Orthodontic treatment outcome predictive performance differences between artificial intelligence and conventional methods.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate an artificial intelligence (AI) model in predicting soft tissue and alveolar bone changes following orthodontic treatment and compare the predictive performance of the AI model with conventional prediction models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1774 lateral cephalograms of 887 adult patients who had undergone orthodontic treatment were collected. Patients who had orthognathic surgery were excluded. On each cephalogram, 78 landmarks were detected using PIPNet-based AI. Prediction models consisted of 132 predictor variables and 88 outcome variables. Predictor variables were demographics (age, sex), clinical (treatment time, premolar extraction), and Cartesian coordinates of the 64 anatomic landmarks. Outcome variables were Cartesian coordinates of the 22 soft tissue and 22 hard tissue landmarks after orthodontic treatment. The AI prediction model was based on the TabNet deep neural network. Two conventional statistical methods, multivariate multiple linear regression (MMLR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR), were each implemented for comparison. Prediction accuracy among the methods was compared. RESULTS: Overall, MMLR demonstrated the most accurate results, while AI was least accurate. AI showed superior predictions in only 5 of the 44 anatomic landmarks, all of which were soft tissue landmarks inferior to menton to the terminal point of the neck. CONCLUSIONS: When predicting changes following orthodontic treatment, AI was not as effective as conventional statistical methods. However, AI had an outstanding advantage in predicting soft tissue landmarks with substantial variability. Overall, results may indicate the need for a hybrid prediction model that combines conventional and AI methods.

Dynamic profiling of metabolite changes and health-promoting functions in 'yuling paste' during nine steaming and nine sun-drying processes.

Yuling paste, a traditional Chinese health food derived from longan pulp and American ginseng, undergoes a unique processing method involving nine cycles of steaming and sun-drying. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry combined with widely targeted metabolomics has been used to examine the dynamic change in metabolite profiles through the processing. A total of 758 metabolites were identified. Processing significantly affects metabolite changes, and network pharmacology is subsequently used to explore potential pharmacological ingredients. After processing, the contents of active ingredients such as ginsenoside rh2, oleanolic acid, choline, d-glucose, and D-galacturonic acid were found to increase significantly. These increases can be correlated to the enhancement of five distinct pathways, and the contents of naringenin-7-O-glucoside, adenosine, pantothenic acid, and D-sucrose decreased after the processing, correlating with decreases in two different pathways. This study provides a comprehensive reference and scientific basis for understanding the health benefits associated with this traditional health food.

Pretreating poplar cuttings with low nitrogen ameliorates salt stress responses by increasing stored carbohydrates and priming stress signaling pathways.

Soil salinity is a widespread stress in semi-arid forests worldwide, but how to manage nitrogen (N) nutrition to improve plant saline tolerance remains unclear. Here, the cuttings of a widely distributed poplar from central Asia, Populus russikki Jabl., were exposed to either normal or low nitrogen (LN) concentrations for two weeks in semi-controlled greenhouse, and then they were added with moderate salt solution or not for another two weeks to evaluate their physiological, biochemical, metabolites and transcriptomic profile changes. LN-pretreating alleviated the toxicity caused by the subsequent salt stress in the poplar plants, demonstrated by a significant reduction in the influx of Na+ and Cl- and improvement of the K+/Na+ ratio. The other salt-stressed traits were also ameliarated, indicated by the variations of chlorophyll content, PSII photochemical activity and lipid peroxidation. Stress alleviation resulted from two different processes. First, LN pretreatment caused a significant increase of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), allowed for an increased production of osmolytes and a higher potential fueling ion transport under subsequent salt condition, along with increased transcript levels of the cation/H+ ATPase. Second, LN pretreatment enhanced the transcript levels of stress signaling components and phytohormones pathway as well as antioxidant enzyme activities. The results indicate that early restrictions of N supply could enhance posterior survival under saline stress in poplar plants, which is important for plantation programs and restoration activities in semi-arid areas.

Effect of incisor retraction on facial aesthetics.

Incisor retraction may result in lip retraction, interlabial gap closure and increase of the nasolabial angle but a clear consensus on the effect of incisor retraction on facial aesthetics has not yet been achieved. Despite current evidence being weak, it seems to indicate that in a well-managed orthodontic case, with or without extractions, the soft-tissue and facial aesthetic changes are generally favourable or clinically insignificant.

Improvement in lip appearance (lateral and frontal aspects) following mandibular setback surgery.

INTRODUCTION: The post-operative facial profile is critical for patients who undergo orthognathic surgery. The present study investigated the improvement in lip appearance (lateral and frontal aspects) following mandibular setback surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients with mandibular prognathism underwent mandibular setback surgery. Lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms were obtained before surgery (T0) and more than 1 year after surgery (T1). The landmarks (soft and hard tissues) and linear distances were compared by statistical analysis. RESULTS: The lateral cheilion (Ch), point B (B), and pogonion (Pog) were significantly setbackin the horizontal plane: 5.59, 11.49, and 12.35 mm, respectively. In the vertical plane, B and Pog did not move significantly. The Ch moved significantly downward by 3.23 mm on average. The setback ratios of soft tissue/hard tissue, soft tissue of B/B, and soft tissue of Pog/Pog were 0.96. The Ch/Pog ratio was 0.45. The width of the frontal Ch was significantly reduced by 3.17 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between the corresponding soft and hard tissues of the chin was approximately 1. The relationship between the lip corner and chin bone was nearly 50%. The width of the lip corner was also significantly reduced.

Rapid detection of fluconazole resistance in Candida tropicalis by MALDI-TOF MS.

With the changing epidemiology and emergence of antifungal resistance among Candida species, rapid antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) is crucial for optimization of antifungal therapy. This study was conducted to standardize a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI -TOF MS) based AFST method (ms-AFST) for susceptibility of Candida tropicalis isolates. Clinical isolates of C. tropicalis were confirmed for fluconazole resistance by the CLSI (M27-A3) method. The incubation period and drug concentration were optimized to determine the minimal profile change concentration (MPCC) by MALDI-TOF MS. The data were analyzed first by direct visual observation of the spectra followed by composite correlation index (CCI) matrix analysis, virtual gel analysis, and cluster analysis for confirmation. Finally, the correlation between minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and MPCCs was evaluated. A total of 15 fluconazole resistant (MICs ranging from 16 to 128 µg/ml) and 19 fluconazole susceptible C. tropicalis isolates (MIC ≤1 µg/ml) were included in this study. All C. tropicalis isolates had significant spectral changes after 4h incubation with fluconazole. Of 34 isolates, MPCCs and MICs were equivalent for 16 isolates, and the MPCC was one dilution lower than the respective MIC in the remaining 18 isolates. This finding was further supported by visual analysis, CCI matrix analysis, virtual gel and principal component analysis dendrogram analysis. The correlation between MPCC and MIC was significant (P < .05). Therefore, a MALDI-TOF MS based AFST assay may be used as a rapid screening technique for fluconazole resistance in C. tropicalis.

Aesthetic restoration in maxillo-mandibular malformations: the role of genioplasty.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determinate how orthognatic surgery aids to cure many skull and face abnormalities and to help re-establishing the correct occlusive relation thanks to the repositioning of the maxillo-mandibular skeleton basis. METHODS: The study included 183 male patients and 338 female patients, with an average age of 23 years. The sample series was divided according to specific pathologies. All patients underwent surgical procedures and the therapeutic strategy was determined based on the anomalies presented. RESULTS: 113 patients had a II class dental skeletal occlusion, 180 patients had a III class dental-skeletal occlusion and 222 patients had skull-facial abnormalities. 5 patients underwent only a genioplasty, 82 patients underwent a genioplasty associated with BSSO, 175 patients underwent a genioplasty associated with Le Fort I osteotomy and the remaining 253 patients underwent a genioplasty associated with BSSO and Le Fort I osteotomy. CONCLUSION: The experience shows that genioplasty has been successfully introduced in orthognathic surgical therapeutic procedures, for dental-skeleton abnormalities and mandibular asymmetries treatment. In recent years, the evolution of computer systems has allowed an accurate assessment and programming, by means of the three-dimensional display, which are of great help in the course of diagnosis and evaluation of the displacements to be carried out, in order to obtain optimal aesthetic results.

Soft and hard tissue changes after bimaxillary surgery in Japanese class III asymmetric patients.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of bimaxillary surgery on Class III subjects with mandibular asymmetry, and to compare the effects of the type of surgery performed in the mandible on the facial profile especially in the presence of facial asymmetry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients in whom imbalance between the maxilla and the mandible were corrected by Le Fort I osteotomy combined with bilateral intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (BIVRO group, n=9), bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO group, n=14), or a combination of intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) and sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) (IVRO + SSRO group, n=13). Cephalograms were taken before surgery (T1), and 1 year after surgery (T2). Hard and soft-tissue changes were compared. RESULTS: The postsurgical findings showed that greater mandibular backward displacement and greater upper lip forward movement were more pronounced among BIVRO group when compared with BSSRO group. Upper lip relation to E-line showed greater improvement in BIVRO group than BSSRO and IVRO + SSRO groups. The ratios of corresponding mandibular soft to hard tissue movements were higher than that of maxillary movements and were more pronounced in IVRO + SSRO and BSSRO groups when compared with BIVRO group. CONCLUSION: IVRO surgical technique appears to be more effective in positioning the mandible more posteriorly and improving upper and lower lips position and competence.