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National Journal of Maxillofacial... 2021Salivary pH plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of various oral diseases and conditions. Chewing of areca nut and various tobacco products changes salivary pH.
BACKGROUND
Salivary pH plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of various oral diseases and conditions. Chewing of areca nut and various tobacco products changes salivary pH.
AIM
The aim of the study was to measure the effect of habitual chewing of areca nut and various tobacco products on salivary pH.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study included 360 individuals (chewers and nonchewers) of age group between 20 and 30 years who visited the Outpatient Department of Hi-Tech Dental College and Hospital. The patient's salivary pH was measured with the help of a digital pH meter before and after chewing areca nut and various tobacco products.
RESULTS
It was observed that, in all the groups of chewers, pH decreased after chewing except in the gutkha and lime chewing group, where pH increased (pH before chewing was 7.43 ± 0.41 and after chewing was 7.51 ± 0.399), the difference was strongly significant ( < 0.001). pH was found to be less in lime and tobacco chewers (6.83 ± 0.33) and more in tobacco, betel nut, and lime chewers (7.50 ± 0.41) in comparison to other groups before chewing; the difference was strongly significant ( < 0.001). In the mean ± standard deviation, increase in pH was found among chewers (7.32 ± 0.49) as compared to nonchewers (6.99 ± 0.14), which is the control group, and the data were statically significant ( < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
pH is altered in areca nut and various tobacco chewers, rendering the oral mucosa vulnerable to the toxic effects of areca nut and various tobacco products.
PubMed: 34188405
DOI: 10.4103/njms.NJMS_39_20 -
Journal of Conservative Dentistry : JCD 2022Vehicles combined with calcium hydroxide, as an intracanal medicament, play a key factor in affecting antibacterial, calcium release, and pH.
CONTEXT
Vehicles combined with calcium hydroxide, as an intracanal medicament, play a key factor in affecting antibacterial, calcium release, and pH.
AIMS
The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of three vehicles (glycerin, chlorhexidine gluconate/CHX, and chitosan nanoparticle) combined with calcium hydroxide as an intracanal medicament on antibacterial efficacy against , calcium ion release, and pH of at different interval times of 7 and 14 days.
SETTINGS AND DESIGN
The research was experimental laboratory.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Each study used 24 samples of eight teeth each and was randomly divided into three groups based on the vehicle of calcium hydroxide: group 1: glycerin, group 2: CHX, and group 3: chitosan nanoparticles. Each vehicle group was then further divided into two subgroups of four teeth based on the interval times (group A: 7 days and group B: 14 days). The antibacterial efficacy was determined using an agar diffusion method. Calcium ion release was analyzed with atomic absorption spectrometry, and pH was measured using a pH meter.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED
Data from each study were analyzed by two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey's test with a significance level of 95%.
RESULTS
The results exhibited that chitosan nanoparticles had the highest antibacterial efficacy against , calcium ion release, and pH, while the lowest was glycerin at 7 and 14 days ( < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Calcium hydroxide combined with chitosan nanoparticle as an intracanal medicament produced the highest antibacterial efficacy against , calcium ion release, and pH than glycerin and CHX at intervals of 7 and 14 days.
PubMed: 36506629
DOI: 10.4103/jcd.jcd_242_22 -
European Review For Medical and... Nov 2022We aimed at evaluating some chemical-physical properties of artificial saliva substitutes easily available on the E.U. market, such as viscosity, pH, buffering capacity,...
OBJECTIVE
We aimed at evaluating some chemical-physical properties of artificial saliva substitutes easily available on the E.U. market, such as viscosity, pH, buffering capacity, superficial tension, density and spinnbarkeit and to compare the results with human natural saliva bibliographic data.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Based on the easy availability on the market, twelve artificial saliva solutions in liquid formulation were analyzed. Kinematic viscosity (cSt) was determined using a micro-Ubbelohde model capillary viscosimeter (ViscoClock, SCHOOT-GERATE Mainz, Germany). Dynamic viscosity (mPas) was determined, through a simple multiplication between density (g/cm3) and kinematic viscosity of each solution. pH analyses were carried out at room temperature using a pH-meter (Mettler Toledo®- Five Easy, Columbus, OH, USA). Spinnbarkeit analysis was performed by a self-owned instrument built for the purpose.
RESULTS
The median density value, obtained from the cohort of artificial saliva substitutes, was 1.036 g/cm3. The median value of the kinematic viscosity was 8.984 cSt. The median spinnbarkeit value was 3.2 mm and the median pH value was 6.29. In this study we found an almost linear correlation between the kinematic viscosity and spinnbarkeit values of the artificial saliva substitutes evaluated.
CONCLUSIONS
Saliva substitutes should be as faithful as possible to the characteristics of human saliva, in order to completely replace its functions in the oral cavity. Nevertheless, despite several R&D efforts, it is difficult to reproduce all the different features that belongs to natural saliva in one device. Therefore, it would be desirable to create more products reproducing saliva with various rheological characteristics in respect of the main salivary functions such as: chewing, speaking and tissue coating.
Topics: Humans; Saliva, Artificial; Viscosity; Rheology; Saliva; Physical Examination
PubMed: 36394731
DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202211_30132 -
ACS Nano Jan 2023Gastrointestinal tract perforation is a full-thickness injury that causes bleeding and fatal infection of the peritoneum. This condition worsens in an acidic gastric...
Gastrointestinal tract perforation is a full-thickness injury that causes bleeding and fatal infection of the peritoneum. This condition worsens in an acidic gastric environment which interferes with the normal coagulation cascade. Current endoscopic clips to repair gastric perforations are ineffective, and metal or plastic occluders need secondary surgery to remove them. Herein, we report a self-expandable, endoscopy deliverable, adhesive hydrogel to block gastric perforation. We found the nanosilica coating significantly enhanced the adhesive strength even under a simulated strong acidic stomach environment. The developed device was disulfide cross-linked for the reducible degraded gel. By loading with vonoprazan fumarate (VF) and acidic fibroblast growth factor (AFGF), the hyperboloid-shaped device can have a sustained drug release to regulate intragastric pH and promote wound healing. The gel device can be compressed and then expanded like a mushroom when applied in an acute gastric perforation model in both rabbits and minipigs. By utilizing a stomach capsule robot for remotely monitoring the pH and by immunohistochemical analysis, we demonstrated that the compressible hyperboloid-shaped gel could stably block the perforation and promoted wound healing during the 28 days of observation. The real-time pH meter demonstrated that the gel could control intragastric pH above 4 for nearly 60 h to prevent bleeding.
Topics: Animals; Swine; Rabbits; Hydrogels; Agaricales; Swine, Miniature; Endoscopy; Stomach Diseases; Stomach; Adhesives
PubMed: 36343209
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c05247 -
Behavioural Brain Research Feb 2022There are at least two approaches to the definition of consciousness. In the first case, certain aspects of consciousness, called qualia, are considered inaccessible for... (Review)
Review
There are at least two approaches to the definition of consciousness. In the first case, certain aspects of consciousness, called qualia, are considered inaccessible for research from a third person and can only be described through subjective experience. This approach is inextricably linked with the so-called "hard problem of consciousness", that is, the question of why consciousness has qualia or how any physical changes in the environment can generate subjective experience. With this approach, some aspects of consciousness, by definition, cannot be explained on the basis of external observations and, therefore, are outside the scope of scientific research. In the second case, a priori constraints do not constrain the field of scientific investigation, and the best explanation of the experience in the first person is included as a possible subject of empirical research. Historically, in the study of cause-and-effect relationships in biology, it was customary to distinguish between proximate causation and ultimate causation existing in biological systems. Immediate causes are based on the immediate influencing factors [1]. Proximate causation has evolutionary explanations. When studying biological systems themselves, such an approach is undoubtedly justified, but it often seems insufficient when studying the interaction of consciousness and the brain [2,3]. Current scientific communities proceed from the assumption that the physical substrate for the generation of consciousness is a neural network that unites various types of neurons located in various brain structures. Many neuroscientists attach a key role in this process to the cortical and thalamocortical neural networks. This question is directly related to experimental and clinical research in the field of disorder of consciousness. Progress in this area of medicine depends on advances in neuroscience in this area and is also a powerful source of empirical information. In this area of consciousness research, a large amount of experimental data has been accumulated, and in this review an attempt was made to generalize and systematize.
Topics: Cerebral Cortex; Consciousness; Humans; Nerve Net; Thalamus
PubMed: 34838578
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113684 -
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology... Jun 2021The aim of the study was to determine the extent of agreement between pH paper and handheld pH meter with a laboratory pH meter for gastric pH measurement in children... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to determine the extent of agreement between pH paper and handheld pH meter with a laboratory pH meter for gastric pH measurement in children with neurologic impairments and gastrostomy tubes who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
METHODS
In this prospective observational study, gastric contents were aspirated from gastric or nasogastric tubes and the pH measured using 3 techniques: pH paper, handheld pH meter, and laboratory pH meter (the gold standard). Agreement between techniques was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman analysis, and kappa statistic.
RESULTS
Among 43 patients contributing 67 gastric samples, the ICC was 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69-0.97) between the handheld and laboratory meters, 0.69 (95% CI: 0.63--0.94) between the pH paper and laboratory meter and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.63-0.94) between the handheld meter and paper. The Bland-Altman analysis between the handheld and lab meters showed a mean difference of -0.03 pH units (limits of agreement: -0.52 to 0.47 pH units) and 0.17 pH units (limits of agreement: -0.99 to 1.33 pH units) between the paper and lab meter. The kappa coefficients for a pH ≥4 were 1.0 (95% CI: 1.0--1.0) between the handheld and lab meters and 0.9 (95% CI: 0.77--1.0) between the paper and lab meter.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that both point-of-care tests, the pH meter and pH paper, correlate well with the gold standard for testing pH with a laboratory pH meter, indicating usefulness in point-of-care testing for monitoring gastric pH in tube-fed children with neurologic impairments and GERD.
Topics: Child; Enteral Nutrition; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Intubation, Gastrointestinal; Point-of-Care Testing; Stomach
PubMed: 33605659
DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003087 -
Archivos Espanoles de Urologia Sep 2021Portable pH meters are robust and reliable tools for measuring urinary pH bypatients at home. This study evaluated the usability of a prototype smart Lit-Control® pH...
OBJECTIVES
Portable pH meters are robust and reliable tools for measuring urinary pH bypatients at home. This study evaluated the usability of a prototype smart Lit-Control® pH Meter and an associated mobile medical app, with the aim of identifying possible design and functionality issues along with usability problems among non-expert voluntary users.
MATHERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-one individuals of both genders, between 26 and 61 years old, tested the dyad pH meter/app for 14 days (three readings per day). The participants were asked to carry out a sequence of use of the system equivalent to what an intended user would do for urinary pH self-monitoring. At the end of the trial period, each participant filled out study questionnaires regarding the learning times, i.e. the time used by a new user to perform a task with the technology, usability, errors detected, and suggestions for improvement. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 35.4 (range, 26 to 61) years. The readings from the pH meter yielded average values of 5.72 (SD = 0.26), 6.13 (SD= 0.43), and 5.47 (SD = 1.27) for the morning, evening, and night micturitions, respectively. The time of the day with greater adherence was the morning (49.7% of all readings). The learning times were in general short as reported by the participants: 73.7% were able to register in the App, rated as the least easy task, in less than two and a half minutes. The task of uploading the pH readings, both manually and automatically, was mostly performed in less than 35 seconds.
CONCLUSION
This pilot study of real-world usage pattern shows that the dyad smart Lit-Control pH meter/Appwas perceived as fit for purpose by non-expert volunteers and had no relevant functionality or usability issues that would pose a significant barrier to the intended users. New studies are ongoing in order to test the usability by patients with lithiasis history.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Male; Middle Aged; Mobile Applications; Pilot Projects; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34472438
DOI: No ID Found -
Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular... Aug 2022Pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) can reduce the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, reduce pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), and improve the quality of life in... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
INTRODUCTION
Pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) can reduce the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, reduce pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), and improve the quality of life in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). We conducted a systematic meta-analysis of the effectiveness of PADN in the treatment of PH patients.
METHODS
This is a comprehensive literature search including all public clinical trials investigating the effects of PADN on PH. Outcomes were mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), cardiac output (CO), right ventricular (RV) Tei index, 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function grading.
RESULTS
A total of eight clinical studies with 213 PH patients who underwent PADN were included. Meta-analysis showed that after PADN, mPAP (mean difference [] -12.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] -17.74 to -7.27, P<0.00001) (mmHg) and PVR ( -5.17, 95% CI -7.70 to -2.65, P<0.0001) (Wood unit) decreased significantly, CO ( 0.59, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.86, P<0.0001) (L/min) and 6MWD ( 107.75, 95% CI 65.64 to 149.86, P<0.00001) (meter) increased significantly, and RV Tei index ( -0.05, 95% CI -0.28 to 0.17, P=0.63) did not change significantly. Also after PADN, the proportion of NYHA cardiac function grading (risk ratio 0.23, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.37, P<0.00001) III and IV decreased significantly.
CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis supports PADN as a potential new treatment for PH. Further high-quality randomized controlled studies are needed.
Topics: Denervation; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Pulmonary Artery; Quality of Life; Vascular Resistance
PubMed: 35976208
DOI: 10.21470/1678-9741-2020-0533 -
Pediatric Research Mar 2021Transcutaneous bilirubinometry is a widely used screening method for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Deviation of the transcutaneous bilirubin concentration (TcB) from the...
BACKGROUND
Transcutaneous bilirubinometry is a widely used screening method for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Deviation of the transcutaneous bilirubin concentration (TcB) from the total serum bilirubin concentration (TSB) is often ascribed to biological variation between patients, but variations between TcB meters may also have a role. This study aims to provide a systematic evaluation of the inter-device reproducibility of TcB meters.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirteen commercially available TcB meters (JM-105 and JM-103) were evaluated in vitro on phantoms that optically mimic neonatal skin. The mimicked TcB was varied within the clinical range (0.5-181.3 μmol/L).
RESULTS
Absolute differences between TcB meter outcomes increased with the measured TcB, from a difference of 5.0 μmol/L (TcB = 0.5 μmol/L phantom) up to 65.0 μmol/L (TcB = 181.3 μmol/L phantom).
CONCLUSION
The inter-device reproducibility of the examined TcB meters is substantial and exceeds the specified accuracy of the device (±25.5 μmol/L), as well as the clinically used TcB safety margins (>50 µmol/L below phototherapy threshold). Healthcare providers should be well aware of this additional uncertainty in the TcB determination, especially when multiple TcB meters are employed in the same clinic. We strongly advise using a single TcB meter per patient to evaluate the TcB over time.
IMPACT
Key message: The inter-device reproducibility of TcB meters is substantial and exceeds the clinically used TcB safety margins. What this study adds to existing literature: The inter-device reproducibility of transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) meters has not been reported in the existing literature. This in vitro study systematically evaluates this inter-device reproducibility.
IMPACT
This study aids in a better interpretation of the measured TcB value from a patient and is of particular importance during patient monitoring when using multiple TcB meters within the same clinical department. We strongly advise using a single TcB meter per patient to evaluate the TcB over time.
Topics: Bilirubin; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Equipment Design; Humans; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Infant, Premature; Monitoring, Physiologic; Neonatal Screening; Phantoms, Imaging; Reproducibility of Results; Skin Physiological Phenomena
PubMed: 32919392
DOI: 10.1038/s41390-020-01118-6 -
Journal of the American Heart... Nov 2023Background This randomized controlled trial compared long-term changes in peak walking time (PWT) and exercise time-to-minimum calf muscle oxygen saturation (StO) in... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Background This randomized controlled trial compared long-term changes in peak walking time (PWT) and exercise time-to-minimum calf muscle oxygen saturation (StO) in symptomatic participants with peripheral artery disease following a long-term home exercise program (HEP), a short-term supervised exercise therapy (SET) program that transitioned to a long-term HEP (SET/HEP), and a control intervention. Methods and Results For the first 3 months, HEP and SET/HEP groups performed intermittent walking to mild-to-moderate claudication pain, whereas the control group performed light resistance training. For the subsequent 15 months, the HEP group continued their exercise program, the SET/HEP group transitioned from SET to the HEP program, and the control group transitioned to only receive walking advice. PWT increased significantly from baseline to month 18 in the HEP group (408±279 meters to 814±393 meters, <0.001) and in the SET/HEP group (457±288 meters to 818±313 meters, <0.001). Exercise time-to-minimum calf muscle StO increased significantly from baseline to month 18 in the HEP group (238±241 seconds to 497±485 seconds, <0.05) and in the SET/HEP group (296±289 seconds to 620±450 seconds, <0.001). These changes in PWT and exercise time-to-minimum calf muscle StO were greater than in the control group (<0.001 and <0.01, respectively). Additionally, the change in exercise time-to-minimum calf muscle StO was correlated with the change in PWT in both exercise groups combined (=0.601, =0.0015). Conclusions Long-term HEP and SET/HEP were efficacious in improving PWT and exercise time-to-minimum calf muscle StO in symptomatic participants with peripheral artery disease, and these changes were correlated with each other. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT00618670.
Topics: Humans; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Exercise; Intermittent Claudication; Exercise Therapy; Walking; Treatment Outcome; Exercise Test
PubMed: 37929770
DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.122.029755