Evaluation and recommendations of the oral health, oral function, and orofacial aesthetics-related measures of the ICHOM Standard Set for Cleft Lip and Palate.

This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of outcome measures for the orofacial domain included in the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement Standard Set for Cleft Lip and Palate (ICHOM-SCS). In this multicentre study involving two cleft centres, suggestions to optimize the type and timing of outcome measures were made based on data and clinical experience. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) (CLEFT-Q Jaw, Teeth, Eating/Drinking; Child Oral Health Impact Profile-Oral Symptoms Scale (COHIP-OSS)) and clinical outcome measures (caries experience and dental occlusion) data were collected retrospectively for age 5, 8, 10, 12, 19, and 22 years. The data were categorized by cleft type and analysed within and between age groups using Spearman correlation, the distribution of responses per item, a two-sample test for equality of proportions, and effect plots. Most correlations between PROMs and clinical outcome measures were weak (r < 0.5), suggesting PROMs and clinical outcome measures complement each other. The COHIP-OSS and CLEFT-Q Eating/Drinking barely detected problems in any patient category and are no longer recommended. A suitable alternative appears complex to find; outcomes of this study and the recent literature doubt an added value. Similar problems were found in the CLEFT-Q Jaw at time-point 12 years. Therefore, time-points 15 and 17 years are currently suggested.

The physical, mechanical, and biological properties of silk fibroin/chitosan/reduced graphene oxide composite membranes for guided bone regeneration.

In this study, blends of chitosan (CS)/silk fibroin (SF) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as guided bone regeneration membranes were fabricated by solvent casting method and their architectural features, hydrophilicity, porosity, swelling, degradation, and mechanical properties were investigated. The influence of CS, SF, and rGO on osteoblasts spreading and attachment was also determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and DAPI (4', 6-diamidoino-2-phenylindole) staining assay. The osteogenic differentiation was determined by the alizarin red staining and alkaline phosphatase activity. The results demonstrated that, the hydrophilicity, swelling and degradability decreases with the increase of SF content, whereas tensile strength increases accordingly. It was confirmed that with increasing the rGO concentration, the porosity and tensile strength decreased but the hydrophilicity was improved. The cell behaviors of G-292 cells were enhanced by increasing the CS content. According to the results, it can be concluded that, SF/CS/rGO blended membranes are promising candidates for bone tissue engineering and optimum results were obtained for the membrane composed of SF:CS: rGO with 84:7:9 weight ratio. It should be noted that the optimized membranes should be further studied for clinical applications.

House dust mite sublingual-swallow immunotherapy in perennial rhinitis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled Iranian study.

Sensitivity to house dust mite allergens in the development of allergic rhinitis has a key role. In this study, the clinical and immunological effects of high dose Dermatophagoides farinae sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) versus placebo were compared. Forty poly-sensitized patients, ages 6-33 years, with allergic rhinitis and positive allergic reaction to the mites were enrolled in the study. Twenty-one patients were placed in the SLIT group and 19 in the placebo group. Expression levels of IL-10, TGF-ß, FOXP3 and IL-17 were measured by using real-time PCR before and after the administration of sublingual immunotherapy. Clinical efficacy was estimated by the reduction rate of symptom/medication scores in the SLIT group compared with placebo treatment. After 6 months of SLIT, TGF-ß expression levels were increased compared to pre-treatment (P less than 0.05). SLIT with D. Farinae extract is an effective treatment for poly-sensitized patients with allergic rhinitis. TGF-ß mediated T-cell suppression may be an important mechanism in the first 6 months of SLIT.

Characteristic features of pneumothorax on lung perfusion scan

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