Snowmass Theory Frontier: Effective Field Theory

We summarize recent progress in the development, application, and understanding of effective field theories and highlight promising directions for future research. This Report is prepared as the TF02 "Effective Field Theory" topical group summary for the Theory Frontier as part of the Snowmass 2021 process.Comment: 12 page

A Digital Approach to Immediate-Load, Full-Arch Implant Dentistry: A Case Report.

Conventional approaches to full-arch implant dentistry require a verified master model created by luting together impression jigs. This process involves numerous steps and is sometimes prone to errors that require subsequent correction. A novel approach involving an extraoral scanning technique using an Imetric 4D Imaging system demonstrates an alternative for same-day delivery of printed full-arch prosthetics. Advantages include the ability to offer a same-day provisional restoration without needing to verify an analog master cast

Platelet-Rich Fibrin and Soft Tissue Wound Healing: A Systematic Review

The growing multidisciplinary field of tissue engineering aims at predictably regenerating, enhancing, or replacing damaged or missing tissues for a variety of conditions caused by trauma, disease, and old age. One area of research that has gained tremendous awareness in recent years is that of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), which has been utilized across a wide variety of medical fields for the regeneration of soft tissues. This systematic review gathered all the currently available in vitro, in vivo, and clinical literature utilizing PRF for soft tissue regeneration, augmentation, and/or wound healing. In total, 164 publications met the original search criteria, with a total of 48 publications meeting inclusion criteria (kappa score = 94%). These studies were divided into 7 in vitro, 11 in vivo, and 31 clinical studies. In summary, 6 out of 7 (85.7%) and 11 out of 11 (100%) of the in vitro and in vivo studies, respectively, demonstrated a statistically significant advantage for combining PRF to their regenerative therapies. Out of the remaining 31 clinical studies, a total of 8 reported the effects of PRF in a randomized clinical trial, with 5 additional studies (13 total) reporting appropriate controls. In those clinical studies, 9 out of the 13 studies (69.2%) demonstrated a statistically relevant positive outcome for the primary endpoints measured. In total, 18 studies (58% of clinical studies) reported positive wound-healing events associated with the use of PRF, despite using controls. Furthermore, 27 of the 31 clinical studies (87%) supported the use of PRF for soft tissue regeneration and wound healing for a variety of procedures in medicine and dentistry. In conclusion, the results from the present systematic review highlight the positive effects of PRF on wound healing after regenerative therapy for the management of various soft tissue defects found in medicine and dentistry

Opal: an implementation science tool for machine learning clinical decision support in anesthesia.

Opal is the first published example of a full-stack platform infrastructure for an implementation science designed for ML in anesthesia that solves the problem of leveraging ML for clinical decision support. Users interact with a secure online Opal web application to select a desired operating room (OR) case cohort for data extraction, visualize datasets with built-in graphing techniques, and run in-client ML or extract data for external use. Opal was used to obtain data from 29,004 unique OR cases from a single academic institution for pre-operative prediction of post-operative acute kidney injury (AKI) based on creatinine KDIGO criteria using predictors which included pre-operative demographic, past medical history, medications, and flowsheet information. To demonstrate utility with unsupervised learning, Opal was also used to extract intra-operative flowsheet data from 2995 unique OR cases and patients were clustered using PCA analysis and k-means clustering. A gradient boosting machine model was developed using an 80/20 train to test ratio and yielded an area under the receiver operating curve (ROC-AUC) of 0.85 with 95% CI [0.80-0.90]. At the default probability decision threshold of 0.5, the model sensitivity was 0.9 and the specificity was 0.8. K-means clustering was performed to partition the cases into two clusters and for hypothesis generation of potential groups of outcomes related to intraoperative vitals. Opal's design has created streamlined ML functionality for researchers and clinicians in the perioperative setting and opens the door for many future clinical applications, including data mining, clinical simulation, high-frequency prediction, and quality improvement

Use of platelet-rich fibrin for the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES This study aims to compare the treatment outcomes of periodontal intrabony defects by using platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) with other commonly utilized modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS The eligibility criteria comprised randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the clinical outcomes of PRF with that of other modalities. Studies were classified into 10 categories as follows: (1) open flap debridement (OFD) alone versus OFD/PRF; (2) OFD/bone graft (OFD/BG) versus OFD/PRF; (3) OFD/BG versus OFD/BG/PRF; (4-6) OFD/barrier membrane (BM), OFD/PRP, or OFD/enamel matrix derivative (EMD) versus OFD/PRF; (7) OFD/EMD versus OFD/EMD/PRF; (8-10) OFD/PRF versus OFD/PRF/metformin, OFD/PRF/bisphosphonates, or OFD/PRF/statins. Weighted means and forest plots were calculated for probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and radiographic bone fill (RBF). RESULTS From 551 articles identified, 27 RCTs were included. The use of OFD/PRF statistically significantly reduced PD and improved CAL and RBF when compared to OFD. No clinically significant differences were reported when OFD/BG was compared to OFD/PRF. The addition of PRF to OFD/BG led to significant improvements in CAL and RBF. No differences were reported between any of the following groups (OFD/BM, OFD/PRP, and OFD/EMD) when compared to OFD/PRF. No improvements were also reported when PRF was added to OFD/EMD. The addition of all three of the following biomolecules (metformin, bisphosphonates, and statins) to OFD/PRF led to statistically significant improvements of PD, CAL, and RBF. CONCLUSIONS The use of PRF significantly improved clinical outcomes in intrabony defects when compared to OFD alone with similar levels being observed between OFD/BG and OFD/PRF. Future research geared toward better understanding potential ways to enhance the regenerative properties of PRF with various small biomolecules may prove valuable for future clinical applications. Future research investigating PRF at histological level is also needed. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The use of PRF in conjunction with OFD statistically significantly improved PD, CAL, and RBF values, yielding to comparable outcomes to OFD/BG. The combination of PRF with bone grafts or small biomolecules may offer certain clinical advantages, thus warranting further investigations