Can Tobacco consumption explain the association between SEP and chronic periodontitis in adults living in a deprived area of the UK? A secondary analysis of the ELOHI study data.

Aim: To assess whether there are social inequalities on periodontitis at the population level in a deprived area of the United Kingdom (UK) and further elucidate the relationship between socio-economic position, plaque accumulation, tobacco smoking, and chronic periodontitis in a representative sample of adults living in a multicultural and socially deprived area. Methods: The present sub study used the cross-sectional data previously collected in the East London Oral Health Inequality (ELOHI) study, conducted in the outer northeast boroughs of London, UK. A stratified two-staged sampling was performed which consisted of a sample of 2149 adults (16-65 years of age). Participants underwent an oral examination and answered a supervised questionnaire in their own homes. Data regarding information on the explanatory variables: socio-economic position (SEP), oral health behaviour and indicators were obtained from the ELOHI study. The main outcome variable for the present sub study was chronic periodontitis (presence of at least one site of a tooth with a pocket depth (PD) ≥4mm). Statistical analysis included conceptual hierarchical modelling and mediation analysis. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: The prevalence of periodontitis in this area of East London was very high, 80.5% among males and 82% among females although these differences were not statistically significant. Hierarchical conceptual modelling analysis demonstrated that those in the manual/routine occupations category were 2.21 (95% CI 1.64-2.989) more likely to have chronic periodontitis than those in the professional category. The difference between those in the intermediate and the professional and managerial occupations category were not statistically significant after adjusting for demographic and behavioural variables. The results of mediation analysis, using the four steps proposed by Baron and Kenny demonstrated that the association between socio-economic position and periodontitis was partially mediated through smoking. Conclusion: A social gradient in periodontal diseases in part mediated by tobacco consumption may exist even in areas where there are highly socially deprived communities was identified. SEP as measured by NS-SEC was found to be associated with the chronic periodontitis experience (PD ≥ 4mm) with individuals placed higher in the NS-SEC ranking demonstrating a lesser risk of disease as compared to a lower NS-SEC ranking

Measurement of Potassium Ion Diffusion through Dentine Using ISE

Objective: To measure the in vitro concentration of potassium ions (K+ ) on the opposite side of the dentine samples in real-time, using Potassium Ion Selective Electrodes (K+ ISE). Method: An assembly array was designed and different sections (n=4) of dentine were acid etched in 6% citric acid and ultra-sonicated for five minutes. They were subsequently fixed into a polypropylene tube using impression dental material and immersed into simulated dentine fluid (SDF) which consisted of 0.01 mol/dm3 potassium chloride (KCL) solution. The K+ ISE was placed external to the polypropylene tube, to measure changes in the potassium ion concentration [K+ ] in the SDF for 60 hrs continuously. Application of potassium nitrate (KNO3 ) solutions of concentrations between 0.05-3 mol/dm3 were applied to the exposed dentine samples in separate experiments. Results: Minimal changes in [K+ ] (<5 mmol/dm3 ) in the SDF (the opposite side of the sample) were measured by the K+ ISE when applying less than 600 mmol/dm3 of KNO3 solutions to the dentine sections. However, significant changes (P<0.05) in [K+ ] of 5-25 mmol/dm3 were measured in the SDF when applying a KNO3 solution of concentration more than 600 mmol/dm3 to the dentine samples, indicating greater penetration of K+ through the dentine matrix. Conclusion: ISE may be used to measure ionic transfer in dentinal tubules although questions arise due to the sensitivity of the ISE and its suitability. However, it was demonstrated that increasing the concentration of an applied KNO3 solution to exposed dentine increased the [K+ ] in the SDF which was on the opposite side in the dentine disk model and premolar tooth with a cut cavity. This was also the case when the fluid flow was in the opposite direction to diffusion. This study demonstrates that ISE may be suitable for real-time diffusion experiments in dentine for possible future research into dental therapeutics which involve ion exchange

High Performance 3D PET Reconstruction Using Spherical Basis Functions on a Polar Grid

Statistical iterative methods are a widely used method of image reconstruction in emission tomography. Traditionally, the image space is modelled as a combination of cubic voxels as a matter of simplicity. After reconstruction, images are routinely filtered to reduce statistical noise at the cost of spatial resolution degradation. An alternative to produce lower noise during reconstruction is to model the image space with spherical basis functions. These basis functions overlap in space producing a significantly large number of non-zero elements in the system response matrix (SRM) to store, which additionally leads to long reconstruction times. These two problems are partly overcome by exploiting spherical symmetries, although computation time is still slower compared to non-overlapping basis functions. In this work, we have implemented the reconstruction algorithm using Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) technology for speed and a precomputed Monte-Carlo-calculated SRM for accuracy. The reconstruction time achieved using spherical basis functions on a GPU was 4.3 times faster than the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and 2.5 times faster than a CPU-multi-core parallel implementation using eight cores. Overwriting hazards are minimized by combining a random line of response ordering and constrained atomic writing. Small differences in image quality were observed between implementations

The Index Of Narrative Microstructure: A Clinical Tool For Analyzing School-Age Children's Narrative Performances

Purpose: This research was conducted to develop a clinical tool-the Index of Narrative Microstructure (INMIS)-that would parsimoniously account for important microstructural aspects of narrative production for school-age children. The study provides field test age- and grade-based INMIS values to aid clinicians in making normative judgments about microstructural aspects of pupils' narrative performance. Method: Narrative samples using a single-picture elicitation context were collected from 250 children age 5-12 years and then transcribed and segmented into T-units. A T-unit consists of a single main clause and any dependent constituents. The narrative transcripts were then coded and analyzed to document a comprehensive set of microstructural indices. Results: Factor analysis indicated that narrative microstructure consisted of 2 moderately related factors. The Productivity factor primarily comprised measures of word output, lexical diversity, and T-unit output. The Complexity factor comprised measures of syntactic organization, with mean length of T-units in words and proportion of complex T-units loading most strongly. Principal components analysis was used to provide a linear combination of 8 variables to approximate the 2 factors. Formulas for calculating a student's performance on the 2 factors using 8 narrative measures are provided. Conclusions: This study provided a method for professionals to calculate INMIS scores for narrative Productivity and Complexity for comparison against field test data for age (5- to 12-year-old) or grade (kindergarten to Grade 6) groupings. INMIS scores complement other tools in evaluating a child's narrative performance specifically and language abilities more generally.Communication Sciences and Disorder

Influence of Start-Up Time on the Purging of Salt Water From a Cavity by an Overflow of Fresh Water

This paper presents the results of a numerical investigation of a flow in which salt water is purged from a square cavity by an overflow of fresh water. Ramp inlet velocity boundary conditions are used in order to describe the influence of the start up time on the amount of saline water purged from the cavity in the initial splash. As the time to start-up is increased, the volume of saline liquid purged from the pool is decreased. This has important implications in the management of river systems and the potential to purge the saline water within the river base by an environmental release, where it is expected that the time to startup is measured in days

Comparison of Two Tricalcium Phosphate Varnishes and a Comparator Fluoride Varnish on Tubular Occlusion

Objectives The aim of the present study involved comparing the tubular occluding properties of three varnishes, two Clinpro™ varnishes and a Colgate® Duraphat® Varnish. Method Nine caries-free premolar dentine discs were prepared and treated with the three varnishes and subsequently observed under SEM at 0o and 90o angle to assess their ability to cover the dentine surface. The tubule occluding properties were measured using a modified Pashley cell hydraulic conductance model. A further 9 caries-free extracted molars were sectioned into 500μ thick dentine discs. The fluid flow rate was assessed after a) immersing the discs in 6% citric acid for 2 minutes, b) treating the dentine disc with the experimental varnishes and c) subjecting the treated discs to an acid challenge (6% citric acid for 2 minutes). Results SEM investigation showed uniform occlusion of the dentinal tubules, with varying depths of penetration. Hydraulic conductance tests showed no statistically significant differences in the fluid flow rate (expressed as percentages) when all the three varnishes were compared at different stages of treatment (p = 0.33). However, after subjecting the discs to an acid challenge, there was a statistically significant increase in the fluid flow rate with the Colgate® Duraphat® Varnish treated discs, whereas the ClinproTM White Varnish and Clinpro™ XT Varnish discs showed no statistically significant differences (p = 0.99 and p= 0.83 respectively). Conclusions All the tested varnishes (Colgate® Duraphat® Varnish, ClinproTM White Varnish and ClinproTM XT varnish) were effective in blocking the dentinal tubules as demonstrated in this in vitro study. However, the tricalcium phosphate varnishes (ClinproTM) were more resistant to an in vitro acid challenge compared to the sodium fluoride varnish (Colgate® Duraphat®)

Effect of a MUC5AC antibody (NPC-1C) administered with second-line gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel on the survival of patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A randomized clinical trial

IMPORTANCE: Treatment options are limited for patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) beyond first-line 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLFIRINOX), with such individuals commonly being treated with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether NPC-1C, an antibody directed against MUC5AC, might increase the efficacy of second-line gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients with advanced PDAC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This multicenter, randomized phase II clinical trial enrolled patients with advanced PDAC between April 2014 and March 2017 whose disease had progressed on first-line FOLFIRINOX. Eligible patients had tumors with at least 20 MUC5AC staining by centralized immunohistochemistry review. Statistical analysis was performed from April to May 2022. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2) and nab-paclitaxel (125 mg/m2) administered intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of every 4-week cycle, with or without intravenous NPC-1C 1.5 mg/kg every 2 weeks. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety. Pretreatment clinical variables were explored with Cox proportional hazards analysis. RESULTS: A total of 78 patients (median [range] age, 62 [36-78] years; 32 [41%] women; 9 [12%] Black; 66 [85%] White) received second-line treatment with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (n = 40) or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and NPC-1C (n = 38). Median OS was 6.6 months (95% CI, 4.7-8.4 months) with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel vs 5.0 months (95% CI, 3.3-6.5 months; P = .22) with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and NPC-1C. Median PFS was 2.7 months (95% CI, 1.9-4.1 months) with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel vs 3.4 months (95% CI, 1.9-5.3 months; P = .80) with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and NPC-1C. The ORR was 3.1% (95% CI, 0.4%-19.7%) in the gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and NPC-1C group and 2.9% (95% CI, 0.4%-18.7%) in the gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel group. No differences in toxicity were observed between groups, except that grade 3 or greater anemia occurred more frequently in patients treated with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and NPC-1C than gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (39% [15 of 38] vs 10% [4 of 40]; P = .003). The frequency of chemotherapy dose reductions was similar in both groups (65% vs 74%; P = .47). Lower performance status, hypoalbuminemia, PDAC diagnosis less than or equal to 18 months before trial enrollment, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio less than 2.8, and CA19-9 greater than 2000 IU/mL were independently associated with poorer survival. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this randomized clinical trial of advanced PDAC, NPC-1C did not enhance the efficacy of gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel. These data provide a benchmark for future trials investigating second-line treatment of PDAC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01834235