated the biological consequences of extended cigarette smoke exposure on dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and the potential roles of miRNAs. DPSCs were treated with various doses of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) for up to 6 weeks.

Visit to the Dentist for Oral Health Prevention at "Age One": A proposed policy report from the Indian perspective.

Early childhood caries is a major public health issue in India. The primary reason for poor oral health in children is a lack of awareness about the role of primary teeth and the importance of an early dental visit for infants and toddlers. The primary objectives of an early dental visit are to analyze the child's risk level, provide guidance to parents regarding proper oral hygiene measures, review dietary and eating habits, provide information regarding the infectivity of dental caries, review the risks of traumatic injuries and discuss factors which affect the development of occlusion.

A convenient method for the relative and absolute quantification of lipid components in liposomes by H- and P NMR-spectroscopy.

Objective: Liposomes are promising delivery systems for pharmaceutical applications and have been used in medicine in the recent past. Preparation of liposomes requires reliable characterization and quantification of the phospholipid components for which the traditional cumbersome molybdate method is used frequently. The objective was to improve relative and absolute quantification of lipid components from liposomes.

Terrestrial Birth and Body Size Tune UCP1 Functionality in Seals.

The molecular evolution of the mammalian heater protein UCP1 is a powerful biomarker to understand thermoregulatory strategies during species radiation into extreme climates, such as aquatic life with high thermal conductivity. While fully aquatic mammals lost UCP1, most semiaquatic seals display intact UCP1 genes, apart from large elephant seals. Here, we show that UCP1 thermogenic activity of the small-bodied harbor seal is equally potent compared to terrestrial orthologs, emphasizing its importance for neonatal survival on land.

Accelerating Elastic Property Prediction in Fe-C Alloys through Coupling of Molecular Dynamics and Machine Learning.

The scarcity of high-quality data presents a major challenge to the prediction of material properties using machine learning (ML) models. Obtaining material property data from experiments is economically cost-prohibitive, if not impossible. In this work, we address this challenge by generating an extensive material property dataset comprising thousands of data points pertaining to the elastic properties of Fe-C alloys.

An Artificial Intelligence-Supported Medicinal Chemistry Project: An Example for Incorporating Artificial Intelligence Within the Pharmacy Curriculum.

Objective: This study aims to integrate and use AI to teach core concepts in a medicinal chemistry course and to increase the familiarity of pharmacy students with AI in pharmacy practice and drug development. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a multidisciplinary science that aims to build software tools that mimic human intelligence. AI is revolutionizing pharmaceutical research and patient care.

Effect of Abstract Phonemic Complexity on Mismatch Negativity Amplitude.

Purpose:  Mismatch negativity (MMN) reflects a preperceptual neurophysiological response that is generated subconsciously due to the interruption of a memory trace of ongoing sensory events in the environment. It has been widely used by researchers to understand complex perceptual mechanisms. Furthermore, it has been recommended as an objective tool to investigate disorders related to auditory cognition in hearing aid and cochlear implant users.

Green Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles from Flower Extract Coated with Chitosan for Potential Healing Effects on Diabetic Wounds by Inhibiting TNF-α and IL-6/IL-1β Signaling Pathways.

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is a multisystem chronic pandemic, wound inflammation, and healing are still major issues for diabetic patients who may suffer from ulcers, gangrene, and other wounds from uncontrolled chronic hyperglycemia. contain bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and phenolics that support wound healing via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Our study aimed to develop a combination of eco-friendly formulations of green synthesis of ZnO-NPs by extract and further incorporate them into 2% chitosan (CS) gel.

Quantitative Shotgun Proteomic Analysis of Bacteria after Overexpression of Recombinant Spider Miniature Spidroin, MaSp1.

Spider silk has extraordinary mechanical properties, displaying high tensile strength, elasticity, and toughness. Given the high performance of natural fibers, one of the long-term goals of the silk community is to manufacture large-scale synthetic spider silk. This process requires vast quantities of recombinant proteins for wet-spinning applications.