Investigating the maxillary buccal vestibule

AbstractBackground/purposeImproper assessment of the maxillary buccal vestibular space can contribute to the fabrication of maxillary dentures with inadequate buccal flange extensions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a significant difference existed between the anatomic dimensions of the buccal vestibules and the corresponding buccal flanges of maxillary complete dentures in an edentulous population.Materials and methodsThe anterior, middle, and posterior depth and width of the maxillary buccal vestibules in 100 randomly selected subjects were measured with a periodontal probe. Corresponding measurements of the buccal flanges of the subjects' existing dentures were recorded. The differences between buccal vestibule widths and depths and denture flange widths and lengths were statistically compared according to site.ResultsThe difference in the mean depth between the vestibules and the flanges in the posterior area (6.4 mm and 10.3 mm, respectively) was approximately 38% (P < 0.001). The difference in the mean width between the vestibules and the flanges in the posterior area (3.3 mm and 7.9 mm, respectively) was approximately 58% (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe study revealed statistically significant differences between the anatomic depth and width of the buccal vestibules and the corresponding flange dimensions of the existing dentures

Trends and predictors of changes in pulmonary function after treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the trends in changes in pulmonary function and the risk factors for pulmonary function deterioration in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis after completing treatment. INTRODUCTION: Patients usually have pulmonary function abnormalities after completing treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. The time course for changes in pulmonary function and the risk factors for deterioration have not been well studied. METHODS: A total of 115 patients with 162 pulmonary function results were analyzed. We retrieved demographic and clinical data, radiographic scores, bacteriological data, and pulmonary function data. A generalized additive model with a locally weighted scatterplot smoothing technique was used to evaluate the trends in changes in pulmonary function. A generalized estimating equation model was used to determine the risk factors associated with deterioration of pulmonary function. RESULTS: The median interval between the end of anti-tuberculosis treatment and the pulmonary function test was 16 months (range: 0 to 112 months). The nadir of pulmonary function occurred approximately 18 months after the completion of the treatment. The risk factors associated with pulmonary function deterioration included smear-positive disease, extensive pulmonary involvement prior to anti-tuberculosis treatment, prolonged anti-tuberculosis treatment, and reduced radiographic improvement after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: After the completion of anti-tuberculosis TB treatment, several risk factors predicted pulmonary function deterioration. For patients with significant respiratory symptoms and multiple risk factors, the pulmonary function test should be followed up to monitor the progression of functional impairment, especially within the first 18 months after the completion of anti-tuberculosis treatment

Evaluation of the In Vivo

Background. Radix Paeoniae Rubra (Chi Shao) contains several phytochemicals with hypoglycemic actions. Current research aims to explore potential insulinotropic effects and long-term therapeutic efficacy of such herb against type 2 diabetes. Methods. Composition analysis for the ethanol extract (PRExt) was executed by high performance liquid chromatography. Polyphenol-enriched fraction was characterized by high pressure size exclusion chromatography. Multiple cell platforms were employed to evaluate hypoglycemic bioactivities. In animal experiments, blood glucose, the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-index assessment, glucose tolerance test, and in vivo glucose uptake were all measured. Additional effects of PRExt on obesity and hepatic steatosis were evaluated by serum and histological analysis. Results. PRExt provides multiple hypoglycemic effects including the enhancement of glucose-mediated insulin secretion. Pentagalloylglucose and polyphenol-enriched fraction are two insulinotropic constituents. Moreover, PRExt intraperitoneal injection causes acute hypoglycemic effects on fasted db/db mice. Oral administration of PRExt (200 mg/kg b.w.) gradually reduces blood glucose in db/db mice to the level similar to that in C57J/B6 mice after 30 days. The improvement of glucose intolerance, HOMA-index, and in vivo glucose uptake is evident in addition to the weight loss effect and attenuation of hepatic steatosis. Conclusion. PRExt is an effective antidiabetic herbal extract with multiple hypoglycemic bioactivities

Corrigendum to “An Emerging Translational Model to Screen Potential Medicinal Plants for Nephrolithiasis, an Independent Risk Factor for Chronic Kidney Disease”

Pharmacological therapy for urolithiasis using medicinal plants has been increasingly adopted for the prevention of its recurrence. A Drosophila melanogaster model developed for translational research of urolithiasis was applied to evaluate agents with potential antilithic effects and calcium oxalate (CaOx) formation. Potential antilithic herbs were prepared in a mixture of food in a diluted concentration of 5,000 from the original extract with 0.5% ethylene glycol (EG) as the lithogenic agent. The control group was fed with food only. After 3 weeks, flies (n≥150 for each group) were killed using CO2 narcotization, and the Malpighian tubules were dissected, removed, and processed for polarized light microscopy examination of the crystals. The crystal formation rate in the EG group was 100.0%. In the study, 16 tested herbal drugs reached the crystal formation rate of 0.0%, including Salviae miltiorrhizae, Paeonia lactiflora, and Carthami flos. Scutellaria baicalensis enhanced CaOx crystal formation. Two herbal drugs Commiphora molmol and Natrii sulfas caused the death of all flies. Our rapid screening methods provided evidence that some medicinal plants have potential antilithic effects. These useful medicinal plants can be further studied using other animal or human models to verify their effects

Urinary levels of organophosphate flame retardants metabolites in a young population from Southern Taiwan and potential health effects

BackgroundOrganophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) are widely distributed in the environment and their metabolites are observed in urine, but little is known regarding OPFRs in a broad-spectrum young population from newborns to those aged 18 years.ObjectivesInvestigate urinary levels of OPFRs and OPFR metabolites in Taiwanese infants, young children, schoolchildren, and adolescents within the general population.MethodsDifferent age groups of subjects (n=136) were recruited from southern Taiwan to detect 10 OPFR metabolites in urine samples. Associations between urinary OPFRs and their corresponding metabolites and potential health status were also examined.ResultsThe mean level of urinary Σ10 OPFR in this broad-spectrum young population is 2.25 μg/L (standard deviation (SD) of 1.91 μg/L). Σ10 OPFR metabolites in urine are 3.25 ± 2.84, 3.06 ± 2.21, 1.75 ± 1.10, and 2.32 ± 2.29 μg/L in the age groups comprising of newborns, 1-5 year-olds, 6-10 year-olds, and 11-18 year-olds, respectively, and borderline significant differences were found in the different age groups (p=0.125). The OPFR metabolites of TCEP, BCEP, DPHP, TBEP, DBEP, and BDCPP predominate in urine and comprise more than 90% of the total. TBEP was highly correlated with DBEP in this population (r=0.845, p&lt;0.001). The estimated daily intake (EDI) of Σ5OPFRs (TDCPP, TCEP, TBEP, TNBP, and TPHP) was 2,230, 461, 130, and 184 ng/kg bw/day for newborns, 1-5 yr children, 6-10 yr children, and 11-17 yr adolescents, respectively. The EDI of Σ5OPFRs for newborns was 4.83-17.2 times higher than the other age groups. Urinary OPFR metabolites are significantly correlated with birth length and chest circumference in newborns.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first investigation of urinary OPFR metabolite levels in a broad-spectrum young population. There tended to be higher exposure rates in both newborns and pre-schoolers, though little is known about their exposure levels or factors leading to exposure in the young population. Further studies should clarify the exposure levels and factor relationships

Impact of Clinical Characteristics of Individual Metabolic Syndrome on the Severity of Insulin Resistance in Chinese Adults

The impact the metabolic syndrome (MetS) components on the severity of insulin resistance (IR) has not been reported. We enrolled 564 subjects with MetS and they were divided into quartiles according to the level of each component; and an insulin suppression test was performed to measure IR. In males, steady state plasma glucose (SSPG) levels in the highest quartiles, corresponding to body mass index (BMI) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), were higher than the other three quartiles and the highest quartiles, corresponding to the diastolic blood pressure and triglycerides, were higher than in the lowest two quartiles. In females, SSPG levels in the highest quartiles, corresponding to the BMI and triglycerides, were higher than in all other quartiles. No significant differences existed between genders, other than the mean SSPG levels in males were greater in the highest quartile corresponding to BMI than that in the highest quartile corresponding to HDL-cholesterol levels. The factor analysis identified two underlying factors (IR and blood pressure factors) among the MetS variables. The clustering of the SSPG, BMI, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol was noted. Our data suggest that adiposity, higher FPG and triglyceride levels have stronger correlation with IR and subjects with the highest BMI have the highest IR

Knockdown of zebrafish Nav1.6 sodium channel impairs embryonic locomotor activities

[[abstract]]Although multiple subtypes of sodium channels are expressed in most neurons, the specific contributions of the individual sodium channels remain to be studied. The role of zebrafish Nav1.6 sodium channels in the embryonic locomotor movements has been investigated by the antisense morpholino (MO) knockdown. MO1 and MO2 are targeted at the regions surrounding the translation start site of zebrafish Nav1.6 mRNA. MO3 is targeted at the RNA splicing donor site of exon 2. The correctly spliced Nav1.6 mRNA of MO3 morphants is 6% relative to that of the wild-type embryos. Nav1.6-targeted MO1, MO2 and MO3 attenuate the spontaneous contraction, tactile sensitivity, and swimming in comparison with a scrambled morpholino and mutated MO3 morpholino. No significant defect is observed in the development of slow muscles, the axonal projection of primary motoneurons, and neuromuscular junctions. The movement impairments caused by MO1, MO2, and MO3 suggest that the function of Nav1.6 sodium channels is essential on the normal early embryonic locomotor activities.[[notice]]補正完畢[[journaltype]]國

Effects of Extreme Precipitation to the Distribution of Infectious Diseases in Taiwan, 1994–2008

The incidence of extreme precipitation has increased with the exacerbation of worldwide climate disruption. We hypothesize an association between precipitation and the distribution patterns that would affect the endemic burden of 8 infectious diseases in Taiwan, including water- and vector-borne infectious diseases. A database integrating daily precipitation and temperature, along with the infectious disease case registry for all 352 townships in the main island of Taiwan was analysed for the period from 1994 to 2008. Four precipitation levels, <130 mm, 130–200 mm, 200–350 mm and >350 mm, were categorized to represent quantitative differences, and their associations with each specific disease was investigated using the Generalized Additive Mixed Model and afterwards mapped on to the Geographical Information System. Daily precipitation levels were significantly correlated with all 8 mandatory-notified infectious diseases in Taiwan. For water-borne infections, extreme torrential precipitation (>350 mm/day) was found to result in the highest relative risk for bacillary dysentery and enterovirus infections when compared to ordinary rain (<130 mm/day). Yet, for vector-borne diseases, the relative risk of dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis increased with greater precipitation only up to 350 mm. Differential lag effects following precipitation were statistically associated with increased risk for contracting individual infectious diseases. This study’s findings can help health resource sector management better allocate medical resources and be better prepared to deal with infectious disease outbreaks following future extreme precipitation events

Embracing monogenic Parkinson's disease: the MJFF Global Genetic PD Cohort

© 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: As gene-targeted therapies are increasingly being developed for Parkinson's disease (PD), identifying and characterizing carriers of specific genetic pathogenic variants is imperative. Only a small fraction of the estimated number of subjects with monogenic PD worldwide are currently represented in the literature and availability of clinical data and clinical trial-ready cohorts is limited. Objective: The objectives are to (1) establish an international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals with PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical characterization data for each included individual; and (3) further promote collaboration of researchers in the field of monogenic PD. Methods: We conducted a worldwide, systematic online survey to collect individual-level data on individuals with PD-linked variants in SNCA, LRRK2, VPS35, PRKN, PINK1, DJ-1, as well as selected pathogenic and risk variants in GBA and corresponding demographic, clinical, and genetic data. All registered cases underwent thorough quality checks, and pathogenicity scoring of the variants and genotype-phenotype relationships were analyzed. Results: We collected 3888 variant carriers for our analyses, reported by 92 centers (42 countries) worldwide. Of the included individuals, 3185 had a diagnosis of PD (ie, 1306 LRRK2, 115 SNCA, 23 VPS35, 429 PRKN, 75 PINK1, 13 DJ-1, and 1224 GBA) and 703 were unaffected (ie, 328 LRRK2, 32 SNCA, 3 VPS35, 1 PRKN, 1 PINK1, and 338 GBA). In total, we identified 269 different pathogenic variants; 1322 individuals in our cohort (34%) were indicated as not previously published. Conclusions: Within the MJFF Global Genetic PD Study Group, we (1) established the largest international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals carrying PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical and genetic data for each included individual; (3) promote collaboration in the field of genetic PD with a view toward clinical and genetic stratification of patients for gene-targeted clinical trials. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Grant Number: ID 15015.02. NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. Grant Number: BRC-1215-20014info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio