Research Group Research Articles

Application of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in metabolic alterations of prefrontal white and gray matter in depression adolescents

BACKGROUND Cases of depression among adolescents are gradually increasing. The study of the physiological basis of cognitive function from a biochemical perspective has therefore been garnering increasing attention. Depression has been hypothesized to be associated with the brain biochemical metabolism of the anterior cingulate gyrus, frontal lobe white matter, and the thalamus. AIM To explore the application of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the metabolic alterations in the prefrontal white matter (PWM) and gray matter (GM) in adolescents with depression. METHODS 1H-MRS was performed for semi-quantitative analysis of the biochemical metabolites N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline (Cho) complexes, creatine (Cr), and myo-inositol (mI) in bilateral PWM, anterior cingulate GM, and thalami of 31 adolescent patients with depression (research group) and 35 healthy adolescents (control group), and the NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, and mI/Cr ratios were calculated. Meanwhile, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Wechsler Memory Scale were used to assess the degree of depression and memory function in all adolescents. The correlation of brain metabolite levels with scale scores was also analyzed. RESULTS The research group had markedly higher HAMD-24 scores and lower memory quotient (MQ) compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Adolescents with depression were found to have lower bilateral PWM NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios compared with healthy adolescents (P < 0.05). The mI/Cr ratios were found to be similar in both groups (P > 0.05). The bilateral anterior cingulate GM NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, and mI/Cr also did not demonstrate marked differences (P > 0.05). No statistical inter-group difference was determined in NAA/Cr of the bilateral thalami (P > 0.05), while bilateral thalamic Cho/Cr and mI/Cr were reduced in teenagers with depression compared with healthy adolescents (P < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between the HAMD-24 scores in adolescents with depression with bilateral PWM NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr and were inversely linked to bilateral thalamic Cho/Cr and mI/Cr (P < 0.05). In adolescents with depressions, MQ positively correlated with right PWH NAA/Cr, left PWH Cho/Cr, and bilateral thalamic Cho/Cr and mI/Cr. CONCLUSION PWM and thalamic metabolic abnormalities might influence teen depression, and the reduction in bilateral PWM NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr could be related to the neuropathology of adolescents with depression suffering from memory impairment. There exists a possibility of dysfunction of nerve cell membrane phospholipids in the thalami of adolescent patients with depression.

Use of the Time-Based Experience Sampling Method in Older Adults

Abstract: Older adults represent an increasing proportion of the world’s population and are an important target group for psychological research. The experience sampling method (ESM) has the potential to generate unique insights into the daily lives of older adults, but its application also brings challenges. We provide a systematic review of studies applying time-based ESM (tb-ESM) with participants of 65 years and older in their natural environment, focusing on the studies’ specific (1) (sub)populations and contexts, (2) tb-ESM designs, and (3) rate of study adherence. We searched Medline, Web of Science, Cinahl, Psychology Database, and OSF preprints for eligible reports published from 2007 onwards. After screening 549 records, 54 reports on 31 unique studies were included in the narrative synthesis. Most studies sampled healthy community-dwelling older adults and applied semi-randomized signal schedules. Mobile assessments were much more common than in an earlier review with studies published before 2007 and could be implemented successfully. Recommendations for future tb-ESM studies in older adults are made regarding training and follow-up, custom signal modalities and schedules, and adapted response recording methods. Future aging tb-ESM studies should be mindful of the inclusion of more diverse samples and the evaluation of participant adherence and burden.

Investigating the Comparative Effectiveness of Yoga and Relaxation Therapy on Restlessness, Fatigue and Difficulty Concentrating in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term autoimmune disorder affecting the central nervous system, leading to reduced quality of life and impaired physical and psychological functions. Objectives: This study aims to examine the relative efficacy of yoga and relaxation therapy in improving sleep disturbances, fatigue, and cognitive impairment among individuals diagnosed with MS. Methods: This study employed a semi-experimental research design, including a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up over three months. The target population comprised all MS patients referred to the Iranian MS Association in Tehran between July and November 2023. Sixty participants were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to research groups: Two yoga therapy groups with 17 participants each, a relaxation therapy group with 16 participants, and a control group with 18 participants. The yoga therapy group participated in twelve 90-minute sessions twice a week, while the control group received no intervention and was placed on a waiting list. Various tools, including the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI-O), and a concentration skills questionnaire, were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc test, MANCOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests with a significance level of 0.05, utilizing SPSS 27 software. Results: The study found a significant difference (P < 0.001) in the restlessness factor in both the post-test and follow-up phases. Additionally, there was a significant difference (P < 0.001) in the levels of physical fatigue, mental fatigue, decreased activity, and decreased motivation in both the post-test and follow-up phases, indicating significant changes in the fatigue factor among the research groups. However, there was no significant difference in the general fatigue component between the research groups. A significant difference (P < 0.001) was also found in the concentration factor, particularly in the components of voluntary and involuntary concentration, during both the post-test and follow-up stages. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that both yoga and relaxation therapy techniques significantly reduce restlessness, physical tiredness, mental fatigue, decreased activity, and decreased motivation. Furthermore, the findings validate that both yoga and relaxation therapy techniques effectively enhance voluntary and involuntary concentration.

. Changes in Serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and matrix metallopeptidase-2/9 (MMP-2/9), serum CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for non-small-cell lung cancer

Abstract Objective: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the most common malignancies worldwide, posing a great potential threat to the health and life safety of patients. Methods: One hundred and fifty NSCLC patients admitted to our hospital from September 2022 to September 2023 were selected, inflammatory response, changes in T-lymphocyte subpopulations before and after surgery were detected, and patients' psychological status was investigated. Finally, patients were followed up for 6 months to record the prognostic survival rate. Results: Postoperative inflammatory factors and CD8+ were lower in the research group than in the control group, while CD3, CD4+ and CD4/CD8+ were higher than in the control group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the psychological status of the research group was better. But there was no difference in prognostic survival between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: Perioperative refinement of care can optimize the surgical process in patients with NSCLC, and the cellular immune function was enhanced.

Examining the Relationships between Career Development, Daily Life Decision Making and Social Emotional Learning Skills of Middle School Students

This presented research has three purposes: The first purpose of this study is to examine the power of middle school students' social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills together as a predictor of their career development. The second purpose is to examine the career development of middle school students according to gender. Third purpose is to examine the career development of middle school students according to targeted high school type. The research group consisted of 263 middle school students (141 female, 116 male, 6 unknown). These students were studying in 3 middle schools in the center of a large city in the northwestern part of Turkey and their ages ranged between 10-15 (X̄=12.31; sd=1.07). The research data were collected by applying the Chilhood Career Development Scale, Social Emotional Learning Scale for Adolescents, Daily Life Decision Making Scale and Personal Information Form. The research data were analysed using multiple linear regression analysis, t test, and one-way ANOVA. The research results showed that middle school students' social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills scores together accounted for a significant proportion of the variance 0.19% of the career development scores of middle school students. The results showed that the career development score mean of students targeted Anatolian high school were higher than those aiming for science high school and vocational and technical high school. There was not significantly differences in career development scores of the students according to gender. The research results were discussed based on the relevant literature, provided important implications for the theoretical and practical literature on career development, social emotional learning and daily life decision-making skills and suggestions were presented for future theoretical and practical research.

PROMOTING THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE POPNEURO, A SUCCESSFUL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OUTREACH PROGRAM.

Here, we report a successful initiative between Brazil and Germany to stimulate neuroscience outreach: the POPNeuro Program. The POPNeuro Program is a neuroscience outreach project created in Brazil that has been active for over ten years. It was initiated in Uruguaiana/RS/Brazil and linked to the Physiology Research Group from the Federal University of Pampa. The neuroscience dissemination was developed mainly in school environments by a team that includes neuroscientists and university undergraduate and graduate students. One of the key focuses of POPNeuro is to identify and avoid the dissemination of neuromyths (misconceptions generated by a misunderstanding, a misreading, or a misquoting of scientific facts). Following an initial research cooperation, the Brazilian and German teams decided to replicate some of the POPNeuro activities in Germany. The POPNeuro spin-off developed the first activities in Germany included neuroscience disclosure activities during the TUC Open Campus Day and a Neuroscience of Learning course for sports and physical education teachers. During the activities, participants took a quiz to identify the prevalence of neuromyths and knowledge of neuroscience facts. The results demonstrate a high prevalence of neurotmyths between the different participants. Despite the socio-cultural differences, these results are in line with previous results from POPNeuro in Brazil. Considering our experience and the participants' evaluations, we are confident that promoting the internationalization of this successful neurophysiology outreach program, expanding the Brazilian POPNeuro program in Germany will have a positive impact. This initiative represents a model of international cooperation that should be stimulated.

Fraudulent Participation in Online Qualitative Studies: Practical Recommendations on an Emerging Phenomenon.

Fraudulent participation is defined in the following as participation in research by individuals who, for one reason or another, intentionally provide false responses. Qualitative studies are at an increased risk of fraudulent participation when online recruitment and participation are used, and monetary incentives offered. Fraudulent participation threatens data quality and subsequent evidence-based practice, yet validated guidance on how to tackle it is lacking. This paper offers a critical reflection thereon by three separate qualitative research groups that experienced fraudulent participation in collaboration with a patient representative, a bioethicist, a legal expert, a journal deputy editor, and a chief executive of a national charity. The Prevent FRaudulent Online STudy participation (P-FROST) recommendations provide advice on (1) Study set-up (including team members and study design), (2) Monetary incentives and recruitment, (3) Data collection (screening and interview considerations), and (4) Analysis, reporting, and support. The reflection which balances the diverse perspectives of patients, researchers, funders, ethics boards, and legal teams puts forward the P-FROST recommendations to identify and prevent fraudulent participation throughout the design, ethical approval, and implementation of online qualitative research.

Unfolding Electrolyzer Characteristics to Reveal Solar-to-Chemical Efficiency Potential: Rapid Analysis Method Bridging Electrochemistry and Photovoltaics.

Development of photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC) systems for energy storage and industry decarbonization requires multidisciplinary collaborative efforts of different research groups from both photovoltaic and electrochemical research communities. Consequently, the evaluation of the solar-to-chemical or solar-to-fuel efficiency of a new electrolyzer (EC) as a part of a PV-EC system is a time-consuming task that is challenging in a routine optimization loop. To address this issue, a new rapid assessment method is proposed. This method employs power balance requirements to unfold the input EC characteristics into the parameter space of PV-EC systems. The system parameters, composed with the EC output characteristics, yield the solar-to-chemical efficiency attainable by the electrolyzer in combination with any PV device under any irradiance at any relative PV-to-EC scaling and any mode of power coupling. This comprehensive overview is achieved via a mathematically simple conversion of the EC characteristics in any spreadsheet software. The method, designed to streamline the development and minimize the efforts of both the photovoltaic and electrochemical communities, is demonstrated via the analysis of CO2-reduction electrolyzer characteristics and verified with dedicated PV-EC experiments.

Development of an Antiviral Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Database (avMpNp Database) from Biodiversity.

The construction of compound databases (DB) is a strategy for the rational search of bioactive compounds and drugs for new and old diseases. In order to bring greater impact to drug discovery, we propose the development of a DB of bioactive antiviral compounds. Several research groups have presented evidence of the antiviral activity of medicinal plants and compounds isolated from these plants. We believe that compiling these discoveries in a DB would benefit the scientific research community and increase the speed to discover new potential drugs and medicines. Thus, we present the Antiviral Medicinal Plant and Natural Product DB (avMpNp DB) as an important source for acquiring, organizing, and distributing knowledge related to natural products and antiviral drug discovery. The avMpNp DB contains a series of chemically diverse compounds with drug-like profiles. To test the potential of this DB, SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and PLpro enzymatic inhibition assays were performed for available compounds resulting in IC50 values ranging from 6.308±0.296 to 15.795±0.155 μM. As a perspective, artificial intelligence tools will be added to implement computational predictions, as well as other chemical functionalities that allow data validation.

Facilitating Multidisciplinary Working Groups in Translational Research: Strategies to Promote Cross-Center Collaboration and Sustain the Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) Consortium

Facilitating Multidisciplinary Working Groups in Translational Research: Strategies to Promote Cross-Center Collaboration and Sustain the Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) Consortium

Addressing social norms for adolescent timing and spacing of pregnancy in low and middle-income countries: Developing a global research agenda.

Social norms shape adolescent sexual and reproductive health behaviours contributing to contraceptive and pregnancy outcomes. No global research agendas exist to guide research on adolescent social norms shifting in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We developed a social norms research agenda to improve adolescent healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy in LMICs. We adapted and applied the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method. A group of researchers guided the process, and consulted with diverse experts to develop a list of 21 research questions for global stakeholders to score via an online survey. Survey participants scored each research question according to four criteria (fills key gap, feasible, impactful, equitable). Research priority scores (RPS) and average expert agreement (AEA) statistics were calculated for each question and analysed overall and by stakeholder region and profession. We received 185 survey responses. Participants were, on average, 44 years old, 64% were women, 70% were from LMICs and 47% were implementers. The RPS ranged from 52 to 81% (74% median) and the AEA ranged from 49 to 70% (58% median). Nearly 70% of stakeholders gave the same score to each of the top five research questions. The top five research priorities focused on effective norm-shifting interventions (NSIs) strategies, processes and indicators to NSIs, and NSI adaptation and scale-up. Using a collaborative and rigorous process with diverse representation from LMICs and implementers, we reached consensus on five priority research questions to guide future adolescent social norms research to improve healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy in LMICs.

Multicenter outcome analysis of different sheath sizes for Flexible and Navigable Suction ureteral access sheath (FANS) ureteroscopy: an EAU Endourology collaboration with the global FANS study group.

Flexible and navigable suction ureteral access sheath (FANS) is a potential game changer in flexible ureteroscopy (FURS). The influence of sheath size on outcomes needs research. The primary aim was to analyze 30-day single stage stone free status (SFS), zero fragment rate (ZFR) and complications when using 10/12Fr sheaths vis a vis other sheath sizes. The global FANS research group published the 30-day outcomes in patients who underwent FANS and reasoned this can be a potential game changer. We included 295 patients from this anonymized dataset with division into two groups: Group 1 (Smaller sheath) - 10/12Fr FANS, and Group 2 (Larger sheath) - 11/13Fr or 12/14Fr sheaths. Stone volume was similar between both groups (median 1320 mm3, p = 0.88). Ureteroscopy and total operative time was longer in the smaller sheath group (35 vs. 32min, p = 0.02 and 50 vs. 45min, p = 0.001, respectively). While 30-day computed tomography SFS (100% stone free or single residual fragment ≤ 2mm) were not significantly different (96% vs. 95%, p > 0.99), ZFR (100% stone-free) was better with smaller sheaths (68% vs. 53%, p = 0.02). There was no difference in postoperative complication rates, and no sepsis in both groups. Urologists should consider individualizing appropriate sheath size in normal adult kidneys. Sheath size did not affect complication rates, risk of perioperative injury to the pelvicalyceal system or ureteric injury, but smaller FANS sheaths had similar high SFS. The ZFR with smaller sheaths was better, but this needs to be validated. These smaller sheath outcomes need to be balanced with longer ureteroscopy time, operative time, reach to the lower pole, ease of suction and visibility during lithotripsy. Large volume studies in different types of pelvicalyceal anatomy can determine if indeed smaller FANS is the best choice in FURS.

Diversity in Family Medicine Research.

In conjunction with the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) Annual Conference in 2023, leaders in the field of family medicine came together to discuss and produce a Family Medicine Research Agenda. While multiple areas were discussed, diversity, equity, and inclusion did not rise to the top as research priorities. This article discusses the 3 areas family medicine leaders see as necessary to produce high-quality research. The authors present ideas on how diversity, equity, and inclusion can be prioritized in each area. In the first area, "Grow the family medicine research workforce by expanding pathways and strengthening mentorship," the authors present existing models, with an emphasis on those pathway programs proven to increase scholarship and research, such as the Leadership Through Scholarship Fellowship sponsored by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) and the Building Research Capacity Program sponsored by the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM). In the second area, "Increase funding for family medicine research and advocate for enhanced health policy and support," the authors present ideas on greater utilization of NIH diversity supplements as well as institutional advocacy by family medicine chairs to create seed grants and provide opportunities for diverse faculty to engage in research. Chairs can also increase the diversity of the researcher pool by recruiting among local full-time clinicians, a more diverse group than most faculties. For the final area, "Build a national infrastructure for organizing and optimizing family medicine research opportunities," the authors present solutions including following demographic data surrounding authorship and reviewing for journals; having dedicated committees or editors focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and using demographic data from conference submissions to encourage those from underrepresented backgrounds to translate their presentations into a manuscript. These strategies can help equity, diversity, and inclusion become central to our research and be used as a national model for other specialties attempting to do the same.

The people behind the papers – Kerim Anlaş and Vikas Trivedi

A vertebrate embryo undergoes gastrulation, wherein it reorganises into a structure with three germ layers and three distinct body axes. Here, Vikas Trivedi and colleagues investigate spatial patterning of germ layers in the absence of external cues. To find out more about their work, we spoke to the first author, Kerim Anlaş, and the corresponding author, Vikas Trivedi, Research Group Leader and Co-Chair of Theory Transversal Theme at European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Barcelona, Spain.

Oral glucocorticoids for skin fibrosis in early diffuse systemic sclerosis: a target trial emulation study from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research group database.

The objective of this study is to evaluate whether adding oral glucocorticoids to immunosuppressive therapy improves skin scores and ensures safety in patients with early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc). We performed an emulated randomized trial comparing the changes from baseline to 12±3 months of the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS: primary outcome) in early dcSSc patients receiving either oral glucocorticoids (≤20 mg/day prednisone-equivalent) combined with immunosuppression (treated), or immunosuppression alone (controls), using data from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research Group. Secondary endpoints were the difference occurrence of progressive skin or lung fibrosis, and scleroderma renal crisis. Matching propensity score was used to adjust for baseline imbalance between groups. We matched 208 patients (age 49 years; 33% male; 59% anti-Scl70), 104 in each treatment group, obtaining comparable characteristics at baseline. In the treated group, patients received a median prednisone dose of 5 mg/day. Mean mRSS change at 12±3 months was similar in the two groups (decrease of 2.7 [95% CI 1.4 - 4.0] in treated vs. 3.1 [95% CI 1.9 - 4.4] in control, p = 0.64). Similar results were observed in patients with shorter disease duration (≤ 24 months) or with mRSS ≤22. There was no between-group difference for all prespecified secondary outcomes. A case of scleroderma renal crisis occurred in both groups. We did not find any significant benefit of adding low-dose oral glucocorticoids to immunosuppression for skin fibrosis, and at this dosage, glucocorticoid did not increase the risk of scleroderma renal crisis.

Epilepsy-pregnancy registries: An update.

This report is the first comprehensive update on the activities of existing epilepsy-pregnancy registries since 2010. The primary aim of these registries, which were initiated by independent international research groups some 25 years ago, has been to assess the risk of major congenital malformations (MCMs) in offspring exposed in utero to different antiseizure medications (ASMs). Progress reports are provided here from the five original registries (the International Registry of Antiepileptic Drugs and Pregnancy EURAP, the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry, the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register, the Kerala Registry of Epilepsy and Pregnancy, and the Raoul Wallenberg Australian Pregnancy Register of Antiepileptic Drugs) plus the more recently initiated West China Registry. Since their inception, the registries have published a wealth of data revealing important differences in risks across the most frequently used ASM treatments, thereby facilitating rational management of women with epilepsy who are of childbearing potential. Although the number of pregnancies enrolled in the different registries has more than doubled since the 2010 report, many questions remain. These include outcomes following prenatal exposure to most of the newer ASMs or different ASM combinations, as well as associations with specific MCMs rather than MCMs as a collective. All the registries, therefore, remain active and continue to enroll pregnancies. Administrative health care databases have been utilized more recently for the assessment of MCM risks and other adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with in utero exposure to ASMs. Although these can provide population-based complementary information, they cannot replace the specific epilepsy-pregnancy registries with their more detailed validated individual information. Given the multiple newer ASMs that are increasingly used and the continuing multiple knowledge gaps for the older ASMs, epilepsy-pregnancy registries will continue to play an important role in the future.

The Influence of Emotional Competencies on the Entrepreneurship Intentions of University Students in Colombia

The main objective of this article is to analyze the effect of a group of predictors on entrepreneurial intention from the perspective of emotional competencies. To achieve this aim, a sample of 996 students belonging to ten public and seven private universities was selected, with each university having been granted high-quality accreditation by the Colombian Ministry of Education. The theoretical approach was based on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and the empirical analysis was based on structural equation models. Eight hypotheses were tested, with entrepreneurial intention as the dependent variable and emotional competencies, subjective norms, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial attitude as independent variables. The information was obtained by applying a questionnaire with a Likert scale to students of subjects related to entrepreneurship. From the findings of the study, it is concluded that in the two ecosystems analyzed (public and private), emotional competencies (EC) have neither a direct influence on entrepreneurial intention (EI) nor an indirect one since no significant influence is observed between emotional competencies and entrepreneurial attitude; however, a direct and positive effect was recorded between the self-efficacy and entrepreneurial attitude constructs on entrepreneurial intention. In addition, it is observed that subjective norms (SN) do not directly affect EI, but they do influence it indirectly, being mediated by entrepreneurial attitude and self-efficacy. The contribution of this study is focused on obtaining a better understanding of the entrepreneurial intentions of university students in Colombia, which will make it possible to foster strategies for the generation of youth employment and public policies to promote various entrepreneurial initiatives. This could be based on government regulations adopted in the last decade, which are still under development, and the broad participation of university students and research groups of higher education institutions. Furthermore, given the dearth of research examining the impact of emotional competencies on the entrepreneurial intentions of young Colombian university students, this study aims to bridge the existing knowledge gap, thereby contributing to the development of a more robust body of literature that can inform the design and implementation of educational strategies and public policies aimed at fostering entrepreneurship within the university ecosystems of this country.

Liver transplantation: Do not abandon T-tube drainage-a multicentric retrospective study of the ARCHET research group.

Biliary complications remain a real issue in liver transplantation (LT). Despite meta-analyses, the anastomosis technique, especially the use of biliary drain as T-Tube drain (TT) or transcystic drain, remains controversial. This study conducted by the ARCHET research group examine the incidence and types of biliary complications (BC) after LT according to the presence or absence of a biliary drain. 1485 patients with LT surgery between 2009 to 2015 in 4 LT centers were included, divided into 3 groups: no drain (ND n = 442), transcystic drain (TCD, n = 169) and TT(n = 874).The T-Tube group includes 3 techniques: transanastomotic, subanastomotic and tunneled retroperitoneal. Fistula and biliary stricture (AS) rates were studied. The risk factors of BC were investigated by multivariate analysis. The BC rate was lower in the TT group (17% TT, 25% TCD, 31% ND, p < 0.05), the complication rate Dindo-Clavien grade ≥ III is higher in the ND group (24% vs. 10% TT p < 0.05). Arterial complication has been found as a risk factor of BC with the multivariate analysis (p < 0.01, OR 1.86 [1.20-2.84]). In addition, the TT decreased by 5 the risk of AS (p < 0.05, OR 0.19 [0.12-0.28]). The fistula rate does not differ regardless of the reconstruction mode. In this study, biliary drain decreases the rate of BC. The findings confirmed the role of T-tube insertion in prevention of AS regardless of the way it is set up.

STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP OF PSYCHOACTIVE CANNABINOIDS: A CHEMOMETRIC EXPERIMENT FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN CHEMICAL EDUCATION

Undergraduate and postgraduate Chemistry Education students had to develop the experiment in four (4) stages. Twenty-two (22) cannabinoids (Δ9-THC and derivatives) with different degrees of psychoactivity, previously scrutinized by our research group with the approaches: molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and interaction with the CB1 receptor (CARDOSO-FILHO et al., 2004), are investigated through Chemometrics. Exploratory Analysis: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA). E Classification Methods: K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) method, Soft Independent Modeling Class Analogy (SIMCA) method, and Stepwise Discriminant Analysis (SDA) were employed to reduce the dimensionality of the data matrix and investigate which descriptors are responsible for the classification between the most active cannabinoids (mac), pKi ≥ 6.72, and the least active cannabinoids (lac), pKi &lt; 6.72, according to the hypothesis previously reported (Cardoso-Filho et al., 2024). The investigation with PCA, HCA, KNN, SIMCA, and SDA showed that the descriptors LUMO+1 energy, Geary autocorrelation of lag 6 weighted by van der Waals volumes (GATS6V), hydration energy (EH), atomic charge on the atom of C4 (qC4), and molecular representation of structure based on the electron diffraction, code of signal 3, unweighted (MOR03u) are responsible for separating cannabinoids according to their degrees of psychoactivity. The insights accumulated and the models built in the research – PCA chemometric model, HCA chemometric model, KNN chemometric model, SIMCA chemometric model, and SDA chemometric model – will be able to support the design of new potentially psychoactive Δ9-THC derivatives.

Does adjunctive phototherapy have better outcomes than adjunctive antibiotic therapy for the management of peri-implantitis?

Elsevier's Scopus, Web of Science and Pubmed through Medline identified 431 articles, which were reduced to 206 when duplicates were removed. 8 articles were screened, and 1 excluded after reading the full-text, leaving 7 studies. 6 of these were randomised controlled trials, and 1 a non-randomised controlled clinical trial. Studies selected were either blinded, double-blinded, split-mouth clinical studies, comparative or controlled clinical studies, or randomised controlled trials in humans. There were no limitations on year of publication or language of studies. Most studies had a control of mechanical debridement (MD) with adjuvant antibiotics; 1 was surgical therapy. The test group was MD with adjuvant phototherapy. Exclusions were in vitro reports, animal studies, treatment with sole laser therapy, treatment with no additional antimicrobial therapy alongside MD. Pre-prints, reviews, abstracts, opinion articles, editorials, case reports and case series were also excluded. Data were extracted electronically by a single author and a senior librarian from the 3 databases. Titles and abstracts of articles were screened by the author if they contained Medical Subject Headings either in free terms or with Boolean operators. Full text studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. Data were also searched manually in 6 journals. For missing or conflicting information, the author of the article was contacted for clarification. Data extracted were country of origin of article, study design, sample size, research groups, diagnostic criteria, frequency of intervention, follow-up visits, and outcome of parameters which included clinically: plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP) and radiographically: crestal bone loss (CBL). Additional data on lasers were also collected, although not all studies had complete data on this. RevMan was used for statistical analysis. Inconsistencies were evaluated using I2 value > 50% and Cochrane's Q test, with a P value < 0.05 considered. Standard Mean Differences (SMD) were calculated and Confidence Interval was set at 95%. A random effects model was used for each meta-analysis. PI had no statistical difference, with high heterogeneity. PD had no statistical difference, with no heterogeneity. BOP had a statistically significant difference and a high level of heterogeneity, favouring adjunctive phototherapy. MBL had statistically non-significant differences between control and test groups, and no heterogeneity. The findings from the systematic review differed from the meta-analysis, suggesting that application of adjuvant phototherapy was equally as effective as adjunctive antibiotic therapy in outcomes such as PI, PD, BOP and MBL. The meta-analysis found that implants treated with adjuvant phototherapy had superior outcomes in relation to BOP only.