Inflammatory rheumatic diseases with onset after SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination: a report of 267 cases from the COVID-19 and ASD group.

OBJECTIVES: To better define the spectrum of new-onset post-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 vaccine inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) from a large multicentric observational study. METHODS: Consecutive cases of IRD encountered during a 12-month period and satisfying one of the following inclusion criteria: (a) onset of the rheumatic manifestations within 4 weeks from SARS-CoV-2 infection or (b) onset of the rheumatic manifestations within 4 weeks from the administration of one of the COVID-19 vaccines ws recruited. RESULTS: The final analysis cohort comprised 267 patients, of which 122 (45.2%) in the post-COVID-19 and 145 (54.8%) in the postvaccine cohort. Distribution of IRD categories differed between the two cohorts: the post-COVID-19 cohort had a higher percentage of patients classified as having inflammatory joint diseases (IJD, 52.5% vs 37.2%, p=0.013) while the post-vaccine cohort had a higher prevalence of patients classified as polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR, 33.1% vs 21.3%, p=0.032). No differences were detected in the percentage of patients diagnosed with connective tissue diseases (CTD 19.7% vs 20.7%, p=0.837) or vasculitis (6.6% vs 9.0%, p=0.467). Despite the short follow-up period, IJD and PMR patients' response to first-line therapy was favourable, with both groups achieving a drop in baseline disease activity scores of ~30% and ~70% respectively. CONCLUSION: Our article reports the largest cohort published to date of new-onset IRD following SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccines. Although causality cannot be ascertained, the spectrum of possible clinical manifestations is broad and includes IJD, PMR, CTD and vasculitis.

Indigenous Partner Violence, Indigenous Sentencing Courts, and Pathways to Desistance.

Mainstream sentencing courts do little to change the behavior of partner violence offenders, let alone members of more socially marginal groups. Indigenous offenders face a court system that has little relevance to the complexity of their relations and lived experiences. Assisted by respected Elders and Community Representatives, Australian Indigenous sentencing courts seek to create a more meaningful sentencing process that has a deeper impact on Indigenous offenders' attitudes and, ultimately, their behavior. Drawing from interviews with 30 Indigenous offenders, we explore the ways in which the courts can motivate Indigenous partner violence offenders on pathways to desistence.

Barriers to qualitative dementia research: the elephant in the room.

As our population is aging, the global prevalence of dementia is rising. Recent extensive reviews of the dementia literature highlight a clear need for additional qualitative research to address the experiences of people with dementia and their carers. To date, the vast majority of published dementia research is quantitative in nature and, perhaps not surprisingly, attracts the bulk of government funding. In contrast, qualitative dementia research is poorly resourced and less frequently published. Although a myriad of factors are responsible for this dichotomy, we propose that inadequate funding represents the "elephant in the room" of dementia research. In this article, we describe and emphasize the need for qualitative dementia research, highlight existing barriers, and outline potential solutions. Examples of barriers are provided and theoretical underpinnings are proposed.

The morphological effect of the acquired pellicle on acid-etched enamel: a scanning electron microscopy analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the acquired pellicle on enamel etching. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred teeth were sectioned in the buccal-lingual direction at the half crown. One-hundred half-crowns were polished with pumice powder and rotating brushes (group B) and one-hundred half-crowns were not polished on the buccal surface (group A). The samples were etched by 37% orthophosphoric acid gel for 30 seconds in a 2 mm diameter circular area at the middle upper section of the crown, rinsed with distilled water for 20 s, air dried for 20 s and observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Three independent operators determined the quality of enamel etching on a four-point scale using 200 images, which were computed by digital Image Analysis software. It analyses the grey values and converts them to three-dimensional graphics to value the surface extension. Analysis Of Variance test was used for comparisons between and within groups. RESULTS: The mean of the operator values for the A samples is 2 ("Poorly defined etch") and for the B samples is 3 ("Defined etch"). The Image Analysis showed a significant difference (Analysis of Variance test) in the extension of the etched areas between groups A and B. The samples from group B had 11.7% more effectively etched enamel surfaces than the samples from group A. CONCLUSION: Acquired pellicle removal by dental prophylaxis is necessary before enamel etching because it improves the effectiveness of the etching procedure.