This study investigated the plaque removal efficacy of a suction-type sonic toothbrush compared to a conventional manual toothbrush in preschool children aged 30 to 59 months. Using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design with a 2-week washout period, 20 pediatric participants were allocated to two study phases, each using either the suction-type sonic toothbrush or the manual toothbrush with caregiver assistance. The plaque removal effectiveness was assessed through the Silness and Löe plaque index and quantitative light-induced fluorescence values, including ΔR30 and ΔR120 indicators of plaque index. The result showed no statistically significant differences in plaque removal efficacy between the two toothbrushes, although both showed similar improvements. Caregiver feedback revealed high acceptability of the suction-type sonic toothbrush due to its convenience and engaging features, such as a light and suction function, which enhanced the tooth brushing experience. Although limited by the short follow-up period and small sample size, the findings suggest that suction-type sonic toothbrushes may offer practical benefits for young children requiring caregiver assistance.

This study investigated the plaque removal efficacy of a suction-type sonic toothbrush compared to a conventional manual toothbrush in preschool children aged 30 to 59 months. Using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design with a 2-week washout period, 20 pediatric participants were allocated to two study phases, each using either the suction-type sonic toothbrush or the manual toothbrush with caregiver assistance. The plaque removal effectiveness was assessed through the Silness and Löe plaque index and quantitative light-induced fluorescence values, including ΔR30 and ΔR120 indicators of plaque index. The result showed no statistically significant differences in plaque removal efficacy between the two toothbrushes, although both showed similar improvements. Caregiver feedback revealed high acceptability of the suction-type sonic toothbrush due to its convenience and engaging features, such as a light and suction function, which enhanced the tooth brushing experience. Although limited by the short follow-up period and small sample size, the findings suggest that suction-type sonic toothbrushes may offer practical benefits for young children requiring caregiver assistance.

This study investigated the plaque removal efficacy of a suction-type sonic toothbrush compared to a conventional manual toothbrush in preschool children aged 30 to 59 months. Using a randomized, double-blind, crossover design with a 2-week washout period, 20 pediatric participants were allocated to two study phases, each using either the suction-type sonic toothbrush or the manual toothbrush with caregiver assistance. The plaque removal effectiveness was assessed through the Silness and Löe plaque index and quantitative light-induced fluorescence values, including ΔR30 and ΔR120 indicators of plaque index. The result showed no statistically significant differences in plaque removal efficacy between the two toothbrushes, although both showed similar improvements. Caregiver feedback revealed high acceptability of the suction-type sonic toothbrush due to its convenience and engaging features, such as a light and suction function, which enhanced the tooth brushing experience. Although limited by the short follow-up period and small sample size, the findings suggest that suction-type sonic toothbrushes may offer practical benefits for young children requiring caregiver assistance.

Children face the excitement of a changing world but also encounter environmental threats to their health that were neither known nor suspected several decades ago. Children are at particular risk of exposure to pollutants that are widely dispersed in the air, water, and food. Children and adolescents are exposed to chemical, physical, and biological risks at home, in school, and elsewhere. Actions are needed to reduce these risks for children exposed to a series of environmental hazards. Exposure to a number of persistent environmental pollutants including air pollutants, endocrine disruptors, noise, electromagnetic waves (EMWs), tobacco and other noxious substances, heavy metals, and microplastics, is linked to damage to the nervous and immune systems and affects reproductive function and development. Exposure to environmental hazards is responsible for several acute and chronic diseases that have replaced infectious diseases as the principal cause of illnesses and death during childhood. Children are disproportionately exposed to environmental toxicities. Children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more frequently than adults. As a result, children have a substantially heavier exposure to toxins present in water, food, or air than adults. In addition, their hand-to-mouth behaviors and the fact that they live and play close to the ground make them more vulnerable than adults. Children undergo rapid growth and development processes that are easily disrupted. These systems are very delicate and cannot adequately repair thetional development in children’s environmental health was the Declaration of the Environment Leaders of the Eight on Children’s Environmental Health by the Group of Eight. In 2002, the World Health Organization launched an initiative to improve children’s environmental protection effort. Here, we review major environmental pollutants and related hazards among children and adolescents.

Children face the excitement of a changing world but also encounter environmental threats to their health that were neither known nor suspected several decades ago. Children are at particular risk of exposure to pollutants that are widely dispersed in the air, water, and food. Children and adolescents are exposed to chemical, physical, and biological risks at home, in school, and elsewhere. Actions are needed to reduce these risks for children exposed to a series of environmental hazards. Exposure to a number of persistent environmental pollutants including air pollutants, endocrine disruptors, noise, electromagnetic waves (EMWs), tobacco and other noxious substances, heavy metals, and microplastics, is linked to damage to the nervous and immune systems and affects reproductive function and development. Exposure to environmental hazards is responsible for several acute and chronic diseases that have replaced infectious diseases as the principal cause of illnesses and death during childhood. Children are disproportionately exposed to environmental toxicities. Children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more frequently than adults. As a result, children have a substantially heavier exposure to toxins present in water, food, or air than adults. In addition, their hand-to-mouth behaviors and the fact that they live and play close to the ground make them more vulnerable than adults. Children undergo rapid growth and development processes that are easily disrupted. These systems are very delicate and cannot adequately repair thetional development in children’s environmental health was the Declaration of the Environment Leaders of the Eight on Children’s Environmental Health by the Group of Eight. In 2002, the World Health Organization launched an initiative to improve children’s environmental protection effort. Here, we review major environmental pollutants and related hazards among children and adolescents.

Children face the excitement of a changing world but also encounter environmental threats to their health that were neither known nor suspected several decades ago. Children are at particular risk of exposure to pollutants that are widely dispersed in the air, water, and food. Children and adolescents are exposed to chemical, physical, and biological risks at home, in school, and elsewhere. Actions are needed to reduce these risks for children exposed to a series of environmental hazards. Exposure to a number of persistent environmental pollutants including air pollutants, endocrine disruptors, noise, electromagnetic waves (EMWs), tobacco and other noxious substances, heavy metals, and microplastics, is linked to damage to the nervous and immune systems and affects reproductive function and development. Exposure to environmental hazards is responsible for several acute and chronic diseases that have replaced infectious diseases as the principal cause of illnesses and death during childhood. Children are disproportionately exposed to environmental toxicities. Children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more frequently than adults. As a result, children have a substantially heavier exposure to toxins present in water, food, or air than adults. In addition, their hand-to-mouth behaviors and the fact that they live and play close to the ground make them more vulnerable than adults. Children undergo rapid growth and development processes that are easily disrupted. These systems are very delicate and cannot adequately repair thetional development in children’s environmental health was the Declaration of the Environment Leaders of the Eight on Children’s Environmental Health by the Group of Eight. In 2002, the World Health Organization launched an initiative to improve children’s environmental protection effort. Here, we review major environmental pollutants and related hazards among children and adolescents.

Children face the excitement of a changing world but also encounter environmental threats to their health that were neither known nor suspected several decades ago. Children are at particular risk of exposure to pollutants that are widely dispersed in the air, water, and food. Children and adolescents are exposed to chemical, physical, and biological risks at home, in school, and elsewhere. Actions are needed to reduce these risks for children exposed to a series of environmental hazards. Exposure to a number of persistent environmental pollutants including air pollutants, endocrine disruptors, noise, electromagnetic waves (EMWs), tobacco and other noxious substances, heavy metals, and microplastics, is linked to damage to the nervous and immune systems and affects reproductive function and development. Exposure to environmental hazards is responsible for several acute and chronic diseases that have replaced infectious diseases as the principal cause of illnesses and death during childhood. Children are disproportionately exposed to environmental toxicities. Children drink more water, eat more food, and breathe more frequently than adults. As a result, children have a substantially heavier exposure to toxins present in water, food, or air than adults. In addition, their hand-to-mouth behaviors and the fact that they live and play close to the ground make them more vulnerable than adults. Children undergo rapid growth and development processes that are easily disrupted. These systems are very delicate and cannot adequately repair thetional development in children’s environmental health was the Declaration of the Environment Leaders of the Eight on Children’s Environmental Health by the Group of Eight. In 2002, the World Health Organization launched an initiative to improve children’s environmental protection effort. Here, we review major environmental pollutants and related hazards among children and adolescents.

The hygiene hypothesis, first proposed in 1989, suggested that reduced exposure to infections in early life leads to allergic diseases by the defects in the establishment of immune tolerance. Although many studies provided evidence that some exposure conditions, including family size, antibiotics, probiotics, and viral or bacterial infections, are strongly related to the prevalence of allergic diseases, thereby supporting the hygiene hypothesis, some evidence does not provide acceptable results for the hygiene hypothesis. Further, most studies have focused on patients with asthma or atopic dermatitis, not allergic rhinitis. In this review, we summarize the recent studies for and against the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ and identify causal association with the prevalence of allergic rhinitis.

Background/Aims: This study aimed to assess whether hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) could have favorable prognoses with proper treatment under selective conditions. Methods: This retrospective, single-center study involved 1,168 patients diagnosed with HCC between January 2005 and December 2006, before the introduction of sorafenib. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify and adjust the variables associated with OS. Results: In nodular-type HCC, the OS differed significantly according to the presence of PVTT (log-rank p<0.001), and the level of PVTT, not only its presence, was a major independent factor affecting OS. PVTT at the Vp1-3 branch was associated with significantly longer OS than was PVTT at the Vp4 level (hazard ratio [HR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 3.21). In multivariate analysis, the OS was further stratified according to the PVTT level and tumor type, representing that nodular HCC without PVTT exhibited the best OS, whereas nodular HCC with Vp4 PVTT (adjusted HR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.57 to 4.28) showed a poor prognosis similar to that of infiltrative HCC. The PVTT level was consistently correlated with OS in patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization. Nodular HCC without PVTT showed the best prognosis, while nodular HCC with Vp1-3 PVTT also exhibited a favorable OS, although inferior to that without PVTT (adjusted HR, 1.47, 95% CI, 0.92 to 2.36). Conclusions Active treatment such as transarterial chemoembolization can be considered for selected PVTT cases. The level of PVTT and type of HCC were independent prognostic factors.

Background/Aims: The recent update on Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease initiative has added a decrease in fecal calprotectin (FC) to an acceptable range as an intermediate target for Crohn’s disease (CD). We aimed to investigate whether postinduction FC could predict future persistent remission (PR) and endoscopic healing (EH) after 1 year of treatment with infliximab (IFX) in pediatric patients with CD. Methods: This multicenter retrospective observational study included pediatric patients with CD who were followed up for at least 1 year after starting IFX. The association of postinduction FC with PR and EH was investigated. Results: A total of 132 patients were included in this study. PR and EH were observed in 71.2% (94/132) and 73.9% (82/111) of the patients, respectively. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only the postinduction FC level was associated with PR (odds ratio [OR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08 to 0.66; p=0.009). The FC levels at initiation of IFX and postinduction were significantly associated with EH (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.99; p=0.044 and OR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.49; p=0.002, respectively). According to the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cutoff level for postinduction FC associated with PR was 122 mg/kg, and that associated with EH was 377 mg/kg. Conclusions Postinduction FC was associated with PR and EH after 1 year of treatment with IFX in pediatric patients with CD. Our findings emphasize the importance of FC as an intermediate target in the treat-to-target era.