Disparity in Treatment Receipt by Race and Treatment Guideline Revision Years for Stage 1A Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients in the US.

INTRODUCTION: Treatment guideline revision introduced by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is referred to by about 95% of the United States (US) oncologists in treatment decision-making for stage 1A non-small cell lung cancer. It is vital to account for this factor that affects the standard treatment receipt among stage 1A patients, with about a 75% survival rate if treated on time. The first choice for medically fit patients is lobectomy; however, over the decades since the initial guidelines were published, several medical advances have introduced trends in treatment receipt along with other sociodemographic factors that could help identify survival outcomes associated with treatment receipt. Establishing the role of treatment guideline revision years is important to determine a close to true causal relationship in racial treatment disparities. METHODS: US national cancer registry data for all US counties and historical Area Health Resource Files for the study period 1988-2015 were utilized. Logistic regression analysis was adjusted for clustering of standard errors at the state level and for time-invariant unobserved factors for the year of diagnosis and county. The time-invariant unobservable for each year of diagnosis and county specificity were accounted for by including their dummy variables in the regression model with standard errors clustered at the state level. RESULTS: Black patients, Medicaid beneficiaries, large fringe metropolitan residents, and those diagnosed post-2007 treatment revisions years are less likely to receive lobectomy, which is the standard treatment guideline for medically fit patients. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that there exists a difference in treatment type received among stage 1A NSCLC patients in the US by race, socioeconomic status, and treatment guideline revisions.

Effects of denture cleansers on denture material properties ­an observational case­control study / Efectos de los limpiadores de prótesis dentales sobre las propiedades del material: un estudio observacional de casos y controles

Everyday use of denture cleansers to prevent microbial colonization on dentures can affect the properties of the denture base material. Limited literature is available on the effects of denture cleanser on reinforced resins. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effect of denture cleanser on the flexural and impact strength of conventional and reinforced heat cure acrylic resins. Materials and Methods: Rectangular shaped specimens were prepared for flexural and impact strength as per ISO 1567. The denture base resins used included conventional, high impact, nylon fiber reinforced and glass fiber reinforced heat cure acrylic resins. They were further categorized into subgroups A and B depending on immersion in distilled water or denture cleanser (3.8% sodium perborate based). The flexural strength and impact strength of specimens were measured. The study design is a observational case-control study. SPSS version 25 statistical analysis software was used, and the STROBE statement checklist was followed. Results: The mean flexural strength was highest for glass fiber reinforced heat cure resin followed by conventional heat cure resin, high impact heat cure resin and nylon reinforced heat cure resin, respectively. The mean impact strength was highest for high impact heat cure resin followed by glass fiber reinforced heat cure resin, conventional heat cure resin, and nylon fiber-reinforced resin respectively.Conclusion: All the denture base resins tested exhibited a decrease in flexural and impact strength following use of a denture cleanser.

El uso diario de limpiadores para prótesis dentales para prevenir la colonización microbiana en las prótesis puede afectar las propiedades del material base de estas. Existe literatura limitada sobre los efectos de los limpiadores de prótesis sobre resinas reforzadas. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar y comparar el efecto de un limpiador de prótesis sobre la resistencia a la flexión y al impacto de las resinas acrílicas de curado con calor convencionales y reforzadas. Material y Métodos: Muestras de forma rectangular se prepararon para testear la resistencia a la flexión y al impacto según ISO 1567. Las resinas de base de prótesis utilizadas fueron resinas acrílicas convencionales, de alto impacto, y de curado térmico reforzadas con fibra de vidrio o nylon. Posteriormente se clasificaron en los subgrupos A y B según la inmersión en agua destilada o limpiador de prótesis (3,8% de perborato de sodio). Se midieron la resistencia a la flexión y la resistencia al impacto de las muestras. El diseño del estudio fue de un estudio observacional de casos y controles. Se utilizó el software de análisis estadístico SPSS versión 25, y se siguió la guía de la declaración STROBE. Resultado: La resistencia a la flexión fue más alta para la resina de curado por calor reforzada con fibra de vidrio seguida de la resina de curado por calor convencional, la resina de curado por calor de alto impacto y la resina de curado por calor reforzada con nylon, respectivamente. La resistencia al impacto fue más alta para la resina de curado por calor de alto impacto seguida de la resina de curado por calor reforzada con fibra de vidrio, la resina de curado por calor convencional y la resina reforzada con fibra de nylon, respectivamente. Conclusión: Todas las resinas de base de prótesis probadas exhibieron una disminución en la resistencia a la flexión y al impacto después del uso de un limpiador de prótesis.

Dental, Dental Hygiene, and Advanced Dental Students' Use, Knowledge, and Beliefs Regarding Tobacco Products.

Using cigarettes and alternative tobacco products (ATPs) is associated with negative oral health outcomes, and dental health professionals are poised to help patients quit. The aim of this study was to determine dental, dental hygiene, and advanced dental students' use, knowledge, and beliefs about cigarettes and ATPs, including perceptions about their education in tobacco dependence treatment and counseling experience. All 1,783 students enrolled in the dental, dental hygiene, and postdoctoral dental programs at the New York University College of Dentistry were invited to participate in the survey in 2016. A total of 708 students at least partially completed the survey, for a response rate of 39.7%. In the results, 146 of the students (20.1%) reported ever using cigarettes, while 253 (35.7%) reported ever using any ATP. Regarding tobacco use intervention, the students reported they had not received enough training on ATPs, were neutral about cigarettes, and were somewhat confident and not so confident counseling a cigarette smoker or ATP user, respectively. By their fourth year, 77.8% of the dental students reported they had counseled someone to stop smoking cigarettes, but only 40.7% had counseled someone to stop using ATPs. Overall, all groups of students reported feeling more confident and had received more education on interventions for cigarettes than for ATPs (p<0.001). These students reported low confidence in helping people quit tobacco and did not perceive they had received enough training on intervening with patients on use of cigarettes and ATPs. These findings call for a revised tobacco education curriculum for dental, dental hygiene, and advanced dental students, focused on building knowledge and confidence for promoting tobacco dependence treatment.