Internal root resorption (IRR) is an uncommon but potentially destructive pathological condition characterized by progressive loss of dentin from within the pulp space as a result of odontoclastic activity. It is frequently asymptomatic and often detected incidentally during radiographic examination, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis and timely intervention to prevent structural compromise and tooth loss. This case report describes the successful nonsurgical management of a non-perforating internal root resorption lesion in a mandibular first molar. A 32-year-old male patient presented with pain in the lower left posterior region, and radiographic evaluation revealed a well-defined radiolucent defect in the cervical third of the distal root, consistent with internal root resorption, along with associated periapical pathology. Nonsurgical endodontic therapy was performed, involving thorough chemomechanical debridement, intracanal medication with calcium hydroxide, and obturation using gutta-percha with a bioceramic sealer. The resorptive defect was sealed with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) to achieve an effective three-dimensional seal and promote periradicular healing. Clinical and radiographic follow-up at six and twelve months demonstrated resolution of symptoms, healing of periapical lesions, and arrest of the resorptive process. This case highlights the significance of early diagnosis, appropriate case selection, and the use of bioactive materials such as MTA in achieving favorable outcomes in the nonsurgical management of internal root resorption.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a rare autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system, predominantly affecting the optic nerves and spinal cord. Pediatric cases are uncommon and often underdiagnosed due to heterogeneous clinical and radiological presentations. We report two pediatric cases of NMO with distinct clinical and immunological features. Case 1: A 10-year-old girl presented with a 5-day history of progressive bilateral visual loss and impaired color vision. Ophthalmological examination revealed severe bilateral visual acuity reduction and grade II papilledema. Brain and spinal MRI showed T2 hyperintensity of the optic nerves and chiasm with cervical spinal cord involvement (C2–C7). Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed mild hyperproteinorrachia. Anti-MOG antibodies were positive. The patient was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins, with significant clinical improvement within 8 days. Case 2: An 8-year-old girl presented with a preceding flu-like illness followed by acute paraplegia, sphincter dysfunction, and bilateral visual impairment. Neurological examination revealed severe motor and sensory deficits consistent with longitudinal extensive transverse myelitis. MRI demonstrated diffuse spinal cord involvement with gadolinium enhancement and normal brain imaging. Laboratory tests showed elevated inflammatory markers and positive antinuclear antibodies. She received high-dose intravenous corticosteroids followed by oral prednisone and azathioprine, with favorable neurological recovery. Pediatric NMO is a rare but severe neuroinflammatory disease with variable clinical and immunological profiles. Early recognition through MRI and antibody testing is essential for prompt treatment. High-dose corticosteroids combined with immunotherapy can lead to favorable visual and neurological outcomes.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a member of the polyaryletherketone family, has gained increasing attention in dentistry because of its favorable biomechanical properties, low density, radiolucency, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. Compared with metallic materials, PEEK and especially fiber-reinforced PEEK exhibit a lower elastic modulus, which may contribute to more favorable stress distribution in selected implant and prosthetic applications. PEEK has been investigated for dental implants, implant abutments, fixed and removable prostheses, post-core systems, maxillofacial prostheses, periodontal splints, occlusal splints, and orthodontic appliances. However, pure PEEK is biologically inert and has low surface energy, which may limit osseointegration and adhesive bonding. To overcome these limitations, surface treatments such as plasma activation, sulfonation, and hydroxyapatite coating, as well as bulk modifications including ceramic or fiber reinforcement, have been proposed. This review summarizes the current dental applications of PEEK, its main advantages and limitations, and future perspectives for clinical use. Although PEEK is a promising dental biomaterial, most applications still require further long-term clinical validation before routine use can be recommended.

Thin reinforced concrete cylindrical shells, commonly used in silos, storage tanks, and offshore platform legs, combine high strength-to-weight ratios with efficient load-bearing capacity. Their slender geometry, however, makes them highly susceptible to buckling, and existing studies on metallic or composite shells inadequately capture the behavior of concrete shells with embedded steel. This study presents a numerical investigation of thin reinforced concrete cylindrical columns under axial compression, focusing on the influence of reinforcement details and column geometry on critical buckling loads. Finite element simulations and parametric eigenvalue analyses were performed using Abaqus to identify buckling modes and evaluate stability. Results show that increasing the longitudinal bar diameter from 10 mm to 16 mm raised the first-mode buckling load from 9.420×10⁷ N to 9.524×10⁷ N, while increasing the number of bars from 8 to 12 increased the load from 9.394×10⁷ N to 9.463×10⁷ N. Column length had the most significant impact: extending from 750 mm to 1000 mm reduced the first-mode load from 9.463×10⁷ N to 6.195×10⁷ N. Eigenvalue analysis revealed classical global buckling modes, with the first mode governing instability. The findings indicate that larger reinforcement and higher bar quantity enhance buckling resistance, with diameter improving axial rigidity and bar number improving circumferential stiffness distribution. Nevertheless, geometric slenderness dominates structural stability, underscoring that reinforcement optimization alone cannot fully counteract buckling risk. These results provide critical guidance for designing thin concrete shells, highlighting the importance of simultaneous control of geometry and reinforcement detailing to prevent structural failure.

Background: Although male infertility is highly prevalent in sub-Saharan African countries, minimal studies have been undertaken to identify its determinants, factors and root causes. We undertook this study to determine the association between oxidative stress markers and seminal fluid quality parameters among a cohort of Nigerian men attending an infertility clinic at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Southern Nigeria. Methods: This comparative cross sectional study involved 90 men attending the infertility clinic at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. The study consisted of 45 participants with abnormal semen parameters and 45 with normal semen parameters. Oxidative stress markers: superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde levels in semen were assayed in both normal and abnormal semen group using the Adrenalin inhibition method by Misra and Fridovich for Superoxide dismutase and the Thiobarbituric acid assay by Buege and Aust for Malondialdehyde. Data were analysed using univariate, bivariate, and binary logistic regression to test the association between oxidative stress markers and the risk of abnormality in seminal fluid parameters, and Pearson's correlation to assess the direction of association. Results: The mean levels of superoxidase dismutase were higher in the normal group (1.37 u/g ± 0.34) as compared with the abnormal (0.78u/g ± 0.36, p < 0.001). The mean (SD) malondialdehyde level in the control group was (0.59mol/g ± 0.19) and was significantly lower than in the cases (1.38 ± 0.45mol/g, P < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between superoxide dismutase levels and a negative correlation between malondialdehyde levels and sperm concentration, motility and morphology in both cases and controls. However, after adjusting for cofounders in logistic regression, Superoxide dismutase had a statistically significant effect on motility, while Malondialdehyde had a substantial impact on motility and concentration. Conclusion: We conclude that levels of a marker of oxidative stress (Malondialdehyde) are higher in men with poor semen quality. In contrast, levels of the anti-oxidative stress marker (superoxide dismutase) were higher in men with better semen quality. Superoxide dismutase had a significant impact on sperm motility, while Malondialdehyde affected both sperm motility and concentration. We believe these results would serve as an adjunct when evaluating infertile males.

Service failure detection in distributed microservice platforms remains difficult because fault symptoms often appear in services other than the one where the problem begins. Traditional monitoring methods usually examine metrics, logs, or traces separately, which limits their ability to identify partial degradation, fault propagation, and cascading disruption. This paper proposes a multi-source, dependency aware framework for service failure detection in distributed microservice platforms. The method integrates distributed traces, service level metrics, and structured log events into a unified service state representation and interprets these signals through a dynamic service dependency graph. A hybrid failure scoring model identifies degraded or failed services, while a root cause ranking stage estimates the most likely origin of the incident. The framework captures both local anomalies and propagated effects across connected services. Experimental analysis compares the proposed method with metrics only, trace only, and logs only baselines under latency inflation, timeout propagation, service crash, resource exhaustion, and silent degradation scenarios. Results show that the proposed approach achieves stronger detection accuracy, lower detection delay, and better root cause ranking performance, particularly in cascading failure cases where single source methods often misidentify affected services as the source of the incident. These findings indicate that observability fusion with dependency aware analysis provides a more reliable basis for service level diagnosis in cloud native microservice systems.

This paper examines how digital technologies can bridge the critical gap between data availability and decision-making effectiveness in capital project execution. Despite the exponential growth in data generation and the widespread adoption of digital tools, capital projects frequently suffer from cost overruns and schedule delays. This paradox suggests that the primary value of digitalization lies not in data collection, but in the ability to translate raw data into timely, actionable insights that drive proactive management. Using a conceptual framework supported by industry observations and case studies, this research illustrates how digital technologies and its components bring impact to the Capital project performance. The findings reveal that successful digital transformation is less a technological challenge and more an organizational one, requiring robust data governance, cultural alignment, and clear decision accountability. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for implementing digital solutions that move project controls from retrospective reporting to forward-looking insight generation, ultimately improving project performance and reducing execution uncertainty.