Preliminary findings on the correlation of saliva pH, buffering capacity, flow rate and consistency in relation to waterpipe tobacco smoking

The aim of the present comparative study was to compare some salivary characteristics between exclusive waterpipe smokers (EWPS) and non-smokers. 72 males (36 EWPS) were recruited. The volume of stimulated saliva was determined and divided by the duration of saliva collection. The pH was measured directly using a pH meter. The buffering capacity was determined using a quantitative method which involved the addition of 10 μl HCl. Up to a total of 160 μL was titrated up to obtain a pH titration curve. At 50 μL of titrated HCl, buffering capacity was ranked into three categories: high, medium and low. EWPS and nonsmoker groups had similar flow rates (1.81 ± 0.79 and 1.78 ± 1.14 mL min-1) and similar baseline pH (6.60 ± 0.37 and 6.76 ± 0.39). Statistically significant differences in the two groups’ pH were observed from 30 to 160 μL of titrated up HCl. At 50 μL of titrated up HCl, the EWPS group compared to the non-smoker group had a significantly higher pH (4.79 ± 0.72 vs. 5.32 ± 0.79). To conclude, waterpipe tobacco smoking alters the buffering capacity but does not alter either salivary flow rates or the baseline pH and consistency

Juvenile recurrent parotitis in a 4-year-old patient: a case report

Juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP) is a rare disease. It is most commonly occurring between the ages of 3 and 5 years, that classically resolves at adolescence. It is characterized by recurrent non-suppurative parotitis, with several acute inflammatory episodes per year. The parotid´s swelling tends to be unilateral, but it can occur bilaterally, with a more predominant side. The aim of this work was to present a case report that highlights signs and symptoms of this unusual condition and to stress on the value of ultrasonography as an aid to diagnosis

Electric Wheelchair Navigation Simulators: why, when, how?

International audienc

Periodontal bone height of exclusive narghile smokers compared with exclusive cigarette smokers

Objective: To compare the periodontal bone height (PBH) of exclusive narghile smokers (ENS) with that of exclusive cigarette smokers (ECS). Methods: Tunisian males aged 20–35 years who have been ENS for more than five narghile-years or ECS for more than five pack-years were recruited to participate in this comparative cross-sectional study. Information about oral health habits and tobacco consumption were gathered using a predetermined questionnaire. Plaque levels were recorded in four sites using the plaque index of Loe and Silness. The PBH was measured mesially and distally from digital panoramic radiographs of each tooth and expressed as a percentage of the root length. A PBH level ≤0.70 was applied as a cutoff reference value signifying bone loss. Student t-test and Chi2 test were used to compare quantitative and qualitative data of both groups. Results: There were no significant differences between the ENS (n=60) and ECS (n=60) groups regarding age and the consumed quantities of tobacco (28±4 vs. 27±5 years, 7±3 narghile-years vs. 8±3 pack-years, respectively). Compared with the ECS group, the ENS group had a significantly higher plaque index (mean±SD values were 1.54±0.70 vs. 1.84±0.73, respectively). However, the two groups had similar means of PBH (0.85±0.03 vs. 0.86±0.04) and tooth brushing frequencies (1.1±0.8 vs. 0.9±0.6 a day, respectively) and had similar bone loss frequencies (15% vs. 12%, respectively). Conclusions: Both ENS and ECS exhibited the same PBH reduction, which means that both types of tobacco smoking are associated with periodontal bone loss

Contribution à l'Amélioration de la Perception Visuelle pour une Navigation Autonome du Fauteuil Roulant le M.A.R.H M

Cet article décrit un concept de fauteuil roulant autonome appelé le M.A.R.H (comme la figure 1), (Mobile d’Autonomie Robotisé pour Handicapé), de part sa constitution, son mode de fonctionnement et la prise en compte de la sécurité de la personne transportée. Il est l’aboutissement de plusieurs années de réflexion menées avec les ergothérapeutes et les services de rééducation de l’IRF Pomponiana Olbia de Hyères (Var) , et plus particulièrement Monsieur Jean-Pierre BELHEU

Vision par Ordinateur et Robotique d'Assistance (application au projet M.A.R.H. , Mobile Autonome Robotisé pour Handicapés)

TOULON-BU Centrale (830622101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Utilisation des Réseaux de Petri Architecturaux pour la modélisation des algorithmes de commande d'une plateforme technologique d'aide aux handicapés

International audiencePour évaluer les capacités fonctionnelles d'une personne handicapée et les compensations nécessaires à la commande d'un fauteuil roulant électrique, une plateforme technologique a été réalisée sur la base des conseils d'un ergothérapeute. Elle a été réalisée avec du matériel standard, comme il est souhaitable de le faire chaque fois que c'est possible pour réduire les coûts financiers. Différentes commandes ont été implantées et sont personnalisables en fonction des spécificités de chaque personne. Elles sont faciles à installer car elles sont modulaires et interchangeables. L'électronique embarquée est intégrée dans des circuits programmables de type FPGA. La programmation est faite en langage VHDL et est obtenue directement à partir de la modélisation des algorithmes par Réseaux de Petri Architecturaux pour obtenir une adéquation algorithme architecture optimisée

A petri net modelling of a neural human machine interface

International audienceFor some disabled people, the use of a wheelchair can be difficult, due to weak physical capacities or cognitive troubles. So, the human-machine interface must be modular, configurable and easy to implement. It must bring reliability and use non specific material as often as possible. Therefore, the FRACAH project (Fauteuil Roulant A Commande Adaptee au Handicap) has been developed. Its lever is handled by an artificial neural network that records functional limitations of the hand, and then compensates them. Petri nets have been used in order to obtain an easy FPGA implementation of the control. Some examples of obtained results are given

A camera self-calibration technique for mobile wheelchairs

International audienceThe Robotic systems for disabled people, aims at bringing a piloting assistance to powered wheelchairs in answer to the needs of mobility aid using dynamic vision techniques from mobile robotics. People start to design the robot with the fastest computers to process the information, together with high quality camera to serve as its eye, and precise mechanical motion control. The main working mode for this purpose is a contribution to dynamic vision, in the aim to improve a visio-space behavior of handicapped children. A self-calibration technique of a visual sensor is described: self-calibration implying the adoption of methods allowing to calibrate automatically a camera without using of special calibration set-ups. This paper examines what can be done within a Euclidean calibration, when the internal parameters must remain constant any more. So, we look at a Euclidean basis being a projective and one where some constraints must be observed. This work shows theoretically along with real experiments, how it is possible to completely calibrate a camera in line, that is to determine the intrinsic parameters and the relative displacement between two or three images, without any a priori knowledge of the scenes. The infinite homography computing method is used to estimate intrinsic and extrinsic parameters. This procedure consists of a closed-form solution, followed by a nonlinear refinement based on a bundle adjustment criterion