Average Intensity Level Research Articles

Effectiveness of Medical Massage in Reducing Neck Pain Among Multiple Occupational Groups: A Longitudinal Study.

Neck pain is a common complaint affecting people across various professions, especially those involving prolonged sedentary activities. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of medical massage in reducing neck pain among diverse occupational groups in North Macedonia over a 3-year period (2019-2022). A total of 127 participants from various professions such as information technology professionals, bank accountants, textile workers, business sector employees, and secretaries were subjected to one or two massages per month. Pain intensity was measured using a numerical rating scale at the start and throughout the study. The statistical methods in this research study included descriptive statistics for summarizing demographic data, comparative analyses to assess the effectiveness of massage therapy on pain reduction, and inferential statistics to determine significance levels and correlations within the data. At the beginning of the study, participants reported an average pain intensity level of 7 on a numerical rating scale from 1 to 10. Over the study period, consistent massage therapy led to a significant reduction in neck pain, with participants reporting an average pain level of 2 in the final months. Crucially, the research revealed that discontinuation of massage sessions, as observed in a subset of respondents who abstained for approximately 4 months, resulted in an escalation of pain intensity. This finding draws attention to the importance of regular massage therapy in sustaining pain relief benefits. The study's outcomes focus on the effectiveness of medical massage in managing neck pain across various occupational backgrounds. This research provides valuable perception in the potential long-term benefits of massage therapy, accenting the need for continued treatment to maintain pain relief among people exposed to neck and back pain. These findings offer essential guidance to healthcare professionals and individuals seeking non-pharmacological interventions for chronic neck pain management.

Liposomal bupivacaine in transversus abdominis plane blocks for lower abdominal surgery.

Transversus abdominis plane blocks are an established method of postoperative analgesia for abdominopelvic surgeries. Liposomal bupivacaine is an extended-release formulation of bupivacaine providing up to 72 h of analgesia. This study aims to determine if transversus abdominis plane blocks performed with liposomal bupivacaine are associated with reduced opioid consumption and level of pain intensity compared to conventional bupivacaine in patients undergoing lower abdominal surgery. This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single institution between December 2020 and December 2021. After institutional review board approval, we identified patients who underwent lower abdominopelvic surgery with transversus abdominis plane blocks done with liposomal or conventional bupivacaine and collected demographic, clinical, and procedural information for analysis. We compared total opioid consumption over 72-h postoperatively in milligram morphine equivalents (MME), frequency of opioid utilization, and average level of pain intensity between groups. These outcomes were also evaluated after adjusting for covariates. Data were presented as mean ± SD, median [IQR] or frequency (%), as appropriate; p < 0.05 was accepted as significant. A total of 178 patients met inclusion criteria, with 79 patients receiving an admixture of liposomal bupivacaine and conventional bupivacaine and 99 patients receiving conventional bupivacaine. The liposomal bupivacaine group had a median opioid consumption 72-h postoperatively of 47.5 [18-91.8] MME compared to 88 [43.8-160] MME in the conventional bupivacaine group, p = 0.045. Differences in opioid consumption between the groups did not reach statistical significance after adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics, p = 0.11. There was no significant difference in frequency of opioid use or average pain intensity. Transversus abdominis plane blocks using an admixture of liposomal bupivacaine conventional bupivacaine are not associated with decreased opioid consumption or reduced pain up to 72 h following elective abdominopelvic surgery.

Greening the belt and road: How GVCs revolutionize carbon intensity in participating countries?

As a critical link between production and carbon transfers, Global value chains (GVCs) increasingly support the green industrial transformation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. Based on the theoretical analyses, this study estimates the impact of GVCs participation on carbon intensity using the panel data in 22 BRI countries of 40 industries during 2000–2019, it also distinguishes the effects of national-industrial-ownership heterogeneity and clarifies the influence paths. The main findings are: (1) The average carbon intensity level presents a downward trend, and the GVCs position improved gradually recently after a long term decline before 2014 in fluctuation. Both behave differently when distinguishing participants at the country-industry-ownership dimensions. (2) GVCs position has a robust and negative correlation with carbon intensity. (3) At the national scale, developing countries and Annex I countries in the Kyoto Protocol benefit more from GVCs position upgrading in carbon reduction. At the industrial level, increase in GVCs position has significant carbon mitigation effects on agriculture and manufacture (labor and capital intensive) industries, while not significant in service (technology intensive) industries. Considering firm ownership, domestic firms could realize more carbon reduction through GVCs position revolution, while it's not significant for multinational enterprises. (4) From mechanism analyses, the suppression of carbon intensity by GVC upgrading is mainly exerted through its impact on improving capital and labor efficiencies. Policy implications on carbon intensity reduction are finally suggested.

Daily Pain Experiences in Chronic Pancreatitis: Identifying Pain Phenotypes.

Pain, the hallmark symptom of chronic pancreatitis (CP), remains difficult to assess. To capture the variability of pain that patients can experience day to day, this study used pain diaries to describe daily pain experiences and identify pain phenotypes. This study is a secondary data analysis from a pilot trial examining cognitive behavioral therapy for pain treatment in CP. Before treatment, patients completed an online daily pain diary using the Brief Pain Inventory for 7 days. Using indicators of pain magnitude, pain variability, pain synchrony along with least, worst, and average pain intensity levels, we identified pain patterns using K-means clustering. Of 30 patients in the pilot trial, a total of 27 patients (mean age of 49.8 years, 80% women) had complete data to include in this report. Four clusters were identified: cluster 1, lowest pain magnitude (n = 3); cluster 2, moderate pain magnitude and high pain variability (n = 4); cluster 3, moderate pain magnitude and low pain variability (n = 9); and cluster 4, highest pain magnitude and lowest pain variability (n = 11). Daily pain diaries offer a novel way of evaluating the dynamic pain experiences in CP. Although 4 distinct pain patterns were identified, further studies are needed to validate these findings.

Characteristics of Tooth Damage by a Carious Process Among Military Personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Introduction. The specific conditions of life and combat activity of the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine affect the course of pathological processes of the dentition, require appropriate methods of prevention and treatment.&#x0D; The aim of the research was to analyze the assessment of the intensity of the carious process among the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.&#x0D; Methods. To conduct the study, a survey of 348 military personnel of the Ternopil zonal department of the Military Law Enforcement Service was conducted, who underwent a clinical examination in order to identify damage to the teeth by a carious process. The intensity of caries was determined according to the CFE index. Statistical processing of the data obtained during the study was performed using licensed statistical analysis package Microsoft Excel.&#x0D; Results. In military personnel aged 20-25, 26-30, 31-35, the CFE index corresponds to a low level of intensity of the carious process. In the age groups of 36-40, 41-45, there is an increase in the level of the CFE indicator. In general, in groups, the value of the CFE index varies from (8.46±1.24) in the age group of 36-40 years to (12.0±2.10) in the age group of 41-45 years, which corresponds to the average level of intensity of the carious process.&#x0D; Conclusions. Indicators of the intensity of the carious process correspond to the average level and tend to increase in military personnel of all age groups.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Peculiarities of the state of the hard tissue of the temporary teeth in 6-years-old children

Literary data show that caries is the most common dental nosology in the world. After conducting epidemiological studies of our region, we established a high incidence of caries in children aged 6 according to WHO criteria. In this regard, we set ourselves the aim of assessing the peculiarities of the state of hard tissues of temporary teeth in children living in different regions of Bukovyna. To solve the aim, we examined 306 children in 13 schools of the Chernivtsi region. The following observation groups were selected: Group I – 93 children aged 6 years living in Vyzhnytskyi District, Group II – 119 children aged 6 years living in Chernivtsi District and Subgroup III – 94 children aged 6 years living in Dniester District. We analyzed the prevalence, intensity of caries of temporary teeth, level of intensity, ICDAS1-6 in different regions of Bukovyna. The degree of probability of the obtained results was statistically assessed. The prevalence of caries of temporary teeth in 6-year-old children is high in all regions: 93.54% in Vyzhnytskyi, 93.61% in Dnistrovskyi and 92.43% in Chernivtsi districts. The analysis of the intensity of caries showed that the highest values – in children of the Vyzhnytsky district (5.46±0.33) affected teeth, the lowest – in the examined children of the Dniester district – (5.05±0.28). The "d" component dominated the structure of the "dmf" index in all regions. It should be noted that the extracted teeth were from 1.59 to 4.39%. In all regions, the average level of intensity prevailed, but the share of children with a high level was also high: 39.78% in Vyzhnytskyi, 31.91% in Dniester and 30.25% in Chernivtsi districts. The lower second molar was most often affected, with a share of 26.53%. A combined lesion of several groups of teeth, in particular the upper and lower molars, as well as the upper frontal teeth that were present, is characteristic. Carious cavities were most often located on the masticatory (31.25%) and contact surfaces (51.52%). Enamel caries was most often diagnosed in 41.21% of cases, a third of all lesions (36.64%) were dentine caries, and a fifth part (22.13%) were caries at the stain stage. Therefore, the high incidence of caries in children in all districts of the Chernivtsi region indicates the need to study the regional risk factors for the development of caries in children for the further development of regionally adapted treatment and prevention programs. Keywords: children, caries, complications of caries, prevalence, intensity, SIC-index.

Analisis Sistem Antrian Pada Masa Pasca Covid’19 Dengan Model Multi Channel-Multi Phase Dalam Optimalisasi Pelayanan Nasabah Bank BRI Unit Aek Kanopan (Labura)

Administrative and banking services at PT. Bank BRI Unit Aek Kanopan (Labura) has 2 services consisting of teller services and customer service services. Teller services and customer service services often experience queues of customers coming and making service transactions. This study aims to determine the optimal level of the queuing system for teller service and customer service with the help of C Sharp application. This study discusses the shape of the queuing model. The queuing model used is Multi Channel-Multi Phase with the control notation type (M/G/2)∶ (FIFO/∞/∞). The Multi Channel-Multi Phase model is a multi-stage multiple-line queuing system method. With a FIFO (First in first out) service pattern, namely first come first served earlier and earlier out. The results of this study are based on the results of calculating arrival patterns and service time patterns, there are 2 parts to the research results consisting of teller services and customer service services. In teller service, the average customer arrival (λ) is 1.48 customers per minute, the average customer that can be served (μ) is 5.12 customers that can be served per minute, and the average level of service intensity ( ρ) is 3.78 &lt; 1. Furthermore, in customer service, the average customer who comes (λ) is 0.83 customers who come per minute, the average customer who can be served (μ) is 0.01035 customers that can be served per minute, and the average level of service intensity (ρ) is 0.015 &lt; 1. Based on the results of the analysis of the queue system for teller service and customer service, it can be concluded that the optimal level of teller service and customer service can be said to be sufficient effective and optimal. In order to make the service more effective, add one service line or service facilities for both services.

Acupuncture Analgesia in Patients With Traumatic Rib Fractures: A Randomized-Controlled Trial.

Pain management for traumatic rib fracture is important to prevent complications and reduce associated comorbidities. This trial investigated the analgesic efficacy of acupuncture on traumatic rib fracture. Patients with traumatic rib fracture were randomly assigned to traditional acupuncture (TA), laser acupuncture (LA) or sham laser acupuncture (SLA) groups in a 1:1:1 ratio. The intervention was performed on days 1 to 3 after treatment allocation. The acupoints included bilateral LI4 (Hegu), SJ6 (Zhigou), ST36 (Zusanli) and GB34 (Yanglingquan). The primary outcome was Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scores for pain after the intervention. Secondary outcomes included sustained maximal inspiration (SMI) lung volume, stress responses, the use of analgesics, and associated complications. Data were analyzed via one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Scheffé’s post hoc testing or chi-squared testing. Of the 120 study participants, 109 completed all interventions and measurements. The primary outcomes, which indicated average pain intensity levels and pain while deep breathing, were both significantly lower in the TA and LA groups than in the SLA group after 2 treatments. No between-group differences were observed in SMI lung volume, stress response, analgesics use or associated complications. These findings suggest that TA and LA are safe and effective analgesic modalities for pain management for traumatic rib fracture.Clinical Trial Registration:[ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT03822273].

Application of a Photoacoustic Tomography System: A Case Study on the Monitoring of Pig Tissue Decomposition

Pig carcasses have been used in forensic research because they share several similarities to human cadaver, including decomposition. In several studies, the decomposition of pig’s cadaver for a certain time can be used as a model to determine the time of death of a human. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the days of spoilage of pig tissue and the level of average sound intensity produced by the sample. Then, in this study, pig skeletal muscles were allowed to decay with a variation of 1–5 days. Afterward, these muscles were imaged using diode laser-based photoacoustic tomography. Results of the experiment show that the average acoustic intensity level from the first day until the fourth day has increased (78–92 a.u for young pig and 76–86 a.u for old pig) but decreased on the fifth day (88 a.u for young and 84 a.u for old pig). These results can improve forensic imaging because such results can be applied to determine the time of death of human by plotting the ratio of the average sound intensity level of the sample to the number of days of decomposition.

Correlation between clinical symptoms and cone beam computed tomography finding in temporomandibular disorders patients

Background: Abnormalities of temporomandibular joint, masticatory muscles, and/or related structural abnormalities are known as temporomandibular disorders. The use of cone beam computed tomography for temporomandibular imaging is becoming more prevalent. Aim: This study was carried out to analyse correlation between clinical symptoms and cone beam computed tomography finding in temporomandibular disorders patients. Methods and materials: This study looked at cone beam computed tomography pictures and clinical records of 40 patients with temporomandibular joint issues who sought treatment in Sangli district of Maharashtra between 2016 and 2018. The type of condylar bony change was classified based on the cone beam computed tomography images using both Koyama et al's classification and Ahmad et al's image analysis criteria. An orofacial pain specialist took a complete history and did a clinical assessment on all of the participants. The average pain intensity level self-reported in the previous week was graded on a 0 to 10 verbal rating scale, with "0" indicating no pain and "10" indicating the worst pain possible. Results: The greatest condyle bony change and verbal pain rating had a poor association. There was no statistically significant link between maximum condyle alteration and maximum openness.

Microstructure and texture of a novel hot-stamped high-density Ni-Co-W alloy

Ni-Co-W alloy is expected to be a potential material for applications in national defense, military industry and petroleum exploration. Texture has a significant influence on alloy properties. In the present work, a 44Ni-37W-19Co alloy was prepared by vacuum melting and annealed at 1200 °C for 1h after forging, baring and hot stamping. The microstructure and texture at different positions were analyzed by optical micrographs (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) technique. The alloy presents equiaxial grains with an average size of ~90 μm and a nearly random texture. All the average pole intensity levels at surface, sub-surface and center are ~2. The anisotropy degree along the circumferential direction is less than that along the normal direction. The maximum and minimum differences of the radial pole intensity are 0.44 and 0.04, respectively. It is expected that this work will contribute to the controllable effects of microstructure and texture to improve the properties of hot-stamped high-density Ni-Co-W alloys.

The assessment of exposures of preterm newborns with respiratory disorders to selected traumatic factors generated in the process of nursing care: an observational study

Background The hospitalization of preterm newborns carries a risk of frequent exposure to traumatizing factors generated by the hospital environment and multi-specialty services. Aim of study The assessment of premature newborns with respiratory failure and exposure to traumatic factors such as pain and touch generated during nursing procedures. Material and methods The study was conducted on the 1st and 7th days of hospitalization during 2020 of a group of 10 premature newborns with respiratory disorders at the Department of Newborn Pathology of the Clinical Department of Neonatology at the University Hospital in Krakow (Poland). The research method was based on the 24-hour observation of newborns for exposures to factors generating pain and traumatic touch. The research tools included scales for assessing pain expression — Neonatal/Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), CRIES, and an original questionnaire. Results On the first day of hospitalization, the study group was subjected to 541 nursing procedures exposing the newborns to touch and generating pain. On the 7th day of hospitalization, the number of the procedures was 388. The average intensity level of procedural pain on the 1st day of hospitalization was 4.1 points (NIPS) and 2.5 points (CRIES), while the 7th day of hospitalization was 4.0 points and 1.8 points, respectively. The highest average pain intensity was generated by venous blood sampling for diagnostic tests and peripheral vessel cannulation. Conclusions Preterm newborns with respiratory failure are exposed to a significant number of procedures and actions considered traumatic. Therefore, it is reasonable to use more than one pain assessment scale for more objective results.

Environmental regulation and synergistic effects of PM2.5 control in China

In recent years, haze pollution has been widespread across China, and the intensity of environmental regulation has been continuously strengthened. Differences in regional environmental regulation intensity brought about the spillover effect of air pollution. In this study, we analyze the spatiotemporal variation trends and distribution of provincial environmental regulation in China from 2004 to 2017. Considering the spatiotemporal lag effect of haze pollution, the dynamic spatial Durbin model was employed to study the spatial impact of environmental regulation tools of different pollutants on PM2.5 (fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm). We found that PM2.5 is significantly negatively related to the environmental regulation intensity and synergy, showing a lag effect of 1–2 periods. The environmental regulation level is high in Eastern China but low in western areas, however, most regions lack an important understanding of environmental regulation. Overall, only 19.8%, 23.0%, and 28.1% of the regions exceeded the average level of the environmental regulation intensity of SO2, smoke/dust (SD), and NOX, respectively. PM2.5 yields a spatial spillover effect and is also negatively correlated to the environmental regulation tools of various pollutants. For every 1% increase in the environmental regulation intensity (synergy) of above three pollutants, PM2.5 will be significantly (p < 0.05) reduced by 0.02% (0.04%), 0.05% (0.10%) and 0.04% (0.08%), respectively. Inter-regional collaboration has a profound and long-term impact on PM2.5 and is conducive to improving the efficiency of environmental governance.

Religiously Conditioned Health Behaviors within Selected Religious Traditions.

Background: Health is a value of paramount importance for human existence. It has a special place in every religious system, both on the doctrinal and practical levels. Most religions view health as a priority value to be cared for, and require followers of individual religious groups to take care of their physical and mental health, and to maintain a balance between body and spirit. The aim of the study was to verify whether the level of religious commitment significantly influences health behaviors and whether in selected religions the faithful have a different approach to health behaviors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a group of 296 people—118 Seventh-day Adventists (SDA), 134 Catholics, and 14 Jews living in southern Poland, and 31 Muslims living in southern and north-eastern Poland. The following research tools were used as part of the diagnostic survey method: a questionnaire survey designed by us; the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ); the Inventory of Health Behaviours (IHB); the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS 10) and anthropometric measurements, physical examination, laboratory tests. Results: Only 75% of Catholics who participated in the study declared a high level of religious commitment. On the other hand, all (100%) of SDA, Jews, and Muslim respondents declared their religious commitment at a high level. SDA were characterized by the most desirable health behaviors on the IHB (high and average levels), especially eating habits. They did not consume alcohol, did not smoke cigarettes. The physical activity of most ADS was high and moderate. Most of the SDA subjects were characterized by an average and low level of stress intensity. The most common correct scores for homocysteine, triglycerides, and CRP were SDA, cholesterol by Jews, glucose by Muslims, and HDL by Catholics. The most common negative results were: homocysteine, glucose and triglycerides among Jews, cholesterol and CRP among Catholics, HDL among Muslims. Optimal blood pressure was most common among Catholics, and hypertension was most often diagnosed among Jews. Most often, Muslims had the correct body weight, and at the same time it was the group of respondents most often diagnosed with obesity. In contrast, underweight was observed only among Catholics. The SDA subjects were most often overweight. Conclusions: The results suggest that public health professionals and nurses should develop culturally specific educational interventions, especially among Catholics.

Region Based Non-Uniform Scheme for Effective Retargeting

With the invent of displays of varied features like bendable displays, twistable displays and slant displays the feed of these displays need to be adjusted so that useful objects of the scene are not destroyed. In general, if we want to project a particular scene of specified size after capturing on the display of other dimensions, image resizing is done. In image resizing, the whole image will be converted into dimension of the target display. In the process the whole image, including all the objects may be expanded or squeezed depending on the size of the target display. But, in image retargeting, in addition to changing the size of the image to suit the target display, some additional intelligence will be added there by preserving or retaining useful objects and removing unnecessary background information. In this paper, the global significance map will drive the retargeting which is formed by merging the local significance maps. The local significance maps are derived after forming regions by considering the average intensity levels locally. The simulation results clearly show the superiority of the scheme proposed

Peculiarities of formation of competitive strategy of the enterprises of flour-milling branch of Ukraine

The article deals with the peculiarities of formation of competitive strategy of the enterprises of flour-milling branch of Ukraine. The paper substantiates the necessity to determine the stage of the life cycle of the industry in the process of formation of the competitive strategy. The market analysis of flour-milling industry of Ukraine is carried out on indicators: size of the market, commodity nomenclature, buyers and their behavior, raw material base and intensity of competition. The paper determines that the flour-milling industry of Ukraine is at the stage of growth and has a number of tendencies, such as: decrease in sales volumes, increase in export volumes, standardization of products and average level of competition intensity. The following stages of the life cycle of the industry are studied: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. The paper proves the necessity of distinguishing the stage of renewal in the life cycle of the industry, which is implemented on the basis of modern technologies. The practical significance of the research consists in developing recommendations for choosing a competitive strategy of the flour mill enterprise in accordance with the stage of the life cycle of the industry. The enterprises of the flour-milling industry of Ukraine, in accordance with the stage of the life cycle of the industry are recommended to form competitive advantages on the basis of the concept of "lean production".

Analysis of Whistler‐Mode and Z‐Mode Emission in the Juno Primary Mission

AbstractAt the end of the Juno primary mission, we report observations of whistler mode chorus and Z‐mode emission. The Juno orbits are evolving and much better coverage of the whistler mode chorus source region has resulted since the earlier surveys. Bursty chorus emission extending to ∼30° latitude and to frequencies less than the lower hybrid frequency near the source region imply high electron energies (&gt;100 keV). Average chorus intensity levels peak at ∼10−3 nT2 near M‐shell of 8–9 and magnetic latitude of ∼5°. Z‐mode emission is identified at higher latitudes generally near and inward of the Io torus with intensity levels as much as two orders of magnitude higher than Z‐mode emissions observed at Saturn. Inferred source regions for the Z‐mode are consistent with the inner edge of the Io torus and with auroral field lines that may also support Jovian kilometric and decametric emission. Parametric fitting functions are evaluated for both whistler mode chorus and Z‐mode, describing wave intensity as a function of frequency, magnetic latitude, and M‐shell. Both whistler mode and Z‐mode waves may have significant impact on electron scattering and acceleration at Jupiter as recent models indicate.

Effect of Noise on General Health Status of Electrical Generator Workers in Iraq

Electrical generators in Iraq have been a series problem regarding occupational and environmental pollution.The current study aimed to determine the level of general health status among generator workers in AlDiwaniyah City Iraq, and its correlation with noise and demographic data . A descriptive cross-sectionaldesign was conducted in the current study . It was carried out at the private electrical generators inA-Diwaniyah City from the period between the 15th of October 2020 until the 15th of March 2021 . Apurposive study of 150 generator workers has been selected .General health was determined by GeneralHealth questionnaire (GHQ-28) which is comprised of 28 items, and include four aspects : somatic, social, depression and anxiety . Noise intensity level was measured by sound level meter (SLM) . The results ofthe present study revealed that average level of noise intensity inside the workers’ room was (78.12 db) ;while it was (104.14 db) near the generator . The results also showed that the assessment of most domain(social, depression, and anxiety) was moderate, except for somatic domain which it was good . There was asignificant negative correlation between noise and depression and anxiety . It has been concluded that : Mostof the generator workers showed a moderate level of general health status ; Most of the generators workershad moderate level for anxiety, depression and social aspects ; Noise intensities inside the generator roomsexceeds the upper limits accepted for human health .

Effectiveness of App-Delivered, Tailored Self-management Support for Adults With Lower Back Pain–Related Disability

Lower back pain (LBP) is a prevalent and challenging condition in primary care. The effectiveness of an individually tailored self-management support tool delivered via a smartphone app has not been rigorously tested. To investigate the effectiveness of selfBACK, an evidence-based, individually tailored self-management support system delivered through an app as an adjunct to usual care for adults with LBP-related disability. This randomized clinical trial with an intention-to-treat data analysis enrolled eligible individuals who sought care for LBP in a primary care or an outpatient spine clinic in Denmark and Norway from March 8 to December 14, 2019. Participants were 18 years or older, had nonspecific LBP, scored 6 points or higher on the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), and had a smartphone and access to email. The selfBACK app provided weekly recommendations for physical activity, strength and flexibility exercises, and daily educational messages. Self-management recommendations were tailored to participant characteristics and symptoms. Usual care included advice or treatment offered to participants by their clinician. Primary outcome was the mean difference in RMDQ scores between the intervention group and control group at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included average and worst LBP intensity levels in the preceding week as measured on the numerical rating scale, ability to cope as assessed with the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, fear-avoidance belief as assessed by the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, cognitive and emotional representations of illness as assessed by the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, health-related quality of life as assessed by the EuroQol-5 Dimension questionnaire, physical activity level as assessed by the Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale, and overall improvement as assessed by the Global Perceived Effect scale. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. A total of 461 participants were included in the analysis; the population had a mean [SD] age of 47.5 [14.7] years and included 255 women (55%). Of these participants, 232 were randomized to the intervention group and 229 to the control group. By the 3-month follow-up, 399 participants (87%) had completed the trial. The adjusted mean difference in RMDQ score between the 2 groups at 3 months was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.06-1.51; P = .03), favoring the selfBACK intervention. The percentage of participants who reported a score improvement of at least 4 points on the RMDQ was 52% in the intervention group vs 39% in the control group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.15-2.70; P = .01). Among adults who sought care for LBP in a primary care or an outpatient spine clinic, those who used the selfBACK system as an adjunct to usual care had reduced pain-related disability at 3 months. The improvement in pain-related disability was small and of uncertain clinical significance. Process evaluation may provide insights into refining the selfBACK app to increase its effectiveness. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03798288.

Associated parallels of the initial potential mineralization value of oral fluid and intensity of dental caries in children with cleft lip and palate

BACKGROUND: Cleft upper lip and palate is the most common malformation of the maxillofacial region. Despite the huge successes that have been achieved by dental surgeons in eliminating such defects, the issues of studying the initial indicators of the cariesological status in children with congenital cleft lip and palate are still not fully resolved. The study of the above issues will allow us to correct the plan of therapeutic and preventive action, which will lead to effective rehabilitation of children with cleft lip and palate.&#x0D; AIM: This study aimed to conduct a clinical assessment of the initial mineralizing ability of oral fluids in children with congenital cleft lip and palate depending on the cariology status.&#x0D; MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study presented the results of the clinical assessment of the initial value of the mineralizing ability of oral fluid depending on the intensity of dental caries in children with congenital cleft lip and palate. To determine the mineralizing ability of mixed saliva, 76 teeth of pediatric volunteers with congenital cleft lip and palate with a high level of mineralization potential of oral fluid, with medium, low, and very low levels of the studied indicator, were examined. The level of the mineralizing ability of mixed saliva was determined by visualization depending on the involvement of functionally oriented groups of teeth with caries.&#x0D; RESULTS: The general characteristics of the mineralization potential of oral fluids, depending on the intensity of dental caries, help determine that with mild caries, the average value of the studied indicator was 21.9%, at an average intensity level of 31.0%, at a high intensity level of 47.1%.&#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: An inverse-diameter dependence was found in the intensity level of caries on the mineralizing ability of oral fluids.