Various Supports for Low-Income Families Reduce Poverty and Have Long-Term Positive Effects On Families and Children

Since the Great Depression, the United States has developed a set of supports to help low-income families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities make ends meet and obtain health care. Extensive research indicates that these supports lift millions of Americans out of poverty, help "make work pay" by supplementing low wages, and enable millions of Americans to receive health care who otherwise could not afford it. To be sure, the United States still has a higher poverty rate than many other advanced countries, and many Americans reach adulthood without the tools they need to succeed in the workforce. Various programs and policies, especially in areas such as job training and education, could be reformed and strengthened. But the claim that advocates of shrinking government sometimes make that public efforts to reduce poverty and hardship have failed is belied by the evidence

Ghost cells in compound odontoma: a study of undemineralized material

Calcifications and ghost cells at the enamel surface or in the ameloblastic epithelium were studied in twelve odontomas using undemineralized material.Calcified material formed focally in the intercellular portion of the enamel epithelium: this material showed a concentric layers arrangement.Ghost cells were present in most of the odontomas.These ghost cells were epithelial cells which enlarged, became eosiniphilic and underwent an aberrant type of keratinization with the formation of large masses of keratin, that didn’t stain as deeply as normal keratin. These cells often showed karyolysis of the nucleus as keratinization progressed. Frequent was the appearance of dystrophic calcifications in individual cells or clusters of cells, characterized by extremely fine basophilic granularity. The outlines of these keratinized cells could often still be discerned, even if with some difficulty.Les calcifications et les cellules fantômes à la surface de l’émail ou dans l’épithélium améloblastique ont été étudiées dans 12 odontomes en utilisant du matériel non décaldfié.Le matériel calcifié est formé focalement dans les portions intercellulaires de l'épithélium de l'émail: ce matériel montre un agencement en couches concentriques.Les cellules fantômes sont présentes dans la plupart des odontomes. Ces cellules fantômes sont des cellules épithéliales qui augmentent de taille, deviennent éosinophiles et subissent un type aberrant de kératinisation avec formation de larges masses de kératine qui ne se colorent pas aussi intensément que la kératine normale. Ces cellules montrent souvent une karyolyse du noyau au fur et à mesure de la progression de la kératinisation. Il était fréquent de rencontrer l’apparition de calcifications dystrophiques dans des cellules isolées ou en îlots, caractérisées par des granulations basophiles extrêmement fines. Les contours de ces cellules kératinisées peuvent être encore souvent discernés, quoique avec certaines difficultés

Light and Laser Scanning Microscopy analysis of hydroxyapatite used in periodontal osseous defects in man: evidence of a different resorption pattern in bone and soft tissues

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a highly biocompatible material that recently has been shown to undergo biodegradation. The mechanisms of this phenomenon are unclear, and humoral and cellular events have been thought to be implicated. In the present study HA particles were put into infraosseous defects on teeth that were to be extracted for prosthetic reasons and then retrieved after a 1 year period. The specimens were processed with the cutting grinding system. Results show a very sharp difference of the biodegradation processes, related to the tissues that surround the HA particles. HA in tight contact with mineralized bone showed no evidence of degradation or resorption, while on the contrary, in the areas where bone loose connective tissue was present, it was possible to observe HA crystals detached and scattered in cells cytoplasm or extracellular fluids. This dissolution and resorption phenomenon were observed also by Laser Scanning Microscope (LSM) in fluorescent mode. These differences in degrees of degradation between bone and loose connective tissue could be due to the small amount of interstitial fluid present in mineralized bone and the greater flow of fluid through connective tissue.L’hydroxyapatite (HA) est un matériel hautement biocompatible qui s’est révélé récemment capable de subir une biodégradation. Le mécanisme de ce phénomène n’est pas clair, et semble impliquer une particination humorale et cellulaire. Notre recherche a porté sur la mise en place de particules d’HA dans des défects intraosseux en rapport avec des dents qui doivent être extraites pour des raisons prothésiques, et sur leur etude suite à leur ablation un an après. Les résultats ont démontré des différences marquées dans le processus de dégradation en rapport avec les tissus qui entourent l’HA. Les particules d’HA qui sont en contact avec l’os minéralisé ne présentent pas de signes de dégradation ou de résorption, tandis que dans les régions où du tissu conjonctif était présent, il est possible d’observer des cristaux d’HA détachés et dispersés dans le cytoplasme des cellules et dans le liquide extracellulaire. Ces phénomènes de dissolution et de résorption ont été également étudiés au Microscope Electronique à Balayage au Laser en fluorescence. Ces différences dans le degré de dégradation observés dans l’os et dans le tissu conjonctif lâche pourraient être dues à la faible quantité de liquide interstitiel dans l’os minéralisé et à la quantité plus grande de flux liquidien dans le tissu conjonctif

From the 1996 Welfare Law to the Great Recession: Essays on the Effect of Safety Net Changes on Employment and Income Trends

The United States safety net has undergone significant changes over the last three decades. In the early 1990s the Earned Income Tax Credit was expanded. The 1996 welfare law dramatically reduced access to cash assistance. SNAP (formerly food stamps) declined in the aftermath of the 1996 welfare law but rebounded during the 2000s. This dissertation analyzes how these safety net changes have affected the employment trends of single mothers and the income trends of families with children. The first essay examines different ways of measuring how cash assistance changed after the 1996 law. It reviews previous approaches and introduces two measures that meet the objectives of capturing the benefit level and accessibility of a safety net program independent of economic conditions and allowing for variation by year, state, and family size. The essay concludes by discussing how this methodology can be adapted to measure changes in SNAP and EITC policies. The second essay examines the employment trends of single mothers. The descriptive analysis shows how single mothers with the least educational attainment and those with the youngest children increased their employment the most between 1992 and 1999. The econometric analysis uses the safety net measures developed in the first essay to analyze the effect of safety net changes on the employment of single mothers. It finds that the EITC accounted for 36 percent of the employment increase among single mothers with a high school education or less between 1992 and 1999. The economy accounted for 20 percent, changes in cash assistance for 10 percent, and SNAP changes for 4 percent. The third essay examines how the level and composition of incomes of families with children changed between 1993 and 2012. These data show how the safety net has become more focused on supporting families with earnings and less helpful to families during periods of joblessness. Changes in the safety net drove a 16 percent decline in post-tax post-transfer family income of the poorest five percent of children between 1995 and 2005. The paper concludes by looking at the characteristics of children at different points in the income distribution

Clodronate combined with a surfactant (Tween 20) does not improve osseointegration: a rabbit immunohistomorphometric study.

Biphosphonates are compounds that inhibit bone reabsorption mediated by osteoclasts or the progression of periodontal disease independent on the host response to pathogenic bacteria that colonize the tooth surface. The use of biphosphonates in oral implantology is still in the experimental stage. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a non-aminobiphosphonate combined with a surfactant to increase the ability of the drug to link to the implant and bone surfaces in the development of osseointegration in rabbits. Smooth titanium implants were devised to be used on rabbit femurs. A topical administration of clodronate combined with the surfactant (Tween 20) at different concentrations was made on the implant surface and in the implant site to increase the bone and implant adhesiveness. Placebo was given to the control group. New Zealand rabbits were used and sacrificed by CO2 after 8 weeks from the implantations. A histologic and histo-morphometric analysis was carried out. Results did not show significant difference between the tests and the placebo groups. Our data are different from other similar studies obtaining statistically significant differences. These differences could depend on the efficacy of the drug used and on the procedure of application of the drug on the implant. This study demonstrates poor efficacy of clodronate applied topically to the implant and implant site during surgery to increase the percentage of osseointegration in the implant. Further studies using different fixation techniques of the drug may be necessary to confirm the present data

Pharmacologic modulation of clodronate in local therapy of periodontal and implant inflammation.

Bisphosphonates are drugs used in the treatment of a variety of osteometabolic diseases. Recently they have been the object of research and studies on their potential application in dentistry and orthopedics. In particular, clodronate (non-aminobisphosphonates) has been studied, due to its reversible activity in comparison to apoptotic osteoclasts, the intrinsic action which stimulates the differentiation and activity of the osteoblasts, their antinflammatory activity, antipain and antioxidant action, represent the rational to estimate their clinical efficacy, for local use in dentistry, implatology, orthopaedic, rheumatology, oncology and dermatology

Autologous tooth graft after endodontical treated used for socket preservation: A multicenter clinical study.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the tooth extracted use as autologous tooth graft after endodontic root canal therapies used for socket preservation. To this purpose, the Tooth Transformer shredding and decontamination machine has been used. The graft obtained in this way, was inserted at the time of the extraction or at a second surgery altogether with the chosen regenerative therapy. This clinical trial enrolled patients with post-estractive defects requiring the restoration bone dimension and shape in the maxillary and mandibular zone. In addition, 98 patients with 119 extraction sockets were enrolled across 10 standardized centers. An innovative preparation method, using the dedicated automated device Tooth Transformer, able to transform autologous teeth in suitable grafting material, has been used. The extracted tooth was cleaned and treated using a Tooth Transformer and made a socket preservation. Thirteen Biopsies were realized to analyze the histologic outcomes at the average time of four months to demonstrate that the autologous tooth graft made from root after endodontic therapy should be used in human bone regeneration as graft for dental implant placement

Repair of large sinus membrane perforations using stabilized collagen barrier membranes : surgical techniques with histologic and radiographic evidence of success

The most frequent intraoperative complication with sinus elevation is perforation of the schneiderian membrane. In most instances, the repair of this perforation is necessary to contain particulate grafting material and complete the procedure. New techniques are presented here for the management of large perforations of the schneiderian membrane. A bioabsorbable collagen membrane is stabilized outside the antrostomy and then folded inward to create either a new superior wall that can obliterate a large perforation or a “pouch” that can completely contain the particulate material. This can make it possible to complete a procedure that otherwise may have had to be aborted by preventing dispersion of the particulate graft within the sinus cavity. Clinical cases are shown, along with follow-up at 6 to 9 months, demonstrating histologic and/or radiographic evidence of success, continued sinus health, and superior vital bone formation. The authors have used this technique on 20 consecutive patients without experiencing any procedural failures