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Purposive sampling: complicated or perhaps simple? Analysis case good examples.
Polyneuropathies associated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) encompass a group of phenotypically and immunologically heterogeneous neuropathies. While the best characterized is that associated with anti-myelin glycoprotein (MAG) antibodies, there are phenotypical and immunological neuropathy variants that still lack a clear classification. We analyzed a significant number of patients, in order to better evaluate the distribution of neuropathy phenotypes and to look for some common characteristics.

Clinical, neurophysiological, and laboratory data from 87 consecutive MGUS patients with peripheral neuropathy were analyzed and compared among patient groups with different MGUS classes and autoantibody reactivity.

Anti-MAG neuropathy cases account for the most homogeneous group with regard to clinical and neurophysiological findings. Patients with anti-gangliosides or sulfatide (GS) antibodies, despite a marked phenotype heterogeneity, still share several common features, including a younger age at diagnosis, a more severe disease, and a prompt and sustained response to both immunoglobulin and rituximab therapies, mostly requiring chronic administration of immune treatment.

Although heterogeneous, MGUS-associated, anti-GS antibody positive neuropathies have important similar features possibly resulting from a similar biological background.
Although heterogeneous, MGUS-associated, anti-GS antibody positive neuropathies have important similar features possibly resulting from a similar biological background.The presence of 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) at the adhesive-dentin interface enables ionic binding to calcium salts, which results in rigid nano-layering within the submicron scale resin-dentin interdiffusion zone. MDP has been used with additional co-monomers, such as hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and/or 4-methacryloyloxyethyl-trimellitic acid (4-MET), mainly to enhance the chemical bonding properties. However, the use of co-monomers may compromise the rigidity of the adhesive-dentin interface. In this study, we use high-resolution mechanical mapping across the interface to discern the in situ mechanical properties of each target region at the nanoscale. Visualization by modulus mapping demonstrated that HEMA increases the diffusion properties of MDP into dentin structures. However, the rigidity of the adhesive-dentin interface indicated by the storage modulus was markedly lower in MDP containing HEMA than in MDP containing 4-MET. Dynamic indentation testing revealed that the bonding layer was more deformable in the presence of HEMA. Moreover, the presence of MDP in the bonding layer might also increase the deformability because the polymerization linearity allows a large degree of viscoelasticity. These factors also diminish the rigidity of the adhesive-dentin interface. Within the limitations of this study, our findings demonstrated that 4-MET is a better co-monomer than HEMA in MDP-based dental adhesives. Modulus mapping and nanoindentation are introduced as new tests for the adhesive-dentin interface to address queries about the effectiveness of dental adhesives.Patient-specific approach is gaining a wide popularity in computational simulations of biomechanical systems. Simulations (most often based on the finite element method) are to date routinely created using data from imaging devices such as computed tomography which makes the models seemingly very complex and sophisticated. However, using a computed tomography in finite element calculations does not necessarily enhance the quality or even credibility of the models as these depend on the quality of the input images. Low-resolution (medical-)CT datasets do not always offer detailed representation of trabecular bone in FE models and thus might lead to incorrect calculation of mechanical response to external loading. The effect of image resolution on mechanical simulations of bone-implant interaction has not been thoroughly studied yet. In this study, the effect of image resolution on the modeling procedure and resulting mechanical strains in bone was analyzed on the example of cranial implant. For this purpose, stresses in the fixation screw itself; however, selection of bone material representation might result in significantly different stresses in the screw.The application of pit and fissure sealants is a well-established method to prevent and treat early childhood caries. Resin-based sealants with antibacterial properties provide additional benefits for caries prevention in a cariogenic oral environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an antibacterial core-shell AgBr/cationic polymer nanocomposite (AgBr/BHPVP) on the properties of a resin-based pit and fissure sealant. Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor A commercialized pit and fissure sealant without fluoride, Concise (3M, ESPE, USA), was used as the parent material and negative control. Experimental antibacterial sealants were formulated by the addition of AgBr/BHPVP nanoparticles at mass fractions of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% to the parent material. A fluoride-releasing sealant, Clinpro (3M, ESPE), was used as the positive control. Bacterial colony-forming unit (CFU) counts, metabolic activity tests, field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) observations were used to evaluate the antibacterial properties of AgBr/BHPVP-modified sealants against Streptococcus mutans before and after five months of aging. The Vickers microhardness, degree of conversion, and microleakage level of the sealants were also investigated. According to the results of CFU counts and metabolic tests, sealants containing AgBr/BHPVP showed better contact-killing bactericidal activity against S. mutans than the two commercial sealants, irrespective of aging conditions (both P 0.05). AgBr/BHPVP-modified pit and fissure sealant with a dual bactericidal mechanism is a promising option for the prevention of pit and fissure caries.People of color in the United States disproportionately bear the burden of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Pregnant women of color are at particular risk, as perinatal PTSD is associated with adverse maternal and child health. However, PTSD is a heterogeneous disorder comprising discrete symptom dimensions. Adopting a dimensional understanding of PTSD could aid in identifying women at-risk for the consequences of posttraumatic psychopathology and guide treatment selection. In a large sample of Latina, Black, and non-Hispanic White postpartum women in the United States (N = 1663), we examined racial and ethnic differences in the factors of the dysphoric arousal model-a leading dimensional model of PTSD. This model is characterized by five symptom dimensions re-experiencing, avoidance, numbing, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal. Past-year trauma in this sample was common, afflicting nearly 70% of women. In unadjusted models, women of color exhibited more severe PTSD symptom levels across dimensions except for dysphoric arousal, with Black mothers particularly affected.
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