Regular Site Research Articles

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on personal hygiene behavior and the frequency of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Peritonitis is a critical complication in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, making compliance with personal hygiene essential. This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic on hygiene behaviors and peritonitis incidence in PD patients. Fifty-two PD patients were assessed for hygiene behaviors, demographic, and medical data. Laboratory parameters and peritonitis culture results were compared before and after COVID-19. Post-COVID-19, significant improvements were observed in 11 hygiene behaviors, including hand washing (p < 0.001). The peritonitis rate decreased from 28.8.% to 13.5%, though this was not statistically significant (p = 0.093). Among those without post-COVID peritonitis, hand washing before connecting the transfer set and regular exit site dressing were more frequent. Following COVID-19, PD patients demonstrated improved hygiene behaviors and reduced peritonitis rates. Emphasis on hand washing and exit site care is recommended in all PD programs.

Revealing the nature of soil liquefaction using machine learning

This study highlights the importance of consistently assessing soil and subsoil liquefaction susceptibility in construction projects through comprehensive evaluation and regular site investigations. Despite the abundance of geotechnical reports, many remain underutilized post-project completion, while the literature contains numerous site-specific case studies. To address this gap, this study suggests integrating site-specific reports tailored to both the site and the region, aiming to extract valuable insights into liquefaction potential. Utilizing ensemble-based machine learning techniques, two databases of soil liquefaction were analyzed to predict the probability of liquefaction failure (PLF). The results reveal the superior accuracy of the Gradient Boosting Regressor (GBR) model, achieving an almost ideal accuracy in predicting PLF. Despite its generalization across diverse geographical patterns, the GBR model encounters limitations with insufficient experimental data within specific parameter ranges. To address this, a graphical user interface (GUI) was developed by leveraging data from previous liquefaction records to predict PLF. The GUI, which has been included as supplementary material, proved to be a useful tool for liquefaction risk assessment, and its predictive capabilities make it invaluable for both practical applications and educational purposes. This empowers engineers, urban planners, and decision-makers to make informed decisions and implement proactive measures for disaster mitigation and infrastructure development resilience.

Assessing the sustainability of repetitive floor plan using Building Information Modelling-DIGITAL TWINS framework

Various factors, including the nature of the utilized equipment, labour expertise, availability of resources, and meteorological circumstances, might impact the efficiency of work on construction sites. As a result, site and planning engineers must continuously monitor and assess construction progress considering site conditions and the performance of used construction resources. In multi-storey buildings, repetitive floor construction plan impacts enormously construction site sustainability. To identify an optimal set of construction resources, this paper presents Building Information Modelling-DIGITAL-TWINs (BIMDTs) framework, which planners and site engineers can use to easily monitor and control workflow progress of the repetitive floor. Using a digital model, DTs replicate the actual workflow process on a building site and guarantee a consistent information flow. To guarantee information flow between the building site and the digital model, several communication technology tools could be deployed and tested (High-definition site construction camera, regular site monitoring using drones, infrared smart sensors, etc.). The initial results of this research show an important improvement in the sustainability of construction sites. Reduced formworks oil consumption, improved human resource safety, and increased site resource profitability were observed in several treated real cases.

Environmental Management Practices and Sustainable Green Concrete Use in Malaysia's Construction Industry: Challenges, Benefits, and Future Directions

This review examines the environmental management practices (EMPs) employed within Malaysia's construction sector, with a particular focus on sustainable practices and the adoption of green concrete, including fly ash, rice husk ash, and palm oil fuel ash varieties. The study identifies key challenges, such as low awareness, high costs, weak legal enforcement, and the underdevelopment of green materials in the country. To address these issues, the report proposes solutions such as capacity-building programs, government incentives like tax breaks and grants, regular site inspections, and investment in research and development of green materials. The review also assesses the advantages and limitations of different green concrete types used in Malaysia. The aim of this study is to enhance sustainability efforts and reduce the environmental impact of construction activities through greater awareness, stronger regulatory support, and commitment from all stakeholders. Implementing greener concrete and EMPs is expected to not only mitigate environmental concerns but also yield long-term economic benefits for Malaysia.

Microbiome flexibility enhances the resilience of the potentially invasive coral Tubastraea aurea to abrupt environmental changes: Insights from a shallow water hydrothermal vent transplantation study

To comprehend the effects of potentially invasive coral Tubastraea aurea on marine ecosystems, it is crucial to understand their adaptive strategies to survive environmental changes and perturbations. Therefore, a cross-transplantation study was conducted to assess the microbiome's role in the resilience of T. aurea to sudden environmental changes.Hydrographic analyses revealed distinct ecological conditions at two sites: a hydrothermal vent (HV) site, characterized by harsh environmental conditions serving as a natural laboratory for future oceanic changes, and a regular coastal site Fulong (FU). Both sites showed significant differences in pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Using Oxford Nanopore Technologies, we examined bacterial dynamics in coral tissue, mucus and ambient sediment samples following cross-transplantation experiments. We observed a rapid shift in dominant bacterial groups post-transplantation with transplanted corals acquiring microbiomes similar to native corals from their respective sites within 16 days. The bacteria Endozoicomonas euniceicola and Ruegeria profundi were dominant in both native and transplanted corals, suggesting their critical role in coral resilience. Furthermore, the enrichment of certain bacterial taxa post-transplantation suggests that opportunistic species also contribute to host acclimatization. Functional profiling data indicated that there was site-specific adaptation because corals had acquired beneficial bacterial assemblages to assist them cope with environmental stressors. More specifically, there was a switch towards sulfur and nitrogen metabolism in corals that moved to high sulfidic environments, while corals transplanted into normal coastal environments showed enriched photoautotrophic processes due to their symbionts. Our study underscored the highly flexible microbiome of T. aurea and its pivotal role in facilitating host resilience to environmental perturbations, particularly in the context of its potential invasiveness. Hence, these findings contribute to the understanding of coral-microbiome dynamics and emphasize the necessity of considering microbially-mediated resilience in managing potentially invasive coral species in marine ecosystems around the world, especially as ocean conditions continue to change.

Employing automated electrical resistivity tomography for detecting short- and long-term changes in permafrost and active-layer dynamics in the maritime Antarctic

Abstract. Repeated electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys can substantially advance the understanding of spatial and temporal freeze–thaw dynamics in remote regions, such as Antarctica, where the evolution of permafrost has been poorly investigated. To enable time-lapse ERT surveys in Antarctica, an automated ERT (A-ERT) system is required, as regular site visits are not feasible. In this context, we developed a robust A-ERT prototype and installed it at the Crater Lake CALM-S site on Deception Island, Antarctica, to collect quasi-continuous ERT measurements. We developed an automated data processing workflow to efficiently filter and invert the A-ERT datasets and extract the key information required for a detailed investigation of permafrost and active-layer dynamics. In this paper, we report on the results of two complete year-round A-ERT datasets collected in 2010 and 2019 at the Crater Lake CALM-S site and compare them with available climate and borehole data. The A-ERT profile has a length of 9.5 m with an electrode spacing of 0.5 m, enabling a maximum investigation depth of approximately 2 m. Our detailed investigation of the A-ERT data and inverted results shows that the A-ERT system can detect the active-layer freezing and thawing events with high temporal resolution. The resistivity of the permafrost zone in 2019 is very similar to the values found in 2010, suggesting the stability of the permafrost over almost 1 decade at this site. The evolution of thaw depth exhibits a similar pattern in both years, with the active-layer thickness fluctuating between 0.20–0.35 m. However, a slight thinning of the active layer is evident in early 2019, compared to the equivalent period in 2010. These findings show that A-ERT datasets, combined with the new processing workflow that we developed, are an effective tool for studying permafrost and active-layer dynamics with very high resolution and minimal environmental disturbance. The ability of the A-ERT setup to monitor the spatiotemporal progression of thaw depth in two dimensions, and potentially in three dimensions, and to detect brief surficial refreezing and thawing of the active layer reveals the significance of the automatic ERT monitoring system to record continuous resistivity changes. An A-ERT monitoring setup with a longer profile length can investigate greater depths, offering effective monitoring at sites where boreholes are costly and invasive techniques are unsuitable. This shows that the A-ERT setup described in this paper can be a significant addition to the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) and the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) networks to further investigate the impact of fast-changing climate and extreme meteorological events on the upper soil horizons and to work towards establishing an early warning system for the consequences of climate change.

Atomic-scale environment of niobium in ore minerals as revealed by XANES and EXAFS at the Nb K-edge

Abstract. The mineralogy of niobium (Nb) is characterized by multicomponent oxides such as AB2O6, A2B2O7, ABO4, and ABO3 in which Nb is incorporated in the B site. Such complex crystal-chemistry prevents their unambiguous identification in ore deposits such as hydrothermal rocks and laterites which exhibit complex and fine-grained textures. The understanding of the processes controlling Nb ore deposit formation in various geological settings is therefore limited, although Nb is a critical element. In this study, we use X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Nb K-edge to investigate the local atomic-scale structure around Nb in a large set of natural and synthetic minerals of geological and technological importance. Our X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) data at the Nb K-edge show three major features of variable position and intensity and then can be related to the local distortion and coordination number of the Nb site. Shell-by-shell fits of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data reveal that the NbO6 octahedra are distorted in a variety of pyrochlore species. At least two distinct first shells of O atoms are present while reported crystallographic data yield regular octahedra in the same minerals. Next-nearest Nb–Nb distances in pyrochlore and Nb-bearing perovskite mirror a corner-sharing NbO6 network, whereas the two Nb–Nb distances in columbite are typical of edge- and corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra. Such a resolution on the Nb site geometry and the intersite relationships between the next-nearest NbO6 octahedra is made possible by collecting EXAFS data under optimal conditions at 20 K and up to 16 Å−1. The local structure around substituted Nb5+ in Fe3+, Ti4+, and Ce4+ oxides suffers major changes relative to the unsubstituted structures. The substitution of Nb5+ for Ti4+ in anatase leads to the increase in the interatomic distances between Nb and its first and second Ti4+ neighbors. The substitution of Nb5+ for Ce4+ in cerianite reduces the coordination number of the cation from eight to four, and the Nb–O bonds are shortened compared to Ce–O ones. In hematite, Nb5+ occupies a regular site, whereas the Fe3+ site is strongly distorted suggesting major site relaxation due to charge mismatch. The sensitivity of XANES and EXAFS spectroscopies at the Nb K-edge to the local site geometry and next-nearest neighbors demonstrated in this study would help decipher Nb speciation and investigate mineralogical reactions of Nb minerals in deposit-related contexts such as hydrothermal and lateritic deposits.

Protected Natural Areas and sustainable use: the Spiaggia dei Conigli in the “Lampedusa Island” Nature Reserve (Agrigento, Sicily, Italy)

The Spiaggia dei Conigli, falling within the “Isola di Lampedusa” Nature Reserve (Agrigento, Sicily, Italy) is of great naturalistic interest due to the presence of various habitats of community importance and as a regular oviposition site of sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) (Reptilia Cheloniidae). Since its establishment, the Nature Reserve has activated numerous conservation and protection interventions and actions, renaturalization and re-orientation of seaside use, becoming a concrete example of integration between nature protection and territorial promotion. Over the last three years, the management body Legambiente Sicilia has strengthened the regulation of the site by initiating an action to limit attendance, in order to further reduce the impacts on habitats and species and to guarantee a more rewarding and aware of the naturalistic values of a protected natural area. The first results of this action are presented in this paper.

Diagnosis and Therapeutic Strategies of Unusual Subglottic Pleomorphic Adenoma: A Rare Case Report and Literature Review.

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is primarily found in the salivary glands, and is extremely rare in the subglottic region. Here we present a subglottic PA that presented with symptoms of dry cough and dyspnea. A submucosal mass was found in the subglottic region under laryngoscopy, occluding approximately 40% of the lumen. The patient underwent the transoral endoscopic CO2 laser microsurgery under high-frequency jet ventilation for mass resection, and the pathology report supported the diagnosis of PA. At the 2-year follow-up, there was no evidence of recurrence, and the patient is currently under regular long-term monitoring. Dyspnea and dry cough are nonspecific respiratory symptoms. When no findings discovered in the regular site, it should be noted that the subglottic area is often a blind spot for both pulmonologists and otolaryngologists, and as such, requires careful examination. Transoral endoscopic CO2 laser microsurgery under high-frequency jet ventilation was found to be an effective and less invasive method for treating subglottic PA. This approach helped avoid tracheostomy and resulted in better postoperative recovery.

Unmanned aerial vehicle navigation in underground structure inspection: A review

Many years after construction, a number of existing old tunnels and underground structures are deteriorating with time as evidenced by cracks, large deformations, water leakage and so forth, which usually require regular site inspections to record their structural deterioration by taking high‐pixel, high‐overlap images along miles of a tunnel network. For complex underground structures (e.g., long tunnels and large caves), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may be adaptive in acquiring images at multiple heights and angles with low operational costs. So far, UAV underground structural health monitoring has become mature for open‐air surveying with rapid developments in robotic software and hardware. However, the UAV image acquisition for underground working conditions still faces a number of key challenges. This paper aims to provide an overview of UAV navigation techniques in confined dark spaces for geotechnical engineers, geologists, drone developers and other interdisciplinary researchers &amp; professionals in the structural health monitoring field. It specifies the challenges for UAV application in underground space, mainly including lack of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, poor lighting conditions, weak features and obstacle avoidance and then followed by strategic solutions. For example, in light of poor GNSS signals, the fusion of multi‐sensors (e.g., laser imaging, detection and ranging (LiDAR) and multi‐cameras) can enhance localization accuracy in low‐luminance underground conditions. To address obstacle avoidance, computer vision (CV)‐based navigation algorithms (e.g., deep reinforced learning [DRL]) enable effective navigation in complex 3D spaces, but their adaptability is limited by arithmetic power and pre‐training needs. The review of relevant previous studies concludes that further development for UAVs in underground space inspection may focus on operation in large‐scale geometric inspection environments, obstacle avoidance, features and semantic recognition.

Leveraging Telehealth to Address Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Access Disparities in Rural Communities.

There are persistent gaps in access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) in rural and underserved areas, yielding health and legal disparities for survivors. These inequities prompted federal investment in novel telehealth programs to improve SANE access. The aim of this study was to examine program case studies from two sexual abuse/assault (SA) telehealth centers, illuminating successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Two state SA telehealth program directors used a collective instrumental case study approach to understand telehealth SANE (teleSANE) program challenges/lessons learned, outcomes, and recommendations for the field. Cross-program commonalities and differences were examined, pooling experiences to derive recommendations to sustain telehealth to increase SA health equity. Collectively, the two programs have served 18 remote sites and provided 335 consultations. Both programs provide access to 24/7 teleSANE consultation, quality assurance, and mentoring. Unique to each program were engagement of hospital leadership in advisory boards, use of telehealth technology, training programs, and fiscal sustainability. Both programs identified flexibility, offering a tailored implementation approach, regular site support and communication, and teleSANE mentoring aligned with the Quality Caring Model as essential to success. Critical needs identified to sustain programs included (a) multilevel community and hospital buy-in, (b) sustainable funding specific to local institution needs, and (c) robust processes to oversee clinical and technology support. Cross-program similarities and differences show the impact telehealth can have on equitable SA care. Program evaluation showed common challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations to advance equitable SA care access in underresourced communities.

Is (Disordered) Social Networking Sites Usage a Risk Factor for Dysfunctional Eating and Exercise Behavior?

Research over the past years has shown that exposure to thin and beauty ideals in the media can be associated with disordered eating and related variables. Nowadays, interactive media, such as social networking sites, have gained growing popularity and represent a major part of people's lives. It is therefore crucial to investigate how far users might be negatively influenced by social networking sites regarding eating pathology or excessive exercise behavior and if there are particular links to social media use disorder. Data were collected by an online-survey encompassing questions on regular social networking site use, eating disorders, and excessive exercise behavior. Analyses showed that disordered social networking sites use was significantly related to eating pathology and a poorer body image in men and women. The frequency of active or passive social networking sites usage however was not associated with exercise behavior. Our results confirm that disordered social networking sites use represents a risk factor for body image dissatisfaction and associated eating disorders.

Drosophila melanogaster as a model for unraveling unique molecular features of epilepsy elicited by human GABA transporter 1 variants.

Mutations in the human γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter 1 (hGAT-1) can instigate myoclonic-atonic and other generalized epilepsies in the afflicted individuals. We systematically examined fifteen hGAT-1 disease variants, all of which dramatically reduced or completely abolished GABA uptake activity. Many of these loss-of-function variants were absent from their regular site of action at the cell surface, due to protein misfolding and/or impaired trafficking machinery (as verified by confocal microscopy and de-glycosylation experiments). A modest fraction of the mutants displayed correct targeting to the plasma membrane, but nonetheless rendered the mutated proteins devoid of GABA transport, possibly due to structural alterations in the GABA binding site/translocation pathway. We here focused on a folding-deficient A288V variant. In flies, A288V reiterated its impeded expression pattern, closely mimicking the ER-retention demonstrated in transfected HEK293 cells. Functionally, A288V presented a temperature-sensitive seizure phenotype in fruit flies. We employed diverse small molecules to restore the expression and activity of folding-deficient hGAT-1 epilepsy variants, in vitro (in HEK293 cells) and in vivo (in flies). We identified three compounds (chemical and pharmacological chaperones) conferring moderate rescue capacity for several variants. Our data grant crucial new insights into: (i) the molecular basis of epilepsy in patients harboring hGAT-1 mutations, and (ii) a proof-of-principle that protein folding deficits in disease-associated hGAT-1 variants can be corrected using the pharmacochaperoning approach. Such innovative pharmaco-therapeutic prospects inspire the rational design of novel drugs for alleviating the clinical symptoms triggered by the numerous emerging pathogenic mutations in hGAT-1.

Struggle to improve quality of public secondary education in Tanzania

This study investigated the culture of maintenance and rehabilitation of furniture and infrastructure among the head of schools in public secondary schools in central Tanzania. The study investigated how leadership culture and political influences affect the culture of school maintenance. The investigation was broadened to include other factors that influence the culture of school maintenance. The study was cross-sectional. It involved qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were randomly collected from seven districts of Dodoma region. The researcher used structured questionnaires to collect data from Heads of school. About 33 Heads of school were randomly obtained across the region. A descriptive research design was adopted in aligning up with the purposes of the study. The design is a fact-finding and interpretation of findings is valid. The design gives the flexibility of using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The findings in both approaches reveal that the culture of maintenance and rehabilitation is directly influenced by both leadership culture and politics. Descriptive analysis revealed that factors such as shortage of funds were the major factors that were reported in all schools regardless of their nature. The study also revealed a lack of training for school management teams and minimal involvement of the community. Repairing was revealed to be very expensive. Overcrowded classes, ignorance, and negligence of students were other findings. Qualitative analysis focused on the factors discussed in the descriptive analysis. Additionally, qualitative analysis reveals that leadership culture and politics have direct effects on the culture of school maintenance. The study recommends regular training to leaders and politicians at all levels in respective areas because these are in touch with the schools and the nature of community members. The recommendation also notes the importance of regular audit and site visits by administrators to each school. There should be established a mobile repairing and rehabilitation unit which will visit all schools to do undertake this work at affordable costs and timely. Lastly, there is a need to recheck the involvement of the community and micro-politicians in school maintenance and the proportions of capitation grants need to be rechecked to give flexibility on spending.

Exploring the nonlinear partitioning mechanism of volatile organic contaminants between soil and soil vapor using machine learning

Traditional phase equilibrium models usually depend on simplified assumptions and empirical parameters, which are difficult to obtain during regular site investigations. As a result, they often under- or over-estimate soil vapor concentrations for assessing the risks of volatile organic compound (VOC)-contaminated sites. In this study, we develop several machine learning models to predict soil vapor concentrations using 2225 soil-soil vapor data pairs collected from seven contaminated sites in northern China. Compared to the classic dual equilibrium desorption model, the random forest (RF) model can provide more accurate predictions of soil vapor concentrations by at least 1–2 orders of magnitude. Among the employed covariates, soil concentration and organic carbon-water partition coefficient are two of the most significant explanatory covariates affecting soil vapor concentrations. Further examination of the developed RF model reveals the phase equilibrium behavior of VOCs in soil is that: the soil vapor concentration increases with soil concentration at different rates in the first two intervals but remains almost unchanged in the last interval; the solid-vapor partitioning interface may still exist at up to 15% mass water content in our simulations. These findings can help site investigators perform more accurate risk assessments at VOC-contaminated sites.

Optimal allocation and operation of sewer monitoring sites for wastewater-based disease surveillance: A methodological proposal

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is drawing increasing attention as a promising tool for an early warning of emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19. This study demonstrated the utility of a spatial bisection method (SBM) and a global optimization algorithm (i.e., genetic algorithm, GA), to support better designing and operating a WBE program for disease surveillance and source identification. The performances of SBM and GA were compared in determining the optimal locations of sewer monitoring manholes to minimize the difference among the effective spatial monitoring scales of the selected manholes. While GA was more flexible in determining the spatial resolution of the monitoring areas, SBM allows stepwise selection of optimal sampling manholes with equiareal subcatchments and lowers computational cost. Upon detecting disease outbreaks at a regular sewer monitoring site, additional manholes within the catchment can be selected and monitored to identify source areas with a required spatial resolution. SBM offered an efficient method for rapidly searching for the optimal locations of additional sampling manholes to identify the source areas. This study provides strategic and technical elements of WBE including sampling site selection with required spatial resolution and a source identification method.

Dokumentation von Versinterungen im Koralmtunnel – Kartierung und Beprobung in der Praxis

AbstractThe bidding consortium 3G Gruppe Geotechnik Graz ZT GmbH and Pöyry Infra GmbH as well as Geoconsult ZT GmbH and BGG Consult Dr. Peter Waibel ZT‐GmbH were awarded the contract for the geological and hydrogeological documentation during the construction of the 33 km long Koralm Tunnel, which was split into three lots. To assess the potential for scale deposition, ongoing documentation and surveys of the groundwater inflows were undertaken in addition to the usual hydrogeological documentation. The scope of documentation included mapping of scale deposition and groundwater inflows, regular site visits and sampling of water and solids in the excavated tunnel (shotcrete and segmental lining) both during and after excavation works. Furthermore, long‐term monitoring of the water inflows (on‐site parameters, determination of / changes in humidity) and laboratory analysis of the individual and mixed groundwater samples identified the parameters required to assess the potential for scale deposition. The documentation, analysis and assessments provided the basis for ultimately deciding which tunnel sections would require hardness stabilisation measures to reduce or inhibit scaling and calcium carbonate precipitations in the drainage system during the operational phase.

Do antihypertensive drugs really have antitumor effects? Baseline differences in hypertensive and non-hypertensive patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Although the antitumor effects of antihypertensive drugs for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) have been investigated, their efficacy remains unclear. Previous studies suggest that hypertensive (HT) patients with APC are significantly older than non-HT patients with APC, and that other major baseline differences in patient characteristics which may affect prognosis exist between HT and non-HT patients. It is also possible that antihypertensive drugs lack antitumor activity. Therefore, we herein retrospectively investigated the baseline differences between HT and non-HT patients with APC. From January 2015 to April 2020, 56 patients with APC received nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine as first-line chemotherapy at Higashiosaka City Medical Center (Higashiosaka, Japan). Of these 56 patients, 30 were diagnosed with hypertension (HT group); the remaining 26 did not have hypertension (non-HT group). Differences between the two groups were compared and prognostic factors were evaluated. Patients in the HT group had significantly less sarcopenia, a significantly larger body mass index, were significantly older, and significantly more likely to have a regular doctor and primary site in the body and tail of the pancreas than those in the non-HT group. Although no significant difference was found in the treatment response, patients in the HT group were significantly more likely to move to second-line chemotherapy than those in the non-HT group. Survival curves showed that median overall survival (OS) in the HT group was significantly longer (10.5 months) than in the non-HT group (6.8 months, P = .04). Multivariate analysis did not identify the use of antihypertensive drugs as an independent prognostic factor of OS. We identified key baseline differences in the characteristics of APC patients with and without HT, suggesting that major selection bias could occur when investigating the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs in all populations. Therefore, it is possible that antihypertensive drugs lack antitumor activity. To determine the true efficacy of antihypertensive drugs for APC, HT, and non-HT patients in another population should be investigated, or a prospective, randomized, controlled trial conducted that is stratified by HT or non-HT status.

Ectopic Deciduous Molar in Maxillary Sinus: An Extremely Rare Case Report

Ectopic eruption of teeth is a rare phenomenon, when teeth are found outside their regular site of eruption. This condition is quite rare in non-dentate regions such as maxillary sinus, nasal septum, mandibular condyle, coronoid process and the palate. The most typical symptomatic presentation of this condition is facial pain. Most of the reported cases of ectopic eruption are permanent third molars and only few cases of ectopic deciduous tooth have been reported in the literature. The purpose of this study is to report a case of ectopic deciduous molar tooth in maxillary sinus in a 13-year-old patient with no related signs and symptoms.

The Analyzing Of Preliminary Safety Precautions On Site

Construction safety is a principle adhered to and enforced by construction safety managers. It is the result of safe equipment usage, worker protection from hazards, regular site inspections and risk assessments. A key component of construction safety is compliance with the safety and health regulations of the region