Splenomegaly is a clinically important complication in transfusion dependent beta thalassemia major because spleen enlargement may worsen anemia, transfusion burden and patient discomfort. This study assessed splenomegaly severity, related clinical burden, serum ferritin patterns and longitudinal clinical outcomes during routine transfusion and chelation care. This cohort study was conducted at Thalassemia Care Centre Nawabshah from March to August 2025. Patients with transfusion dependent beta thalassemia major were enrolled during routine transfusion visits. Baseline and follow up assessments included clinical history, chelation status, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, ultrasound-based spleen length and width and splenomegaly related symptoms. Patients were grouped by splenomegaly severity. Baseline groups were compared and ferritin spleen relationships were examined. Longitudinal changes in hemoglobin, spleen measurements and ferritin were evaluated using repeated measures models. The final cohort comprised 515 patients. Mean age was 7.39 ± 5.47 years, and mean serum ferritin was 2491.91 ± 806.46 ng/mL. Normal spleen was observed in 70 patients (13.6%) while mild, moderate and severe splenomegaly were observed in 190 (37.0%), 196 (38.1%) and 58 (11.3%) patients respectively. Mean spleen length increased from 15.21 ± 3.33 cm in the normal group to 19.33 ± 3.96 cm in the severe group. Moderate pain was reported by 345 patients (67.1%). Ferritin differed across severity groups (p = 0.0016) but showed no direct linear relationship with spleen size. Hemoglobin improved from 7.39 ± 1.74 to 7.62 ± 1.72 g/dL by second follow up. Spleen length decreased from 17.13 ± 3.53 to 15.64 ± 3.46 cm. Baseline hemoglobin was below 9.5 g/dL in 445 of 515 patients (86.4%). The 5-month spleen-length change was modest and does not demonstrate reversal of established hypersplenism. Splenomegaly carried meaningful clinical burden in transfusion dependent beta thalassemia major. Ferritin remained useful for iron overload monitoring, but ultrasound spleen assessment and symptom evaluation added important clinical value during routine transfusion and chelation care. Serum ferritin should not be interpreted as a marker of spleen size.

This study introduces the design and clinical application of a novel magnetic-connection digital osteotomy guide to enhance the precision and efficiency of segmental maxillary osteotomy. Segmental Le Fort I osteotomy is an essential technique for correcting complex transverse and vertical dental-maxillofacial deformities, yet traditional methods involving manual plaster model surgery are prone to significant errors. To address these challenges, this protocol integrates virtual surgical planning (VSP) using CT scans and specialized modeling software to create a patient-specific, 3D-printed two-part guide system. The primary component is designed to guide the horizontal Le Fort I osteotomy and bilateral premolar extraction lines. Once the maxilla is down-fractured, a secondary segmental guide is connected to the primary component via four embedded neodymium magnets, each measuring 3 mm in diameter and 1.5 mm in thickness. This magnetic connection provides a stable, rapid, and interference-free attachment that allows for precise guidance of palatal and midline osteotomy lines. This protocol demonstrates the clinical application of a modular magnetic guide system for transferring the virtual osteotomy plan in patients with maxillary protrusion and arch width discrepancies. Postoperative color-map analysis showed local surface deviations of approximately 0.5-0.9 mm around the visible osteotomy margins, supporting the preliminary accuracy of osteotomy-region transfer. The modular magnetic design provides staged osteotomy guidance and may reduce the need for repeated adjustments, unnecessary bone removal, and soft-tissue manipulation, which is consistent with vascular-preserving principles, although segment perfusion was not directly assessed. Neodymium magnets are biocompatible, maintain stability after sterilization, and are cost-effective due to their reusability. Despite the potential fragility of current three-dimensional (3D)-printed resin materials, the magnetic connection digital osteotomy guide offers significant clinical value by bridging the gap between virtual planning and surgical execution. This method ensures highly accurate bone removal and positioning, representing a promising advancement for complex orthognathic surgical procedures.

This study aimed to evaluate the expected responses to a selection index based on body-weight-related traits to improve the productive performance of turkeys and to investigate the relationship between body weight and growth hormone (GH) gene expression. Two lines of local Baladi turkeys were used: a selected line (S), chosen for high body weight at 6 months of age; and an unselected random-bred control line (C). Both lines originated from the same randomly mated base population. A selection index incorporating body weight (BW), shank length (SL), and breast width (BRW) at 6 months of age was constructed. This index resulted in expected genetic gains per generation of 441.71 g for BW, 0.26 cm for SL, and 1.93 cm for BRW. Growth hormone gene expression in the selected line was significantly higher than in the control line for both sexes. In males, GH showed a relative gene expression of 1.43 in the selected line compared with 1.01 in the control line, while in females, the corresponding values were 1.76 and 1.31, respectively. Differences in GH-mRNA expression between the two lines indicate a positive association between gene expression level and body weight, suggesting that GH expression may be a useful molecular marker in genetic selection programs aimed at improving body weight in turkeys.

Introduction The effects of premolar extraction on maxillary arch width and buccal corridor size are a debatable topic in orthodontics. It has been suggested that extraction treatment can lead to reduction in dental arch width and more buccal corridor presentation, which can impact smile aesthetics. The aim of this study was to compare the differences in maxillary arch width and buccal corridor dimensions after extraction and non-extraction fixed orthodontic therapy. Materials and methods It was a retrospective study involving pre-treatment and post-treatment records of patients treated with contemporary fixed orthodontic appliances in the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Government Dental College, Raipur. A total of 70 patients (35 extraction and 35 non-extraction) were screened initially. After a photographic comparability criterion in terms of intercanthal-to-inter-commissural width ratio was applied, 48 subjects were used in the final analysis (25 extraction and 23 non-extraction). Maxillary inter-canine, inter-premolar, and intermolar widths were measured on the study models using a digital caliper. Buccal corridor dimensions were evaluated from frontal smile photographs using Adobe Photoshop software. Paired Student's t-test was used for intragroup comparisons, and independent Student's t-test was used to compare treatment-induced changes between the extraction and non-extraction groups. Results Significant increases in intercanine and interpremolar widths were observed following treatment in both groups (p<0.05). A significant increase in intermolar width was observed only in the non-extraction group (p=0.008). Intergroup comparison demonstrated a significantly greater intermolar width change in the non-extraction group (p=0.001), whereas intercanine and interpremolar width changes were comparable between the groups. Buccal corridor measurements remained largely unchanged following treatment, with no significant intergroup differences. A statistically significant increase in the IL:SW (interlast visible maxillary teeth distance (IL) and smile width (SW)) ratio was observed in the non-extraction group (p=0.025). Conclusions Both extraction and non-extraction fixed orthodontic treatment were associated with favourable transverse arch changes, while buccal corridor dimensions remained largely stable following treatment. Intergroup comparison demonstrated a significant difference only in intermolar width changes, whereas the remaining transverse and buccal corridor measurements were comparable between the groups. These findings suggest that premolar extraction therapy does not necessarily result in clinically unfavourable narrowing of the maxillary arch or increased buccal corridor dimensions when contemporary fixed orthodontic treatment mechanics are employed.

Objectives: To describe BMI-for-age and transverse dental arch measurements in growing children with Marfan syndrome (MFS) and a non-Marfan pediatric comparison group. Materials and Methods: A retrospective case-control observational study included 41 children aged 6-11 years: 15 patients with MFS (7 males, 8 females; mean age 8.8 ± 1.5 years) and 26 non-Marfan controls (10 males, 16 females; mean age 8.9 ± 1.6 years). Anthropometric parameters and BMI-for-age z-scores were assessed using the WHO 2007 Growth Reference. Digital dental models were used to measure intermolar width (IMW), intercanine width (ICW), and the IMW/ICW ratio. Descriptive statistics, exploratory between-group comparisons, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed. Results: Children with MFS showed significantly lower BMI and BMI-for-age z-scores than controls, although BMI-for-age values generally remained within the normal range. Height values were consistently elevated, reflecting the characteristic growth pattern of MFS. The MFS group showed a significantly smaller mean ICW than controls, whereas the difference in IMW was not statistically significant. The IMW/ICW ratio was also evaluated to characterize transverse dental arch proportions. Pearson correlation analyses showed no significant associations between BMI-for-age z-score and IMW or ICW in either group. In controls, age was positively correlated with BMI-for-age z-score and IMW was positively correlated with ICW; these associations were not observed between BMI-for-age z-score and dental measurements in the MFS group. Conclusions: Children with MFS showed a leaner anthropometric profile and a significantly smaller mean ICW, whereas the difference in IMW was not statistically significant. These preliminary findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample size and exploratory nature of the study. Further longitudinal studies with larger cohorts are warranted.