Impact of photobiomodulation and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound adjunctive interventions on orthodontic treatment duration during clear aligner therapy:: A retrospective study

ObjectiveTo assess the efficiency of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) and photobiomodulation (PBM) interventions in accelerating orthodontic tooth movement during clear aligner therapy (CAT).Materials and MethodsThis retrospective study was carried out on the records of 84 subjects who were treated using CAT. Twenty-eight patients were treated using CAT with a daily use of LIPUS for 20 minutes, 28 patients were treated using CAT with a daily use of PBM for 10 minutes, and 28 patients were treated using CAT alone. The total duration of treatment was recorded for all patients. One-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey test were used to assess whether there was any significant difference in total treatment duration among the three groups (P < .05).ResultsThe mean treatment durations in days were 719 ± 220, 533 ± 242, and 528 ± 323 for the control, LIPUS, and PBM groups, respectively. The LIPUS group showed a 26% reduction, on average, in treatment duration when compared with the control group, whereas the PBM group showed an average 26.6% reduction in the treatment duration when compared with the control group. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences among the groups (P = .011). Treatment durations were significantly reduced in the LIPUS and PBM groups as compared with the control (P = .027 and P = .023, respectively), with no statistically significant differences between the LIPUS and PBM groups (P = .998).ConclusionsDaily use of LIPUS or PBM as adjunctive interventions during CAT could reduce the duration of orthodontic treatment.     

Ascorbic Acid for the Safe Use of a Sunscreen Agent: Accumulation of Nano Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide on the Skin

Objective

Physical UV absorbers such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide have been found to be highly protective against ultraviolet radiation. Sun protection factor depends on the accumulation of the minerals on the skin. UV-absorbing agents must accumulate within the upper skin layers in order to provide a dense light-absorbing layer and guarantee water resistance. The aim of this work was to increase the skin deposition and efficacy of sunscreens without increasing their skin permeation. The application possibility of EDX to determine the quantitative elemental composition of zinc and titanium on the skin surface was studied.

Method

The changes induced in the skin deposition of physical UV absorbers in conjunction with ascorbic acid were studied. In vitro skin permeation and X-ray elemental analysis were carried out to determine the mineral skin deposition effect of ascorbic acid.

Key findings

Results indicate that ascorbic acid may significantly increase the skin deposition (p < 0.05) of these minerals on the skin without increasing their skin permeation (p > 0.05). Flow through diffusion cell and X-ray elemental analyses appear to be complementary and show that ascorbic acid is able to increase accumulation of sunscreen on the skin.     

Defining sensory modulation: A review of the concept and a contemporary definition for application by occupational therapists

Background: Sensory interventions are prevalent amongst adult mental health practitioners and are supported by major stakeholders and policy makers across the world. The term commonly used by occupational therapists applying sensory practices is sensory modulation, however this term has evolved.

Aims: This paper aims to investigate and clarify the definition of ‘sensory modulation’ for application by occupational therapists.

Method: A framework guided this concept analysis on sensory modulation. A summative content analysis approach was employed to code results.

Results: Six conceptual themes for sensory modulation were identified. 81% of authors defined sensory modulation as consisting of more than one of these themes. 18% of authors defined sensory modulation as both a neurophysiological process and means to regulate behaviour.

Conclusion: The concept of sensory modulation has evolved in occupational therapy practice. The authors summarise with the following proposed definition of sensory modulation for contemporary occupational therapy practice: ‘Sensory modulation is considered a twofold process. It originates in the central nervous system as the neurological ability to regulate and process sensory stimuli; this subsequently offers the individual an opportunity to respond behaviourally to the stimulus’.

Significance: A contemporary definition of ‘sensory modulation’ has been identified for occupational therapy practice.     

Does turmeric/curcumin supplementation improve serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

We performed a meta‐analysis to evaluate the efficacy of turmeric/curcumin supplementation on serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to November 20, 2018. Studies that examined the effect of turmeric/curcumin on serum concentrations of ALT and AST among patients with NAFLD were included. The mean difference and standard deviation (SD) of changes in ALT and AST between intervention and control groups were used as effect size for the meta‐analysis. A total of six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for meta‐analysis. Results from pooled analysis revealed that turmeric/curcumin supplementation reduced ALT (MD: ?7.31 UL/L, 95% CI [?13.16, ?1.47], p = 0.014) and AST (MD: ?4.68 UL/L, 95% CI [?8.75 ?0.60], p = 0.026). When RCTs stratified on the basis of their treatment duration, the significant reduction in serum concentrations of ALT and AST was observed only in studies lasting less than 12 weeks. This review suggests that turmeric/curcumin might have a favorable effect on serum concentrations of ALT and AST in patients with NAFLD. However, further clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings.     

Spermatogenesis disorder is associated with mutations in the ligand‐binding domain of an androgen receptor

Androgens play a key role in spermatogenesis, and their functions are mediated by the androgen receptor (AR). Some mutations in the AR gene have the potential to alter the primary structure and function of the protein. The aim of this study was to investigate the AR gene mutations in a cohort of males with idiopathic azoospermia referred to Royan Institute. Fifty‐one biopsy samples were obtained for routine clinical purposes from 15 men with hypospermatogenesis (HS), 17 patients with maturation arrest (MA) and 19 patients with Sertoli cell‐only syndrome (SCOS). The AR cDNAs were prepared from tissue mRNAs and were sequenced. One synonymous variant and three nonsynonymous protein coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) were detected. Protein structure prediction demonstrated that the S815I and M746T nonsynonymous variants would affect protein structure and its normal function. Our study suggests that mutations in the AR gene would change or disturb the receptor's normal activity. Although these variations may influence spermatogenesis, it is difficult to say that they lead to a lack of spermatogenesis.     

Occlusal caries: Evaluation of direct microscopy versus digital imaging used for two histological classification systems

Objective

Histology is frequently used as a gold standard to validate caries detection devices. Poor assessment consistency could lead to apparent changes in diagnostic accuracy. In multi-center, multi-examiner studies electronic transfer of information would be convenient, provided there is no deteriation in quality. This study tested the hypothesis that examiner reproducibility in the assessment of caries lesion depth when viewing photographic images of histological sections on a computer monitor, is comparable with viewing the same sections under a microscope using two histological classification systems.

Methods

166 investigation sites (96 teeth) were selected for visual examination (ICDAS-II) and sections made using a novel technique which reduced risk of section damage and allowed accurate allocation of section to each investigation site. Digital images of the sections were produced and four examiners viewed the sections under a microscope and on a separate occasion corresponding digital images on a computer monitor. Presence and extent of caries was scored according to two histological classification systems (Downer, ERK).

Results

The inter- and intra-examiner reproducibility for both histological classification systems and both examination techniques was substantial to almost perfect (weighted kappa = 0.63–0.90). Comparing the kappa values between microscopy and viewing digital images, there was no effect or only a small effect between both examination techniques (effect size 0.00–0.28). There was also a strong relationship between the two viewing techniques (r_s = 0.748–0.844).

Conclusions

Viewing digital images of tooth sections produces results comparable to viewing images directly under a microscope and therefore has potential benefits for multi-centre studies.     

New diagnostic EEG markers of the Alzheimer’s disease using visibility graph

A new chaos–wavelet approach is presented for electroencephalogram (EEG)-based diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) employing a recently developed concept in graph theory, visibility graph (VG). The approach is based on the research ideology that nonlinear features may not reveal differences between AD and control group in the band-limited EEG, but may represent noticeable differences in certain sub-bands. Hence, complexity of EEGs is computed using the VGs of EEGs and EEG sub-bands produced by wavelet decomposition. Two methods are employed for computation of complexity of the VGs: one based on the power of scale-freeness of a graph structure and the other based on the maximum eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of a graph. Analysis of variation is used for feature selection. Two classifiers are applied to the selected features to distinguish AD and control EEGs: a Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) and a two-stage classifier consisting of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the RBFNN. After comprehensive statistical studies, effective classification features and mathematical markers were discovered. Finally, using the discovered features and a two-stage classifier (PCA-RBFNN), a high diagnostic accuracy of 97.7% was obtained.