The Prevalence of and in Preschool Children with Severe Early Childhood Caries: A Case-Control Study.

This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the prevalence of and in children with severe early childhood caries and caries-free children in Hong Kong. This study first recruited a total of 80 children aged between 48 and 72 months old, 40 children with severe early childhood caries, and 40 caries-free children. The children were then further divided into four groups, with 20 children in each group: Group 1: Severe early childhood caries-, Group 2: Severe early childhood caries-, Group 3: Caries-free- and Group 4: Caries-free-.

A promising approach utilising photothermal energy to disinfect the root canal system: An in vitro investigation.

This study aimed to assess root canal disinfection through various irrigation protocols, including a novel photothermal system called 'LEAP'. Mandibular premolars were infected with Enterococcus faecalis and divided into five groups for different treatments: Group 1: standard needle irrigation; Group 2: passive ultrasonic irrigation; Group 3: GentleWave; Group 4: LEAP; and Group 5: Group 1 + Group 4. Microbial counts were measured before (S1) and after disinfection (S2) using colony-forming units (CFU) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).

Therapeutic Efficacy of Mirogabalin in managing Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Trigeminal neuralgia presents significant challenges in management, often requiring alternative pharmacotherapy due to resistance or side effects to first-line medications like carbamazepine. This case series investigates the efficacy and safety of mirogabalin, a novel α2δ ligand, in six trigeminal neuralgia patients. Mirogabalin demonstrated varying degrees of pain reduction, with an average Numerical Rating Scale improvement rate of 43.

Trigeminal neuralgia with enlarged suprameatal tubercle: A case report.

According to the International Classification of Orofacial Pain (ICOP), secondary trigeminal neuralgia can result from various conditions such as tumors in the cerebellopontine angle, arteriovenous malformation, and multiple sclerosis. This case report describes a 41-year-old woman with trigeminal neuralgia caused by narrowing of the cerebellopontine cistern due to an enlarged suprameatal tubercle. Carbamazepine treatment was initially effective, but became inadequate within a few months.

Development of T cell antigen-based human coronavirus vaccines against nAb-escaping SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Currently approved vaccines have been successful in preventing the severity of COVID-19 and hospitalization. These vaccines primarily induce humoral immune responses; however, highly transmissible and mutated variants, such as the Omicron variant, weaken the neutralization potential of the vaccines, thus, raising serious concerns about their efficacy. Additionally, while neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) tend to wane more rapidly than cell-mediated immunity, long-lasting T cells typically prevent severe viral illness by directly killing infected cells or aiding other immune cells.

as a Convenient Animal Model for Microbiome Studies.

Microbes constitute the most prevalent life form on Earth, yet their remarkable diversity remains mostly unrecognized. Microbial diversity in vertebrate models presents a significant challenge for investigating host-microbiome interactions. The model organism has many advantages for delineating the effects of host genetics on microbial composition.

Peptides Derived from the SARS-CoV-2 S2-Protein Heptad-Repeat-2 Inhibit Pseudoviral Fusion at Micromolar Concentrations: The Role of Palmitic Acid Conjugation.

SARS-CoV-2 S-protein-mediated fusion is thought to involve the interaction of the membrane-distal or N-terminal heptad repeat (NHR) ("HR1") of the cleaved S2 segment of the protein and the membrane-proximal or C-terminal heptad repeat (CHR) ("HR2") regions of the protein. We examined the fusion inhibitory activity of a PEGylated HR2-derived peptide and its palmitoylated derivative using a pseudovirus infection assay. The latter peptide caused a 76% reduction in fusion activity at 10 µM.

Hirsutella sinensis polysaccharides and Parabacteroides goldsteinii reduce lupus severity in imiquimod-treated mice.

Background: The incidence of autoimmune diseases is increasing in developed countries, possibly due to the modern Western diet and lifestyle. We showed earlier that polysaccharides derived from the medicinal fungus Hirsutella sinensis produced anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects by modulating the gut microbiota and increasing the abundance of the commensal Parabacteroides goldsteinii in mice fed with a high-fat diet.

Methods: We examined the effects of the prebiotics, H.

Impact of a keto diet on symptoms of Parkinson's disease, biomarkers, depression, anxiety and quality of life: a longitudinal study.

Evidence suggests low-carbohydrate diets (LCHF) may assist in treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD); however, gaps exist in the literature. We conducted a small 24-week pilot study to investigate the effects of an LCHF diet on motor and nonmotor symptoms, health biomarkers, anxiety, and depression in seven people with PD. We also captured patient experiences during the process (quality of life [QoL]).

Unveiling the mycobiota: The fungal frontier of human health.

The microbiota and its effect on health has been extensively studied over the past decade. In many studies, the term microbiota has become synonymous with the bacterial component of the microbiota. Other microbes in the microbiota, such as viruses and fungi, have been neglected until recently.

A Novel Coated Suture Displays Antimicrobial Activity Without Compromising Structural Properties.

Background: Treated or coated sutures promise to prevent contamination of wounds.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to coat surgical sutures with a new quaternary ammonium silane (QAS) antimicrobial compound at two different application temperatures and then to evaluate the resulting structural, physical, mechanical, and biological properties.

Study Design, Setting, Sample: In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted using male albino Wistar rats approved by the Joint Ethical Committee of IMU and Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore.

Antiseizure properties of fenamate NSAIDs determined in mature human stem-cell derived neuroglial circuits.

Repeated and uncontrolled seizures in epilepsy result in brain cell loss and neural inflammation. Current anticonvulsants primarily target ion channels and receptors implicated in seizure activity. Identification of neurotherapeutics that can inhibit epileptiform activity and reduce inflammation in the brain may offer significant benefits in the long-term management of epilepsy.

Invasive Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Mimicking a Dentoalveolar Abscess: Report of a Case in a 14-Year-Old Patient.

Introduction: A diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma in adolescent patients is extremely rare. When an oral squamous cell carcinoma lesion arises near the teeth and/or periodontium, it can be easily misdiagnosed as an inflammatory condition of endodontic or periodontal origin.

Methods: This is a case report of an otherwise healthy 14-year-old patient who was referred for endodontic evaluation and treatment of a soft-tissue swelling in the anterior maxilla.

Construction of An Orthotopic Xenograft Model of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Mimicking Disease Progression and Predicting Drug Activities.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a highly lethal disease with a complex and heterogeneous tumor microenvironment. Currently, common animal models based on subcutaneous inoculation of cancer cell suspensions do not recapitulate the tumor microenvironment in NSCLC. Herein we describe a murine orthotopic lung cancer xenograft model that employs the intrapulmonary inoculation of three-dimensional multicellular spheroids (MCS).

'Science by consensus' impedes scientific creativity and progress: A simple alternative to funding biomedical research.

The very low success rates of grant applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are highly detrimental to the progress of science and the careers of scientists. The peer review process that evaluates proposals has been claimed arbitrarily to be the best there is. This consensus system, however, has never been evaluated scientifically against an alternative.

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.