Parents and/or young males’ beliefs, attitudes and opinions regarding male HPV Vaccine: a systematic review

Objectives: To measure the acceptability, beliefs and attitudes on the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among adolescents and their parents. Methods: Relevant questionnaire-based articles, published in peer-reviewed journals, were retrieved from Medline (through Pubmed and EBSCO) and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. The quality of shortlisted articles was assessed using the CEBMa checklist. Data were extracted and systematically reviewed. Results: Twelve studies (6529 survey participants) were included in the final analysis. The quality of included studies was high (most of the parameters were satisfied according to the CEBMa tool). Of the participants, 187 (2.86 %) were adolescent males, and the rest 6342 (97.14%) were parents of adolescent males. The knowledge of disease severity and benefits of vaccination was low among parents in all studies. The willingness to vaccinate adolescent males was higher among highly educated parents, those with a previously HPV vaccinated female children, and those with a history of recommendation from a physician. Conclusion: A significant gap between actual vaccine uptake and willingness to vaccinate male children was noted in all included studies, mostly due to lack of recommendation by the treating physician. The primary motive to vaccinate sons was the understanding of vaccine benefits and willingness to protect the future partners

A Comparative Evaluation of Endodontic Irrigation Methods for Removal of the Smear Layer

The purpose of this in vitro study is to compare the effect of various irrigation systems on smear layer removal in curved root canals. Root canal irrigation plays an important role in the debridement and disinfection of the root canal system. It has been well documented that the flushing component of the irrigants is as important as the tissue dissolving capability. Therefore, the efficacy of the irrigant might also be influenced by the method by which it is introduced. Fifty-one recently extracted molar teeth with root curvatures of more than 30° were selected according to Schneider\u27s method. The teeth were decoronated to obtain a standardized root length of 12 mm. The root tips were sealed with hot glue and embedded into a silicone mold. The canal preparations were performed by using ProTaper™ and ProFile™ systems up to #35,04. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl 6%) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA 17%) were used as root canal irrigants according to Yamada protocol. To maintain irrigation consistency, a programmable syringe pump was connected to each system. After finishing the cleaning and shaping of the curved canals, the final cleansing of the root canal space, with proper irrigation solutions, were accompanied by activation systems. Five different treatment modalities were tested; Group 1: Traditional irrigation, Group 2: EndoActivator™, Group 3: Passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), Group 4: EndoVac™, Group 5: Saline. The root halves (n=102) were imaged with the FEI Quanta 200 scanning electron microscope™ (SEM). Over 7000 magnified images were reviewed and scored by three board certified Endodontists in a double-blind manner. The data was analyzed by using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method, Pairwise Comparisons and Intra-class correlation coefficients. The EndoVac™ system (an apical negative pressure irrigation system) was found to be significantly more effective (p\u3c0.05) than the other groups in all sections observed, this would include the apical, middle and coronal sections for the elimination of the smear layer as well as the debris removal and improved tubule visibility. The negative pressure delivery systems may provide cleaner surfaces in the canals of curved roots of at least 30 degree or more

Life Cycle Environmental and Economic Performance of Biochar Compared with Activated Carbon: A Meta-Analysis

As the commercial production and distribution of biochar continues to grow internationally, and its applications diversifying from its early uses as soil amendment, it is important to study the environmental impacts and economic performance of biochar in comparison to activated carbon in order to assess its value. The goal of the study was to assess, through a meta-analysis, the environmental and economic performance of biochar in comparison to activated carbon under an equivalent functional unit to adsorb heavy metals. More than 80 data points on adsorption capacity of biochar and activated carbon were identified through literature, which were statistically analyzed as part of the study. Biochar was found to have lower energy demand and global warming potential impact than activated carbon, where average energy demands were calculated as 6.1 MJ/kg and 97 MJ/kg and average greenhouse gas emissions calculated as −0.9 kg CO2eq/kg and 6.6 kg CO2eq/kg for biochar and activated carbon, respectively. When adsorption of heavy metals were used as the functional unit during analysis, results indicate that there is typically an order of magnitude difference between the two materials, where biochar was found to have lower environmental impacts. The environmental impact resulting from long distance transportation of biochar would not overturn this conclusion. The adsorption cost of biochar was lower than activated carbon to remove chromium and zinc with a 95% confidence. Adsorption cost for lead and copper were found to be comparable, and therefore the specific type of biochar and its price could shift results both ways. There is evidence that biochar, if engineered correctly for the task, could be at least as effective as activated carbon and at a lower cost

Bioactivity, cytocompatibility and thermal properties of experimental Bioglass-reinforced composites as potential root-canal filling materials

To evaluate the bioactivity and the cytocompatibility of experimental Bioglass-reinforced polyethylene-based root-canal filling materials. The thermal properties of the experimental materials were also evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry, while their radiopacity was assessed using a grey-scale value (GSV) aluminium step wedge and a phosphor plate digital system. Bioglass 45S5 (BAG), polyethylene and Strontium oxide (SrO) were used to create tailored composite fibres. The filler distribution within the composites was assessed using SEM, while their bioactivity was evaluated through infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) after storage in simulated body fluid (SBF). The radiopacity of the composite fibres and their thermal properties were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The cytocompatibility of the experimental composites used in this study was assessed using human osteoblasts and statistically analysed using the Pairwise t-test (p</p

Facts about ovarian cancer in Maysanian women

Background: Ovarian cancer is one of the commonest gynecologic malignancy. It is the most common cause of death due to gynecologic tumors, and accounts for 50% of deaths due to all gynecologic cancer types. Objectives: The aim was to discuss and assess ovarian cancer in Misan province and to underline its impact for increased awareness and interest in screening and early diagnosis by the determination of the prevalence rates among Maysanian women. Methods: The study lasted six months. During this period, we obtained a lot of data from records of the Al-Shifaa Oncology Center in Misan province, Iraq. Between September 2016 and February 2017, 50 cases of ovarian cancer from 282 gynecologic cancers were recorded. Complete history was obtained for every case. Results: The study showed that ovarian cancer constituted 17.73% of all types of cancer. It usually occurred in patients aged 60–70 years (30%). Women lived in urban areas 1.5 times more frequently than in rural areas. The most common histopathological type of ovarian cancer was ovarian serous carcinoma (46%). The most common stages were stage III and IV, accounting for 76%. Conclusion: Ovarian cancer is the third most common gynecologic cancer type. It was more common in women aged 60–70 years. Regarding the family history, the results were insignificant. The most common histopathological type of ovarian cancer in this study was ovarian serous carcinoma. The most common stages of the disease were advanced stages III and IV

Student Motivation: A Comparison and Investigation of ESL and EFL Environments

Student motivation is a multifaceted topic that English Language Teachers continually discuss and investigate. Differences of the learning environment and whether the student is in the ESL or EFL context are of special interest in the present paper. This paper presents the findings of a survey related to the topic of motivation that was given to students in both the ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) contexts. Findings include observations about student motivation in each context, glimpses of classroom occurrences in each context as well as student and teacher reflections from each context. Motivation in the ESL and EFL contexts is also discussed and different factors of student motivation are considered. Implications for teaching that can be drawn out of this study are related to the student and teacher roles in the classroom, instructional design, and attention to intercultural communicatio

Epidemiological pattern of oral squamous cell carcinoma seen at the Tygerberg academic complex

Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent)Background: Recent epidemiological reports established that there is an increase in the incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma in young patients. Some report this to be in the absence of contributing habits such as smoking and alcohol use. Few reports of such a nature have reported a similar trend in South Africa. Aim: Describe the epidemiological pattern of oral squamous cell carcinoma seen at the Tygerberg academic complex. Method: Histopathological biopsy reports of patients diagnosed by the oral pathology department of Tygerberg hospital from 1996 to 2013 were electronically retrieved and included. Patients were grouped by age into two groups, one included patients 40 years and younger, the other included patients older than 40 years. Descriptive analysis was performed for age, sex, smoking and alcohol habits and oral site of tumor. Frequency of OSCC patients was calculated manually from the total number of oral biopsies. Chi- square or Fisher’s exact tests were used as appropriate. Probabilities of less than 0.05 were regarded as significant. Results: The total number of OSCC patients over the 18-year period was 2220. The mean age was 57.6years.The male to female ratio was 2.9:1 for all age groups and 2.2:1 for young patients. The majority of patients (96%) were above 40 years old. Smoking and alcohol were commonly reported for all age groups (91.3%) and (83.8%) for young patients. The tongue was the commonest site for all age groups (30.8%) followed by oropharynx (27.3%) while in younger patients, the oropharynx was the commonest site (30.3%) followed by tongue (29.2%). Conclusion: The study confirmed that OSCC is still an affliction of people older than 40 years and males are predominantly affected. Smoking and alcohol are strong risk factors for OSCC irrespective of patient's age. OSCC among people older than 40 years may have no great difference from the same disease affecting younger ones in terms of sex, oral habits and tumor site

Measurement of Temperature Profile in the Reactor Cavity Cooling System

The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) is an important passive cooling safety system used to cool the cavity of generation IV Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTR). Texas A&M University built a 1/8 scale experimental facility for the air-cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) based on General Electric Modular High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) design to study the thermal hydraulic phenomena occurring in the upper plenum. The facility consists of four vertical parallel riser ducts welded to the upper plenum which has two exhaust chimneys. Blowers are used to drive air through in-line heaters which are connected to the bottom end of the riser ducts. Experiments were conducted to measure the temperature spatial profile in the plenum. Type T thermocouples were mounted on six moveable racks inside the upper plenum, which were moved during the experiments to measure the temperature profile across 6 different planes. Measurements were taken for four different cases with different boundary conditions. Two cases operated with heated air flow in all four risers, whereas the other two were performed with flow in a single riser only. The obtained temperature profiles were asymmetric and suggested the presence of reverse flow from one of the chimneys in both single riser cases and in one of the four riser cases. The other four riser case exhibited a symmetric temperature spatial profile indicating even distribution of the flow across the exhaust chimneys

Laparoscopic-assisted Appendectomy in Children with Uncomplicated Appendicitis

Background: Acute appendicitis is one of the common surgical emergencies in the pediatric population. In 1990, laparoscopic-assisted&nbsp; appendectomy was used in children for the first time. In this study, we present our initial experience with laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy in children, using two trocar sites, and assess it for safety and outcome. Methods: 76 cases with acute appendicitis underwent laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), Kingdom of Bahrain, between January 2012 and December 2015. These cases were reviewed prospectively. Results: 76 patients between 5 and 12 years underwent laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy at SMC. Operative time ranged from 25 to 45 min&nbsp; (mean 33.93 min). Postoperative hospitalization ranged from 2 to 5 days (mean 2.88 days). One patient developed wound infection which&nbsp; subsequently subsided with conservative treatment. One case was converted to open appendectomy, but without any intraoperative complications. All patients were followed up for 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively. Conclusion: Laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy in children is a safe alternative to the open technique. The operative time in this technique and the length of hospitalization are both less and shorter than the open counterpart. No major intra-operative or postoperative complications were documented. Recovery was excellent. Keywords: Appendicitis, Laparoscopic-assisted appendectomy, Open appendectom