Assessment of quality of life in oral cancer

Quality of life (QL) in oral cancer patients has become one of the most important parameters to consider in the diagnosis and post-treatment follow-up. The purpose of this article has been to review the papers published that study the QL in oral cancer patients, the different QL questionnaires used, the clinical results obtained, and the systematic revisions available in the indexed literature for the last 10 years. The term QL appears as a keyword in an increasing number of articles throughout the past 10 years; however, few studies focus on oral cancer. Most of them assess all head and neck cancers, which conform to a heterogeneous group with several different features depending on location (oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx and salivary glands). Most studies evaluate QL in short periods of time, normally within the first year after the diagnosis. Series do not discern between different therapeutic options, and they generally center on Northern European or Northern American populations. There are few instruments translated and validated into Spanish that measure QL, a fundamental characteristic to link QL to own patients? socio-cultural parameters. Data related with QL are mostly related to patient (age, sex, co-morbidity), tumour (location, size), and treatment (surgical treatment, radiotherapy association, reconstruction, cervical dissection, and/or feeding tube). Nowadays QL?s assessment is considered an essential component of an oral cancer patient as well as the survival, morbidity and years free of disease. Although many aspects related to QL in oral cancer patients have been published throughout the past 10 years, more systematic research is needed to be able to apply it on a daily basis

Incidence of complications in breast reconstruction with autologous tissue in a third level hospital

Background: The objective of this study is to analyze the incidence of complications after breast reconstruction with pedicled or free flaps at the hospital general de Mexico "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”. Methods: A retrospective, single-center study, including 44 female patients, who underwent immediate or delayed breast reconstruction after breast cancer, between 2019 and 2020, and had at least a 2-year follow up, evaluating the association between patient risk factors (age, history of radiotherapy, presence of overweight or obesity and immediate or delayed reconstruction) with the presence of complications such as seroma, hematoma, wound infection or wound dehiscence. We analyzed data with SPSS software, v23.0. Results: There was no statistically significant difference for the presence of complications associated with risk factors studied. Conclusions: We need more prospective, multicenter studies, including larger sample and strict follow up of patients

Biomechanical behavior of customized scaffolds: A three-dimensional finite element analysis

Teeth loss due to periodontal diseases, trauma, or infections often causes dimensional loss in the affected maxillary. In patients with reduced maxillary size, restoration of chewing function and esthetics with endosseous dental implants may fail. The aim of this work was to simulate the biomechanical behavior, using the finite element method, of customized scaffolds fixed by a dental implant on a partially edentulous jaw. Porous scaffolds were designed from medical images of a partially edentulous jaw with type IV bone quality. The influence of the diameter of the hole and the porosity of the scaffold on the maximum levels of stress and strain in the peri-implant bone was evaluated. The highest stress values in the scaffolds, dental implant, and crown were lower than the yield strength of their respective materials. The customized scaffolds allow to recover the dimensions of the evaluated jaw. A significant decrease in stress and strain values was observed in the peri-implant cortical bone. Furthermore, it was found that the evaluated parameters did not have a significant influence on the maximum von Mises equivalent stress and maximum strain values in the peri-implant bone.MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 PID2019-109371 GB-I0

Surface modification of Ti-6Al-4V alloys manufactured by selective laser melting: Microstructural and tribo-mechanical characterization

Medical grade of both titanium (Ti) and Ti6Al4V alloy are recognized as the metallic biomaterials with the better outcomes for clinical repair of bone tissue thanks to their suitable mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. However, those Ti advantages are not enough to avoid failure risks of bone implants; between 5 and 10% of Ti implants fail due to a deficient osseointegration, within 5 years of post-implantation. Most of these failures indicate the necessity of getting a better biomechanical-biofunctional balance. Microstructural and tribomechanical characterizations were performed on Ti6Al4V samples obtained by selective laser melting and subjected to different surface treatments (thermal stress relief, acid etching, chemical treatment and thermochemical treatment). Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used for detailed characterization of the elemental composition, phase analysis and surface morphology. Micro-hardness and scratch tests were employed to evaluate the tribo-mechanical properties, which were improved after consecutive surface treatments. Protuberances with spherical morphology, as a remainder of the original powder, were present on the surface. The resulting modified surfaces were constituted by rutile (major phase) and anatase (minor phase). Submicro-nano-topographies were obtained after the chemical and thermochemical treatments.Junta de Andalucía-FEDER (Spain) through the Project Ref. P12-TEP-1401Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the Grant No. MAT2015-71284-

Relationship between Serum Concentration of Uric Acid and Insulin Secretion among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

To determine the relationship between serum concentrations of uric acid and insulin secretion with hyperglycaemic clamp technique among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) without hyperuricemia, we carried out a cross-sectional study on 45 patients of both gender. We observed correlation between uric acid with male gender r = 0.710 (P = 0.001). Also correlation between uric acid and total insulin secretion was positive r = 0.295 (P = 0.049). As well as a positive correlation adjusted for body mass index was demonstrated for the first, second, and total phases of insulin secretion, respectively, r = 0.438 (P = 0.022), r = 0.433 (P = 0.022), and r = 0.439 (P = 0.024). Serum concentration of uric acid showed a positive relationship with the total phase of insulin secretion; even in states prior to hyperuricemia, uric acid can play an important role in the function of the beta cell in patients with DM2

Histopathological Analogies in Chronic Pulmonary Lesions between Cattle and Humans: Basis for an Alternative Animal Model

Most of the natural cases of pneumonia in feedlot cattle are characterized by a longer clinical course due to chronic lung lesions. Microscopically, these lesions include interstitial fibroplasia, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, bronchiolitis obliterans, and epithelial metaplasia of the airways. Herein, the aim was to review, under a medical perspective, the pathologic mechanisms operating in these chronic pneumonic lesions in calves. Based on the similarities of these changes to those reported in bronchiolitis obliterans/organising pneumonia (BO/OP) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in human beings, calves are proposed as an alternative animal model

Modern World Applications for Nano-Bio Materials:Tissue Engineering and COVID-19

Over the past years, biomaterials-based nano cues with multi-functional characteristics have been engineered with high interest. The ease in fine tunability with maintained compliance makes an array of nano-bio materials supreme candidates for the biomedical sector of the modern world. Moreover, the multi-functional dimensions of nano-bio elements also help to maintain or even improve the patients’ life quality most securely by lowering or diminishing the adverse effects of in practice therapeutic modalities. Therefore, engineering highly efficient, reliable, compatible, and recyclable biomaterials-based novel corrective cues with multipurpose applications is essential and a core demand to tackle many human health-related challenges, e.g., the current COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, robust engineering design and properly exploited nano-bio materials deliver wide-ranging openings for experimentation in the field of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scientific research. In this context, herein, it is reviewed the applications and potential on tissue engineering and therapeutics of COVID-19 of several biomaterials. Following a brief introduction is a discussion of the drug delivery routes and mechanisms of biomaterials-based nano cues with suitable examples. The second half of the review focuses on the mainstream applications changing the dynamics of 21st century materials. In the end, current challenges and recommendations are given for a healthy and foreseeable future.</p