A regimen of systematic periodontal care after removal of impacted mandibular third molars manages periodontal pockets associated with the mandibular second molars

Aim: This randomized, single-blinded control trial investigated the local effects of periodontal care on the mandibular second molar delivered during and after impacted third molar surgical extraction. Method: Thirty subjects (50% male, 32.1 ± 7.8 years) out of 35 enrolled, with a mesio-angular impacted mandibular third molar, having probing pocket depth (PPD) > 5 mm at adjacent second molar distal, and crestal radio-lucency between the two teeth, completed the study. Oral hygiene instruction, scaling and caries stabilization were performed before surgery. Controls (n = 16) had their third molar extracted followed by standard socket debridement. Test group subjects (n = 14) received the same treatment, except that before wound closure the operator was informed of the group allocation and ultrasonic root debridement on the second molar was performed, followed by a three-visit plaque control programme. Results: Six months post-extraction, statistically significantly (p < 0.007) better plaque control and shallower probing depths were observed at test second molars' distal (%plaque = 21; PPD = 3.2 ± 1.2 mm) than at control second molars (%plaque = 88; PPD = 5.2 ± 0.7 mm). Conclusions: The periodontal interventions investigated prevented residual pockets on periodontally involved second molars 6 months after ipsilateral impacted mandibular third molar removal. Copyright © Blackwell Munksgaard 2005.postprin

Safety Training and Education for the Construction Industry in Hong Kong

Proceedings of Asia Pacific Region 3rd Annual Conference of Construction Safety and Health Organization, p. 12-1

Exploring the influence of contract governance on construction dispute negotiation

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by the American Society of Civil Engineers in the Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. October 2008. This material may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the American Society of Civil Engineers. This material may be found at https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2008)134:4(391)Publishe

Follow up of serial urea breath test results in patients after consumption of antibiotics for non-gastric infections

Aim: The widespread use of antibacterial therapy has been suggested to be the cause for the decline in the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection. This study examine the serial changes of urea breath test results in a group of hospitalized patients who were given antibacterial therapy for non-gastric infections. Methods: Thirty-five hospitalized patients who were given antibacterial therapy for clinical infections, predominantly chest and urinary infections, were studied. Most (91 %) patients were given single antibiotic of either a penicillin or cephalosporin group. Serial 13C-urea breath tests were performed within 24 hours of initiation of antibiotics, at one-week and at six-week post-therapy. H. pylori infection was diagnosed when one or more urea breath tests was positive. Results: All 35 patients completed three serial urea breath tests and 26 (74 %) were H. pylori-positive. Ten (38 %) H. pylori-infected patients had at least one negative breath test results during the study period. The medium delta 13C values were significantly lower at baseline (8.8) than at one-week (20.3) and six-week (24.5) post-treatment in H. pylori-positive individuals (P=0.022). Clearance of H. pylori at six-week was only seen in one patient who had received anti-helicobacter therapy from another source. Conclusion: Our results suggested that one-third of H. pylori-infected individuals had transient false-negative urea breath test results during treatment with antibacterial agent. However, clearance of H. pylori infection by regular antibiotic consumption is rare.published_or_final_versio

Residual periodontal defects distal to the mandibular second molar 6-36 months after impacted third molar extraction: A retrospective cross-sectional study of young adults

Aim: This retrospective study investigated the periodontal conditions distal to mandibular second molars 6-36 months after routine surgical extraction of adjacent impacted third molars. Method: Subjects were randomly selected by systematic sampling from computer records of 3211 surgical mandibular third molar extractions in the Hong Kong dental teaching hospital. Records and pre-extraction radiographs of the selected cases were retrieved. Selected subjects (n = 283) were invited for an interview followed by a clinical examination. Community Periodontal Index (CPI) protocol was used for the assessment of the general periodontal status (excluding the mandibular second molar of interest, i.e. the subject tooth) followed by a detailed periodontal examination of the subject tooth. Results: In all, 158 subjects, aged 29 ± 7 years, were examined with only 6% (nine subjects) having a highest CPI score of 4 (excluding the subject tooth), but local periodontal defects were prevalent at the distal surface of subject mandibular second molars: mean probing pocket depth (PPD) was 5.4 ± 1.9 mm with 67% (106 subjects) exhibiting PPD ≥ 5 mm and 23% (36 subjects) exhibiting PPD ≥ 7 mm; mean recession was 0.8 ± 1.0 mm; bleeding on probing 96% and suppuration on probing 5%. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyse the effects of 12 independent variables on the PPD at the distal surface of the involved mandibular second molar. Three possible risk indicators (P < 0.001, R 2 = 0.27) associated with localised increased PPD at the distal surface of the mandibular second molars were identified: 1) third molar 'mesio-angular' impaction; 2) pre-extraction crestal radiolucency and 3) inadequate post-extraction local plaque control. Conclusion: The results suggest that periodontal breakdown initiated and established on the distal surface of a mandibular second molar in the vicinity of a 'mesio-angular' impacted third molar evidenced by pre-extraction crestal radiolucency in association with inadequate plaque control after extraction can predispose to a persistent localised periodontal problem. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2002.postprin

Spectroscopic ellipsometry of metal phthalocyanine thin films

Optical functions of cobalt phthalocyanine, nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc), and iron phthalocyanine (FePc) have been determined by use of spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range 1.55-4.1 eV (300-800 nm). The samples were prepared by evaporation onto glass and silicon substrates. The optical functions were determined by point-to-point fit. Absorption spectra were also measured. The index-of-refraction data for NiPc and FePc are reported for the first time to our knowledge. Good agreement with the experimental spectra was obtained for all three materials. © 2003 Optical Society of America.published_or_final_versio

Helicobacter pylori sero-prevalence in asthma

published_or_final_versio

Normalization of contrast in document images using generalized fuzzy operator with least square method

The visual effect of non-uniform contrast and brightness surrounds in the image is a very common problem in the applications of photocopying, IC manufacture and medicine. In using the digital/CCD camera to capture documents and photos based on non-uniform illumination condition, the poor image will be seen. The poor image can result in achieving the inaccurate reading from the optical character recognition (OCR) system. This paper present a new approach to normalize the local contrast in documentation based on the least square method and also enhance the object of interest using generalized fuzzy operator (GFO). Two typical examples are used for evaluating the method. © 2002 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Dementia and risk of visual impairment in Chinese older adults

We had previously identified visual impairment increasing risk of incident dementia. While a bi-directional vision-cognition association has subsequently been proposed, no study has specifically examined the longitudinal association between dementia and incidence of clinically defined visual impairment. In this territory-wide community cohort study of 10,806 visually unimpaired older adults, we examined their visual acuity annually for 6 years and tested if dementia at baseline was independently associated with higher risk of incident visual impairment (LogMAR ≥ 0.50 in the better eye despite best correction, which is equivalent to moderate visual impairment according to the World Health Organization definition). By the end of Year 6, a total of 3151 (29.2%) participants developed visual impairment. However, we did not find baseline dementia associating with higher risk of incident visual impairment, after controlling for baseline visual acuity, cataract, glaucoma, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, heart diseases, stroke, Parkinson's disease, depression, hearing and physical impairments, physical, intellectual and social activities, diet, smoking, age, sex, educational level, and socioeconomic status. Among different covariables, baseline visual acuity appears to be more important than dementia in contributing to the development of visual impairment. Our present findings highlight the need for re-evaluating whether dementia is indeed a risk factor for visual impairment

P16-45. High avidity CD4+ T cell response directed to an immunodominant Gag epitope in HIV controllers: an ANRS EP36 study

International audiencen.