Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Refugees in Settlements in Greece.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL) amongst refugees at emergency dental clinics in settlements in Northern Greece. METHODS: A self-reported survey was undertaken in 7 settlements. The American Dental Association questionnaire on oral health (OH) was adapted and distributed to adults attending a mobile dental clinic between July and August 2017. Data were collected on sociodemographics, length of stay in settlement, utilisation of dental service, and OHQoL. Statistical analysis included descriptive analysis and Chi-square tests of associations. RESULTS: Of 156 participants, the majority were male (73%), were aged 18 to 34 (59%), and had education up to high school (48%). Most of the participants rated OH as fair or poor (76%) and had spent more than 6 months in the settlements (45%). A majority of the participants (85%) had no access to dental care without the mobile clinic. Negative impact on OHQoL was significantly (P < .05) related to settlement location and time spent, smoking status, frequency of cleaning teeth and use of fluoridated toothpaste, perceived OH, and time since last dental visit. Those who spent less than 1 month in the settlement reported a higher negative OHQoL impact related to chewing, anxiety, smiling, daily activity, and sleeping (range, 48%-73%) compared to those who had spent more than 6 months (range, 17%-41%) (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cross-sectional study assessing the OHQoL of refugees seeking emergency dental care in settlements in Greece. There is evidence that the refugees who were new arrivals to the settlements when provided with access to dental care reported a negative impact on their OHQoL. There is an urgent need for further research to understand the OH needs of refugees in Europe in order to design and deliver targeted and effective interventions

Conscious sedation: is this provision equitable? Analysis of sedation services provided within primary dental care in England, 2012-2014.

Aim: Patients receiving primary dental care may occasionally require conscious sedation as an adjunct to care. It is one of a range of options to support anxious patients or those undergoing difficult procedures. The aim of this study was to examine patterns of conscious sedation within primary dental care in relation to patient demography, deprivation status, geography (local authority, region) and type of care (Band) within England to examine equity in distribution of service provision. Materials and Methods: Descriptive analysis of cross-sectional primary dental care data, obtained from national claims held by the National Health Service (NHS) Business Services Authority, on patients who had received one or more courses of care involving sedation. Results: Just under 137,000 episodes of care involving sedation are provided for over 120,000 patients per year, the majority of which are for adults. Four out of ten (41%) patients were children, with 6-12-year-olds forming the largest group; 6% were aged under six years. Eleven per cent of patients had more than one course of care involving sedation, with adults aged 25-34 years having the highest rate: 1.17 (s.d.: 0.887) in 2012/2013 and 1.16 (s.d.: 0.724) in 2013/2014. There was a clear social gradient, whereby the most deprived quintile had the highest volume of patients that had received sedation at least once in primary dental care in both years (31.5%). Whilst there was a clear social gradient amongst children and young adults who received sedation, the gradient flattened among middle-aged and was flat amongst older adults. The majority of courses of care involving sedation were associated with Band 2 claims for care (88.6% in 2012/2013; 88.8 in 2013/2014). Whilst one or more patients in all higher tier local authorities received care involving sedation, there were marked geographic inequalities. Discussion: Patients receive sedation in support of NHS primary dental care across the life course and social spectrum. Whilst the pattern of uptake of care parallels the social gradient in younger age groups overall, there are clear geographical inequalities in provision. As sedation is only one of a series of adjuncts to care which may be provided across different sectors of the health system, a wider systems analysis should be undertaken as the findings raise important issues about equitable access to appropriate care. Furthermore, there should be a greater emphasis on prevention to reduce the need for care. The implications for child oral health, access and quality are discussed

A novel glycosidic steroidal alkaloid from Solanum aculeastrum

The root bark of Solanum aculeastrum Dunal yielded a new steroidal alkaloid glycoside characterised as (25R)-3b-{O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1®2)-[O-b-D-glucopyranosyl-(1®4)-O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1®4)]-b-D-glucopyranosyl}-22a-N-spirosol-5-ene. The structure was established by spectroscopic analysis and comparison with published data of similar compounds reported in literature. KEY WORDS: Solanum aculeastrum Dunal, (25R)-3b-{O-a-L-Rhamnopyranosyl-(1®2)-[O-b-Dglucopyranosyl-(1®4)-O-a-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1®4)]-b-D-glucopyranosyl}-22a-N-spirosol-5-ene  Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2003, 17(1), 61-66

International Standards for Fetal Brain Structures Based on Serial Ultrasound Measurements From the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study of the INTERGROWTH-21 st Project

Objective: To create prescriptive growth standards for five fetal brain structures, measured by ultrasound, from healthy, well-nourished women, at low risk of impaired fetal growth and poor perinatal outcomes, taking part in the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project. Methods: This was a complementary analysis of a large, population-based, multicentre, longitudinal study. We measured, in planes reconstructed from 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound volumes of the fetal head at different time points in pregnancy, the size of the parieto-occipital fissure (POF), Sylvian fissure (SF), anterior horn of the lateral ventricle (AV), atrium of the posterior ventricle (PV) and cisterna magna (CM). The sample analysed was randomly selected from the overall FGLS population, ensuring an equal distribution amongst the eight diverse participating sites and of 3D ultrasound volumes across pregnancy (range: 15 - 36 weeks\u27 gestation). Fractional polynomials were used to the construct standards. Growth and development of the infants were assessed at 1 and 2 years of age to confirm their adequacy for constructing international standards. Results: From the entire FGLS cohort of 4321 women, 451 (10.4%) were randomly selected. After exclusions, 3D ultrasound volumes from 442 fetuses born without congenital malformations were used to create the charts. The fetal brain structures of interest were identified in 90% of cases. All structures showed increasing size with gestation and increasing variability for the POF, SF, PV and CM. The 3rd , 5th , 50th , 95th and 97th smoothed centile are presented. The 5th centile of POF and SF were 2.8 and 4.3 at 22 weeks and 4.2 and 9.4mm at 32 weeks respectively. The 95th centile of PV and CM were 8.5 and 7.4 at 22 weeks and 8.5 and 9.4mm at 32 weeks respectively. Conclusions: We have produced prescriptive size standards for fetal brain structures based on prospectively enrolled pregnancies at low risk of abnormal outcomes. We recommend these as international standards for the assessment of measurements obtained by ultrasound from fetal brain structures

KENYAN PURPLE TEA ANTHOCYANINS ABILITY TO CROSS THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER REINFORCING BRAIN ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN MICE

Studies on antioxidants as neuroprotective agents have been hampered by the impermeability of the blood brain barrier (BBB) to many compounds. However, previous studies have shown that a group of tea ( Camellia sinensis ) flavonoids, the catechins, are brain permeable and neuroprotective. Despite this remarkable observation, there exists no data on the bioavailability and pharmacological benefits of tea anthocyanins (ACNs) in the brain tissue. This study investigated the ability of Kenyan purple tea ACNs to cross the BBB and boost the brain antioxidant capacity. Mice were orally administered with purified and characterised Kenyan purple tea ACNs or a combination of Kenyan purple tea ACN\u2019s and coenzyme-Q10, at a dose of 200 mg kg-1 body weight in an experiment that lasted for 15 days. Twenty four hours post the last dosage of antioxidants, CO2 was used to euthenise the mice. Then the brain was excised and used for various biochemical analyses. Kenyan purple tea ACNs significantly (P&lt;0.05) raised brain Glutathione (GSH) levels, implying a boost in brain antioxidant capacity. Notably, ACN metabolites were detected in brain tissue of ACN fed mice. This is the first demonstration that Kenyan purple tea ACNs can cross the BBB, reinforcing the brain\u2019s antioxidant capacity. Hence, there is need to study ACNs as suitable candidates for dietary supplements that could support antioxidant capacity in the brain and have potential to provide neuroprotection in neurodegenerative conditions.Les \ue9tudes sur les antioxydants comme agents neuroprotecteurs ont \ue9t\ue9 handicap\ue9es par l\u2019imperm\ue9abilit\ue9 de la barri\ue8re de sang du cerveau (BBB) \ue0 plusieurs produits. Par ailleurs, les \ue9tudes ant\ue9rieurs ont montr\ue9 qu\u2019un groupe de flavono\uefdes du th\ue9 ( Camellia sinensis ) , les cat\ue9chines, permettent la perm\ue9abilit\ue9 du cerveau et prot\ue8gent les nerfs. Malgr\ue9 cette observation importante, il n\u2019ya pas de donn\ue9es sur la biodisponibilit\ue9 et les vertus pharmacologiques des anthocyanines du th\ue9 (ACNs) dans le tissue du cerveau. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9valu\ue9 l\u2019aptitude des anthocyanines du th\ue9 pourpre du Kenya de traverser le BBB et am\ue9liorer la capacit\ue9 antioxydante du cerveau. Des rats \ue9taient oralement administr\ue9s des anthocianines du th\ue9 pourpre purifi\ue9s et caract\ue9ris\ue9s ou une combinaison des ACNs avec le coenzyme-Q10, \ue0 une dose de 200 mg kg-1 de poids vif dans un essai d\u2019une dur\ue9e de 15 jours. Vingt quatre heures apr\ue8s le dernier dosage d\u2019antioxydants, le CO2 \ue9tait utilis\ue9 pour euthanasier les rats. Ensuite, le cerveau \ue9tait excis\ue9 et soumis \ue0 diverses analyses biochimiques. Les ACNs ont augment\ue9 significativement (P&lt;0.05) les niveaux du Glutathione (GSH) du cerveau,,ce qui implique une am\ue9lioration de la capacit\ue9 antioxydante du cerveau. Remarquablement, les m\ue9tabolites ACN \ue9taient d\ue9tect\ue9s dans le tissu des rats nourris aux ACNs. Ceci est la premi\ue8re d\ue9monstration que les anthocyanines (ACNs) du th\ue9 pourpre Kenyan peuvent franchir la barri\ue8re h\ue9mato-enc\ue9phalique (BHE), renfor\ue7ant ainsi la capacit\ue9 antioxydante du cerveau. Ainsi, le besoin s\u2019impose de les \ue9tudier comme des candidats appropri\ue9s pour les aliments de suppl\ue9ment qui pourraient renforcer la capacit\ue9 antioxydante dans le cerveau et avoir le potentiel d\u2019offrir la neuroprotection dans les conditions neurod\ue9g\ue9n\ue9ratrices