The Effect of Different Methods of Fluoride Administration at Different Concentrations on the Load-Deflection Properties of Rhodium-Coated Niti Archwires

Background and Objective: Fluoride compounds are widely used for the control of dental plaque. Considering the effect of different fluoride compounds on the mechanical properties of orthodontic wires, this study was conducted to analyze the effect of different methods of fluoride administration at different concentrations on the load-deflection properties of rhodium-coated NiTi orthodontic archwires. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 30 patients aged between 15 and 25 years referring to Babol University of Medical Sciences due to dental crowding and didn't have vertical skeletal defects. 0.016-inch Rhodium-Coated A-NiTi wire was placed on patients' maxillary brackets. Patients were randomly divided into three groups of ten: The control group used only fluoride toothpaste, the second group used fluoride toothpaste with sodium fluoride mouthwash (0.05%) and the third group used fluoride toothpaste with Acidulated Phosphate Fluoride gel (1.23% APF). After six weeks, the values of unloading force (N), yield strength (N/m2) and stiffness (N/m) of the wires were obtained using a three-point bending test. Findings: The mean unloading force and stiffness of the second group wires were higher than that of the other groups and in the first group, they were higher than the control group in all values, but no significant differences were found between the groups. There was a significant difference between the yield strengths of different groups (p=0.038). The mean yield strength in the second group was higher than the other groups (0.94±0.16 N/m2) and was significantly different from the control group (0.75±0.19 N/m2) (p=0.030). Conclusion: According to this study, method of fluoride administration does not affect the unloading force and stiffness but the yield strength of rhodium-coated NiTi archwires increases with an increase in the fluoride concentration

Service quality of private hospitals: The Iranian Patients' perspective

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Highly competitive market in the private hospital industry has caused increasing pressure on them to provide services with higher quality. The aim of this study was to determine the different dimensions of the service quality in the private hospitals of Iran and evaluating the service quality from the patients' perspective.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted between October and November 2010 in Tehran, Iran. The study sample was composed of 983 patients randomly selected from 8 private general hospitals. The study questionnaire was the SERVQUAL questionnaire, consisting of 21 items in service quality dimensions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The result of factor analysis revealed 3 factors, explaining 69% of the total variance. The total mean score of patients' expectation and perception was 4.91(SD = 0.2) and 4.02(SD = 0.6), respectively. The highest expectation and perception related to the tangibles dimension and the lowest expectation and perception related to the empathy dimension. The differences between perception and expectation were significant (p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the expectations scores based on gender, education level, and previous hospitalization in that same hospital. Also, there was a significant difference between the perception scores based on insurance coverage, average length of stay, and patients' health conditions on discharge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results showed that SERVQUAL is a valid, reliable, and flexible instrument to monitor and measure the quality of the services in private hospitals of Iran. Our findings clarified the importance of creating a strong relationship between patients and the hospital practitioners/personnel and the need for hospital staff to be responsive, credible, and empathetic when dealing with patients.</p

White matter deficits in psychopathic offenders and correlation with factor structure

Contains fulltext : 119541.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Psychopathic offenders show a persistent pattern of emotional unresponsivity to the often horrendous crimes they perpetrate. Recent studies have related psychopathy to alterations in white matter. Therefore, diffusion tensor imaging followed by tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis in 11 psychopathic offenders matched to 11 healthy controls was completed. Fractional anisotropy was calculated within each voxel and comparisons were made between groups using a permutation test. Any clusters of white matter voxels different between groups were submitted to probabilistic tractography. Significant differences in fractional anisotropy were found between psychopathic offenders and healthy controls in three main white matter clusters. These three clusters represented two major networks: an amygdalo-prefrontal network, and a striato-thalamo-frontal network. The interpersonal/affective component of the PCL-R correlated with white matter deficits in the orbitofrontal cortex and frontal pole whereas the antisocial component correlated with deficits in the striato-thalamo-frontal network. In addition to replicating earlier work concerning disruption of an amygdala-prefrontal network, we show for the first time that white matter integrity in a striato-thalamo-frontal network is disrupted in psychopathic offenders. The novelty of our findings lies in the two dissociable white matter networks that map directly onto the two major factors of psychopathy.8 p

Pegfilgrastim prophylaxis is associated with a lower risk of hospitalization of cancer patients than filgrastim prophylaxis: a retrospective United States claims analysis of granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Myelosuppressive chemotherapy can lead to dose-limiting febrile neutropenia. Prophylactic use of recombinant human G-CSF such as daily filgrastim and once-per-cycle pegfilgrastim may reduce the incidence of febrile neutropenia. This comparative study examined the effect of pegfilgrastim versus daily filgrastim on the risk of hospitalization.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This retrospective United States claims analysis utilized 2004–2009 data for filgrastim- and pegfilgrastim-treated patients receiving chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) or breast, lung, ovarian, or colorectal cancers. Cycles in which pegfilgrastim or filgrastim was administered within 5 days from initiation of chemotherapy (considered to represent prophylaxis) were pooled for analysis. Neutropenia-related hospitalization and other healthcare encounters were defined with a “narrow” criterion for claims with an ICD-9 code for neutropenia and with a “broad” criterion for claims with an ICD-9 code for neutropenia, fever, or infection. Odds ratios (OR) for hospitalization and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated by generalized estimating equation (GEE) models and adjusted for patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics. Per-cycle healthcare utilization and costs were examined for cycles with pegfilgrastim or filgrastim prophylaxis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We identified 3,535 patients receiving G-CSF prophylaxis, representing 12,056 chemotherapy cycles (11,683 pegfilgrastim, 373 filgrastim). The mean duration of filgrastim prophylaxis in the sample was 4.8 days. The mean duration of pegfilgrastim prophylaxis in the sample was 1.0 day, consistent with the recommended dosage of pegfilgrastim - a single injection once per chemotherapy cycle. Cycles with prophylactic pegfilgrastim were associated with a decreased risk of neutropenia-related hospitalization (narrow definition: OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.16–1.13; broad definition: OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.24–0.59) and all-cause hospitalization (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.35–0.72) versus cycles with prophylactic filgrastim. For neutropenia-related utilization by setting of care, there were more ambulatory visits and hospitalizations per cycle associated with filgrastim prophylaxis than with pegfilgrastim prophylaxis. Mean per-cycle neutropenia-related costs were also higher with prophylactic filgrastim than with prophylactic pegfilgrastim.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this comparative effectiveness study, pegfilgrastim prophylaxis was associated with a reduced risk of neutropenia-related or all-cause hospitalization relative to filgrastim prophylaxis.</p