Relationship Between Oral Health and Clinical Osteoporosis Among Hospitalized Patients with and Without Diabetes

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with poor oral health and osteoporosis (OP). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between OP, periodontal disease (PD), and other dental and health outcomes in a cohort of hospitalized patients with and without DM. Method: Using a cross-sectional study design, we enrolled consecutive hospitalized patients. We administered a questionnaire to gather demographic information, oral health history, smoking history, and history of OP. We inspected their dentition and reviewed their charts. Data were analyzed using t-tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression models. Result: Out of 301 patients enrolled, 275 had PD, 102 had DM, and 30 had OP. In univariate analyses, factors associated with OP included older age... (See full abstract in article)

Can a Home-based Cardiac Physical Activity Program Improve the Physical Function Quality of Life in Children with Fontan Circulation?

Objective Patients after Fontan operation for complex congenital heart disease (CHD) have decreased exercise capacity and report reduced health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Studies suggest hospital-based cardiac physical activity programs can improve HRQOL and exercise capacity in patients with CHD; however, these programs have variable adherence rates. The impact of a home-based cardiac physical activity program in Fontan survivors is unclear. This pilot study evaluated the safety, feasibility, and benefits of an innovative home-based physical activity program on HRQOL in Fontan patients. Methods A total of 14 children, 8–12 years, with Fontan circulation enrolled in a 12-week moderate/high intensity home-based cardiac physical activity program, which included a home exercise routine and 3 formalized in-person exercise sessions at 0, 6, and 12 weeks. Subjects and parents completed validated questionnaires to assess HRQOL. The Shuttle Test Run was used to measure exercise capacity. A Fitbit Flex Activity Monitor was used to assess adherence to the home activity program. Results Of the 14 patients, 57% were male and 36% had a dominant left ventricle. Overall, 93% completed the program. There were no adverse events. Parents reported significant improvement in their child\u27s overall HRQOL (P \u3c .01), physical function (P \u3c .01), school function (P = .01), and psychosocial function (P  \u3c .01). Patients reported no improvement in HRQOL. Exercise capacity, measured by total shuttles and exercise time in the Shuttle Test Run and calculated VO2max, improved progressively from baseline to the 6 and 12 week follow up sessions. Monthly Fitbit data suggested adherence to the program. Conclusion This 12-week home-based cardiac physical activity program is safe and feasible in preteen Fontan patients. Parent proxy-reported HRQOL and objective measures of exercise capacity significantly improved. A 6-month follow up session is scheduled to assess sustainability. A larger study is needed to determine the applicability and reproducibility of these findings in other age groups and forms of complex CHD

Economic education via consumer advice programmes? : informal learning based on the example of the television help format „Out of debt“

Ökonomische Themen werden anders als historische oder biologische Themen selten in Dokumentationen im Fernsehen behandelt. Sie finden ihren Platz in Ratgebersendungen oder neuerdings in sogenannten Help-Formaten. Solche auf der Lebensgeschichte von Familien oder auch Einzelpersonen aufbauende Lebenshilfesendungen sind inzwischen ein fester Bestandteil aller Fernsehprogramme. Sie reagieren auf den Beratungsbedarf in der Gesellschaft, auch in ökonomischen Fragen, und greifen dazu offensiv auf Entertainment zurück (Kapitel 1). Offen ist allerdings, was die Zuschauer dabei tatsächlich lernen. Hill (2005) stellt genau diese Frage und formuliert eine „idea of learning“, die Zuschauer bei diesen Formaten erwarten. Mithilfe eines mehrstufigen Testdesigns soll das Fernsehformat Raus aus den Schulden (Kapitel 2 und 3) auf einen möglichen Lernbeitrag bei jugendlichen Konsumenten untersucht werden (Kapitel 4)

Microstructural and XRD analysis and study of the properties of the system Ti-TiAl-B4C processed under different operational conditions

High specific modulus materials are considered excellent for the aerospace industry. The system Ti-TiAl-B4C is presented herein as an alternative material. Secondary phases formed in situ during fabrication vary depending on the processing conditions and composition of the starting materials. The final behaviors of these materials are therefore difficult to predict. This research focuses on the study of the system Ti-TiAl-B4C, whereby relations between microstructure and properties can be predicted in terms of the processing parameters of the titanium matrix composites (TMCs). The powder metallurgy technique employed to fabricate the TMCs was that of inductive hot pressing (iHP) since it offers versatility and flexibility. The short processing time employed (5 min) was set in order to test the temperature as a major factor of influence in the secondary reactions. The pressure was also varied. In order to perform this research, not only were X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses performed, but also microstructural characterization through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Significant results showed that there was an inflection temperature from which the trend to form secondary compounds depended on the starting material used. Hence, the addition of TiAl as an elementary blend or as prealloyed powder played a significant role in the final behavior of the TMCs fabricated, where the prealloyed TiAl provides a better precursor of the formation of the reinforcement phases from 1100 °C regardless of the pressur

Vaccine efficacy in swine challenged with a highly virulent S. typhimurium

Vaccination is one of several options to reduce the impact of Salmonella infections in pork. To demonstrate cross protection against infection with S. typhimurium, pigs were vaccinated with a live vaccine (Enterisol SC-54, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.), left as positive challenge controls or negative, non challenged controls

Informal learning and economic education

Ein Großteil ökonomischer Kompetenzen bei Jugendlichen wird vermutlich informell gelernt, da ökonomische Bildung in Deutschland nur zu einem geringen Umfang im Unterricht gelehrt wird. Zur Diagnose von Art und Umfang informellen Lernens im Bereich der ökonomischen Bildung erläutern die Autoren die theoretischen Hintergründe und stellen ein Pilotprojekt zur Kompetenzmessung in der ökonomischen Bildung vor (ECOS - Economic Competencies Study). In diesem Projekt wird die Performanz in einer simulierten Online-Umgebung als Indikator für Kompetenzen angesehen. Mit diesem Verfahren sollen informell erworbene Kompetenzen quantitativ erfasst werden.The authors argue that a large part of economic competencies in adolescents are likely to be acquired in informal settings because generally economic education is taught only to a small amount in German schools. In order to assess the very character and extend of in-formal learning in economic education the authors explain the theoretic background and present a pilot project (ECOS - Economic Competencies Study). We assume that performance in a simulated online environment is regarded as an indicator for competencies. With this method informally acquired competencies in economic education are to be quantitatively assessed

Robotic Platform for Parallelized Cultivation and Monitoring of Microbial Growth Parameters in Microwell Plates

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.The enormous variation possibilities of bioprocesses challenge process development to fix a commercial process with respect to costs and time. Although some cultivation systems and some devices for unit operations combine the latest technology on miniaturization, parallelization, and sensing, the degree of automation in upstream and downstream bioprocess development is still limited to single steps. We aim to face this challenge by an interdisciplinary approach to significantly shorten development times and costs. As a first step, we scaled down analytical assays to the microliter scale and created automated procedures for starting the cultivation and monitoring the optical density (OD), pH, concentrations of glucose and acetate in the culture medium, and product formation in fed-batch cultures in the 96-well format. Then, the separate measurements of pH, OD, and concentrations of acetate and glucose were combined to one method. This method enables automated process monitoring at dedicated intervals (e.g., also during the night). By this approach, we managed to increase the information content of cultivations in 96-microwell plates, thus turning them into a suitable tool for high-throughput bioprocess development. Here, we present the flowcharts as well as cultivation data of our automation approach