bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the London Atlas method with Cameriere's method of age estimation in South Indian children
Authors: Peedikayil Faizal C. , Chandran Sruthi , Kottayi Soni , Purakkal Aparna T. , Aravind Athira , John Seena
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

Age estimation is an essential component of forensic science where age is a factor. Dental age is regarded as a reliable, simple, and quick method of determining age in children. The London Atlas of human tooth development and eruption is a recently proposed age estimation method.

Aim:

The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the accuracy of the London Atlas of tooth Development with Cameriere's method of age estimation in relation to chronological age.

Materials and Methods:

Panoramic radiographs of 200 healthy individuals between 5 and 15 years were assessed using the simple sampling method. The chronological ages were recorded based on the data on the medical records. The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS software version 22.0 and expressed in terms of mean and standard deviation.

Results and Discussion:

The results show that there is no statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the data were obtained for London Atlas age estimation and Cameriere's method. The London Atlas method is easier in calculating as it is a software-based program.

Conclusions:

The London atlas method of age estimation is an accurate method of age estimation in the South Indian population.
Comparative evaluation of the sealing ability of custom adapted fiber posts and prefabricated fiber posts
Authors: Mezied Maha Sulaiman , Alsulaiman Nada , Alibrahim Haya , Aburaisi Dana , Alassiri Shahad , Alshawaf Sereen , Aburaisi Sarah
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

An intra-radicular post is often used to reinforce weakened endodontically treated teeth where the remaining tooth structure is incapable of supporting and maintaining the restoration and core material.

Aim:

To compare the micro-leakage of teeth restored with a custom adapted fiber post restored with composite resin and those with prefabricated fiber post in single rooted teeth.

Materials and Methods:

Thirty sound single rooted teeth were collected and decoronated then endodontically treated. Specimens were divided into two groups (n = 15), which were restored using Prefabricated Fiber Post Group 1 (control), and Custom Adapted Fiber Post group 2 (experimental). The posts were cemented using dual cure resin cement. The specimens were exposed to 1,500 thermal cyclic loads then immersed in 2% methylene blue dye for 48 hours. Afterwards, the specimens were sectioned longitudinally, and micro-leakage was measured using a digital microscope. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-Square test and Mann-Whitney U for post micro-leakage comparison (α = 0.05).

Results and Discussion:

Specimens relined using composite resin (Group 2) showed an overall greater number of micro-leakage than group 1 (control), however, the Chi-Square test showed that the differences were not statistically significant (Chi-Square =1.071, p=0.438) and the Mann-Whitney U test showed that there were no significant differences between the groups.

Conclusion:

No significant difference was found between the sealing ability between custom adapted fiber posts and prefabricated fiber posts. This gives rise to the freedom of choice for the practitioner as well as the patient in treatment planning and decision making.
Determination of clinical efficiency of pediatric rotary file systems for root canal preparation in primary molars - A comparative study
Authors: Babu K. L. Girish , Kavyashree G. , Doddamani Geeta Maruti
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

To meet the demand of pediatric endodontists, exclusive pediatric rotary file systems have been recently introduced by the manufactures. However, no study has been conducted to compare the clinical efficiency between pediatric rotary file systems.

Aim:

To determine the clinical efficiency (instrumentation time, obturation time, quality of obturation and postoperative pain) of two pediatric rotary file systems following the root canal preparation of primary molars.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 75 primary molars requiring pulpectomy were selected from children aged 4 to 7 years. These teeth were divided into three groups of 25 teeth each. In the first, second, and third groups, the cleaning and shaping of the root canals were carried out with Pedo-Flex pediatric rotary files (Group PF), Kedo-S pediatric rotary files (Group KS), and, manual nickel-titanium K-files (Group MF), respectively. Obturation was carried out with zinc oxide eugenol cement with an engine-driven Lentulo spiral. The instrumentation and obturation times were recorded. The quality of the root filling was radiographically assessed immediately after obturation. The postoperative pain was evaluated at time intervals of 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 h, and 1 week.

Results and Discussion:

The instrumentation and obturation times were significantly less with the use of pediatric rotary file systems compared to the manual file system. The quality of obturation was superior in the root canals instrumented with pediatric rotary file systems compared to manual files. There was decreased postoperative pain with the use of pediatric rotary file systems as compared to manual files. In all three groups, postoperative pain decreased over time. The optimally filled root canals showed a significant correlation with the absence of postoperative pain.

Conclusions:

The use of pediatric rotary file systems for root canal instrumentation of primary molars resulted in the superior quality of obturation in decreased instrumentation and obturating times with the least postoperative pain. The overfilled root canals were not associated with significant postoperative pain.
Mucormycosis, COVID-19, and immunosuppression – The three sides of similar triangle
Authors: Sharma Amit Kumar , Gupta Akshat , Singh Vijayata Jayprakash , Gabhane Chetna Kishor , Modi Mahek
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

More than two years into the COVID 19 pandemic, medical fraternity each day is facing renewed challenges. Mucormycosis has historically been prevalent in the various parts of world but did not had any diagnostic opportunity before the turn of 20th century. Immunosuppression in any form was always and will forever be the most important ingredients in this disease recipe. Minimally invasive diagnoses with aggressive antimicrobials in addition to the removal of immunosuppression factor are the golden standard of treatment, as oral and maxillofacial surgeons we acknowledge that surgical debridement and various other relatively newer adjunctive therapies have overall reduced the fatal outcomes for such a lethal disease.

Aim:

This review article focuses on gathering data in relation to immunosuppression due to whatsoever reason and pathogenesis, management, and chance of positive prognosis for patient suffering from mucormycosis . Including surgical and prosthetic options which ascertain descent quality of life for the patient.

Materials and Methods:

Existing data compilation including the latest research and co-relation of various types of immunosuppression as a nidus for mucormycosis, including the role of novel covid-19 from all relevant electronic databases.

Results:

Definite co-relation has been stablished for diabetes melitus and covid-19 and speculative co-relation for various types of malignancy and various conditions.

Discussion:

A strong immunity is an antagonist for mucormycosis, and new advances in field of medicine and surgery have changed the grim look of past where this disease had a 50% mortality rate.

Conclusion:

Existing literature supports immunosuppression in any form as a nidus for mucormycosis, still further, elaborate research and development is required for identifying the particular cocktail for different diseases process.
Evaluation of the cleaning efficacy of a normal toothbrush and a manual U shaped toothbrush in children aged 8–10 years: A randomized crossover trial
Authors: Padmanabh Shital Kiran Davangere , Gangurde Vishakha Bhausaheb
Published: September 2024

Background:

Plaque removal rates are influenced by toothbrush design as well as brushing methods.

Aim:

The study aimed to determine the efficacy of a manual U-shaped toothbrush when compared to a regular toothbrush in removing dental plaque from teeth in children aged 8–10 years.

Materials and Methods:

Our research included 40, 8–10-year-old children. Stage I included days 0–7, while Stage II covered days 8–15. A disclosing agent was used to identify and score the dental plaque. During Stage I of the study, Group I was given a regular toothbrush, and Group II was given a U-shaped toothbrush. During Stage II of the study, the cross-over of interventions was carried out. Loe-Silness gingival index and Turesky modification of the Quigley-Hein index were measured on the 8th and 16th day. Unpaired t-test/independent samples t-test were performed for comparison between the groups.

Results:

The intergroup evaluation of plaque scores on various surfaces between the two groups revealed statistically significant differences (P = 0.05) between the mean plaque scores at stage I on the labial surface (P = 0.001) and the lingual surface (P = 0.002) between the two groups. Comparing gingival health scores of various surfaces between the two groups, mesial, labial, distal, and lingual surfaces revealed statistically significant differences (P = 0.05) at stage II and lingual surfaces at stage I and stage II, respectively.

Conclusion:

The experimental U-shape toothbrush significantly reduced the extent of plaque on the lingual surfaces and improved the gingival index scores, which helped improve gingival health and oral hygiene.
Antimicrobial efficacy of superoxide water as an intracanal irrigant in primary anterior teeth against facultative anaerobes: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Chari Deepika Narasimha , Dave Bhavna Haresh
Published: September 2024

Background:

There is always a call for a search for an irrigating solution that can mask the disadvantages and simultaneously have antimicrobial action when used in root canals (RCs) at par with that of the most commonly used irrigants.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of superoxide water (SOW) to 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX-G) when used as RC irrigants in primary anterior teeth against facultative anaerobes.

Materials and Methods:

A triple-blinded randomized clinical trial was carried out among children between the age groups of 3 and 7 years. Sixty teeth were randomly grouped into three groups: Group I: 1% NaOCl irrigation, Group II: 2% CHX-G irrigation, and Group III: SOW. Pre- and postirrigation samples using the paper points were sent to the microbial laboratory for the culture. Chi-square analysis and analysis of variance were carried out to find the significance of study parameters on the categorical scale and between the groups, respectively.

Results:

All the three irrigating solutions showed a statistically significant reduction in the microbial count of facultative anaerobes when pre- and postirrigating samples were compared.

Conclusion:

All the three solutions had almost similar antimicrobial efficacy. SOW was found to have similar effects on facultative anaerobes as that of NaOCl. Hence, SOW can be used as an alternative to NaOCl in the pediatric population.
Influence of herbal medicine in periodontics
Authors: Aditya Vangara , Vandana Kharidhi Laxman
Published: September 2024

The nonsurgical treatment for periodontitis includes scaling and root planning and the use of antimicrobial agents. Patients with periodontitis are now being treated with supplementary antimicrobials as a result of a growing understanding of the infectious nature of periodontal diseases. The use of herbs in the treatment of periodontitis is growing as an adjunct to nonsurgical modes of treatment, either in single herb or polyherbal therapy.
Textiloma mimicking an intra-abdominal tumor
Authors: AlHarthi Mohammed , AlGhamdi Ibtihal Oudah , Aljiffry Murad
Published: September 2024

Textiloma is a pseudotumor arising from a nonabsorbable retained cotton matrix, incidentally left behind during surgery, which has triggered an inflammatory reaction. This study describes a case of intra-abdominal textiloma, which mimicked a small bowel tumor on preoperative assessment. A 24-year-old asymptomatic female patient, who had undergone open appendectomy at the age of 20, presented to our institution with incidental finding of a large solid mass in the small bowel, covered by the omentum. Abdominal computed tomography showed an enhanced tumoral mass occupying the right intraperitoneum. During the laparoscopic exploration, the tumor was identified attached to the small bowel loop; small bowel en bloc resection was performed. Pathology results were compatible with a piece of gauze surrounded by reactive changes adherent to the small bowel (textiloma). The patient had a good recovery, and postoperative follow-ups were uneventful. The case offers a medicolegal perspective of this not uncommon, yet avoidable, problem and assesses the difficulties of assigning the responsibility for its occurrence to surgical team members and operating room staff.
Exposure and perception of general surgery residents' toward robotic-assisted surgeries in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Yousef Zeyad , Marie Sarah , Gheshayan Sultanah Bin
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

Robotic surgery is one of the rapidly expanding technologies in the field of medicine. It has been implemented since 2000; and its use has expanded over the past years. Da Vinci system was first introduced to the Middle East in 2003 by Saudi Arabia; then over the following 15 years it was utilized by other gulf countries. With the expanding knowledge of this technology and the effectiveness of its utilization; formal training programs were introduced by many hospitals. However; there are no established credentialing standards or well-structured curriculum to provide this training in the gulf region.

Method:

This we aim to understand the perception of general surgery residents toward robotic surgery training in tertiary care centers in Riyadh; Saudi Arabia. An anonymous web based survey was conducted on general surgery residents enrolled in Saudi Commission for health specialties approved residency training hospitals in Riyadh.

Results:

50% of GS residents were involved in robotic assisted surgery which was significantly associated with the presence of robotic machines in their training centers (P0.025). Sixty Percent of residents who were involved in RAS did not receive a formal training prior to their participation, barely even a brief introduction.

Conclusion:

exposure and education about RAS at early training years showed that residents have better technical performance during their fellowship training. However, it should not the main focus of the training.
Influence of thickness difference on color change of contemporary Computer Aided Designing/Computer Aided Manufacturing glass-ceramic materials
Authors: El Shazely Ahmed A. , Kamel Mohamed S.M. , Hasnain Fatma A.
Published: September 2024

Purpose

To study the effect of thickness difference on color change of glass ceramic materials.

Patients and methods

Sixty three specimens were divided according to type of the material into three groups (n = 21) as follow Leucite based glass-ceramic (IPS Empress CAD), lithium disilicate based glass ceramic (IPS EMAX CAD), zirconia reinforced glass ceramic (celtra duo) and each group was further subdivided into three subgroups according to thickness (0.7, 1, 1.2 mm) seven each. The specimens were sawed by using linear precision saw, were square in shape and their dimension was 10 mm of length, 10 mm of width and three difference thicknesses (0.7, 1, 1.2 mm). The final thickness of specimens was confirmed with a digital caliper for standardization. Each group of specimens was finished according to its material manufacturer instruction, Cary 5000 Spectrophotometer provided from Agilent Technologies was used to measure color difference. One-way analysis of variance used to compare materials after glazing, multiple comparison Tukey test to compare each two materials.

Results

There was significant difference between all groups. At color width 0.7 and 1 mm, Celtra duo recorded the lowest color difference value while Empress recorded the highest color difference value. There was highly significant difference after glazing between materials where P value more than 0,001. At color width 0.7 and 1.2 mm, there was a highly significant difference after glazing between materials where P value is 0.001. Celtra duo showed the lowest color difference value while Emax and Empress showed equal values where P value more than 0.993. At color width 1 and 1.2 mm, Empress recorded the lowest color difference while Emax recorded the highest value. There was a highly significant difference between Emax versus Empress and Celtra duo versus Empress where P value was 0.001. On the other hand there was no significance recorded between Emax vs celtra duo where (P > 0.984).

Conclusion

Masking abilities of glass ceramic are affected by ceramic thicknesses, background colors. The masking ability of glass ceramics tends to improve with greater thickness, while translucency decreased.
Effect of aging on microhardness of nanocomposite compared to conventional resin-based pit and fissure sealants
Authors: Mahmoud Hossam M. , Sheta Mai S.
Published: September 2024

Aim

The aim of this in vitro study was to compare effect aging on microhardness of nanocomposite compared to conventional resin-based pit and fissure sealants.

Materials and methods

A total of 50 caries-free and intact permanent mandibular third molars were randomly divided into two groups (n = 25) according to the material used for pit and fissure sealants as follows: group I: flowable nanofilled composite (Polofil NHT flow). Group II: conventional resin-based fissure sealant Eco-S sealant. Each tooth was sectioned mesiodistally into two halves. One half was assigned to the immediate subgroup, and the other half was assigned to the aged subgroup by thermocycling. Vickers microhardness test was utilized to measure the microhardness of the different sealant materials immediately and after aging by thermocycling.

Result

The result of the study revealed that mean microhardness of nanofilled sealant before and after thermos-cycling was higher than that of conventional resin sealant.

Conclusion

Microhardness of nanofilled fissure sealant material not affected by aging with better mechanical properties.
Evaluation of local delivered platelet-rich fibrin versus Melatonin gel on the osseointegration of dental implant
Authors: Ismail Radwa M. , Ahmed Omneya E. , Abdel-Aziz Lobna M.
Published: September 2024

Background and aim

Dental implant is a dental treatment that allow oral rehabilitation for partial and fully edentulous patients. Osseointegration is the factor that control success or failure of dental implant that can be improved by addition of different adjunctive biological materials. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) membrane plays a significant role in tissue regeneration and wound healing. Melatonin (MNL) is biological hormone that secreted from pineal gland and played an important role in human growth.

Patients and methods

The present controlled clinical trial was carried out to evaluate one-stage dental implant with local application of MNL gel versus PRF membrane as a biomimetic material clinically and radiographically. 30 female patients with missing mandibular premolars- molar were randomized to receive 30 dental implants. Group A (10 patient) control group with dental implant only, group B (10 patient) test group with application of PRF membrane and group C (10 patient) test group with application of MNL gel. Patients were followed up at baseline (before implant placement to record both gingival thickness and bone density and immediately after implant placement to record marginal bone loss), 2 weeks, and 6 months.

Results

At 6 months follow up, there were significant improvement in gingival thickness and bone density in PRF membrane and MNL gel groups, while the preservation of marginal bone level loss was significant in MNL gel group than other two groups.

Conclusions

The current results shown that PRF membrane and MNL gel can be used to improve both hard and soft tissue around implant with increased efficiency of MNL regarding marginal bone loss.
Effective mandibular and maxillary base length in developing Class III malocclusions with high and low mandibular plane angles
Authors: Elhefnawy Mourad Shawky , AL-Shennawy Mahmoud Ibrahim , Ellaithy Mohammed M.
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Skeletal Class III is one of a complex sagittal interjaw relationship. It is the result of malrelation in sagittal position of one or both jaw bones or disproportionate ratio of their length.

Objective

This study was carried out to assess the effective mandibular and maxillary bases length in developing Class III malocclusion with high and low mandibular plane angles.

Materials and methods

Cross-sectional study was carried out on a selected sample of 75 lateral cephalometric radiographs of orthodontic patients of both sexes with age ranged from 6 to 12 years old. They were divided into three equal groups. Group 1: normal ANB and mandibular plane angles as a control group, group 2: skeletal Class III with low mandibular plane angles, and group 3: skeletal Class III with high mandibular plane angles. The sample was collected from patient record files at the clinic of the Orthodontic Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University, Egypt.

Results

A statistically significant difference was found in the effective maxillary length between group 1 and group 2 and 3. While effective mandibular length showed no statistically significant differences between the three groups.

Conclusion

Short maxillary base length is the main etiological factor for skeletal Class III malocclusion. While prominent mandibular base length has minimal effect in development of skeletal Class III malocclusion.
Remineralization potential, hardness and color change of artificially demineralized enamel treated with grape seed extract gel and restored with resin infiltration
Authors: El Gendi Huda A. A. , Abouraya Nehal L.
Published: September 2024

Aim

This research aimed to evaluate the remineralization potential, hardness and color change of teeth restored with resin infiltration versus comparators that were pretreated with grape seed extract (GSE) gel before resin infiltration.

Methods

Thirty-six teeth samples were artificially demineralized. The samples were randomly assigned to two groups: group 1: teeth restored with resin infiltration material (Icon) and group 2: teeth pretreated with GSE gel before resin infiltration with Icon. A scanning electron microscope was used to examine teeth samples before and after demineralization and after restoration. Energy dispersive radiograph analysis was employed to analyze the calcium and phosphorus weight percent of samples before and after restoration to detect remineralization. Both groups were subjected to a hardness test using a Vickers microhardness tester. Color change after the restoration of the two groups was detected using a spectrophotometer after 1 day and 1 month of immersion in deionized water.

Results

Group 2 exhibited occlusion of defect microporosity with a more uniform surface compared to group 1. Group 2 had significantly higher calcium weight %. Both groups showed significant improvement in hardness but a nonsignificant mean difference between the two groups. Color change after 1 day and 1 month were significant for both groups but ΔE values after 1 month are within the clinically acceptable range for a color change compared to intact enamel.

Conclusion

Pretreatment of artificially demineralized enamel with GSE gel before resin infiltration is a promising procedure that can bridge the gap between the noninvasive and minimally invasive treatment of white spot lesions.
The first case report of subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused by Dirofilaria repens in Thailand
Authors: Thongpiya Jerapas , Kreetitamrong Suchada , Thongsit Theerasak , Toothong Tanaporn , Rojanapanus Sunsanee , Sarasombath Patsharaporn Techasintana
Published: September 2024

Dirofilariasis is a rare zoonotic disease which is commonly caused by two Dirofilaria species; Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens. Humans are accidental dead-end hosts of the parasites, and the infection is mainly asymptomatic. Here, we report the case of a 54-year-old Thai woman who experienced a painful left shoulder nodule and eosinophilia for 1 month. An excisional biopsy of the nodule revealed a degenerated filarial nematode compatible with adult females of the Dirofilaria species. Molecular identification of the partial 12 mt rRNA gene of the worm confirmed that the causative species was D. repens, a zoonotic filariasis that causes subcutaneous dirofilariasis in dogs and cats. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first reported case of subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused by D. repens in Thailand. This increased concerns about zoonotic filariasis from natural animal reservoirs in Thailand.
Proposed morbidity markers among Schistosoma mansoni patients
Authors: Shehab Amel Youssef , Allam Amal Farahat , Saad Awad Abd El Kader , Osman Mervat Mostafa , Ibrahim Heba Said , Moneer Esraa Abdelhamid , Tolba Mona Mohamed
Published: September 2024

Background:

Fecal calprotectin (FC) and fecal occult blood (FOB) were suggested as potential inflammatory markers for assessing intestinal schistosomiasis morbidity that are conventionally detected through invasive methods.

Aim and Objectives:

The present work aimed to evaluate FC and FOB as morbidity markers of Schistosoma mansoni infection before and after praziquantel treatment.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 205 stool samples (117 schoolchildren and 88 adults) were collected and examined by Kato Katz. A questionnaire enquiring about diarrhea, history of blood in stool, and abdominal pain was designed and applied.

Results:

S. mansoni prevalence rates were 20.5% and 11.36% among children and adults, respectively; the majority of cases had light infection intensity. FC and FOB were studied among 25 cured S. mansoni cases (17 children and 8 adults) pre and one-month post treatment. Before treatment, six and four children of moderate and high S. mansoni infection intensity tested positive for FC and FOB, respectively, all turning negative after treatment. FC showed borderline statistical significance before and after treatment among children. However, all adults tested negative for FC and FOB.

Conclusion:

FC and FOB could be possibly used as morbidity monitoring tools for S. mansoni infection in children with moderate and high infection intensity.
The Videourodynamic Characteristics of Patients with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury with Different Injury Levels and Bladder Conditions
Authors: Chang Tien-Lin , Kuo Hann-Chorng
Published: September 2024

Purpose:

This study aimed to analyze the association between bladder conditions and Neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) characteristics in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with different injury levels using a videourodynamic study (VUDS).

Materials and Methods:

A single-center, retrospective review of the VUDS database on patients with NLUTD and chronic SCI from 1997 to 2020. A total of 507 patients were enrolled. All patients had a comprehensive chart review, including the injury level, period from diagnosis to VUDS, and VUDS characteristics.

Results:

The mean age and duration from SCI diagnosis to VUDS were 44.2 ± 15.7 years and 81.8 ± 89.0 months. Detrusor overactivity (DO) was observed in 67.7% of patients and detrusor underactivity (DU) in 26.0%. Bladder outlet obstruction was noted in 78.3% of patients, including detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (DSD) in 53.3% and bladder neck dysfunction in 25.0%. DO and DSD were more commonly observed in patients with suprasacral lesions (P = 0.000 and P = 0.000, respectively), whereas DU had a higher prevalence in patients with lumbar or sacral lesions (P = 0.000). No statistically significant difference was observed in the prevalence of vesicoureteral reflux among different SCI levels. Bladder sensation parameters were more preserved in patients with cervical SCI than in those with lumbar SCI; however, no significant difference in bladder compliance was observed among patients with different SCI levels.

Conclusion:

The VUDS in patients with SCI revealed a high prevalence of DO, DU, and DSD, which varied among different injury levels. A precise VUDS is necessary for deciding bladder management for patients with SCI and voiding dysfunction.
Who should be screened for colorectal cancer and how can it be prevented more effectively?
Authors: Wang You-Xiang , Wang Kai-Juan
Published: September 2024

In this editorial, we comment on the article published by Agatsuma et al in a recent issue of the World J Gastroenterol (2024; 30: 1368-1376). We firmly concur with Agatsuma et al regarding the vital significance of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening as a public health strategy to diminish disease burden. Individuals exposed to risk factors for CRC, those with comorbid conditions, and those with limited health literacy should undergo screening. However, we believe that more regular screenings should be accompanied by a greater focus on primary prevention (PP) of CRC. CRC remains a significant global health challenge, and its incidence is strongly linked to age, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors. It is particularly noteworthy that the majority of CRC patients are diagnosed outside of established screening pathways and frequently at an advanced stage of the disease, and the majority of patients possess inadequate or even nonexistent knowledge regarding CRC, which significantly impacts the prognosis and imposes a substantial economic burden. This study revealed that CRC identified during hospital visits for comorbid conditions was typically diagnosed at an earlier stage than detected via symptomatic pathways. Remarkably, early incidental detection of CRC aligns closely with the timing of discovery through routine cancer screenings. This suggests that by adopting more inclusive screening protocols that combine opportunistic testing with traditional screening methods, health care systems can create a more comprehensive safety net for individuals at risk of CRC. However, before maximizing the health benefits of screening programs, it is essential to make additional efforts prior to screening, such as raising awareness via public education, risk assessment, and personalized recommendations, enhancing the knowledge and skills of health care professionals, optimizing the accessibility and convenience of screening processes, ensuring the quality and safety of screening services, strengthening follow-up and support systems, and providing policy support and financial investment. The establishment of a comprehensive screening system often requires substantial investment in human, material, and financial resources, which can be challenging to achieve in regions with limited health care resources. Strengthening PP strategies can reduce the disease burden by targeting the cause, representing a more cost-effective and impactful approach. Establishing a comprehensive cancer PP service platform that integrates authoritative public education on malignant tumor PP, individualized malignant tumor risk assessment, and self-health management assistance accessible to the entire population will significantly enhance the overall effectiveness of CRC PP strategies.
Postoperative delirium: A tragedy for elderly cancer patients
Authors: Arun Oguzhan , Arun Funda
Published: September 2024

In this editorial, we comment on the article by Hu et al entitled “Predictive modeling for postoperative delirium in elderly patients with abdominal malignancies using synthetic minority oversampling technique”. We wanted to draw attention to the general features of postoperative delirium (POD) as well as the areas where there are uncertainties and contradictions. POD can be defined as acute neurocognitive dysfunction that occurs in the first week after surgery. It is a severe postoperative complication, especially for elderly oncology patients. Although the underlying pathophysiological mechanism is not fully understood, various neuroinflammatory mechanisms and neurotransmitters are thought to be involved. Various assessment scales and diagnostic methods have been proposed for the early diagnosis of POD. As delirium is considered a preventable clinical entity in about half of the cases, various early prediction models developed with the support of machine learning have recently become a hot scientific topic. Unfortunately, a model with high sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of POD has not yet been reported. This situation reveals that all health personnel who provide health care services to elderly patients should approach patients with a high level of awareness in the perioperative period regarding POD.
Erythropoietin-induced hepatocyte receptor A2 regulates effect of pyroptosis on gastrointestinal colorectal cancer occurrence and metastasis resistance
Authors: Zhang Yu-Kun , Shi Ran , Meng Ruo-Yu , Lin Shui-Li , Zheng Mei
Published: September 2024

Erythropoietin-induced hepatocyte receptor A2 (EphA2) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a key role in the development and progression of a variety of tumors. This article reviews the expression of EphA2 in gastrointestinal (GI) colorectal cancer (CRC) and its regulation of pyroptosis. Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death that plays an important role in tumor suppression. Studies have shown that EphA2 regulates pyrodeath through various signaling pathways, affecting the occurrence, development and metastasis of GI CRC. The overexpression of EphA2 is closely related to the aggressiveness and metastasis of GI CRC, and the inhibition of EphA2 can induce pyrodeath and improve the sensitivity of cancer cells to treatment. In addition, EphA2 regulates intercellular communication and the microenvironment through interactions with other cytokines and receptors, further influencing cancer progression. The role of EphA2 in GI CRC and its underlying mechanisms provide us with new perspectives and potential therapeutic targets, which have important implications for future cancer treatment.
An analysis of the meaning constructed by woman gaze through cinematic instruments in Yeşim Ustaoğlu’s film Clair Obscur (2016)
Authors: Uğuz Beril
Published: September 2024

Although the woman gaze concept in cinema has not yet been clearly defined in the academic literature, it refers to the gaze, perspective, voice, subjectivity, experiences, and inner world of the woman director and the woman character. The aim of this study is to contribute to the definition of this concept by investigating the tools through which meaning is constructed via the woman gaze in cinema. To this end, the film Clair Obscur (Tereddüt, 2016), directed by Yeşim Ustaoğlu, which focuses on the viewpoints, and experiences of women characters, is examined through textual film analysis with a holistic approach. According to the findings, in Clair Obscur, the subjectivities of women characters are prioritized through different cinematographic, editing, and mise-en-scène tools. The film distinguishes itself from mainstream cinema codes with its disturbing thematic narrative. Consequently a definition for the construction of meaning through the woman gaze in cinema can be mentioned.
Manualized Occupational Therapy Intervention for Children and Adolescents with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Authors:   , McMahon Adam
Published: September 2024

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children can cause physiological and psychological reactions that can lead to impaired executive functioning and self-regulation skills that interfere with occupational engagement. Occupational Therapy (OT) utilizes an occupational perspective to treat children with PTSD. However, there is an absence of a manualized OT intervention in the literature that incorporates an occupation-based approach, utilizes graded occupation as the primary intervention, and tracks treatment progress and outcomes. The purpose of this capstone project was to create a manualized OT intervention protocol for OT practitioners to treat children with PTSD guided by the model of human occupation and evidenced-based principles of behavioral activation therapy. The manualized OT intervention was created in two parts. Part one includes five sections of background information for OT practitioners to inform efficient implementation of the protocol. Part two includes 13 treatment sessions that incorporate the essential components of the OT process to treat children with PTSD. The manualized OT treatment protocol will allow OT practitioners to consistently treat children with PTSD and to study the efficacy of the protocol.
The Investigation of a Nelsonian Approach to Socratic Dialogue with Student-Teachers at a Midwestern Private University
Authors: Giuseffi Francesco
Published: September 2024

Student-teachers must be afforded opportunities to seek guidance on challenges that arise during teaching experiences, such as addressing student behavior, creating meaningful lessons, and fostering open and welcoming learning environments. Student-teachers can undergo negative experiences, which can lead to frustration, anger, and lack of interest in the profession. One way to address these challenges is through dialogue (Kumar & Downey, 2018). In this qualitative study, the researcher investigated whether a nuanced version of the Socratic method, developed by Leonard Nelson (1882-1927), can be an efficacious instructional strategy for finding solutions to student-teachers’ classroom challenges. The research study consisted of five undergraduate students enrolled in a student teaching seminar at a private midwestern university. The course prepared students for roles as new teachers by reading, discussing, and sharing challenges about teaching. Both the researcher and research participants worked together to faithfully follow the essential steps of a Nelsonian Socratic method approach. Once the preparation was settled, the researcher, as the external analyst, facilitated a Nelsonian Socratic dialogue with the student-teachers on a specific challenge a student teacher within the group was facing. After the dialogue, participants were assembled in a focus group and asked several questions about their experiences participating in a Nelsonian Socratic dialogue. Descriptive, categorical, and analytical coding of data indicated that participants reached consensus on a solution for the student-teacher’s challenge and perceived the Nelsonian Socratic method approach as an effective dialogic strategy that generated feelings of belongingness and empowerment as a group, a shared understanding about the challenge, and a healthy respect for dialogue.
Reconstructing S-Boxes from Cryptographic Tables with Milp
Authors: Rohit Raghvendra , Sarkar Sumanta
Published: September 2024

Reconstructing an S-box from a cryptographic table such as difference distribution table (DDT), linear approximation table (LAT), differential-linear connectivity table (DLCT) or boomerang connectivity table (BCT) is one of the fundamental problems in symmetric-key cryptography. Till now, there are only very few known methods which can reconstruct an S-box from a given table: guess-and-determine algorithms of Boura et al. (DCC 2019) and Tian et al. (DCC 2020), sign determination algorithm of Dunkelman et al. (ToSC 2019) and STP based approach of Lu et al. (DCC 2022). In this paper we consider the reconstruction problem in an even more challenging setup where one needs to reconstruct S-boxes from a partial cryptographic table. We are able to reconstruct S-boxes when only a few number of rows of a cryptographic table is given. This problem has never been studied in the literature. We apply mixed integer linear programming (MILP) as the key tool for solving this problem. Needless to say that we can solve the reconstruction problem when the full table is given and this is the first ever application of MILP tool in solving such fundamental problems. As a further application of our method, we provide the generic MILP models which can search for S-boxes with a given cryptographic property such as differential uniformity, linearity, differential-linear uniformity or boomerang uniformity. Additionally, our method can recover a Boolean function from a given Walsh spectrum or a Boolean function with a given nonlinearity. We also introduce a new heuristic called Optimistic MILP objective that guides the model towards obtaining multiple S-boxes or Boolean functions with the same cryptographic property. We give detailed experimental results for up to 6-bit S-boxes showing the effectiveness of our technique.
Addendum to Classification of All t-Resilient Boolean Functions with t + 4 Variables
Authors: Rasoolzadeh Shahram
Published: September 2024

In ToSC 2023(3), Rasoolzadeh presented an algorithm for classifying (n−m)-resilient Boolean functions with n variables, up to extended variable-permutation equivalence, for a small given positive integer m and any positive integer n with n ≥ m. By applying this algorithm along with several speed-up techniques, he classified n-variable (n − 4)-resilient Boolean functions up to equivalence for any n ≥ 4. However, for m = 5, due to the large number of representative functions, he was unable to classify n-variable (n − 5)-resilient Boolean functions for n > 6.In this work, we apply this algorithm together with a technique to restrict the ANF degree to classify quadratic and cubic (n − 5)-resilient Boolean functions with n variables, up to the same equivalence. We show that there are only 131 quadratic representative functions for any n ≥ 8. Additionally, we show that there are 359 078 cubic representative functions for any n ≥ 14.
Adaptation of logistics managers' competency models to industry 5.0 challenges
Authors: Hryhorak Mariya , Pichugina Marina
Published: September 2024

Radical geopolitical and geoeconomic transformations in the global economy are disrupting established economic ties and traditional routes of global commodity movement. Rapid technological changes, accelerated development of e-commerce, omnichannel strategies, and the sharing economy have contributed to increased demand for automation, robotization, and digitalization of logistics activities and supply chain management. These factors prompt the renewal and adaptation of the competencies set for logistics managers and, consequently, academic educational programs. The aim of the conducted research was to identify the impact of Industry 5.0 on the formation of the logistics personnel competency system, and to develop a new competency model considering rapid changes in technology, market conditions, consumer sentiments, and the regulatory environment. The research methodology combines theoretical analysis (theoretical generalization, analysis and synthesis, comparison, and grouping) with empirical research. As a result, existing and future trends in the logistics industry development were summarized, a comparative analysis of the competencies of logistics managers and engineers was conducted, and a tendency for their convergence under the influence of the transition from Industry 4.0 to 5.0 was identified. The developed comprehensive competency model for logistics managers in the context of Industry 5.0 allowed for improving the content and structure of the "Logistics" educational program at the National Technical University of Ukraine, determining the ratio between general and professional skills, the set of necessary tools and technologies required for developing and implementing logistics solutions, stimulating students to improve their knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as orienting them towards effective professional activity in the future. Future research is reasonable to focus on evaluating new technological courses' effectiveness, developing interdisciplinary teaching methods, integrating practical experience, incorporating sustainability and social responsibility, and creating innovative assessment techniques to ensure curricula meet evolving labor market demands and prepare students for real-world challenges and new Industry 5.0 requirements.
The Second Karabakh War and the Dynamics of Relations Between the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation
Authors: Vardazaryan Marut
Published: September 2024

The article examines the dynamics of development of relations between Armenia and Russia after the Second Karabakh War. Armenian-Russian relations are considered in the context of a comparative analysis of regional processes. In the context of the cooling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russia managed to implement a key policy of containment, as well as maneuver between Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, this policy became ineffective when Turkey actively intervened in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
The article analyzes the factors that negatively influenced the revision of Russian foreign policy to the detriment of Armenia. The article substantiates the hypothesis that Russia was able to stop military operations in the Second Karabakh war in time to prevent the strengthening of Turkish influence in Azerbaijan. From the point of view of Russian interests, the most effective way to solve this problem was to deepen relations with Azerbaijan through a strategic alliance at the expense of Armenia.
Neoclassical Realism and Armenia’s International Orientation: An Attempt to Determine Patterns or Mechanisms of their Application?
Authors: Korinteli Dachi
Published: September 2024

The article examines neoclassical realism and Armenia’s international orientation as one of the directions in the transformation of the theory of international relations of small states. In this article, neoclassical realism is analyzed from the point of view of subjective aspects of policy formation and the influence of domestic political features of a small state on its foreign policy. Taking into account that neoclassical realism is a completely independent development of neorealism with a complementary elemental level of analysis of international politics. In terms of content, neoclassical realism of Armenia clarifies such concepts as resilience, national security, balance of power, balancing policy and others. The neoclassical model of Armenia’s foreign policy as a small state allows us to study the conditions under which great powers and small states deviate from the policy of balancing. From this point of view, the article proposes to analyze international politics through the prism of a global rollback to state-centric politics. The article takes into account that globalization presents new challenges for small countries such as Armenia, which risks being marginalized as a result of the restructuring of both global and regional economic relations.