Cap-Assisted Technique versus Conventional Methods for Esophageal Food Bolus Extraction: A Comparative Study

Background/Aims Food bolus impaction is the most common form of esophageal foreign body impaction observed in adults. Clinical guidelines recommend using the push technique or retrieval methods in such cases. The push technique can cause injuries in certain clinical situations. Notably, conventional retrieval methods are time and effort consuming. Cap-assisted endoscopic extraction of an impacted food bolus is an easy and effective technique; however, more data are needed for its validation. This study compared the capassisted extraction technique with conventional methods. Methods This prospective observational multicenter study compared the success and en bloc removal rates, total procedure time, and adverse events in both techniques.. Results The study included 303 patients who underwent food bolus extraction. The push technique was used in 87 patients (28.7%) and a retrieval procedure in 216 patients (71.3%). Cap-assisted extraction was performed in 106 patients and retrieval using conventional methods in 110 patients. The cap-assisted technique was associated with a higher rate of en bloc removal (80.2% vs. 15%, p<0.01), shorter procedure time (6.9±3.5 min vs. 15.7±4.1 min, p<0.001), and fewer adverse events (0/106 vs. 9/110, p<0.001). Conclusions Cap-assisted extraction showed no adverse events, higher efficacy, and a shorter procedure time compared with conventional retrieval procedures

A Comparative Study of the Efficiency of two Different Glass Ionomer Using ART Technique in a Group of Egyptian Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the effect of conventional glass ionomer cement and Nano-glass ionomer using atraumatic restorative technique (ART) in a group of Egyptian autistic children.Materials and Methods: Thirty autistic patients had cavitated lower first primary molars (class I only) were included in this study. According to the type of restorative material used, the children were classified into 2 groups: (Group I) their teeth were restored with conventional glass ionomer, (Group II) their teeth were restored with Nano-glass ionomer (ketac N 100). All children were checked clinically, radio graphically and for bacterial count evaluation at baseline (before treatment) and after 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months.Results: After 6 months, group I showed statistically significant higher prevalence of pain, food stagnation, restoration defects and widening of lamina dura than group II while for bacterial count evaluation, the microbiological assay results show there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion: The results indicate that Nano-glass ionomer can be considered a successful alternative restorative material for ART technique with promising results in treatment of children with autistic spectrum disorder.</p

Effect of strengthening materials on the behavior of curved beams with openings

This study investigates the impact of openings on the behavior of arched beams and the effectiveness of different strengthening materials in enhancing their performance. The study involves three stages. The first stage focuses on the effect of openings on the behavior of curved beams. The second stage examines the effect of different strengthening materials, including carbon fiber sheets, glass fiber sheets, and steel plates, on the deflection and failure load in the presence of openings. In the third stage, Finite Element models are used to simulate the tested beams with different strengthening materials, and the differences between beams with and without openings are analyzed. The results show that the presence of openings negatively affects the ultimate load, deflection, and ductility ratio of arched beams. Regarding strengthening, beams strengthened with steel plates demonstrate a higher ultimate load, approximately 5.6% and 21% higher than beams strengthened with carbon fiber and glass fiber sheets, respectively. Moreover, the deflection of beams strengthened with steel plates is 6.4% and 8.9% higher than beams strengthened with CFRP and GFRP. The presented work is introduced to offer a valuable solution to some developed systems for controlling, repairing, and supporting structures

Pregnancy outcomes in women with rheumatic mitral valve disease: Results from the registry of pregnancy and cardiac disease

BACKGROUND: Cardiac disease is 1 of the major causes of maternal mortality. We studied pregnancy outcomes in women with rheumatic mitral valve disease. METHODS: The Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac Disease is an international prospective registry, and consecutive pregnant women with cardiac disease were included. Pregnancy outcomes in all women with rheumatic mitral valve disease and no prepregnancy valve replacement is described in the present study (n=390). A maternal cardiac event was defined as cardiac death, arrhythmia requiring treatment, heart failure, thromboembolic event, aortic dissection, endocarditis, acute coronary syndrome, and hospitalization for other cardiac reasons or cardiac intervention. Associations between patient characteristics and cardiac outcomes were checked in a 3-level model (patient-center-country). RESULTS: Most patients came from emerging countries (75%). Mitral stenosis (MS) with or without mitral regurgitation (MR) was present in 273 women, isolated MR in 117. The degree of MS was mild in 20.9%, moderate in 39.2%, severe in 19.8%, and severity not classified in the remainder. Maternal death during pregnancy occurred in 1 patient with severe MS. Hospital admission occurred in 23.1% of the women with MS, and the main reason was heart failure (mild MS 15.8%, moderate 23.4%, severe 48.1%; PCONCLUSIONS: Although mortality was only 1.9% during pregnancy, ∼50% of the patients with severe rheumatic MS and 23% of those with significant MR developed heart failure during pregnancy. Prepregnancy counseling and considering mitral valve interventions in selected patients are important to prevent these complications.</p