The Effect of Competitive Swimming on Oral Health Status

Objectives/Aims: Competitive athletes are often considered to be susceptible to bodily injury. It is now being realized that competitive swimmers are also at risk, specifically in the unsuspected realm of the oral cavity. The purpose of our research is to examine the effect of competitive swimming on an athlete\u27s oral health status. Methods: Using sources found on Pubmed and Google Scholar, the data used for the correlation of swimming pools and generalized dental trauma are as follows: competitive swimmers and non- competitive swimmers were examined for specific variables such as decayed, missing, or restoratively involved teeth, plaque and gingival index, and the presence of enamel erosion, calculus, and stain. The groups evaluated were divided in terms of activity level involving chlorinated swimming pools. Results: Three specific oral health effects will be explored throughout our research. The first oral health effect that will be analyzed is the incidence of chlorine induced calculus buildup exhibited in competitive swimmers. Another health effect that will be examined is the process of dental staining that swimmers can experience when in consistent contact with the pool. Lastly, we will explore erosion of enamel that can occur from the lower pH values of pool water. Through various studies, it has been determined that professional swimmers are likely to exhibit a higher prevalence of generalized erosion of dental enamel, generalized dental stain, and chlorine-induced calculus as opposed to individuals who don’t often swim within chlorinated water. This topic is of great importance as the chemical used to disinfect swimming pools causes evident physical and chemical dental trauma in not only professional swimmers, but also individuals who spend more than 6 hours per week in the pool performing vigorous physical exercise. Conclusion: Oral health in competitive swimmers is a topic that affects many children and adults worldwide, indicating a large prevalence of dental trauma without obvious correlation to the swimming pool despite its significance.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/denh_student/1017/thumbnail.jp

An inexpensive particle monitor for smoker behaviour modification in homes

Peer reviewedPostprin

Biological stability of DNA methylation measurements over varying intervals of time and in the presence of acute stress

Identifying factors that influence the stability of DNA methylation measurements across biological replicates is of critical importance in basic and clinical research. Using a within-person between-group experimental design (n = 31, number of observations = 192), we report the stability of biological replicates over a variety of unique temporal scenarios, both in the absence and presence of acute psychosocial stress, and between individuals who have experienced early life adversity (ELA) and non-exposed individuals. We found that varying time intervals, acute stress, and ELA exposure influenced the stability of repeated DNA methylation measurements. In the absence of acute stress, probes were less stable as time passed; however, stress exerted a stabilizing influence on probes over longer time intervals. Compared to non-exposed individuals, ELA-exposed individuals had significantly lower probe stability immediately following acute stress. Additionally, we found that across all scenarios, probes used in most epigenetic-based algorithms for estimating epigenetic age or immune cell proportions had average or below-average stability, except for the Principal Component and DunedinPACE epigenetic ageing clocks, which were enriched for more stable probes. Finally, using highly stable probes in the absence of stress, we identified multiple probes that were hypomethylated in the presence of acute stress, regardless of ELA status. Two hypomethylated probes are located near the transcription start site of the glutathione-disulfide reductase gene (GSR), which has previously been shown to be an integral part of the stress response to environmental toxins. We discuss implications for future studies concerning the reliability and reproducibility of DNA methylation measurements. Abbreviations: DNAm – DNA methylation, CpG − 5’-cytosine-phosphate-guanine-3,’ ICC – Interclass correlation coefficient, ELA – Early-life adversity, PBMCs – Peripheral blood mononuclear cells, mQTL – Methylation quantitative trait loci, TSS – Transcription start site, GSR – Glutathione-disulfide reductase gene, TSST – Trier social stress test, PC – Principal component

Immune cell dynamics in response to an acute laboratory stressor: a within-person between-group analysis of the biological impact of early life adversity

Early life adversity (ELA) is a risk factor for early onset morbidities and mortality, a relationship that may be driven in part by immune system dysregulation. One mechanism of dysregulation that has yet to be fully examined in the context of ELA is alterations to immune cell dynamics in response to acute stress. Using a within-person between-group experimental design, we investigated stress-induced changes in immune cell populations, and how these changes may be altered in individuals with a history of ELA. Participants were young adults (N = 34, aged 18–25 years, 53% female, 47% with a history of ELA). Complete immune cell counts were measured at four time-points over a 5-hour window across two sessions (Trier Social Stress Test [TSST] vs. no-stress) separated by a week. Across all participants, total white blood cells increased over time (F(3,84)=38.97, p b = 0.43±.19; t(179)=2.22, p = .027). This pattern was mirrored by neutrophil counts. Lymphocyte counts were initially depressed by TSST exposure (b =−205±.67; t(184)=−3.07, p = .002) but recovered above baseline. ELA status was associated with higher stress-induced immune cell counts, a difference likely driven by increases in neutrophils (F(1,22)=4.45, p = .046). Overall, these results indicate differential immune cell dynamics in response to acute stress in individuals with a history of ELA. This points to altered immune system functioning in the context of stress, a finding that may be driving increased morbidity and mortality risk for ELA-exposed individuals.</p

Partial Spearman’s ⍴ values for correlations between metrics of DNA integrity, purity, and quantity and aTL.

Partial Spearman’s ⍴ values for correlations between metrics of DNA integrity, purity, and quantity and aTL.</p

Biological variation in aTL with tissue type and cohort for individuals ranging from 8 to 70 years old.

Buffy coat and PBMC are exclusive to child and adult cohorts, respectively. (PDF)</p

Contrasts between tissues for each dependent variable, including aTL and metrics of DNA integrity, purity, and quality.

Asterisks indicate significant p-values after adjusting for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg method and controlling false discovery rate (FDR) at (PDF)</p

Summary of DNA integrity, purity, and quantity metrics.

Summary of DNA integrity, purity, and quantity metrics.</p

Linear mixed effects models predicting aTL and metrics of DNA integrity, purity, and quantity with tissue type and sample demographics.

P-values were adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg method. Asterisks indicate significant p-values after controlling false discovery rate (FDR) at < 0.01. Primary outcomes of interest were analyzed in different models indicated by different panels A-J.</p