Influencing factors of examiner: Examples from certificated orthodontists board examination.

BACKGROUND: The rating result reflects not only the performance of the candidate but some extent of the examiner's preference. Examiner bias could be objective, which means it can't be changed by the examiner like gender, age, race, educational level, or professional experience. No study about examiner bias was performed in the dental education realm, especially in the orthodontic field. Therefore, this study aimed to figure out possible influencing factors in examiners from examples of the Taiwan Board of Orthodontist examination. METHODS: The examiner groups comprised 29 males and 21 females selected from the certificated Taiwan Board of Orthodontists. Every examiner would receive a series of lectures about rating standards before the exam. The score data were collected from 2009 to 2019. RESULTS: As for the univariate regression model of the Taiwan Board of Orthodontist examination, the experienced examiner with a certification of more than 15 years tends to rate more leniently, but female examiners tend to rate harsher. The scores would increase with the examiner's age in both the univariate regression model of self-prepared and assigned cases. CONCLUSION: As for the multivariate model of self-prepared exams, the elder and the examiner who work in private practice clinics tend to rate more leniently. As for the multivariate model of the assigned case exam, the score would be only affected by age. However, further studies are necessary to determine the direct relation among these factors.

Anti-Proliferative and Anti-Migratory Activities of Hispidulin on Human Melanoma A2058 Cells.

Melanoma represents less than 5% of skin cancers, but is the most lethal, mainly because of its high-metastatic potential and resistance to various therapies. Therefore, it is important to develop effective treatments, especially chemotherapeutic drugs with cytotoxicity, anti-metastaticity, and few side effects. One such natural product is hispidulin, a flavone distributed in plants of the Asteraceae. Previous studies have demonstrated that hispidulin has various pharmacological benefits, such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammation, and anti-allergic effects. This study aims to explore the effects of hispidulin against melanoma in vitro and in vivo. Results revealed that hispidulin selectively decreased the cell viability of A2058 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Hispidulin induced cells accumulated in the sub-G1 phase via activating caspase 8 and 9, increased cleaved caspase 3, and cleaved PARP expression. Hispidulin was able to decrease AKT and ERK phosphorylation, which facilitated cell growth and survival. Moreover, hispidulin promoted reactive oxygen species generation in cells and suppressed cell migration through downregulated matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression. Hispidulin significantly inhibited tumor growth in a xenograft model. Based on these results, hispidulin produces its anti-melanoma effects by inducing cancer cell apoptosis and reducing its migration. Therefore, we suggest hispidulin as a potent therapeutic candidate for melanoma treatment.

Well incorporation of carbon nanodots with silicon nanowire arrays featuring excellent photocatalytic performances.

Recently, silicon (Si) nanowires have been intensively applied for a wide range of optoelectronic applications. Nevertheless, rare explorations considering the photodegradation of organic pollutants based on Si nanowires were performed, and they still require vast improvement, in particular for their degradation efficiency. In this study, broad-band and high efficiency photocatalytic systems were demonstrated through the good incorporation of Si nanowires with highly fluorescent carbon nanodots. The photodegradation rate of these intriguing heterostructure arrays under a 580 nm light illumination is approximately 6 times higher than that of sole Si nanowires, and more than 3.6 and 4.5 times higher than that of Si nanowire incorporated with silver and gold nanoparticles, respectively. Optimizing the luminescent behaviors of carbon nanodots leads to the involvement of multiple light sources that activate the photoexcitation of carriers within the Si nanowires. This feature was further elucidated by examining the corresponding photocurrents under light illumination, which presents currents 1.9 times higher than those with the sole Si nanowires. In combination with excellent wettability with dye solutions, the present heterostructured nanowire arrays have promised the robust photocatalytic capability with retained efficiency after cycling uses, which may open up unique opportunities for future pollutant detoxification and wastewater treatment.