MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this single-center, single-blinded parallel control trial, 27 participants were assigned to three groups using block randomization with a 1:1:1 allocation ratio; fixed bonded retention (FBR), vacuum-formed retention (VFR), and dual retention (DR) comprising both types. Data were collected every 3-months from debond (T0) for 12 months (T4). The primary outcomes measured changes in soft and dental tissue parameters on traced lateral cephalograms. Secondary outcomes included intra-arch changes and the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14[M]). This trial was registered with Clinicaltrial.gov (NCT04578704).
RESULTS: At T4, the upper lip, lower lip, and upper incisors moved anteriorly (mean difference (MD) of 1.63 mm (SD 3.7), 0.48 mm (SD 1.1), and 0.54 mm (SD 0.97), respectively). The upper and lower incisors were proclined by 0.96 degrees (SD 2.1) and 1.11 degrees (SD 2.63), respectively. The interincisal angle was reduced by 0.56 degrees (SD 1.23). Only the upper incisor inclination (UII) change showed significant differences between groups (η² = 0.296; p = 0.015). Post-hoc comparisons revealed that the FBR and VFR groups exhibited greater proclination than the DR group (UII, MD = 3.33 degrees and 3.22 degrees, respectively). No differences were observed in OHIP-14[M] scores between the groups.
CONCLUSION: All three retention protocols showed statistically small but clinically insignificant changes.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Dual retention offers better control in preventing upper incisor proclination in bimaxillary proclination cases.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered with Clinicaltrial.gov (NCT04578704).
SCOPE AND APPROACH: This review aims to provide a broad view of SCRes reactive strategies for FSMEs in dealing with crises in the context of COVID-19. Attention is given to the literature on resilience in other types of supply chain and situated in the context of food settings. The factors are monitored or controlled to contribute to FSME resiliency.Key findings and conclusion: Four quadrants, i.e., (1) rapid with low cost, (2) rapid with high cost, (3) slow with low cost and (4) slow with high cost, are offered based on the limitations and the time needed to react, and the strategies of each quadrant are explained in depth. This review also provides a better understanding of and guidance on reactive strategies for SCRes as options for FSMEs in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This review suggests future directions as extensions based on the logical flow of this review.
METHOD: This is a retrospective cohort study that compared the rate of HAIs from April to October 2019 (pre COVID period) and April to October 2020 (during COVID period). Data was collected through the review of patients' electronic medical records.
RESULTS: There were a total of 578 patients included in the selected wards during the pre- and during the pandemic. Thirty-nine episodes (12.1%) of HAIs were report in the pre COVID period and 29 (11.3%) during COVID-19. In both periods, hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) was the most frequent HAI among the patients. There was a rise in catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) (0.8%) and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) (1.1%) during the COVID-19 period. The most common bacteria were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (28.2%) and Enterococcus faecalis (17.9%) in the Pre COVID-19 period, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (27.6%) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (6.9%) during COVID-19.
CONCLUSION: Our research concluded that the rates of HAIs during the COVID-19 pandemic were not significantly impacted by the improved in-hospital infection prevention efforts to control the pandemic. There is need for further efforts to promote adherence to preventive practices.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients debonded from fixed appliances at a teaching institution were allocated by block randomization stratified for gender to three groups [VFRs fabricated on conventional, fused deposition modeling (FDM) or stereolithography apparatus (SLA) working models]. Participants wore the VFRs for three months full-time followed by three months part-time. VFRs were collected after each follow-up for Streptococcus and yeast counts. Surface roughness was measured indirectly on the working models using a 3D optical surface texture analyzer. Blinding was not feasible due to appliance appearance. The trial was registered [NCT03844425 ( ClinicalTrials.gov )] and funded by the Universiti Malaya Dental Postgraduate Research Grant (DPRG/14/19).
RESULTS: Thirty participants (eleven conventional, ten FDM, and nine SLA) were analyzed after six dropped out. No harms were reported. Microbial counts between the groups were not significantly different. There were more microbes in the lower VFRs than upper VFRs (total count: p<0.05; effect size, 0.5 during full-time wear and 0.4 during part-time wear). SLA had significantly (p<0.05) smoother surface than FDM (effect size, 0.3) and conventional models (effect size, 0.5). Microbial adherence was not associated with working model surface roughness.
CONCLUSION: Microbial adherence on VFRs was not influenced by degree of surface roughness imprints from working models.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: 3D printed models can be used to make VFRs. Lower VFRs tended to accumulate oral microbes, potentially increasing the oral health risk in the lower arch.
OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to develop and evaluate a mhealth application for healthcare providers that offers quick access to updated recommendations, evidence-based guidelines, and protocols for managing patients with HCAIs.
METHOD: The study included the development of the app, followed by a pilot test of its usability among physicians and nursing staff by using the Mobile Application Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ).
RESULTS: The mhealth application, named HCAI Shield, was developed with four main menus. The menu includes HCAI's care bundle: hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, and standard precautions. The information has been gathered following standards established by both national and international organizations. Twenty-one participants took part in the evaluation, and the mean score for the application's usability was 5.28 ± 0.38. The areas of "ease of use," "interface and satisfaction" received high mean scores.
CONCULSION: The HCAI Shield app provides convenient access to evidence-based guidelines and standards for HCAI management. Further evaluation is recommended.
Methods: S. aureus
strains were isolated from the nasal swabs of 200 health sciences students of a Malaysian university. Twelve classes of antibiotics were used to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles with the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) phenotype for inducible clindamycin resistance determined by the double-diffusion test (D-test). Carriage of resistance and virulence genes was performed by PCR onS. aureusisolates that were methicillin resistant, erythromycin resistant and/or positive for the leukocidin gene,pvl(n=15).
Results: Forty-nine isolates were viable and identified asS. aureuswith four of the isolates characterized as methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA; 2.0%). All isolates were susceptible to the antibiotics tested except for penicillin (resistance rate of 49%), erythromycin (16%), oxacillin (8%), cefoxitin (8%) and clindamycin (4%). Of the eight erythromycin-resistant isolates, iMLSBwas identified in five isolates (three of which were also MRSA). The majority of the erythromycin-resistant isolates harbored themsrAgene (four iMLSB) with the remaining iMLSBisolate harboring theermCgene.
Conclusion: The presence of MRSA isolates which are also iMLSBin healthy individuals suggests that nasal carriage may play a role as a potential reservoir for the transmission of these pathogens.