Mesenchymal stem cells in PRP and PRF containing poly(3-caprolactone)/gelatin Scaffold: a comparative in-vitro study.

Scaffold design is one of the three most essential parts of tissue engineering. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) have been used in clinics and regenerative medicine for years. However, the temporal release of their growth factors limits their efficacy in tissue engineering. In the present study, we planned to synthesize nanofibrous scaffolds with the incorporation of PRP and PRF by electrospinning method to evaluate the effect of the release of PRP and PRF growth factors on osteogenic gene expression, calcification, proliferation, and cell adhesion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (h-BMSC) as they are part of scaffold structures. Therefore, we combined PRP/PRF, derived from the centrifugation of whole blood, with gelatin and Polycaprolactone (PCL) and produced nanofibrous electrospun PCL/Gel/PRP and PCL/Gel/PRF scaffolds. Three groups of scaffolds were fabricated, and h-BMSCs were seeded on them: (1) PCL/Gel; (2) PCL/Gel/PRP; (3) PCL/Gel/PRF. MTS assay was performed to assess cell proliferation and adhesion, and alizarin red staining confirmed the formation of bone minerals during the experiment. The result indicated that PCL/Gel did not have any better outcomes than the PRP and PRF group in any study variants after the first day of the experiment. PCL/gelatin/PRF was more successful regarding cell proliferation and adhesion. Although PCL/gelatin/PRP showed more promising results on the last day of the experiment in mineralization and osteogenic gene expression, except RUNX2, in which the difference with PCL/gelatin/PRF group was not significant.

Oral health-related quality of life and xerostomia in type 2 diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor for xerostomia. Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is a multi-dimensional issue reflecting several effects of the oral condition on the quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to assess OHRQoL and its relationship with xerostomia severity in type 2 diabetic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 200 patients participated in this cross-sectional study. The Xerostomia Inventory (XI) assessed xerostomia severity and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire evaluated OHRQoL. In addition, the fasting blood sugar (FBS) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) tests were conducted, and the results were recorded, as well as the disease duration and denture wearing. Data analysis employed the t test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean XI score was 22.27 ±6.92 and the mean OHIP-14 score was 13.76 ±8.41. The mean FBS, HbA1c and disease duration values were 161.23 ±49.14 mg/dL, 7.90 ±1.12% and 11.02 ±7.78 years, respectively. The OHIP-14 score correlated significantly with the XI score, age, FBS, HbA1c, the disease duration, and denture wearing (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant correlation between OHRQoL and xerostomia severity in patients with type 2 DM. Age, denture wearing, the disease duration, and the medical management of DM also correlated significantly with OHRQoL. Treating both the underlying disease and oral health comorbidities, such as xerostomia, seems to be essential for achieving a better OHRQoL in type 2 diabetic patients.

In-hospital mortality of COVID-19 in Iranian children and youth: A multi-centre retrospective cohort study.

Background: COVID-19 presents as a mild and less severe respiratory disease among children. However, it is still lethal and could lead to death in paediatric cases. The current study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of children and young people hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Qazvin-Iran. We also investigated the risk factors of death due to COVID-19 in paediatric cases. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study on 645 children and young people (ages 0-17) hospitalized since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cases were confirmed with positive results of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The data were retrieved from an electronic database of demographic, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics. Results: The median age of the admitted patients was 4.0 years, 33.6% were under 12 months old, and 53.0% were female. Fever, cough, nausea/vomiting, dyspnoea, and myalgia were the most common symptoms presented by 50.5%, 47.6%, 24.2%, and 23.0% of the patients, respectively. Overall, we observed 16 cases of death and the in-hospital fatality rate was 2.5%. We also found comorbidity as an independent risk factor of death (odds ratio (OR) = 3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2-12.1, P-value = 0.022). Finally, we observed an increased risk of death in patients with dyspnoea (OR = 11.0, 95% CI = 2.8-43.7). Conclusion: In-hospital mortality was relatively high in paediatric patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 in Iran. The risk of hospitalization, ICU admission, and death was higher among children with younger ages, underlying causes, and dyspnoea.

Effect of preparation design on marginal adaptation and fracture strength of ceramic occlusal veneers: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to investigate the effect of different preparation designs on the marginal fit and fracture strength of ceramic occlusal veneers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on the PICO question and the search terms, an electronic search was performed in Google Scholar, PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Science Direct, Wiley, Ovid, and SAGE for articles published up to July 2022. After including English in vitro studies that evaluated posterior ceramic occlusal overlays at the posterior with ceramic restorations by following the PRISMA statement, the extracted data was tabulated. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated. Risk of bias assessment was done independently by two authors using the modified MINORS scale. RESULTS: About 3138 search results were screened, of which 22 were selected due to their titles. Twenty-one full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Seventeen in-vitro studies were finalized for the extraction of quantitative data. All 17 articles had a low risk of bias and were retained. The influencing items for evaluating the research were different in most studies; therefore, qualitative synthesis of the results was feasible. They generally included preparation design, material thickness, depth of preparation in the tooth, internal divergence angle, and finish line. Meta-analysis was not done due to heterogeneity of preparation types and evaluation methods. Results revealed that fracture resistance of occlusal veneers is higher than normal mastication force, and it is sufficient to prepare the occlusal surface, use a self-etching primer for bonding, and an acceptable minimum ceramic thickness. The marginal discrepancy of occlusal veneers is clinically acceptable. However, this systematic review faces some limitations due to the lack of in vivo studies, different preparation designs in included studies, different follow-ups, and lack of comprehensive explanations in articles. CONCLUSIONS: The preparation design of occlusal veneers influences both marginal adaptation and fracture resistance. Various preparation designs are proven to have clinically acceptable fracture strength and marginal adaptation.