Longitudinal interrelationships between dental fear and dental attendance among adult Finns in 2000-2011

Objectives: The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate causal pathways among as well as interrelationships between changes in dental fear and dental attendance in a nationally representative sample of adult Finns aged 19 years or older in 2000, with 11 years of follow‐up.Methods: Data from the Health 2000 and 2011 Surveys (BRIF8901) in Finland were used. The Health 2000 survey used a stratified two‐stage cluster sampling design (N=9742). Of the participants in 2000, 7964 were eligible and invited to participate in 2011. Of the participants in 2011 (n=5806), 3,631 (63%) responded to both dental fear and attendance questions in both years. Both fear and attendance were assessed using single questions and dichotomized. The background variables included were age, gender and education. Path analysis and logistic regression models were used.Results: Dental fear led to nonhabitual use of dental services rather than vice versa (−0.07 to 0.04 vs. 0.00). When confounders were considered, in both age groups (29‐39 years and 40+ years) an increase in fear predicted nonhabitual dental attendance. This association was stronger among the younger age group (OR = 4.91) than among those aged 40 years and older (OR = 2.88). Among the younger age group, improved dental fear decreased the risk of nonhabitual dental attendance (OR = 0.16), while among older age group, stable fear increased the risk of nonhabitual dental attendance (OR = 2.33).Conclusions: Dental fear causes nonhabitual dental attendance, and decreasing dental fear increases habitual attendance. Oral health personnel should adapt measures to prevent and treat dental fear.</p

Outcome of Chair-Side Dental Fear Treatment: Long-Term Follow-Up in Public Health Setting

Aim. Purpose of this practice and data-based study was to evaluate the outcome of dental fear treatment of patients referred to the Clinic for Fearful Dental Patients (CFDP) in the primary oral health care, City of Oulu, Finland, during period 2000-2005. Methods. A psychological approach including behavioral interventions and cognitive behavioral therapy (BT/CBT) was used for all participants combined with conscious sedation or dental general anesthesia (DGA), if needed. The outcome was considered successful if later dental visits were carried out without any notifications in the patient records of behavioral problems or sedation. Data collection was made in 2006; the average length of the observation period from the last visit in the CFPD to data collection was 2y 3m (SD 1y 5m). All information was available for 163 patients (mean age 8.9y at referral). Study population was dominated by males (58.0%). Cause for referrals was mostly dental fear (81.0%) or lack of cooperation. Results. The success rate was 69.6% among females and 68.1% among males. Success seemed to be (p=0.053) higher for those treated in 12years compared with the older ones. The participants, without need for dental general anesthesia (DGA) in the CFDP, had significantly a higher success rate (81.4%) compared with those who did (54.8%, p<0.001). Use of conscious oral sedation (p=0.300) or N2O (p=0.585) was not associated with the future success. Conclusions. A chair-side approach seems successful in a primary health care setting for treating dental fear, especially in early childhood. Use of sedation seems not to improve the success rate

Characterization of the first beta-class carbonic anhydrase from an arthropod (Drosophila melanogaster) and phylogenetic analysis of beta-class carbonic anhydrases in invertebrates

BACKGROUND: The beta-carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) enzymes have been reported in a variety of organisms, but their existence in animals has been unclear. The purpose of the present study was to perform extensive sequence analysis to show that the beta-CAs are present in invertebrates and to clone and characterize a member of this enzyme family from a representative model organism of the animal kingdom, e.g., Drosophila melanogaster. RESULTS: The novel beta-CA gene, here named DmBCA, was identified from FlyBase, and its orthologs were searched and reconstructed from sequence databases, confirming the presence of beta-CA sequences in 55 metazoan species. The corresponding recombinant enzyme was produced in Sf9 insect cells, purified, kinetically characterized, and its inhibition was investigated with a series of simple, inorganic anions. Holoenzyme molecular mass was defined by dynamic light scattering analysis and gel filtration, and the results suggested that the holoenzyme is a dimer. Double immunostaining confirmed predictions based on sequence analysis and localized DmBCA protein to mitochondria. The enzyme showed high CO2 hydratase activity, with a kcat of 9.5 x 105 s-1 and a kcat/KM of 1.1 x 108 M-1s-1. DmBCA was appreciably inhibited by the clinically-used sulfonamide acetazolamide, with an inhibition constant of 49 nM. It was moderately inhibited by halides, pseudohalides, hydrogen sulfide, bisulfite and sulfate (KI values of 0.67 - 1.36 mM) and more potently by sulfamide (KI of 0.15 mM). Bicarbonate, nitrate, nitrite and phenylarsonic/boronic acids were much weaker inhibitors (KIs of 26.9 - 43.7 mM). CONCLUSIONS: The Drosophila beta-CA represents a highly active mitochondrial enzyme that is a potential model enzyme for anti-parasitic drug development

Renal vascular resistance is increased in patients with kidney transplant

Background Despite improvement in short-term outcome of kidney transplants, the long-term survival of kidney transplants has not changed over past decades. Kidney biopsy is the gold standard of transplant pathology but it's invasive. Quantification of transplant blood flow could provide a novel non-invasive method to evaluate transplant pathology. The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional pilot study was to evaluate positron emission tomography (PET) as a method to measure kidney transplant perfusion and find out if there is correlation between transplant perfusion and histopathology. Methods Renal cortical perfusion of 19 kidney transplantation patients [average time from transplantation 33 (17-54) months; eGFR 55 (47-69) ml/min] and 10 healthy controls were studied by [(15) O]H2O PET. Perfusion and Doppler resistance index (RI) of transplants were compared with histology of one-year protocol transplant biopsy. Results Renal cortical perfusion of healthy control subjects and transplant patients were 2.7 (2.4-4.0) ml min(- 1) g(- 1) and 2.2 (2.0-3.0) ml min(- 1) g(- 1), respectively (p = 0.1). Renal vascular resistance (RVR) of the patients was 47.0 (36.7-51.4) mmHg mL(- 1)min(- 1)g(- 1) and that of the healthy 32.4 (24.6-39.6) mmHg mL(- 1)min(-1)g(-1) (p = 0.01). There was a statistically significant correlation between Doppler RI and perfusion of transplants (r = - 0.51, p = 0.026). Transplant Doppler RI of the group of mild fibrotic changes [0.73 (0.70-0.76)] and the group of no fibrotic changes [0.66 (0.61-0.72)] differed statistically significantly (p = 0.03). No statistically significant correlation was found between cortical perfusion and fibrosis of transplants (p = 0.56). Conclusions [(15) O]H2O PET showed its capability as a method in measuring perfusion of kidney transplants. RVR of transplant patients with stage 2-3 chronic kidney disease was higher than that of the healthy, although kidney perfusion values didn't differ between the groups. Doppler based RI correlated with perfusion and fibrosis of transplants

Состояния настроения студентов-спортсменов: профили развития, предпосылки и последствия

Рукопись поступила в редакцию: 14.01.2022.Received: 14.01.2022.Цель исследования заключается в получении информации о психическом здоровье молодых финских спортсменов старшего школьного возраста с точки зрения профилей состояний настроения. Было описано шесть разных профилей. Общий показатель настроения был выше у женщин, чем у мужчин. Энергетический индекс был самым высоким у мужчин в индивидуальных видах спорта и самым низким у мужчин в командных видах спорта. У женщин в индивидуальных видах спорта он был ниже, чем у мужчин в индивидуальных видах спорта, и выше в командных видах спорта, чем у мужчин. Он был выше у женщин в индивидуальных видах спорта, чем у женщин в командных видах спорта.The aim of the study is to obtain information about the mental health of young Finnish athletes of high school age in terms of mood state profiles. Six different profiles were described. The overall mood score of women was higher than of men. The energy index was the highest for the men in individual sports and the lowest one was for the men in team sports. For the women in individual sports, it was lower than for men in individual sports. For the women in team sports it was higher than for men in team sports. The energy index was higher for women in individual sports than for women in team sports

Accuracy of echocardiographic area-length method in chronic myocardial infarction: comparison with cardiac CT in pigs

Background: We evaluated echocardiographic area-length methods to measure left ventricle (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) in parasternal short axis views in comparison with cardiac computed tomography (CT) in pigs with chronic myocardial infarction (MI).Methods: Male farm pigs with surgical occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (n = 9) or sham operation (n = 5) had transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac-CT 3 months after surgery. We measured length of the LV in parasternal long axis view, and both systolic and diastolic LV areas in parasternal short axis views at the level of mitral valve, papillary muscles and apex. Volumes and EF of the LV were calculated using Simpson's method of discs (tri-plane area) or Cylinder-hemiellipsoid method (single plane area).Results: The pigs with coronary occlusion had anterior MI scars and reduced EF (average EF 42 +/- 10%) by CT. Measurements of LV volumes and EF were reproducible by echocardiography. Compared with CT, end-diastolic volume (EDV) measured by echocardiography showed good correlation and agreement using either Simpson's method (r = 0.90; mean difference -2, 95% CI -47 to 43 mL) or Cylinder-hemiellipsoid method (r = 0.94; mean difference 3, 95% CI -44 to 49 mL). Furthermore, End-systolic volume (ESV) measured by echocardiography showed also good correlation and agreement using either Simpson's method (r = 0.94; mean difference 12 ml, 95% CI: -16 to 40) or Cylinder-hemiellipsoid method (r = 0.97; mean difference: 13 ml, 95% CI: -8 to 33). EF was underestimated using either Simpson's method (r = 0.78; mean difference -6, 95% CI -11 to 1%) or Cylinder-hemiellipsoid method (r = 0.74; mean difference -4, 95% CI-10 to 2%).Conclusion: Our results indicate that measurement of LV volumes may be accurate, but EF is underestimated using either three or single parasternal short axis planes by echocardiography in a large animal model of chronic MI

Can bryophyte groups increase functional resolution in tundra ecosystems?

Funding Information: This study was supported by a grant to SL from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie, Grant No. 797446 and by the Independent Research Fund Denmark, Grant no. 0135-00140B. Funding from the Academy of Finland (grant 322266), National Science Foundation (1504224, 1836839, PLR-1504381 and PLR-1836898), Independent Research Fund Denmark (9040-00314B), Moscow State University, (project No 121032500089-1), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, ArcticNet, Polar Continental Shelf Program, Northern Science Training Program, Polar Knowledge Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Tomsk State University competitiveness improvement program and the Russian Science Foundation (grant No 20-67-46018) are gratefully acknowledged. Matthias Ahrens provided valuable insights on the cushion growth form, and we are most thankful. We thank Gaius Shaver and two anonymous reviewers for providing valuable critique and input to earlier versions of this manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © the author(s) or their institution(s).The relative contribution of bryophytes to plant diversity, primary productivity, and ecosystem functioning increases towards colder climates. Bryophytes respond to environmental changes at the species level, but because bryophyte species are relatively difficult to identify, they are often lumped into one functional group. Consequently, bryophyte function remains poorly resolved. Here, we explore how higher resolution of bryophyte functional diversity can be encouraged and implemented in tundra ecological studies. We briefly review previous bryophyte functional classifications and the roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems and their susceptibility to environmental change. Based on shoot morphology and colony organization, we then propose twelve easily distinguishable bryophyte functional groups. To illustrate how bryophyte functional groups can help elucidate variation in bryophyte effects and responses, we compiled existing data on water holding capacity, a key bryophyte trait. Although plant functional groups can mask potentially high interspecific and intraspecific variability, we found better separation of bryophyte functional group means compared with previous grouping systems regarding water holding capacity. This suggests that our bryophyte functional groups truly represent variation in the functional roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems. Lastly, we provide recommendations to improve the monitoring of bryophyte community changes in tundra study sites.Peer reviewe