59 research outputs found
Use of the universal pain assessment tool for evaluating pain associated with temporomandibular disorders in youngsters
Aim: Determine, whether the UPAT could be used as an extra tool to collect data on functional TMJ pain and to assess orofacial pain levels related to temporomandibular disorder(s) (TMD) in youngsters.
Methods: Patients were screened at the N1 Dental Clinic of Tbilisi State Medical University. The clinical scores of possible functional jaw pain were collected using the UPAT, to indicate pain severity on a visual scale during different jaw movements (opening, closing and lateral). Statistics: Comparisons of categorised data have been performed by chi-square test and Fisher's Exact test (where expected values were less than 5). The P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: Two hundred and ninety-one youngsters were screened by calibrated dentists. The majority (59%) of participants were male; age distribution ranged from 8 to 15 years (mean 11.46 +/- 2.11). The results of the UPAT demonstrated the existence of functional TMJ pain in 15.46% (n=45) of the patients without significant prevalence (P > 0.05) in this survey group.
Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, the UPAT demonstrated that it could be an additional tool to detect the existence of functional jaw pain possibly associated with TMD and also a valid instrument to score pain intensity associated with TMD in youngster patients
High-index and low-loss topological insulators for mid-infrared nanophotonics
Topological insulators generally have dielectric bulk and conductive surface
states. Consequently, some of these materials have been shown to support
polaritonic modes at visible and THz frequencies. At the same time, the optical
properties of topological insulators in the mid-infrared (IR) remain poorly
investigated. We employ near-field imaging to probe the mid-IR response from
the exfoliated flakes of bismuth (Bi) / selenide (Se) / telluride (Te) /
antimony (Sb) crystals with varying stoichiometry - Bi2Se3, Bi2Te2Se, and
Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.7Se1.3 - in pristine form as well as covered by thin flakes of
hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Contrary to theoretical expectations, all three
materials exhibit a dielectric response with a high refractive index and with a
loss below the experimental detection limit. Particularly, the near-field
mapping of propagating phonon-polaritons in hBN demonstrates that these van der
Waals crystals act as a practically lossless dielectric substrate with an
ultra-high refractive index of up to 7.5 in Bi2Te2Se. Such a unique dielectric
crystal would be of great advantage for numerous nanophotonic applications in
the mid-IR
Breakdown coefficients and scaling properties of rain fields
International audienceThe theory of scale similarity and breakdown coefficients is applied here to intermittent rainfall data consisting of time series and spatial rain fields. The probability distributions (pdf) of the logarithm of the breakdown coefficients are the principal descriptor used. Rain fields are distinguished as being either multiscaling or multiaffine depending on whether the pdfs of breakdown coefficients are scale similar or scale dependent, respectively. Parameter estimation techniques are developed which are applicable to both multiscaling and multiaffine fields. The scale parameter (width), ?, of the pdfs of the log-breakdown coefficients is a measure of the intermittency of a field. For multiaffine fields, this scale parameter is found to increase with scale in a power-law fashion consistent with a bounded-cascade picture of rainfall modelling. The resulting power-law exponent, H, is indicative of the smoothness of the field. Some details of breakdown coefficient analysis are addressed and a theoretical link between this analysis and moment scaling analysis is also presented. Breakdown coefficient properties of cascades are also investigated in the context of parameter estimation for modelling purposes
Real-space imaging of acoustic plasmons in large-area CVD graphene
An acoustic plasmonic mode in a graphene-dielectric-metal heterostructure has
recently been spotlighted as a superior platform for strong light-matter
interaction. It originates from the coupling of graphene plasmon with its
mirror image and exhibits the largest field confinement in the limit of a
nm-thick dielectric. Although recently detected in the far-field regime,
optical near-fields of this mode are yet to be observed and characterized.
Direct optical probing of the plasmonic fields reflected by the edges of
graphene via near-field scattering microscope reveals a relatively small
damping rate of the mid-IR acoustic plasmons in our devices, which allows for
their real-space mapping even with unprotected, chemically grown, large-area
graphene at ambient conditions. We show an acoustic mode that is twice as
confined - yet 1.4 times less damped - compared to the graphene surface plasmon
under similar conditions. We also image the resonant acoustic Bloch state in a
1D array of gold nanoribbons responsible for the high efficiency of the
far-field coupling. Our results highlight the importance of acoustic plasmons
as an exceptionally promising platform for large-area graphene-based
optoelectronic devices operating in mid-IR
Impact of renal impairment on atrial fibrillation: ESC-EHRA EORP-AF Long-Term General Registry
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and renal impairment share a bidirectional relationship with important pathophysiological interactions. We evaluated the impact of renal impairment in a contemporary cohort of patients with AF. Methods: We utilised the ESC-EHRA EORP-AF Long-Term General Registry. Outcomes were analysed according to renal function by CKD-EPI equation. The primary endpoint was a composite of thromboembolism, major bleeding, acute coronary syndrome and all-cause death. Secondary endpoints were each of these separately including ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic event, intracranial haemorrhage, cardiovascular death and hospital admission. Results: A total of 9306 patients were included. The distribution of patients with no, mild, moderate and severe renal impairment at baseline were 16.9%, 49.3%, 30% and 3.8%, respectively. AF patients with impaired renal function were older, more likely to be females, had worse cardiac imaging parameters and multiple comorbidities. Among patients with an indication for anticoagulation, prescription of these agents was reduced in those with severe renal impairment, p <.001. Over 24 months, impaired renal function was associated with significantly greater incidence of the primary composite outcome and all secondary outcomes. Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated an inverse relationship between eGFR and the primary outcome (HR 1.07 [95% CI, 1.01–1.14] per 10 ml/min/1.73 m2 decrease), that was most notable in patients with eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m2 (HR 2.21 [95% CI, 1.23–3.99] compared to eGFR ≥90 ml/min/1.73 m2). Conclusion: A significant proportion of patients with AF suffer from concomitant renal impairment which impacts their overall management. Furthermore, renal impairment is an independent predictor of major adverse events including thromboembolism, major bleeding, acute coronary syndrome and all-cause death in patients with AF
Clinical complexity and impact of the ABC (Atrial fibrillation Better Care) pathway in patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the ESC-EHRA EURObservational Research Programme in AF General Long-Term Registry
Background: Clinical complexity is increasingly prevalent among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The ‘Atrial fibrillation Better Care’ (ABC) pathway approach has been proposed to streamline a more holistic and integrated approach to AF care; however, there are limited data on its usefulness among clinically complex patients. We aim to determine the impact of ABC pathway in a contemporary cohort of clinically complex AF patients. Methods: From the ESC-EHRA EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry, we analysed clinically complex AF patients, defined as the presence of frailty, multimorbidity and/or polypharmacy. A K-medoids cluster analysis was performed to identify different groups of clinical complexity. The impact of an ABC-adherent approach on major outcomes was analysed through Cox-regression analyses and delay of event (DoE) analyses. Results: Among 9966 AF patients included, 8289 (83.1%) were clinically complex. Adherence to the ABC pathway in the clinically complex group reduced the risk of all-cause death (adjusted HR [aHR]: 0.72, 95%CI 0.58–0.91), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; aHR: 0.68, 95%CI 0.52–0.87) and composite outcome (aHR: 0.70, 95%CI: 0.58–0.85). Adherence to the ABC pathway was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death (aHR: 0.74, 95%CI 0.56–0.98) and composite outcome (aHR: 0.76, 95%CI 0.60–0.96) also in the high-complexity cluster; similar trends were observed for MACEs. In DoE analyses, an ABC-adherent approach resulted in significant gains in event-free survival for all the outcomes investigated in clinically complex patients. Based on absolute risk reduction at 1 year of follow-up, the number needed to treat for ABC pathway adherence was 24 for all-cause death, 31 for MACEs and 20 for the composite outcome. Conclusions: An ABC-adherent approach reduces the risk of major outcomes in clinically complex AF patients. Ensuring adherence to the ABC pathway is essential to improve clinical outcomes among clinically complex AF patients
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