Mean Levels Research Articles

Loss during COVID-19: Moderating effects of meaning and romantic relationships on anxiety and depressive symptoms.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated experiences of loss and grief for many individuals and posed a challenging mental health crisis. Compared to studies examining a singular type of loss, the present study investigated the cumulative impacts of COVID-related losses on anxiety and depressive symptoms and examined whether meaning in life, marital status, or relationship quality offered a protective moderating role. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted approximately 1 year into the pandemic among 434 diverse individuals (32.0% White; 52.1% women; Mage = 34.7) in the United States. Measures included: General Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Quality of Marriage Index, and 26 loss items with corresponding grief ratings. Results using linear mixed models demonstrated strong positive links between loss and both anxiety and depressive symptoms, although the association between loss and anxiety was stronger for women. The association between loss and anxiety was attenuated at high levels of meaning in life compared to average and low levels of meaning and for married individuals compared to unmarried participants. Being married also buffered the impact of loss on depressive symptoms. Findings indicate that cumulative pandemic-related loss is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, and that meaning in life and romantic relationships may be promising interventional targets; though, these findings may change over the course of the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of the Theory-driven Educational Intervention on Self-Care Behavior and Glycosylated Hemoglobin Level in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

The diabetics' lack of knowledge about self-care and incorrect beliefs in this care are the reasons for their admission to hospitals. The present study aimed to examine the impact of education based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on intention, self-care behavior, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in patients with Type 2 Diabetes. The present study was conducted on 60 diabetic patients who were randomly classified into intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, self-care education based on TPB was held, but the control group only received routine care. The data were collected using a fourpart questionnaire including characteristics, items of patients' knowledge, items of TPB constructs, and items of diabetes self-care. Data were analyzed in SPSS software. In intervention group, mean score of self-care behavior and its domains significantly changed from (total: 52.26±14.75, diabetic diet: 22.20±6.05, exercise: 5.17±4.04, blood sugar testing: 5.03 ± 4.15, medication: 5.40±2.28, foot care: 13.47±8.42) into 76.66±8.87, 29.43±5.48, 7.60±2.60, 8.73±2.31, 6.48±1.09, 23.53±3.09, respectively three months after intervention (p<0.01). In this case, these changes were not seen in the control group. The mean level of HbA1c in the intervention group (6.38±0.16) was significantly lower than before the intervention (7.56±1.08) and the control group (8.02±0.25) three months after intervention (p<0.01). Education based on the TPB was effective in improving the patients' self-care behavior and HbA1c index. Therefore, we suggest all medical centers to use the TPB as an effective and low-cost educational approach to improve diabetics' self-care behavior and health.

Psychological Resources of Resilience in a Crisis Situation: Transformations of the Value-semantic Sphere of Students Living in a Zone of Local Military Conflict

This article substantiates the impact of the crisis situation on the actualization and development of personal resources and coping with a difficult life situation. Using the example of students living in a local military conflict zone, it is shown that value-semantic resources (psychological resources of stability) in a crisis situation can transform and manifest themselves at the level of reducing the level of meaningfulness of life, value basis and existential fulfillment of life, reducing the degree of emotional response to current events. A crisis situation for a person, on the one hand, can become a source of disintegration in the perception of events of the past, present and future; loss of meaningfulness of life and devaluation of past experience; on the other hand, it can result in subjective well–being if a person works with a psychoemotional state (that includes working with fear and anxiety; perception of a difficult life situation as a challenge and finding new ones personal meanings); works with goals (building an image of the future in the short term), and if a person is rethinking and updating new personal meanings. According to the results of our research, goal-setting and building an image of the future are interrelated with the ability of the subject to be more open to emotional experiences, to show willingness to work with negative emotions (the “Self-Transcendence” scale); to actualize his personal potential (the “Personality” scale). The following empirical methods were used: Test of life-meaning orientations. SJO (J. Crumbo, L. Maholik in adaptation by D. A. Leontyev); Test of research into the real structure of a person’s value orientations (S.S. Bubnova); Methodology for diagnosing the subjective well-being of an individual (Shamionov R.M., Beskova T.V.); «The scale of existence» (Existenzskala) by A. Langle and K. Orgler (adapted by I. N. Mainina and A. Yu. Vasanov).

The day-level effects of recovery community center attendance on indicators of recovery wellbeing and risk

BackgroundRecovery community centers (RCCs) are a relatively new resource in the recovery support landscape aimed at building their members' recovery capital. In recent years, interest in the value of RCCs has grown, however, no studies have used within-person methods to consider how RCCs may impact the day-to-day lives of their attendees. Using within-person data drawn from members of RCCs, this study examined how visiting RCCs was associated with several same-day indicators of recovery wellbeing and risk: daily sense of meaningfulness, recovery identity, negative affect, and positive affect. MethodsParticipants were 94 visitors of six RCCs in western Pennsylvania. Daily diary methods collected 10 nightly reports of daily RCC attendance and end-of-day meaningfulness, recovery identity, negative affect, and positive affect. Multilevel modeling accounted for nesting in the intensive longitudinal data. In independent models, the study regressed meaningfulness, recovery identity, negative affect, and positive affect onto day- and person-level RCC attendance. ResultsWithin-person associations between RCC attendance and meaningfulness (b = 6.96, SE = 1.66, p < .001), recovery identity (b = 4.75, SE = 1.08, p < .001), and PA (b = 3.82, SE = 1.45, p < .01) were significant, although NA was not (b = −2.41, SE = 1.34, n.s.). All day- by person-level RCC attendance interactions (in preliminary models) and between-person associations were non-significant across recovery outcomes. ConclusionsThe results indicated that on days participants visited RCCs, they reported significantly higher levels of meaningfulness, recovery identity, and positive affect, although negative affect levels did not significantly differ. Also, those who attended RCCs more frequently did not generally report different levels of recovery wellbeing and risk. Taken together, results suggest visiting RCCs works on a daily basis to support interpersonal processes related to positive recovery outcomes. That RCC visits do not appear to reduce negative affect suggests that additional programs may be needed to address negative affect. The within-person design provided insight into the dynamic processes that contribute to the intrapersonal states that support recovery and a practical approach to examining whether and how RCCs might support recovery. By using individuals as their own controls, the study design provided strong counterfactual inference.

From Good Citizens to Bad Apples? The Effect of Boredom Proneness: A Moral Licensing Perspective.

Although boredom proneness has been well-studied, there is still an ongoing scholarly debate about whether boredom can move individuals to act counterproductively or productively. Drawing from a moral licensing perspective, this study empirically investigates how boredom proneness influences interpersonal citizenship behavior (ICB), moral meaningfulness, and interpersonal deviance over time. Utilizing a total of 328 three-wave panel data obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk during a three-month period, we find the following results. First, individuals with a higher initial level of boredom proneness demonstrate a higher initial level of ICB. Second, as boredom proneness increases at a faster rate, ICB increases at a faster rate over time. Third, individuals with a higher initial level of ICB report a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness. Finally, individuals with a higher initial level of moral meaningfulness exhibit a higher initial level of interpersonal deviance. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Can performance pressure hinder service recovery performance? The mediating role of shame and individual contingencies of work meaningfulness and proactivity

Hospitality employees have long been experiencing high pressure at work, due to the strict performance requirements from organizations and excessive socioemotional demands from customers. Although “performing well under pressure” is often considered a prerequisite for competent employees, findings from organizational psychologists regarding employees' responses to perceived performance pressure are divergent. To further elucidate this relationship, drawing upon the social self-preservation theory, this research proposes that performance pressure can elicit frontline employees' emotional experience of shame, which in turn, hampers their service recovery performance. Furthermore, we propose two individual contingencies of work meaningfulness and proactivity that alter employees' reactions to performance pressure. In particular, the experience of shame is more salient when employees perceive lower levels of meaningfulness or possess lower levels of proactivity. A mixed-method approach, involving both scenario-based experiment and multi-wave survey, is adopted. The results support our hypotheses. The findings provide a more holistic understanding of hospitality employees’ responses to performance pressure by uncovering the rarely investigated emotional pathway following performance pressure and identifying two salient individual boundary conditions.

An Exploration of Meaningful Work: Examining Its Correlational Effect on Affective Commitment Level of Port Service Industry Employee

Meaningful work is a psychological concept that currently become a great concern among industry and organizations. This approach focuses on the search for meaning in work amidst the increasing complexity of work, especially in the port services industry, which is one of the vital sectors in the national economy. Previous studies have proven that meaningful work could strengthen employees' emotional attachment and optimizing job satisfaction. This research aims to explore the meaningfulness of work and its association with affective commitment level in the port service industry employee. It utilizes quantitative methods to quantify 45 employees through self-administered work meaningful scale and affective commitment scale then were analyzed using descriptive statistics. This research findings indicate a significant positive correlation between the meaningfulness of work and affective commitment among employees in the port services industry. Further analysis reports that majority of employees have a high and very high level of work meaningfulness which proved to be comparable to the level of affective commitment. In general, the level of meaningfulness of work for supervisory employees is the highest among other positions.

***ECD*** maternal C-reactive protein as a predictor of neonatal sepsis

ABSTRACT Systemic bacterial infection in the newborn has a significant impact on neonatal mortality and morbidity. Non-invasive prenatal markers of risk could be useful in the prediction and prevention of neonatal sepsis. We evaluated the association of maternal third-trimester serum level of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) with neonatal sepsis in a sample of infants in the JAKids pregnancy and birth cohort study. A population-based nested case–control design was used to identify cases and controls of neonatal sepsis from the subset of infants in the JAKids study whose mothers had serum archived in the early third trimester and who were admitted to newborn intensive care. Cases were 25 neonates with neonatal sepsis identified from hospital records. Controls were a random sample of 62 sepsis-free neonates matched to cases within three gestational age strata – ≤32 weeks, 33–36 weeks, and ≥37 weeks. Mothers of neonatal sepsis cases ≥37 weeks had significantly higher mean levels of maternal CRP protein than mothers of controls (11.0 mg/dL ± 3.0 vs. 8.7 mg/dL ± 5.9; p < .05). Differences in maternal CRP were not found in sepsis cases born ≤32 weeks (9.5 mg/dL ± 4.2 vs 5.8 mg/dL ± 4.0, p = .23) nor in sepsis cases born at 33–36 weeks (9.0 mg/dL ± 3.6 vs 11.9 mg/dL ± 7.8, p = .34). Maternal third-trimester C-reactive protein levels were elevated in mothers of term-born neonates with sepsis, but not in the mothers of preterm neonates with sepsis.

The Effect of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Pollen on the Serum Levels of Testosterone, Luteinizing, and Follicle Stimulating Hormones in Men

Background: Date Palm Pollen (DPP) has traditionally been used to increase sexual ability and fertility. In several animal studies, the effects of this herbal medicine on testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) have been shown. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of this drug on the serum levels of testosterone, LH, and FSH in men. Methods: In this semi-experimental study, a daily dose of 6 g dry powder of DPP in two separate doses (3 g every 12 hours) was administered orally to 30 eligible men for three months. The changes in mean serum levels of hormones were statistically evaluated after the intervention compared to the baseline. The serum concentration of the hormones was assayed through the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests. Results: After recruitment, among 30 participants, 24 men received the intervention and finally were analyzed. The mean (SD) age and body mass index of participants were 32.85 (0.43) years and 26.5 (0.5) kg/m2 . DPP significantly increased the serum levels of testosterone (from 5.31±0.40ng/ml to 6.88±0.71 ng/ml; p=0.019) but did not affect the serum levels of FSH (from 4.31±0.50 IU/L to 4.70±0.61 IU/L; p=0.511). It also significantly decreased the serum levels of LH (from 5.65±0.81 IU/L to 4.52±0.90 IU/L; p= 0.033). There were no reported side effects. Conclusion: The results indicated an increasing effect of DPP on serum testosterone and decreasing effect on serum LH. However, DPP had no significant effect on FSH serum levels.

Flexibility or instability? Emotion goal dynamics and mental health.

Emotion goals (i.e., what people want or do not want to feel) have important implications for emotional and mental health because they can shape whether, when, and how people regulate their emotions. Although research has shown that emotion goals vary across individuals and situations, we know relatively little about the dynamic changes in emotion goals in daily life and their potential implications. Given the dynamic features of emotions and emotion regulation, emotion goals may also fluctuate across time and their fluctuations may be critically linked to mental health. This research assessed the everyday dynamics of emotion goals, in particular, variability and inertia, and their associations with mental health. In two studies (N = 56 in Study 1 and N = 173 in Study 2), we included different indices of mental health and used Ecological Momentary Assessments to measure both pleasant and unpleasant emotion goals and experiences at a momentary level in daily life. We found that variability in unpleasant, but not pleasant, emotion goals was linked to better mental health outcomes, even after controlling for the mean levels of emotion goals, and the variability and mean levels of the corresponding emotional experiences. Emotion goal inertia was unrelated to mental health. These findings suggest that emotion goal variability is an important novel factor that may contribute to or reflect mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of Trehalose Administration in Patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis Type III.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by a deficiency of lysosomal enzymes required for the catabolism of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), mainly in the central nervous system. Trehalose has been proposed as a potential therapeutic agent to attenuate neuropathology in MPS III. We conducted a single- arm, open-label study to evaluate the efficacy of trehalose treatment in patients with MPS IIIA and MPS IIIB. Five patients with MPS III were enrolled. Trehalose was administrated intravenously (15 g/week) for 12 weeks. Health-related quality of life and cognitive function, serum biomarkers, liver, spleen, and lung imaging were assessed to evaluate trehalose efficacy at baseline and trial end (week 12). TNO-AZL Preschool children Quality of Life (TAPQOL) scores increased in all patients, and the mean scores for quality of life were increased after the intervention. Serum GAG levels were reduced in all treated patients (however, the differences were not statistically significant). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were reduced in all patients post-treatment (p=0.0039). The mean levels of aspartate transaminase (AST) were also decreased after 12 weeks of treatment with Trehalose. Decreased serum pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance and increased GPX activity were observed at the end of the study. Decreases in mean splenic length were observed, whereas the liver volume did not change. Improvements in health-related quality of life and serum biomarkers (GAGs, liver aminotransferase levels, antioxidant status), as well as liver and spleen size, were found following 3 months of trehalose administration in patients with MPS IIIA and MPS IIIB.

An Examination of Meaningful Experiences During Sport Education

Background: In recent research years, there has been an increasing focus on the meaningfulness of physical education experiences. While it has been suggested that certain curriculum models such as sport education or cooperative learning provide opportunities for meaningful engagement in physical education, to date there has been no empirical study of those claims. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine students’ perceptions of meaningfulness in two physical education contexts: traditional multi-activity format, and sport education. Methods: Sixty seventh-grade students aged 12 to 14 completed a 20-item survey titled "Meaningful Experiences in Physical Education Survey (MEPES)" prior to and at the completion of one of three sport education seasons. The analysis consisted of independent samples t-test comparisons between the two contexts (previous physical education experiences, and sport education) for each of the five dimensions of meaningfulness. A Pearson correlation was conducted to examine if there were significant relationships between the five dimensions. Results: Results of the independent samples t-test showed that significantly higher levels of meaningfulness were identified from participation in sport education than in previous physical education for four of the five dimensions. Pearson's coefficient results indicated significant positive correlations between all five meaningfulness dimensions. Conclusion: Sport education has structural elements that promote a sense of meaningfulness within physical education.

العلاقة بين إنترلوكين-6 والعمر في كوفيد-19: رؤى من تحليل مقطعي في مالانج، إندونيسيا

تم تحديد إنترلوكين 6 (IL-6) باعتباره مؤشرًا لشدة ووفيات فيروس كورونا (COVID-19). على الرغم من أن معدلات الإصابة بالمرض والوفيات تزيد بشكل عام مع تقدم العمر، إلا أنه لا يزال من غير المؤكد ما إذا كان هناك ارتباط بين العمر ومستويات IL-6، مما يؤدي إلى تفاقم شدة كوفيد-19 لدى المرضى. كان الهدف من هذه الدراسة هو فحص العلاقة بين العمر ومستويات IL-6 لدى مرضى كوفيد-19. كانت الدراسة عبارة عن تحليل مقطعي للسجلات المخبرية والطبية لـ 3171 مريضًا من مرضى كوفيد-19 الذين تلقوا العلاج في عام 2021 في مستشفى سيف الأنور العام. تم تحليل البيانات باستخدام اختبار كروسكال واليس، واختبار دونيت بوست هوك، واختبار ارتباط سبيرمان. تم تقسيم المرضى إلى أربع فئات عمرية: أقل من 20 عامًا (1.29%)، و20-40 عامًا (18.10%)، و40-60 عامًا (43.74%)، و&gt;60 عامًا (36.87%). وكان متوسط مستويات IL-6 في كل مجموعة هو 39.44، 192.04، 217.27، و252.59 بيكوغرام/مل. ولوحظ وجود اختلاف كبير (قيمة p = 0.000) في مستويات IL-6 بين الفئة العمرية أقل من 20 عامًا والمجموعات الأخرى. علاوة على ذلك، تم تحديد ارتباط إيجابي كبير (قيمة p = 0.000) بين الفئة العمرية ومستويات إنترلوكين-6 لدى مرضى كوفيد-19، مما يشير إلى ارتفاع مستويات إنترلوكين-6 لدى المرضى الأكبر سنا. في الختام، كانت هناك اختلافات في مستويات إنترلوكين-6 على أساس الفئات العمرية، وكان العمر مرتبطًا بشكل إيجابي بمستويات إنترلوكين-6 لدى مرضى كوفيد-19.

CSF β-Amyloid and Tau Biomarker Changes in Veterans With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have been reported to increase the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD). Whether mild TBI (mTBI) in veterans confers a similar increased risk of AD is less known. This study investigated early AD changes using CSF biomarkers in veterans with blast mTBI. This was a cross-sectional case-control study of veterans with mTBI and non-mTBI veterans and civilians from 2 study sources. Blast-mTBI veterans had at least 1 war zone blast or combined blast/impact mTBI meeting Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) criteria for mTBI. Non-mTBI participants had no lifetime history of TBI. All participants underwent standardized clinical and neuropsychological assessments and lumbar puncture for collection of the CSF. CSF biomarkers were measured using MesoScale Discovery assays for Aβ40 and Aβ42 and INNOTEST ELISAs for phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181) and total tau (t-tau). Our sample comprised 51 participants with mTBI and 85 non-mTBI participants with mean (SD) ages 34.0 (10.1) and 33.5 years (8.9), respectively. All participants but 1 (99%) were male. Differences in CSF AD biomarkers between mTBI and non-mTBI groups were age dependent and most pronounced at older ages (omnibus test p ≤ 0.08). At age 50 years, the mTBI group had lower mean [95% CI] CSF Aβ42 and Aβ40 than the non-mTBI group by 154 [-12 to 319] and 1864 [610-3,118] pg/mL, respectively. By contrast, CSF p-tau181 and t-tau mean levels remained relatively constant with age in participants with mTBI, while tending to be higher at older ages for the non-mTBI group. The mTBI group also demonstrated poorer cognitive performance at older ages (omnibus p < 0.08): at age 50 years, the mean TMT-B time was higher by 34 seconds [10-58] and the mean CVLT-II short-delay recall was lower by 4.2 points [1.9-6.6]. Poorer verbal memory and verbal fluency performance were associated with lower CSF Aβ42 (p ≤ 0.05) in older participants. CSF Aβ levels decreased in middle-aged veterans with blast-related mTBI. These data suggest that chronic neuropathologic processes associated with blast mTBI share properties in common with pathogenic processes known to portend AD onset, thus raising concern that veterans with blast-related mTBI may develop a dementing disorder later in life.

Moment-to-moment within-person associations between maternal autonomy support and child defeat predicting child behavioral adjustment.

This study examines mother-child mutual regulation processes during a challenging puzzle task as predictors of preschoolers' behavioral adjustment 6 months later in a Chinese sample (N = 101, 46 boys, Mage = 57.41 months, SD = 6.58). Mother-child mutual regulation was measured by the moment-to-moment bidirectional within-person associations between maternal autonomy support and child defeat (i.e., expression of frustration, incapacity to complete the task, or giving up). Children whose mother provided more autonomy support after increases of child defeat showed lower levels of externalizing problems 6 months later, and children who showed less defeat after increases of maternal autonomy support showed higher levels of prosocial behaviors 6 months later. These predictive effects were significant after controlling for child behavioral adjustment at the initial time point, and mean levels of mother's autonomy support and child's defeat throughout the task. The mutual regulation processes did not significantly predict child internalizing problems. The findings suggest that the coordinated mother-child mutual regulation patterns in real time may have positive implications for preschoolers' behavioral adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Critical incidents and post-traumatic stress symptoms among experienced registered nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundRegistered nurses working on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic encountered significant challenges, including exposure to critical incidents. Critical incidents refer to sudden unexpected clinical events that surpass an individual's ability to cope, leading to considerable psychological distress, which could potentially result in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Research has shown a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among healthcare workers, particularly those in close contact with COVID-19 patients. ObjectiveTo assess the levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms among registered nurses in relation to exposure to working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as how much their work was affected by the pandemic, re-deployment, working hours hindering sufficient recovery between shifts and critical incidents. DesignCross sectional study. Setting(s)The registered nurses working in multiple health care services covering all 21 geographic regions in Sweden. ParticipantsA total of 1,923 registered nurses, who are part of a Swedish national cohort and have been followed since their nursing education, were invited to participate in a survey in late September 2021 (15 to 19 years post graduation). MethodsThe data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, unpaired t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance. Cohen's d was employed to quantify differences in mean levels between subgroups. ResultsThe response rate were 56.5 %. Over 50 % of experienced registered nurses reported significant disruptions to their work environments. In total, 85 % of registered nurses were exposed to at least one critical incident in their work during the pandemic, with 60 % facing organisational changes and nearly 50 % experiencing emotionally distressing situations. The exposure to work situations involving critical incidents consistently demonstrated strong associations with higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms compared to those not exposed, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to high. ConclusionsThis study underscores the profound impact that working conditions, such as redeployment and exposure to critical incidents, have on the mental health of registered nurses. We offer valuable insights into registered nurses’ pandemic-related challenges, highlighting the need for support and interventions to prevent and manage critical incidents, ultimately promoting their well-being. We also highlight the significance of thorough workforce readiness planning for future pandemics and other challenging health care scenarios, such as staff shortage.

Entire papilla preservation technique for treatment of periodontal intrabony defects: a series of cases.

Periodontitis is characterized by bone resorption. Vertical bone loss results in an intraosseous defect. Multiple surgical approaches for treating intrabony defects have shown different grades of effectiveness. Recently, the entire papilla preservation technique has been proposed, improving clinical parameters, such as pocket depth and clinical attachment level. This series of cases aimed to describe the use of the entire papilla preservation surgical technique without using biomaterials to regenerate periodontal intrabony defects. The influence on the clinical periodontal parameters and radiographic parameters was measured through CBCT, the latter not described until now, and analyzed the possible postoperative complications. A total of six intrabony periodontal defects associated with at least one periodontal pocket with probing depths equal to or greater than 6 mm were treated with the entire papilla preservation technique. The clinical and radiographic parameters were evaluated at the beginning and 6 months after surgery. The mean probing pocket depth reduction was 4.00 ± 0.63 mm, the mean clinical attachment level gain was 3.67 ± 1.03 mm, and the mean radiographic intrabony filling was 2.41 ± 2.03 mm. Early healing was uneventful; the mean visual analog scale at 7 days was 0. This minimally invasive technique results in an improvement in clinical and radiographic parameters, the latter showing a filling of the bone defect observed during the 6-month evaluation after surgical treatment. These results confirm the importance of clot and flap stability in regenerating intraosseous defects.

Immediate rehabilitation of severely atrophic maxillae using conventional and extended length subcrestal angulated (ELSA) implants: A retrospective analysis of 187 implants in 33 patients with up to three years of function.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and determine clinical outcomes and survival rates of straight and extended length subcrestal angulated (ELSA) implants (20-24mm lengths) placed for immediate (up to 72h post-operative) or delayed rehabilitation (4 months post-operative) of severely atrophic maxillae. Prosthetic treatment consisted of interim and definitive implant-supported fixed implant-supported prostheses with up to 3 years of function. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 38 patients (five dropped out; final total was 33), treated between 2017 and 2019 in a private practice. Extended length subcrestal angulated (ELSA) implants and conventional endosseous straight implants (Southern Implants, Irene, South Africa) with (fixed) full arch prostheses were used to restore patients with edentulous maxillae immediately (within 72hs) or delayed (4 months). ELSA implants have subcrestal angulations of 24° and 36° of the restorative platforms, external hexagon crestal anti-rotation abutment connections, and lengths between 18 and 26mm. Implant loading was determined by implant insertion torque values (as determined on the surgical units); 120Ncm was the threshold level for immediate loading. Clinical and radiographic examinations were done that recorded the clinical outcomes of implants and prostheses. SPSS was used to process the data. Thirty-three patients and 187 implants were included with follow-up periods of at least 12 months (range 12-36 months). The mean age of the study population was 62.6 ± 8.4 years old (at the time of implant placement). Thirty-three patients (86.8%) were followed for 12 months; 13 patients (39.4%) were followed for 24-35 months; 9 patients (27.3%) were followed for 36 months. In total, 13 implants in six patients failed secondary to sinus infections. Mean bone levels (MBLs) were respectively: 0.88±2.12mm at loading, -1.53±2.03mm at 12 months, -2.26±1.45mm at 24 months, and -2.54±1.46mm at 36 months. The ELSA implants showed significantly lower (p = 0.014) MBL at 36 months than did the conventional implants. One hundred thirty-seven implants were placed and loaded within 72h; 50 implants were placed and loaded 4 months post placement. The combined implant survival rates were 93.0% at 12 months, 91.1% at 24 months, and 100% at 36 months. The ELSA implants showed significantly lower (p = 0.014) MBLs at 36 months when compared to the conventional implants. The results of this retrospective clinical chart review indicated that the use of ELSA implants placed into anterior maxillae and nasal crests with accentuated distal tilts (>30°) and simultaneous sinus augmentation provided favorable outcomes for prosthetic rehabilitation in patients with severe atrophic maxillae. ELSA implants placed with simultaneous sinus augmentation are an alternative option to zygomatic implants (ZI) when immediate loading is prescribed. Sinus infections were thought to be the proximate causes of all implant failures. Further long-term clinical studies are warranted with larger patient populations.

Formation, Identification, and Occurrence of the Furan-Containing β-Carboline Flazin Derived from l-Tryptophan and Carbohydrates.

β-Carbolines (βCs) are bioactive indole alkaloids found in foods and in vivo. This work describes the identification, formation, and occurrence in foods of the βC with a furan moiety flazin (1-[5-(hydroxymethyl)furan-2-yl]-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-3-carboxylic acid). Flazin was formed by the reaction of l-tryptophan with 3-deoxyglucosone but not with 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Its formation was favored in acidic conditions and heating (70-110 °C). The proposed mechanism of formation occurs through the formation of intermediates 3,4-dihydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (imines), followed by the oxidation to C═O in the carbohydrate chain and aromatization to βC ring with subsequent dehydration steps and cyclization to afford the furan moiety. Flazin is generated in the reactions of tryptophan with carbohydrates. Its formation from fructose was higher than from glucose, whereas sucrose gave flazin under acidic conditions and heating owing to hydrolysis. Flazin was identified in foods by HPLC-MS, and its content was determined by HPLC-fluorescence. It occurred in numerous processed foods, such as tomato products, including crushed tomato puree, fried tomato, ketchup, tomato juices, and jams, but also in soy sauce, beer, balsamic vinegar, fruit juices, dried fruits, fried onions, and honey. Their concentrations ranged from not detected to 22.3 μg/mL, with the highest mean levels found in tomato concentrate (13.9 μg/g) and soy sauce (9.4 μg/mL). Flazin was formed during the heating process, as shown in fresh tomato juice and crushed tomatoes. These results indicate that flazin is widely present in foods and is daily uptaken in the diet.

The relation between plasma apelin 36 and insulin resistance in obese type 2 diabetic Egyptian population

ABSTRACT Background Obesity causes changes in the production of adipose tissue secreted factors, which are responsible for metabolism modulation. One of these factors is Apelin, a small peptide that interacts with a specific cell-surface receptor to modulate various cells signaling processes. Apelin is regarded as a new player because of its powerful role in energy metabolism and improvement of insulin sensitivity. Aim of the Work This study investigates the plasma apelin 36 role and to what extent it can impact the insulin resistance in obese Egyptians diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Subjects and Methods The study involved 90 participants, with 30 assigned to each of the three study involved categories: obese individuals with diabetes, obese individuals without diabetes, and healthy controls (n = 30 for each group). Measurements of skin fold thickness, body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio, and body fat % were obtained along with a comprehensive clinical examination and history. The following were investigated: plasma insulin, Hb A1c, lipid profile, plasma apelin (ELISA), plasma leptin (ELISA), and plasma adiponectin (ELISA). Results The median value of serum leptin in obese subjects (groups I and II) was higher significantly than healthy control group (group III) (p = <0.001). A significant decrease in serum adiponectin could be detected in obese subjects (groups I and II) compared to control subjects (Group III) (p = 0.004). When compared to the healthy control group (group III), the mean serum apelin level was significantly higher in the obese participants (groups I and II) and much higher among obese diabetic group (p = <0.001). A statistically significant correlation (p = 0.001) was observed between fasting serum insulin and both HOMA-IR and serum apelin among the non-diabetic obese participants involved in the study. Conclusions Obese people have raised serum apelin levels; those with T2DM have significantly greater serum apelin levels. While it showed a positive correlation with insulin level and HOMA-IR among the obese non-diabetic individuals.