Comparison of Experimental Resistance to Sliding Between Different Orthodontic Arch Wires in Gold and Stainless Steel Brackets with Second-Order Angulations

Aim:The purpose of this study was to test in vitro two types of golden brackets (Forever Gold 24K and Forever Gold) and one conventional stainless steel bracket (Mini Master) as control for sliding resistance in combination with nickel-titanium (NiTi) and stainless steel (SS) arch wires in four second-order angulations with respect to frictional force values.Materials and Methods:Since there are many factors affecting friction, all tests were performed in a dry environment without ligaturing using an electronic an-gulations unit and a universal test device. Arch wires were pulled through the slots with a crosshead speed of 1 mm/minute.Results:Statistical analyses showed that the primary effects ofall three factors that is namely bracket, wire material and angle were found significant in P0.05).Conclusion:It should be considered that 24 carat fine gold plated slots in metal brackets or golden slot inserts in esthetic brackets could be effective in reducing frictional forces particularly during leveling stages

Performance Analysis of Quantized Uplink Massive MIMO-OFDM With Oversampling Under Adjacent Channel Interference

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems have attracted much attention lately due to the many advantages they provide over single-antenna systems. Owing to the many antennas, low-cost implementation and low power consumption per antenna are desired. To that end, massive MIMO structures with low-resolution analog-to-digital converters (ADC) have been investigated in many studies. However, the effect of a strong interferer in the adjacent band on quantized massive MIMO systems have not been examined yet. In this study, we analyze the performance of uplink massive MIMO with low-resolution ADCs under frequency selective fading with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) in the perfect and imperfect receiver channel state information cases. We derive analytical expressions for the bit error rate and ergodic capacity. We show that the interfering band can be suppressed by increasing the number of antennas or the oversampling rate when a zero-forcing receiver is employed

Online Sexual Violence

Objective:The use of sexually explicit correspondence and images for sexual threats has become widespread today with the increasing use of social media platforms. In our study, it is aimed to retrospectively examine the victims of online sexual violence, to discuss them in the light of the literature and to draw attention to the potential risks of social media use.Methods:The sociodemographic characteristics, social media platforms and types of online violence of the victims, their families and suspects/perpetrators who applied to the Forensic Medicine Clinic between 01.01.2016 and 31.12.2020 were examined.Results:35 cases were included in the study. Thirty-two victim were female and 3 victim were male. The average age of the victims was 15. 94±2,98. The age range of the victims was 11-26 years. Nineteen victims were exposed to nude photos/videos, 15 victims were exposed to sexually explicit conversations. Victims were exposed to online violence via Whatsapp (14), Facebook (7), Instagram (6), Twitter (1) and Snapchat (1). 10 victims were threatened to share nude photos/videos via social media platforms.Conclusion:Online sexually explicit conversation and sexually explicit photo/video sharing has emerged as a new type of violence with the increasing use of social media. It is necessary to organize training programs for children and adolescents and their parents about safe internet and social media use, and to raise awareness of the society about online risk factors and precautions to be taken

Indications of Brain Computed Tomography Scan in Children Younger Than 3 Years of Age with Minor Head Trauma

Objective. To investigate the indications to receive brain computed tomography (CT) scan and to define the pathological findings in children younger than three years of age with minor head trauma in emergency departments. Methods. In this study, hospital case notes of 1350 children attending the emergency department of Bitlis State Hospital between January 2011 and June 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. 508 children under 3 years of age with minor head trauma were included in this study. We also asked 37 physicians about the indications for requiring CT in these children. Results. This study included 508 children, 233 (45,9%) of whom were female and 275 were male. In 476 (93,7%) children, the brain CT was completely normal. 89,2% of physicians asked in the emergency department during that time interval reported that they requested CT scan to protect themselves against malpractice litigation. Conclusion. In infants and children with minor head trauma, most CT scans were unnecessary and the fear of malpractice litigation of physicians was the most common reason for requesting a CT

Discontinuation of RAAS Inhibition in Children with Advanced CKD

Background and objectives Although renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibition (RAASi) is a cornerstone in the treatment of children with CKD, it is sometimes discontinued when kidney function declines. We studied the reasons of RAASi discontinuation and associations between RAASi discontinuation and important risk markers of CKD progression and on eGFR decline in the Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with CKD study. Design, setting, participants,& measurements In this study, 69 children with CKD(67% male, mean age 13.7 years, mean eGFR 27 ml/min per 1.73m(2)) who discontinued RAASi during prospective follow-up were included. Initial change in BP, albuminuria, and potassium after discontinuation were assessed (median time 6 months). Rate of eGFR decline (eGFR slope) during a median of 1.9 years before and 1.2 years after discontinuation were estimated using linear mixed effects modeling. Results Physician-reported reasons for RAASi discontinuation were increase in serum creatinine, hyperkalemia, and symptomatic hypotension. After discontinuation of RAASi, BP and albuminuria increased, whereas potassium decreased. eGFR declined more rapidly after discontinuation of RAASi (23.9 ml/min per 1.73m2 per year; 95% confidence interval, 25.1 to 22.6) compared with the slope during RAASi treatment (21.5 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) per year; 95% confidence interval, 22.4 to 20.6; P=0.005). In contrast, no change in eGFR slope was observed in a matched control cohort of patients in whom RAASi was continued. Conclusions Discontinuation of RAASi in children with CKD is associated with an acceleration of kidney function decline, even in advanced CKD

Serum indoxyl sulfate concentrations associate with progression of chronic kidney disease in children

The uremic toxins indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (pCS) accumulate in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a consequence of altered gut microbiota metabolism and a decline in renal excretion. Despite of solid experimental evidence for nephrotoxic effects, the impact of uremic toxins on the progression of CKD has not been investigated in representative patient cohorts. In this analysis, IS and pCS serum concentrations were measured in 604 pediatric participants (mean eGFR of 27 ± 11 ml/min/1.73m2) at enrolment into the prospective Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with CKD study. Associations with progression of CKD were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazard models. During a median follow up time of 2.2 years (IQR 4.3-0.8 years), the composite renal survival endpoint, defined as 50% loss of eGFR, or eGFR <10ml/min/1.73m2 or start of renal replacement therapy, was reached by 360 patients (60%). Median survival time was shorter in patients with IS and pCS levels in the highest versus lowest quartile for both IS (1.5 years, 95%CI [1.1,2.0] versus 6.0 years, 95%CI [5.0,8.4]) and pCS (1.8 years, 95%CI [1.5,2.8] versus 4.4 years, 95%CI [3.4,6.0]). Multivariable Cox regression disclosed a significant association of IS, but not pCS, with renal survival, which was independent of other risk factors including baseline eGFR, proteinuria and blood pressure. In this exploratory analysis we provide the first data showing a significant association of IS, but not pCS serum concentrations with the progression of CKD in children, independent of other known risk factors. In the absence of comorbidities, which interfere with serum levels of uremic toxins, such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, these results highlight the important role of uremic toxins and accentuate the unmet need of effective elimination strategies to lower the uremic toxin burden and abate progression of CKD

Exploring Attitudes Toward “Sugar Relationships” Across 87 Countries: A Global Perspective on Exchanges of Resources for Sex and Companionship

The current study investigates attitudes toward one form of sex for resources: the so-called sugar relationships, which often involve exchanges of resources for sex and/or companionship. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables (e.g., sex, sociosexuality, gender inequality, parasitic exposure) in 69,924 participants across 87 countries. Two self-report measures of Acceptance of Sugar Relationships (ASR) developed for younger companion providers (ASR-YWMS) and older resource providers (ASR-OMWS) were translated into 37 languages. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the hypothetical predictors of ASR. Both measures showed adequate psychometric properties in all languages (except the Persian version of ASR-YWMS). Results partially supported our hypotheses and were consistent with previous theoretical considerations and empirical evidence on human mating. For example, at the individual level, sociosexual orientation, traditional gender roles, and pathogen prevalence were significant predictors of both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS. At the country level, gender inequality and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. However, being a woman negatively predicted the ASR-OMWS, but positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. At country-level, ingroup favoritism and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-OMWS. Furthermore, significant cross-subregional differences were found in the openness to sugar relationships (both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS scores) across subregions. Finally, significant differences were found between ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS when compared in each subregion. The ASR-YWMS was significantly higher than the ASR-OMWS in all subregions, except for Northern Africa and Western Asia

The relationship between obesity and dental caries according to life style factors in schoolchildren: a case-control study

BULUT, TEVFIK HAKAN/0000-0002-6698-671XWOS: 000511812300001PubMed: 32003269Objectives: To evaluate the association between obesity and dental caries in terms of life-style habits and socio-economic status in Turkish school children. Materials and methods: This case-control study was undertaken with 178 children aged 6-11 years in a Turkish government children's hospital. the case group consisted of 86 obese children who were categorized in >= 95 percentile according to the BMI. the control group consisted of 90 non-obese children that would not raise any doubts about the teeth disease. Data of demographic features and life-style habits were obtained by a questionnaire at the dental examination. Caries experience was measured with DMFT and dmft indices. Results: No difference was found between obesity and caries prevalence in primary dentition (p = .957); however, there was a statistically significant association in the permanent dentition (p = .002). Also, no differences were found in children with healthy natural teeth between the study groups according to education level, family income and food consumption during TV viewing in primary dentition (p = .297; p = .652; p = .023). Conclusions: It can be concluded that obesity appears to be not a possible risk factor for dental caries in primary dentition, but would be a probable endangerment in the permanent dentition