Three-dimensional facial hard tissue symmetry in a healthy Caucasian population group: a systematic review

Clinical Oral Investigations - The aim of this study was to quantify the symmetry of the facial hard tissue structures using three-dimensional radiographic imaging modalities in a normal Caucasian...     

Aqueous leaching of lithium from simulated pyrometallurgical slag by sodium sulfate roasting

In the pyrometallurgical treatment for spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), lithium is generally present in slag with Al, Ca and Si and is hard to be further treated. In this study, lithium was recovered from a simulated pyrometallurgical slag (pyro-slag) via sodium roasting and water leaching. The thermodynamic process for the reactions between slag and additives such as NaCl, NaNO₃ and Na₂SO₄ were simulated during roasting by the HSC software, where Na₂SO₄ possessed stronger chemical reactivity. The optimal conditions for roasting were experimentally determined to be 800 °C for 60 min and an Na₂SO₄/Li molar ratio of 3 : 1, followed by water leaching at 70 °C for 80 min using a liquid-to-solid (L/S) mass ratio of 30 : 1. This yielded a maximum of 93.62% lithium recovery. The mechanism by which insoluble lithium in slag was transformed into soluble lithium by salt roasting was proposed using the analysis of XRD and EDS spectra, in which ion exchange occurred between Na⁺ and Li⁺ at a certain temperature.

An effective method for the recovery of lithium from the slag formed by treating spent lithium-ion batteries.     

Reducing length of stay with the direct oral anti-coagulants in low and intermediate risk pulmonary embolism: a single center experience

Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis - Direct oral anti-coagulants (DOACs) reduce hospital length-of-stay (LOS) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in clinical trials. There is a...     

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presenting as refractory nonconvulsive status epilepticus

A 70-year-old woman was admitted to the intensive care unit with refractory nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Extensive evaluation including neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid examination was unrevealing. Brain biopsy revealed spongiosis, and prion disease was confirmed by immunostaining, providing the diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.     

Development and in vitro-in vivo relationship of controlled-release microparticles loaded with tramadol hydrochloride

In conclusion, the controlled-release microparticles of TmH can be developed via phase separation method. The development and optimization of controlled-release microparticles of tramadol hydrochloride (TmH) for the oral delivery and their in vitro and in vivo correlation was prime objective of the present study. Four formulations of controlled-released microparticles were developed and optimized in terms of encapsulation efficiency, dissolution study and release kinetics. Among all formulated microparticles F-3 (ratio of TmH:EC 1:2) and F-4 (ratio of TmH:EC 1:3) presented the better characteristics in reference to entrapment efficiency, release kinetics and dissolution profile compared to other formulations (F-1, F-2). For in vivo analysis a new HPLC analytical method was developed and validated. The optimized formulations were subjected to in vivo studies to calculate various pharmacokinetic parameters, i.e., C(max), t(max), AUC(0-∞) and MRT. The in vitro dissolution and in vivo absorption data was correlated with the help of Wagner-Nelson method. F-3 showed a good in vitro-in vivo correlation with a correlation determination of 0.9957. Moreover, lower T(max), t(1/2) and MRT, and higher values of C(max) and K(e) were observed for F-3. The control formulation (immediate-release) presented lowest values of t(1/2), MRT and T(max) but the highest values of C(max) and K(e). The controlled-release microparticles (F-3 and F-4) could sustain the drug release within therapeutic level up to 24 h and good IVIVC is expected from them.     

Diagnostic accuracy of MRI texture analysis for grading gliomas

Treatment-related changes can be difficult to differentiate from progressive glioma using MRI with contrast (CE). The purpose of this study is to compare the sensitivity and specificity of 18F-DOPA-PET and MRI in patients with recurrent glioma. Thirteen patients with MRI findings suspicious for recurrent glioma were prospectively enrolled and underwent 18F-DOPA-PET and MRI for neurosurgical planning. Stereotactic biopsies were obtained from regions of concordant and discordant PET and MRI CE, all within regions of T2/FLAIR signal hyperintensity. The sensitivity and specificity of 18F-DOPA-PET and CE were calculated based on histopathologic analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed optimal tumor to normal (T/N) and SUVmax thresholds. In the 37 specimens obtained, 51% exhibited MRI contrast enhancement (M+) and 78% demonstrated 18F-DOPA-PET avidity (P+). Imaging characteristics included M?P? in 16%, M?P+ in 32%, M+P+ in 46% and M+P? in 5%. Histopathologic review of biopsies revealed grade II components in 16%, grade III in 43%, grade IV in 30% and no tumor in 11%. MRI CE sensitivity for recurrent tumor was 52% and specificity was 50%. PET sensitivity for tumor was 82% and specificity was 50%. A T/N threshold?>?2.0 altered sensitivity to 76% and specificity to 100% and SUVmax?>?1.36 improved sensitivity and specificity to 94 and 75%, respectively. 18F-DOPA-PET can provide increased sensitivity and specificity compared with MRI CE for visualizing the spatial distribution of recurrent gliomas. Future studies will incorporate 18F-DOPA-PET into re-irradiation target volume delineation for RT planning.     

Acceptability of locally produced ready‐to‐use therapeutic foods in Ethiopia,Ghana, Pakistan and India

Successful treatment of severe acute malnutrition has been achieved with ready‐to‐use therapeutic food (RUTF), but only 15% of children with severe acute malnutrition receive RUTF. The objective of this study was to determine whether new formulations of RUTF produced using locally available ingredients were acceptable to young children in Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan and India. The local RUTFs were formulated using a linear programming tool that allows for inclusion of only local ingredients and minimizes cost. The study consisted of 4 two‐arm, crossover, site‐randomized food acceptability trials to test the acceptability of an alternative RUTF formula compared with the standard peanut‐based RUTF containing powdered milk. Fifty children with moderate wasting in each country were enrolled in the 2‐week study. Acceptability was measured by overall consumption, likeability and adverse effects reported by caregivers. Two of the four RUTFs did not include peanut, and all four used alternative dairy proteins rather than milk. The ingredient cost of all of the RUTFs was about 60% of standard RUTF. In Ethiopia, Ghana and India, the local RUTF was tolerated well without increased reports of rash, diarrhoea or vomiting. Children consumed similar amounts of local RUTF and standard RUTF and preferred them similarly as well. In Pakistan, local RUTF was consumed in similar quantities, but mothers perceived that children did not enjoy it as much as standard RUTF. Our results support the further investigation of these local RUTFs in Ethiopia, Ghana and India in equivalency trials and suggest that local RUTFs may be of lower cost.     

Three-dimensional planning accuracy and follow-up protocol in orthognathic surgery: a validation study

The purpose of the study was to propose and validate a three-dimensional (3D) tool for the assessment of orthognathic surgery planning accuracy and postoperative follow-up. A total of 15 patients (four male, 11 female; mean age 29.6 years) with skeletal class II and III, who underwent bimaxillary surgery were recruited for the study. All patients had preoperative computed tomography (CT), and cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) scans 1–6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. The data was exported to a customized stepwise module developed in Amira software resulting in the accuracy being presented as translational and rotational differences between the planning and the actual outcome. To evaluate the reliability of the proposed method, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was applied at a 95% confidence interval on the translational and rotational output of two observers. The inter- and intra-observer reliability were found to be high (ICC range: 0.94–0.98) with mean variability of less than 0.4mm and 0.7° for translational and rotational movements for both planning accuracy and follow-up protocols. The study provides a reliable, quantitative and time-efficient method for evaluating the accuracy of virtual surgical planning and postoperative follow-up.     

Determination of the position of mental foramen and frequency of anterior loop in Saudi population. A retrospective CBCT study

Objectives

To determine the position of mental foramen (MF) and frequency of anterior loop (AL) using dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).