Review: Factors influencing parents' decisions to vaccinate children against COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Vaccination is a cornerstone of public health, significantly safeguarding children's health. Despite the imperative of achieving extensive COVID-19 vaccine coverage, vaccine hesitancy poses a major challenge. OBJECTIVE: This review's aim is to analyze parental COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic and elucidate the factors that influenced their decisions. METHODS: A search of Medline (PubMed), Embase, and Psycinfo was conducted on February 1, 2022. The inclusion criteria were limited to observational studies that specifically evaluated parental COVID-19 vaccine acceptance or hesitancy for children, published in English. Studies that did not focus on this specific assessment, interventional studies, clinical trials, and secondary literature were excluded. RESULTS: In reviewing 27 articles, parental vaccination acceptance rates were found to be different worldwide. Despite this, most of the articles found the same set of factors impacting parental COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy. Parents' age, education, race, children's age, and annual household income were the main sociodemographic factors in vaccination decisions. Other common factors were the perceived risk and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine, the source of information, parents' acceptance of receiving vaccinations themselves, and previous acceptance of the influenza vaccine. By reviewing parents' willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine for their children, it became clear that a lack of information about vaccine safety and efficacy was the most common factor affecting their decision. CONCLUSION: This review identified critical factors affecting parents' vaccination behavior for their children. Awareness of these factors may reduce parents' COVID-19 vaccine refusal for their children and guide future planning and development of public health studies.

Electrospun glass nanofibers to strengthen polycarbonate plastic glass toward photoluminescent smart materials.

Electrospun glass nanofibers (GNFs) were used to strengthen polycarbonate (PC) to create long-persistent photoluminescent and fluorescent smart materials such as afterglow concrete and smart window. Physical integration of lanthanide-activated aluminate (LA) nanoparticles (NPs) yielded transparent GNFs@PC smart sheets. Spectral investigations utilizing photoluminescence and CIE Lab parameters were performed to confirm that the translucent appearance of GNFs@PC changed to green when exposed to UV light. This fluorescence activity was quickly reversible for the GNFs@PC hybrids with low concentrations of LANPs, which indicate fluorescence emission. Higher phosphor concentrations in GNFs@PC led to longer-lasting afterglow photoluminescence and slower reversibility. The GNFs@PC hybrids showed an emission band detected at 518 nm upon excitation at 368 nm. The morphological characteristics of LANPs and GNFs were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed sizes of 11-26 nm and 250-300 nm, respectively. GNFs were prepared using electrospinning technology and then used as a roughening agent into PC sheets. Morphological characteristics of GNFs and GNFs@PC smart sheets were examined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The GNFs@PC smart sheets were shown to have enhanced scratch resistance in comparison to LANPs-free PC control sample. Increases in LANPs concentration enhanced both hydrophobicity and UV protection.

Contemporary Evidence of CAD-CAM in Dentistry: A Systematic Review.

In this systematic review, we compare the quality and accuracy of computer-aided design (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) techniques currently employed in dentistry with those of traditional materials. Published literature on the study topic was searched in the online MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Cochrane library databases and the database of Indian Council of Medical Research. For this systematic review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework was applied for the assessment of studies fit for investigation. Of the total 103 papers searched, 54 underwent in-depth evaluation. Using criteria for what to include and what to leave out, we chose research that was relevant to our review and narrowed it down to 14 papers that met the review's guidelines. According to our findings and the analysis of the chosen articles, the prospects and current advances of CAD/CAM technology are fascinating and are revolutionizing the field of dentistry. Even though researchers are excited, it is important to make sure that different materials have been tested and looked at well enough before making firm claims and choices to replace materials that have been made in the past. Based on previous research, it has been determined that the CAD/CAM methodology used in the dental field is the most popular method at the moment since it is quick, simple, and efficient. Since there are different kinds of CAD/CAM systems, it is very important to choose the right one and come up with a good plan for treating a patient.

Knowledge and awareness on pneumoconiosis among dental technicians and senior dental technology students in Saudi Arabia.

Dental technicians' pneumoconiosis is a condition that causes interstitial inflammation and fibrosis as a result of complex drug exposure. Therefore, it is of interest to assess and evaluate the knowledge and awareness about pneumoconiosis and other respiratory disorders among dental technicians and dental technology students in Saudi Arabia. A cross sectional survey was conducted on convenient sample of 300 senior dental technician students and dental technicians from Saudi Arabia and informed consent was obtained. The participants were approached through online questionnaire using Google forms. Questions were related to the socio-demographic data, knowledge and awareness of the students and the practicing dental technicians and their willingness to learn about pneumoconiosis. Final year undergraduate, interns and Dental technicians were included, undergraduate students without practical knowledge and experience and participants with history of respiratory disease were excluded from the study. Questions were assessed by face validity. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software. Descriptive statistics was calculated. 34.8% of the study group were not aware of the term and don't know about the etiology of pneumoconiosis. Pearson correlation was significant in terms of awareness difference between males and females and females had less awareness compared to males.

C-N Axial Chiral Hypervalent Iodine Reagents: Catalytic Stereoselective α-Oxytosylation of Ketones.

A simple synthesis of a library of novel C-N axially chiral iodoarenes is achieved in a three-step synthesis from commercially available aniline derivatives. C-N axial chiral iodine reagents are rarely investigated in the hypervalent iodine arena. The potential of the novel chiral iodoarenes as organocatalysts for stereoselective oxidative transformations is assessed using the well explored, but challenging stereoselective α-oxytosylation of ketones. All investigated reagents catalyse the stereoselective oxidation of propiophenone to the corresponding chiral α-oxytosylated products with good stereochemical control. Using the optimised reaction conditions a wide range of products was obtained in generally good to excellent yields and with good enantioselectivities.

Synthesis, characterisation, and reactivity of novel pseudocyclic hypervalent iodine reagents with heteroaryl carbonyl substituents.

Two new hypervalent iodine reagents containing furan and thiophene moieties in addition to a carbonyl group in the vicinity of the iodine atom were synthesised and characterised. The X-ray analysis of both compounds revealed a strong intramolecular contact between the carbonyl oxygen and the hypervalent iodine atom with tosylate as a counter ion. The two reagents showed a broad range of synthetic applications and proved to be versatile oxidizing agents.

Continuous-Flow Electrochemical Generator of Hypervalent Iodine Reagents: Synthetic Applications.

An efficient and reliable electrochemical generator of hypervalent iodine reagents has been developed. In the anodic oxidation of iodoarenes to hypervalent iodine reagents under flow conditions, the use of electricity replaces hazardous and costly chemical oxidants. Unstable hypervalent iodine reagents can be prepared easily and coupled with different substrates to achieve oxidative transformations in high yields. The unstable, electrochemically generated reagents can also easily be transformed into classic bench-stable hypervalent iodine reagents through ligand exchange. The combination of electrochemical and flow-chemistry advantages largely improves the ecological footprint of the overall process compared to conventional approaches.

Feasibility and safety of day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a single-institution 5-year experience of 1140 cases.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: We report our experience with day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy and assess its feasibility and safety. METHODS: Data was collected on all the patients who underwent day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy between February 2009 and February 2014 at Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. All patients had symptomatic cholelithiasis that was proven on imaging studies with clearance of the common bile duct. The patient biographical data (age, gender, American Society of Anaesthesiology status, medical comorbidities) and surgical outcomes were then obtained. There was an evaluation of the success rate of day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy, reasons for unexpected admission, and the re-admission rate. RESULTS: A total of 1,140 patients were included in this study. The success rate for day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy was 96%. The reasons for unexpected hospital admission for 46 patients (4%) included persistent abdominal pain and postoperative emesis. The postoperative re-admission rate was 0.4% (5 patients). There were no major complications, and the conversion rate was 0.5% (6 patients). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that day-surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy is both safe and feasible in a local setting. Careful patient selection is essential in ensuring a high success rate.