Monolithic zirconia crowns in the aesthetic zone in heavy grinders with severe tooth wear – An observational case-series

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction with monolithic zirconia crowns in patients with severe tooth wear (≥1/3 of the tooth crown) in the aesthetic zone. Methods The historical prospective study sample consisted of 13 patients previously treated with a total of 84 monolithic zirconia crowns. The patients had been treated in a private clinic in Bergen, Norway, in the period 2012 to 2014. All patients were men, aged 35–67 years (mean age 56.3 years) and had been in need of prosthetic rehabilitation because of severe tooth wear in the aesthetic zone. Technical complications as well as biologic findings were registered when the crowns had been in function one to three years (mean 20 months). The patients completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding satisfaction with aesthetic and function. Results No biological complications were registered in 79 of the crowns (94%), and technical complications were registered in only two patients. All patients were satisfied with the aesthetic and function of the monolithic zirconia crowns and would choose the same treatment modality if they were to be treated again. Conclusions Within the limitations of this study, we conclude that the rate of clinical complications was low and that the patients were satisfied with the aesthetic as well as the function of the monolithic zirconia crowns. Clinical significance Monolithic zirconia crowns may provide a valid treatment modality in the aesthetic zone in patients with severe tooth wear.publishedVersio

Smartphone-Bases Reality Capture for Subsurface Utilities:Experiences from water utility companies in Denmark

Inaccurate and inconsistent documentation of subsurface utilities is a reoccurring problem in the construction industry affecting not only the end-users, but all actors involved in designing, constructing, and maintaining pipes, cables and other utilities hidden underground. In this study, a new method for 3D capturing of subsurface utilities, based on a newly developed Smartphone-based Reality Capture (RC) solution is explored. The research was divided into two parts. Firstly a testing of the method accuracy and secondly, an investigation of the usability of the method. The research results firstly showed that the RC solution is a feasible surveying method, that facilitate capturing of as-built utility assets, which can be used as a supporting tool to conventional surveying methods or alone, as the testing showed an accuracy of ±5 cm for the generated point clouds. Secondly the usability testing revealed that the RC solution benefited the utility owners by allowing time-savings on construction projects, as well as generating visual-realistic 3D models of exposed subsurface utilities to be used for quality assurance and planning of future utility work

Four cases on market orientation of value chains in agribusiness and fisheries

This working paper presents results from the project ‘Supra-company level determinants of degree of market orientation of value chains in agriculture and fisheries’, which is carried out in cooperation between MAPP – Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food Sector, Aarhus School of Business, Denmark, the Norwegian College of Fisheries Science, University of Tromsø, Norway, and the Department of Marketing, University of Stirling, Scotland. It has benefited from grants from the Danish Social Science Research Council and from the Norwegian Research Council. The present working paper is the ‘long’ version of the empirical work in the first major phase of the project, where we study four examples of food value chains to get insight into their degree of market orientation and possible determinants. The insights gained here have been used in subsequent empirical work that is currently underwayMarket orientation;

The Argentinian mother-and-child contaminant study: a cross-sectional study among delivering women in the cities of Ushuaia and Salta

Source at https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2017.1364598 .Several ongoing international multidisciplinary projects have examined linkages between environmental chemicals and health. In contrast to Arctic regions, information for the Southern Hemisphere is scarce. Because of the inherent practice of pesticide utilisation and mismanagement, food security is potentially threatened. The most vulnerable period in human life occurs during pregnancy and early childhood, thus a focus on the body burdens of PTS in pregnant or delivering women is warranted. The current study was designed to investigate health risks related to exposure to PTS and food security in two regions of Argentina (Ushuaia and Salta). Our aims were to quantify concentrations of organic and inorganic toxins in serum or whole blood of delivering women and to collect pertinent dietary and medical information. The overall study design, the basic demographic features and essential clinical chemistry findings are described in the current paper. The socioeconomic differences between the two study areas were evident. On average, the women in Ushuaia were 4 years older than those in Salta (28.8 vs. 24.7 years). Respectively, the proportion of current smokers was 4.5 vs. 9.6%; and Salta had a higher birth rate, with 15.6% being para four or more. Saltanean women reported longer breastfeeding periods. Caesarean sections were more frequent in Ushuaia, with 43% of Caesarean deliveries compared with only 6% in Salta. Employment was high in both communities. Recognised environmental pollution sources in the vicinity of participant dwellings were widespread in Salta (56.1%) compared to Ushuaia (9%). The use of pesticides for insect control in homes was most common in Salta (80%). There is an urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of exposures in areas of the Southern Hemisphere. Our data set and the planned publications of observed concentrations of inorganic and organic environmental contaminants in both mothers and their newborns will contribute to this objective

Maternal Blood Levels of Toxic and Essential Elements and Birth Outcomes in Argentina: The EMASAR Study

Pregnant women’s levels of toxic and essential minerals have been linked to birth outcomes yet have not been adequately investigated in South America. In Argentina, n = 696 maternal whole blood samples from Ushuaia (n = 198) and Salta (n = 498) were collected in 2011–2012 among singleton women at 36 ± 12 h postpartum and analyzed for blood concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn). This study examined the associations between maternal elements levels and birth outcomes, and sociodemographic factors contributing to elements levels. Maternal age, parity, body mass index, smoking, and education were linked to concentrations of some but not all elements. In adjusted models, one ln-unit increase in Pb levels was associated with increased gestational age (0.2 weeks, 95% CI = 0.01–0.48) and decreased birth weight (−88.90 g, 95% CI = −173.69 to −4.11) and birth length (−0.46 cm, 95% CI = −0.85 to −0.08) in the Salta sample. Toxic elements concentrations were not associated with birth outcomes in Ushuaia participants. Birth outcomes are multifactorial problems, and these findings provide a foundation for understanding how the body burden of toxic and essential elements, within the socioeconomic context, may influence birth outcomes

Daily intake of cod or salmon for 2 weeks decreases the 18:1n-9/18:0 ratio and serum triacylglycerols in healthy subjects

Intake of fish and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids is associated with a reduced concentration of plasma triacylglycerols (TAG) but the mechanisms are not fully clarified. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) activity, governing TAG synthesis, is affected by n-3 fatty acids. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) display expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. The aim of the present study was to estimate whether intake of lean and fatty fish would influence n-3 fatty acids composition in plasma phospholipids (PL), serum TAG, 18:1n-9/18:0 ratio in plasma PL, as well as PBMC gene expression of SCD1 and fatty acid synthase (FAS). Healthy males and females (n = 30), aged 20–40, consumed either 150 g of cod, salmon, or potato (control) daily for 15 days. During intervention docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) increased in the cod group (P\0.05), while TAG concentration decreased (P\0.05). In the salmon group both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and DHA increased (P\0.05) whereas TAG concentration and the 18:1n-9/ 18:0 ratio decreased (P\0.05). Reduction of the 18:1n-9/ 18:0 ratio was associated with a corresponding lowering of TAG (P\0.05) and an increase in EPA and DHA (P\0.05). The mRNA levels of SCD1 and FAS in PBMC were not significantly altered after intake of cod or salmon when compared with the control group. In conclusion, both lean and fatty fish may lower TAG, possibly by reducing the 18:1n-9/18:0 ratio related to allosteric inhibition of SCD1 activity, rather than by influencing the synthesis of enzyme protei

Roughness of Crack Interfaces in Two-Dimensional Beam Lattices

The roughness of crack interfaces is reported in quasistatic fracture, using an elastic network of beams with random breaking thresholds. For strong disorders we obtain 0.86(3) for the roughness exponent, a result which is very different from the minimum energy surface exponent, i.e., the value 2/3. A cross-over to lower values is observed as the disorder is reduced, the exponent in these cases being strongly dependent on the disorder.Comment: 9 pages, RevTeX, 3 figure

Patient-reported outcome measures after hip fracture in patients with chronic cognitive impairment: results from 34.675 patients in the Norwegian Hip Fracture Register

Aims: Hip fracture patients have high morbidity and mortality. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) assess the quality of care of patients with hip fracture, including those with chronic cognitive impairment (CCI). Our aim was to compare PROMs from hip fracture patients with and without CCI, using the Norwegian Hip Fracture Register (NHFR). Methods: PROM questionnaires at four months (n = 34,675) and 12 months (n = 24,510) after a hip fracture reported from 2005 to 2018 were analyzed. Pre-injury score was reported in the four-month questionnaire. The questionnaires included the EuroQol five-dimension three-level (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire, and information about who completed the questionnaire. Results: Of the 34,675 included patients, 5,643 (16%) had CCI. Patients with CCI were older (85 years vs 81 years) (p < 0.001), and had a higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification compared to patients without CCI. CCI was unrelated to fracture type and treatment method. EQ-5D index scores were lower in patients with CCI after four months (0.37 vs 0.60; p < 0.001) and 12 months (0.39 vs 0.64; p < 0.001). Patients with CCI had lower scores for all dimensions of the EQ-5D-3L pre-fracture and at four and 12 months. Conclusion: Patients with CCI reported lower health-related quality of life pre-fracture, at four and 12 months after the hip fracture. PROM data from hip fracture patients with CCI are valuable in the assessment of treatment. Patients with CCI should be included in future studies.publishedVersio

Modelling the effect of hydropeaking‐induced stranding mortality on Atlantic salmon population abundance

Studies of hydropeaking‐induced stranding mortality on fish populations have been confined to analysis of empirical data and/or short‐term hydraulic‐habitat modelling of individual events and are thus limited as to how they may be used to infer long‐term effects in fish populations. In this study, the effects of stranding mortality on an Atlantic salmon population were simulated using an individual‐based Atlantic salmon population model with the objective of determining the sensitivity of population dynamics to stranding. It was found that density‐dependent mortality (an alternative source of mortality in juvenile Atlantic salmon) partially compensated for stranding mortality, acting as a negative feedback mechanism that dampened change in population abundance. Stranding caused a perturbation in population dynamics, and effects of individual stranding events persisted in time across the life stages of the population. Effects on population abundance depended on the time of year when stranding was applied, both because of intra‐annual changes in stranding mortality probability and because of intra‐annual changes in the ability of density‐dependent mortality to compensate for stranding mortality. We concluded that empirical measurements of stranding mortality have limited potential for inference of overall effects on the population, and a more dynamic modelling approach, incorporating system feedback, allows for a better modelling of the impact of stranding. Sensitivity analysis showed that population abundance was highly sensitive to density‐dependent mortality, and we suggest that this area should be prioritized for further research when investigating the effects of hydropeaking on rivers.acceptedVersio

Plasma linoleic acid levels and cardiovascular risk factors:results from the Norwegian ACE 1950 Study

Background A high intake of linoleic acid (LA), the major dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), has previously been associated with reduced cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in observational studies. However, recent secondary analyses from clinical trials of LA-rich diet suggest harmful effects of LA on CV health. Methods A total of 3706 participants, all born in 1950, were included in this cross-sectional study. We investigated associations between plasma phospholipid levels of LA and CV risk factors in a Norwegian general population, characterized by a relative low LA and high marine n-3 PUFA intake. The main statistical approach was multivariable linear regression. Results Plasma phospholipid LA levels ranged from 11.4 to 32.0 wt%, with a median level of 20.8 wt% (interquartile range 16.8–24.8 wt%). High plasma LA levels were associated with lower serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (standardized regression coefficient [Std. β-coeff.] −0.04, p = 0.02), serum triglycerides (Std. β-coeff. −0.10, p < 0.001), fasting plasma glucose (Std. β-coeff. −0.10, p < 0.001), body mass index (Std. β-coeff. −0.13, p < 0.001), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (Std. β-coeff. −0.04, p = 0.03 and Std. β-coeff. −0.02, p = 0.02, respectively) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (Std. β-coeff. −0.09, p < 0.001). We found no association between plasma LA levels and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, glycated hemoglobin, carotid intima-media thickness, or C-reactive protein. Conclusion High plasma LA levels were favorably associated with several CV risk factors in this study of a Norwegian general population