Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to clarify fading, red, green, and blue values (RGB) change, and color reproducibility for nipple–areola complex (NAC) tattoos. Methods NAC tattooing ...was performed on 60 sites in 59 Japanese patients prospectively. The evaluation was assessed using digital photo, Casmatch standardization, and RGB and luminance values preoperatively, immediately after, 1 week, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after tattooing. RGB and luminance values changes over time, time-adjusted fading rate, and the rate of luminance at 12 months were calculated. In color reproducibility study (n = 34), RGB values after 12 months were compared with the color sample about dark/reddish and light/less reddish pigments. Results RGB varied widely from immediately after to 1 month after tattooing. For RGB and luminance, significant differences were seen between pre and immediate after, 1 and 3 months, 3 and 6 months, and 6 and 12 months. In G values, significant differences were seen between all neighboring points. The fading rate tended to decrease as time progresses, but was not significant, that is, fading continued even between 6 and 12 months. Luminance was 9% brighter than contralateral NAC at 12 months. Color reproducibility tended to be higher with dark/reddish pigments, despite no significant differences. Conclusion The fading rate of tattooed NACs tended to decrease as time progresses, but fading still occurs between 6 and 12 months. Luminance was 9% brighter than contralateral NAC at 12 months after.
Intra-articular injections of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can inhibit the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Previous reports have used cultured MSCs, but the ability to use thawed cryopreserved ...MSC stocks would be highly advantageous. Our purpose was to elucidate whether thawed cryopreserved MSCs show comparable inhibitory effects on OA progression in rats to those obtained with cultured MSCs. Cultured rat synovial MSCs or thawed MSCs were compared for in vitro viability and properties. The inhibitory effect of thawed MSCs on OA progression was evaluated by injecting cryopreservation fluid and thawed MSCs in meniscectomized rats. Cartilage degeneration was assessed using gross finding and histological scores. Cultured MSCs were then injected into one knee and thawed MSCs into the contralateral knee of the same individual to compare their effects. Cultured MSCs and MSCs thawed after cryopreservation had comparable in vitro colony formation and chondrogenic potentials. In the rat OA model, the gross finding and histological scores were significantly lower in the thawed MSC group than in the cryopreservation fluid group at 8 weeks. Finally, cartilage degeneration did not differ significantly after injection of cultured and thawed MSCs. In conclusion, thawed MSCs showed comparable inhibitory effects on OA progression to cultured MSCs.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objectives
Critical thinking is recognized as an essential aspect in the training of healthcare professionals, yet it has not been explicitly applied to dental education in Thailand. Therefore, this ...research study aimed to survey the status of critical thinking disposition among Thai dental students and examine the correlation between critical thinking disposition and academic performance.
Methods
In 2020, 322 students from a Thai dental school were invited to participate in the study and answer an online questionnaire supplying demographic data and Grade Point Average (GPA), and respond to the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). A one‐way analysis of variance and Spearman's correlation were used to analyze the data.
Results
Overall, 279 of the 322 participants (86.6%) completed the demographic information and CCTDI. Three subscales were found to be in the ambivalent range: truth‐seeking (36.8 ± 6.2), systematicity (39.0 ± 5.5), and maturity of judgment (37.1 ± 5.9). Most of the CCTDI subscale scores did not significantly correlate with GPAs, except for systematicity (r = 0.119, p = 0.047) and confidence in reasoning (r = 0.146, p = 0.015).
Conclusion
This study examined the strengths and weaknesses of the students’ critical thinking dispositions. Their GPAs correlated with two critical thinking disposition subscales; however, the results did not guarantee a correlation with academic outcomes. Pedagogical strategies to develop dental students’ critical thinking dispositions need to be further assessed.
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CMK, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose: To validate the revised criteria of the International Workshop on Ocular Sarcoidosis (IWOS) for the diagnosis of ocular sarcoidosis (OS).
Methods: A retrospective chart review study was ...performed on 323 patients including 51 patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis and 272 patients with other uveitis entities. Data on intraocular signs and systemic investigations were collected, and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and the Youden index were calculated.
Results: All intraocular signs and most systemic investigations showed high diagnostic parameters. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the revised IWOS criteria were 1.000, 0.930, 0.728, and 1.000, respectively. Presumed or probable OS showed lower sensitivity and higher specificity when compared with the best Youden index.
Conclusion: The revised IWOS criteria are useful in Japanese patients, but could possibly be improved by modifying the criterion of presumed or probable OS.
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DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Introduction: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients often develop lung cancer (LC). However, previous studies on the incidences of LC in ILDs focused on specific aetiologies, such as idiopathic ...pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). To investigate the incidences of LC in ILDs other than IPF, we conducted this study. Materials and Methods: ILD patients at our hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The cumulative incidences of LC in various ILD patients were estimated and compared among ILD groups for up to five years. The association between several variables at initial diagnosis and LC development was assessed to identify predictors. Results: In all, 587 ILD patients, including 161 IPF, 160 chronic HP, 133 non-IPF idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs), 87 connective tissue disease-related ILDs (CTD-ILDs), and 46 other ILDs, were included. Twenty-seven patients developed LC. The cumulative incidences of LC at 1, 3, and 5 years were 1.9%, 5.7%, and 12.3% in IPF, respectively; 2.0%, 4.6%, and 11.0% in chronic HP; 0.8%, 0.8%, and 4.0% in non-IPF IIPs; and 1.1%, 1.1%, and 2.9% in CTD-ILDs. Chronic HP patients had a high incidence of LC as IPF patients. Pack-years was associated with LC development in chronic HP patients. Conclusions: The incidences of LC are equally high in patients with chronic HP and IPF.
In many types of tumor cells, cell communication via gap junction is decreased or missing. Therefore, cancer cells acquire unique cytosolic environments that differ from those of normal cells. This ...study assessed the differences in microRNA (miRNA) expression between cancer and normal cells. MicroRNA microarray analysis revealed five miRNAs that were highly expressed in normal astrocytes compared with that in C6 gliomas. To determine whether these miRNAs could pass through gap junctions, connexin 43 was expressed in C6 glioma cells and co-cultured with normal astrocytes. The co-culture experiment showed the possibility that miR-152-3p and miR-143-3p propagate from normal astrocytes to C6 glioma in connexin 43-dependent and -independent manners, respectively. Moreover, we established C6 glioma cells that expressed miR-152-3p or miR-143-3p. Although the proliferation of these miRNA-expressing C6 glioma cells did not differ from that of empty vectors introduced in C6 glioma cells, cell migration and invasion were significantly decreased in C6 glioma cells expressing miR-152-3p or miR-143-3p. These results suggest the possibility that miRNA produced by normal cells attenuates tumor progression through connexin 43-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
•Osteoblast specific cis-element of OPN promoter existed in the region from −833 to +76 bp.•VD3 was essential for cAMP-induced OPN promoter activity.•cAMP-mediated OPN promoter activity was partially ...depended on VDR expression.•cAMP induced acetylation of OPN promoter region, and enhance OPN promoter activity.
Osteopontin (OPN) is not only a marker of osteoblasts but it is also related to cancer progression and inflammation. The expression of OPN increases in response to inflammatory cytokines, hormones, and mechanical stress. Among them, cyclic-AMP (cAMP) elevating agents stimulate OPN expression in the presence of 1, 25-OH vitamin D3 (VD3). We aimed to clarify the mechanism by which cAMP enhances OPN expression in osteoblastic cells. The OPN promoter (−2335 to +76, OPNp2335) exerted a cell type specific response to forskolin (FK) and VD3. Sequential deletion analysis of OPNp revealed that the OPNp (−833 to +76) contained essential responsive regions to respond to cAMP signaling. In particular, both Vitamin D response element (VDRE, −758 to −743) and osteoblast-specific cis- acting element 2 (OSE2, −695 to −690) were essential for cAMP-mediated OPNp activity. The expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR), but not runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), a nuclear receptor for OSE2, was induced by the treatment of the cells with FK. Although, VD3-induced OPNp activity was slightly enhanced in VDR-overexpressing osteoblasts, it reached the same level as that of osteoblasts induced by both VD3 and FK in the presence of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. Moreover, we identified histone acetylation on the OPN promoter region by FK treatment. These results strongly suggest that OPNp activity is controlled by the cAMP signaling via genetic and epigenetic regulations.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Some studies reported that excessive blood pressure (BP) control was not appropriate for older people, especially from the viewpoint of quality of life and maintaining sufficient blood flow for ...tissue perfusion. However, the lower limit of the target BP is still unclear, and there has not yet been a sufficient consensus. Therefore, we investigated the associations of BP levels with clinical events in older patients ~85 years old receiving home medical care. A total of 144 patients were included, who were followed for longer than 3 months in the Osaka Home Care Registry study, a prospective cohort study targeting older patients receiving home medical care in Japan. BP levels were divided into lower and higher groups based on the average systolic blood pressure (SBP). The main outcomes were clinical events, including hospitalizations, falls, and deaths during follow-up. As a result, the hospitalization rate in the SBP below 124 mmHg group was significantly higher than that in the SBP over 124 mmHg group. When comparing the clinical events between the two groups only in participants with hypertension, the same results were obtained. Furthermore, in Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted by age, sex, and current diseases, the SBP below 124 mmHg group showed a significantly higher rate of required hospitalization (hazard ratio: 7.25, 95% confidence interval: 1.79-29.45). Thus, in older and very frail patients requiring home medical care, an SBP level below 124 mmHg could be a predictive marker of clinical events leading to hospitalization.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Purpose: This study investigates the attenuation of radiation doses by four materials, heat-polymerized, and self-polymerized polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), putty-type, and injection-type polyvinyl ...siloxane (PVS) impression material. This in vitro study should aid in the selection of dental materials for radiotherapy prostheses, thereby minimizing the possibility of radiotherapy side effects.Methods: Specimens of each type were fabricated as a 5 × 5 cm squares with a thickness of 10 mm. Heat-polymerizing PMMA, self-polymerizing PMMA, putty-type PVS impression material, and injection-type PVS impression material were selected. A calibration curve was created to determine the association of radiation doses and grayscale value. A linear accelerator was used to irradiate the specimens. The radiation doses above and below the materials were measured using radiochromic film dosimetry. After film irradiation, the pixel scale of color change was used to determine the radiation dose based on the created calibration curve. The results were exported to find average doses to calculate the percentage of the attenuated dose for a comparison of the four materials.Results: The average attenuated doses of heat-polymerizing PMMA, self-polymerizing PMMA, putty-type PVS, and injection-type PVS were 10.8%, 6.2%, 17.2%, and 14.2% respectively.Conclusion: PVS showed higher attenuating radiation exposure compared with PMMA.
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