The Role of Online Learning in Radiographic Diagnosis in Dental Education

The purpose of the pilot study was to investigate whether an interactive online module improved third-year dental students’ radiographic caries diagnosis abilities and conceptual understanding. Third year dental students were given online tutoring modules and assessed afterward to determine whether their diagnostic skills improved, whether they perceived and improvement in their diagnostic skills, and whether following the modules with interactive group discussions was a more effective teaching method. The choice to use the module was left to each individual. Thirty-one students completed an assessment consisting of three full-mouth series (FMX) radiographs of varying number and severity of carious lesions first individually and then in teams. Performance was evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively. A T-test analysis revealed that the students who accessed the module did not perform significantly better than students who did not access the module; however, a χ2-test showed that students who accessed the module correctly diagnosed yet over- and under-diagnosed more frequently. Survey responses showed that students believed the module helped clarify lecture topics. The online radiographic caries diagnosis module has introduced a promising and beneficial adjunctive resource for dental students

A Pilot Study Assessing the Effect of Livionex Dental Gel on Dental Hygiene, Mucositis, and Bloodstream Infection in Pediatric BMT Patients

Purpose: To determine whether Livionex Dental Gel affects oral hygiene, bacterial counts, and incidence of mucositis and bloodstream infections (BSI) in pediatric Human Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) recipients. Methods: This was a prospective, double-blinded, randomized-controlled trial pilot study. Subjects were randomized to Livionex or control (PreviDent 5000 Plus for children ≥6 years or Tom's and Maine Children's Toothpaste for children <6 years) groups in a 2:1 ratio. Gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), relative amounts of mutans streptococci (MS), total streptococci (TS), Lactobacilli (LB), and total viable count (TVC), mucositis and BSI were recorded and compared using linear mixed effect models across timepoints. Brushing compliance was assessed with questionnaire responses and were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results: Twenty-six subjects (19 in Livionex and 7 in control) participated. MS counts decreased significantly in both groups. BSI incidence was not significantly different. There were no significant differences in GI, PI, incidence of mucositis, and questionnaire responses. Conclusions: There is possible benefit from using Livionex in this population. Studies with larger sample-sizes are needed to further confirm the effect of Livionex on bacterial counts and BSI occurrences in HSCT patients

Young Children’s Self-Regulated Learning Benefited from A Metacognition-Driven Science Education Intervention for Early Childhood Teachers

The two goals of this study are to examine the impact of an early childhood teacher’s metacognition-driven, place-based science teaching professional development (PD) intervention and to explore the association between science teaching and environment quality and children’s self-regulated learning. A total of 110 children (Mage = 60 months) and 20 teachers from preschools and kindergartens in rural regions of Idaho, U.S. participated in this mixed methods study between August 2022 and May 2023. Children’s and teachers’ pretest and posttest data were collected using validated observation tools, surveys, and reflection journals. Results from repeated measure ANOVA and linear mixed regression showed that there were statistically significant increases in children’s self-regulated learning scores and teachers’ science teaching efficacy and metacognitive knowledge, but not metacognitive regulation skill scores post-PD. Thematic analysis revealed evidence about children’s learning interests and inquiry skills, and that science activities supported children’s learning in other subject and developmental domains (e.g., literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills). Our results indicated the potential for supporting young children’s self-regulated learning by training teachers to implement a developmentally appropriate, hands-on science curriculum that focused on reflective thinking and a holistic understanding of science concepts and process skills

Pulmonary actinomycosis: a case undergoing resection through video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS)

Actinomycosis is an uncommon disease, which is usually manifested as cervicofacial infection and related to poor oral hygiene or compromised immune function. Pulmonary actinomycosis is rare, but its diagnosis is changing due to its variable presentation and the similarity in appearance to other intrapulmonary diseases. Here we report an 80-year-old man with a solitary pulmonary nodule over the left upper lobe. Pulmonary neoplasm was highly suspected in this patient and thus resection of the mass was undertaken through video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Histopathological examination demonstrated this patient had an Actinomyeces infection. While the application of VATS in patients with pulmonary actinomycosis has rarely been reported in literature, we conclude that VATS is valuable for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with undetermined pulmonary nodule(s)

Endogenous lipid- and peptide-derived anti-inflammatory pathways generated with glucocorticoid and aspirin treatment activate the lipoxin A4 receptor

Aspirin (ASA) and dexamethasone (DEX) are widely used anti-inflammatory agents yet their mechanism(s) for blocking polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) accumulation at sites of inflammation remains unclear. Here, we report that inhibition of PMN infiltration by ASA and DEX is a property shared by aspirin-triggered lipoxins (ATL) and the glucocorticoid-induced annexin 1 (ANXA1)-derived peptides that are both generated in vivo and act at the lipoxin A4 receptor (ALXR/FPRL1) to halt PMN diapedesis. These structurally diverse ligands specifically interact directly with recombinant human ALXR demonstrated by specific radioligand binding and function as well as immunoprecipitation of PMN receptors. In addition, the combination of both ATL and ANXA1-derived peptides limited PMN infiltration and reduced production of inflammatory mediators (that is, prostaglandins and chemokines) in vivo. Together, these results indicate functional redundancies in endogenous lipid and peptide anti-inflammatory circuits that are spatially and temporally separate, where both ATL and specific ANXA1-derived peptides act in concert at ALXR to downregulate PMN recruitment to inflammatory loci