Efficacy of biofeedback therapy via a mini wireless device on sleep bruxism contrasted with occlusal splint:a pilot study

The putative causes of bruxism are multifactorial and there are no definite measures for bruxism management.The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of biofeedback therapy on sleep bruxism,compared with occlusal splint.Twenty-four volunteers with sleep bruxism were divided into two groups：the GTB group that were treated with biofeedback therapy（n 512） and the GTO group that were treated with occlusal splint（n 512）.A mini pressure sensor integrated with a monitoring circuit by use of a maxillary biofeedback splint was fabricated.To foster the relaxation of the masticatory muscles and the nervous system,the wireless device received signals from bruxism events and vibrations alerted the bruxer when the threshold was exceeded.Total episodes and average duration of bruxism events during8 hours of sleep were analyzed with the monitoring program（TRMY1.0）.After 6 and 12 weeks,the episodes（P 50.001） and duration（P,0.05） in the GTB group declined dramatically.In contrast,there were no significant differences in the GTO group after the treatment（P.0.05）.Furthermore,the episodes had significant differences between the GTB group and the GTO group after the same period of treatment（P 5 0.000）.The results suggest that biofeedback therapy may be an effective and convenient measure for mild bruxers,when compared with occlusal splint therapy.The mini wireless biofeedback method may be of value for the diagnosis and management of bruxism in the future.

An electromagnetic wave attenuation superposition structure for thin-layer plasma

This work proposes a new plasma super-phase gradient metasurfaces(PS-PGMs)structure,owing to the limitations of the thin-layer plasma for electromagnetic wave attenuation.Based on the cross-shaped surface unit configuration,we have designed the X-band absorbing structure through the dispersion control method.By setting up the Drude dispersion model in the computer simulation technology,the designed phase gradient metasurfaces structure is superposed over the plasma,and the PS-PGMs structure is constructed.The electromagnetic scattering characteristics of the new structure have been simulated,and the reflectance measurement has been carried out to verify the absorbing effect.The results demonstrate that the attenuation effect of the new structure is superior to that of the pure plasma structure,which invokes an improved attenuation effect from the thin layer plasma,thus enhancing the feasibility of applying the plasma stealth technology to the local stealth of the strong scattering part of a combat aircraft.

A case of primary neuroendocrine breast carcinoma that responded to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy

Primary neuroendocrine breast carcinoma （NEBC） is a very rare type of breast cancer. Two characteristic biomarkers, namely, CgA and Syn, should be immunohistochemically detected to diagnose NEBC. In this study, a 43-year-old woman with a large mass of 8.3 cm × 2.9 cm in her right breast was reported. The patient was pathologically diagnosed with NEBC after specific markers, including CgA and Syn, as well as few differential markers, such as CK7, ER, PR, C-erbB-2, NSE, and E-cadherin, were immunohistochemically detected. The patient showed a remarkable response to four cycles of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy （partial response based on RECIST criteria） and sequentially underwent modified radical mastectomy. Moreover, the diagnosis and treatment of NEBC based on this case and available related literature were discussed.