Maxillary labial and buccal frena are considered as normal anatomic structures in the oral cavity. However, they may exist intraorally as a thick broad fibrous attachment and/or become located near the crest of the residual ridge, thus interfering with proper denture border extension resulting in inferior denture stability, retention and overall patient satisfaction. This case report highlights...

In this work we present a novel treatment planning technique called interactive dose shaping (IDS) to be employed for the optimization of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IDS does not rely on a Newton-based optimization algorithm which is driven by an objective function formed of dose volume constraints on pre-segmented volumes of interest (VOIs). Our new planning technique allows ...

Diabetes and frailty are two conditions that frequently occur concurrently and are increasingly prevalent in the older patient. We review the concept, epidemiology and consequences of frailty, and the implications of the presence of frailty in the management of diabetes. Frailty is associated with decreased quality of life, a risk of falls, new or increased disability, hospitalization, and incr...

Mother-to-child HIV transmission rates remain elevated in countries with high home birth rates. This risk can be dramatically reduced if infants receive antiretroviral (ARV) medication within 24 hours after birth. However, many barriers prevent access to these medications immediately after delivery, for example, there is currently no suitable mechanism to preserve predosed ARVs in the home duri...

Australia has one of the highest rates of antidepressant use in the world; it has more than doubled since 2000, despite evidence showing that the effectiveness of these medications is lower than previously thought. An increasing placebo response rate is a key reason for falling effectiveness, with the gap between response to medications and placebo narrowing. Psychotherapies are effective treat...

We discuss a simple model for tumor growth, which results in realistic tumor shapes. We then address the question of efficient irradiation of tumors in terms of packing their volume with disjoint spheres of given radii. We develop three algorithms, based on a shelling method, which give recommendations for optimal sphere packings. These packings are interpreted as treatment plans, and the corre...

In the United States, many visits to physician offices are for complaints of pain. Patients who have moderate to severe pain can be effectively treated with different modalities, including opioids. Proper management requires that physicians be open-minded and thorough. Physicians should take a complete history and perform a complete physical evaluation including an osteopathic structural examin...

BACKGROUND Although frameless stereotactic needle biopsy is an accepted procedure for the diagnosis of intracranial lesions, findings are nondiagnostic in 2-15% of patients and no recommendations yet exist to guide subsequent care. After reviewing the postoperative course after nondiagnostic biopsy of 28 patients, we developed a paradigm to guide management in the future. METHODS In reviewing...