Designing Public Transport To Foster Patronage And Social Inclusion

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Does Fluoride in Compomers Prevent Future Caries in Children?

Compomer restorations release fluoride to help prevent future caries. We tested the hypothesis that compomer is associated with fewer future caries compared with amalgam. The five-year New England Children’s Amalgam Trial recruited 534 children aged 6-10 yrs with ≥ 2 carious posterior teeth. Children were randomized to receive compomer or amalgam restorations in primary posterior teeth, placed with a fluoride-releasing bonding agent. The association between restorative material and future caries was assessed by survival analysis. Average follow-up of restorations (N = 1085 compomer, 954 amalgams) was 2.8 ± 1.4 yrs in 441 children. No significant difference between materials was found in the rate of new caries on different surfaces of the same tooth. Incident caries on other teeth appeared slightly more quickly after placement of compomer restorations (p = 0.007), but the difference was negligible after 5 yrs. Under the conditions of this trial, we found no preventive benefit to fluoride-releasing compomer compared with amalgam

Technical Report: Correlation Between the Repair of Cartilage and Subchondral Bone in an Osteochondral Defect Using Bilayered, Biodegradable Hydrogel Composites

Contains fulltext : 152781.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The present work investigated correlations between cartilage and subchondral bone repair, facilitated by a growth factor-delivering scaffold, in a rabbit osteochondral defect model. Histological scoring indices and microcomputed tomography morphological parameters were used to evaluate cartilage and bone repair, respectively, at 6 and 12 weeks. Correlation analysis revealed significant associations between specific cartilage indices and subchondral bone parameters that varied with location in the defect (cortical vs. trabecular region), time point (6 vs. 12 weeks), and experimental group (insulin-like growth factor-1 only, bone morphogenetic protein-2 only, or both growth factors). In particular, significant correlations consistently existed between cartilage surface regularity and bone quantity parameters. Overall, correlation analysis between cartilage and bone repair provided a fuller understanding of osteochondral repair and can help drive informed studies for future osteochondral regeneration strategies

Osteochondral defect repair using bilayered hydrogels encapsulating both chondrogenically and osteogenically pre-differentiated mesenchymal stem cells in a rabbit model

Contains fulltext : 136446.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ability of cell-laden bilayered hydrogels encapsulating chondrogenically and osteogenically (OS) pre-differentiated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to effect osteochondral defect repair in a rabbit model. By varying the period of chondrogenic pre-differentiation from 7 (CG7) to 14 days (CG14), the effect of chondrogenic differentiation stage on osteochondral tissue repair was also investigated. METHODS: Rabbit MSCs were subjected to either chondrogenic or osteogenic pre-differentiation, encapsulated within respective chondral/subchondral layers of a bilayered hydrogel construct, and then implanted into femoral condyle osteochondral defects. Rabbits were randomized into one of four groups (MSC/MSC, MSC/OS, CG7/OS, and CG14/OS; chondral/subchondral) and received two similar constructs bilaterally. Defects were evaluated after 12 weeks. RESULTS: All groups exhibited similar overall neo-tissue filling. The delivery of OS cells when compared to undifferentiated MSCs in the subchondral construct layer resulted in improvements in neo-cartilage thickness and regularity. However, the addition of CG cells in the chondral layer, with OS cells in the subchondral layer, did not augment tissue repair as influenced by the latter when compared to the control. Instead, CG7/OS implants resulted in more irregular neo-tissue surfaces when compared to MSC/OS implants. Notably, the delivery of CG7 cells, when compared to CG14 cells, with OS cells stimulated morphologically superior cartilage repair. However, neither osteogenic nor chondrogenic pre-differentiation affected detectable changes in subchondral tissue repair. CONCLUSIONS: Cartilage regeneration in osteochondral defects can be enhanced by MSCs that are chondrogenically and osteogenically pre-differentiated prior to implantation. Longer chondrogenic pre-differentiation periods, however, lead to diminished cartilage repair

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference Panel statement: management of hepatitis C

The objective of this article is to provide health care providers, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of current available methods to diagnose, treat, and manage hepatitis C. A non-Federal, non-advocate, 12-member panel representing the fields of general internal medicine, hepatology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, medical ethics, transfusion medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics, and the public participated. In addition, 25 experts from these same fields presented data to the panel and a conference audience of 1,600. The literature was searched through Medline, and an extensive bibliography of references was provided to the panel and the conference audience. Experts prepared abstracts with relevant citations from the literature. Scientific evidence was given precedence over clinical anecdotal experience. The panel, answering predefined questions, developed their conclusions based on the scientific evidence presented in open forum and the scientific literature. The panel composed a draft statement that was read in its entirety and circulated to the experts and the audience for comment. Thereafter, the panel resolved conflicting recommendations and released a revised statement at the end of the conference. The panel finalized the revisions within a few weeks after conference. Hepatitis C is a common infection with variable course that can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The course of illness may be adversely affected by various factors, especially alcohol consumption. Therefore, more than one drink per day is strongly discouraged in patients with hepatitis C, and abstinence from alcohol is recommended. Initial therapy with interferon alfa (or equivalent) should be 3 million units three times per week for 12 months. Patients not responding to therapy after 3 months should not receive further treatment with interferon alone, but should be considered for combination therapy of interferon and ribavirin or for enrollment in investigational studies. Individuals infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) should not donate blood, organs, tissues, or semen. Safe sexual practices, including the use of latex condoms, is strongly encouraged for individuals with multiple sexual partners. Expansion of needle exchange programs should be considered in an effort to reduce the rate of transmission of hepatitis C among injection drug users