Inhibition of oral biofilm formation is critical to prevent and treat dental caries and periodontal diseases. In this study, we synthesized zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine) (pCB) based polymer as a ...nonfouling coating to provide anti-bacterial properties to tooth surfaces. Four catechol derived l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) groups were conjugated to pCB to serve as a surface anchoring group. The pCB-(DOPA)
polymer was coated on the hydroxyapatite (HA) and enamel samples by simple immersion and characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The nonfouling effectiveness of the pCB based coating was determined by protein adsorption and bacterial adhesion assays. The coating was transparent on sample surfaces. The protein adsorption was significantly reduced to 8.2% and 6.9%, respectively, on pCB-(DOPA)
coated HA and enamel samples. The pCB-(DOPA)
-coated samples also demonstrated significantly fewer adhered Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus mutants compared to the control. This novel coating material provides an innovative approach to resist biofilm formation on tooth surfaces and has great potential in future dental clinical applications.
Segmental maxillary osteotomies require precise occlusal control due to variability in individual segment positioning. The role of maxillomandibular fixation (MMF) technique on occlusal control has ...not been validated.
The purpose is to measure and compare the accuracy of occlusal positioning among MMF techniques.
This was a double-blinded in vitro study on experiment models to simulate a 3-piece LeFort I osteotomy. The models were constricted posteriorly and expanded using 3 different MMF techniques and compared to the unaltered baseline occlusion. Based on sample size calculation, 32 separate attempts were made for each MMF technique.
The predictor variable was MMF technique (brackets, MMF screws, and embrasure wires).
The primary outcome variable was the visual occlusal analysis score, a 1.00 to 4.00 continuous scale measuring the similarity of the achieved occlusion to the planned (control) occlusion assessed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and an orthodontist. High visual occlusal analysis score indicated greater occlusal accuracy, with 3.50 defined as the threshold for accuracy. The secondary outcome variable was the linear error of the achieved occlusion at the canine and first molar teeth, with lower error indicating greater accuracy. An a priori accuracy threshold of 0.5 mm was set for this variable.
None.
Kruskal-Wallis test with post hoc testing was used to analyze the difference in the outcome variables of interest. P value < .05 was considered statistically significant.
Thirty-two attempts for each technique showed that brackets had higher VAOS than MMF screws and embrasure wires (median differences 1.49 and 0.48, P < .001), and had lower linear occlusal error (median differences 0.35 to 0.99 mm, P < .001).
MMF technique influences the quality of occlusal control, with greater visual rating scores and lower linear errors seen with brackets than with embrasure wires or MMF screws.
Various tools and methods are used in participatory modelling, at different stages of the process and for different purposes. The diversity of tools and methods can create challenges for stakeholders ...and modelers when selecting the ones most appropriate for their projects. We offer a systematic overview, assessment, and categorization of methods to assist modelers and stakeholders with their choices and decisions. Most available literature provides little justification or information on the reasons for the use of particular methods or tools in a given study. In most of the cases, it seems that the prior experience and skills of the modelers had a dominant effect on the selection of the methods used. While we have not found any real evidence of this approach being wrong, we do think that putting more thought into the method selection process and choosing the most appropriate method for the project can produce better results. Based on expert opinion and a survey of modelers engaged in participatory processes, we offer practical guidelines to improve decisions about method selection at different stages of the participatory modeling process.
•Participatory Modeling (PM) is a purposeful learning process for action.•We review some of the methods for PM, and identify their strengths and weaknesses.•We provide guidance for practitioners as they select methods for their PM projects.•A web portal for the Community of Practice on PM can assist in method selection.
To understand the impact of social distancing policies on the incidence and severity of oral and maxillofacial trauma (OMT) secondary to interpersonal violence (IPV) and domestic violence (DV).
The ...authors designed a retrospective cohort study enrolling subjects who presented to an urban Level 1 trauma center in Seattle, WA, for the evaluation and management of OMT between January 1 and December 31 in the years 2018 through 2020. The primary predictor variable was evaluation of OMT during periods with (2020: investigational group) or without (2018 or 2019: control group) social distancing policies in place. The primary outcome variables were the mechanism and severity of injury, defined as IPV, DV or neither, the abbreviated injury scale (AIS) and the injury severity score (ISS). Descriptive, univariate and bivariate analyses were performed with statistical significance at P < .05.
Eight hundred twenty-eight subjects; 737 (89%) IPV and 91(11%) IPV due to DV. The incidence of OMT secondary to IPV or DV was unchanged (P = .81, P = .57 respectively). There was a nonsignificant increase in ISS for IPV (P = .07) and no change for DV (P = .46). AIS scores were unchanged for IPV (P = .36). For DV, AIS scores were lower in 2020 when compared to 2019 (P = .04) but unchanged from 2018 (P = .58).
At least half of the DV victims were male (50% in 2018, 59% in 2019, and 53% in 2020). Of these, 65% were under 18, and represented the pediatric majority (62%). A nonsignificant increase in non-white subjects presenting with DV in 2020 (P = .15) was seen.
The COVID-19 pandemic did not change the number or severity of OMT cases secondary to IPV or DV in this region of Washington. Pediatric males were more likely to be victims of DV.
Objective
Biomarkers of Alzheimer disease vary between groups of self‐identified Black and White individuals in some studies. This study examined whether the relationships between biomarkers or ...between biomarkers and cognitive measures varied by racialized groups.
Methods
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging measures were harmonized across four studies of memory and aging. Spearman correlations between biomarkers and between biomarkers and cognitive measures were calculated within each racialized group, then compared between groups by standard normal tests after Fisher's Z‐transformations.
Results
The harmonized dataset included at least one biomarker measurement from 495 Black and 2,600 White participants. The mean age was similar between racialized groups. However, Black participants were less likely to have cognitive impairment (28% vs 36%) and had less abnormality of some CSF biomarkers including CSF Aβ42/40, total tau, p‐tau181, and neurofilament light. CSF Aβ42/40 was negatively correlated with total tau and p‐tau181 in both groups, but at a smaller magnitude in Black individuals. CSF Aβ42/40, total tau, and p‐tau181 had weaker correlations with cognitive measures, especially episodic memory, in Black than White participants. Correlations of amyloid measures between CSF (Aβ42/40, Aβ42) and PET imaging were also weaker in Black than White participants. Importantly, no differences based on race were found in correlations between different imaging biomarkers, or in correlations between imaging biomarkers and cognitive measures.
Interpretation
Relationships between CSF biomarkers but not imaging biomarkers varied by racialized groups. Imaging biomarkers performed more consistently across racialized groups in associations with cognitive measures. ANN NEUROL 2024;95:495–506
Odontogenic infections are preventable yet common in adults and children, and can progress to life-threatening levels if not definitively managed in a timely manner. Children with odontogenic ...infections often first present to the pediatric or general dental practice, making pediatric
and general dentists key players in the management of odontogenic infections. While the pediatric or general dentist can definitively manage several types of infections, their critical role goes well beyond treatment to include timely and appropriate triage as well as facilitation of care
when the severity of the infection exceeds the scope of their practice. Thorough and efficient triage allows the dentist to determine the most appropriate timing and setting of definitive care, thus preventing avoidable delays or inefficient use of health care resources. The purpose of this
narrative review is to discuss key concepts in the overall management of odontogenic infections in children, with a focus on the clinical significance of each concept, in an algorithmic format.
Participatory Modeling (PM) is becoming increasingly common in environmental planning and conservation, due in part to advances in cyberinfrastructure as well as to greater recognition of the ...importance of engaging a diverse array of stakeholders in decision making. We provide lessons learned, based on over 200 years of the authors’ cumulative and diverse experience, about PM processes. These include successful and, perhaps more importantly, not-so-successful trials. Our collective interdisciplinary background has supported the development, testing, and evaluation of a rich range of collaborative modeling approaches. We share here what we have learned as a community of participatory modelers, within three categories of reflection: a) lessons learned about participatory modelers; b) lessons learned about the context of collaboration; and c) lessons learned about the PM process. First, successful PM teams encompass a variety of skills beyond modeling expertise. Skills include: effective relationship-building, openness to learn from local experts, awareness of personal motivations and biases, and ability to translate discussions into models and to assess success. Second, the context for collaboration necessitates a culturally appropriate process for knowledge generation and use, for involvement of community co-leads, and for understanding group power dynamics that might influence how people from different backgrounds interact. Finally, knowing when to use PM and when not to, managing expectations, and effectively and equitably addressing conflicts is essential. Managing the participation process in PM is as important as managing the model building process. We recommend that PM teams consider what skills are present within a team, while ensuring inclusive creative space for collaborative exploration and learning supported by simple yet relevant models. With a realistic view of what it entails, PM can be a powerful approach that builds collective knowledge and social capital, thus helping communities to take charge of their future and address complex social and environmental problems.
Resting state functional connectivity (rs-fMRI) is impaired early in persons who subsequently develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. This impairment may be leveraged to aid investigation of the ...pre-clinical phase of AD. We developed a model that predicts brain age from resting state (rs)-fMRI data, and assessed whether genetic determinants of AD, as well as beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathology, can accelerate brain aging. Using data from 1340 cognitively unimpaired participants between 18-94 years of age from multiple sites, we showed that topological properties of graphs constructed from rs-fMRI can predict chronological age across the lifespan. Application of our predictive model to the context of pre-clinical AD revealed that the pre-symptomatic phase of autosomal dominant AD includes acceleration of functional brain aging. This association was stronger in individuals having significant Aβ pathology.
Participatory modeling engages the implicit and explicit knowledge of stakeholders to create formalized and shared representations of reality and has evolved into a field of study as well as a ...practice. Participatory modeling researchers and practitioners who focus specifically on environmental resources met at the National Socio‐Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) in Annapolis, Maryland, over the course of 2 years to discuss the state of the field and future directions for participatory modeling. What follows is a description of 12 overarching groups of questions that could guide future inquiry.
Key Points
Reported are future directions in participatory modeling as decided by a group of experts
This paper discusses broad questions of practice, participation, and innovation that can be addressed by researchers from many fields
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