Application of 3D printing and its various technologies in dentistry

Many applications for these technologies have been reported in multiple fields, including dentistry, within the last three decades. It can be used in periodontology, endodontics, orthodontics, oral implantology, maxillofacial and oral surgery, and prosthodontics. In the present literature review, we have discussed the different clinical applications of various 3D printing technologies in dentistry. Evidence indicates that 3D printing approaches are usually associated with favorable outcomes based on the continuous development and production of novel approaches, enabling clinicians to develop complex equipment in different clinical and surgical aspects. Developing work models to facilitate diagnostic and surgical settings is the commonest application of these modalities in dentistry. Besides, they can also be used to manufacture various implantable devices. Accordingly, they significantly help enhance the treatment process, reducing costs and less invasive procedures with favorable outcomes. Finally, 3D printing technologies can design complex devices in a facilitated and more accurate way than conventional methods. Therefore, 3D printing should be encouraged in clinical settings for its various advantages over conventional maneuvers.

Diagnosis and treatment monitoring in breast cancer: how liquid biopsy can support patient management

Imaging and tissue biopsies represent the current gold standard for breast cancer diagnosis and patient management. However, these practices are time-consuming, expensive and require invasive procedures. Moreover, tissue biopsies do not capture spatial and temporal tumor heterogeneity. Conversely, liquid biopsy, which includes circulating tumor cells, circulating free nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles, is minimally invasive, easy to perform and can be repeated during a patient's follow-up. Increasing evidence also suggests that liquid biopsy can be used to efficiently screen and diagnose tumors at an early stage, and to monitor changes in the tumor molecular profile. In the present review, clinical applications and prospects are discussed.

The impact of prenatal screening tests on prenatal diagnosis in Taiwan from 2006 to 2019: a regional cohort study

Background The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of prenatal screening tests on prenatal diagnosis in Taiwan’s 14 years from 2006 to 2019. Methods The prenatal screening methods evolved from the second-trimester serum screening to combined first-trimester screening (cFTS) and then followed by the non-invasive cell-free DNA prenatal test (NIPT). The data used by the Department of Statistics, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior public website. Results This regional registry-based cohort retrospective study examined a total of 2,775,792 births from January 2006 to December 2019. The proportion of advanced maternal age (AMA) pregnancies increased from 11.63% in 2006 to 30.94% in 2019. Overall, invasive diagnostic testing was used in 87.22% of AMA pregnancies. The prenatal detection rate of trisomy 21 and 18 increased from 74.1% and 83.3% in 2006 to 96.9% and 98.8% in 2019, respectively. Conclusion During the second-trimester and cFTS periods, the percentage of AMA pregnancies increased every year and the number of invasive procedures also accompany with increased percentage of AMA. However, during the period that NIPT were implemented, the percentage of invasive procedures decreased.

Surgical Issues for Operable Early-Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Surgical care for early stage non–small-cell lung cancer continuously evolves with new procedures, techniques and care pathways. The most obvious recent change was the transition to minimally invasive procedures, but numerous other aspects of care have also been refined to improve safety and tolerability. These care advancements are essential as we move into an era with increased early detection as a result of screening and greater indications for the use of adjuvant and neoadjuvant strategies.

Bone-Regulating MicroRNAs and Resistance Exercise: A Mini-Review

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a class of short noncoding RNA that play important roles in controlling gene expression. Many miRNAs have been identified as being important regulators of bone cell function, thus affecting the bone remodeling processes. In addition to being expressed in specific tissues and exerting intracellular effects, miRNAs can enter the blood where they can be taken up by other tissues. These circulating miRNAs (c-miRNA) also have clinical significance as biomarkers of musculoskeletal diseases as they are tissue-specific, are stable and easily detectable, and require minimally invasive procedures. This mini-review discusses miRNAs with regulatory roles in bone metabolism and c-miRNA responses to acute bouts of resistance exercise. MiRNA responses (e.g., upregulation/downregulation of expression) vary depending on the resistance exercise protocol characteristics and the age of the participants. There are gaps in the literature that need to be addressed as most of the resistance exercise studies focused on miRNAs that regulate skeletal muscle in male participants.

Prevalence and factors associated with sepsis and septic shock in oncological patients in intensive therapy

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze factors associated with sepsis and septic shock in cancer patients in the Intensive Care Unit. Methods: cross-sectional, retrospective study with a quantitative approach, with a sample of 239 patients in an oncology hospital. Secondary data from medical records were used. The outcome variable was “presence of sepsis and/or septic shock”; and exposures: sex, length of stay, origin, use of invasive procedures and primary tumor site. Descriptive, bivariate analyzes and multiple logistic regression models were performed. Results: the prevalence of sepsis was 95% CI: 14.7-24.7 and septic shock of 95% CI: 37.7-50.3. In the multiple analysis, sepsis and/or septic shock were associated with hospital stay longer than seven days, being from the Emergency Department, presence of invasive procedures and hematological site. Conclusions: sepsis and/or septic shock in cancer patients were associated with clinical characteristics and health care factors.

Toward precision oncology: SERS microfluidic systems for multiplex biomarker analysis in liquid biopsy

Liquid biopsy-based diagnosis in precision oncology exhibits significant advantages over the traditional tumour biopsies by offering dynamic assessment of tumour heterogeneity, minimally invasive procedures for frequent sampling, and cost-effective tests....

Changes to Glaucoma Surgery Patterns during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Shift Toward Less Invasive Procedures

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness. Surgical and pharmacological treatment of glaucoma aims to lower the intraocular pressure (IOP) and preserve visual function. The severe acute res-piratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic has placed a strain on the healthcare system. We aimed to compare the quantity, type of anti-glaucoma surgeries, and the disease stage before and during the coronavirus disease pandemic. We analyzed 362 eyes of 306 patients and 172 eyes of 149 patients from the pre-pandemic and pandemic groups, respectively. The number of an-ti-glaucoma surgeries was halved during the pandemic compared to a similar pre-pandemic pe-riod, with a significant difference in the procedural structures between the two groups (p<0.001). The most common procedures in the pre-pandemic group were Ex-Press implantation (33.7%) and trabeculectomy (31.5%). Within the pandemic group, half of the eyes underwent tra-beculectomy (50.0%), followed by Preserflo microshunt (11.6%). A significant difference in the average IOPs was revealed among patients who qualified for surgery 22.21 ± 7.83 mmHg in the pre-pandemic group and 25.16 ± 9.48 mmHg in the pandemic group; p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the best corrected visual acuity between the groups (p=0.263). Glaucoma treatment remained relatively accessible during the pandemic.