Influence of Surface Type with Coffee Immersion on Surface Topography and Optical and Mechanical Properties of Selected Ceramic Materials.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess and compare the effect of surface type (glazed or polished) with coffee immersion and aging on surface topography (Ra), optical properties (TP, OP), and mechanical properties (fracture forces and modes) of zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate (Vita Suprinity), hybrid polymer-infiltrated-feldspathic ceramic network material (Vita Enamic), and leucite-containing feldspathic glass (Vitablocs® Mark II) made by computer-aided design and computer-aided manufactured (CAD/CAM) ceramic materials. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty-four specimens were assembled out of the above 3 CAD/CAMs ceramic materials. Each group was divided into glazed or polished surfaces, having 9 specimens of every type and stained in coffee for 15 days. Ra and color of specimens in the form of TP and OP were recorded before and after immersion in staining material. Fracture forces and modes were analyzed after the 90-day aging. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, then post hoc analysis and Bonferroni tests. RESULTS Our study found significant differences in Ra, TP, and Op before and after coffee immersion between glazed and polished specimens, with higher values in the polished surfaces among the 3 ceramic materials. The highest values of fracture resistance were noted in Vita Suprinity, and Vita Enamic had the lowest values, without significant differences among groups. CONCLUSIONS Most of the TP and OP values were in acceptable clinical range, and Vita Suprinity had superior TP than the other groups. Reparable fracture types were observed in Vita Suprinity, whereas semi-reparable and non-reparable were predominant in other groups.

Exploring the burden of irritable bowel syndrome among university students in Saudi Arabia: A study on prevalence, psychological associations, and well-being.

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) experience not only a detrimental impact on their physical health but also a significant influence on their psychological well-being. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of IBS among university students, investigating the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors influencing its onset. Furthermore, it explored the potential impact of psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, and overall well-being on the prevalence of IBS. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Saudi Arabian universities in November and December 2023. To collect data, an anonymous, validated, predesigned questionnaire was used. The diagnosis of IBS was carried out using the validated Arabic version of the Rome IV questionnaire. We used the Arabic version of the World Health Organization Well-being Index to assess the participants' well-being. We used the Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to identify people who show clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our study included a total of 379 university students, 46.7% were female 86.0% of participants resided in urban areas, and 7.2% had been previously diagnosed with IBS. The prevalence of IBS among participants was found to be 31.9%. We observed a significant association between marital status and IBS (χ2 = 3.95, P = .047). Furthermore, the highest prevalence of IBS was observed among students majoring in literary and scientific disciplines (χ2 = 0.952, P = .049). Individuals with IBS demonstrate a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety (71.90% vs 41.09%, P < .001) and depression (64.46% vs 42.64%, P < .001) compared to those without IBS. Furthermore, people with IBS had a slightly higher prevalence of poor well-being (38.84%) compared to those without IBS (33.72%), but this association was not statistically significant. In multivariate analysis, having a family history of IBS [OR = 1.75 (95% CI, 1.06-2.87), P = .029] having borderline anxiety [OR = 7.58, 95% CI (2.12-27.06), P = .012] and anxiety [OR = 16.07, 95% CI (4.57-56.52), P < .001], and depression [OR = 2.97, 95% CI (1.13-7.83), P = .010] were the main significant predictors of IBS among university students. The high prevalence of IBS among university students was associated with a family history of IBS as well as depression and anxiety. Increasing awareness, multidisciplinary support, and access to mental health services is required to ensure university students' well-being.

A Systematic Review of Tactile Functioning in Blind Children From a Clinical Perspective.

In the literature, there is a lot of variation in how well visually impaired youngsters can distinguish between tactile images. This systematic review investigated tactile functioning approaches' clinical perspective on blind children. PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched to include the relevant literature. Rayyan QCRI was used throughout this systematic approach. The study included nine studies with a total of 394 children, 246 (62.4%) were males, and 148 (37.6%) were females. Textured graphical objects, images, drawings, and illustrations were used as stimuli to test tactile functioning in blind children. The findings of this comprehensive review showed that tactile stimuli for blind children were most effective in the form of textured images, words, and objects. It has been shown that the complexity, familiarity, and category information all influence how easy or challenging picture recognition is. Blind people can effectively use pictorial displays, but when foreshortening is used in complex representations of three-dimensional objects, they may benefit from instruction.

Prolactin receptors in uterine leiomyomas.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the location of prolactin receptors in patients with uterine leiomyomas and their host myometrium as well as normal myometrium. METHODS: A case control study was conducted at the College of Medicine Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq during the period from 2004--2006. The samples were collected at Obstetrics and Gynecological Departments of 4 hospitals in Baghdad City (Al-Khadimiya Teaching Hospital, Al-Noor, Al-Kharch, and Al-Saadoon Hospital). Sections from large and small tumors (n=53) with their host myometriums and from normal myometriums (n=40) were stained immunohistochemically for prolactin receptors. RESULTS: Prolactin receptors were positively seen in all cases examined including patient and comparison tissues, in the form of dark brown staining. Staining was heterogenous and varied in intensity from one case to another and sometimes from one area to another in the same section. CONCLUSION: The increase in prolactin receptors in leiomyoma is expected given that the underlying host myometrium is abnormal.

Risk management for drinking water safety in low and middle income countries - cultural influences on water safety plan (WSP) implementation in urban water utilities.

We investigated cultural influences on the implementation of water safety plans (WSPs) using case studies from WSP pilots in India, Uganda and Jamaica. A comprehensive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n=150 utility customers, n=32 WSP 'implementers' and n=9 WSP 'promoters'), field observations and related documents revealed 12 cultural themes, offered as 'enabling', 'limiting', or 'neutral', that influence WSP implementation in urban water utilities to varying extents. Aspects such as a 'deliver first, safety later' mind set; supply system knowledge management and storage practices; and non-compliance are deemed influential. Emergent themes of cultural influence (ET1 to ET12) are discussed by reference to the risk management, development studies and institutional culture literatures; by reference to their positive, negative or neutral influence on WSP implementation. The results have implications for the utility endorsement of WSPs, for the impact of organisational cultures on WSP implementation; for the scale-up of pilot studies; and they support repeated calls from practitioner communities for cultural attentiveness during WSP design. Findings on organisational cultures mirror those from utilities in higher income nations implementing WSPs - leadership, advocacy among promoters and customers (not just implementers) and purposeful knowledge management are critical to WSP success.

Coenzyme Q10 and oxidative stress markers in seminal plasma of Iraqi patients with male infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate seminal plasma coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels and oxidative stress in patients with different types of male infertility. METHODS: A case-control study was carried out in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq from the period of November 2004 to July 2006. Sixty patients with male infertility were recruited from Al-Kadhimia Teaching Hospital, Baghdad and included in this study. The male patients were categorized according to their seminal fluid parameters to oligozoospermia (n=32), azoospermia (n=22), and asthenozoospermia (n=6). All obtained results from infertile men groups were compared with age-matched healthy volunteers as control group consisting of 39 subjects. Seminal plasma samples were analyzed for CoQ10 by an improved high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and for malondialdehyde (MDA) as an index of oxidative stress. RESULTS: The mean seminal plasma CoQ10 was 1.10+/-0.169 mg/L in oligozoospermia, 0.567+/-0.098 mg/L in azoospermia, 0.740+/-0.06 mg/L in patients with asthenozoospermia, and 1.652+/-0.139 mg/L in control group. The seminal plasma CoQ10 levels in all infertility groups showed a significant difference from the control group (p< or =0.0001). High significant increase (p < or =0.001) in the MDA levels was noted in the seminal plasma of oligozoospermia 11.37+/-1.64 micromole/L, azoospermia 13.87+/-1.62 micromole/L, and asthenozoospermia group 9.508+/-0.533 micromole/L whereas the level in the control group was 8.517+/- 0.622 mole/L. Seminal plasma CoQ10 was inversely and significantly correlated with MDA (r= -0.760; p=0.000). CONCLUSION: Elevated seminal plasma CoQ10 levels are associated directly with good semen parameters and inversely with the oxidative stress.

Chlorhexidine vaginal and infant wipes to reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effects of chlorhexidine vaginal and baby wipes on fetal and neonatal mortality, respectively, and infection-related morbidity. METHODS: We performed a placebo-controlled, randomized trial of chlorhexidine vaginal and neonatal wipes to reduce neonatal sepsis and mortality in three hospitals in Pakistan. The primary study outcome was a composite of neonatal sepsis or 7-day perinatal mortality. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2008, 5,008 laboring women and their neonates were randomly assigned to receive either chlorhexidine wipes (n=2,505) or wipes with a saline placebo (n=2,503). The primary outcome was similar in the chlorhexidine and control groups (3.1% compared with 3.4%; relative risk 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.67-1.24) as was the composite rate of neonatal sepsis or 28-day perinatal mortality (3.8% compared with 3.9%, relative risk 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.73-1.27). At day 7, the chlorhexidine group had a lower rate of neonatal skin infection (3.3% compared with 8.2%, P<.001). With the exception of less frequent 7-day hospitalization in the chlorhexidine group, there were no significant differences in maternal outcomes between the groups. CONCLUSION: Using maternal chlorhexidine vaginal wipes during labor and neonatal chlorhexidine wipes does not reduce maternal and perinatal mortality or neonatal sepsis. The finding of reduced superficial skin infections on day 7 without change in sepsis or mortality suggests that this difference, although statistically significant, may not be of major importance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

Development of a new high performance liquid chromatography method for measurement of coenzyme Q10 in healthy blood plasma.

OBJECTIVE: To improve a new high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) measurement in human plasma. METHODS: We conducted this study in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq from September 2004 to July 2005. Sixty healthy volunteers aged 28.51+/-7.30 years were participated in this study. All participants were non-smokers and under no any treatment for the last 3 days and fast for 12 hours before analysis. Coenzyme Q10 levels were measured by improved isocratic reversed phase HPLC technique after one-step ice-cold 1-propanol extraction step. RESULTS: The ultra violet (UV) detection, developed HPLC method gives a good linearity range between 0.1-4.0 mg/L. The coefficients of variations (CVs%) of within-day precision for CoQ10 in human plasma were 0.2-3.90%. Analytical recoveries were 95.5-101.30%, whereas the average CV% of CoQ10 reproducibility was 0.959%. CONCLUSION: A new improved rapid, precise, and sensitive HPLC method for the quantitation of CoQ10 is suitable for analysis of blood plasma samples.