Articles: health.
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The study aimed to compare the morphometric and morphologic analyses of the bone structures of temporomandibular joint and masticatory muscles on Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in 62 healthy subjects and 33 subjects with temporomandibular dysfunction (TMDS) aged between 18 and 56 years. In addition, a machine learning (ML) pipeline involving the Random Forest classifier was used to automatically detect TMDS. Thirty parameters (including age and gender) associated with the condylar process, articular tubercle, mandibular fossa, ramus mandible, joint space, and masticatory muscles were examined using CBCT. ⋯ The reference values of the condylar process, articular tubercle, mandibular fossa, ramus of mandible, and joint space may play a key role in increasing of the success of the surgical procedure, or the assessment/differentiating of the TMD. ML is capable of detecting TMD in an automatic and highly accurate way. Hence, it is also concluded that ML can be useful for cases requiring making automatic and highly correct predictions.
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Observational Study
Serum pentraxin-3 as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis in primary liver cancer: An observational study.
This study aimed to examine serum pentraxin 3 levels in patients with primary liver cancer and to assess its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. Serum samples were obtained from 180 patients with primary liver cancer and 180 healthy control subjects. The concentration of PTX3 in these samples was measured using an ELISA kit. ⋯ Serum PTX3 levels are elevated in patients with primary liver cancer and high serum PTX3 levels are associated with poor prognosis. This suggests that serum PTX3 has the potential to be a novel biomarker for both the diagnosis and prognosis of primary liver cancer. These findings may improve patient outcomes by enabling early detection and continuous monitoring.
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Health care leaders use interprofessional collaborative practice as a strategy to improve health outcomes, and they have stressed its importance in the education of primary care medical providers to apply public health concepts like the social determinants of health and community collaborations. Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares students from different professions for collaborative practice as they enter the health workforce by developing core competencies. Understanding the importance of IPE is vital toward improving person and client-centered care and population health outcomes. This study aims to evaluate IPE workshops' effects on participants' confidence in applying public health concepts to improve health outcomes and intention to collaborate with local resources. ⋯ Results point to the efficacy and value of IPE opportunities in the education of family medicine residents and MPH students. This study presents a viable and useful example of IPE integration between MPH students and family medicine residents. Understanding social determinants of health and the use of local resources to better the health of the community is vital for both groups.
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Older adults are at increased risk of severe illness and mortality from Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) infection. However, public health strategies aimed at reducing spread of COVID-19 may have resulted in increased mental health symptoms, particularly among older adults. Currently, little is known about whether older Veterans were more likely to experience persistent mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic than non-Veterans. The objectives of the current study were to (1) compare differences in persistent symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness among a sample of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans and non-Veterans ≥55 years of age and (2) to evaluate potential sex-specific differences in persistent mental health symptoms. ⋯ Qualitative, but statistically nonsignificant sex-specific differences in persistent symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic were observed in this study comparing Veterans and non-Veterans. Additional sex-stratified analyses using larger samples or qualitative interviews may be useful in understanding the unique mental health experiences of older men, women, and gender diverse Veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic.