Polish School Nurses’ Attitudes and Knowledge towards Topical Fluoride Treatment

Cilj: Željelo se procijeniti mišljenje školskih medicinskih sestara u Poljskoj o topikalnoj primjeni fluorida te njihovo znanje o sigurnosti toga kemijskog spoja. Metoda: U presječnom istraživanju s pomoću anketnog upitnika sudjelovale su 164 školske medicinske sestre. Anketa je obuhvaćala raniju izobrazbu o prevenciji karijesa, mjere poduzete u školama kako bi se prevenirao karijes, suradnju s doktorima dentalne medicine, mišljenje o topikalnoj primjeni fluorida te znanja sestara o njihovoj sigurnosti. Rezultati: Oralno zdravlje bilo je uvršteno u dužnost 93,9 % sestara, a 81,7 % provodilo je lokalnu primjenu fluorida. U izobrazbi o oralnoj problematici nikada nije sudjelovalo njih 52,1 %. Sestre iz gradova češće su sudjelovale i održavale predavanja o prevenciji karijesa i o fluoridima od svojih kolegica u manjim gradovima (p = 0,033 i 0,021 – hi-kvadrat test). Sestre su imale pozitivno stajalište o učinkovitosti i sigurnosti topikalne primjene fluorida. Samo je polovina ispitanica znala za moguću toksičnu dozu, a jedna petina nije znala kolika je koncentracija fluora u gelu. Ta su znanja bila statistički važna, ovisno o razini izobrazbe pojedine sestre (p = 0,019 – Kruskal-Wallisov test). One s niskom razinom znanja nisu bile svjesne moguće štetnosti fluorida te su imale negativno stajalište o učinkovitosti programa fluoridacije u školama. Zaključak: Školske medicinske sestre u Poljskoj imale su pozitivno mišljenje o topikalnoj primjeni fluorida. No, ima manjkavosti u njihovu znanju pa im je potrebna institucionalizirana izobrazba.Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Polish school nurses’ opinion on the topical fluoride treatment and their knowledge about fluoride safety. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study with the use of a self-administered questionnaire was conducted on 164 school nurses. The questionnaire concerned previous training in caries prevention, action taken at schools with regard to caries prevention, cooperation with dentists, opinion on the topical fluoride application program and nurses’ knowledge about fluoride safety. Results: 93.9% of nurses included oral health in their duties and 81.7% accomplished the topical fluoride treatment. 52.1% never attended any training concerning dental issues. Nurses from cities and villages more often than those from towns provided lectures on caries prevention and fluoride topical applications (respectively p= 0.033 and p=0.021, chi2 test). The nurses had a positive opinion on the effectiveness and safety of topical fluoride application. Only a half of respondents knew the fluoride probable toxic dose and one fifth of them did not know the concentration of fluoride in gel. The knowledge was statistically dependent on the level of nurses’ education (p=0.019, Kruskal-Wallis test). Nurses with a low level of knowledge were not aware of a potential harm effect of fluoride and they had negative opinion about the effectiveness of fluoride program at school. Conclusion: Polish school nurses had a positive opinion on topical fluoride treatment. However, there are gaps in their knowledge and the institutional training is needed

Smoking Prevalence, Attitudes and Behavior among Dental Students in Poland and Italy

The aim of the study was to perform preliminary research to compare the smoking prevalence, attitudes and behavior between dentistry students in two universities in Europe using the standardized Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. This was cross-sectional carried out among dentistry students from the Medical University in Bialystok, Poland and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. There were 582 participants; 282 were Italians, 202 were smokers and 42% were Italians. The response rate was 79.9% of Italian students and 79.6% of Polish students. The prevalence of smoking was significantly higher among Italian students (42% vs. 28.0%). Attitudes and behaviour of smokers and non-smokers differed statistically. Polish and Italian dental students presented statistically different behavior regarding the time to smoke the first cigarette, the willingness to stop smoking and trying to stop smoking in the last year. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that two independent variables, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) both at home and in public places (OR = 3.26 and OR = 5.9, respectively), showed a significantly higher occurrence of smoking. There is a high use of tobacco among dental students, which is particularly high in Italian dental students. Students realizes the positive perception of their own tobacco counsellor role in a dental setting. Dental students should be role models to their peers and patients.publishedVersio

Integrated In Vitro and In Silico Modeling Delineates the Molecular Effects of a Synbiotic Regimen on Colorectal-Cancer-Derived Cells

By modulating the human gut microbiome, prebiotics and probiotics (combinations of which are called synbiotics) may be used to treat diseases such as colorectal cancer (CRC). Methodological limitations have prevented determining the potential combina- torial mechanisms of action of such regimens. We expanded our HuMiX gut-on-a-chip model to co-culture CRC-derived epithelial cells with a model probiotic under a simulated prebiotic regimen, and we integrated the multi-omic results with in silico metabolic modeling. In contrast to individual prebi- otic or probiotic treatments, the synbiotic regimen caused downregulation of genes involved in procarci- nogenic pathways and drug resistance, and reduced levels of the oncometabolite lactate. Distinct ratios of organic and short-chain fatty acids were produced during the simulated regimens. Treatment of primary CRC-derived cells with a molecular cocktail reflecting the synbiotic regimen attenuated self-renewal ca- pacity. Our integrated approach demonstrates the potential of modeling for rationally formulating synbi- otics-based treatments in the future

Etude de l'implication de l'autophagie dans l'acquisition de résistance tumorale à la lyse par les lymphocytes "Natural Killer"

Natural killer (NK) cells are effectors of the antitumor immunity, able to kill cancer cells through the release of the cytotoxic protease granzyme B. NK-based therapies have recently emerged as promising anticancer strategies. However, it is well established that hypoxic microenvironment interferes with the function of antitumor immune cells and constitutes a major obstacle for cancer immunotherapies. Recent studies demonstrated that autophagy is an important regulator of innate immune response in this microenvironment, but the mechanism by which autophagy regulates NK cell-mediated antitumor immune responses remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that hypoxia impairs breast cancer cell susceptibility to NK-mediated lysis in vitro via the activation of autophagy. This impairment was not related to a defect in target cell recognition by NK cells but to the degradation of NK-derived granzyme B in autophagosomes of hypoxic cells. Inhibition of autophagy by targeting beclin1 (BECN1) restored granzyme B levels in hypoxic cells in vitro and induced tumor regression in vivo by facilitating NK-mediated tumor cell killing. Together, our data highlight autophagy as a mechanism underlying the resistance of hypoxic tumor cells to NK-mediated lysis and provides a cutting-edge advance in our understanding of the underlying mechanism. This study might pave the way for the formulation of more effective NK cell-based antitumor therapies.Les lymphocytes « Natural Killer » (NK) sont des effecteurs de l’immunité innée, capables de lyser les cellules cancéreuses grâce au relargage de la protéase cytotoxique Granzyme B (GzmB). Récemment, de nouvelles stratégies anti-cancéreuses, basées sur l’utilisation des cellules NK, ont émergé et se sont révélées très prometteuses. Il est maintenant clairement établi que le microenvironnement tumoral hypoxique influence la réponse immunitaire et constitue, de ce fait, un obstacle majeur pour établir des protocoles d’immunothérapies efficaces. Des études récentes ont montré que l’autophagie est un régulateur important de l’immunité innée dans le microenvironnement tumoral, mais les mécanismes de régulation impliqués restent encore peu connus. Nous avons montré in vitro que l'hypoxie diminue la sensibilité des cellules de carcinome mammaire à la lyse dépendante des cellules NK par un mécanisme impliquant l'activation de l'autophagie. De manière intéressante, cette diminution de lyse est reversée par l’inhibition de l’autophagie. Nous avons démontré que la résistance des cellules tumorales hypoxiques à la lyse par les cellules NK n'est liée ni à un défaut de reconnaissance des cellules cibles, ni à une altération de l’activité cytotoxique des effecteurs. Nous avons mis en évidence que l'activation de l’autophagie conduit à la dégradation de GzmB dans les lysosomes des cellules hypoxiques. Ainsi, ces cellules deviennent résistantes à l’apoptose, qui est normalement induite par GzmB, transféré par les cellules NK. L’invalidation génétique et pharmacologique de l'autophagie permet de restaurer le niveau intracellulaire de GzmB et réduit la résistance des cellules cibles hypoxiques in vitro. Nos résultats mettent en évidence que l'autophagie est un régulateur primordial de la réponse immunitaire anti-tumorale dépendante des cellules NK. Nous avons validé ce concept in vivo en montrant que l’inhibition de l'autophagie favorise de manière significative la prise en charge de la tumeur par les cellules NK dans des modèles murins de mélanome et de carcinome mammaire. Cette étude contribue à l’avancé des connaissances sur la manière dont l'autophagie, induite par l'hypoxie, affecte la lyse dépendante des cellules NK et ouvre la voie à la formulation de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques anti-tumorales combinant l’utilisation des cellules NK à des inhibiteurs d'autophagie

Etude de l'implication de l'autophagie dans l'acquisition de résistance tumorale à la lyse par les lymphocytes "Natural Killer"

Les lymphocytes Natural Killer (NK) sont des effecteurs de l immunité innée, capables de lyser les cellules cancéreuses grâce au relargage de la protéase cytotoxique Granzyme B (GzmB). Récemment, de nouvelles stratégies anti-cancéreuses, basées sur l utilisation des cellules NK, ont émergé et se sont révélées très prometteuses. Il est maintenant clairement établi que le microenvironnement tumoral hypoxique influence la réponse immunitaire et constitue, de ce fait, un obstacle majeur pour établir des protocoles d immunothérapies efficaces. Des études récentes ont montré que l autophagie est un régulateur important de l immunité innée dans le microenvironnement tumoral, mais les mécanismes de régulation impliqués restent encore peu connus. Nous avons montré in vitro que l'hypoxie diminue la sensibilité des cellules de carcinome mammaire à la lyse dépendante des cellules NK par un mécanisme impliquant l'activation de l'autophagie. De manière intéressante, cette diminution de lyse est reversée par l inhibition de l autophagie. Nous avons démontré que la résistance des cellules tumorales hypoxiques à la lyse par les cellules NK n'est liée ni à un défaut de reconnaissance des cellules cibles, ni à une altération de l activité cytotoxique des effecteurs. Nous avons mis en évidence que l'activation de l autophagie conduit à la dégradation de GzmB dans les lysosomes des cellules hypoxiques. Ainsi, ces cellules deviennent résistantes à l apoptose, qui est normalement induite par GzmB, transféré par les cellules NK. L invalidation génétique et pharmacologique de l'autophagie permet de restaurer le niveau intracellulaire de GzmB et réduit la résistance des cellules cibles hypoxiques in vitro. Nos résultats mettent en évidence que l'autophagie est un régulateur primordial de la réponse immunitaire anti-tumorale dépendante des cellules NK. Nous avons validé ce concept in vivo en montrant que l inhibition de l'autophagie favorise de manière significative la prise en charge de la tumeur par les cellules NK dans des modèles murins de mélanome et de carcinome mammaire. Cette étude contribue à l avancé des connaissances sur la manière dont l'autophagie, induite par l'hypoxie, affecte la lyse dépendante des cellules NK et ouvre la voie à la formulation de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques anti-tumorales combinant l utilisation des cellules NK à des inhibiteurs d'autophagie.Natural killer (NK) cells are effectors of the antitumor immunity, able to kill cancer cells through the release of the cytotoxic protease granzyme B. NK-based therapies have recently emerged as promising anticancer strategies. However, it is well established that hypoxic microenvironment interferes with the function of antitumor immune cells and constitutes a major obstacle for cancer immunotherapies. Recent studies demonstrated that autophagy is an important regulator of innate immune response in this microenvironment, but the mechanism by which autophagy regulates NK cell-mediated antitumor immune responses remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that hypoxia impairs breast cancer cell susceptibility to NK-mediated lysis in vitro via the activation of autophagy. This impairment was not related to a defect in target cell recognition by NK cells but to the degradation of NK-derived granzyme B in autophagosomes of hypoxic cells. Inhibition of autophagy by targeting beclin1 (BECN1) restored granzyme B levels in hypoxic cells in vitro and induced tumor regression in vivo by facilitating NK-mediated tumor cell killing. Together, our data highlight autophagy as a mechanism underlying the resistance of hypoxic tumor cells to NK-mediated lysis and provides a cutting-edge advance in our understanding of the underlying mechanism. This study might pave the way for the formulation of more effective NK cell-based antitumor therapies.PARIS11-SCD-Bib. électronique (914719901) / SudocSudocFranceF

The role of Polish school nurses in the oral health promotion for 7-19 year-old children and adolescents

Purpose The assessment of the role of school nurses in the oral health education and counselling of children and adolescents aged 7–19 years. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate nurses’ practice in oral health education, previous training in caries prevention, collaboration with a dentist and self-assessment of knowledge. Data were analysed with the Chi square test. Results The study group consisted of 140 Polish school nurses. Respondents declared the following activities: dietary counselling (99.2%), oral hygiene education (92.8%), NHS-funded supervised fluoride prophylaxis (82.8%), and caries screenings (4.3%). 47.1% participated in training on caries prevention, 25.7% had a collaboration with a dentist. Nurses from schools located in towns less frequently provided oral hygiene education (p < 0.005) and dietary counselling, but more often had a collaboration with a dentist (p < 0.05). The youngest nurses were more confident about their knowledge (p < 0.05). There was an association between participation in training on caries prevention and positive opinion on a school-based fluoride prophylaxis (p < 0.01). Nurses who did not include dental topics in their practice worked mainly with pupils older than 15 years, had shorter experience (p < 0.05), secondary education, worked in urban areas and had no training on dental problems (p < 0.01). Conclusion Polish school nurses have potentially crucial roles in improving the oral health status in pupils through oral hygiene education, dietary counselling and fluoride prophylaxis included in their duties

Smoking Prevalence, Attitudes and Behavior among Dental Students in Poland and Italy

The aim of the study was to perform preliminary research to compare the smoking prevalence, attitudes and behavior between dentistry students in two universities in Europe using the standardized Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) questionnaire. This was cross-sectional carried out among dentistry students from the Medical University in Bialystok, Poland and Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. There were 582 participants; 282 were Italians, 202 were smokers and 42% were Italians. The response rate was 79.9% of Italian students and 79.6% of Polish students. The prevalence of smoking was significantly higher among Italian students (42% vs. 28.0%). Attitudes and behaviour of smokers and non-smokers differed statistically. Polish and Italian dental students presented statistically different behavior regarding the time to smoke the first cigarette, the willingness to stop smoking and trying to stop smoking in the last year. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that two independent variables, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) both at home and in public places (OR = 3.26 and OR = 5.9, respectively), showed a significantly higher occurrence of smoking. There is a high use of tobacco among dental students, which is particularly high in Italian dental students. Students realizes the positive perception of their own tobacco counsellor role in a dental setting. Dental students should be role models to their peers and patients

Additional file 1: of Evaluation and implementation of highly challenging balance training in clinical practice for people with Parkinson’s disease: protocol for the HiBalance effectiveness-implementation trial

Group training protocol. (DOCX 18 kb

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and Missing Teeth in an Adult Population: A Cross-Sectional Study from Poland

The aim of the study was to determine oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the measures Geriatric/General Oral Health Assessment (GOHAI) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) in relation to missing teeth in the Polish population aged 20–79. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 1112 randomly selected participants. The mean age was 48.72 and mean number of teeth was 20.12. Altogether, in the GOHAI, the percentage that gave a positive response to each question ranged from 3.3% to 48.0%; in the OHIP-14, these answers ranged from 2.4% to 25.1%. The GOHAI measure was statistically significant, with more grouping variables than the OHIP-14 measure. Both measures showed significant associations with gender, age, dry mouth, education, professional status, number of teeth, and upper and lower total dentures. We detected a significant relationship between oral health–related quality of life and the factors influencing the presence or absence of dentition. Missing teeth were statistically associated with GOHAI, OHIP-14, advanced age, self-reported dry mouth, lower education, higher Body Mass Index (BMI), lower professional status, diabetes, myocardial infraction, and total dentures in upper or/and lower jaws. However, edentulous individuals had two times higher risk of having an OHIP-14 score above the median. This suggests that oral health practitioners should work to prevent oral diseases that lead to tooth loss in their patients, starting from an early age.publishedVersio