METHODS: CBCT images were scanned retrospectively and the ones including bilateral M1Ms were included in the study. The evaluation was performed by 1 researcher in each country, trained with CBCT technology. A written and video instruction program explaining the protocol to be followed step-by-step was provided to all observers to calibrate them. The CBCT imaging screening procedure consisted of evaluating axial sections from coronal to apical. The presence of DLC and RE in M1Ms (yes/no) was identified and recorded.
RESULTS: Six thousand three hundred four CBCTs, representing 12,608 M1Ms, were evaluated. A significant difference was found between countries regarding the prevalence of both RE and DLC (P .05).
CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of RE and DLC in M1Ms was 3% and 22%. Additionally, both RE and DLC showed substantial bilaterally. These variations should be considered by endodontic clinicians during endodontic procedures in order to avoid potential complications.
METHODS: Medline and Embase databases were searched without date restriction on May 2022 for articles that examined EAT and cardiovascular outcomes. The inclusion criteria were (1) studies measuring EAT of adult patients at baseline and (2) reporting follow-up data on study outcomes of interest. The primary study outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events. Secondary study outcomes included cardiac death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and atrial fibrillation.
RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles published between 2012 and 2022, comprising 19 709 patients, were included in our analysis. Increased EAT thickness and volume were associated with higher risks of cardiac death (odds ratio, 2.53 [95% CI, 1.17-5.44]; P=0.020; n=4), myocardial infarction (odds ratio, 2.63 [95% CI, 1.39-4.96]; P=0.003; n=5), coronary revascularization (odds ratio, 2.99 [95% CI, 1.64-5.44]; P<0.001; n=5), and atrial fibrillation (adjusted odds ratio, 4.04 [95% CI, 3.06-5.32]; P<0.001; n=3). For 1 unit increment in the continuous measure of EAT, computed tomography volumetric quantification (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.74 [95% CI, 1.42-2.13]; P<0.001) and echocardiographic thickness quantification (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.09-1.32]; P<0.001) conferred an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.
CONCLUSIONS: The utility of EAT as an imaging biomarker for predicting and prognosticating cardiovascular disease is promising, with increased EAT thickness and volume being identified as independent predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events.
REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero; Unique identifier: CRD42022338075.
METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent RIRS for renal stones from January 2018 to August 2021 within the multicentric FLEXOR registry. Demographics, stone characteristics, perioperative findings, results and complications were analyzed and compared between gender groups.
RESULTS: A total of 6669 patients were included, 66.1% were male and 33.9% were female. Stone characteristics was comparable between groups. Female patients had significant higher fever and positive urine culture rates (12% vs. 8% and 37% vs. 34%). Also, females had a slight longer hospital stay (3.8 vs. 3.5 days; P
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate 6- vs 12-hour Foley balloon placement for cervical ripening in the labor induction of nulliparas.
STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre from January 2022 to August 2022. Nulliparas aged ≥18 years, with a term, singleton pregnancy in cephalic presentation, with intact membranes, with reassuring fetal heart rate tracing, with an unripe cervix, and without any significant contractions, were recruited at admission for labor induction. Participants were randomized after successful Foley balloon insertion, for the balloon to be left passively in place for 6 or 12 hours and then removed to check for a ripened cervix. Amniotomy was performed once the cervix had ripened, followed by titrated oxytocin infusion to expedite labor and delivery. The primary outcome was the labor induction to delivery interval. The secondary outcomes were mostly from the core outcome set for trials on labor induction of labor trial reporting, such as change in the Bishop score after the intervention, use of an additional method for cervical ripening, time to delivery after double-balloon device removal, mode of delivery, indication for cesarean delivery, duration of oxytocin infusion, blood loss during delivery, presence of a third- or fourth-degree perineal tear, maternal infection, maternal satisfaction regional analgesia in labor, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit admission, cardiorespiratory arrest, need for hysterectomy. The neonatal outcomes were Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes, neonatal intensive care unit admission, cord pH, neonatal sepsis, fetal birthweight, birth trauma, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or need for therapeutic hypothermia. Data were analyzed using the t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and Fisher exact test, as appropriate for the data type.
RESULTS: Overall, 240 women were randomized, 120 to each arm. The median labor induction to delivery intervals were 21.3 hours (interquartile range, 16.2-27.9) for the 6-hour balloon catheter placement and 26.0 hours (interquartile range, 21.5-30.9) for the 12-hour balloon catheter placement (P
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of cell-based therapy for people with ALS/MND, compared with placebo or no additional treatment.
SEARCH METHODS: On 21 June 2016, we searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and Embase. We also searched two clinical trials' registries for ongoing or unpublished studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA: We planned to include randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-RCTs and cluster RCTs that assigned people with ALS/MND to receive cell-based therapy versus a placebo or no additional treatment. Co-interventions were allowable, provided that they were given to each group equally.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We followed standard Cochrane methodology.
MAIN RESULTS: No studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. We identified four ongoing trials.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Currently, there is a lack of high-quality evidence to guide practice on the use of cell-based therapy to treat ALS/MND.We need large, prospective RCTs to establish the efficacy of cellular therapy and to determine patient-, disease- and cell treatment-related factors that may influence the outcome of cell-based therapy. The major goals of future research should be to determine the appropriate cell source, phenotype, dose, and route of delivery, as these will be key elements in designing an optimal cell-based therapy programme for people with ALS/MND. Future research should also explore novel treatment strategies, including combinations of cellular therapy and standard or novel neuroprotective agents, to find the best possible approach to prevent or reverse the neurological deficit in ALS/MND, and to prolong survival in this debilitating and fatal condition.
METHODS: 35 maxillary incisors were endodontically prepared. A dimensionally stable silicone material was injected into the root canal space and scanned with CBCT. The root canal volume was measured using Romexis 3.0.1 R software. Replicas were carefully removed from the teeth and scanned using an extraoral laser scanner. These images were exported to the Rhinoceros software for volume measurement. The volume of each replica was also assessed using the gravimetric method. To determine the accuracy, the volume obtained from both devices was compared with the gravimetric method. Statistical analysis was done using a paired t-test. The reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient.
RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the mean volume of CBCT 27.04 ± 7.25 mm³ and the mean volume of the gravimetric method 27.87 ± 7.17 mm³ (P< 0.05). A statistically significant difference was seen with the laser scanner at 25.31 ± 6.89 mm³ and the gravimetric method at 27.87 ± 7.17 mm³ (P< 0.05). CBCT showed a good degree of agreement (ICC 0.899), while the laser scanner showed a moderate degree of agreement (ICC 0.644) with the gravimetric method. CBCT proved accurate and reliable in measuring minor volumes like the root canal space, ideally in the range of 20-25 mm³. The laser scanner presented acceptable reliability.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The laboratory data showed satisfactory outcomes, providing an evidence-based approach and potentially motivating clinicians to integrate cone-beam computed tomography for volume analysis into clinical practice. The accuracy and reliability of laser scanners for small-volume analysis have not previously been evaluated. Consequently, the findings from this study warrant further clinical investigations.
METHOD: This was a prospective study utilizing data from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study, which involved community-dwelling older adults aged 55 years and above at recruitment. Baseline (2013-2015) and wave 3 (2019) data were analyzed. Sarcopenia risk was determined using the strength, assistance walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls (SARC-F) tool, with SARC-F ≥ 4 indicating sarcopenia. Baseline physical performance test scores were dichotomized using ROC-determined cut-offs.
RESULT: Data were available from 774 participants with mean age of 68.13 (SD = 7.13) years, 56.7% women. Cut-offs values for reduced GS, TUG, FR, and HGS were: <0.7 m/s (72.9% sensitivity and 53% specificity), >11.5 s (74.2%; 57.2%), <22.5 cm (73%; 54.2%) and HGS male <22 kg (70.0%; 26.7%) and female <17 kg (70.0%; 20.3%) respectively. Except for FR = 1.76 (1.01-3.06), GS = 2.29 (1.29-4.06), and TUG = 1.77 (1.00-3.13) were associated with increased sarcopenia risk after adjustments for baseline demographics and sarcopenia.
CONCLUSION: The defined cut-off values may be useful for the early detection of five-year sarcopenia risk in clinical and community settings. Despite HGS being a commonly used test to assess strength capacity in older adults, we advocate alternative strength measures, such as the sit-to-stand test, to be included in the assessment. Future studies should incorporate imaging modalities in the classification of sarcopenia to corroborate current study findings.
METHODS: A total of 346 cancer patients with mixed disease types were recruited and completed the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire and the MSPSS-M. The MSPSS-M was assessed for internal consistency, construct validity, face, content, convergent, discriminant validity, and confirmatory factor analyses.
RESULTS: The MSPSS-M and its three domains demonstrated good internal consistency with Cronbach's α ranging from 0.900 to 0.932. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the MSPSS-M supported the three-factor model of the original English version of the MSPSS. The MSPSS-M also exhibited good convergent validity and discriminant validity.
CONCLUSION: The MSPSS-M demonstrates favorable psychometric properties among patients with cancer in Malaysia. The validation of the MSPSS-M provides a culturally adapted and linguistically valid instrument to assess perceived social support among Malay-speaking patients with cancer in Malaysia.