The influence of cone beam computed tomography on IRIS-100 implant navigation system.

Background/purpose: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is frequently used in dental diagnosis and treatment. Comparative studies of the effects of CBCT on implant navigation, however, are still limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the computed tomography images of the four commercial brands will affect the accuracy of the new version of IRIS implant navigation system. Materials and methods: In the first part, the accuracy of the IRIS implant navigation system was evaluated by a precision confirmation jig whose position is confirmed. In the second part, the IRIS implant navigation system was used in conjunction with 4 brands of CBCT scans analyzed by its effect on accuracy. Results: The results showed that the mean deviation of the new version of IRIS-100 system accuracy was less than 1 mm. Among the four groups, the overall average deviation caused by CBCT images showed that the 3D eXam group had the smallest error of approximately 0.94 ± 0.12 mm and the AZ 3000 CT group had the largest error of approximately 1.34 ± 0.10 mm. Conclusion: Based on the study, the accuracy of the IRIS implant navigation system will vary with the CBCT image resolution and the status of the CBCT machine.

Identification of psychiatric patients with high mortality and low medical utilization: a population-based propensity score-matched analysis.

BACKGROUND: The decreased life expectancy and care costs of mental disorders could be enormous. However, research that compares mortality and utilization concurrently across the major category of mental disorders is absent. This study investigated all-cause mortality and medical utilization among patients with and without mental disorders, with an emphasis on identifying the psychiatric category of high mortality and low medical utilization. METHODS: A total of 570,250 individuals identified from the 2002-2013 Taiwan National Health Insurance Reearch Database consistuted 285,125 psychiatric patients and 285,125 non-psychiatric peers through 1:1 dual propensity score matching (PSM). The expenditure survival ratio (ESR) was proposed to indicate potential utilization shortage. The category of mental disorders and 13 covariates were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazard model and general linear model (GLM) through SAS 9.4. RESULTS: PSM analyses indicated that mortality and total medical expenditures per capita were both significantly higher in psychiatric patients than those in non-psychiatric patients (all P <.0.0001). Patients with substance use disorders were reported having the youngest ages at diagnosis and at death, with the highest 25.64 of potential years of life loss (YPLL) and relevant 2904.89 of ESR. Adjusted Cox model and GLM results indicated that, compared with anxiety disorders, affective disorders and substance use disorders were significantly associated with higher mortality (HR = 1.246 and 1.064, respectively; all P < 0.05); schizophrenia was significantly associated with higher total medical expenditures per capita (P < 0.0001). Thirteen additional factors were significantly associated with mortality or utilization (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Substance use disorders are the category of highest YPLL but notably in insufficient utilization. Health care utilization in patients with substance use disorders should be augmented timely after the diagnosis, especially toward home and community care. The factors related to mortality and utilization identified by this study merit clinical attention.

Soluble eggshell membrane protein-loaded chitosan/fucoidan nanoparticles for treatment of defective intestinal epithelial cells.

Soluble eggshell membrane protein (SEP) and polysaccharides extracted from algae exhibited immunomodulatory, presenting a potential for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment. However, the bioavailability of proteins is limited because of harsh gastrointestinal pH environment, enzymatic degradation and limitation of intestinal epithelial transport. This study investigates the release of SEP from chitosan/fucoidan nanoparticles (CS/F NPs) and evaluates the protective effect of released SEP on intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) damage. The SEP was successfully extracted and encapsulated by CS/F NPs. When the SEP/CS/F weight ratio was 0.2/3/1, the NPs were spherical with 100 nm in diameter and 10 mV in zeta potential. The NPs were stable in simulated gastric acid (pH = 1.2), and released 50% of SEP when disintegrated in imitating intestinal environment (pH = 7.4). The SEP-CS/F NPs had good biocompatibility and presented high antioxidant activities. Using co-culture Caco-2 and RAW264.7 cells for immunomodulatory assessment, the SEP-CS/F NPs effectively reduced the amount of NO and inhibited the TNF-α and IL-6 production. Moreover, the SEP-CS/F NPs could protect the IECs from disruption caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) evidenced by measuring the transepithelial electrical resistance and paracellular permeability of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran. Briefly, the CS/F NPs are potential carriers for SEP delivery to ameliorate LPS-induced intestinal epithelial inflammation.