Impact of Smoking on Development and Progression of Periodontal Disease

Pušenje se smatra rizičnim čimbenikom za nastanak i progresiju parodontne bolesti. Svrha je rada bila odrediti prevalenciju pušenja u uzorku ispitivanih pacijenata koji boluju od parodontitisa, utvrditi utjecaj pušenja na razvoj i progresiju parodontne bolesti i usporediti parodontni status pušača i nepušača. Ispitano je dvjesto pacijenata, pola kojih je bilo pušača a pola nepušača, te su podijeljeni u četiri dobne skupine: do 19, 20-35, 35 65 i 66 i više, i klasificirani prema spolu. Parodontni status vrjednovan je Community Periodontal Indexom (CPI) i Loss of Attachment Indexom (LA), te Klein-Palmerovim (KEP) Indexom. Prema rezultatima CPI-a, nepušači imaju statistički znatno veću prevalenciju zdrava parodonta od skupine pušača, u kojih je zabilježena veća prevalencija plitkih i dubokih parodontnih džepova. Prevalencija parodontnih bolesti u svih ispitanih pacijenata iznosila je 41%. U skupini pušača 60% ispitanika imalo je parodontnu bolest, a 25% ispitanika u skupini nepušača. Prema rezultatima LA indeksa, postoji statistički znatnije veća prevalencija gubitka epitelnoga pričvrstka veća od 3mm u skupini ispitanika - pušača nego u skupini ispitanika nepušača. Prema rezultatima KEP-indeksa, ispitanici pušači imaju statistički znatno više karijesa i ekstrakcija nego nepušači, a u broju liječenih zuba nije bilo statistički znatne razlike. Rezultati pokazuju da broj cigareta konzumiran u danu ne utječe na razvoj parodontne bolesti, no svi ostali rezultati pokazuju da su prevalencija i stupanj parodontne bolesti statistički znatno veći u ispitivanoj skupini pušača nego u ispitivanoj skupini nepušača iste dobi i spola.Smoking is considered to be a risk factor for onset and progression of periodontal disease. The aim was to determine the prevalence of smoking in the sample, subject to examination among the patients that suffer from periodontal diseases, to identify the impact of smoking on development and progression of periodontal disease, and to compare the periodontal status between smokers and non-smokers. Two hundred patients, half of which were smokers an the other half non-smokers, were examined, and divided in four age groups: up to 1, 20-35, 36-65, and 66 and up, and further classified by gender. Periodontal status was evaluated by use of the Community Periodontal Index (CPI), the Loss of Attachment Index (LA), and Klein-Palmer (KEP) Index. Following CPI, the non-smokers were found to have statistically significantly higher prevalence of healthy periodontium that the smokers, in whom a higher prevalence of shallow and deep pockets. Prevalence of periodontal disease in all of the examined patients was 42%. In the group of smokers 60% of examinees were found to have periodontal disease, and 25% of examinees in the group of non smokers. Following LA index, there was statistically significantly higher prevalence of loss of atachment greater than 3 mm in the group of patients who were smokers, than in the group of non-smokers. Following KEP-index, the smokers examined had statistically significantly more caries and extracions than non-smokers,whereas there were no differences in the number of teeth cured. Results showed that the number of cigarttes consumed per day does not affect the development of periodontal disease, but all of the other results showed that the prevalence and severity of periodontal diseases among the examined group of smokers was statistically significantly higher than in the examined group of non-smokers of the same age and sex

Feeling Connected: Examining the Importance of Human Connection on the Personal Outlook of Social Service Providers Working with the Homeless During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract This research study explores the lived experiences of social workers and social service providers (collectively referred to as ‘providers’) working with the homeless and homeless-adjacent populations in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine how the pandemic changed the work providers do, and how providers coped with and adapted to these changes. This research utilizes traditional qualitative interviews with a total of twenty providers located in the North-Western United States (NW-US). Key findings from this research indicate providers\u27 outcomes were influenced by the extent of their social connections to community, clients, and coworkers throughout the pandemic. This study confirms earlier research on the importance of social capital in minimizing negative mental health outcomes for providers working through situations that reflect large-scale social crises. This research has potential policy implications for provider networks in the event of similar crises in the future

Improving the Clinical Application of Natural Killer Cells by Modulating Signals Signal from Target Cells

Relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a significant post-transplant complication lacking standard treatment and associated with a poor prognosis. Cellular therapy, which is already widely used as a treatment for several hematological malignancies, could be a potential treatment alternative. Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in relapse control but can be inhibited by the leukemia cells highly positive for HLA class I. In order to restore NK cell activity after their ex vivo activation, NK cells can be combined with conditioning target cells. In this study, we tested NK cell activity against KG1a (AML cell line) with and without two types of pretreatment-Ara-C treatment that induced NKG2D ligands (increased activating signal) and/or blocking of HLA-KIR (killer-immunoglobulin-like receptors) interaction (decreased inhibitory signal). Both treatments improved NK cell killing activity. Compared with target cell killing of NK cells alone (38%), co-culture with Ara-C treated KG1a target cells increased the killing to 80%. Anti-HLA blocking antibody treatment increased the proportion of dead KG1a cells to 53%. Interestingly, the use of the combination treatment improved the killing potential to led to the death of 85% of KG1a cells. The combination of Ara-C and ex vivo activation of NK cells has the potential to be a feasible approach to treat relapsed AML after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Occlusal Interferences in Localised and Generalized Periodontitis

Značaj okuzijskih zapreka u razvoju i u terapiji parodontnih bolesti i poremećaja iznimno je kontroverzan. Još uvijek su u najstručnijim krugovima znanstvenika aktualne rasprave o povezanosti zapreka i okluzijske traume i o njihovoj ulozi u parodontnoj bolesti. Svrha rada bila je istražiti postoji li statistički znatna razlika u pojavnosti okluzijskih zapreka ( na radnoj i balansnoj strani) između skupine pacijenata s lokaliziranim parodontitisom i skupine pacijenata s generaliziranim parodontitisom. Ispitanici su bili pacijenti s parodontnom bolesti, koji su klasificirani prema Extent and Severity Indexu (ESI) na ispitivanu skupinu lokaliziranih parodontitisa i ispitivanu skupinu generaliziranih parodontitisa. Kretnje na laterotruzijskoj strani/kontakti u interkaninom području tijekom protruzijske kretnje bilježene su plavim artikulacijskim papirom debljine 12µ, a kontakti na mediotruzijskoj strani/kontakti u lateralnim područjima tijekom protruzijske kretnje bilježeni su crvenim artikulacijskim papirom debljine 12µ. U obje ispitivane skupine 45,12% ispitanika imalo je zapreke na radnoj strani, a 48,78% ispitanika imalo je zapreke na balansnoj strani. U skupini lokaliziranoga parodontitisa 33,33% ispitanika imalo je zapreke na radnoj strani, a 50,81% ispitanika imalo ih je u skupini generaliziranoga parodontitisa. Zapreke na balansnoj strani postojale su u 52,38% ipitanika u skupini lokaliziranoga parodontitisa, a 47,54% ispitanika imalo ih je u skupini generaliziranoga parodontitisa. Hi-kvadrat testom utvrđeno je da ne postoji statistički znatna razlika između pojavnosti okluzijskih zapreka u skupini ispitanika s lokaliziranim parodontitisom u usporedbi sa skupinom ispitanika s generaliziranim parodontitisom. Iako nema statistički znatne razlike, postoji tendencija razlike u frekvencijama (p = 0,054) te je vidljivo da u skupini ispitanika s generaliziranim parodontitisom postoji više slučajeva bez zapreka na balansnoj strani (52,45%) u odnosu prema skupini ispitanika s lokaliziranim parodontitisom (47,61%). Rezultati ovog istraživanja pokazuju da ne postoji statistički znatna razlika u pojavnosti okluzijskih zapreka u skupini ispitanika s lokaliziranim parodontitisom i u skupini ispitanika s generaliziranim parodontitisom.The significance of occlusal interference in the development and therapy of periodontal disease is very controversial. There are still very vivid discussions going on between experts whether or not interferences cause occlusal trauma, and wath is its role in periodontal disease. The aim of the study was to investigate whether there i statistically significant difference in the manifestation of occlusal interferences (working side and balancing side) among a group of patients sufferig from localised periodontitis and a group of patients with generalized periodontitis. Examinees were patients with periodontal disease, classified according to Extent and Severity Index (ESI) into a group with localised periodontitis and a group with generalized peiodontitis. Movements on the laterotrusion side/contacts in the intercanine segment in protrusion were marked with blue articulation paper 12µ thick, while contacts on the mediotrusion side/contacts in lateral segments during protrusion were marked with red articulation paper (12µ thick). Of al patients, there were 45.12% with working side interferences, and 48.78% with balancing side interferences in both examined groups. 33.33% of the examinees in the group with localised periodontitis had working side interferences, and 50.81% of the examinees in the group with generalized periodontitis. Balancing side interferences were found in 52.38% of patients in the group with localised periodontitis, and 47.54% of patients in the group with generalized periodontitis. Chi-square test showed that there was statistically significant difference between manifestation of occlusal interferences in the group of patients with localised periodontitis compared to manifestation of articulation interferences in the group of patients with generalized periodontitis (chi-square = 3.561; p = 0.313). Although there was no statistically significant difference, there was a tendency to difference in frequencies (p = 0.054), and it is shown that in the group of patients with generalized periodontitis there were more cases with no balancing side interferences on any side (52.45%), compared to the group of patients with localised periodontitis (47.61%). Results showed that there was no difference in manfestation of occlusal interferences in localised peiodontitis compared to generalized periodontitis

Challenging the production function approach to assess the developmental effects of FDI

From a theoretical point of view, it is traditionally assumed that foreign firms possess a centrally accumulated firm-specific technological advantage over domestic firms (see, for example, Findlay, 1978; Dunning, 1979). Given a sufficient level of absorptive capacity and human capital, domestic firms in host economies are able to benefit from various externalities stimulated by the presence of foreign firms