Effects of Transcutaneous Trigeminal Electrical Stimulation and Sound Therapy in Patients with Tinnitus

Purpose@#Tinnitus is one of the most common health conditions worldwide. Although various methods of treatment have been used, the condition is still difficult to manage or cure. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of transcutaneous trigeminal electrical stimulation (TTES) combined with notched sound therapy (NST) on patients with tinnitus. @*Materials and Methods@#A clinical trial was conducted prospectively from September 2020 to September 2021 at a single center in South Korea. In total, 14 patients took part in this trial. Periodic visits and tele-monitoring were used to assess treatment compliance and collect data, including electroencephalography (EEG), photoplethysmography (PPG), tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), tinnitus magnitude index, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and 36-item short-form survey (SF-36) results. @*Results@#Changes after intervention were analyzed with paired t-test. This study showed that alpha waves in the left hemisphere measured by EEG (p=0.024), autonomic nervous system balance (p=0.007), and stress level (p=0.022) measured by PPG significantly changed after intervention. Also, THI scores especially emotional symptoms (p=0.029) and catastrophic symptoms (p=0.043) decreased after treatment. The SF-36 score, both mental component summary and physical component summary score (each p<0.001), increased significantly, whereas the PSQI score (p<0.001) and BDI score (p<0.001) decreased after TTES and NST. @*Conclusion@#Based on the results of our study, we could confirm that TTES combined with NST can significantly improve tinnitus, catastrophic symptoms, and the overall quality of life of patients.

Factors Affecting Health Promotion Behavior among Workers with High Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: Based on Theory of Planned Behavior

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting health promotion behavior among workers with high risk of metabolic syndrome. This study was based on the planned behavior theory. METHODS: The participants were 167 workers at high risk of metabolic syndrome. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Surveyed variables were attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention, and health promotion behavior. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS/WIN 22.0. RESULTS: Perceived behavioral control affected the intention of health promotion behavior among the workers with high risk of metabolic syndrome. It explained 62% of variance in the intention of health promotion behavior (F=40.09, p<.001). Perceived behavioral control and occupation affected health promotion behavior among the risk workers with high risk of metabolic syndrome. The two factors explained 16% of variance in health promotion behavior (F=4.95, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that perceived behavioral control is the only factor affecting health promotion behavior when the theory of planned behavior was applied. Therefore, intervention programs for improving health promotion behavior should be focused on strengthening perceived behavioral control.

Air assisted lamellar keratectomy for the corneal haze model

To standardize the corneal haze model in the resection depth and size for efficient corneal haze development, air assisted lamellar keratectomy was performed. The ex vivo porcine corneas were categorized into four groups depending on the trephined depth: 250 microm (G1), 375 microm (G2), 500 microm (G3) and 750 microm (G4). The stroma was equally ablated at the five measurement sites in all groups. Significant differences were observed between the trephined corneal depths for resection and ablated corneal thickness in G1 (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed between the trephined corneal depth for resection and the ablated corneal thickness in G2, G3, and G4. The resection percentage was similar in all groups after microscopic imaging of corneal sections. Air assisted lamellar keratectomy (AK) and conventional keratectomy (CK) method were applied to six beagles, after which development of corneal haze was evaluated weekly until postoperative day 28. The occurrence of corneal haze in the AK group was significantly higher than that in the CK group beginning 14 days after surgery. Alpha-smooth muscle actin expression was significantly higher in the AK group (p < 0.001) than the CK group. Air assisted lamellar keratectomy was used to achieve the desired corneal thickness after resection and produce sufficient corneal haze.

Determining the age of cats by pulp cavity/tooth width ratio using dental radiography

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on the ratio of pulp cavity/tooth width (P/T ratio) in healthy cats. The dental radiographs of 32 cats (16 males and 16 females) were generated with a digital dental X-ray unit with the animals under general anesthesia. Standardized measurement of the canine teeth was performed by drawing a line on the radiograph perpendicular to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) of the tooth. There was an inversely proportional correlation between chronological age and the P/T ratio. Moreover, a strong Pearson squared correlation (gamma2 = 0.92) was identified by the curved regression model. No significant differences in the P/T ratio based on gender or breed were found. These results suggest that determination of age by P/T ratio could be clinically useful for estimating the chronological age of cats.