Impact of socioeconomic barriers on the oral health status of refugee communities

The study's overall objective is to demonstrate the correlation between refugee status and poor oral health outcomes by thoroughly explaining the refugee experience and showing the prevalence of associated oral diseases. All data and information regarding the oral health status of refugees and asylum-seekers are from numerous studies and different institutions. Refugees often experience traumatizing events such as assault, torture, starvation, and extreme dehydration, resulting in the rapid deterioration of health. However, despite the high prevalence of oral diseases such as caries, gum infections, and, oral health continues to be neglected once they arrive at their new destination. In countries like Germany, refugees from Syria and Iraq have a higher incidence of dental caries(Solyman and Schmidt-Westhausen, 2018). In comparison to their German citizen counterparts, who have shown significantly lower caries rates, a possible result from the advancement of a successful caries prevention program for children and adolescents (Splieth et al., 2019). By comparing the oral health status of refugees versus the native population of the country they have entered, the neglect of refugees' oral health becomes evident. This study aims to assess the barriers often experienced by refugee and asylum seekers that lead to poor oral health and examine the role of language, refugee perspective and health literacy education in the promoting dental care in this population. It is clear that a strong association exists between the social and physical barriers refugee experience and oral health. This is especially clear from evaluating the phases of a refugee's migration journey. There is an association between social barriers such as language and health literacy on oral health. It is well documented that when individuals are forced to relocate to new countries where a different language is spoken, healthcare systems can be challenging to navigate. Additionally, language plays a crucial role in shaping refugee perspectives of the oral health community, sometimes negatively; thus, arrival in their new home does not necessarily lead to improved care. Data comparing oral disease in natives versus refugees indicates significantly worse oral health status among recent refugees

Comparison of Mortality between Japanese Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemodialysis Patients: A 5-Year Multicenter Follow-Up Study

To examine the relationship between dialysis modality and prognosis in Japanese patients, we conducted a prospective multicenter observational study. We recruited 83 background-matched peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 83 hemodialysis (HD) patients (average age, 64.9 years; men, 53.6%; diabetic patients, 22.9%; median duration of dialysis, 48 months in all patients) and followed them for 5 years. During the follow-up period, 27 PD patients (16 cardiovascular and 11 non-cardiovascular deaths) and 27 HD patients died (14 cardiovascular and 13 non-cardiovascular deaths). There were 8 PD patients switched to HD, and 6 PD patients received renal transplantation. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the crude survival rate was not significantly different at the end of 5 years (PD 67.5% versus 67.5%, log-rank P = 0.719). The difference in cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortalities between PD and HD was not statistically significant. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the independent predictors for death were age and serum albumin levels, but not the dialysis modality. This study showed that the overall mortality was not significantly different between PD and HD patients, which suggests that dialysis modality might not be an independent factor for survival in Japanese patients

Absence of the Transition into Abrikosov Vortex State of Two-Dimensional Type-II Superconductor with Weak Pinning

The resistive properties of thin amorphous NbO_{x} films with weak pinning were investigated experimentally above and below the second critical field H_{c2}. As opposed to bulk type II superconductors with weak pinning where a sharp change of resistive properties at the transition into the Abrikosov state is observed at H_{c4}, some percent below H_{c2} (V.A.Marchenko and A.V.Nikulov, 1981), no qualitative change of resistive properties is observed down to a very low magnetic field, H_{c4} < 0.006 H_{c2}, in thin films with weak pinning. The smooth dependencies of the resistivity observed in these films can be described by paraconductivity theory both above and below H_{c2}. This means that the fluctuation superconducting state without phase coherence remains appreciably below H_{c2} in the two-dimensional superconductor with weak pinning. The difference the H_{c4}/H_{c2} values, i.e. position of the transition into the Abrikosov state, in three- and two-dimensional superconductors conforms to the Maki-Takayama result 1971 year according to which the Abrikosov solution 1957 year is valid only for a superconductor with finite dimensions. Because of the fluctuation this solution obtained in the mean field approximation is not valid in a relatively narrow region below H_{c2} for bulk superconductors with real dimensions and much below H_{c2} for thin films with real dimensions. The superconducting state without phase coherence should not be identified with the mythical vortex liquid because the vortex, as a singularity in superconducting state with phase coherence, can not exist without phase coherence.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

非荷重でのラット後肢膝関節の不動による関節構成体の変化

The purpose of this study was to establish a method of knee immobilization associated with hindlimb unloading, and to investigate the histopathological changes of the knee joint components after immobilization and unloading.Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group, unweighting group, knee immobilization group, and unweighting + joint immobilization group. The knee immobilization was performed using external fixation. For the hindlimb unweighting, a Kirschner wire was inserted at the rat’s caudal vertebra and a stainless steel wire was attached to the Kirschner wire to allow hindlimb suspension by the tail.After two weeks of intervention, the body weight and knee range of motion were measured, and the histopathological changes in the articular cavity and joint capsule were examined. There was no significant difference between the body weight and the range of joint motion among the 4 groups before the intervention. After the experimental period, the average body weight was no statistically significant between them.The knee range of joint motion was no significant different between unweighting group and control group, however, immobilized groups had significant decrease in comparison with non-immobilized groups. In unweighting groups, the cartilage was directly exposed to the articular cavity, and the surface of the articular cartilage was smooth. Conversely, invasion and adhesion of the granulation-like tissue into the joint cavity were observed in joint immobilization groups. Joint capsule of control groups and unweighting groups was typically composed of coarse and relatively loose fibrous connective tissues. The immobilized groups presented dense collagen bundles with narrow interstitial spaces and congested blood vessels in all cases. In the knee immobilization associated with unweighting group, the increase in collagen fiber density was less obvious in comparison with that observed in animals of immobilized group.Although the Kirschner wire insertion is an invasive intervention, the animals in our study showed increasing body weight compared to the baseline weight. In addition, no suspension failing episodes were observed across the study, thus there was no need to re-suspend or drop-out animals. Therefore, the tail suspension technique using Kirschner wire reported in this study, could be safer and a less stressful technique of hindlimb suspension compared to other conventional techniques.We also concluded the method described in this study does not allow weight bearing during joint immobilization resulting in better simulation of the joint contracture observation in clinical practice.今回の実験の目的は、ラット後肢を非荷重としたまま飼育する方法を確立すること、および荷重の有無が関節不動による関節構成体の変化にどのように影響するのかを調査することである。　40 匹の Wistar 系雄性ラットを使用し、無作為に 4 群に分けた。それぞれ対照群、非荷重群、関節不動群、不動と非荷重群とした。関節不動は創外固定を用いて後肢膝関節を屈曲 120 度で不動化した。非荷重群はラットの尾骨に Kirschner 鋼線を刺し、ステンレスワイヤを用いて尾部を懸垂し、足部が接地しないようにした。　介入の 2 週後、体重と関節可動域を測定した後に関節腔と関節後方の関節包を病理組織学的に観察した。　実験後の体重には各群に差は見られなかった。関節可動域は対照群および非荷重群に対し不動群、関節不動と非荷重群で有意に減少していた。また、不動と非荷重群と比較して関節不動群では有意な可動域の減少が見られた。関節腔では対照群、懸垂群は軟骨が直接関節腔に露出していたが、関節不動群、不動と非荷重群では肉芽様組織の関節腔内の侵入，関節軟骨表層の膜様組織との癒着が観察され，不動と非荷重群では軟骨表層の膜様組織は限局的であった。関節包は対照群、非荷重群ではコラーゲン線維間に間隙を認め，比較的疎性であったが，関節不動群ではコラーゲン線維束はやや組硬化し，線維素区間が狭まり密生化しており，全例でうっ血像が観察された。不動と非荷重群では線維の密生化は見られたものの関節不動群と比較して軽度であった。　今回の手技は侵襲はあるものの懸垂が外れることはなく、より臨床での関節拘縮に近い研究を行う一助となると考えられる

地域活動を“いきいき”として支えている人の要因

本研究の目的は、地域活動を“いきいき”として支えている人の要因を明らかにし、どうしたらそのような人を増やせるのかを検討することである。地域に住み、地域において“いきいき”とボランティアや役員として活動している13名を対象に、半構成的インタビューを行った。KJ法を用いて分類・図解した結果、“いきいき”と活動を続けられる要因は「いきいきと活動するサイクル」と「支援するサイクル」の2つに分けられ、「いきいきと活動するサイクル」を回すためには「支援するサイクル」を円滑に回す事が必要であった。二つのサイクルが円滑に回り、地域活動を発展し続ける事で“いきいき”と活動する人が増えると考えられた

Mechanisms Underlying the Regulation of Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Complexes by Nuclear Steroid Receptors

Mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes play important roles in energy production via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to drive various biochemical processes in eukaryotic cells. These processes require coordination with other cell organelles, especially the nucleus. Factors encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA are involved in the formation of active respiratory chain complexes and &lsquo;supercomplexes&rsquo;, the higher-order structures comprising several respiratory chain complexes. Various nuclear hormone receptors are involved in the regulation of OXPHOS-related genes. In this article, we review the roles of nuclear steroid receptors (NR3 class nuclear receptors), including estrogen receptors (ERs), estrogen-related receptors (ERRs), glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs), progesterone receptors (PRs), and androgen receptors (ARs), in the regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex and supercomplex formation

Opioid Use Disorder and Alternative mRNA Splicing in Reward Circuitry

Opiate/opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic relapsing brain disorder that has increased in prevalence in the last two decades in the United States. Understanding the molecular correlates of OUD may provide key insights into the pathophysiology of this syndrome. Using publicly available RNA-sequencing data, our study investigated the possible role of alternative mRNA splicing in human brain tissue (dorsal–lateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and midbrain) of 90 individuals with OUD or matched controls. We found a total of 788 differentially spliced genes across brain regions. Alternative mRNA splicing demonstrated mostly tissue-specific effects, but a functionally characterized splicing change in the clathrin and AP-2-binding (CLAP) domain of the Bridging Integrator 1 (BIN1) gene was significantly linked to OUD across all brain regions. We investigated two hypotheses that may underlie differential splicing in OUD. First, we tested whether spliceosome genes were disrupted in the brains of individuals with OUD. Pathway enrichment analyses indicated spliceosome perturbations in OUD across brain regions. Second, we tested whether alternative mRNA splicing regions were linked to genetic predisposition. Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of OUD, we found no evidence that DNA variants within or surrounding differentially spliced genes were implicated in the heritability of OUD. Altogether, our study contributes to the understanding of OUD pathophysiology by providing evidence of a possible role of alternative mRNA splicing in OUD

A Review of Associations between Externalizing Behaviors and Prenatal Cannabis Exposure: Limitations &amp; Future Directions

In utero cannabis exposure can disrupt fetal development and increase risk for various behavioral disruptions, including hyperactivity, inattention, delinquent behaviors, and later substance abuse, among others. This review summarizes the findings from contemporary investigations linking prenatal cannabis exposure to the development of psychopathology and identifies the limitations within the literature, which constrain our interpretations and generalizability. These limitations include a lack of genetic/familial control for confounding and limited data examining real world products, the full range of cannabinoids, and motives for use specifically in pregnant women. Taken together, our review reveals the need to continue to improve upon study designs in order to allow researchers to accurately draw conclusions about the development of behavioral consequences of prenatal cannabis exposure. Findings from such studies would inform policy and practices regarding cannabis use during pregnancy and move the field toward developing a comprehensive teratogenic profile of cannabis similar to what is characterized in the prenatal alcohol and tobacco literature