Rapid Tooling Method for Soft Customized Removable Oral Appliances

Traditionally oral appliances i.e. removable orthodontic appliances, bite splints and snoring / sleep apnea appliances are made with alginate impressions and wax registrations. Our aim was to describe the process of manufacturing customized oral appliances with a new technique i.e. rapid tooling method. The appliance should ideally be custom made to match the teeth. An orthodontic patient, scheduled for conventional orthodontic treatment, served as a study subject. After a precise clinical and radiographic examination, the approach was to digitize the patient’s dental arches and then to correct them virtually by computer. Additive manufacturing was then used to fabricate a mould for a soft customized appliance. The mould was manufactured using stereolithography from Somos ProtoGen O-XT 18420 material. Casting material for the mould to obtain the final appliance was silicone. As a result we managed to create a customized soft orthodontic appliance. Also, the accuracy of the method was found to be adequate. Two versions of the described device were manufactured: one with small and one with moderate orthodontic force. The study person also gave information on the subjective patient adaptation aspects of the oral appliance

Glycaemic control, disease duration and beta-cell function in patients with Type 2 diabetes in a Swedish community. Skaraborg Hypertension and Diabetes Project.

AimsTo examine determinants for glycaemic control in primary care patients with Type 2 diabetes. MethodsIn a community-based surveillance of primary care patients with Type 2 diabetes, 190 men and 186 women were consecutively identified and examined for cardiovascular risk factors. Insulin resistance and beta-cell function were estimated using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Good glycaemic control was defined as HbA1c = 6.5% was associated with duration of diabetes (10.6 vs. 6.4 years, P = 6.5% by 5 years diabetes duration = 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-2.1) but was lost following additional adjustment for beta-cell function (OR for HbA1c>= 6.5% = 1.3; 95% CI 0.96-1.7). In a separate linear regression with beta-cell function as the dependent variable there was a significant association with HbA1c after adjustments for differences in age, gender, WHR, serum triglyceride levels and diabetes duration (P < 0.001). ConclusionsIncreasing HbA1c by time was associated with declining beta-cell function

Em-‘powering' niche innovations: learning from cycling inequalities

This paper aims to situate power in ‘niche innovations’ through an investigation of cycling inequalities in the city of Birmingham. Much research has focused on the sustainability and innovation potential of cycling. However, debates usually revolve around the power relations between cycling and the dominant automobility regime, thus ignoring the possible inequalities embedded within niches. This paper aims to contribute to such analyses by unfolding the multiple inequalities and relations of exclusion that can be embedded in the practice of cycling. Drawing on Mobilities research for the EPSRC Liveable Cities programme, it focuses on the car-dependent city of Birmingham, in order to explore cycling as a practice with various socio-material, infrastructural, political and economic entanglements that can embed, reproduce or generate new socio-spatial inequalities, processes of gentrification and immobilities. Through such analysis, this paper aims to situate power in examining niche innovations. However, it also aims to underline that understanding and addressing such inequalities are central for not only locating cycling in the centre of developing a more sustainable mobility future, but also enabling a more sustainable future for cycling itself

Genome-wide association scan meta-analysis identifies three Loci influencing adiposity and fat distribution.

To identify genetic loci influencing central obesity and fat distribution, we performed a meta-analysis of 16 genome-wide association studies (GWAS, N = 38,580) informative for adult waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). We selected 26 SNPs for follow-up, for which the evidence of association with measures of central adiposity (WC and/or WHR) was strong and disproportionate to that for overall adiposity or height. Follow-up studies in a maximum of 70,689 individuals identified two loci strongly associated with measures of central adiposity; these map near TFAP2B (WC, P = 1.9x10(-11)) and MSRA (WC, P = 8.9x10(-9)). A third locus, near LYPLAL1, was associated with WHR in women only (P = 2.6x10(-8)). The variants near TFAP2B appear to influence central adiposity through an effect on overall obesity/fat-mass, whereas LYPLAL1 displays a strong female-only association with fat distribution. By focusing on anthropometric measures of central obesity and fat distribution, we have identified three loci implicated in the regulation of human adiposity

Effects of work ability and health promoting interventions for women with musculoskeletal symptoms: A 9-month prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Women working in the public human service sector in 'overstrained' situations run the risk of musculoskeletal symptoms and long-term sick leave. In order to maintain the level of health and work ability and strengthen the potential resources for health, it is important that employees gain greater control over decisions and actions affecting their health – a process associated with the concept of self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of a self-efficacy intervention and an ergonomic education intervention for women with musculoskeletal symptoms, employed in the public sector.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The design of the study was a 9-month prospective study describing the effects of two interventions, a comprehensive self-efficacy intervention (<it>n </it>= 21) and an ergonomic education intervention (<it>n </it>= 21). Data were obtained by a self-report questionnaire on health- and work ability-related factors at baseline, and at ten weeks and nine months follow-up. Within-group differences over time were analysed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over the time period studied there were small magnitudes of improvements within each group. Within the self-efficacy intervention group positive effects in perceived work ability were shown. The ergonomic education group showed increased positive beliefs about future work ability and a more frequent use of pain coping strategies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both interventions showed positive effects on women with musculoskeletal symptoms, but in different ways. Future research in this area should tailor interventions to participants' motivation and readiness to change.</p

Rethinking the learning space at work and beyond: The achievement of agency across the boundaries of work-related spaces and environments

This paper focuses on the notion of the learning space at work and discusses the extent to which its different configurations allow employees to exercise personal agency within a range of learning spaces. Although the learning space at work is already the subject of extensive research, the continuous development of the learning society and the development of new types of working spaces calls for further research to advance our knowledge and understanding of the ways that individuals exercise agency and learn in the workplace. Research findings suggest that the current perception of workplace learning is strongly related to the notion of the learning space, in which individuals and teams work, learn and develop their skills. The perception of the workplace as a site only for work-specific training is gradually changing, as workplaces are now acknowledged as sites for learning in various configurations, and as contributing to the personal development and social engagement of employees. This paper argues that personal agency is constructed in the workplace, and this process involves active interrelations between agency and three dimensions of the workplace (individual, spatial and organisational), identified through both empirical and theoretical research. The discussion is supported by data from two research projects on workplace learning in the United Kingdom. This paper thus considers how different configurations of the learning space and the boundaries between a range of work-related spaces facilitate the achievement of personal agency

New genetic loci implicated in fasting glucose homeostasis and their impact on type 2 diabetes risk.

Levels of circulating glucose are tightly regulated. To identify new loci influencing glycemic traits, we performed meta-analyses of 21 genome-wide association studies informative for fasting glucose, fasting insulin and indices of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in up to 46,186 nondiabetic participants. Follow-up of 25 loci in up to 76,558 additional subjects identified 16 loci associated with fasting glucose and HOMA-B and two loci associated with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. These include nine loci newly associated with fasting glucose (in or near ADCY5, MADD, ADRA2A, CRY2, FADS1, GLIS3, SLC2A2, PROX1 and C2CD4B) and one influencing fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (near IGF1). We also demonstrated association of ADCY5, PROX1, GCK, GCKR and DGKB-TMEM195 with type 2 diabetes. Within these loci, likely biological candidate genes influence signal transduction, cell proliferation, development, glucose-sensing and circadian regulation. Our results demonstrate that genetic studies of glycemic traits can identify type 2 diabetes risk loci, as well as loci containing gene variants that are associated with a modest elevation in glucose levels but are not associated with overt diabetes

Outcome of Occupational Latex Allergy—Work Ability and Quality of Life

OBJECTIVE: The quality of life (QOL) and work ability of health care workers allergic to natural rubber latex (NRL) were assessed after implementation of regulations on powder-free NRL gloves in Germany. METHODS: 196 HCW with reported NRL allergy answered a questionnaire (response rate 58%) containing the Work Ability Index (WAI), Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). RESULTS: 63.2% still had NRL-related symptoms during the last 6 month. However on a scale from 0 to 10, the intensity of NRL-related symptoms decreased from 8.5 before to 2.3 after implementation of regulations on powder-free NRL gloves. A higher number of subjects were able to avoid NRL in the private than in the work environment (85% vs. 61%). NRL-related symptoms decreased and WAI increased with successful avoidance of NRL at workplace (b = 0.23, p = 0.003). QOL was only little affected by NRL allergy (mean: MiniAQLQ = 6.0; DLQI = 4.1). CONCLUSIONS: Although there was improvement after implementation of powder-free NRL gloves, there is still a considerable number of HCW with NRL-related symptoms. Further investigations on latex avoidance and the cause of persisiting allergic symptoms in HCW with NRL allergy are therefore needed

Becoming a special educator – Finnish and Swedish students' views of their future profession

Peer reviewe