Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Vertebral Compression Fractures Using Convolutional Neural Networks and Radiomics

Journal of Digital Imaging - Vertebral Compression Fracture (VCF) occurs when the vertebral body partially collapses under the action of compressive forces. Non-traumatic VCFs can be secondary to...     

Postoperative pain in root canal treatment with ultrasonic versus conventional irrigation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Clinical Oral Investigations - The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis (SRM) was to answer the question whether the use of ultrasonic irrigation (UI) results in less postoperative...     

Systemic bevacizumab to facilitate anticoagulation in antiphospholipid syndrome and bleeding gastrointestinal angiodysplasia

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis - Bleeding gastrointestinal angiodysplasia may occur in patients with vasculitis and can be challenging to treat. We describe the novel use of bevacizumab...     

Glass fiber posts relining: can composite opacity influence retention to root canal dentin?

Odontology - This study aimed at evaluating the influence of glass-fiber post (GFP) relining with composites of different opacities on resin cement layer thickness (CLT), bond strength (BS) to root...     

Trends in Cervical Cancer Mortality in Brazilian Women who are Screened and Not Screened

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the trend in cervical cancer (ICD C53) mortality in Brazilian regions in women who are who are screened and not screened from 1996 to 2015. Methods: An epidemiological study, of time series of mortality from cervical cancer performed in 90,856 women under 24 years old (343 women), between 25 and 64 years old (32,703 women), and over 65 years old (10,909 women). The data from this research were collected from the DATASUS, from the SIM Health Surveillance Secretariat files, captured through TABNET selecting the resident population by gender and age group and ICD 10 C53 from 1996 to 2015. Results: Among women, 43.8% were white, and 76% had less than eight years of formal education. Polynomial regression showed an increasing trend in cervical cancer mortality in Brazil for women aged 15 - 24 years (p=0.01). Between 25 - 64 and 65 years or older it remained constant, but high (p=0.07; 0.99). The Northeast region pointed a growing trend in women aged 15 to 24 (p=0.01), 25 to 64 years (p=0.01) and 65 or older (p=0.001). The Northeast presented the highest average growth per year. In the Southeast, South and Midwest regions, decreasing trends were observed despite the high rates. The Joinpoint regression showed a 95% confidence interval, and that mortality from cervical cancer in the North region increased throughout the period analyzed. an increasing trend was observed from 1996 to 1998, whereas in the Midwest region, the trend remained stable throughout the period analyzed. The Federal District presented an upward trend from 1996 to 2015. In Brazil, an upward trend was observed throughout the whole period analyzed. Conclusions: Cervical cancer mortality in younger women is becoming more predominant, in addition to the high rate observed for women aged 65 or older.     

Clinical mycology in Latin America and the Caribbean: A snapshot of diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities

Despite the existence of endemic mycoses in Latin America and the Caribbean, in addition to a large population of patients at risk for invasive mycoses, the capability of medical centres to perform a proper diagnosis in mycology has not been studied in the region. Moreover, availability of antifungal drugs in the region is unknown. Here, we report the results of a survey involving 129 centres in 24 countries. Only 9% of centres would have the potential to apply for the minimum standards in mycology, as determined by the European Confederation of Medical Mycology. There is an urgent need to improve diagnostic conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as providing access to safer and more efficacious antifungal drugs.     

Emerging and Traditional Organic Markers in Areas with Multiple Anthropogenic Activities: Development of an Analytical Protocol and Its Application in Environmental Assessment Studies

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - This work describes the development of an analytical protocol combining cleanup by liquid–solid extraction and GC–MS for the...     

Risk behaviors among Italian healthcare students: a cross-sectional study for health promotion of future healthcare workers

Background:Risk behaviors are frequent among young adults and they are particularly relevant when considering healthcare students.Objectives:The study is aimed to examine the prevalence of smoking, binge drinking, physical inactivity, and excessive bodyweight in a population of healthcare students attending an Italian university.Methods:Healthcare students filled an anonymous multiple-choice questionnaire on the occasion of the occupational health visit that preceded their hospital internship. The questionnaire covered socio-demographic characteristics (including student’s working status and cohabitation) and risk behaviors. We evaluated the prevalence of risk behaviors and their association with socio-demographic characteristics.Results:The sample consisted of 494 students (65% women): 23.2% were smokers, 7.9% had excessive bodyweight, 35% did not practice any physical activity and 50% reported binge drinking at least once in the last 12 months. We found associations of male sex (30.5%) and being nursing students (29.9%) with smoking habit. The frequency of binge drinking was higher in men (38.4%), working students (53.9%), and among those who lived without family (50%). Physical inactivity was associated with female sex (44.2%) and living without family (57.1%). Finally, the co-presence of 2 risk behaviors or more was higher in men (36.8%), in nursing students (39.6%) and in working students (44.7%).Conclusions:Our findings regarding the prevalence of risk behaviors and their potential association with socio-demographic factors may be a clue to the definition of targeted strategies aimed at reducing of risk behaviors among healthcare students.Key words: risk behaviors, healthcare students, smoking, binge drinking, physical inactivity