Diet patterns and dental caries in third grade U. S. children

The purpose of this study was to investigate further the relationship between intake of sucrose-containing foods and the prevalence of caries in a natural population of children. The study population was made up of 958 Caucasian third grade children from Minneapolis. Diet and brushing information was collected through personal interviews with the children. Four methods of coding diet information were used: (1) Confection Counting (the number of sucrose-containing items consumed during a 24-hour period); (2) Exposure Counting (to collapse sucrose-containing items consumed in a 30-min interval into one sucrose exposure); (3) Minneapolis Oral Retention Estimate (an assessment of usual consumption, 24-hour recall, brushing and consumption of water to estimate likelihood that the individual had sucrose in the oral cavity during a typical day); and (4) Hidden Sugar Estimate (utilization of food composition tables to estimate in teaspoons how much sucrose was consumed during a 24-hour period). The study shows few, if any, relationships existing between consumption of sucrose-containing foods and def or DMF teeth in both mealtime and between-meal periods.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72430/1/j.1600-0528.1974.tb01653.x-i1.pd

Model for the alpha and beta shear-mechanical properties of supercooled liquids and its comparison to squalane data

This paper presents data for supercooled squalane's frequency-dependent shear modulus covering frequencies from 10 mHz to 30 kHz and temperatures from 168 K to 190 K; measurements are also reported for the glass phase down to 146 K. The data reveal a strong mechanical beta process. A model is proposed for the shear response of supercooled liquids. The model is an electrical equivalent-circuit characterized by additivity of the dynamic shear compliances of the alpha and beta processes. The nontrivial parts of the alpha and beta processes are represented by a "Cole-Cole retardation element", resulting in the Cole-Cole compliance function well-known from dielectrics. The model, which assumes that the high-frequency decay of the alpha shear compliance loss varies with angular frequency as $\omega^{-1/2}$, has seven parameters. Assuming time-temperature superposition for the alpha and the beta processes separately, the number of parameters varying with temperature is reduced to four. From the temperature dependence of the best-fit model parameters the following conclusions are drawn: 1) the alpha relaxation time conforms to the shoving model; 2) the beta relaxation loss-peak frequency is almost temperature independent; 3) the alpha compliance magnitude, which in the model equals the inverse of the instantaneous shear modulus, is only weakly temperature dependent; 4) the beta compliance magnitude decreases by a factor of three upon cooling in the temperature range studied. The final part of the paper briefly presents measurements of the dynamic adiabatic bulk modulus covering frequencies from 10 mHz to 10 kHz in the temperature range 172 K to 200 K. The data are qualitatively similar to the shear data by having a significant beta process. A single-order-parameter framework is suggested to rationalize these similarities

Genotype-informed estimation of risk of coronary heart disease based on genome-wide association data linked to the electronic medical record

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Susceptibility variants identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have modest effect sizes. Whether such variants provide incremental information in assessing risk for common 'complex' diseases is unclear. We investigated whether measured and imputed genotypes from a GWAS dataset linked to the electronic medical record alter estimates of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Study participants (<it>n </it>= 1243) had no known cardiovascular disease and were considered to be at high, intermediate, or low 10-year risk of CHD based on the Framingham risk score (FRS) which includes age, sex, total and HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking status. Of twelve SNPs identified in prior GWAS to be associated with CHD, four were genotyped in the participants as part of a GWAS. Genotypes for seven SNPs were imputed from HapMap CEU population using the program MACH. We calculated a multiplex genetic risk score for each patient based on the odds ratios of the susceptibility SNPs and incorporated this into the FRS.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean (SD) number of risk alleles was 12.31 (1.95), range 6-18. The mean (SD) of the weighted genetic risk score was 12.64 (2.05), range 5.75-18.20. The CHD genetic risk score was not correlated with the FRS (<it>P </it>= 0.78). After incorporating the genetic risk score into the FRS, a total of 380 individuals (30.6%) were reclassified into higher-(188) or lower-risk groups (192).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A genetic risk score based on measured/imputed genotypes at 11 susceptibility SNPs, led to significant reclassification in the 10-y CHD risk categories. Additional prospective studies are needed to assess accuracy and clinical utility of such reclassification.</p

Do adults with high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome differ in empathy and emotion recognition?

The present study examined whether adults with high functioning autism (HFA) showed greater difficulties in (i) their self-reported ability to empathise with others and/or (ii) their ability to read mental states in others’ eyes than adults with Asperger syndrome (AS). The Empathy Quotient (EQ) and ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test (Eyes Test) were compared in 43 adults with AS and 43 adults with HFA. No significant difference was observed on EQ score between groups, while adults with AS performed significantly better on the Eyes Test than those with HFA. This suggests that adults with HFA may need more support, particularly in mentalizing and complex emotion recognition, and raises questions about the existence of subgroups within autism spectrum conditions

The individual-cell-based cryo-chip for the cryopreservation, manipulation and observation of spatially identifiable cells. I: Methodology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cryopreservation is the only widely applicable method of storing vital cells for nearly unlimited periods of time. Successful cryopreservation is essential for reproductive medicine, stem cell research, cord blood storage and related biomedical areas. The methods currently used to retrieve a specific cell or a group of individual cells with specific biological properties after cryopreservation are quite complicated and inefficient.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The present study suggests a new approach in cryopreservation, utilizing the Individual Cell-based Cryo-Chip (i3C). The i3C is made of materials having appropriate durability for cryopreservation conditions. The core of this approach is an array of picowells, each picowell designed to maintain an individual cell during the severe conditions of the freezing - thawing cycle and accompanying treatments. More than 97% of cells were found to retain their position in the picowells throughout the entire freezing - thawing cycle and medium exchange. Thus the comparison between pre-freezing and post-thawing data can be achieved at an individual cell resolution. The intactness of cells undergoing slow freezing and thawing, while residing in the i3C, was found to be similar to that obtained with micro-vials. However, in a fast freezing protocol, the i3C was found to be far superior.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of the present study offer new opportunities for cryopreservation. Using the present methodology, the cryopreservation of individual identifiable cells, and their observation and retrieval, at an individual cell resolution become possible for the first time. This approach facilitates the correlation between cell characteristics before and after the freezing - thawing cycle. Thus, it is expected to significantly enhance current cryopreservation procedures for successful regenerative and reproductive medicine.</p

Submicron Structures Technology and Research

Contains reports on ten research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-83-K-0003)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAL03-86-K-0002)National Science Foundation (Grant ECS82-05701)National Science Foundation (Grant ECS85-06565)Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (Subcontract 2069209)National Science Foundation (Grant ECS85-03443)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Grant AFOSR-85-0154)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGL22-009-638)National Science Foundation (through KMS Fusion, Inc.)U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-79-C-0908

SPEAR: The Next Generation GFDL Modeling System for Seasonal to Multidecadal Prediction and Projection

We document the development and simulation characteristics of the next generation modeling system for seasonal to decadal prediction and projection at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). SPEAR (Seamless System for Prediction and EArth System Research) is built from component models recently developed at GFDL—the AM4 atmosphere model, MOM6 ocean code, LM4 land model, and SIS2 sea ice model. The SPEAR models are specifically designed with attributes needed for a prediction model for seasonal to decadal time scales, including the ability to run large ensembles of simulations with available computational resources. For computational speed SPEAR uses a coarse ocean resolution of approximately 1.0° (with tropical refinement). SPEAR can use differing atmospheric horizontal resolutions ranging from 1° to 0.25°. The higher atmospheric resolution facilitates improved simulation of regional climate and extremes. SPEAR is built from the same components as the GFDL CM4 and ESM4 models but with design choices geared toward seasonal to multidecadal physical climate prediction and projection. We document simulation characteristics for the time mean climate, aspects of internal variability, and the response to both idealized and realistic radiative forcing change. We describe in greater detail one focus of the model development process that was motivated by the importance of the Southern Ocean to the global climate system. We present sensitivity tests that document the influence of the Antarctic surface heat budget on Southern Ocean ventilation and deep global ocean circulation. These findings were also useful in the development processes for the GFDL CM4 and ESM4 models

Health seeking behaviour, health system experience and tuberculosis case finding in Gambians with cough

BACKGROUND: Studies in Africa investigating health-seeking behaviour by interviewing tuberculosis patients have revealed patient knowledge issues and significant delays to diagnosis. We aimed to study health-seeking behaviour and experience of those with cough in The Gambia and to identify whether they had tuberculosis. METHODS: During a round of a population under 3-monthly demographic surveillance, we identified people >10 years old who had been coughing ≥ 3 weeks. A questionnaire was administered concerning demographic data, cough, knowledge, health seeking, and experience at health facilities. Case finding utilised sputum smear and chest X-ray. RESULTS: 122/29,871 coughing individuals were identified. Of 115 interviewed, 93 (81%) had sought treatment; 76 (81.7%) from the health system. Those that visited an alternative health provider first were significantly older than those who visited the health system first (p = 0.03). The median time to seek treatment was 2 weeks (range 0 – 106). 54 (58.1%) made their choice of provider because they believed it was right. Of those who left the health system to an alternative provider (n = 13): 7 believed it was the best place, 3 cited cost and 2 failure to improve. 3 cases were identified by sputum analysis, 11 more by X-ray; all had visited the health system first. Total 'excess' cough time was 1079 person weeks. CONCLUSION: The majority of people with cough in this population seek appropriate help early. Improved case detection might be achieved through the use of chest X-ray in addition to sputum smear

Factors influencing acquisition of Burkholderia cepacia complex organisms in patients with cystic fibrosis

Burkholderia cepacia complex organisms are important transmissible pathogens found in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. In recent years, the rates of cross-infection of epidemic strains have declined due to effective infection control efforts. However, cases of sporadic B. cepacia complex infection continue to occur in some centers. The acquisition pathways and clinical outcomes of sporadic B. cepacia complex infection are unclear. We sought to determine the patient clinical characteristics, outcomes, incidence, and genotypic relatedness for all cases of B. cepacia complex infection at two CF centers. We also sought to study the external conditions that influence the acquisition of infection. From 2001 to 2011, 67 individual organisms were cultured from the respiratory samples of 64 patients. Sixty-five percent of the patients were adults, in whom chronic infections were more common (68%) (P = 0.006). The incidence of B. cepacia complex infection increased by a mean of 12% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3 to 23%) per year. The rates of transplantation and death were similar in the incident cases who developed chronic infection compared to those in patients with chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Multilocus sequence typing revealed 50 individual strains from 65 isolates. Overall, 85% of the patients were infected with unique strains, suggesting sporadic acquisition of infection. The yearly incidence of nonepidemic B. cepacia complex infection was positively correlated with the amount of rainfall in the two sites examined: subtropical Brisbane (r = 0.65, P = 0.031) and tropical Townsville (r = 0.82, P = 0.002). This study demonstrates that despite strict cohort segregation, new cases of unrelated B. cepacia complex infection continue to occur. These data also support an environmental origin of infection and suggest that climate conditions may be associated with the acquisition of B. cepacia complex infections

Bond graph modelling of chemoelectrical energy transduction

Energy-based bond graph modelling of biomolecular systems is extended to include chemoelectrical transduction thus enabling integrated thermodynamically-compliant modelling of chemoelectrical systems in general and excitable membranes in particular. Our general approach is illustrated by recreating a well-known model of an excitable membrane. This model is used to investigate the energy consumed during a membrane action potential thus contributing to the current debate on the trade-off between the speed of an action potential event and energy consumption. The influx of Na+ is often taken as a proxy for energy consumption; in contrast, this paper presents an energy based model of action potentials. As the energy based approach avoids the assumptions underlying the proxy approach it can be directly used to compute energy consumption in both healthy and diseased neurons. These results are illustrated by comparing the energy consumption of healthy and degenerative retinal ganglion cells using both simulated and in vitro data