Irrigation - does it affect post-operative pain?

DESIGN: A randomised control trial involving eighty patients who were blindly allocated into four different groups for different disinfection and irrigation methods on lower permanent molars. The patients were treated by one experienced endodontist across two visits. The four methods of irrigation used were: 1. Conventional irrigation 2. Sonic irrigation activation system 3. Irradiation with a 980 nm diode laser and conventional irrigation 4. Irradiation with a 980 nm diode laser and sonic irrigation activation system Pain levels were then assessed postoperatively at 8 h, 24 h, 48 h and 7 days following access and chemomechanical preparation at the first visit. CASE SELECTION: Eighty patients who visited the Endodontic Department at Biruni University were included in the study. Those who were included were healthy adults, experiencing moderate to severe pain (self-scored from 4 to 10, based on a 0 to 10 pain scale) at the start of treatment and those who were given a dental diagnosis of 'symptomatic apical periodontitis' with a negative cold test in a mandibular molar. DATA ANALYSIS: Qualitative data was analysed using a chi-square test, Fisher's exact chi-square test and Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Willcoxon test were used to assess inter-group and intra-group parameters. RESULTS: The study found that patients in all groups experienced a statistically significant decrease in pain levels postoperatively. However, different irrigation methods resulted in no statistically significant differences in pain levels. There were also no statistically significant differences based on gender or age. Statistical significance was reached when p < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: The use of sonic irrigation activation and irradiation with a 980 nm diode laser did not significantly reduce post-operative pain in adult mandibular molars undergoing endodontic treatment when compared to conventional irrigation methods.

Patterns and Predictors of Different Youth Responses to Attachment-Based Parent Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have evaluated attachment-based parent interventions for pre-teens and teens, and in particular, differential adolescent trajectories of response. This study examined distinct patterns, and multi-level predictors, of intervention response among youth with serious behavioral and mental health problems whose parents participated in Connect, an attachment- and trauma-informed parent program. METHOD: Participants included 682 parents (Mage = 42.83, 86% mothers) and 487 youth (Mage = 13.95, 53% female, 28.1% ethnic minority) enrolled in a community-based evaluation of Connect. Parents and youth reported on youth externalizing and internalizing problems (EXT and INT) at six time points from baseline through 18-months post-intervention. Demographic and youth and family level predictors were assessed at baseline. RESULTS: Growth mixture modeling revealed three distinct trajectory classes in both the parent and youth models based on different patterns of co-occurring EXT and INT and degree of improvement over time. Youth with severe EXT showed the largest and fastest improvement, and, interestingly, were characterized by higher callous-unemotional traits and risk-taking at program entry. Youth with comorbid EXT/INT demonstrated a partial or moderate response to intervention in the parent and youth model, respectively, and were characterized by more attachment anxiety at baseline. Most youth showed relatively moderate/low levels of EXT/INT at baseline which gradually improved. Caregiver strain also predicted trajectory classes. CONCLUSIONS: These results have significance for tailoring and personalizing interventions for high-risk youth and provide new understanding regarding the profiles of subgroups of youth who show different responses to an attachment-based parent intervention.

Interns' perspectives on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical school to residency transition.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruptions to medical school training and the transition to residency for new post-graduate year 1 resident-physicians (PGY1s). Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the perspectives of United States PGY1s regarding the impact of the pandemic on these experiences. Our secondary aims were to understand how desire to practice medicine was impacted by the pandemic and whether PGY1s felt that they were able to meaningfully contribute to the COVID-19 response as students. METHOD: We conducted a national, cross-sectional study of PGY1s who had recently graduated from medical school in 2020. A survey was distributed to PGY1s from across specialties, in programs distributed throughout the United States. It included questions about medical school training during the pandemic, impact on graduation timing and transition to internship, concerns about caring for patients with COVID-19, desire to practice medicine, and ability to meaningfully contribute to the pandemic. Findings are presented using descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: 1980 PGY1s consented to participate, 1463 completed the survey (74%), and 713 met criteria for this analysis. 77% of PGY1s reported that the pandemic adversely affected their connection with their medical school communities, and 58% reported that the pandemic impeded their preparation for intern year. 4% of PGY1s reported graduating medical school and practicing as an intern earlier than their expected graduation date. While the majority of PGY1s did not have a change in desire to practice medicine, PGY1s with concerns regarding personal health or medical conditions (OR 4.92 [95% CI 3.20-7.55] p < 0.0001), the health or medical conditions of others in the home (OR 4.41 [2.87-6.77], p < 0.0001]), and PGY1s with children (OR 2.37 [1.23-4.58], p < 0.0001) were more likely to report a decreased desire. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID pandemic disrupted the social connectedness and educational experiences of a majority of PGY1 residents in a sample of trainees in United States training programs. Those with health concerns and children had particularly challenging experiences. As the current and subsequent classes of PGY1s affected by COVID-19 proceed in their training, ongoing attention should be focused on their training needs, competencies, and well-being.

Clinical Effects of Pediatric Clonidine Exposure: A Retrospective Cohort Study at a Single Tertiary Care Center.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric clonidine ingestions frequently result in emergency department visits and admission for cardiac monitoring. Detailed information on the clinical course and specifically time of vital sign abnormalities of these patients is lacking. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide descriptive analysis of the rates and times to vital sign abnormalities, treatment, disposition, and outcomes in a single-center cohort of pediatric patients with report of clonidine poisoning. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients younger than 21 years who presented to a large, urban, tertiary care center with a report of single substance clonidine exposure between January 2004 and November 2017. Patients were dichotomized into younger (≤9 years or younger) and older (10-21 years) groups based on the expected physiologic and psychologic differences between older and younger children. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients met our inclusion criteria. Younger patients (≤9 years or younger; n = 47) were more likely to be exposed to someone else's medication (53%) and older patients (10-21 years; n = 41) overwhelmingly (85%) were exposed to their own medication. Thirty-nine (45%) became bradycardic, 27 (32%) became bradypneic, and 38 (44%) became hypotensive. Eighty percent of patients had depressed mental status. Thirty-three (38%) patients received at least one dose of naloxone (median 0.07 mg/kg; interquartile range 0.03-0.11 mg/kg). Of those who received naloxone, 50% had a documented clinical response. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of patients at a pediatric tertiary referral center, pediatric patients with report of clonidine exposures were likely to exhibit altered mental status and frequently develop vital sign abnormalities. Naloxone exhibited some effectiveness; given its wide safety margin, high-dose naloxone should be used in critically poisoned non-opioid-dependent patients. Because adolescents are much more likely to ingest their own clonidine medication, counseling with parents and other caregivers regarding safe medication storage is paramount.

ADHD and Exposure to Maltreatment in Children and Youth: a Systematic Review of the Past 10 Years.

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: The purpose of the current paper was to review and summarize the literature on ADHD and maltreatment over the past 10 years. RECENT FINDINGS: The majority of research on ADHD and exposure to maltreatment focuses on the high rates of comorbidity, including international studies from Asia, South America, North America, and Europe. Longitudinal studies showed that early exposure to maltreatment is a risk factor for ADHD symptoms later in development; however, this finding was not consistent. There were some preliminary studies on the neurological and genetic mechanisms underlying the link between ADHD and exposure to maltreatment. Finally, ADHD and exposure to maltreatment were found to have an additive effect on clinically salient outcomes (e.g., aggression, suicide attempts). Results from the review have direct clinical and future implications, including the need to understand the effect of comorbid ADHD and exposure to maltreatment in treatment studies.

Effect of a Sedation Weaning Protocol on Safety and Medication Use among Hospitalized Children Post Critical Illness.

BACKGROUND: Best practice guidelines for the safe and compassionate care of critically ill children necessitates the use of sedation to ensure adequate ventilation, patient safety and comfort. Prolonged use of sedation can result in tolerance, physical dependence and iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome if medications are weaned too quickly. PROBLEM: In the context of medication errors related to parent administration of outpatient sedation weans, we set out to improve the safety of children weaning from sedatives. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was completed. Quality improvement was guided by using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. INTERVENTIONS: An evidence-based post PICU sedation weaning guideline was created and implemented over time with ongoing education, and review of progress with staff members with pre-post evaluation. RESULTS: Post intervention, there were significant differences in the numbers of patients discharged on home weaning from both opioids and benzodiazepines (11%, n = 24/219 pre; 3%, n = 7/233 post; p < 0.005). The number of patients discharged with a methadone wean decreased (7%, n = 16/219 pre; 0%, 0/233 post; p = 0.03). Despite these differences, there were no significant differences in the median hospital length of stay (42 pre; 39 post; p = 0.35). Post implementation more children had mild to moderate symptoms of withdrawal (11% pre; 21% post; p < 0.005) as compared to pre-implementation, however, the percentage of severe symptoms remained consistently low (0.6% pre; 1% post; p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an evidence-based post PICU weaning guideline significantly reduced the number of patients discharged on potentially dangerous medications with modest increases in mild-moderate symptoms of withdrawal and no significant change in length of stay or the incidence of severe symptoms of withdrawal.

Ethical arguments for access to abortion services in the Republic of Ireland: recent developments in the public discourse.

The Republic of Ireland has some of the most restrictive abortion legislation in the world which grants to the 'unborn' an equal right to life to that of the pregnant woman. This article outlines recent developments in the public discourse on abortion in Ireland and explains the particular cultural and religious context that informs the ethical case for access to abortion services. Our perspective rests on respect for two very familiar moral principles - autonomy and justice - which are at the centre of social and democratic societies around the world. This article explains the context for the deployment of these concepts in order to support the claim that the current legislation and its operationalisation in clinical practice poses serious risks to the health, lives and well-being of pregnant women, tramples on their autonomy rights and requires of them a self-sacrifice that is unreasonable and unjust.

Preoperative Pain Management Education: An Evidence-Based Practice Project.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a preoperative pain management patient education intervention on improving patients' pain management outcomes. DESIGN: The project was conducted in an outpatient general surgery service at a teaching institution for patients undergoing same-day surgery. Intervention patients received one-on-one education on postoperative pain management including how to take medications, managing medication side effects, using nonpharmacologic methods, and reporting inadequate postoperative pain control. Comparison patients received general education from multiple health care providers, and this information may not have been consistent. METHODS: Intervention patients received education at the first preoperative clinic visit. Patients in the intervention and comparison groups completed the Revised American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire during their first postoperative clinic visit. Results were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test/Wilcoxon rank sum test. FINDINGS: A 12-month project (N = 99) showed statistically significant results (P = .020 and P = .001, respectively) in questions about side effects and whether the patient was encouraged to use nonpharmacologic methods to reduce pain. The intervention group reported the effects of pain on mood (P = .067) and use of nonpharmacologic methods (P = .052); however, these results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: More intervention patients than comparison patients reported medication side effects and were encouraged to use nonpharmacologic methods for reducing postoperative pain. Intervention patients also reported the effects of pain on mood and the use of nonpharmacologic methods more frequently than comparison patients. Preoperative pain management education may increase patients' knowledge in key areas of postoperative pain management to prevent negative outcomes.

Reminder systems during orthodontic treatment.

Data sourcesCochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), LILACS, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline and Embase.Study selectionHuman randomised controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of reminders in orthodontics were included. Interventions including any form of participant reminder compared to a control. There were no limitations in terms of publication year, language or status. Primary outcomes measured were periodontal parameters and rate of attendance. Six secondary outcomes were also measured.Data extraction and synthesisStudy selection and data extraction were carried out independently by two reviewers, with a third reviewer utilised to resolve disagreements. Authors were also contacted if any further clarification was required with regards to missing data. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool. Comparable outcomes were collated and analysed using a random-effects model, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.ResultsFourteen parallel randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Only nine contributed to the meta-analyses, as five were deemed high risk of bias. Of the trials, ten RCTs, six RCTs, five RCTs and four RCTs measured plaque scores, gingival scores, rate of appointment attendance, and the effectiveness of reminder on the development of white spot lesions (WSLs) respectively. Results were grouped into either short term (1-3 months) or long term (>3 months) outcomes. In the short term, gingival condition was healthier in the reminders group (SMD = -0.66 with 95% CI: -0.97 - 0.35) and a statistically significant difference favouring patients receiving reminders was also seen in terms of plaque control (SMD = -0.38 with 95% CI: -0.65 to -0.10). In the long term, similar outcomes were recorded, with a statistically significant SMD for plaque scores and gingival scores when reminders were used (SMD -1.51 with 95% CI: -2.72 to -0.30 and SMD -1.94 with 95% CI: -3.81 to -0.07 respectively). Development of WSLs and risk of failure/cancellation were also lower in the reminder group.ConclusionsThis systematic review highlights that there is moderate to high quality evidence showing the positive effect of reminders on oral hygiene and appointment adherence in orthodontic patients. The authors suggest further high quality RCTs with longer follow-ups would be beneficial to support the efficacy of this intervention.

Use of Cough and Cold Medications in Severe Bronchiolitis before and after a Health Advisory Warning against Their Use.

We compared the use of cough and cold medications in 2 multicenter studies of young children hospitalized with bronchiolitis before and after the 2008 Food and Drug Administration cough and cold medications advisory. Although cough and cold medication use decreased after the advisory, nearly 20% of children age 12-23.9 months with severe bronchiolitis received cough and cold medications.

Establishment and consolidation of the sleep-wake cycle as a function of attachment pattern.

The development of sleep-wake regulation in infants depends upon brain maturation as well as various environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate sleep duration and quality as a function of child attachment to the mother. One hundred and thirty-four mother-child dyads enrolled in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) project were included in this study. Attachment was assessed with the Strange Situation procedure at 36 months and maternal sleep reports were collected at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. Differences in sleep characteristics were assessed with mixed models with one factor (attachment group) and one repeated measure (age). Children classified as disorganized had a significantly lower duration of nocturnal sleep, went to bed later, signaled more awakenings, had shorter periods of uninterrupted sleep (only at 12 months) and had shorter periods of time in bed (only at 6 months) than children classified as secure and/or ambivalent (p < 0.05). This is the first study to show that children with insecure disorganized attachment present a distinct sleep pattern in comparison with those with secure or ambivalent attachment between 6 and 36 months of age. Sleep disturbances could exacerbate difficulties in these families that are already considered vulnerable.

Preoperative pain management education: a quality improvement project.

The management of pain is one of the greatest clinical challenges for nurses who care for patients during the postoperative period. It can be even more challenging for patients who must manage their own pain after discharge from the health care facility. Research shows that postoperative pain continues to be undermanaged despite decades of education and evidence-based guidelines. Ineffective management of postoperative pain can negatively impact multiple patient outcomes. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a preoperative pain management patient education intervention on improving patients' postoperative pain management outcomes. The project was conducted with patients undergoing same-day laparoscopic cholecystectomy in an outpatient general surgery service at a teaching institution. Patients in the intervention and comparison groups completed the American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire-Revised during their first postoperative clinic visit 2 weeks after surgery. Results showed that patients who received the preoperative education intervention reported less severe pain during the first 24 hours postoperatively, experienced fewer and less severe pain medication side effects, returned to normal activities sooner, and used more nonpharmacologic pain management methods postoperatively compared with those who did not receive the education.

Revolting bodies, desiring lesbians: an introduction.

This introduction gives the background to this special issue of the Journal of Lesbian Studies that has its origin in the 18th Annual Lesbian Lives Conference of 2011. It traces the theme of Revolting Bodies: Desiring Lesbians across the ten articles of this collection and gives a brief summary of each.

Language and self-regulation: Interrelated sources of disparities in reading achievement and opportunities for reducing inequity.

Language and self-regulation develop bidirectionally, and they synergistically affect most aspects of acquiring reading proficiency. Children and youth from historically marginalized communities tend to have less expansive knowledge of academic vocabulary and dialect common to instruction and academic text (i.e., General American English), and limited self-regulation skills relevant to reading, compared to less-marginalized peers. In this article, we argue that language and self-regulation are factors in demographic-related reading opportunity gaps, and that in addition to improving students' access to high-quality explicit phonics instruction, understanding their interactive relationship offers opportunities for schools to reduce disparities in reading outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).