A comparison of the shear strength of chemically versus electrolytically etched metal retainers

The recent popularity of acid-etched, resin-bonded retainers (RBR) has initiated improvements in design, technique, and etching. This study compared the shear strength of chemically etched Biobond retainers with electrolytically etched retainers bonded to enamel using identical cement. Shear fracture loads were recorded using Instrom testing for all specimens. The mean fracture load for the electrolytically etched castings was greater than that of the chemically etched castings. Electrolytically etched specimens also recorded the greatest and the least fracture load values. These results indicated that, while there were significant differences between the two groups with greater shear strength values for electrolytic etching, there was also more variation in shear fracture load with electrolytic etching. © 1992 The Editorial Council of The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry

The Jumping Up (J-Up) Test: Making the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis Easier in Children

We evaluate a new clinical test, jumping up (J-up) test, to diagnose easier appendicitis in children. A total of 407 patients, aged 5 to16 years, with right lower quadrant abdominal pain were asked to jump rising both hands and trying to reach a toy hanging down from the ceiling of the examination room. Bieri pediatric Face Pain Scale was used for recording the pain response. J-up test has sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 70%. A positive J-up test combined with leukocytosis (white blood cells count >12 000/mm3), neutrophilia >75%, neutrophil/lymphocyte >2, and C-reactive protein >5 mg/dL, achieved a posttest probability of appendicitis of 85%. A negative J-up test combined with the aforementioned blood markers within normal range had a posttest probability for non-appendicitis of 92%. J-up test is a reliable clinical test, which could be used even by an inexperienced doctor. Combined with classical blood markers, it could successfully predict which child is in urgent need or not of surgery. © The Author(s) 2019

Diagnostic Accuracy of Preoperative Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratios in Detecting Occult Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinomas in Benign Multinodular Goitres

Objective. To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) ratios in detecting occult papillary thyroid microcarcinomas in benign, multinodular goitres. Methods. 397 total thyroidectomy patients were identified from the institutional thyroid surgery database between 2007 and 2016 (94 males, 303 females, mean age 53 ± 14.5 years). NLR and PLR were calculated as the absolute neutrophil and absolute platelet counts divided by the absolute lymphocyte count, respectively, based on the preoperative complete blood cell count. Results. NLR was significantly higher in carcinomas and microcarcinomas compared to benign pathology (p=0.026), whereas a direct association could not be established for PLR. Both NLR and PLR scored low in all parameters of diagnostic accuracy, with overall accuracy ranging between 45 and 50%. Conclusions. As surrogate indices of the systemic inflammatory response, NLR and PLR are inexpensive and universally available from routine blood tests. Although we found higher NLR values in cases of malignancy, NLR and PLR cannot effectively predict the presence of occult papillary microcarcinomas in otherwise benign, multinodular goitres. © 2018 Dimitrios K. Manatakis et al