Risk factors for severe dental anxiety among medical students

Background/Aim. Severe dental anxiety (SDA) is the most severe form of dental anxiety, thus the aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with SDA in students of health-related disciplines. Methods. In this case-control study the cases were students with severe dental anxiety. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. The participants were undergraduate students attending lectures during spring semester 2010/2011 (n = 1,812). A random sample of 800 students was assessed for the association between various risk factors and the severe dental anxiety. The main outcome measures were the data on demographics, dental anxiety, habits concerning oral hygiene, nutrition, general anxiety and (co)morbidity which were collected from the study participants by semi-structured question questionnaire. Results. Less frequent visits to the dentist (OR adjusted = 7.02 [2.65; 18.60]) and visiting the dentist only when there is a dental problem (OR adjusted = 8.08 [1.28; 50.93]) were associated with severe dental anxiety. The same was true for improper oral hygiene (OR adjusted = 4.25 [1.16; 15.60]). Factors as changing toothbrush more frequently (OR adjusted = 0.33 [0.14; 0.76]) and having chronic disease (OR adjusted = 0.01 [0.00; 0.09]) were inversely associated with severe dental anxiety. The level of education of students was not associated with severe dental anxiety. Conclusion. Inappropriate oral hygiene, less frequent changes of a toothbrush and less frequent visits to the dentist are important risk factors for severe dental anxiety

The Impact of Hippocampal Sex Hormones Receptors in Modulation of Depressive-Like Behavior Following Chronic Anabolic Androgenic Steroids and Exercise Protocols in Rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate alterations in depressive-like behaviors in rats following chronic administration of a supraphysiological dose of anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) as well as exposure to a prolonged exercise protocol. The role of hippocampal sex hormones receptors in the modulation of depressive-like behavior was also assessed. A total of 48 male Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups: control, exercise (1 h/day, five consecutive days), nandrolone-decanoate (ND, 20 mg/kg/week, in a single dose), exercise plus ND, testosterone-enanthate (TE, 20 mg/kg/week, in a single dose), and exercise plus TE. After the 6-week protocols were complete, the rats underwent behavioral testing in the tail suspension test (TST). Rats were sacrificed for the collection of blood samples, to determine sex hormones levels, and isolation of the hippocampus, to determine [androgen receptors (AR) and estrogen receptors α (ERα)] expression. ND and TE treatment induced significant depressive-like behavior, opposing the antidepressant effect of exercise. Chronic TE administration elevated testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) serum levels, and this was augmented by exercise. In contrast, ND and exercise alone did not alter T or DHT levels. There were no changes in serum estradiol levels in any of the groups. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that exercise reduced AR immunoreactivity in all hippocampal regions and increased the ERα expression in the CA1, dentate gyrus (DG), and total hippocampal sections, but not in the CA2/3 region. AASs administration increased AR expression in all hippocampal regions, although not the total hippocampal section in the TE group and did not significantly decrease ERα. The hippocampal AR/ERα expression index was lowered while parvalbumin (PV)-immunoreactivity was enhanced by exercise. AASs administration increased the AR/ERα index and reduced PV-immunoreactivity in the hippocampus. The number of PV-immunoreactive neurons negatively correlated with the antidepressant effects and the AR/ERα ratio. Our results suggest a potential role of the numerical relationship between two sex hormones receptors (stronger correlation than for each individual receptor) in the regulation of depressive-like behavior via the hippocampal GABAergic system in rats, which allow better understanding of the hippocampal sex hormones receptors role in modulation of depressive-like behavior

Acceleration of Image Segmentation Algorithm for (Breast) Mammogram Images Using High-Performance Reconfigurable Dataflow Computers

© 2017 Ivan L. Milankovic et al. Image segmentation is one of the most common procedures in medical imaging applications. It is also a very important task in breast cancer detection. Breast cancer detection procedure based on mammography can be divided into several stages. The first stage is the extraction of the region of interest from a breast image, followed by the identification of suspicious mass regions, their classification, and comparison with the existing image database. It is often the case that already existing image databases have large sets of data whose processing requires a lot of time, and thus the acceleration of each of the processing stages in breast cancer detection is a very important issue. In this paper, the implementation of the already existing algorithm for region-of-interest based image segmentation for mammogram images on High-Performance Reconfigurable Dataflow Computers (HPRDCs) is proposed. As a dataflow engine (DFE) of such HPRDC, Maxeler's acceleration card is used. The experiments for examining the acceleration of that algorithm on the Reconfigurable Dataflow Computers (RDCs) are performed with two types of mammogram images with different resolutions. There were, also, several DFE configurations and each of them gave a different acceleration value of algorithm execution. Those acceleration values are presented and experimental results showed good acceleration

Galectin-3 Involvement in Cognitive Processes for New Therapeutic Considerations

Cognitive impairment may be a consequence of the normal aging process, but it may also be the hallmark of various neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. Early identification of individuals at particular risk for cognitive decline is critical, as it is imperative to maintain a cognitive reserve in these neuropsychiatric entities. In recent years, galectin-3 (Gal-3), a member of the galectin family, has received considerable attention with respect to aspects of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. The mechanisms behind the putative relationship between Gal-3 and cognitive impairment are not yet clear. Intrigued by this versatile molecule and its unique modular architecture, the latest data on this relationship are presented here. This mini-review summarizes recent findings on the mechanisms by which Gal-3 affects cognitive functioning in both animal and human models. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of Gal-3 in modulating the inflammatory response as a fine-tuner of microglia morphology and phenotype. A review of recent literature on the utility of Gal-3 as a biomarker is provided, and approaches to strategically exploit Gal-3 activities with therapeutic intentions in neuropsychiatric diseases are outlined

The effects of methionine-enriched and vitamins (folate, pyridoxine and cobalamine)-deficient diet on exploratory activity in rats - A brief report

© 2017, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of increased homocysteine levels induced by methionine nutritional overload (twice as standard) and deficiency of the vitamins folate, pyridoxine and cobalamine, which plays an important role in homocysteine metabolism in anxiety-related behaviour, expressed by means of exploratory activity in rats. Twenty-three male Wistar albino rats (4 weeks old, 100±15 g body weight) were divided into three groups: control (n=8), methionine-enriched (Meth+, 7.7 g of methionine/kg chow, n=7) and methionine- enriched vitamin-deficient (Meth+Vit-, 7.7 g of methionine/ kg chow, deficient in folate, pyridoxine and cobalamine - 0.08, 0.01 and 0.01 mg/kg, n=8). All animals had free access to food and water for 30 days. Behavioural testing was performed using the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Standard parameters for vertical exploratory activity, the number of rearings and the number of head-dippings, as well as the total exploratory activity (summarizing overall exploratory activity in the EPM) were significantly reduced following 30 days of methionine nutritional overload (p<0.05, p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). A methionine-enriched diet coupled with a reduction in some B vitamins resulted in a more pronounced decline in exploratory drive observed in the EPM test compared to the control (p<0.01). The decline in total exploratory activity associated with vitamin deficiency was significant compared to the Meth+ group (p<0.05). The results of this study highlight the important role of homocysteine in the modulation of exploratory activity in rats. Decreased exploratory drive induced by both a methionine- enriched and vitamin-deficient diet could be attributed to an anxiogenic effect of hyperhomocysteinemia

Assessment of knee cartilage stress distribution and deformation using motion capture system and wearable sensors for force ratio detection

© 2015 N. Mijailovic et al. Knowledge about the knee cartilage deformation ratio as well as the knee cartilage stress distribution is of particular importance in clinical studies due to the fact that these represent some of the basic indicators of cartilage state and that they also provide information about joint cartilage wear so medical doctors can predict when it is necessary to perform surgery on a patient. In this research, we apply various kinds of sensors such as a system of infrared cameras and reflective markers, three-axis accelerometer, and force plate. The fluorescent marker and accelerometers are placed on the patient's hip, knee, and ankle, respectively. During a normal walk we are recording the space position of markers, acceleration, and ground reaction force by force plate. Measured data are included in the biomechanical model of the knee joint. Geometry for this model is defined from CT images. This model includes the impact of ground reaction forces, contact force between femur and tibia, patient body weight, ligaments, and muscle forces. The boundary conditions are created for the finite element method in order to noninvasively determine the cartilage stress distribution

The Effects of Methionine-Enriched and Vitamins (Folate, Pyridoxine and Cobalamine)-Deficient Diet on Exploratory Activity in Rats - A Brief Report

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of increased homocysteine levels induced by methionine nutritional overload (twice as standard) and deficiency of the vitamins folate, pyridoxine and cobalamine, which plays an important role in homocysteine metabolism in anxiety-related behaviour, expressed by means of exploratory activity in rats. Twenty-three male Wistar albino rats (4 weeks old, 100±15 g body weight) were divided into three groups: control (n=8), methionine-enriched (Meth+, 7.7 g of methionine/kg chow, n=7) and methionine-enriched vitamin-deficient (Meth+Vit-, 7.7 g of methionine/ kg chow, deficient in folate, pyridoxine and cobalamine - 0.08, 0.01 and 0.01 mg/kg, n=8). All animals had free access to food and water for 30 days. Behavioural testing was performed using the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Standard parameters for vertical exploratory activity, the number of rearings and the number of head-dippings, as well as the total exploratory activity (summarizing overall exploratory activity in the EPM) were significantly reduced following 30 days of methionine nutritional overload (p<0.05, p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). A methionine-enriched diet coupled with a reduction in some B vitamins resulted in a more pronounced decline in exploratory drive observed in the EPM test compared to the control (p<0.01). The decline in total exploratory activity associated with vitamin deficiency was significant compared to the Meth+ group (p<0.05). The results of this study highlight the important role of homocysteine in the modulation of exploratory activity in rats. Decreased exploratory drive induced by both a methionine-enriched and vitamin-deficient diet could be attributed to an anxiogenic effect of hyperhomocysteinemia

Manufacturing of biodegradable scaffolds to engineer artificial blood vessel

© 2018, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Blood vessels diseases such as cardiac infarction with coronary artery occlusion, peripheral arterial disorders, or stroke of carotid or cerebral arteries, are the leading causes of death in the world. One of medical procedures for clinical treatment of vascular diseases is the blood vessels grafting. As the autologous blood vessels, which are the “golden standard” for coronary grafting, are not always suitable for blood vessels grafting, there is a need to develop artificial blood vessels as a vascular prostheses, either from natural and synthetic materials, permanent synthetic or biodegradable scaffolds which would be suitable for vascular grafts. Considering this to be our study goal we made bilayered biodegradable polycaprolactone scaffolds with different properties and evaluated their morphological and biomechanical characteristics

Software and hardware systems for abdominal aortic aneurysm mechanical properties investigation

© Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Belgrade. The main goal of this paper is to describe two different systems that were developed for the purpose of abdominal aortic aneurysm mechanical properties investigation and to present the results of the measurements. The first system is based on the Bubble Inflated method and it increases the pressure of physiological saline which affects blood vessel tissue and causes mechanical deformation. The system provides recording the data about the current value of the pressure in the physiological saline by using the appropriate pressure sensor. The second system makes stretches of the vessel tissue in uni-axial direction and save the data about the force and the elongation. Both of these systems use cameras for assessment of the deformation. Obtained results from both systems are used for numerical simulation of computer model for abdominal aortic aneurysm. It gives a new avenue for application of software and hardware systems for determination of vascular tissue properties in the clinical practice

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces mixed M1/M2 phenotype in circulating monocytes and alterations in both dendritic cell and monocyte subsets.

Clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection range from mild to critically severe. The aim of the study was to highlight the immunological events associated with the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with an emphasis on cells of innate immunity. Thirty COVID-19 patients with mild/moderate symptoms and 27 patients with severe/critically severe symptoms were recruited from the Clinical Center of Kragujevac during April 2020. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to reveal phenotypic and functional alterations of peripheral blood cells and to correlate them with the severity of the disease. In severe cases, the number of T and B lymphocytes, dendritic cells, NK cells, and HLA-DR-expressing cells was drastically decreased. In the monocyte population proportion between certain subsets was disturbed and cells coexpressing markers of M1 and M2 monocytes were found in intermediate and non-classical subsets. In mild cases decline in lymphocyte number was less pronounced and innate immunity was preserved as indicated by an increased number of myeloid and activated dendritic cells, NK cells that expressed activation marker at the same level as in control and by low expression of M2 marker in monocyte population. In patients with severe disease, both innate and adoptive immunity are devastated, while in patients with mild symptoms decline in lymphocyte number is lesser, and the innate immunity is preserved