Magnification Loupes in U.S. Entry-Level Dental Hygiene Programs - Occupational Health and Safety

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine policies and practices regarding magnification loupes among faculty and students in accredited dental hygiene programs as measured by a 31 item, self-designed questionnaire. In addition, the study compared policies among dental hygiene programs in 2 year versus 4 year programs in terms of requirements for the use of magnification loupes. Methods: After institutional review board approval, a 31 item self-designed questionnaire was emailed via Survey Monkey to 303 entry-level dental hygiene programs. An overall response rate of 75% was obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test of independence. Results: Results reveal the vast majority of programs do not require loupes for faculty or students, with only 23% of responding schools requiring students to purchase loupes and 8% requiring faculty to use loupes. More dental hygiene programs require students to wear loupes than require faculty to wear loupes. No statistically significant differences (p-value=0.54) in program policies were found requiring the purchase of magnifying loupes by students, based on 2 year and 4 year dental hygiene educational programs. Odds ratio (1.25) give the odds of students purchasing loupes in a 2 year program as 25% higher than a 4 year program. Almost two thirds of respondents reported loupes instruction as a curriculum component, although most respondents spent 2 or less hours teaching in this area. Most programs (90%) do not plan to require students to purchase loupes in the future, although the majority believes proper use of loupes should be integrated in the curriculum. Conclusion: Most respondents see advantages to loupes, but clinical policies on loupes do not appear to correlate with beliefs. Educational programs in dental hygiene seem slow to adopt and require the use of loupes. Current clinical polices on loupes should be reviewed to ensure graduates experience the potential ergonomic benefits magnification brings to clinical practice during their education

2011 ADEA Annual Session: Poster Abstracts

Poster session abstracts from the 2011 American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Conference

Overexpression of sICAM-1 in the Alveolar Epithelial Space Results in an Exaggerated Inflammatory Response and Early Death in Gram Negative Pneumonia

Abstract Background A sizeable body of data demonstrates that membrane ICAM-1 (mICAM-1) plays a significant role in host defense in a site-specific fashion. On the pulmonary vascular endothelium, mICAM-1 is necessary for normal leukocyte recruitment during acute inflammation. On alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), we have shown previously that the presence of normal mICAM-1 is essential for optimal alveolar macrophage (AM) function. We have also shown that ICAM-1 is present in the alveolar space as a soluble protein that is likely produced through cleavage of mICAM-1. Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) is abundantly present in the alveolar lining fluid of the normal lung and could be generated by proteolytic cleavage of mICAM-1, which is highly expressed on type I AECs. Although a growing body of data suggesting that intravascular sICAM-1 has functional effects, little is known about sICAM-1 in the alveolus. We hypothesized that sICAM-1 in the alveolar space modulates the innate immune response and alters the response to pulmonary infection. Methods Using the surfactant protein C (SPC) promoter, we developed a transgenic mouse (SPC-sICAM-1) that constitutively overexpresses sICAM-1 in the distal lung, and compared the responses of wild-type and SPC-sICAM-1 mice following intranasal inoculation with K. pneumoniae. Results SPC-sICAM-1 mice demonstrated increased mortality and increased systemic dissemination of organisms compared with wild-type mice. We also found that inflammatory responses were significantly increased in SPC-sICAM-1 mice compared with wild-type mice but there were no difference in lung CFU between groups. Conclusions We conclude that alveolar sICAM-1 modulates pulmonary inflammation. Manipulating ICAM-1 interactions therapeutically may modulate the host response to Gram negative pulmonary infections.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112728/1/12931_2010_Article_1038.pd

Imaginal Discs – A New Source of Chromosomes for Genome Mapping of the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti

Dengue fever is an emerging health threat to as much as half of the human population around the world. No vaccines or drug treatments are currently available. Thus, disease prevention is largely based on efforts to control its major mosquito vector Ae. aegypti. Novel vector control strategies, such as population replacement with pathogen-incompetent transgenic mosquitoes, rely on detailed knowledge of the genome organization for the mosquito. However, the current genome assembly of Ae. aegypti is highly fragmented and requires additional physical mapping onto chromosomes. The absence of readable polytene chromosomes makes genome mapping for this mosquito extremely challenging. In this study, we discovered and investigated a new source of chromosomes useful for the cytogenetic analysis in Ae. aegypti – mitotic chromosomes from imaginal discs of 4th instar larvae. Using natural banding patterns of these chromosomes, we developed a new band-based approach for physical mapping of DNA probes to the precise chromosomal positions. Further application of this approach for genome mapping will greatly enhance the utility of the existing draft genome sequence assembly for Ae. aegypti and thereby facilitate application of advanced genome technologies for investigating and developing novel genetic control strategies for dengue transmission