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Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), called as bone cement, has been used in implant surgery, initially in dental practices, then in arthroplasty surgery for decades. Bone cement is a highly preferred chemical in the field of orthopedics due to its bone-like hardness and mechanical strength. Meanwhile, antibiotic-loaded cements are used in joints and similar surgeries are generally due to the risk of infection. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the effects of borate mineral loading into bone cement on enhancing the antibacterial resistivity and cell integration as well as retaining mechanical properties. Moreover, the incorporation of minerals into bone cements makes them much more cost-friendly biomaterials for surgical operations. Herein, antibacterial properties were evaluated by using vancomycin- and gentamycin-susceptible strains of Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus whereas cell viability tests were performed by osteoblast cell lines. Three sets of the bone cements, plain, calcium borate-, perties.Muslim Americans increasingly have been targets of discrimination. Previous research has provided preliminary evidence that higher perceived discrimination is associated with higher symptoms of discrimination-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and higher discrimination-related posttraumatic growth (PTG). Further research in other contexts has shown that PTSD symptoms mediate the relationship between event severity and PTG. However, no existing studies have explored discrimination-related PTG and whether PTSD symptoms mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and discrimination-related PTG among Muslim Americans. The current study included 110 Muslim American college students who completed an online survey assessing perceived discrimination, discrimination-related PTSD symptoms, and discrimination-related PTG. Higher perceived discrimination was significantly associated with higher discrimination-related PTG at the bivariate level. In a multivariable mediation model, the indirect effect of perceived discrimination on discrimination-related PTG via discrimination-related PTSD was statistically significant. The results suggest that clinicians working with Muslim American college students should attend to the ways in which their discriminatory experiences could foster PTG, in addition to helping them cope with PTSD symptoms.Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (iBCG) therapy, one of the established treatments for bladder carcinoma, is known for its association with adverse events, including rheumatic manifestations. We describe the case of a 72-year-old man with synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome who developed inflammatory bowel disease unclassified after iBCG therapy for bladder carcinoma. The critical role of the IL-23/IL-17 axis in the pathogenesis IBD and all the domains of SAPHO syndrome has been reported previously. In the present case, the activation of the IL-23/IL-17 axis, probably due to the disease, could have been exacerbated by iBCG therapy, as observed in mice that received BCG immunotherapy. We suggest that patients with rheumatic diseases on iBCG therapy should be observed carefully since iBCG could be a contributing factor for autoimmune pathology including IBD.

Glucocorticoids are important drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. We recommend glucocorticoid discontinuation as soon as possible given the associated side-effects, but many patients continue to take oral glucocorticoids long-term. The present study aimed to explore factors associated with glucocorticoid discontinuation at 52 weeks after initiating biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs).

Subjects were 564 patients from a Japanese multicenter registry who were administered glucocorticoids and methotrexate (MTX) followed by initiation of the first bDMARD. We examined the status of oral glucocorticoid use at 52 weeks after initiating the first bDMARD.

By 52 weeks after bDMARD initiation, 164 patients (29.1%) discontinued glucocorticoids. Multivariable analysis identified age, MTX dose, and glucocorticoid dose as factors independently associated with glucocorticoid discontinuation. After adjusting for baseline characteristics using propensity score matching, among patient groups administered MTX ≤ 8 mg/week and MTX > 8 mg/week, 105 pairs remained. A significantly higher rate of glucocorticoid discontinuation (41.0%) was noted for patients administered MTX > 8 mg/week.

Our findings suggest that glucocorticoids may be discontinued after initiating bDMARDs. Moreover, higher MTX doses (>8 mg/week) at the time of bDMARD initiation were associated with glucocorticoid discontinuation among patients treated with bDMARDs.

8 mg/week) at the time of bDMARD initiation were associated with glucocorticoid discontinuation among patients treated with bDMARDs.In spite of growing evidence for the negative effect of lead, knowledge about the dose-response relationship of maternal blood lead level (BLL) and the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) is limited. We performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the dose-response relation between maternal BLL and the risk of SGA. A systematic search through Embase and PubMed was performed. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. The nonlinear and linear relationships between maternal BLL and the risk of SGA were also investigated. Results from 51,065 patients showed a significant association between maternal BLL and risk of SGA in highest versus lowest analysis (OR 1.54; 95% CI 1.12-2.10, p = 0.007). While there was no association in linear dose-response (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00-1.04, p = 0.021) meta-analysis, a direct relationship was observed in the nonlinear model (nonlinearity p  less then  0.001). Results of this dose-response meta-analysis showed that maternal BLL higher than ∼ 0.3 µg/dL is directly associated with the risk of SGA.Women with negative genital self-image are more likely to experience sexual dysfunction , but the processes underlying this association are unknown. check details We theorized that this association is mediated by distraction from the arousing sexual cues that foster pleasure and orgasm . In a sample of 1,619 women who had sex in the previous four weeks, women with negative genital self-image were more likely to be distracted by self-critical concerns (i.e., appearance- and performance-based distraction and embarrassment) during sex, and in turn, experienced less sexual pleasure and worse sexual function. Additionally, this indirect effect via appearance-based distraction was strongest among women with trait-level anxiousness and social anxiety. We found a similar pattern of results when investigating the indirect effect of genital self-image on sexual function. Implications for understanding sexual function and therapeutic approaches are discussed.