Medicina
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Background and Objectives: Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the main microorganism associated with the presence of dental caries and specific serotypes of this bacteria have been related to several systemic diseases limiting general health. In orthodontics, white spot lesions (WSL), represent a great challenge for clinicians due to the great fluctuation of their prevalence and incidence during conventional orthodontic treatments. Although silver nanoparticles (AgNP) have been demonstrated to have great antimicrobial properties in several microorganisms, including S. mutans bacteria, there is no available information about anti adherence and antimicrobial properties of AgNP exposed to two of the most relevant serotypes of S. mutans adhered on orthodontic materials used for conventional therapeutics. ⋯ The SS wires promoted more bacterial adhesion (149.0 ± 253.6 UFC/mL × 104) than CuNiTi (3.3 ± 6.0 UFC/mL × 104) and NiTi (101.1 ± 108.5 UFC/mL × 104) arches. SEM analysis suggests CuNiTi wires demonstrated better topographical conditions for bacterial adherence while AFM evaluation determined cell wall irregularities in bacterial cells exposed to AgNP. Conclusions: This study suggests the widespread use of AgNP as a potential anti-adherent and antimicrobial agent for the prevention of WSL during conventional orthodontic therapies and, collaterally, other systemic diseases.
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Background and Objectives: The study assessed the effectiveness of a fracture liaison service (FLS) after 1 year of implementation in improving the outcomes of hip fracture surgery in older adult patients at Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital. Materials and Methods: The Wanfang hospital's FLS program was implemented using a multipronged programmatic strategy. ⋯ Results: The implementation of our FLS significantly increased the osteoporosis treatment rate after hip fracture surgery from 22.8% to 72.3%, significantly decreased the 1-year refracture rate from 11.8% to 4.9%, non-significantly decreased 1-year mortality from 17.9% to 11.8%, and improved functional outcomes 1 year after hip fracture surgery. Conclusions: Implementation of our FLS using the multipronged programmatic strategy effectively improved the outcomes and care quality after hip fracture surgery in the older adult population, offering a successful example as a valuable reference for establishing FLS to improve the outcomes in vulnerable older adults.
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Case Reports
Hematologic Malignancies Diagnosed in the Context of the mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign: A Report of Two Cases.
During the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic led to millions of disease-related deaths worldwide. The efforts of the scientific community facing this global challenge resulted in outstanding achievements. Thus, within one year, new mRNA-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 viral infection were released, providing highly efficient protection and showing a very good safety profile in the general population. However, clinical data collection after vaccination is a continuous process for the long-term safety of any new medical product. The aim of our paper is to present two cases of hematological malignancies: diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and T/NK-cell lymphoma, diagnosed shortly after the administration of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. ⋯ The safety profile of the mRNA-based vaccines is an undeniable fact. In most cases, suspicions of potentially aggressive side effects were ruled out, proving to be transient post-vaccine reactions. Clinicians should remain alert to report any potentially aggressive manifestations emerging in the context of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, such as these cases of hematological malignancies, in order to promote additional investigations on the particular mechanisms of action of COVID-19 vaccines and to provide the best medical care to the patients.
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There is a growing interest regarding the impact of the perioperative period and the application of anesthetic drugs on the recurrence of cancer metastases. Among them, the use of amide-type local anesthetics seems promising since in vitro studies and animal models have shown their potential to inhibit the Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1) expression and Src activity, which are clearly implicated in the process of inflammation and cancer metastases. This review emphasizes the potential of amide-type local anesthetics in this context.
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Background and objectives: Chinese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients are characterized by a low body mass index (BMI), and significant insulin resistance (IR). The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index has not been studied as a means of assessing IR in Chinese T2DM patients with a BMI < 35 kg/m2. Materials and Methods: An open-label cross-sectional study recruited 102 Chinese T2DM patients with a BMI < 35 kg/m2. ⋯ The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the TyG index (0.785, 0.691−0.879) was higher than that of HOMA-IR (0.73, 0.588−0.873) in all genders. The optimal cut-off values of the TyG index and HOMA-IR were 7.99 and 3.39, respectively. Conclusions: The TyG index showed more effectiveness in identifying IR in Chinese T2DM patients with a BMI < 35 kg/m2 compared to HOMA-IR.