Risk factors control

BACKGROUND: Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is a biological process that can influence the function of the pulp, including its innervation. The excitability of the nerve fibres of the pulp may be altered by forces exerted on the nerve fibres or by reduced blood flow to the pulp. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the sensitivity of the dental pulp during levelling and during the phase of space closure, to assess the role of certain controlled risk factors. METHODS: Twenty-two adolescent participants requiring orthodontic space closure in transcanine sector were enrolled in a prospective clinical study...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Recent evidence suggests Arab Americans, individuals with ancestry from Arabic-speaking countries, have an elevated risk for CVD compared to other ethnicities in the US. However, research focusing specifically on CVD in this population is limited. This literature review synthesizes studies investigating CVD prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes in Arab Americans. Multiple studies found higher rates of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension compared to non-Hispanic White participants...

Animal and human dirofilariosis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease, being one of the most important diseases in Europe. In Serbia, there are extensive studies reporting the presence of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens , mainly in the north of the country, where the human population is concentrated and where there is a presence of culicid mosquitoes that transmit the disease. Ecological niche modeling (ENM) has proven to be a very good tool to predict the appearance of parasitosis in very diverse areas, with distant orography and climatologies at a local, continental, and global level...

OBJECTIVES: The spread of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (ESCrE) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) has resulted in increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs worldwide. To identify the factors associated with ESCrE and CRE colonization within hospitals, we enrolled hospitalized patients at a regional hospital located in Guatemala. METHODS: Stool samples were collected from randomly selected patients using a cross-sectional study design (March-September, 2021), and samples were tested for the presence of ESCrE and CRE...

OBJECTIVES: Kenya has implemented a national school-based deworming program, which has led to substantial decline in the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), although some pockets of infections remain. To effectively design an STH control program that leads to significant reductions of Trichuris trichiura, there is a need to understand the drivers of persistent infection despite ongoing treatment programs. METHODS: This study was conducted between July and September 2019 at the south coast of Kenya, using a two-stage sampling design...

BACKGROUND: In recent years, novel therapies targeting specific molecular pathways and immunotherapies have exhibited promising outcomes for treating human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. Our work aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of these emerging treatment regimens for this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We systematically searched databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials their inception to August 2023 to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs)...

Background This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ultrasonography (US) and in vitro measurement (IVM) methods in localizing peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in premature infants and analyze the relevant factors affecting the accuracy of IVM. Methodology The study employs a prospective before-and-after self-controlled clinical trial design. A total of 210 premature infants who underwent PICC catheterization were compared. We assessed the rate of catheter tip placement, consistency, and stability and analyzed the relevant factors...

PURPOSE: There are several ways to treat trigeminal neuralgia (TN); however, TN may recur after treatment. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) under local anesthesia for treatment of recurrent trigeminal neuralgia. Patients and Methods . This is a prospective and nonrandomized controlled clinical study. Forty-eight patients with classical TN were scheduled to undergo PBC surgery at the pain department of our institution between January 2021 and June 2021...

The human retina is part of the central nervous system and can be easily and non-invasively imaged through optical coherence tomography. Imaging the retina may provide insights on central nervous system related disorders such as schizophrenia. Here, our objective was to investigate if variations in retinal phenotypes could be attributed to common genetic variations conveying a risk of schizophrenia as measured by polygenic risk scores. We used population data from the UK Biobank, including White British and Irish individuals without diagnosed schizoprenia, and estimated a polygenic risk score for schizophrenia based on the newest genome-wide association study (PGC release 2022)...

BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii ( T. gondii ) is a significant protozoan pathogen among food animals. Despite the threat to public health by T. gondii infections, there's limited understanding of its seroprevalence and trends in food animals across mainland China. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infections among swine, sheep, goats, chickens, and cattle in mainland China from 2010 to 2023. METHODS: We searched cross-sectional studies published between 2010 and 2023 that reported the prevalence of T...

INTRODUCTION: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel bunyavirus infection with a high lethality rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in coagulation parameters in patients with SFTS, aiming to provide clinical evidence for early diagnosis, treatment, and disease analysis. METHODS: A total of 40 patients with SFTS attended from April 1, 2020 to May 21, 2022 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were selected and grouped according to the duration of the disease, mild and severe disease, cure and death, with 50 healthy physical examiners as controls, and the risk of severe and death disease was predicted using ROC curves...

PURPOSE: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and depressive disorder (DD), which are associated with unhealthy lifestyles, are prevalent worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the effects of regular aerobic exercise on cognitive function, depression, and the regulatory role of neurotrophic growth factors for providing scientific basis in preventing MCI and DD in healthy individuals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty members of the fitness center and 80 community residents were recruited, who were administered by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)...

Objective: This study constitutes a pioneering systematic review and meta analysis delving into the clinical efficacy and safety of the combined therapy involving Wuhu Decoction and azithromycin for treating Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in pediatric patients. Methods: This study conducted a comprehensive computerized search, covering 6 Chinese databases and 6 English databases, to collect randomized controlled trials related to the combined use of Wuhu Decoction and azithromycin for treating Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in pediatric patients...

PURPOSE: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a signaling lipid involved in many biological processes, including inflammatory and immune regulatory responses. The study aimed to determine whether admission S1P levels are associated with disease severity and prognosis after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: Data of 134 patients with spontaneous ICH and 120 healthy controls were obtained from Biological Resource Sample Database of Intracerebral Hemorrhage at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University...

BACKGROUND: Cerebral infarction often results in post-stroke cognitive impairment, which impairs the quality of life and causes long-term disability. Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system, have a crucial role in cerebral ischemia and neuroinflammation. We explored the possible advantages of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a powerful pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by astrocytes, for post-stroke cognitive function. METHODS: Mendelian randomization was applied to analyze the GWAS database of stroke patients, obtaining a causal relationship between IL-6 and stroke...

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: The inclusion of meningococcal vaccines in the National Immunization Program (NIP) over several years has significantly reduced the incidence of meningococcal meningitis in China to historic lows. Worldwide, there has been a diversification of meningococcal serogroups, leading to a shift in dominant serogroups in China from serogroup A to serogroups C and B, accompanied by a rise in reports of serogroups Y and W. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: An outbreak of serogroup Y Neisseria meningitidis (Nm ) in a secondary vocational school involved a single confirmed severe case and 24 individuals with laboratory-confirmed Nm carriage...

Patients with cancer are known to have a poor prognosis when infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed in this study to assess health outcomes in COVID-19 patients with different cancers in comparison to non-cancer COVID-19 patients from different centers in the United States (US). We evaluated medical records of 1,943 COVID-19 Cancer patients from 3 hospitals admitted between December 2019 to October 2021 and compared them with non-cancer COVID-19 patients. Among 1,943 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 18...

INTRODUCTION: Acute heart failure (AHF) is a serious medical problem that necessitates hospitalization and often results in death. Patients hospitalized in the emergency department (ED) should therefore receive an immediate diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, there is not yet a fast and accurate laboratory test for identifying AHF. The purpose of this research is to apply the principles of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to the analysis of hematological indicators for the diagnosis of AHF...

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC?: Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) was linked to endocrine hormone disruption in the reproductive system. Nonetheless, it was unclear which specific components of PM2.5 were primarily responsible for these associations. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: The study presented the initial epidemiological evidence that brief exposure to PM2.5 can elevate estradiol levels in postmenopausal women. Various particle components had unique effects, with water-soluble ions and specific inorganic elements like Ag, As, Cd, Hg, Ni, Sb, Se, Sn, and Tl potentially playing significant roles in increasing estradiol levels...

BACKGROUND: Food safety is a serious challenge in the face of increasing population and diminishing resources. Staphylococcus aureus is a critical foodborne pathogen characterized by its capability to secret a diverse range of heat-resistant enterotoxins. Antibiotic usage in dairy herds resulted in the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns among bacterial species, which were consequently transmitted to humans via dairy products. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce bacteriocins, which provide an excellent source of natural antimicrobials with the further advantage of being environmentally friendly and safe...