BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to evaluate validity of the Italian Mini-ICF-APP (Mini-ICF Rating for Limitations of Activities and Participation in Psychological Disorders) in schizophrenia and related disorders. METHODS 74 outpatients affected by schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders attending a University-based community mental health centre were recruited to the study. All partic...

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of surface treatment of mini-implants in diabetes-induced rabbits by comparing osseointegration around mini-implants. Methods. Twelve New Zealand white rabbits were divided into two groups (alloxan-induced diabetic group and control group). A total of 48 mini-implants were placed after four weeks of diabetic induction. 24 mini-i...

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that there is no difference in the stability and resistance to orthodontic forces of immediately loaded sandblasted and acid-etched (SAE) mini-implants and those of machined-surface implants of the same size and shape. MATERIALS AND METHODS Two types of mini-implants were used in the tibiae of 44 rabbits; some had an SAE surface and some had machined surfaces....

Introduction: In open reduction and internal fixation for the treatment of mandibular fracture, the fixation technique used is very important in reducing post-operative complications and promoting the healing process. This study assessed the results of fixation of the mandible using two mini-plates perpendicular to each other in the lower border of the mandible for fracture treatment.    Materi...

Introduction: Feedback cards are recommended as a feasible toolfor structured written feedback delivery in clinical education whileeffectiveness of this tool on the medical students’ performanceis still questionable. The purpose of this study was to comparethe effects of structured written feedback by cards as well asverbal feedback versus verbal feedback alone on the clinicalperformance of med...

INTRODUCTION Placement of mini-implants carries with it the risk of iatrogenic damage to the adjacent root surfaces. The aims of this study were to assess the type of trauma incurred on tooth roots after contact or approximation with mini-implants during placement, and to observe and analyze the healing responses via histologic analysis. METHODS Four male minipigs were used as experimental su...

Mini-models are local regression models, which can be used for the function approximation learning. In the paper, there are presented mini-models based on hyper-spheres and hyper-ellipsoids and researches were made for linear and nonlinear models with no limitations for the problem input space dimension. Learning of the approximation function based on mini-models is very fast and it proved to h...