Displaying publications 41 - 60 of 141 in total

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  1. Alam MK, Alfawzan AA, Haque S, Mok PL, Marya A, Venugopal A, et al.
    Front Pediatr, 2021;9:651951.
    PMID: 34026687 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.651951
    To investigate whether the craniofacial sagittal jaw relationship in patients with non-syndromic cleft differed from non-cleft (NC) individuals by artificial intelligence (A.I.)-driven lateral cephalometric (Late. Ceph.) analysis. The study group comprised 123 subjects with different types of clefts including 29 = BCLP (bilateral cleft lip and palate), 41 = UCLP (unilateral cleft lip and palate), 9 = UCLA (unilateral cleft lip and alveolus), 13 = UCL (unilateral cleft lip) and NC = 31. The mean age was 14.77 years. SNA, SNB, ANB angle and Wits appraisal was measured in lateral cephalogram using a new innovative A.I driven Webceph software. Two-way ANOVA and multiple-comparison statistics tests were applied to see the differences between gender and among different types of clefts vs. NC individuals. A significant decrease (p < 0.005) in SNA, ANB, Wits appraisal was observed in different types of clefts vs. NC individuals. SNB (p > 0.005) showed insignificant variables in relation to type of clefts. No significant difference was also found in terms of gender in relation to any type of clefts and NC group. The present study advocates a decrease in sagittal development (SNA, ANB and Wits appraisal) in different types of cleft compared to NC individuals.
  2. Nishi SE, Rahman NA, Basri R, Alam MK, Noor NFM, Zainal SA, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:6642254.
    PMID: 33969121 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6642254
    Objective: This pre-post study is aimed at determining the effects of masticatory muscle activity (masseter and temporalis) measured via sEMG between conventional, self-ligating, and ceramic bracket after six months of orthodontic treatment.

    Methods: A total of eighteen (18) malocclusion patients were identified. Malocclusion patients were subdivided into 3 groups based on the bracket selection (conventional, self-ligating, and ceramic bracket) with 6 patients for each group. sEMG of muscles were done using a two-channel electromyography device, where pregelled and self-adhesive electrodes (bilateral) were applied. Chewing and clenching of masseter and temporalis muscle activity were recorded for 20 s pre and 6 months of orthodontic treatment using sEMG (frequency 60 Hz). The data were analysed by using repeated measures ANOVA in IBM SPSS Statistics Version 24.0.

    Results: Chewing and clenching for masseter muscle showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) in sEMG activity of three types of the brackets. However, for temporalis muscle, there was a significant difference found in sEMG activity during chewing (P < 0.05) and clenching (P < 0.05) between these three brackets.

    Conclusion: The activity of temporalis muscle showed significant changes in chewing and clenching, where the conventional group demonstrated better muscle activity pre and at six months of fixed appliances.

  3. Selvaraj S, Eusufzai SZ, Asif JA, Bin Jamayet N, Ahmad WMAW, Alam MK
    Work, 2021;69(1):173-180.
    PMID: 33998580 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-213466
    BACKGROUND: Sleep apnoea is a diagnosed condition in which appurtenances interrupt breathing whilst sleeping. The consequence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) includes road traffic accidents due to drowsiness, systemic hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus and neurocognitive disorders. This condition extends the duration of recovery phase after traumatic brain injury.

    OBJECTIVE: This study was intended to assess the knowledge and attitude towards OSA and compare it among dental and medical undergraduate students of University Sains Malaysia (USM).

    METHODS: In this study, a total of 216 clinical undergraduate students (36 from each year; 108 from medical and 108 from dental school) of University Sains Malaysia (USM) Health campus were recruited for the study by non-probability stratified random sampling method. Total study period was October 2017 to October 2018. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the sociodemographic status and OSAKA questionnaire was used to assess knowledge and attitude regarding sleep apnoea of the respondents. Descriptive analysis was carried out to assess the knowledge and attitude of OSA amongst dental and medical undergraduate students of USM. The Mann-Whitney U test was carried out to compare the knowledge and attitude of OSA amongst dental and medical undergraduate students of USM.

    RESULTS: Our study findings revealed that 0.9 %and 6.5 %of the dental undergraduate students and medical undergraduate students could answer all the questions correctly regarding knowledge of OSA. Based on the assessment of the difference between medical and dental students in terms of knowledge towards OSA patients, significant difference was observed at the significance level of 95%, where p 

  4. Ahmed T, Rahman NA, Alam MK
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:6663683.
    PMID: 33959664 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6663683
    Objective: To compare the orthodontic bracket debonding force and assess the bracket failure pattern clinically between different teeth by a validated prototype debonding device. Materials and Method. Thirteen (13) patients at the end of comprehensive fixed orthodontic treatment, awaiting for bracket removal, were selected from the list. A total of 260 brackets from the central incisor to the second premolar in both jaws were debonded by a single clinician using a validated prototype debonding device equipped with a force sensitive resistor (FSR). Mean bracket debonding forces were specified to ten (10) groups of teeth. Following debonding, Intraoral microphotographs of the teeth were taken by the same clinician to assess the bracket failure pattern using a 4-point scale of adhesive remnant index (ARI). Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey HSD and independent sample t-test to compare in vivo bracket debonding force, Cohen's kappa (κ), and a nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test for the reliability and the assessment of ARI scoring.

    Results: A significant difference (p < 0.001) of mean debonding force was found between different types of teeth in vivo. Clinically, ARI scores were not significantly different (p = 0.921) between different groups, but overall higher scores were predominant.

    Conclusion: Bracket debonding force should be measured on the same tooth from the same arch as the significant difference of mean debonding force exists between similar teeth of the upper and lower arches. The insignificant bracket failure pattern with higher ARI scores confirms less enamel damage irrespective of tooth types.

  5. Qamruddin I, Alam MK, Mahroof V, Karim M, Fida M, Khamis MF, et al.
    Pain Res Manag, 2021;2021:6624723.
    PMID: 34035871 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6624723
    Objective: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a noninvasive modality to stimulate bone remodeling (BR) and the healing of hard and soft tissues. This research evaluates the biostimulatory effect of LIPUS on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) and associated pain, when applied at 3-week intervals.

    Methods: Twenty-two patients (11 males and 11 females; mean age 19.18 ± 2.00 years) having Angle's Class II division 1 malocclusion needing bilateral extractions of maxillary first bicuspids were recruited for this split-mouth randomized clinical trial. After the initial stage of alignment and leveling with contemporary edgewise MBT (McLaughlin-Bennett-Trevisi) prescription brackets (Ortho Organizers, Carlsbad, Calif) of 22 mil, followed by extractions of premolars bilaterally, 6 mm nickel-titanium spring was used to retract the canines separately by applying 150 g force on 0.019 × 0.025-in stainless steel working archwires. LIPUS (1.1 MHz frequency and 30 mW/cm2 intensity output) was applied for 20 minutes extraorally and reapplied after 3 weeks for 2 more successive visits over the root of maxillary canine on the experimental side whereas the other side was placebo. A numerical rating scale- (NRS-) based questionnaire was given to the patients on each visit to record their weekly pain experience. Impressions were also made at each visit before the application of LIPUS (T1, T2, and T3). Models were scanned with a CAD/CAM scanner (Planmeca, Helsinki, Finland). Mann-Whitney U test was applied for comparison of canine movement and pain intensity between both the groups.

    Results: No significant difference in the rate of canine movement was found among the experimental (0.90 mm ± 0.33 mm) and placebo groups (0.81 mm ± 0.32 mm). There was no difference in pain reduction between experimental and placebo groups (p > 0.05).

    Conclusion: Single-dose application of LIPUS at 3-week intervals is ineffective in stimulating the OTM and reducing associated treatment pain.

  6. Farook TH, Jamayet NB, Abdullah JY, Alam MK
    Pain Res Manag, 2021;2021:6659133.
    PMID: 33986900 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6659133
    Purpose: The study explored the clinical influence, effectiveness, limitations, and human comparison outcomes of machine learning in diagnosing (1) dental diseases, (2) periodontal diseases, (3) trauma and neuralgias, (4) cysts and tumors, (5) glandular disorders, and (6) bone and temporomandibular joint as possible causes of dental and orofacial pain.

    Method: Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (all databases) were searched by 2 reviewers until 29th October 2020. Articles were screened and narratively synthesized according to PRISMA-DTA guidelines based on predefined eligibility criteria. Articles that made direct reference test comparisons to human clinicians were evaluated using the MI-CLAIM checklist. The risk of bias was assessed by JBI-DTA critical appraisal, and certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Information regarding the quantification method of dental pain and disease, the conditional characteristics of both training and test data cohort in the machine learning, diagnostic outcomes, and diagnostic test comparisons with clinicians, where applicable, were extracted.

    Results: 34 eligible articles were found for data synthesis, of which 8 articles made direct reference comparisons to human clinicians. 7 papers scored over 13 (out of the evaluated 15 points) in the MI-CLAIM approach with all papers scoring 5+ (out of 7) in JBI-DTA appraisals. GRADE approach revealed serious risks of bias and inconsistencies with most studies containing more positive cases than their true prevalence in order to facilitate machine learning. Patient-perceived symptoms and clinical history were generally found to be less reliable than radiographs or histology for training accurate machine learning models. A low agreement level between clinicians training the models was suggested to have a negative impact on the prediction accuracy. Reference comparisons found nonspecialized clinicians with less than 3 years of experience to be disadvantaged against trained models.

    Conclusion: Machine learning in dental and orofacial healthcare has shown respectable results in diagnosing diseases with symptomatic pain and with improved future iterations and can be used as a diagnostic aid in the clinics. The current review did not internally analyze the machine learning models and their respective algorithms, nor consider the confounding variables and factors responsible for shaping the orofacial disorders responsible for eliciting pain.

  7. Qamruddin I, Alam MK, Mahroof V, Fida M, Khamis MF, Husein A
    Pain Res Manag, 2021;2021:6690542.
    PMID: 34055122 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6690542
    Objective: To assess the effect of low-level laser applied at 3 weeks intervals on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) and pain using conventional brackets (CB).

    Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with Angle's class II div 1 (10 males and 10 females; aged 20.25 ± 3.88 years) needing bilateral extractions of maxillary first bicuspids were recruited. Conventional brackets MBT of 0.022 in slot (McLaughlin Bennett Trevisi) prescription braces (Ortho Organizers, Carlsbad, Calif) were bonded. After alignment and levelling phase, cuspid retraction began with nitinol closed coil spring on 19 × 25 stainless steel archwire, wielding 150 gram force. 7.5 J/cm2 energy was applied on 10 points (5 buccal and 5 palatal) on the canine roots on the investigational side using gallium-aluminum-arsenic diode laser (940 nm wavelength, iLase™ Biolase, Irvine, USA) in a continuous mode. Target tissues were irradiated once in three weeks for 9 weeks at a stretch (T0, T1, and T2). Patients were given a feedback form based on the numeric rating scale (NRS) to record the pain intensity for a week. Silicon impressions preceded the coil activation at each visit (T0, T1, T2, and T3), and the casts obtained were scanned with the Planmeca CAD/CAM™ (Helsinki, Finland) scanner.

    Results: The regimen effectively accelerated (1.55 ± 0.25 mm) tooth movement with a significant reduction in distress on the investigational side as compared to the placebo side (94 ± 0.25 mm) (p < 0.05).

    Conclusions: This study reveals that the thrice-weekly LLLT application can accelerate OTM and reduce the associated pain.

  8. Haque S, Khamis MF, Alam MK, Wan Ahmad AWM
    Front Pediatr, 2021;9:646830.
    PMID: 34262887 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.646830
    To evaluate dental arch relationship (DAR) using GOSLON Yardstick and also to explore the association between multiple factors (age, gender, UCLP types, UCLP side, Family history of cleft, family history of Class III malocclusion, techniques of cheiloplasty, techniques of palatoplasty) and DAR in children unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in different populations. Two hundred fifty-five laser scanned 3D digital models (LS3DM) of UCLP children (5-12 years) from Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan were included. The intra- and inter-examiner agreements were evaluated by kappa statistics, to compare the GOSLON mean score between the populations and to explore the responsible factors that affect DAR, one way ANOVA, and crude logistic regression analysis was used, respectively. The mean GOSLON score was 2.97; 3.40 and 3.09 in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, respectively. Twenty seven, 40, and 30 subjects were in unfavourable (category rating 4 and 5) groups in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, respectively. A significant association was found between techniques of palatoplasty (p = 0.03; p = 0.04 and p = 0.04 in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, respectively) and unfavourable DAR. Different cheiloplasty techniques (p = 0.04) and gender (p = 0.03) also exhibited noteworthy associations with unfavourable DAR in the Bangladeshi population. Bardach techniques of palatoplasty were significantly associated with unfavourable DAR in all three populations. Moreover, male UCLP and modified Millard techniques of cheiloplasty were also associated with unfavourable DAR in the Bangladeshi population.
  9. Alshammary F, Karobari MI, Assiry AA, Marya A, Shaikh GM, Siddiqui AA, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:5523242.
    PMID: 34036099 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5523242
    This study is aimed at assessing the influence of Nd:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation, and adjunctive photodynamic therapy (aPDT) on the bond strength of zirconia posts to radicular dentin. Eighty extracted anterior teeth were randomly categorized into 4 groups (n = 20) based on varying laser irradiation treatments, i.e., conventional cleaning and shaping (CCS), Nd:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG, and aPDT group, respectively. Using a cutting machine, the samples were prepared for push-out bond strength analysis; 4 sections (2 on each apical and cervical) of around 1 mm thickness were sectioned for all roots at a right angle to the long axis of the post. After making the space for the post, they were incorporated into the root system and were subjected to different laser treatments. The universal testing machine was utilized to assess the push-out bond strength, which had a defined 1 mm/minute crosshead speed until the failure was encountered. Specimens in the aPDT group (8.20 ± 2.14 MPa) demonstrated the highest mean push-out bond strength, whereas the lowest was shown by samples in the CCS group (7.08 ± 1.11 MPa). According to the independent t-test, the mean push-out bond strength scores of the cervical segments were higher as compared to the apical segments in research groups (p < 0.05). Overall, the adhesive type was the most frequently encountered failure mode in all of the experimental groups, with the least number of failures observed in aPDT treated teeth samples. In conclusion, the push-out bond strength to radicular dentin was not much influenced by Nd:YAG, Er,Cr:YSGG laser, and aPDT in comparison with CCS. Although statistically not significant, however, the application of aPDT provided better outcomes as compared to other research groups.
  10. Mousa MA, Abdullah JY, Jamayet NB, El-Anwar MI, Ganji KK, Alam MK, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:5699962.
    PMID: 34485518 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5699962
    The present study was aimed at reviewing the studies that used finite element analysis (FEA) to estimate the biomechanical stress arising in removable partial dentures (RPDs) and how to optimize it. A literature survey was conducted for the English full-text articles, which used only FEA to estimate the stress developed in RPDs from Jan 2000 to May 2021. In RPDs, the retaining and supporting structures are subjected to dynamic loads during insertion and removal of the prosthesis as well as during function. The majority of stresses in free-end saddle (FES) RPDs are concentrated in the shoulder of the clasp, the horizontal curvature of the gingival approaching clasp, and the part of the major connector next to terminal abutments. Clasps fabricated from flexible materials were beneficial to eliminate the stress in the abutment, while rigid materials were preferred for major connectors to eliminate the displacement of the prosthesis. In implant-assisted RPD, the implant receive the majority of the load, thereby reducing the stress on the abutment and reducing the displacement of the prosthesis. The amount of stress in the implant decreases with zero or minimal angulation, using long and wide implants, and when the implants are placed in the first molar area.
  11. Abbasi H, Saqib M, Jouhar R, Lal A, Ahmed N, Ahmed MA, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:1119710.
    PMID: 34124238 DOI: 10.1155/2021/1119710
    Introduction: Dental anxiety is a common occurrence in patients undergoing dental treatments, especially in children. The success in paedriatric dental treatments and patient comfort depends on controlling the level of patient's anxiety in clinical settings. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of different techniques applied for the reduction of dental anxiety in paediatric patients. Material and Methods. One hundred and sixty participants were divided into 4 groups; each group having 40 patients as follows: group I: mobile application "little lovely dentist," group II: YouTube® "dental video songs," group III "tell-show-do," and group IV "control." Dental prophylaxis treatments were provided to all the participants. Initial anxiety levels were noted during the patient's education phase by measuring heart rate with pulse oximeter and distress level with facial image scale, at the same time in each group, respectively. The postoperative anxiety was noted later with the same methods, after the application of anxiety reduction techniques. The data obtained were entered in the statistical package for the social sciences software, version 25. One-way ANOVA and paired t-test for matched groups were used to compare mean values of the 4 groups, in this study to determine their effectiveness. A p value of ≤0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

    Results: The mean age of patients in group 1 was 6.8 ± 2.1 years, group 2: 8.15 ± 2.27 years, group 3: 7.5 ± 2.3 years, and group 4: 7.27 ± 1.68 years. The intragroup comparisons of heart rate and facial image scores have shown a significant difference in before and after dental treatment procedures. Marked reduction in heart rate and facial image scale scores were found in patients belonging to group 1 (mobile applications) and group 2 (dental video songs). An increase in heart rate and facial image scale scores was seen in group 3 (tell-show-do) and the control group.

    Conclusion: The paediatric dental anxiety is a common finding in dental clinics. Behavior modification techniques like smartphone applications, "little lovely dentist," and "dental songs" can alleviate dental anxiety experienced by paediatric patients. The "tell-show-do" technique although most commonly used did not prove to be beneficial in the reduction of the anxiety levels.

  12. Mousa MA, Abdullah JY, Jamayet NB, Alam MK, Husein A
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:6419774.
    PMID: 34447852 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6419774
    Aim: This systematic review is aimed at investigating the biomechanical stress that develops in the maxillofacial prostheses (MFP) and supporting structures and methods to optimize it. Design and Methods. A literature survey was conducted for full-text English articles which used FEA to examine the stress developed in conventional and implant-assisted MFPs from January 2010 to December 2020.

    Results: 87 articles were screened to get an update on the desired information. 74 were excluded based on a complete screening, and finally, 13 articles were recruited for complete reviewing. Discussion. The MFP is subjected to stress, which is reflected in the form of compressive and tensile strengths. The stress is mainly concentrated the resection line and around the apices of roots of teeth next to the defect. Diversity of designs and techniques were introduced to optimize the stress distribution, such as modification of the clasp design, using materials with different mechanical properties for dentures base and retainer, use of dental (DI) and/or zygomatic implants (ZI), and free flap reconstruction before prosthetic rehabilitation.

    Conclusion: Using ZI in the defective side of the dentulous maxillary defect and defective and nondefective side of the edentulous maxillary defect was found more advantageous, in terms of compression and tensile stress and retention, when compared with DI and free flap reconstruction.

  13. Ahmed N, Abbasi MS, Haider S, Ahmed N, Habib SR, Altamash S, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:3194433.
    PMID: 34532499 DOI: 10.1155/2021/3194433
    Objective: Analyzing and comparing the fit and accuracy of removable partial denture (RPDs) frameworks fabricated with CAD/CAM and rapid prototyping methods with conventional techniques.

    Materials and Methods: The present systematic review was carried out according to PRISMA guidelines. The search was carried out on PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane collaboration, Science direct, and Scopus scientific engines using selected MeSH keywords. The articles fulfilling the predefined selection criteria based on the fit and accuracy of removable partial denture (RPD) frameworks constructed from digital workflow (CAD/CAM; rapid prototyping) and conventional techniques were included.

    Results: Nine full-text articles comprising 6 in vitro and 3 in vivo studies were included in this review. The digital RPDs were fabricated in all articles by CAD/CAM selective laser sintering and selective laser melting techniques. The articles that have used CAD/CAM and rapid prototyping technique demonstrated better fit and accuracy as compared to the RPDs fabricated through conventional techniques. The least gaps between the framework and cast (41.677 ± 15.546 μm) were found in RPDs constructed through digital CAD/CAM systems.

    Conclusion: A better accuracy was achieved using CAD/CAM and rapid prototyping techniques. The RPD frameworks fabricated by CAD/CAM and rapid prototyping techniques had clinically acceptable fit, superior precision, and better accuracy than conventionally fabricated RPD frameworks.

  14. Ahmed N, Abbasi MS, Zuberi F, Qamar W, Halim MSB, Maqsood A, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:9751564.
    PMID: 34258283 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9751564
    Objective: The objective of this systematic review was to investigate the quality and outcome of studies into artificial intelligence techniques, analysis, and effect in dentistry.

    Materials and Methods: Using the MeSH keywords: artificial intelligence (AI), dentistry, AI in dentistry, neural networks and dentistry, machine learning, AI dental imaging, and AI treatment recommendations and dentistry. Two investigators performed an electronic search in 5 databases: PubMed/MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine), Scopus (Elsevier), ScienceDirect databases (Elsevier), Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics), and the Cochrane Collaboration (Wiley). The English language articles reporting on AI in different dental specialties were screened for eligibility. Thirty-two full-text articles were selected and systematically analyzed according to a predefined inclusion criterion. These articles were analyzed as per a specific research question, and the relevant data based on article general characteristics, study and control groups, assessment methods, outcomes, and quality assessment were extracted.

    Results: The initial search identified 175 articles related to AI in dentistry based on the title and abstracts. The full text of 38 articles was assessed for eligibility to exclude studies not fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Six articles not related to AI in dentistry were excluded. Thirty-two articles were included in the systematic review. It was revealed that AI provides accurate patient management, dental diagnosis, prediction, and decision making. Artificial intelligence appeared as a reliable modality to enhance future implications in the various fields of dentistry, i.e., diagnostic dentistry, patient management, head and neck cancer, restorative dentistry, prosthetic dental sciences, orthodontics, radiology, and periodontics.

    Conclusion: The included studies describe that AI is a reliable tool to make dental care smooth, better, time-saving, and economical for practitioners. AI benefits them in fulfilling patient demand and expectations. The dentists can use AI to ensure quality treatment, better oral health care outcome, and achieve precision. AI can help to predict failures in clinical scenarios and depict reliable solutions. However, AI is increasing the scope of state-of-the-art models in dentistry but is still under development. Further studies are required to assess the clinical performance of AI techniques in dentistry.

  15. Koh AE, Subbiah SK, Farhana A, Alam MK, Mok PL
    Front Cell Dev Biol, 2021;9:652065.
    PMID: 33937251 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.652065
    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have shown promise in restoring the vision of patients in clinical trials. However, this therapeutic effect is not observed in every treated patient and is possibly due to the inefficacies of cell delivery and high cell death following transplantation. Utilizing erythropoietin can significantly enhance the regenerative properties of MSCs and hence improve retinal neuron survivability in oxidative stress. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy of conditioned medium (CM) obtained from transgenic human erythropoietin-expressing MSCs (MSC EPO ) in protecting human retinal pigment epithelial cells from sodium iodate (NaIO3)-induced cell death. Human MSC and MSC EPO were first cultured to obtain conditioned media (CM). The IC50 of NaIO3 in the ARPE-19 culture was then determined by an MTT assay. After that, the efficacy of both MSC-CM and MSC-CM EPO in ARPE-19 cell survival were compared at 24 and 48 h after NaIO3 treatment with MTT. The treatment effects on mitochondrial membrane potential was then measured by a JC-1 flow cytometric assay. The MTT results indicated a corresponding increase in cell survivability (5-58%) in the ARPE-19 cell cultures. In comparison to MSC-CM, the use of conditioned medium collected from the MSC-CM EPO further enhanced the rate of ARPE-19 survivability at 24 h (P < 0.05) and 48 h (P < 0.05) in the presence of NaIO3. Furthermore, more than 90% were found viable with the JC-1 assay after MSC-CM EPO treatment, showing a positive implication on the mitochondrial dynamics of ARPE-19. The MSC-CM EPO provided an enhanced mitigating effect against NaIO3-induced ARPE-19 cell death over that of MSC-CM alone during the early phase of the treatment, and it may act as a future therapy in treating retinal degenerative diseases.
  16. May Z, Alam MK, Nayan NA, Rahman NAA, Mahmud MS
    PLoS One, 2021;16(12):e0261040.
    PMID: 34914761 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261040
    Corrosion in carbon-steel pipelines leads to failure, which is a major cause of breakdown maintenance in the oil and gas industries. The acoustic emission (AE) signal is a reliable method for corrosion detection and classification in the modern Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system. The efficiency of this system in detection and classification mainly depends on the suitable AE features. Therefore, many feature extraction and classification methods have been developed for corrosion detection and severity assessment. However, the extraction of appropriate AE features and classification of various levels of corrosion utilizing these extracted features are still challenging issues. To overcome these issues, this article proposes a hybrid machine learning approach that combines Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT) integrated with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) for multiresolution feature extraction and Linear Support Vector Classifier (L-SVC) for predicting corrosion severity levels. A Laboratory-based Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR) test was performed on carbon-steel samples for AE data acquisition over a different time span. AE signals were collected at a high sampling rate with a sound well AE sensor using AEWin software. Simulation results show a linear relationship between the proposed approach-based extracted AE features and the corrosion process. For multi-class problems, three corrosion severity stages have been made based on the corrosion rate over time and AE activity. The ANOVA test results indicate the significance within and between the feature-groups where F-values (F-value>1) rejects the null hypothesis and P-values (P-value<0.05) are less than the significance level. The utilized L-SVC classifier achieves higher prediction accuracy of 99.0% than the accuracy of other benchmarked classifiers. Findings of our proposed machine learning approach confirm that it can be effectively utilized for corrosion detection and severity assessment in SHM applications.
  17. Moin M, Saadat S, Rafique S, Maqsood A, Lal A, Vohra F, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:5185613.
    PMID: 34950734 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5185613
    Introduction: Oral health is considered as one of the essential components of the overall health of every individual. Maintaining oral health is a gradual process that requires commitment. Children who require special care such as hearing impairment experience difficulty in maintaining oral health primarily due to communication difficulties. This study is aimed at using different interventions to evaluate the improvement of oral hygiene in hearing impaired children.

    Materials and Methods: Fifty-nine children were recruited in this study that were allocated randomly into each group with twenty children as follows: group 1: pictorial, group 2: video, and group 3: control. Mean plaque and gingival scores were noted before and after the use of different interventions. Oral hygiene was categorized as "excellent," "good," and "fair." Gingival health was categorized as "healthy," "mild gingivitis," and "moderate gingivitis."

    Results: Thirty-four children (57.6%) were from 12-13 years of age bracket, and 25 (42.4%) belonged to 14-16 years of age. Regarding gender, there were 37 (62.7%) males and 22 (37.3%) females. About comparison of mean gingival and plaque scores before and after interventions in each group, a significant difference was found in group 1 (p < 0.001) and group 2 (p < 0.001), as compared to group 3 where the difference in scores was not significant (p > 0.05).

    Conclusion: Maintaining oral health requires the compliance of individuals to perform different methods of preventive dentistry, such as tooth brushing and use of dental floss. The use of different oral hygiene educational interventions such as pictorial and video methods have been proven and useful for hearing impaired children in improving oral health.

  18. Maqsood A, Sadiq MSK, Mirza D, Ahmed N, Lal A, Alam MK, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:5437237.
    PMID: 34845437 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5437237
    Objective: The present study was aimed at assessing the impact of teledentistry, its application, and trends in uplifting dental practice and clinical care around the world. Material and Methods. The present observational study comprised of an electronic survey distributed among dental professionals around the globe. The validated survey form consisted of a total 26 questions with 5-point Likert scale response. The questionnaire used was divided into four domains: usefulness of teledentistry for patients, its usefulness in dental practice, its capacity to improve the existing practice, and the concerns attached to its use. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-25. ANOVA test was used to assess the effect of independent variables on dependent variables. A p value of ≤0.05 was taken as statistically significant.

    Results: A total of 506 dental professionals participated in the study with the response rate of 89.39%. More than half of the participants (50-75%) endorsed that teledentistry is a useful tool for improving clinical practice as well as patient care. Two-thirds of the participants (69.96%) considered that teledentistry would reduce cost for the dental practices. On the other hand, about 50-70% of dental professionals expressed their concerns regarding the security of the data and consent of patients. The most preferred communication tool for teledentistry was reported to be videoconference followed by phone. The majority of participants recommended the use of teledentistry in the specialty of oral medicine, operative dentistry, and periodontics. There was a significant difference between the age, experience of dentists, and their qualifications with domains of teledentistry.

    Conclusions: The overall impact of dental professionals towards teledentistry was positive with adequate willingness to incorporate this modality in their clinical practice. However, the perceived concerns pertaining to teledentistry are significant impediments towards its integration within the oral health system. An in-depth study of its business model and cost-benefit needs of time, especially in the context of developing countries, in order to avail the optimum benefits of teledentistry.

  19. Ahmad WMAW, Yaqoob MA, Noor NFM, Ghazali FMM, Rahman NA, Tang L, et al.
    Biomed Res Int, 2021;2021:5436894.
    PMID: 34904115 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5436894
    Background: Cancer is primarily caused by smoking, alcohol, betel quit, a series of genetic alterations, and epigenetic abnormalities in signaling pathways, which result in a variety of phenotypes that favor the development of OSCC. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of oral cancer, accounting for 80-90% of all oral malignant neoplasms. Oral cancer is relatively common, and it is frequently curable when detected and treated early enough. The tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system is used to determine patient prognosis; however, geographical inaccuracies frequently occur, affecting management.

    Objective: To determine the additional relationship between factors discovered by searching for sociodemographic and metastasis factors, as well as treatment outcomes, which could help improve the prediction of the survival rate in cancer patients. Material and Methods. A total of 56 patients were recruited from the ambulatory clinic at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). In this retrospective study, advanced computational statistical modeling techniques were used to evaluate data descriptions of several variables such as treatment, age, and distant metastasis. The R-Studio software and syntax were used to implement and test the hazard ratio. The statistics for each sample were calculated using a combination model that included methods such as bootstrap and multiple linear regression (MLR).

    Results: The statistical strategy showed R demonstrates that regression modeling outperforms an R-squared. It demonstrated that when data is partitioned into a training and testing dataset, the hybrid model technique performs better at predicting the outcome. The variable validation was determined using the well-established bootstrap-integrated MLR technique. In this case, three variables are considered: age, treatment, and distant metastases. It is important to note that three things affect the hazard ratio: age (β 1: -0.006423; p < 2e - 16), treatment (β 2: -0.355389; p < 2e - 16), and distant metastasis (β 3: -0.355389; p < 2e - 16). There is a 0.003469102 MSE for the linear model in this scenario.

    Conclusion: In this study, a hybrid approach combining bootstrapping and multiple linear regression will be developed and extensively tested. The R syntax for this methodology was designed to ensure that the researcher completely understood the illustration. In this case, a hybrid model demonstrates how this critical conclusion enables us to better understand the utility and relative contribution of the hybrid method to the outcome. The statistical technique used in this study, R, demonstrates that regression modeling outperforms R-squared values of 0.9014 and 0.00882 for the predicted mean squared error, respectively. The conclusion of the study establishes the superiority of the hybrid model technique used in the study.

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