Dental Implant Failure Rate and Marginal Bone Loss in Smokers Compared to Non-Smokers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:Although dental implant therapy is considered a predictable treatment modality with reported high survival and success rates, biological complications do occur, and a number of risk factors have been involved. Tobacco smoking is related to many health risks affecting general & oral health. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to test the null hypothesis of no difference in dental implant failure rates and marginal bone loss between smokers and non-smokers with regards to follow-up time. Search methods: An extensive electronic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus and EBSCOhost Dentistry and Oral Sciences source to identify relevant articles published up to June 2019. The eligibility criteria included randomized and non-randomized clinical trials & prospective & retrospective observational studies. After a thorough selection process, 23 papers were included. The meta-analysis was expressed in terms of the odds ratio (OR) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with a confidence interval (CI) of 95% and the level of statistical significance was set at P \u3c 0.05. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in marginal bone loss favoring the non-smoking group with a SMD of 1.07 (95% CI 0.67–1.48), demonstrating a statistically significant difference in favor of non-smokers (P Author’s conclusion: Based on the results of this review, the null hypothesis is rejected, and that is in agreement with other reports in the literature. Therefore, the clinical recommendation for a period of abstinence from smoking that at least covers the pre-surgical evaluation & initial therapy, definite implant treatment & immediate post-op phases remains to be very relevant

The influence of humic acids extracted from Chaouia soil on the behavior of transition metal ions and pesticides

      Humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) exist ubiquitously in environments and have a variety of functional groups, which allow them to complex with metal ions and pesticides. Furthermore, these interactions can not only alter the environmental behavior, but also influence the removal and transportation of those pollutants. The study of the interaction between Cu (II), VO (II) and Mn (II) with HAs provides environmental information on the oxidation states of paramagnetic metals and their mechanisms of binding to humic acids. Electron spin resonance (ESR) study demonstrates that VO (II) and Cu (II) ions are bound with oxygen ligands to HAs, while the Mn (II) complex occurs as [Mn(H2O)6]2+. Additionally, Cu (II) ions are more strongly bound than Mn (II) ions to soil HAs. The effect of the presence of HA on photolysis of Tribenuron-methyl (TRB) and Imazapyr (IMAZ) herbicides in water was studied by irradiation of different mixtures of HA/herbicide (0.5:1 and 1:1 by volume). The obtained results clearly demonstrate that HA substances exhibit a screening effect on the photochemical degradation of the two herbicides. The protective effect of HAs on the TRB and IMAZ degradation could be explained with an inclusion and/or adsorption of the herbicide molecules in the humic matrix

Advancing a global pharmacy support workforce through a global strategic platform

The pharmacy support workforce (PSW) is the mid-level cadre of the global pharmacy profession, referring to pharmacy technicians, assistants and other cadres that assist in the delivery of pharmaceutical services in a variety of practice contexts. The PSW undertake technical tasks delegated under the supervision of a pharmacist or performed collaboratively. The PSW are not intended to replace pharmacists, but rather work side-by-side with the pharmacist to achieve a shared goal. However, extensive variation in the PSW exists globally, ranging from an educated, regulated, and highly effective workforce in some countries to unrecognized or non-existent in others. Vast differences in education requirements, specific roles, regulatory oversight, and need for pharmacist supervision, inhibit the development and advancement of a global PSW. As clinical care providers, pharmacists worldwide need for a competent support workforce. Without the confidence to delegate technical responsibilities to a well-trained and capable PSW, pharmacists will be unable to fully deliver advanced clinical roles. A clear vision for the role of the PSW in the expanding scope of pharmacy practice is needed. One organization working to unite global efforts in this area is the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). The FIP Workforce Development Hub Pharmacy Technicians & Support Workforce Strategic Platform was established to address the pharmacy workforce shortage in low and middle-income countries. Further developments were made in 2019, with the creation of a representative global PSW advisory panel, to provide guidance towards the development of the global PSW. Provision of frameworks and strategic input to support quality in education, development of legislative frameworks, guidelines for registration and licensure, and advice on appropriate role advancement are critical to move the PSW forward. In order to produce substantial advancement of roles and recognition of the PSW and advancement of pharmacists as patient care providers, global collaborative work is needed

The role of oxytocin in empathy to the pain of conflictual out-group members among patients with schizophrenia

Background.Oxytocin (OT) is associated with our ability to empathize and has been shown to play a major role in mediating social behaviors within the context of intergroup dynamics. Schizophrenia is associated with impaired empathy, and with a dysfunctional oxytocinergic system. The effect of OT on the empathic responses of patients with schizophrenia within the context of intergroup relationships has not been studied. The present study examined the effect of OT on the patients' empathic responses to pain experienced by in-group, conflictual out-group and neutral out-group members.Method.In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject cross-over design, the responses on the Pain Evaluation Task of 28 male patients with schizophrenia were compared to 27 healthy male controls. All participants received a single intranasal dose of 24 IU OT or placebo, 1 week apart.Results.OT induced an empathy bias in the healthy controls towards the conflictual out-group members. Although this effect was absent in the patient group, OT seems to heighten an empathic bias in the patient group towards the in-group members when rating non-painful stimuli.Conclusions.The study demonstrates that the administration of OT can result in empathic bias towards adversary out-group members in healthy controls but not in patients with schizophrenia. However, the OT-induced bias in both the patients (in the no-pain condition towards the in-group members) and the healthy controls (in the no-pain and pain conditions towards the adversary out-group) suggests that OT enhances the distinction between conflictual in-group and out-group members.</jats:sec

Comparative study of back-stepping controller and super twisting sliding mode controller for indirect power control of wind generator

© 2021 Springer. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13198-019-00905-7This paper presents the application nonlinear control to regulate the rotor currents and control the active and reactive powers generated by the Doubly Fed Induction Generator used in the Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS). The proposed control strategies are based on Lyapunov stability theory and include back-stepping control (BSC) and super-twisting sliding mode control. The overall WECS model and control scheme are developed in MATLAB/Simulink and the simulation results have shown that the BSC leads to superior performance and improved transient response as compared to the STSMC controller.Peer reviewe

Body Appreciation Around the World: Measurement Invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identities, and Age

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset – with data collected between 2020 and 2022 – to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research