Diagnostic accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography using different voxel sizes versus digital intraoral radiography in detection of vertical root fractures of teeth with metallic post

Background: Conventional radiographs are not an efficient diagnostic method to detect vertical root fracture (VRF). Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) overcomes the limitations of conventional radiography in the detection of VRF. In CBCT, metallic structures can cause artifacts in the images. Aim: This study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of CBCT using different voxels in the detection of VRFs of teeth with metallic posts compared to digital intraoral radiography. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 single-rooted extracted human teeth were obtained and endodontically treated, then placed in an acrylic block and metallic posts were inserted. After post insertion, the teeth roots were divided into two groups one with induced VRFs and the other having intact roots with the posts inserted. Then, each tooth was coded and imaged 3 times using CBCT and digital periapical radiography (DPR). Results: DPR showed statistically significantly lower diagnostic accuracy than CBCT, and changing the voxel did not improve the diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion: In case of suspicious VRFs, CBCT is recommended to detect the presence of fractures. Clinical Significance: Since most teeth suspected to have VRFs are endodontically treated and have a metallic post in the root canal, fracture detection may pose a challenge CBCT resolves this issue

Survival function of hypo-exponential distributions

The reliability of a system is the probability that the system will survive or complete an intended mission of certain duration. Describing all possible ways that a system can survive a mission in reliability shorthand gives a simple approach to reliability computations. Reliability computation for a system defined by shorthand notation is greatly dependent upon the convolution problem. Assuming constant component failure rates, this paper presents an analytical approach and a computer program for computing the reliability of any convolution of independent and exponentially distributed random variables.Lieutenant Colonel, Egyptian ArmyColonel, Egyptian ArmyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Prognostic value of plasma brain natriuretic peptide in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Introduction: Early detection of pulmonary hypertension or cor pulmonale could be beneficial in managing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) because the prognosis of these conditions is poor. Plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are elevated in patients with PH secondary to chronic lung diseases. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the use of plasma BNP levels as a prognostic marker in patients with stable COPD. Methods: Plasma BNP was measured in controls and patients with stable COPD stage II, III and IV (according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease classification). Echocardiography, arterial blood gas analysis, and spirometry were also performed for COPD patients. Results: The study included 57 male patients with stable COPD; 19 had stage II COPD, 21 had stage III COPD, and 17 had stage IV COPD. Twenty age-matched healthy male smokers were enrolled as a control group. The plasma BNP levels were significantly higher in COPD patients compared to controls. The plasma BNP levels in COPD patients increased with disease severity. Plasma BNP levels significantly correlated with FEV1%, PaCO2, PaO2 and pulmonary artery systolic pressure. Conclusions: Plasma BNP levels increased significantly with disease severity, progression of chronic respiratory failure, and secondary pulmonary hypertension in patients with stable COPD. These results suggest that plasma BNP can be a useful prognostic marker to monitor COPD progression and identify cases of secondary pulmonary hypertension in patients with stable COPD

Child goal setting of dietary and physical activity in a serious videogame

To inform child obesity prevention programs, the current article identified what children thought were the most important goals, values, and perceived barriers related to healthy eating and physical activity (PA) within a serious videogame for health, “Escape from Diab” (Archimage Inc., Houston, TX). Subjects and Methods: One hundred three children, 10–12 years of age, played “Escape from Diab.” During game play the children were presented with a menu of goals, values, and barriers from which they selected the ones most important to them. The children's selections were transmitted to a central server and stored in a database. Frequencies were calculated and reported. Results: The most important diet-related values and reasons for children were getting good grades and being healthy and fit. The most often reported barrier for fruit intake was that it does not fill you up, and for vegetable intake it was that availability at home was limited. Also, limited availability of bottled water at home was an often chosen barrier. PA-related important values and reasons were not missing school and having energy to do homework. Children preferred to limit sedentary activities for only 30 minutes rather than for 60 minutes. The most frequently mentioned barrier for reducing inactivity was “feeling too tired to do anything else.” Conclusions: These findings provide important input for future obesity prevention videogames attempting to motivate children to set healthy diet and PA goals

Prevalence of bullying and its impact on self-esteem, anxiety and depression among medical and health sciences university students in RAS Al Khaimah, UAE

Bullying and peer victimization among medical and health sciences students is a public health issue. This is owing to its detrimental impact and greater risk of psychiatric diseases and psychopathology in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. As a result, a descriptive cross-sectional research study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of bullying and its influence on self-esteem, anxiety, and depression among medical and health sciences university students in RAS Al- Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Approximately 369 students from MBBS, BDS, B Pharm, and BSN colleges were selected. The instruments included sociodemographic questions, bullying queries, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Primary Care Anxiety and Depression Scale. Participants averaged 21.49 ± 2.95. 34.1 % of medical students were bullied. 44.4 % of individuals were called insulting names, making verbal bullying the most common method. The linear regression analysis of bullying data shows that girls (53.2 %) are bullied more than boys (46.8 %). Bullied individuals had a mean score of 43.30 ± 19.74, indicating a higher rate of depression and anxiety. Bullied students had a mean score of 44.62 ± 9.94, indicating lower self-esteem. Significant differences were observed in relation to bullying when considering the variables of the university year, mother's education, and previous experience of bullying (P = 0.002, 0.038, 0.001). It is imperative that universities establish comprehensive protocols to identify instances of such behaviour and provide necessary assistance to victims and their families

Computational flow cytometry of planktonic populations for the evaluation of microbiological-control programs in district cooling plants

Abstract Biofouling poses a serious concern for the district cooling (DC) industry. Current industry practises for monitoring biofouling continue to rely on culture-based methods for microbial enumeration, which are ultimately flawed. Computational flow cytometric (cFCM) analyses, which offer enhanced reproducibility and streamlined analytics versus conventional flow cytometry were applied to samples taken from 3 sites in each of 3 plants over a 5-week sampling program. We asked whether the application of cFCM to monitoring planktonic community dynamics in DC plants could be able to provide sufficient information to enhance microbiological-control strategies at site and inform about plant performance impacts. The use of cFCM enabled the evaluation of biocide dosing, deep cleaning treatment efficiencies and routes of microbial ingress into the studied systems. Additionally, inherent risks arising from the reintroduction of microbiological communities into recently cleaned WCT basins from contaminated cooling waters were identified. However, short-term dynamics did not relate with plant performance metrics. In summary, the insights offered by this approach can inform on plant status, enable evaluations of microbial loads during biofouling mitigation programs and, ultimately, enhance industry management of the biofouling process

Tailored CNTs Buckypaper Membranes for the Removal of Humic Acid and Separation of Oil-In-Water Emulsions

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a robust material and proven as a promising candidate for a wide range of electronic, optoelectronic and environmental applications. In this work, two different methods were utilized for the preparation of CNTs exhibiting different aspect ratios via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The as-prepared CNTs were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2adsorption isotherms, thermogravimetric analysis and Raman spectroscopy in order to investigate their morphological and structural properties. Free-standing CNTs “buckypaper” membranes were fabricated, characterized and tailored to meet the requirements of two applications, i.e., (1) the removal of humic acid (HA) from water and (2) separation of oil-in-water emulsions. It was revealed that the hydrophobic buckypapers showed high separation performance for Shell oil-in-water emulsions filtration, with up to 98% through the accumulation of oil droplets onto the membrane surface. The absorption capacity of buckypaper membranes for various organic liquids (oil, chloroform and toluene) was evaluated over 10 absorption cycles to investigate their recyclability and robustness. Moreover, surface modification was introduced to the pristine CNTs to increase their surface hydrophilicity and improve the pure water permeability of buckypapers. These modified buckypapers showed high flux for HA solutions and excellent HA rejection efficiency up to 95%via size exclusion and electrostatic repulsion mechanisms

Covid-19 and the central nervous system: what is the interplay?

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019-2020, the highly contiguous disease caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread worldwide in a short life span causing a disastrous effect and nearly 5.8 million deaths until February 2022. This global health crisis caused concerns about the disease's aetiology, epidemiology, and management. Understanding the virus's long- and short-term consequences on diverse human body organs and systems was one of the scientist's concerns despite the virus' respiratory system principal effect. Thus, after reporting neurological symptoms in approximately one-third of hospitalised patients with COVID-19, demonstrating how COVID-19 infects the central nervous system (CNS), causing neurodegenerative diseases in various patients and how the virus affects CNS function became quintessential. There are various mechanisms for COVID-19 pathophysiology, some implicating the potential virus invasion of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Trans-synaptic and hematogenous routes are the main routes for the virus to pass through the barrier. Binding to the BBB endothelial cells is causing significant alterations in the permeability and integrity properties of the barrier, which cause an elevation of the incidence rate of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis among COVI-19 patients. COVID-19 patients developed neurological manifestations ranging from mild symptoms to severe diseases such as headache and loss of smell, encephalitis and CNS-mediated respiratory distress. However, encephalitis is not a common complication, and it has a significant mortality rate in severely ill patients due to the hyperactivation of the host immune response. Although more investigations are needed, severe COVID- 19 patients are considered at a high risk of neurodegenerative disorder as a long-term consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection