Purpose/Aim of the study The ultimate goal of periodontal treatment is to regenerate the lost periodontal tissues. The interest in nanomaterials in dentistry is growing rapidly and has focused on improvements in various biomedical applications, such as periodontal regeneration and periodontal tissue engineering. To enhance periodontal tissue regeneration, hydroxyapatite (HA) was used in conjunction with other scaffold materials, such as Poly lactic-co-glycolic-acid (PLGA) and collagen (C). The main target of this study was to compare the effects of nano and macrostructures of the tissue scaffolds on cell behavior in vitro for periodontal tissue engineering.Materials and Methods Nanofibrillar and macroporous-spongious composite tissue scaffolds were produced using PLGA/C/HA. Subgroups with BMP-2 signal molecule and without HA were also created. The scaffolds were characterized by FTIR, SEM/EDX techniques, and mechanical tests. The scaffolds were compared in the periodontal ligament (PDL) and MCT3-E1 cell cultures. The cell behaviors; adhesions by SEM, proliferation by WST-1, differentiation by ALP and mineralization with Alizarin Red Tests were determined.Results Cell adhesion and mineralization were higher in the nanofibrillar scaffolds compared to the macroporous-spongious scaffolds. Macroporous-spongious scaffolds seemed better for the proliferation of PDL cells and differentiation of MC3T3-E1-preosteoblastic cells, while nanofibrillar scaffolds were more convenient for the differentiation of PDL cells and proliferation of MC3T3-E1-preosteoblastic cells.Conclusions In general, nanofibrillar scaffolds showed more favorable results in cell behaviors, compared to the macroporous-spongious scaffolds, and mostly, BMP-2 and HA promoted the activities of the cells.Introduction Secondary spinal cord injury (SCI) sets on immediately after trauma and, despite prompt treatment, may become chronic. SCI is a complex condition and presents numerous challenges to patients and physicians alike, also considering the lack of an approved pharmacological therapy.Areas covered This review describes the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to secondary SCI to highlight possible targets for pharmacological therapy. Furthermore, an extensive search of the literature on different databases (PubMed, Google scholar, Embase, and Scopus) and of the current clinical trials (clinicaltrials.gov) was performed to investigate the current outlook for the pharmacological management of SCI. Only drugs with performed or ongoing clinical trials were considered.Expert opinion Pharmacological therapy aims to improve motor and sensory function in patients. Overall, drugs are divided into neuroprotective compounds, which aim to limit the damage induced by the pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic milieu of SCI, and neuroregenerative drugs, which induce neuronal and axonal regrowth. While many compounds have been trialed with promising results, none has yet completed a stage III trial and has been approved for the pharmacological management of SCI.
  The purpose of this retrospective study is to evaluate the association of total therapy time during inpatient rehabilitation and gain in functional independence for patients admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF).
 
  The study utilized a retrospective design that included all IRF patients from three IRFs in California from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013. Patient data collected as part of usual, routine medical, and rehabilitation care were used and includes demographics, medical variables, and functional outcomes data.
 
  There were 3212 patients discharged from the three IRFs, with 2,777 patients having received speech language pathology (SLP) therapy along with occupational therapy and physical therapy. Speech language pathology services were not provided for 435 patients in the database. Our results support that among all types of patients, increased therapy hours were associated with increased functional gains.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ly333531.html  For total functional independence measure (FIM) gain, an additional hour s associated with an increase of 1.16 FIM point gain.Determining the intensity and related activities are needed to impact functional change which has implications for shaping rehabilitation practice.
  The CLOSER (CLarifying Vaginal Atrophy's Impact On SEx and Relationships) survey investigated how postmenopausal vaginal atrophy (VA) affects relationships between Brazilian women and male partners.
 
  Postmenopausal women (age 55-65 years) with VA, and male partners of women with the condition, completed an online survey on the impact of VA and local estrogen treatment on intimacy and relationships.
 
  A total of 360 women and 352 men from Brazil were included. Women (83%) and men (91%) reported that they were comfortable discussing VA with their partners. Women's key source of information on VA was health-care providers (HCPs), but 44% felt that not enough information is available. VA caused 70% of women to avoid sexual intimacy and resulted in less satisfying sex. VA had a negative impact on women's feelings and self-esteem. Women (76%) and men (70%) both reported that treatment with vaginal estrogen improved their sexual relationship, primarily by alleviating women's pain during sex. Women (56%) and men (59%) felt closer to each other after treatment.
 
  VA had a negative impact on sexual relationships for both women and men in Brazil, and reduced women's self-confidence. Vaginal hormone therapy improved couples' sexual relationships. A proactive attitude of HCPs is essential to educate women on VA and the potential benefits of treatment.
 VA had a negative impact on sexual relationships for both women and men in Brazil, and reduced women's self-confidence. Vaginal hormone therapy improved couples' sexual relationships. A proactive attitude of HCPs is essential to educate women on VA and the potential benefits of treatment.Background and objectives The complexities of daily life often necessitate creative ideas to successfully cope with negative social situations. This study investigated the relationship of two types of creativity that may be elicited by similar contexts but are associated with different goals and impact of ideas reappraisal inventiveness (the capability to generate manifold reappraisals for negative situations) and malevolent creativity, capturing the inventiveness in intentionally harming others.Design and methods In 73 women, these variables were assessed by performance tests depicting real-life, anger-eliciting situations. Additionally, participants reported their trait anger and depressive symptoms.Results Inventiveness (ideational fluency) was positively correlated between the two tasks, probably indicating shared divergent thinking demands. A more intricate pattern emerged for quality aspects of generated ideas. Participants inventing particularly harmful ideas for damaging others generated fewer valid reappraisals and displayed less problem-oriented thinking during reappraisal.