Association between screen time and self-reported balance disorders in middle-aged and older adults: national health and nutrition examination survey.

BACKGROUND: Balance disorders can give rise to sensations of instability, lightheadedness, vertigo, disequilibrium, or syncope, ultimately leading to grave medical, physical, emotional, and societal ramifications. These conditions are highly prevalent among individuals aged 40 and above. Screen time encompasses activities associated with television viewing, video game playing, and non-work-related computer usage. Prolonged screen exposure may engender a spectrum of health issues and even elevate overall mortality rates. However, the available evidence on the potential link between excessive screen time and balance dysfunction remains limited. AIMS: The primary aim of this study was to explore the possible association between prolonged screen exposure and impaired balance function. METHODS: This cross-sectional study utilized data from participants who completed a comprehensive questionnaire in the NHANES database between 1999 and 2002, all of whom were aged over 40 and under 85 years. Participants' screen time was categorized into two groups (< 4 h/d and ≥4 h/d) for subsequent data analysis. Logistic regression, combined with propensity score matching (PSM), was employed to investigate the correlation between screen time and balance disorders. RESULTS: A total of 5176 participants were enrolled in this study, comprising 2,586 men and 2,590 women, with a prevalence rate of balance disorders at 25.7% (1331/5176). The incidence of balance disorders was found to be significantly higher among individuals who spent 4 hours or more per day on screen time compared to those with less screen time (P<0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis conducted on the unmatched cohort revealed a significant association between screen time and balance disorders, with an odds ratio (OR) 1.8 (95%CI 1.57 ∼ 2.05). These findings remained consistent even after adjusting for confounding factors, yielding an OR 1.43 (95%CI 1.24 ∼ 1.66). Moreover, the association persisted when employing various multivariate analyses such as propensity score matching adjusted model, standardized mortality ratio weighting model and pairwise algorithmic model; all resulting in ORs ranging from 1.38 to 1.43 and p-values < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for all covariates, screen time (watching TV, playing video games, and using computers outside of work) was associated with balance dysfunction among middle-aged and older adults. This finding may offer a possible idea for the prevention of dizziness and balance disorders. Nevertheless, additional research is imperative to further validate these results.

The efficacy of 3 root canal sealers combined with warm gutta-percha vertical compression technique in the treatment of dental pulp disease.

To investigate the efficacy of 3 root canal sealants such as AH Plus, GuttaFlow and iRoot SP combined with warm gutta-percha vertical compression technique in the treatment of dental pulp disease. This was a single-center retrospective study. 180 patients with dental pulp disease were divided into AH Plus group (n = 60), GuttaFlow group (n = 60) and iRoot SP group (n = 60) according to the different treatment methods. Patients in different groups were treated with corresponding root canal sealant combined with warm gutta-percha vertical compression technique. The quality of root canal filling, filling time, filling area ratio, the incidence of pain after operation, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and efficacy at 6 months after operation were compared among the 3 groups, respectively. The filling time in the GuttaFlow group and the iRoot SP group was significantly shorter than that in the AH Plus group (P < .001). There were significant differences in pain grade (P = .015) and pain rate (P = .016) among the 3 groups, and the pain rate in the GuttaFlow group and the iRoot SP group was significantly lower than that in the AH Plus group (P = .016). The time-point effect, intergroup effect and time-groups effect of serum TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly different (P < .001), and the levels of the 3 groups after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < .05), and the levels were significantly lower in the GuttaFlow group and the iRoot SP group (P < .05). There were significant differences in efficacy grading and effective rate among the 3 groups (P = .028), and the effective rate of iRoot SP group was significantly higher than that of AH Plus group (P < .05). The iRoot SP or GuttaFlow as root canal sealant combined with warm gutta-percha vertical compression technique in the treatment of dental pulp disease is better than AH Plus, and the former one can shorten the filling time, relieve the postoperative pain and improve the inflammatory response, but the long-term apical sealing effect of iRoot SP is better than GuttaFlow.

Nature-Inspired Micro/Nano-Structured Antibacterial Surfaces.

The problem of bacterial resistance has become more and more common with improvements in health care. Worryingly, the misuse of antibiotics leads to an increase in bacterial multidrug resistance and the development of new antibiotics has virtually stalled. These challenges have prompted the need to combat bacterial infections with the use of radically different approaches. Taking lessons from the exciting properties of micro-/nano-natural-patterned surfaces, which can destroy cellular integrity, the construction of artificial surfaces to mimic natural functions provides new opportunities for the innovation and development of biomedicine. Due to the diversity of natural surfaces, functional surfaces inspired by natural surfaces have a wide range of applications in healthcare. Nature-inspired surface structures have emerged as an effective and durable strategy to prevent bacterial infection, opening a new way to alleviate the problem of bacterial drug resistance. The present situation of bactericidal and antifouling surfaces with natural and biomimetic micro-/nano-structures is briefly reviewed. In addition, these innovative nature-inspired methods are used to manufacture a variety of artificial surfaces to achieve extraordinary antibacterial properties. In particular, the physical antibacterial effect of nature-inspired surfaces and the functional mechanisms of chemical groups, small molecules, and ions are discussed, as well as the wide current and future applications of artificial biomimetic micro-/nano-surfaces. Current challenges and future development directions are also discussed at the end. In the future, controlling the use of micro-/nano-structures and their subsequent functions will lead to biomimetic surfaces offering great potential applications in biomedicine.

Application of mineral trioxide aggregate pulpotomy in the treatment of early pulpitis of primary molars.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) on pulpotomy in primary molars. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty-three cases (310 teeth) of children with early pulpitis of primary molars admitted between February 2019 to February 2022 were enrolled, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Of them, 130 cases with 155 teeth treated with root canal treatment were set as the control group (CG) and 133 cases with 155 teeth receiving MTA pulpotomy were set as the observation group (OG). Clinical data such as efficacy evaluation, inflammatory factor levels, postoperative adverse reactions, and quality of life (QoL) were compared. RESULTS: After surgery, the overall response rate in the OG was statistically higher than that in the CG, while the levels of inflammatory factors in the OG were significantly lower than those in the CG (all P<0.05). Moreover, the total incidence of complications was significantly lower in OG at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery (P=0.018, P=0.007, P=0.015, respectively). The QoL of the two groups differed insignificantly before surgery; however, after the treatment, the QoL in OG was significantly higher than those in the CG at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery (P=0.037, P=0.012, P=0.028, respectively). Moreover, the teeth location and treatment method were independent factors of efficacy (P=0.047, P=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: MTA pulpotomy outperformed root canal treatment for superior efficacy in children with early pulpitis of primary molars, with a positive effect on improving QoL, and patient prognosis.

Perilesional white matter integrity in drug-resistant epilepsy related to focal cortical dysplasia.

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the differences of white matter (WM) between the focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and those with drug-responsive epilepsy. METHODS: Thirty epileptic patients with MRI-identified or histologically proven FCD were consecutively enrolled. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of the ipsilateral perilesional WM and contralateral homotopic WM layer masks were computed and corrected by the FA/MD of the corresponding hemispheric WM. The difference was evaluated using paired t-tests. The FA, MD and volumes of hemispheric WM and corpus callosum were also calculated. RESULTS: Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy showed significantly decreased FA and increased MD among ipsilateral perilesional WM layer 1 and 2, while patients with drug-responsive epilepsy showed decreased FA in only ipsilateral perilesional WM layer l, compared to remaining ipsilateral perilesional WM layers and contralateral layers 1 through 6. The integrity and volumes of the hemispheric WM and corpus callosum were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that the WM microstructural alterations differed between epileptic patients with FCD according to their antiepileptic drug responses. More extensive perilesional WM abnormality is observed in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy related to FCD.

Epilepsy imitator: tongue biting caused by sleep-related facio-mandibular myoclonus.

PURPOSE: Sleep-related facio-mandibular myoclonus(SRFMM) is a rare and under-recognized stereotyped parasomnia. SRFMM can present with isolated tongue biting, which can be misdiagnosed as epilepsy and sleep bruxism. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and demographics of patients with SRFMM. METHODS: We reported a case of SRFMM and presented a literature review on SRFMM. We searched the Medline, Pubmed, and Web of Science database using the following search algorithm: "facio-mandibular myoclonus" or "masticatory myoclonus" or "tongue biting" limited to publications in English. RESULTS: In total, nine studies were included. In addition to our case, a total of 17 patients were analyzed. SRFMM was found to be more prevalent in males, with a mean age of 48.2 years old. Most of the patients experienced tongue biting during non-rapid eye movement sleep. A majority of the patients were misdiagnosed with epilepsy or sleep bruxism. The simultaneous video EEG and surface EMG was beneficial in confirming the diagnosis of SRFMM. In some patients, clonazepam was reported to ameliorate the tongue biting event. CONCLUSION: This study represents a comprehensive summary of SRFMM, which has unique clinical features. Extra-caution may be needed in these cases as it may puzzle neurologists in terms of management.

Drain Current Model for Double Gate Tunnel-FETs with InAs/Si Heterojunction and Source-Pocket Architecture.

The practical use of tunnel field-effect transistors is retarded by the low on-state current. In this paper, the energy-band engineering of InAs/Si heterojunction and novel device structure of source-pocket concept are combined in a single tunnel field-effect transistor to extensively boost the device performance. The proposed device shows improved tunnel on-state current and subthreshold swing. In addition, analytical potential model for the proposed device is developed and tunneling current is also calculated. Good agreement of the modeled results with numerical simulations verifies the validation of our model. With significantly reduced simulation time while acceptable accuracy, the model would be helpful for the further investigation of TFET-based circuit simulations.

JQ1, a small molecule inhibitor of BRD4, suppresses cell growth and invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

The present study aimed to evaluate whether bromodomain 4 (BRD4) is expressed in Cal27 cells and to assess the effect of JQ1 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and BRD4, C-Myc and Twist expression in Cal27 cells. Immunofluorescence staining was used to determine whether BRD4 was expressed in Cal27 cells. Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated using CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to determine the apoptosis and cell cycle distribution. The cell invasion was evaluated using Transwell plate. The expression levels of BRD4, C-Myc and Twist were determined by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. BRD4 was highly expressed in Cal27 cells. JQ1 inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell apoptosis, induced cell cycle arrest, and inhibited cell invasion. Gene and protein expression levels of BRD4, C-Myc and Twist were downregulated in cells treated with JQ1. JQ1 inhibited Cal27 cell growth and invasion, and downregulated expression of several oncogenes. JQ1 may be a new drug for oral squamous cell carcinoma treatment.

A randomised comparative study evaluating learning curves of novices in a basic single-incision laparoscopic surgery task.

OBJECTIVE: There is currently no objective quantification of the temporal changes in performance associated with a novice surgeon learning single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) operative tasks. Analysing learning curves allows us to objectively quantify performance. The aim was to evaluate if the rate of learning and ultimate proficiency level reached in SILS when using straight or articulating instruments is different to conventional laparoscopy and if training in laparoscopy influences learning or proficiency for SILS. DESIGN AND SETTING: Thirty-six surgically naive medical students were randomised to complete the validated peg transfer task over 50 repetitions using a conventional laparoscopic set-up, SILS set-up with straight instruments or articulated instruments or SILS set-up after having reached proficiency using a conventional laparoscopy. RESULTS: There was a significant increased overall proficiency between the group trained in conventional laparoscopy and all other groups (p < 0.01), with no difference between the other groups. There was no difference in the rate of learning between the groups. There was no difference in the ultimate proficiency level (p = 0.671) or rate of learning (p = 0.63) when using straight or articulating instruments. There was no difference in ultimate proficiency level (p = 0.59) or learning rate (p = 0.219) seen in the SILS group that had prior training on the task with a conventional laparoscopic set-up. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that the proficiency reached using a conventional laparoscopic set-up cannot be matched using a SILS configuration for the novice surgeon and that the choice of straight or articulated instruments as well as previous laparoscopic training does not confer an advantage in this basic task.