Rotator cuff tears continue to be at risk of retear or failure to heal after surgical repair, despite the use of various surgical techniques, which stimulate development of novel scaffolding strategies. They should be able to address the known causes of failure after the conventional rotator cuff repair: (1) failure to reproduce the normal tendon healing process, (2) resultant failure to reproduce four zones of the enthesis, and (3) failure to attain sufficient mechanical strength after repair. Nanofiber scaffolds are suited for this application because they can be engineered to mimic the ultrastructure and properties of the native rotator cuff tendon. Among various methods for tissue-engineered nanofibers, electrospinning has recently been highlighted in the rotator cuff field.Electrospinning can create fibrous and porous structures that resemble natural tendon’s extracellular matrix. Other advantages include the ability to create relatively large surface-to-volume ratios, the ability to control fiber size from the micro to the nano scale, and the flexibility of material choices. In this review, we will discuss the anatomical and mechanical features of the rotator cuff tendon, their potential impacts on improper healing after repair, and the current knowledge of the use of electrospinning for rotator cuff tissue engineering.

The study aims to determine the relationship of attitude and social-norm with intention to smokein the future among non-smoking youth. Data were derived from astudy on smoking among form four students in selected secondary school in Peninsular Malaysia, which utilised apre-validated questionnaire to obtain data from the selected respondents. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used in data analysis. The study revealed independentvariables accounted for 22.6% of the variance inintention to initiate smoking and the model had good fit. Asignificant relationship was observed between subjective norm and intention to initiate smoking (R=0.46). The study revealed that attitude and social norm substantially explained intention to smoke among non-smoking adolescents. Future measures should concentrate oncorrectingthe subjective norms to reduce intentionto initiate smokingamong non-smoking youth.

Studies have shown that parents and peers are among the dominant factors that contribute to smoking initiation among non-smoking adolescents. The paucity of this information in Malaysia warrants a longitudinal study to determine the actual factors associated smoking initiation. The study aims to address the gaps in our knowledge on the factors that associated with smoking initiation among non-smoking school-going adolescents. We carried out a longitudinal study among non-smoking secondary school-going adolescents in Kota Tinggi district, Johor. A representative sample of 1682 was selected via multi-stage sampling and respondents were followed-up for a period of one year. A pre-validated questionnaire was used to collect data from the selected respondents and multivariable logistic regression was employed to determine the factors associated with smoking initiation among non-smoking school-going adolescents. Approximately 1 in 10 non-smoking school-going adolescents-initiated smoking at the end of follow-up. Having peers and a father who smokes were significantly associated with smoking in univariate analysis, similarly relationship was also observed in multivariable analysis between parents who smoked with smoking initiation after the effect of other independent variables were controlled (Adjusted relative risk: 1.81, 95% CI 1.06-2.95). The study revealed that parental influence was more dominant than peer influence with regards to smoking initiation. Therefore, intervention programmes should involve parents/guardians to enhance their chances of success and reduce the incidence of smoking among non-smoking school-going adolescents.

Forces and moments delivered by a straight wire connecting two orthodontic brackets are statically indeterminate and cannot be estimated using the classical equations of static equilibrium. To identify the mechanics of such two-bracket systems, Burstone and Koenig used the principles of linear beam theory to estimate the resulting force systems. In the original publication, however, it remains unclear how the force systems were calculated because no reference or computational details on the underlying principles have been provided. Using the moment carry-over principle and the relative angulation of the brackets, a formula was derived to calculate the relative moments of the two brackets.Because of the moment equilibrium, the vertical forces that exist as a forcecouple on the two brackets can also be calculated. The accuracy of the proposed approach can be validated using previously published empirical data.