Background: Sarcopenia and Frailty are syndromes that affect the clinical outcomes of patients suffering from a wide range of diseases. The use of Computed Tomography (CT) is well established for Sarcopenia evaluation via estimation of the Skeletal Muscle Index (SMI) at the level of the third lumbar vertebra (L3SMI). Nevertheless, the association of more readily available biomarkers of Sarcopenia and clinical outcomes is desired. Recent studies have associated low Alanine amino-transferase ALT (SGPT) levels with Sarcopenia and frailty. The current study aimed to establish the association between low L3SMI and the aforementioned indices of Sarcopenia, frailty and poor clinical outcomes. Methods: A cohort study of patients admitted to the internal medicine department at a tertiary medical center. Sarcopenia was determined as L3SMI, lower than 53 cm2/m2 in men and 41 cm2/m2 in women. Clinical and mortality data was collected from the medical record. Results: Of the 187 patients recruited (mean age 70.4 ± 9.2, 59% males), 116 (62%) had Sarcopenia, based on L3SMI values. Sarcopenic patients were older, predominantly male, had lower BMI, lower mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) and low ALT values upon admission. L3SMI values significantly correlated with age and MAMC among males (R = −0.38, p < 0.001, R = 0.35, p < 0.001, respectively). Sarcopenia was associated with higher, one-year mortality (HR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.06–6.37, p = 0.036) and shorter all-time survival (HR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.35–6.29, p = 0.007). The association with all-time survival remained after adjusting for age and sex (HR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.07–5.29, p = 0.034). Conclusion: As defined by low L3SMI value, Sarcopenia is a poor prognostic factor for the general internal ward patient population. As part of personalized medicine, physicians may benefit from measuring L3SMI value, as indicated by commonly performed CT scans, to objectively assess their patient’s risk of suffering from Sarcopenia and frailty-associated complications.

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Two critical factors that influence the accuracy of an impression include the proper manipulation of the impression materials and the technique used to make the impression. The purpose of this study was to clinically evaluate the effect of different mixing techniques on the accuracy of vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) impressions by assessing metal framework fit of fixed partial restorations. The study included 92 consecutive patients diagnosed with partial edentulism and treated with fixed partial denture restorations. The mixing technique was one of the two following mixing methods: hand mixing technique (45 patients), with the putty material mixed according to the manufacturer’s instructions; or mechanical mixing technique (47 patients), with the putty material mixed by a Pentamix device. Under both mixing methods, vinyl polysiloxane was used as the impression material. Two impression techniques were randomly used by the operators (One/Two-stage putty –wash impression techniques). The accuracy of the metal framework restorations was tested clinically and radiologically, resulting in significant statistical difference (p = 0.04) between different mixing techniques. The mechanical mixing produced more accurate restorations (metal framework misfit only in 14.9% of patients vs. hand mixing 31.1%). Regarding the impression techniques, the two-stage impression technique was found to be significantly more accurate (p = 0.04), resulting in 14.6% ill-fitted metal frameworks vs. 31.8%, in the one-stage technique. It can be concluded that mechanical mixing yields more accurate impressions leading to more accurate restorations, especially when combined with two-stage impression technique.

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Little is reported about the prosthetic aftercare of implant-supported mandibular overdentures regarding the number of implants placed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prosthetic aftercare among edentulous patients restored with two vs. four mandibular implant-retained overdentures (MISOD). Forty-six consecutive edentulous patients treated by a new MISOD were retrospectively studied. Twenty-five patients had two-ball attachment MISOD (Group A), and 21 had four-ball attachment MISOD (Group B). The total amount of aftercare visits was recorded, as well as the type of treatments required (pressure sore spots relief, attachment liner replacement due to loss of retention, and metal ball attachment replacement due to wear). The mean follow-up duration was 93 ± 57 months (range 9–246 months). None of the implants was lost. There were significantly more visits for pressure sore spots relief in Group A vs. Group B (6.2 ± 2 in group A and 4.09 ± 1.54 in group B, p < 0.0001). Differences in the other two tested parameters (number of visits for liner replacement (2.3 ± 1.84 in group A and 2.4 ± 1.63 in group B) and attachment replacement (2.36 ± 1.85 in group A vs. 2.48 ± 1.63 in group B) yielded a non-significant outcome (p = 0.814 for liner replacement and p = 1.000 for attachment replacement). The use of four-ball attachments in MISOD was more beneficial than two-ball attachments with regards to the aftercare of pressure sore spots. The number of implants did not influence the mechanical wear.

In this study, we aim to explore the outcomes of Covid‐19 infection in patients with Hairy cell leukemia (HCL). The cohort is based on data obtained from electronic medical records. It includes 218 consecutive patients diagnosed with HCL between 16 June 1998, and 20 September 2022, out of which the coronavirus has infected 85 patients during the Omicron surge. Out of 85 patients with HCL who were infected by Covid‐19; 7 patients (8.2%) have been hospitalized, and the mortality rate was 2.3% (two patients). Thirteen of the 85 patients had been infected by Covid‐19 in previous waves, including 9/13 after vaccination, and none of them developed a severe disease. Humoral immune response after three doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination regimen was evaluated in 40 patients and was attained in 67.5%. Based on multivariate analysis: unfavorable outcome was significantly more common in patients with HCL above 65 years old, who had at least one cytopenia, and with comorbidity of cardiovascular disease or asplenia. Our results indicates that the course of COVID‐19 in patients with HCL during the Omicron wave has been improved relatively favorable.