Effect of rinsing on the FFA anti-cariogenic action

UNESP, FOA, Dept Odont Onfantil Social, São Paulo, BrazilUNESP, FOA, Dept Odont Onfantil Social, São Paulo, Brazi

Effect of rinsing with water immediately after APF gel application on enamel demineralization in situ

This double-blind crossover in situ study evaluated the effect of rinsing with water immediately after the application of acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) on enamel demineralization. APF application was followed by: no rinsing or consuming of liquids or solids for the next 30 min; immediately washing with water jet or drinking of a glass of water. All treatments showed a statistically significant decrease in enamel mineral loss compared to the control (p 0.05). The data suggest that the recommendation of asking patients to refrain from drinking water following professional APF application does not seem to have an influence on the anticaries effect of fluoride. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Single Units in the Pigeon Brain Integrate Reward Amount and Time-to-Reward in an Impulsive Choice Task

SummaryBackground: Animals prefer small over large rewards when the delays preceding large rewards exceed an individual tolerance limit. Such impulsive choice behavior occurs even in situations in which alternative strategies would yield more optimal outcomes. Behavioral research has shown that an animal’s choice is guided by the alternative rewards’ subjective values, which are a function of reward amount and time-to-reward. Despite increasing knowledge about the pharmacology and anatomy underlying impulsivity, it is still unknown how the brain combines reward amount and time-to-reward information to represent subjective reward value.Results: We trained pigeons to choose between small, immediate rewards and large rewards delivered after gradually increasing delays. Single-cell recordings in the avian Nidopallium caudolaterale, the presumed functional analog of the mammalian prefrontal cortex, revealed that neural delay activation decreased with increasing delay length but also covaried with the expected reward amount. This integrated neural response was modulated by reward amount and delay, as predicted by a hyperbolical equation, of subjective reward value derived from behavioral studies. Furthermore, the neural activation pattern reflected the current reward preference and the time point of the shift from large to small rewards.Conclusions: The reported activity was modulated by the temporal devaluation of the anticipated reward in addition to reward amount. Our findings contribute to the understanding of neuropathologies such as drug addiction, pathological gambling, frontal lobe syndrome, and attention-deficit disorders, which are characterized by inappropriate temporal discounting and increased impulsiveness

Klinische Epidemiologie der Hueft- und Kniegelenkarthrosen Abschlussbericht

Background: Epidemiologic studies of prevalence, incidence and risk factors of osteoarthritis (OA) are challenged by the difficulties of a standardized diagnosis, for which radiographic imaging is essential. The Ulm Osteoarthiritis Study tried to circumvene this problem by enrolling patients with hip- or knee joint replacement and looking at the prevalence, risk factors and course of OA in the non-replaced joints. Methods: From January 1st, 1995 through December 31st, 1996, we enrolled 809 patients with first implantation of an artificial hip- (n=420) or kneejoint (n=389). All Patients had a standardized interview, clinical examination as well as radiographs of the replaced joint, the contralateral joint, and both hands. Furthermore, diagnostics of functional status, blood values including biochemical markers of OA, and bone mineral density measurements were performed. According to the radiographic findings, the individual OA pattern was categorized into uni- or bilateral OA and localized or generalized OA. The prevalence of these patterns was analyzed as a function of age, sex, and other potentially influential factors. Results: The mean age was 65 years and 62 percent of participants were women. Bilateral OA was found in 84.5 percent (82.1% of hip and 87.4% of knee patients). Generalized OA was observed in 26.8 percent (19.3 and 34.9% of hip and knee patients, respectively). The prevalence of bilateral and generalized OA increased with increasing age. Women with knee OA were more likely to have bilateral and generalized OA than men. Further factors influencing the OA pattern were obesity and various metabolic factors. Conclusions: OA patterns vary considerably according to age, sex, obesity, and metabolic factors. The ongoing cohort study will allow us to look at predictors of progression of OA in the non-replaced joints. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: F98B1181+a / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, Bonn (Germany)DEGerman