Effect of a centric stabilization splint on masticatory muscles in patients with temporomandibular disorders: An electromyographic study.

AIM: Occlusal splint treatment is commonly used to treat a variety of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), with efficacy ranging between 70% and 90%. Centric splints are effective in relieving muscular soreness in individuals with TMD. Electromyography (EMG) quantifies muscle activity and can be used as an accessory diagnostic tool to evaluate the efficiency of the splint on the masticatory complex. Electromyography is used for assessing patients with TMD and observing muscle electromyography. TMD patients have altered electromyographic (EMG) masticatory muscle activity because of its change in electrical activity index or because of the compensatory mechanism for the disorder. Therefore, this study serves to evaluate the efficacy of the centric stabilization splint on TMD using EMG. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This cross-sectional study enrolled Ten TMD Patients with TMD, who underwent treatment with centric stabilization splint. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved ten young adults with TMD aged 18-45 years who were recruited without regard to sex, religion, caste, or socioeconomic background. The participants were randomized to receive a flat-contact upper stabilization splint and pregelled EMG electrodes to assess the immediate impact of centric splints on TMDs. After 3 months of follow-up, muscle activity and muscle symmetrical activity were measured to assess improvement in the symptoms of TMD. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess the normality of the variables' distribution using SPSS 26.0. Symmetrical activity and treatment response were investigated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: It showed an improvement in the temporalis, masseter, and sternocleidomastoid muscles' resting EMG activity. A statistically significant improvement was seen in the EMG activity of the bilateral temporalis, right masseter, right sternocleidomastoid, and left digastric muscles while clenching. The masseter, sternocleidomastoid, and digastric muscles all displayed significantly enhanced symmetrical activity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This research concludes that a centric stabilizing splint assists in relieving TMD symptoms. There was enhanced masticatory muscle activity both at rest and during function. Furthermore, there was an improvement in symmetrical activity of the masticatory muscles, which improved balance and enhanced the effective functioning of the masticatory complex.

Enzymatic and biochemical properties of lens in age-related cataract versus diabetic cataract: A narrative review.

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. There is an increased incidence of cataract formation in the diabetic population due to several factors. Diabetes mellitus accelerates the development of cataract. Oxidative stress results in most of the diabetic complications including diabetic cataract. Oxidative stress leading to the expression of various enzymes has also been proven as crucial for cataractous changes in the lens in old age. A narrative review was undertaken to investigate the expression of different biochemical parameters as well as enzymes in diabetic and senile cataracts. Identification of these parameters is crucial for the prevention and treatment of blindness. Combinations of MeSH terms and key words were used to do literature search in PubMed. The search resulted 35 articles and among them, 13 were relevant to the topic and were included in synthesis of results. Seventeen different types of enzymes were identified in the senile and diabetic cataracts. Seven biochemical parameters were also identified. Alteration in biochemical parameters and expression of enzymes were comparable. Majority of the parameters were raised or altered in diabetic cataract compared to senile cataract.

Development and Validation of a Questionnaire to Evaluate Workplace Violence in Healthcare Settings.

Introduction This study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess workplace violence (WPV) domains in the healthcare setting. Methods  The study used a mixed-method design. In Phase 1, qualitative methods for developing the questionnaire were employed, including literature review, focus-group discussion, expert evaluation, and pre-testing. During Phase 2, quantitative methods were employed for establishing the construct validity of the questionnaire. In Phase 1, experts from departments like emergency medicine, medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, trauma, anesthesia, and critical care unit participated. For Phase 2, data were collected from 213 participants; mean age (30.48±5.95) in metropolitan cities. Results The questionnaire consists of 37 items in five domains: (A) Forms of violence, (B) Impact of violent incidences, (C) Reporting of incidence, (D) Mitigation strategies, and (E) Risk factors. The Cronbach's alpha value of the questionnaire is 0.86, suggesting an excellent internal consistency. Conclusion A reliable and valid tool for gathering information regarding WPV in the healthcare system from around the world has been developed. The tool can be used to study the elements that may contribute to violence and its consequences, which will help policymakers curate various mitigation methods to safeguard WPV victims.

Oral Administration and Detection of a Near-Infrared Molecular Imaging Agent in an Orthotopic Mouse Model for Breast Cancer Screening.

Molecular imaging is advantageous for screening diseases such as breast cancer by providing precise spatial information on disease-associated biomarkers, something neither blood tests nor anatomical imaging can achieve. However, the high cost and risks of ionizing radiation for several molecular imaging modalities have prevented a feasible and scalable approach for screening. Clinical studies have demonstrated the ability to detect breast tumors using nonspecific probes such as indocyanine green, but the lack of molecular information and required intravenous contrast agent does not provide a significant benefit over current noninvasive imaging techniques. Here we demonstrate that negatively charged sulfate groups, commonly used to improve solubility of near-infrared fluorophores, enable sufficient oral absorption and targeting of fluorescent molecular imaging agents for completely noninvasive detection of diseased tissue such as breast cancer. These functional groups improve the pharmacokinetic properties of affinity ligands to achieve targeting efficiencies compatible with clinical imaging devices using safe, nonionizing radiation (near-infrared light). Together, this enables development of a "disease screening pill" capable of oral absorption and systemic availability, target binding, background clearance, and imaging at clinically relevant depths for breast cancer screening. This approach should be adaptable to other molecular targets and diseases for use as a new class of screening agents.

Synthesis and evaluation of MR probes for targeted-reporter imaging.

Visualizing disease heterogeneity remains a challenging task since most imaging agents are targeted to a single receptor. We describe the development of an MR platform able to report on multiple molecular events. Enzyme activation and enhanced cellular uptake of this modular probe make it suitable for subsequent targeted-reporter imaging applications.

New calcium-selective smart contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging.

Calcium plays a vital role in the human body and especially in the central nervous system. Precise maintenance of Ca(2+) levels is very crucial for normal cell physiology and health. The deregulation of calcium homeostasis can lead to neuronal cell death and brain damage. To study this functional role played by Ca(2+) in the brain noninvasively by using magnetic resonance imaging, we have synthesized a new set of Ca(2+) -sensitive smart contrast agents (CAs). The agents were found to be highly selective to Ca(2+) in the presence of other competitive anions and cations in buffer and in physiological fluids. The structure of CAs comprises Gd(3+)-DO3A (DO3A=1,4,7-tris(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) coupled to a Ca(2+) chelator o-amino phenol-N,N,O-triacetate (APTRA). The agents are designed to sense Ca(2+) present in extracellular fluid of the brain where its concentration is relatively high, that is, 1.2-0.8 mM. The determined dissociation constant of the CAs to Ca(2+) falls in the range required to sense and report changes in extracellular Ca(2+) levels followed by an increase in neural activity. In buffer, with the addition of Ca(2+) the increase in relaxivity ranged from 100-157%, the highest ever known for any T1-based Ca(2+)-sensitive smart CA. The CAs were analyzed extensively by the measurement of luminescence lifetime measurement on Tb(3+) analogues, nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD), and (17)O NMR transverse relaxation and shift experiments. The results obtained confirmed that the large relaxivity enhancement observed upon Ca(2+) addition is due to the increase of the hydration state of the complexes together with the slowing down of the molecular rotation and the retention of a significant contribution of the water molecules of the second sphere of hydration.