“Making Room”: A Thematic Analysis Study of the Process of Postpartum Maternal Adjustment

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Mothers are especially vulnerable to the onset or recurrence of psychological symptoms during the postpartum period. However, protective psychosocial factors may...     

Compound osteosynthesis in the thoracic spine for treatment of vertebral metastases. Technical report

Metastases to vertebrae often cause bone destruction leading to instability and neural compression. Anterior surgical approaches allow tumor resection and direct neural decompression. For patients with a short life expectancy, vertebral body replacement with methyl-methacrylate polymerized in situ can be used for load sharing in the axial plane. Screws hung from the rod into the corpectomy site are incorporated into the acrylic cement. The technique described in this article allows for immediate spinal stabilization and provides a protective environment for the neural elements. All the patients tolerated the procedure well and were able to ambulation without an orthoses.     

Three-dimensional finite element modelling of all-ceramic restorations based on micro-CT

ObjectivesTo describe and apply a method of modelling dental crowns and three-unit fixed partial dentures (FPD) for finite element analyses (FEA) from 3D images obtained using a micro-CT scanner.MethodsA crown and a three-unit fixed partial denture (FPD) made of a ceramic framework (Y-TZP) and veneered with porcelain (VM9) were scanned using an X-ray micro-CT scanner with a pixel size of 6.97 μm. Slice images from both structures were generated at each 0.034 mm and processed by an interactive image control system (Mimics). Different masks of abutments, framework and veneer were extracted using thresholding and region growing tools based on X-ray image brightness and contrast. 3D objects of each model were incorporated into non-manifold assembly and meshed simultaneously. Volume meshes were exported to the FEA software (ABAQUS), and the load-generated stress distribution was analyzed.ResultsFEA models showed great shape resemblance with the structures. The use of non-manifold assembly ensured matching surfaces and coinciding nodes between different structural parts. For the crown model, tensile stresses were concentrated in the internal surface of the core, near to the applied load. For the FPD model, the highest tensile stresses were located in the framework, on the cervical area of connectors and pontic.ConclusionsValid 3D models of dental crown and FPD can be generated by combining micro-CT scanning and Mimics software, emphasizing its importance as design tool in dental research.Clinical significanceThe 3D FEA method described in this work is an important tool to predict the stress distribution, assisting on structural design of dental restorations.     

Hydroxychloroquine blood levels in stable lupus nephritis under low dose (2–3 mg/kg/day): 12-month prospective randomized controlled trial

Clinical Rheumatology - The American Academy of Ophthalmology (2016-AAO) recommended hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) dose not to exceed 5 mg/kg/day (real body weight). Recently, it was reported that...