Surface Topography Steer Soft Tissue Response and Antibacterial Function at the Transmucosal Region of Titanium Implant.

Metallic dental implants have been extensively used in clinical practice due to their superior mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and aesthetic outcomes. However, their integration with the surrounding soft tissue at the mucosal region remains challenging and can cause implant failure due to the peri-implant immune microenvironment. The soft tissue integration of dental implants can be ameliorated through different surface modifications. This review discussed and summarized the current knowledge of topography-mediated immune response and topography-mediated antibacterial activity in Ti dental implants which enhance soft tissue integration and their clinical performance. For example, nanopillar-like topographies such as spinules, and spikes showed effective antibacterial activity in human salivary biofilm which was due to the lethal stretching of bacterial membrane between the nanopillars. The key findings of this review were (I) cross-talk between surface nanotopography and soft tissue integration in which the surface nanotopography can guide the perpendicular orientation of collagen fibers into connective tissue which leads to the stability of soft tissue, (II) nanotubular array could shift the macrophage phenotype from pro-inflammatory (M1) to anti-inflammatory (M2) and manipulate the balance of osteogenesis/osteoclasia, and (III) surface nanotopography can provide specific sites for the loading of antibacterial agents and metallic nanoparticles of clinical interest functionalizing the implant surface. Silver-containing nanotubular topography significantly decreased the formation of fibrous encapsulation in per-implant soft tissue and showed synergistic antifungal and antibacterial properties. Although the Ti implants with surface nanotopography have shown promising in targeting soft tissue healing in vitro and in vivo through their immunomodulatory and antibacterial properties, however, long-term in vivo studies need to be conducted particularly in osteoporotic, and diabetic patients to ensure their desired performance with immunomodulatory and antibacterial properties. The optimization of product development is another challenging issue for its clinical translation, as the dental implant with surface nanotopography must endure implantation and operation inside the dental microenvironment. Finally, the sustainable release of metallic nanoparticles could be challenging to reduce cytotoxicity while augmenting the therapeutic effects.

Human Activity Recognition in a Free-Living Environment Using an Ear-Worn Motion Sensor.

Human activity recognition (HAR) technology enables continuous behavior monitoring, which is particularly valuable in healthcare. This study investigates the viability of using an ear-worn motion sensor for classifying daily activities, including lying, sitting/standing, walking, ascending stairs, descending stairs, and running. Fifty healthy participants (between 20 and 47 years old) engaged in these activities while under monitoring. Various machine learning algorithms, ranging from interpretable shallow models to state-of-the-art deep learning approaches designed for HAR (i.e., DeepConvLSTM and ConvTransformer), were employed for classification. The results demonstrate the ear sensor's efficacy, with deep learning models achieving a 98% accuracy rate of classification. The obtained classification models are agnostic regarding which ear the sensor is worn and robust against moderate variations in sensor orientation (e.g., due to differences in auricle anatomy), meaning no initial calibration of the sensor orientation is required. The study underscores the ear's efficacy as a suitable site for monitoring human daily activity and suggests its potential for combining HAR with in-ear vital sign monitoring. This approach offers a practical method for comprehensive health monitoring by integrating sensors in a single anatomical location. This integration facilitates individualized health assessments, with potential applications in tele-monitoring, personalized health insights, and optimizing athletic training regimes.

Deep brain stimulation of the posterior subthalamic area as an alternative strategy for management of Holmes tremor: A case report and review of the literature.

Background: Holmes tremor is often refractory to medical treatment and deep brain stimulation of the ventralis intermedius nucleus of the thalamus (VIM-DBS) is the intervention of choice in controlling the tremor. Herein, we present a beneficial alternative strategy for the management of such situations, considering the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) as the target of stimulation. Case Description: We report a 57-year-old male with the right-sided tremor following a traumatic brain injury 20 years ago. He had been diagnosed with Holmes tremor that was not responsive to nonsurgical therapeutic options. When refractoriness confirmed, he became a candidate for VIM-DBS. During the operation, by performing macrostimulation with a maximum of 2 mA of amplitude, the tremor had no response to the stimulation of different tracts, and severe right hemi-body paresthesia occurred; therefore, we modified our approach and targeted the PSA, which resulted in satisfactory control of the tremor. The permanent lead was implanted into the left side PSA. At 1-year follow-up, the right side tremor was under complete control. Conclusion: Our case and other similar pieces of evidence are consistently indicating the potential regulatory effects of PSA-DBS in controlling the Holmes tremor as a feasible alternative strategy when VIM-DBS does not provide a satisfactory response. However, further studies with larger sample size are required to evaluate the long-term response and its possible long-term stimulation-related effects.

High occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among blood donors in Ardabil Province as main focus of zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis, northwestern Iran.

Toxoplasmosis, as cosmopolitan parasitic disease, is considered as one of the transfusion-transmitted parasites. The true burden of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) amongst blood donors remains undisclosed around the world. Since there was no evidence on the prevalence of T. gondii in blood donors in Ardabil Province, as main focus of zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (ZVL), northwestern Iran, current research was therefore conducted to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii and PCR assay among them for the first time. In the present study, 462 plasma samples from asymptomatic blood donors of Ardabil Province, northwestern Iran, were tested for IgM and IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies levels using ELISA test. Moreover, the buffy coat of all seropositive subjects was screened for T. gondii DNA by conventional PCR. Also, the data sheet consisting of characteristic information was registered for all the applicants. Overall, anti-T. gondii antibodies were found in 36% (166/462) of asymptomatic blood donors. Anti-T. gondii IgM and IgG seroprevalence was 1.5% and 32.5%, respectively. Only nine subjects (2%) were found to be positive for both IgM and IgG. Moreover, T. gondii DNA was identified in 18% (30/166) of seropositive donors. The logistic regression analysis showed a significant correlation between T. gondii seropositivity and contact with cats, agricultural activities, history of consumption of undercooked meat and being non-educated (P=0.001). The high prevalence (about one-third) of anti-T. gondii antibodies and possibly active infection using conventional PCR test represents that asymptomatic carriers of T. gondii are quite common in the study areas and pose a potential threat to the blood safety and hemovigilance program.

The Changes of Heart miR-1 and miR-133 Expressions following Physiological Hypertrophy Due to Endurance Training.

OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in the development of the heart. Recent studies have shown that miR- 1 and miR-133 are key regulators of cardiac hypertrophy. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of an endurance training (ET) program on the expressions of these miRNAs and their transcriptional network. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, cardiac hypertrophy was induced by 14 weeks of ET for 1 hour per day, 6 days per week at 75% VO2 max). The rats (221 ± 23 g) in the experimental (n=7) and control (n=7) groups were anesthetized to evaluate heart morphology changes by echocardiography. Next, we evaluated expressions of miR-1 and miR-133, and heart and neural crest derivatives express 2 (Hand2), Mef2c, histone deacetylase 4 (Hdac4) and serum response factor (Srf) gene expressions by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Finally, the collected data were evaluated by the independent t test to determine differences between the groups. RESULTS: The echocardiography result confirmed physiological hypertrophy in the experimental group that underwent ET as shown by the increased left ventricular weight/body surface area (LVW/BSA) (P=0.004), LVW/body weight (BW) (P=0.011), left ventricular diameter end-diastolic (LVDd) (P=0.003), and improvements in heart functional indexes such as fractional shortness (FS) (P=0.036) and stroke volume (SV) (P=0.002). There were significant increases in the expressions of miR-1 (P=0.001) and miR-133 (P=0.004). The expressions of Srf, Hdac4, and Hand2 genes significantly increased (P<0.001) in the experimental group Compared with the control group. The expression of Mef2c did not significantly change. CONCLUSION: The expressions of miR-1 and miR-133 and their target genes appeared to be involved in physiological hypertrophy induced by ET in these rats.

The Role of Nanomaterials in the Treatment of Diseases and Their Effects on the Immune System.

Nanotechnology has been widely exploited in recent years in various applications. Different sectors of medicine and treatment have also focused on the use of nanoproducts. One of the areas of interest in the treatment measures is the interaction between nanomaterials and immune system components. Engineered nanomaterials can stimulate the inhibition or enhancement of immune responses and prevent the detection ability of the immune system. Changes in immune function, in addition to the benefits, may also lead to some damage. Therefore, adequate assessment of the novel nanomaterials seems to be necessary before practical use in treatment. However, there is little information on the toxicological and biological effects of nanomaterials, especially on the potential ways of contacting and handling nanomaterials in the body and the body response to these materials. Extensive variation and different properties of nanomaterials have made it much more difficult to access their toxicological effects to the present. The present study aims to raise knowledge about the potential benefits and risks of using the nanomaterials on the immune system to design and safely employ these compounds in therapeutic purposes.

Evaluation of serum and salivary interferon-γ levels in patients with oral lichen planus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies.

OBJECTIVE: Cytokines have regulatory and leading roles in the immunopathogenesis of oral lichen planus (OLP). Here, we present the findings of a meta-analysis that evaluated serum and salivary interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels in patients with OLP compared with those in controls and the correlation of this cytokine with the progression of OLP. STUDY DESIGN: Four databases-PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library-were searched, from their start dates to November 2017, for reports in all languages on the effect of OLP on salivary and serum IFN-γ. RESULTS: Eleven studies were included and analyzed in this meta-analysis. The pooled mean difference (MD) values were estimated to be 3.60 pg/mL (P = .23) and -0.02 pg/mL (P = 1.00) for serum and salivary levels of IFN-γ, respectively, in the patients with OLP compared with controls. The pooled MD values were -2.52 pg/mL (P = .03) and -2.01 pg/mL (P = .20) for serum and salivary IFN-γ levels in the erosive type, respectively, compared with the nonerosive type. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of meta-analysis, there was no statistically significant differences in IFN-γ levels between the OLP group and the control group both in serum and salivary levels and also between erosive and nonerosive types of OLP at the salivary level; so this cytokine is not considered to have an important role in the pathogenesis or severity of OLP.

Relationship between Renal Artery Stenosis and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Coronary Atherosclerotic Disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present investigation was to explore probable association of renal artery stenosis (RAS) with coronary artery disease (CAD) and the prevalence of renal artery stenosis (RAS) in patients with CAD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study comprised 165 consecutive patients with CAD, including 52.7% males and 47.2% females with respective mean ages of 60.3 ±8.9 and 59.5±10.1. The patients underwent simultaneous coronary and renal angiographies, and the lumen reduction of 50% or more was considered as significant stenosis. Indeed, stenosis of more than 70% of the arterial lumen was regarded as severe. RESULTS: According to our findings, the prevalence of renal artery stenosis in our hypertensive and normotensive patients were 46.2% and 19.5% respectively (p=0.002). Renal artery angiography revealed that 64 (38.8%) of the patients had simultaneous renal artery stenosis. RAS is more common in females than males (p=0.031). Multivariate analysis revealed that among all examined factors, hypertension and serum creatinine were associated with RAS. There was no correlations found between gensini score and RAS (p=0.63). CONCLUSION: We found a relatively high prevalence of RAS including 46.2% in hypertensive and 19.5% in normotensive patients in our patients with CAD.

Knowledge and attitudes of Iranian patients with regard to lumbar puncture.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the knowledge and attitudes of patients towards lumbar puncture (LP), its complications, and indications. METHODS: In a questionnaire survey, patients who were referred to the general neurology outpatient clinic at Nemazee Hospital in Shiraz, Iran, from January 2007 to January 2008 were invited to complete a questionnaire consisting of items on demographic and socioeconomic variables, experiences with LP and complications, and knowledge of and attitudes regarding LP. RESULTS: A total of 410 patients were recruited (58% women, mean age 33.2 +/- 2.7 years). Poor knowledge of LP was highly prevalent (92.6%), and negative attitudes toward LP were also common (63%) among our patients. Skepticism regarding LP was directly related to lack of information (p=0.00007). Lower socioeconomic status, lower educational level, and residence in rural areas were associated with being less well informed about LP, but interestingly those who had experience with LP before were better informed and had more positive attitudes. CONCLUSION: It is possible to overcome reluctance to undergo LP through education of its indications, contraindications, and complications.