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Sante Publique (Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy,... 2024At the last congress of the Association Dentaire Française (ADF) (French Dental Association), the minister of health and prevention, François Braun, stressed...
At the last congress of the Association Dentaire Française (ADF) (French Dental Association), the minister of health and prevention, François Braun, stressed the importance he attached to oral health prevention. He also emphasized his desire to roll out and extend prevention campaigns, targeting young people in particular. With this in mind, we are working to lay the political foundations for the mass, free distribution of single-use toothbrushes with fluoride toothpaste in schools. This oral health promotion campaign would aim to debunk any myths or misinformation spread by manufacturers and to encourage a profound cultural change in the way children and their parents learn about oral hygiene. The "cavity-score," which is still under development, could help to reinforce the idea, both among the general public and among healthcare professionals, that oral health is not isolated from the rest of the body, and that this health issue cannot be dealt with in isolation, but in conjunction with all healthcare professionals.
Topics: Humans; Oral Health; Child; Health Promotion; France; Oral Hygiene
PubMed: 38834529
DOI: 10.3917/spub.242.0091 -
South African Family Practice :... May 2024No abstract available.
No abstract available.
Topics: Humans; Suicide, Assisted; Euthanasia
PubMed: 38832383
DOI: 10.4102/safp.v66i1.5948 -
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo... May 2024Nontraumatic avascular necrosis of the femoral head(NANFH) is a common and refractory femoral head disease that causes bone death due to interruption of blood supply.... (Review)
Review
[Research progress on mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine intervention in angiogenesis in prevention and treatment of nontraumatic avascular necrosis of femoral head].
Nontraumatic avascular necrosis of the femoral head(NANFH) is a common and refractory femoral head disease that causes bone death due to interruption of blood supply. Early clinical symptoms are atypical, such as hip pain and limited joint function. In the late stage, severe pain, shortening of the affected limb, claudication, and other serious symptoms are common, which se-riously affects the quality of life of patients. Therefore, it is of great significance to actively improve the clinical symptoms of NANFH to enhance the quality of life of patients. The pathogenesis of NANFH is complex, such as traumatic vascular circulatory disorders, the use of hormones or other drugs, alcoholism, and diabetes mellitus. These factors directly or indirectly lead to femoral head vascular damage, thrombosis, and coagulation system disorders, which reduce the blood supply to the acetabulum and femoral head, thus causing ischaemic death of the femoral head or even femoral head collapse. NANFH is mainly categorized as "bone impotence" and "bone paralysis" in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). The treatment of NANFH with TCM has the characteristics and advantages of a long history, stable and reliable therapeutic effect, fewer adverse reactions, good patient tolerance, and high acceptance. Previous studies have shown that the promotion of angiogenesis is a key initiative in the prevention and treatment of NANFH, and TCM can promote fe-moral head angiogenesis by interfering with the expression of angiogenesis-related factors, which in turn can help to restore the blood supply of the femoral head and thus improve clinical symptoms of NANFH and prevent and treat NANFH. This article described the roles of blood supply interruption and angiogenesis in NANFH and the accumulated knowledge and experience of TCM in NANFH and summarized the role of angiogenesis-related factors in NANFH and the research progress on TCM intervention, so as to provide an idea for the subsequent research and a new basis for the clinical application of TCM in the treatment of NANFH.
Topics: Humans; Femur Head Necrosis; Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Medicine, Chinese Traditional; Animals; Femur Head; Neovascularization, Pathologic; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Angiogenesis
PubMed: 38812162
DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20240220.601 -
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo... May 2024Based on the association network of "drug pair-disease", the effect characteristics of Astragali Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma drug pair in the treatment of...
Based on the association network of "drug pair-disease", the effect characteristics of Astragali Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma drug pair in the treatment of ischemic stroke(IS) with Qi deficiency and blood stasis and the matching mechanism of the two were explored. Through Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction Database, the effective chemical components of the drug pair were screened, and the candidate targets were predicted. Databa-ses such as GeneCards, DrugBank, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM), and Therapeutic Target Database(TTD) were searched to obtain gene targets related to IS. Through STRING and Cytoscape 3.9.1 software, the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed by using the interaction information of disease syndrome-related genes and candidate targets of drug pairs, and the core targets were screened according to the network topological feature values. Based on the Metascape platform and DAVID database, the biomolecular interaction information was integrated to analyze the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) and mine biological functions, so as to further explore the mechanism of action and compatibility characteristics of Astragali Radix-Chuan-xiong Rhizoma. The results showed that the candidate biological process was mainly involved in the regulation of functional modules such as immune, blood circulation, neurotransmitter, and oxidative stress, and it was enriched in lipid and atherosclerosis, calcium signaling pathway, and platelet activation. Astragali Radix and Chuanxiong Rhizoma have their own characteristics. Astragali Radix has a regulatory response to growth factors while maintaining the body's immune balance, while Chuanxiong Rhizoma mainly improves the circulatory system and participates in hormone metabolism, so as to indicate the compatibility mechanism of Astragali Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma drug pair for multi-target and multi-pathway synergistic treatment of IS. Through further experimental verification, it was found that the Astragali Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma drug pair could significantly down-regulate the expression of key targets including TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, F2R, PLCβ1, and MYLK. This study preliminarily reveals that the Astragali Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma drug pair may play the three replenishing effects of promoting blood circulation, benefiting Qi, and clearing collaterals by correcting immune di-sorders, blood circulation disorders, and inflammation, which provide support for the clinical research on the subsequent improvement of Qi deficiency and blood stasis in the treatment of IS and provide a new idea for the analysis of modern biological connotation of the compatibility of seven emotions of traditional Chinese medicine.
Topics: Drugs, Chinese Herbal; Humans; Astragalus propinquus; Protein Interaction Maps; Ischemic Stroke; Rhizome; Ligusticum
PubMed: 38812133
DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20231225.402 -
Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde May 2024Many doctors regularly write a prescription for themselves or for family members or friends. In this article, we discuss the legal and ethical considerations surrounding...
Many doctors regularly write a prescription for themselves or for family members or friends. In this article, we discuss the legal and ethical considerations surrounding these prescriptions. We also discuss the role of the pharmacist who receives the prescription. Although there is no legal obstacle, codes of conduct and guidelines state that prescribing to acquaintances or yourself is undesirable, especially because it is often not possible to maintain sufficient professional distance, necessary to provide proper treatment. If the GP or other care providers have no knowledge of the prescription and no medical file is kept, undesirable situations may arise for the patient. A prescription for yourself or acquaintances can be made occasionally and under special circumstances (acute situation, no serious problem, short-term), but then requires a quick transfer of treatment to regular practitioners.
Topics: Humans; Drug Prescriptions; Pharmacists; Practice Patterns, Physicians'; Netherlands
PubMed: 38804995
DOI: No ID Found -
Revue de L'infirmiere May 2024The first home visit (VAD) by a nurse from the medical-psychological center (CMP) for a patient who has been out of psychiatric care for a very long time, or who has... (Review)
Review
The first home visit (VAD) by a nurse from the medical-psychological center (CMP) for a patient who has been out of psychiatric care for a very long time, or who has never benefited from it, is decisive for the follow-up and continuity of care. The attitude and posture of the caregiver are decisive. VAD is an intrusion into a place of life, intimacy and suffering. It upsets a person who has walled himself into a shell, a cocoon, from which the fear of coming out is often massive. Anguish prevents any mobilization towards care. It takes a great deal of skill to create a bond of trust to initiate the idea of care.
Topics: Humans; House Calls; Mental Disorders; Continuity of Patient Care
PubMed: 38796243
DOI: 10.1016/j.revinf.2024.04.011 -
Revista Espanola de Salud Publica May 2024This study addressed a COVID-19 outbreak in a nursing home, where the residents were vaccinated with two doses of Comirnaty® and thirty of them had previously had the...
[Brote de la COVID-19 en una residencia en ancianos correctamente vacunados. Influencia de la inmunidad híbrida en la carga viral, el riesgo de infección y el riesgo de progresión de la enfermedad].
OBJECTIVE
This study addressed a COVID-19 outbreak in a nursing home, where the residents were vaccinated with two doses of Comirnaty® and thirty of them had previously had the infection. Outbreaks in closed communities are opportunities to study the entire clinical spectrum of the disease and, as in this case, the effect of hybrid immunity on transmission, infection progression and viral load.
METHODS
A descriptive and retrospective cohort study in the resident population was carried out. Attack rates were calculated for one of four stages of the disease: infection, symptomatic infection, hospitalization, and death. Relative risks (RR) were then estimated using simple and multivariate Poisson regression for each of these stages.
RESULTS
The attack rate was 59% (56/95). The clinical spectrum was the same in both sexes. There was a notable protective effect of hybrid immunity against transmission (67%). In terms of progression, those with hybrid immunity had a lower risk of symptomatic infection. Nasopharyngeal viral load was significantly lower in individuals with hybrid immunity and asymptomatic individuals, supporting the idea of lower transmissibility in this group. Age was identified as a risk factor for disease progression. Molecular analysis identified the Delta B.1.617.2 variant in the patients and an air sample, supporting aerosol transmission in closed, poorly ventilated environments.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides a comprehensive view of an outbreak in a vaccinated nursing home, highlighting the importance of hybrid immunity. The results support the individual consideration of previous infection history when assessing the risk of COVID-19, contributing to the understanding of the evolution of the pandemic in the future.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Male; Female; Retrospective Studies; Aged; Nursing Homes; Aged, 80 and over; Spain; Middle Aged; BNT162 Vaccine; SARS-CoV-2; Viral Load; Cohort Studies; COVID-19 Vaccines; Disease Outbreaks; Hospitalization
PubMed: 38785412
DOI: No ID Found -
Neural Computation Jun 2024Mean-field models are a class of models used in computational neuroscience to study the behavior of large populations of neurons. These models are based on the idea of...
Mean-field models are a class of models used in computational neuroscience to study the behavior of large populations of neurons. These models are based on the idea of representing the activity of a large number of neurons as the average behavior of mean-field variables. This abstraction allows the study of large-scale neural dynamics in a computationally efficient and mathematically tractable manner. One of these methods, based on a semianalytical approach, has previously been applied to different types of single-neuron models, but never to models based on a quadratic form. In this work, we adapted this method to quadratic integrate-and-fire neuron models with adaptation and conductance-based synaptic interactions. We validated the mean-field model by comparing it to the spiking network model. This mean-field model should be useful to model large-scale activity based on quadratic neurons interacting with conductance-based synapses.
Topics: Neurons; Models, Neurological; Action Potentials; Neural Networks, Computer; Synapses; Humans; Animals; Computer Simulation; Nerve Net
PubMed: 38776953
DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01670 -
Epilepsy & Behavior : E&B Jul 2024The conceptual definition of epilepsy has been changing over decades and remains debatable. We assessed how artificial intelligence (AI) conceives epilepsy and its...
BACKGROUND
The conceptual definition of epilepsy has been changing over decades and remains debatable. We assessed how artificial intelligence (AI) conceives epilepsy and its impact on a person's life through verbal and visual material.
METHODS
We asked the Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT, OpenAI) to define epilepsy and its impact. Prompts from ChatGPT were transferred to another AI tool DALL·E 2 (Open AI) to generate visual images based on verbal input.
RESULTS
The ChatGPT definition on epilepsy relied on both its conceptual and practical definitions. It titled epilepsy to be "a neurological disorder characterized by recurring seizures" that has significant impact on patients' lives and is diagnosed after two or more unprovoked seizures or if there is a high risk of future seizures. ChatGPT presented nine issues - seizure-related injuries, limitations on daily activities, emotional and psychological impact, social stigma and isolation, educational and employment challenges, relationship and family dynamics, medication side effects, financial burden, and coexisting conditions - as major consequences of epilepsy. AI-generated images ranged from direct portrayals of these phenomena to abstract imagery but were mostly deprived of symbolic elements and visual metaphors.
CONCLUSION
We showed that AI can identify and visually interpret the burden of epilepsy from medical, societal and economical perspectives. However, the imagery created is not figurative and does not follow allegorical narratives put forward by epilepsy specialists in similar studies. The ability of AI models to lead an in-depth discussion on epilepsy remains questionable and should be explored with more advanced AI tools.
Topics: Humans; Epilepsy; Artificial Intelligence; Male; Female
PubMed: 38759427
DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2024.109822 -
Zhongguo Xiu Fu Chong Jian Wai Ke Za... May 2024To summarize the dynamic and synchronized changes between the hair cycle and dermal adipose tissue as well as the impact of dermal adipose tissue on hair growth, and to... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To summarize the dynamic and synchronized changes between the hair cycle and dermal adipose tissue as well as the impact of dermal adipose tissue on hair growth, and to provide a new research idea for the clinical treatment of hair loss.
METHODS
An extensive review of relevant literature both domestic and international was conducted, analyzing and summarizing the impact of dermal adipose precursor cells, mature dermal adipocytes, and the processes of adipogenesis in dermal adipose tissue on the transition of hair cycle phases.
RESULTS
Dermal adipose tissue is anatomically adjacent to hair follicles and closely related to the changes in the hair cycle. The proliferation and differentiation of dermal adipose precursor cells promote the transition of hair cycle from telogen to anagen, while mature adipocytes can accelerate the transition from anagen to catagen of the hair cycle by expressing signaling molecules, with adipogenesis in dermal adipose tissue and hair cycle transition signaling coexistence.
CONCLUSION
Dermal adipose tissue affects the transition of the hair cycle and regulates hair growth by secreting various signaling molecules. However, the quantity and depth of existing literature are far from sufficient to fully elucidate its prominent role in regulating the hair cycle, and the specific regulatory mechanisms needs to be further studied.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Adipocytes; Adipogenesis; Adipose Tissue; Alopecia; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; Dermis; Hair; Hair Follicle; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 38752252
DOI: 10.7507/1002-1892.202402092