PEEK Retainers without CAD-CAM: Simple Solutions for Everyday Challenges

Background: The need to perform occasional or continuous MRI exams and the interference with metal orthodontic appliances might be important and take a primary role during retention since the retention period is significantly longer than orthodontic treatment. Several non-metallic materials were proposed as potential alternatives to perform fixed retainers in orthodontics, but they showed internal limits. Methods: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) was used in the present clinical report as a fixed orthodontic retainer in the lower arch in order to perform an appliance with mechanical properties comparable to metallic ones but with a higher biocompatibility material and without the need for removal in case of an MRI exam. The retainer wire was handmade in the studio and then shaped to fit the arch. Results: PEEK showed a good capability for constructing a lingual fixed retainer compared to other aesthetic non-metallic and metallic materials. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study proposes how to easily build a retainer in PEEK and provides a clinical example of how this material can be beneficial

HindIII(+/−) Polymorphism of the Y Chromosome, Blood Pressure, and Serum Lipids: No Evidence of Association in Three White Populations

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Gender-Related Differences in the Relationships Between Blood Pressure, Age, and Body Size in Prepubertal Children

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The relationship of waist circumference to blood pressure: the Olivetti heart study1

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Randomised clinical trial: a Lactobacillus GG and micronutrient-containing mixture is effective in reducing nosocomial infections in children, vs. placebo

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infections are a major public health issue and preventative strategies using probiotics and micronutrients are being evaluated. AIM: To investigate the efficacy of a mixture of Lactobacillus GG and micronutrients in preventing nosocomial infections in children. METHODS: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in hospitalised children. Children (6 months to 5 years of age) received Lactobacillus GG (6 × 10(9) CFU/day) together with vitamins B and C and zinc or placebo, for 15 days, starting on the first day of hospitalisation. The incidence of gastrointestinal and respiratory nosocomial infections after discharge was determined by follow-up telephone call at 7 days. After 3 months, another telephone call estimated the incidence of further infections during follow-up. RESULTS: Ninety children completed the follow-up. Of 19/90 children with a nosocomial infection (20%), 4/45 children (9%) were in the treatment group and 15/45 (33%) in the placebo group (P = 0.016). Specifically, 2/45 (4%) children in the treatment group vs. 11/45 (24%) children in the placebo group (P = 0.007) presented with diarrhoea. The duration of hospitalisation was significantly shorter in the treatment group (3.9 days ± 1.7 vs. 4.9 ± 1.2; P = 0.003). At the follow-up, a total of 11/45 (24.4%) children in the treatment group had at least one episode of infection compared to 22/45 (48.9%) in the placebo group (P = 0.016). CONCLUSION: A mixture containing Lactobacillus GG and micronutrients may reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections, supporting the hypothesis that this may represent a valid strategy to prevent nosocomial infections

Surprising Connections Between General Relativity and Condensed Matter

This brief review is intended to introduce gravitational physicists to recent developments in which general relativity is being used to describe certain aspects of condensed matter systems, e.g., superconductivity.Comment: 14 pages; based on talk given at GR1

CurlySMILES: a chemical language to customize and annotate encodings of molecular and nanodevice structures

CurlySMILES is a chemical line notation which extends SMILES with annotations for storage, retrieval and modeling of interlinked, coordinated, assembled and adsorbed molecules in supramolecular structures and nanodevices. Annotations are enclosed in curly braces and anchored to an atomic node or at the end of the molecular graph depending on the annotation type. CurlySMILES includes predefined annotations for stereogenicity, electron delocalization charges, extra-molecular interactions and connectivity, surface attachment, solutions, and crystal structures and allows extensions for domain-specific annotations. CurlySMILES provides a shorthand format to encode molecules with repetitive substructural parts or motifs such as monomer units in macromolecules and amino acids in peptide chains. CurlySMILES further accommodates special formats for non-molecular materials that are commonly denoted by composition of atoms or substructures rather than complete atom connectivity

A Digital Pattern Methodology supporting Railway Industries in Portfolio Management

The object of this paper is the development of a decision support system involved in the bidding for invitations to tender in the railway field. The proposed methodology is based on the characterization of the whole train and its components, through several attributes according to a digital pattern approach. In particular some key components were chosen such as the traction motor, the bogie and the auxiliary equipment converter. The system measures the extent to which the products offered by the company fit the one required by the customer, comparing the homologous attributes. Such analysis is called ‘adopt/adapt/innovate’ (AAI). In this way it is possible to identify products already designed that fully or partly fit what required, obtaining huge benefits in terms of effectiveness and efficiency

Energy poverty in Portugal, Italy, and Norway: awareness, short-term driving forces, and barriers in the built environment

Portugal, Italy, and Norway differ by energy performance of buildings and gross domestic product (GDP). Portugal has significantly highest thermal discomfort with harsher winters. In 2021, 80% of Portuguese buildings had a low energy rating, with 75% of buildings without thermal insulation, highly contributing to the energy poverty (EP) of the country. In Italy, despite a generally mild climate, the building stock has low thermal performance. The most affected areas are the suburban and peri-urban ones, with an EP rate in southern regions between 13% and 20% compared to 8.8% at national level. Moreover, 65% of buildings were constructed before the first law on energy saving criteria and a 25% of it has never undergone any work of maintenance or improvement. Norway, despite the limited studies performs well respect to other European Economic Area and European Union countries, in investing and using indicators to enhance and monitor the green energies’ use. Because of energy price growth, seasonal price fluctuations, and different energy tariffs, energy inequality is increasing. EP risk is underestimated, masked by Norway's high GDP and regional price disparity. Energy inequality is increasing due to energy price growth, seasonal price fluctuations, and energy prices’ geographical inequality. The barriers in reducing EP are the underestimation of risk masked by the high GDP, and the need of homogenized prices in Norway. This study provides an overview to discuss EP awareness and it assesses the drivers and barriers that influence building's energy efficiency renovatio