Anatomical Prediction for Surgical Positioning of the Umbilicus in a Croatian Population.

AIM: The umbilicus is an essential esthetic landmark on the abdominal wall in women and men. There are only few models published for predicting exact localization of the umbilicus. The aim of our study was to develop a mathematical model for predicting correct umbilical positioning in a sample of young women and men and in a sample of middle-aged women. In addition, we wanted to develop a predictive model applicable to both sexes. We applied our models with distinct anthropometric characteristics such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC)/hip circumference (HC) to further expand our findings. METHODS: In this study, 98 Croatian women and men randomly selected from the University of Zagreb and 46 female patients awaiting abdominoplasty procedure at our institution were included. Anthropometric data and measurements between the umbilicus and fixed bony points around the anterior abdomen were collected. The data collected were body mass (BM), body height (BH), BMI, WC and HC, and waist-hip ratios (WHR). All collected data were subjected to standard statistical analyses. RESULTS: This study developed 2 different regressive equations for the most accurate prediction of exact umbilical localization. In women, the best prediction of the position of the umbilicus was based on the distance from the interanterior hypochondrium line to the umbilicus using the following regressive equation: u-i-hy = BM × 0.5799 + BH × -0.5051 + BMI × -1.8230 + WHR × -10.6364 + 89.6411. In men, the best prediction of the position of the umbilicus was based on the distance from the umbilicus to the interspinous line using the following regressive equation: u-i-is = age × 0.2033 + BM × 0.6445 + BH × -0.5692 + BMI × -2.2802 + WC × -0.0911 + 101.9408. METHODS: We found that age and anthropometric dimensions have a significant influence on the position of the umbilicus on the anterior abdominal wall. The naturally occurring anthropometric variations between women and men made the results of a unique predictive model for umbilical position inaccurate. We found that using 2 distinct predictive models, 1 for both subgroups of women and 1 for men, generated the most accurate predictive results. This quantitative tool should be applied to both women and men for the correct positioning of the umbilicus in reconstructive and esthetic procedures in which the original umbilical location is affected.

Are Dentists Hypocrites? Oral Self-care Habits and Self-reported Oral Health Status among Dentists and Non-dentists in Croatia.

Objectives: Dentists provide dental care to their patients and educate them on their oral hygiene and how to maintain oral health. This paper aimed to determine whether dentists are hypocritical when advising their patients on oral hygiene procedures and dental treatments because they do not apply to themselves what they recommend to others. Material and methods: This is a self-reported study conducted through an online survey questionnaire completed by 1001 participants, of whom 551 were non-dentists and 450 dentists. This is the first study on oral hygiene habits and oral status among dentists in Croatia. This research included almost 10% of the total number of working dentists in Croatia. Results: In terms of dental hygiene habits, dentists brushed, flossed and used interdental brushes more frequently, and they also changed toothbrushes more frequently, whereas they attended check-ups less frequently. Dentists also reported a smaller number of teeth with cavities, a greater number of teeth with fillings, a greater number of extracted teeth, and a greater number of dental crowns, but a smaller number of healthy teeth compared to general population. However, dentists had a much higher proportion of participants over 30 years of age, and when sub-analysis of participants over 30 years of age was performed, dentists had a greater number of healthy teeth compared to the general population. Conclusions: The results showed that dentists are aware of the importance of their oral health and that they do not pay attention only to their oral hygiene habits, but also apply advice they give their patients. Therefore, they cannot be considered hypocritical.

SPRTN is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma development through the ER stress response.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, prompted by the accumulation of misfolded or unfolded proteins, triggers the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway to restore ER homeostasis. This stress response is implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A biallelic mutation in SPRTN is currently the only known single-gene mutation implicated in the early onset of HCC. However, the exact mechanism linking SPRTN mutations to HCC remains unclear. In our study, we analyzed SPRTN and UPR in 21 human HCC tissue samples using RT-qPCR, immunoblot, and immunohistochemistry. We found alterations in the expression levels of SPRTN and UPR-related genes and proteins in HCC samples. The impact of SPRTN on the ER stress response was assessed in SPRTN-depleted HepG2 cells through RNA sequencing, pull-down assay, comet assay, and mitotic index calculation. We demonstrated that SPRTN interacts with the UPR sensor GRP78. Furthermore, we observed a decrease in SPRTN levels during ER stress, and increased sensitivity to ER stress in SPRTN-depleted cells. These findings suggest an essential role for SPRTN in the ER stress response and provide new insights into HCC pathogenesis. This newly discovered function of SPRTN could significantly enhance our understanding and treatment of HCC.