The Impact of Plasma Treatment of Cercon® Zirconia Ceramics on Adhesion to Resin Composite Cements and Surface Properties

Background: In recent years, the use of Ceramic base zirconia is considered because of chemical stability, biocompatibility, good compressive and flexural strength in dentistry for all ceramic restorations. However, due to its chemical stability, there is a challenge with dental bonding. Several studies have done to improving zirconia bonding but they are not reliable. Purpose of this research is a study of effect of plasma on bonding strength Zirconia.  Methods: In this research zirconia blocks' surfaces polished with 1200grit sandpaper. Samples were processed with plasma of oxygen, argon, air and oxygen-argon combination with 90-10 and 80-20 ratio.  Surface modifications were evaluated by contact angle, surface roughness, and topographical assessments. Cylindrical Panavia f2 resin-cement and Diafill were used for micro shear strength bond measurements. The data analysis was performed by SPSS 20.0 software and one-way analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that plasma can increase micro cutting bond strength, decrease surface roughness, increase surface activation energy. Maximum cutting bond strength by using Panavia f2 cement, is for air and argon plasma, and by using margin bond and Diafill composition cement, is for air and combination of oxygen and argon with 20-80 ratio.  Conclusion: According to this research plasmatic processing with dielectric barrier method in atmospheric pressure can increase Zirconia bonding strength

Cytotoxicity of Selected Nanoparticles on Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells

Introduction: Nanoparticles are being increasingly applied in dentistry due to their antimicrobial and mechanical properties. This in vitro study aimed to assess and compare the cytotoxicity of four metal oxide nanoparticles (TiO2, SiO2, ZnO, and Al2O3) on human dental pulp stem cells. Methods and Materials: Four suspension with different concentrations (25, 50, 75, 100 µg/mL) of each nanoparticle were prepared and placed into cavities of three 96-well plates (containing 1×104 cells per well that were seeded 24 earlier). All specimens were incubated in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 at 37°C. Mosmann’s Tetrazolium Toxicity (MTT) assay was used to determine in vitro cytotoxicity of test materials on pulpal stem cells. Cell viability was determined at 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure. Data comparisons were performed using a general linear model for repeated measures and Tukey's post hoc test. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: The tested nanoparticles showed variable levels of cytotoxicity and were dose and time dependant. The minimum cell viability was observed in ZnO followed by TiO2, SiO2 and Al2O3. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that cell viability and morphological modifications occurred at the concentration range of 25 to 100 µg/mL and in all nanoparticles. The higher concentration and longer duration of exposure increased cellular death. Our results highlight the need for a more discrete use of nanoparticles for biomedical applications.Keywords: Cytotoxicity; Dental Pulp Stem Cells; Metal Oxide Nanoparticle

Fumigant Toxicity and Oviposition Deterrency of the Essential Oil from Cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, Against Three Stored—product Insects

Use of insecticides can have disruptive effects on the environment. Replacing the chemical compounds in these insecticides with plant materials, however, can be a safe method with low environmental risk. In the current study, chemical composition and insecticidal activities of the essential oil from cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum L. (Maton) (Zingiberales: Zingiberaceae) on the adults of three stored product pests was investigated. Results indicated that essential oil of E. cardamomum toxic to the bruchid beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), and the flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Adults of E. kuehniella were more sensitive than the Coleoptera. Also, the highest mortality of these insects was seen after 12 hours. Results of the LT50 tests showed that the lethal time of mortality occurred between 10–20 hours in various test concentrations. Essential oil of E. cardamomum had a good efficacy on oviposition deterrence of C. maculatus females, too. The chemical constituents of the essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry. The major constituents of cardamom were identified as 1,8-cineol, α-terpinyl acetate, terpinene and fenchyl alcohol. These results suggest that essential oil of E. cardamomum is a good choice for control of stored product pests

The COVID-19 vaccination acceptance/hesitancy rate and its determinants among healthcare workers of 91 Countries: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance rate and its determinants among healthcare workers in a multicenter study. This was a cross-sectional multi-center survey conducted from February 5 to April 29, 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 26 items in 6 subscales. The English version of the questionnaire was translated into seven languages and distributed through Google Forms using snowball sampling; a colleague in each country was responsible for the forward and backward translation, and also the distribution of the questionnaire. A forward stepwise logistic regression was utilized to explore the variables and questionnaire factors tied to the intention to COVID-19 vaccination. 4630 participants from 91 countries completed the questionnaire. According to the United Nations Development Program 2020, 43.6 % of participants were from low Human Development Index (HDI) regions, 48.3 % high and very high, and 8.1 % from medium. The overall vaccination hesitancy rate was 37 %. Three out of six factors of the questionnaire were significantly related to intention to the vaccination. While 'Perceived benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination' (OR: 3.82, p-value<0.001) and 'Prosocial norms' (OR: 5.18, p-value<0.001) were associated with vaccination acceptance, 'The vaccine safety/cost concerns' with OR: 3.52, p-value<0.001 was tied to vaccination hesitancy. Medical doctors and pharmacists were more willing to take the vaccine in comparison to others. Importantly, HDI with OR: 12.28, 95 % CI: 6.10-24.72 was a strong positive determinant of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance. This study highlighted the vaccination hesitancy rate of 37 % in our sample among HCWs. Increasing awareness regarding vaccination benefits, confronting the misinformation, and strengthening the prosocial norms would be the primary domains for maximizing the vaccination coverage. The study also showed that the HDI is strongly associated with the vaccination acceptance/hesitancy, in a way that those living in low HDI contexts are more hesitant to receive the vaccine

An Analysis of the Challenges of Green Information Technology Implementation in Hospitals and Treatment Centers

Introduction: Today, the use of green information technology has positive effects on the health system, especially in controlling energy waste, reducing paperwork, lowering the use of technology and medical devices, and enhancing environmental and economic performance. This study aimed to investigate the challenges of implementing green information technology in hospitals and treatment centers. Method: This study was an applied research carried out in two phases: first, by reviewing the theoretical foundations and previous studies through the method of reviewing texts, the challenges of establishing green information technology in hospitals and medical centers were identified; then, to confirm and prioritize the identified challenges, these challenges were provided to 21 academic experts and IT officials working in hospitals. Results: On the path of implementing green information technology, hospitals and treatment centers faced challenges related to Human Resource Management System (2 components and 10 indicators), Institutional Pressures (4 components and 9 indicators), Administrative System (3 components and 16 indicators), Financial System (4 components and 4 indicators), Legal System (2 components and 3 indicators), and Organizational Infrastructure (2 components and 2 indicators). Conclusion: The implementation of green information technology in hospitals and treatment centers has a unique potential in reducing energy, promoting the recyclability of obsolete equipment and hospital waste, creating environmentally friendly products, and encouraging people to work remotely

The impact of plasma treatment of cercon (R) zirconia ceramics on adhesion to resin composite cements and surface properties

Introduction: In recent years, the use of ceramic base zirconia is considered in dentistry for all ceramic restorations because of its chemical stability, biocompatibility, and good compressive as well as flexural strength. However, due to its chemical stability, there is a challenge with dental bonding. Several studies have been done to improve zirconia bonding but they are not reliable. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of plasma treatment on bonding strength of zirconia.Methods: In this in vitro study, 180 zirconia discs' (thickness was 0.85-0.9 mm) surfaces were processed with plasma of oxygen, argon, air and oxygen-argon combination with 90-10 and 80-20 ratio (n=30 for each group) after being polished by sandblast. Surface modifications were assessed by measuring the contact angle, surface roughness, and topographical evaluations. Cylindrical Panavia f2 resin-cement and Diafill were used for microshear strength bond measurements. The data analysis was performed by SPSS 20.0 software and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test as the post hoc.Results: Plasma treatment in all groups significantly reduces contact angle compare with control (P = 0.001). Topographic evaluations revealed coarseness promotion occurred in all plasma treated groups which was significant when compared to control (P < 0.05), except argon plasma treated group that significantly decreased surface roughness (P < 0.05). In all treated groups, microshear bond strength increased, except oxygen treated plasma group which decreased this strength. Air and argon-oxygen combination (both groups) significantly increased microshear bond strength (P < 0.05).Conclusion: According to this research, plasmatic processing with dielectric barrier method in atmospheric pressure can increase zirconia bonding strength

A r c h i v e o f S I D Effect of Meta-Cognitive Therapy on Self Assertiveness Skill in Patients with Social Phobia Disorder Article information Abstract

Background: Self assertiveness can be considered as hearth of interpersonal behavior and weakness in this area is one of the obvious characteristic in the patients with social phobia disorder. This study aimed to determine the effect of meta-cognitive therapy on the rate of self assertiveness skill in patients with social phobia disorder. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted with pretest-posttest and follow-up design, using control group. From all social phobia disorder patients visited in psychology clinics in Shiraz, south western part of Iran in 2012, 22 patients were selected through the objective sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental (11 persons) and control (11 persons) groups. The instruments of this study were social phobia symptoms assessment questioner (SPSAQ) and self assertiveness scale (SAS). The experimental group received 8 weeks of Wells&apos; meta-cognitive therapy sessions. Data were analyzed through covariance analysis method. Results: The results showed that the mean of the self assertiveness scores in post-test and follow up in the experimental group is significantly higher than that of the control group (p&lt;0.05). The results of analysis of multivariate covariance showed that MCT had a significant effect on increscent of the self assertiveness skill scores of posttest (0.39) and follow up (0.38) in patients with social phobia disorder (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: This intervention is believed to improve self assertiveness skill in SPD patients by facilitating transmission from the object mode to the meta-cognitive mode and enhancing the efficient and flexible coping skills

Toxicidad Fumigante de Algunos Aceites Esenciales sobre Adultos de algunas Plagas de Productos Almacenados.

Plant materials with insecticidal properties have been traditionally used for generations in some parts of the world. In this study, fumigant toxicity of some essential oils extracted from Rosmarinus officinalis L., Mentha pulegium L., Zataria multiflora, and Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck var. hamlin on adults of stored-product pests, including Tribolium castaneum, Sitophilus granarius, Callosobruchus maculatus, and Plodia interpunctella were investigated. Pure essential oils were used in glass vials for the bioassay. LC50 values of Citrus sinensis var. hamlin against T. castaneum , S. granarius , and C. maculatus were 391.28, 367.75, and 223.48 μL L-1 air after 24 h, 362.40, 20.45, and 207.17 μL L-1 air after 48 h, respectively. Furthermore, LC50 values of the fumigant test of C. sinensis and M. pulegium essential oils against S. granarius were 0.038 and 367.75 μL L-1 air after 24 h, 0.025 and 320.45 μL L-1 air after 48 h, respectively. On the other hand, LC50 values of R. officinalis and Z. multiflora on P. interpunctella moths were 0.93 and 1.75 μL L-1 after 24 h. Results showed that among tested essential oils, C. sinensis var. hamlin had good fumigant toxicity on T. castaneum , S. granarius , and C. maculatus . In addition, M. pulegium essential oil was stronger than C. sinensis var. hamlin on S. granarius . Results also indicated that both Z. multiflora and R. officinalis had fumigant toxicity on P. interpunctella adults. In summary, results indicated that these essential oils have good fumigant toxicity on stored-product pests.Materiales vegetales con propiedades insecticidas han sido usados tradicionalmente por generaciones en algunas partes del mundo. En este estudio se estudió la toxicidad fumigante de algunos aceites esenciales extraídos desde Rosmarinus officinalis L., Mentha pulegium L., Zataria multiflora y Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck var. hamlin sobre adultos de plagas de productos almacenados, incluyendo Tribolium castaneum, Sitophilus granarius, Callosobruchus maculatus y Plodia interpunctella. Para los bioensayos se usaron aceites esenciales puros en frascos de vidrio. Los valores de LC50 de C. sinensis var. hamlin contra T. castaneum , S. granarius y C. maculatus fueron 391.28, 367.75 y 223.48 después de 24 h y 362.40, 20.45 y 207.17 μL L-1 aire después de 48 h, respectivamente. Además, los valores de LC50 de la prueba fumigante del aceite esencial de C. sinensis y M. pulegium contra S. granarius después de 24 h fueron 0,038 y 367,75 μL L-1 aire y fueron 0,025 y 320,45 después de 48 h, respectivamente. Por otra parte, los valores de LC50 de R. officinalis y Z. multiflora en polillas de P. interpunctella después de 24 h fueron 0,93 y 1,75 μL L-1. Los resultados mostraron que entre los aceites esenciales, C. sinensis var. hamlin tuvo una buena toxicidad fumigante sobre T. castaneum , S. granarius , C. maculatus . Además, el aceite esencial de M. pulegium fue más fuerte que C. sinensis var. hamlin sobre S. granarius . Los resultados además indicaron que Z. multiflora and R. officinalis tuvieron toxicidad fumigante sobre adultos de P. interpunctella . En conclusión, los resultados indicaron que estos aceites esenciales tienen buena toxicidad fumigante sobre plagas de productos almacenados