Dental Dam Utilization by Dentists in an Intramural Faculty Practice

Objectives: From casual observation of our colleagues, only a few individuals use the dental dam for operative procedures in their faculty practice. The purpose of this study was to obtain faculty perceptions of the dental dam, quantify its utilization in their intramural faculty practice, and determine the factors that influence dental dam usage.Materials and Methods: A survey containing 11 questions was sent to 19 faculty members who teach full time and maintain an intramural dental practice involving operative dentistry. Thirty electronic dental health records of the 19 providers were reviewed to gather the following information from restorative procedures they completed: isolation methods, tooth location and involved surfaces, and dental restorative material.Results: Overall, dental dam was utilized for 30% of all restorative procedures and was used less than 20% of the time for placement of class II and class III composite resins. Dental dam utilization rate by general dentists was 37% and 17.6% for prosthodontists. Those general dentists with prior history of military dental practice had a utilization rate of 78.6% and nonmilitary dentists only 7.6%. Eight faculty members responded to the questionnaire for a 42% return rate. Those who practiced dentistry in the military strongly agreed that the dental dam is the standard of care, improves their quality of restorative work, and should be documented in the dental record.Conclusions: There were significantly different dental dam utilization rates between general dentists and prosthodontists and between dentists with prior military experience and those without

Analysis of Historical River Floods - A Contribution Towards Modern Flood Risk Management

The occurrence of several extreme flood events in Central Europe in the last two decades, in particular the flood along the Elbe River in 2002, and the resulting damage have shown shortcomings in the field of flood protection and have raised discussions on how to deal with flood risk in the future. As a consequence, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research funded the "Risk Management of Extreme Flood Events" (RIMAX) research programme, which aimed at the development and implementation of improved instruments for flood risk management (www.rimax-hochwasser.de). Document type: Part of book or chapter of boo

Metabolomic serum abnormalities in dogs with hepatopathies

Hepatopathies can cause major metabolic abnormalities in humans and animals. This study examined differences in serum metabolomic parameters and patterns in left-over serum samples from dogs with either congenital portosystemic shunts (cPSS, n = 24) or high serum liver enzyme activities (HLEA, n = 25) compared to control dogs (n = 64). A validated targeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy platform was used to assess 123 parameters. Principal component analysis of the serum metabolome demonstrated distinct clustering among individuals in each group, with the cluster of HLEA being broader compared to the other groups, presumably due to the wider spectrum of hepatic diseases represented in these samples. While younger and older adult control dogs had very similar metabolomic patterns and clusters, there were changes in many metabolites in the hepatopathy groups. Higher phenylalanine and tyrosine concentrations, lower branched-chained amino acids (BCAAs) concentrations, and altered fatty acid parameters were seen in cPSS dogs compared to controls. In contrast, dogs with HLEA had increased concentrations of BCAAs, phenylalanine, and various lipoproteins. Machine learning based solely on the metabolomics data showed excellent group classification, potentially identifying a novel tool to differentiate hepatopathies. The observed changes in metabolic parameters could provide invaluable insight into the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of hepatopathies.Peer reviewe

Discharges of past flood events based on historical river profiles

International audienceThis paper presents a case study to estimate peak discharges of extreme flood events of Neckar River in south-western Germany during the 19th century. It was carried out within the BMBF research project RIMAX (Risk Management of Extreme Flood Events). The discharge estimations were made for the flood events of 1824 and 1882 based on historical cross profiles. The 1-D model Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) was applied with different roughness coefficients. The results are compared (i) with contemporary historical calculations and (ii) in the case of a flood event in 1824 with the discharge simulation by the water balance model LARSIM (Large Area Runoff Simulation Model). These calculations are matched by the HEC-RAS simulation based on the standard roughness coefficients

Metabolomic Abnormalities in Serum from Untreated and Treated Dogs with Hyper- and Hypoadrenocorticism

The adrenal glands play a major role in metabolic processes, and both excess and insufficient serum cortisol concentrations can lead to serious metabolic consequences. Hyper- and hypoadrenocorticism represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Serum samples from dogs with untreated hyperadrenocorticism (n = 27), hyperadrenocorticism undergoing treatment (n = 28), as well as with untreated (n = 35) and treated hypoadrenocorticism (n = 23) were analyzed and compared to apparently healthy dogs (n = 40). A validated targeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 NMR) platform was used to quantify 123 parameters. Principal component analysis separated the untreated endocrinopathies. The serum samples of dogs with untreated endocrinopathies showed various metabolic abnormalities with often contrasting results particularly in serum concentrations of fatty acids, and high- and low-density lipoproteins and their constituents, which were predominantly increased in hyperadrenocorticism and decreased in hypoadrenocorticism, while amino acid concentrations changed in various directions. Many observed serum metabolic abnormalities tended to normalize with medical treatment, but normalization was incomplete when compared to levels in apparently healthy dogs. Application of machine learning models based on the metabolomics data showed good classification, with misclassifications primarily observed in treated groups. Characterization of metabolic changes enhances our understanding of these endocrinopathies. Further assessment of the recognized incomplete reversal of metabolic alterations during medical treatment may improve disease management.Peer reviewe

Contaminant and Environmental Influences on Thyroid Hormone Action in Amphibian Metamorphosis

Aquatic and terrestrial environments are increasingly contaminated by anthropogenic sources that include pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial and agricultural chemicals (i. e., pesticides). Many of these substances have the potential to disrupt endocrine function, yet their effect on thyroid hormone (TH) action has garnered relatively little attention. Anuran postembryonic metamorphosis is strictly dependent on TH and perturbation of this process can serve as a sensitive barometer for the detection and mechanistic elucidation of TH disrupting activities of chemical contaminants and their complex mixtures. The ecological threats posed by these contaminants are further exacerbated by changing environmental conditions such as temperature, photoperiod, pond drying, food restriction, and ultraviolet radiation. We review the current knowledge of several chemical and environmental factors that disrupt TH-dependent metamorphosis in amphibian tadpoles as assessed by morphological, thyroid histology, behavioral, and molecular endpoints. Although the molecular mechanisms for TH disruption have yet to be determined for many chemical and environmental factors, several affect TH synthesis, transport or metabolism with subsequent downstream effects. As molecular dysfunction typically precedes phenotypic or histological pathologies, sensitive assays that detect changes in transcript, protein, or metabolite abundance are indispensable for the timely detection of TH disruption. The emergence and application of ‘omics techniques—genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics—on metamorphosing tadpoles are powerful emerging assets for the rapid, proxy assessment of toxicant or environmental damage for all vertebrates including humans. Moreover, these highly informative ‘omics techniques will complement morphological, behavioral, and histological assessments, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of how TH-dependent signal disruption is propagated by environmental contaminants and factors

Necrotizing Sialometaplasia Accompanied by Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma on the Soft Palate

Necrotizing Sialometaplasia (NS) is a benign, self-limiting inflammatory disease of the mucus-secreting glands, and this illness mainly involves the minor salivary glands. The significance of NS resides in its clinical and histopathological resemblance to malignancy. We present here a case of necrotizing sialometaplasia on the soft palate, and this was accompanied by adenoid cystic carcinoma. We report here on this case to draw attention to the difficulty for deciding the extent of resecting a malignancy, and especially when the malignancy is simultaneously accompanied by necrotizing sialometaplasia