Predictive value of molar bite force on Class II functional appliance treatment outcomes

Sagittal intermaxillary changes brought about by functional appliances show large inter-individual variation. One factor that may in part explain these differences is the masticatory musculature and its functional capacity. The aims of this study were to investigate changes in maximal molar bite force during functional appliance treatment and to assess the influence of pre-treatment maximal molar bite force on treatment outcomes with functional appliances used in Class II malocclusion children. Twenty-five children (17 males and 8 females), aged 9-13 years, with a Class II malocclusion and increased overjet were treated with functional appliances for 1-2 years. Dental casts, lateral cephalograms, maximal molar bite force, and finger force measurements were performed before (T1) and after (T2) treatment. These same measurements were also performed 1-2 years before treatment (T0); the intermediate period before starting treatment served as the control. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine possible correlations between initial maximal molar bite force and dental or cephalometric changes during treatment. Maximal molar bite force, which increased pre-treatment (T0-T1), decreased during functional appliance treatment (T1-T2). Children with a weaker T1 maximal molar bite force showed a larger overjet reduction, greater improvement in molar relationship, greater reduction in ANB angle, and greater augmentation in SNB angle from T1 to T2. Treatment of children with Class II malocclusions with functional appliances seems to lead to more favourable treatment outcomes in those with a weaker maximal molar bite force. This was observed both as regards improvements in dental sagittal relationships, namely overjet and molar Class, as well as skeletal changes due to a decrease in ANB and an increase in SNB angle

Bite force and its association with stability following Class II/1 functional appliance treatment

SUMMARY The aims of this study were to investigate the value of pre-treatment maximal molar bite force as a predictive variable in determining post-treatment changes and stability following functional appliance treatment in Class II malocclusion children. Twenty-eight Class II malocclusion children having undergone functional appliance treatment were followed for at least 1 year post-treatment. Maximal molar bite force measurements, lateral cephalograms, and study casts were taken before treatment, after treatment, and after post-treatment follow-up. Relationships between pre-treatment maximal molar bite force and dental or cephalometric changes post-treatment were examined. Patients were divided into stable and unstable groups, based on dental sagittal changes (overjet and molar relationship), and differences between the two groups of patients determined. Post-treatment changes varied widely. Thirteen children showed dentoalveolar sagittal relapse, namely a shift in molars towards a Class II relationship and an increase in overjet, while 15 did not. The unstable group demonstrated a lower pre-treatment maximal molar bite force, as well as a more obtuse gonial angle, than the stable group. The gonial angle was found to be negatively correlated to maximal molar bite force and may thus be a cephalometric indicator partly reflecting the functional condition of the masticatory muscles. Children with a lower pre-treatment maximal molar bite force were more prone to dentoalveolar sagittal relapse following functional appliance treatmen

The SOFIA Pilot Trial:A cluster-randomized trial of coordinated, co-produced care to reduce mortality and improve quality of life in people with severe mental illness in the general practice setting

Abstract Background People with severe mental illness (SMI) have an increased risk of premature mortality, predominantly due to somatic health conditions. Evidence indicates that primary and tertiary prevention and improved treatment of somatic conditions in patients with SMI could reduce this excess mortality. This paper reports a protocol designed to evaluate the feasibility of a coordinated co-produced care program (SOFIA model, a Danish acronym for Severe Mental Illness and Physical Health in General Practice) in the general practice setting to reduce mortality and improve quality of life in patients with severe mental illness. Methods The SOFIA pilot trial is designed as a cluster randomized controlled trial targeting general practices in two regions in Denmark. We aim to include 12 practices, each of which is instructed to recruit up to 15 community-dwelling patients aged 18 and older with SMI. Practices will be randomized by a computer in a ratio of 2:1 to deliver a coordinated care program or usual care during a 6-month study period. A randomized algorithm is used to perform randomization. The coordinated care program includes educational training of general practitioners and their clinical staff educational training of general practitioners and their clinical staff, which covers clinical and diagnostic management and focus on patient-centered care of this patient group, after which general practitioners will provide a prolonged consultation focusing on individual needs and preferences of the patient with SMI and a follow-up plan if indicated. The outcomes will be parameters of the feasibility of the intervention and trial methods and will be assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Assessments of the outcome parameters will be administered at baseline, throughout, and at end of the study period. Discussion If necessary the intervention will be revised based on results from this study. If delivery of the intervention, either in its current form or after revision, is considered feasible, a future, definitive trial to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing mortality and improving quality of life in patients with SMI can take place. Successful implementation of the intervention would imply preliminary promise for addressing health inequities in patients with SMI. Trial registration The trial was registered in Clinical Trials as of November 5, 2020, with registration number NCT04618250 . Protocol version: January 22, 2021; original versio

Electronic Coherence Dephasing in Excitonic Molecular Complexes: Role of Markov and Secular Approximations

We compare four different types of equations of motion for reduced density matrix of a system of molecular excitons interacting with thermodynamic bath. All four equations are of second order in the linear system-bath interaction Hamiltonian, with different approximations applied in their derivation. In particular we compare time-nonlocal equations obtained from so-called Nakajima-Zwanzig identity and the time-local equations resulting from the partial ordering prescription of the cummulant expansion. In each of these equations we alternatively apply secular approximation to decouple population and coherence dynamics from each other. We focus on the dynamics of intraband electronic coherences of the excitonic system which can be traced by coherent two-dimensional spectroscopy. We discuss the applicability of the four relaxation theories to simulations of population and coherence dynamics, and identify features of the two-dimensional coherent spectrum that allow us to distinguish time-nonlocal effects.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Health Effects of Naturally Radioactive Water Ingestion: The Need for Enhanced Studies

Background: Radiological pollution is a potentially important aspect of water quality. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to document its possible health effects

Wellness through a comprehensive Yogic breathing program – A controlled pilot trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increasing rates of psychosocial disturbances give rise to increased risks and vulnerability for a wide variety of stress-related chronic pain and other illnesses. Relaxation exercises aim at reducing stress and thereby help prevent these unwanted outcomes. One of the widely used relaxation practices is yoga and yogic breathing exercises. One specific form of these exercises is Sudarshan Kriya and related practices (SK&P) which are understood to have favourable effects on the mind-body system. The goal of this pilot study was to design a protocol that can investigate whether SK&P can lead to increased feeling of wellness in healthy volunteers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Participants were recruited in a small university city in Sweden and were instructed in a 6-day intensive program of SK&P which they practiced daily for six weeks. The control group was instructed to relax in an armchair each day during the same period. Subjects included a total of 103 adults, 55 in the intervention (SK&P) group and 48 in the control group. Various instruments were administered before and after the intervention. Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale measured the degree of anxiety and depression, Life Orientation Test measured dispositional optimism, Stress and Energy Test measured individual's energy and stress experiences. Experienced Deviation from Normal State measured the experience of altered state of consciousness.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no safety issues. Compliance was high (only 1 dropout in the SK&P group, and 5 in the control group). Outcome measures appeared to be appropriate for assessing the differences between the groups. Subjective reports generally correlated with the findings from the instruments. The data suggest that participants in the SK&P group, but not the control group, lowered their degree of anxiety, depression and stress, and also increased their degree of optimism (ANOVA; p < 0.001). The participants in the yoga group experienced the practices as a positive event that induced beneficial effects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data indicate that the experimental protocol that is developed here is safe, compliance level is good, and a full scale trial is feasible. The data obtained suggest that adult participants may improve their wellness by learning and applying a program based on yoga and yogic breathing exercises; this can be conclusively assessed in a large-scale trial.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Australian Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN012607000175471.</p