Efficacy

BACKGROUND: Chemical plaque control with mouthwashes as an adjunct to mechanical plaque control with a toothbrush and dental floss has been considered an effective method for controlling gingivitis. The anti-inflammatory effects of chemical plaque control benefit the oral tissues by reducing inflammation and bleeding. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy of probiotic, Aloe vera, povidine-iodine, and chlorhexidine (CHX) mouthwashes in treating gingivitis patients by assessing changes in their clinical parameters...

The Connectorship Scale was designed to assess how leaders connect with their followers and is described to measure eight dimensions: social interactivity, dependability, positive communication, presenting oneself, storytelling ability, belief in networking, tangible introduction, and belief in the importance of online networking. This study explores the scale properties and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of the Connectorship Scale and examines how the scale scores correlate with self-efficacy and extraversion based on responses from 454 (52% women) adult business students...

This review article focuses on the applications of deep learning with neural networks and multimodal neural networks in the orthopaedic domain. By providing practical examples of how artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied successfully in orthopaedic surgery, particularly in the realm of imaging data sets and the integration of clinical data, this study aims to provide orthopaedic surgeons with the necessary tools to not only evaluate existing literature but also to consider AI's potential in their own clinical or research pursuits...

Severe acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening pancreatic inflammatory disease with a high mortality rate (∼40%). Existing pharmaceutical therapies in development or in clinical trials showed insufficient treatment efficacy due to their single molecular therapeutic target, poor water solubility, short half-life, limited pancreas-targeting specificity, etc. Herein, acid-responsive hollow mesoporous Prussian blue nanoparticles wrapped with neutrophil membranes and surface modified with the N , N -dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine moiety were developed for codelivering membrane-permeable calcium chelator BAPTA-AM (BA) and trypsin activity inhibitor gabexate mesylate (Ga)...

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have significantly improved the survival of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), however, older patients are often underrepresented in pivotal trials. Approximately 20% of older adults never start treatment and face significant barriers to accomplish favorable outcomes. The treatment goal is to improve survival, prevent progression, and preserve quality of life. This is achieved through optimizing TKI doses and employing discontinuation strategies to attain treatment-free remission (TFR), a goal increasingly pursued by older patients...

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, chronic wounds have become an increasingly significant clinical concern due to their increasing morbidity and socioeconomic toll. However, there is currently no product available on the market that specifically targets this intricate process. One clear indicator of delayed wound repair is the inhibition of re-epithelialization. Yes-associated protein (YAP), which is a potential focal point for tissue repair and regeneration, has been shown to be prominent in several studies...

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), particularly in neonates, infants and young children, with approximately 33 million infections worldwide each year. 1-2% of episodes lead to hospitalization. There are hardly any reliable epidemiological figures on hospitalization in adults, whose burden of disease from RSV is probably markedly underestimated. METHODS: This review is based on publications retrieved by a selective search in PubMed, with particular attention to recommendations for the prevention of RSV infection...

PURPOSE: Examine possible message topics to promote rural vaccination using psychosocial antecedents of vaccination. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey administered by Research America, Inc. SETTING: West Virginia (WV). SAMPLE: 756 WV adults via convenience sample (n = 370; ∼2% response rate from online panel of ∼20 000 WV residents), and random digit dial of landlines (n = 174; ∼1% response rate from 18 432 numbers) and cellphones (n = 212; ∼1% response rate from 20 486 numbers)...

Pharmacological activation of the retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) pathway holds promise for increasing tumor immunogenicity and improving the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, the potency and clinical efficacy of 5'-triphosphate RNA (3pRNA) agonists of RIG-I are hindered by multiple pharmacological barriers, including poor pharmacokinetics, nuclease degradation, and inefficient delivery to the cytosol where RIG-I is localized. Here, we address these challenges through the design and evaluation of ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for the delivery of 3p-modified stem-loop RNAs (SLRs)...

Of the 27 million surgeries performed in the United States each year, a reported 2.6% result in a surgical site infection (SSI), and Staphylococci species are commonly the culprit. Alternative therapies, such as nitric oxide (NO)-releasing biomaterials, are being developed to address this issue. NO is a potent antimicrobial agent with several modes of action, including oxidative and nitrosative damage, disruption of bacterial membranes, and dispersion of biofilms. For targeted antibacterial effects, NO is delivered by exogenous donor molecules, like S -nitroso- N -acetylpenicillamine (SNAP)...

We screened the contact activity of 32 commercial essential oils (EOs) and their synergistic effect with β-cypermethrin against Blattella germanica . Results showed that the most effective EOs against B. germanica were from Illicium verum , Syzygium aromaticum , and Cinnamomum camphora , with LD50 values of less than 500 μg/insect. The most potent synergistic effects of β-cypermethrin on B. germanica were from Dysphania ambrosioides and Mentha canadensis . Both oils have a co-toxic factor of 133...

Titanium (Ti) implants are widely used in orthopedic and dental applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. However, bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation on implant surfaces pose a significant risk of postoperative infections and complications. Conventional surface modifications often lack long-lasting antibacterial efficacy, necessitating the development of novel coatings with enhanced antimicrobial properties. This study aims to develop a novel Ag-TiO2 -OTS (Silver-Titanium dioxide-Octadecyltrichlorosilane, ATO) nanocomposite coating, through a chemical plating method...

Transgender older adults have a long history of exclusion that shapes current experiences with social services. However, scant gerontological research uses archival data, which can provide critical context for service providers. Moreover, sparse research examines how exclusion can be a catalyst for change that social workers could leverage. Empowerment theory provides a theoretical tool to explain how this is possible. This multidisciplinary case study blends community member interviews and archival data to answer this question: How did exclusion shape empowerment and social change for transgender Americans? This study focuses on the events before and after the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, one of the first acts of LGBTQIA+ collective resistance that led to new services for and by transgender Americans...

BACKGROUND: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are diagnosed based on poor motor skills that impact their daily activities. However, this may also lead to lower predilection and participation in physical activities and a higher risk to develop health problems. OBJECTIVE: To determine motor skill related levels in children with moderate and severe DCD and compare that to typically developing children (TD). The study also aimed to determine the level of activities of daily living (ADL) as reported by their parent and self-efficacy as reported by the children...

OBJECTIVE: Awake Extracorporeal Life Support (aECLS) with active mobilization has gained consensus over time, also within the pediatric community. This individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis summarizes available evidence on pediatric aECLS, its feasibility, and safety regarding sedation weaning, extubation, and physiotherapy. METHODS: PubMed/Medline and Cochrane Database were screened until February 2022. Articles reporting on children (≤18 years) undergoing aECLS were selected...

BACKGROUND: Youth who experience homelessness engage in behaviors that place them at high risk for disease and injury. Despite their health risk behaviors, these youth display psychological capital, positive attributes of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism that motivate them to engage in health-promoting behaviors such as safer sex. However, this array of positive psychological attributes has not been studied in this vulnerable population. OBJECTIVES: The specific aim of this analysis was to determine whether factors of psychological capital mediated the relationship between background risk factors (e...

The application of transition metal complexes for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an attractive alternative in mitigating a broad range of bacterial pathogens, including multidrug-resistant pathogens. In view of their photostability, long excited-state lifetimes, and tunable emission properties, transition metal complexes also contribute as bioimaging agents. In the present work, we designed mono and trinuclear cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes to explore their imaging application and antibacterial potential...

Gliomas, the most prevalent primary brain tumors, pose considerable challenges due to their heterogeneity, intricate tumor microenvironment (TME), and blood-brain barrier (BBB), which restrict the effectiveness of traditional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy. This review provides an overview of engineered cell membrane technologies in glioma therapy, with a specific emphasis on targeted drug delivery and modulation of the immune microenvironment. This study investigates the progress in engineered cell membranes, encompassing physical, chemical, and genetic alterations, to improve drug delivery across the BBB and effectively target gliomas...

In the field of medical imaging, the fusion of data from diverse modalities plays a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of pathological conditions. Sparse representation (SR), a robust signal modeling technique, has demonstrated noteworthy success in multi-dimensional (MD) medical image fusion. However, a fundamental limitation appearing in existing SR models is their lack of directionality, restricting their efficacy in extracting anatomical details from different imaging modalities. To tackle this issue, we propose a novel directional SR model, termed complex sparse representation (ComSR), specifically designed for medical image fusion...

Proximal femoral fracture segmentation in computed tomography (CT) is essential in the preoperative planning of orthopedic surgeons. Recently, numerous deep learning-based approaches have been proposed for segmenting various structures within CT scans. Nevertheless, distinguishing various attributes between fracture fragments and soft tissue regions in CT scans frequently poses challenges, which have received comparatively limited research attention. Besides, the cornerstone of contemporary deep learning methodologies is the availability of annotated data, while detailed CT annotations remain scarce...