Oral clinical status and oral health-related quality of life: is socioeconomic position a mediator or a moderator?

AIM: To evaluate whether socioeconomic position exerts a mediating and/or moderating effect on the association between oral clinical measures and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adolescents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study analysed data on 5,445 adolescents aged 15-19 years from the Brazilian Oral Health Survey (SBBrasil Project). The numbers of decayed and missing teeth, number of sextants with gingivitis and malocclusion were assessed through oral clinical examinations. Participant's age, sex, OHRQoL and socioeconomic position were also collected. Monthly family income was used to indicate the participant's socioeconomic position, and OHRQoL was assessed using the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance. Moderation was tested using Poisson regression models. Structural equation modelling and Sobel's test assessed the mediation effects. RESULTS: Oral clinical measures, OHRQoL and socioeconomic position were significantly correlated (P < 0.001). The moderator effect of socioeconomic position on the association between all oral clinical measures and OHRQoL was observed. The impact of all oral clinical conditions on adolescents' OHRQoL was lower in the low-family-income groups compared with those with a better income. Socioeconomic position partially mediated the relationship between the four oral clinical measures and OHRQoL. Sobel's test confirmed these findings (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the importance of socioeconomic position as a moderator and mediator factor between oral clinical measures and OHRQoL. Disadvantaged adolescents are likely to experience poor OHRQoL due to oral conditions. The reduction of the impact of oral conditions on quality of life in adolescents may be enhanced by addressing social inequalities related to oral health

The effect of hierarchical single-crystal ZSM-5 zeolites with different Si/Al ratios on its pore structure and catalytic performance

AbstractHierarchical single-crystal ZSM-5 zeolites with different Si/Al ratios (Hier-ZSM-5-x, where x = 50, 100, 150 and 200) were synthesized using an ordered mesoporous carbon-silica composite as hard template. Hier-ZSM-5-x exhibits improved mass transport properties, excellent mechanical and hydrothermal stability, and higher catalytic activity than commercial bulk zeolites in the benzyl alcohol self-etherification reaction. Results show that a decrease in the Si/Al ratio in hierarchical single-crystal ZSM-5 zeolites leads to a significant increase in the acidity and the density of micropores, which increases the final catalytic conversion. The effect of porous hierarchy on the diffusion of active sites and the final catalytic activity was also studied by comparing the catalytic conversion after selectively designed poisoned acid sites. These poisoned Hier-ZSM-5-x shows much higher catalytic conversion than the poisoned commercial ZSM-5 zeolite, which indicates that the numerous intracrystalline mesopores significantly reduce the diffusion path of the reactant, leading to the faster diffusion inside the zeolite to contact with the acid sites in the micropores predominating in ZSM-5 zeolites. This study can be extended to develop a series of hierarchical single-crystal zeolites with expected catalytic performance.</jats:p

Topoisomer Differentiation of Molecular Knots by FTICR MS: Lessons from Class II Lasso Peptides

Lasso peptides constitute a class of bioactive peptides sharing a knotted structure where the C-terminal tail of the peptide is threaded through and trapped within an N-terminalmacrolactamring. The structural characterization of lasso structures and differentiation from their unthreaded topoisomers is not trivial and generally requires the use of complementary biochemical and spectroscopic methods. Here we investigated two antimicrobial peptides belonging to the class II lasso peptide family and their corresponding unthreaded topoisomers: microcin J25 (MccJ25), which is known to yield two-peptide product ions specific of the lasso structure under collisioninduced dissociation (CID), and capistruin, for which CID does not permit to unambiguously assign the lasso structure. The two pairs of topoisomers were analyzed by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR MS) upon CID, infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD), and electron capture dissociation (ECD). CID and ECDspectra clearly permitted to differentiate MccJ25 from its non-lasso topoisomer MccJ25-Icm, while for capistruin, only ECD was informative and showed different extent of hydrogen migration (formation of c\bullet/z from c/z\bullet) for the threaded and unthreaded topoisomers. The ECD spectra of the triply-charged MccJ25 and MccJ25-lcm showed a series of radical b-type product ions {\eth}b0In{\TH}. We proposed that these ions are specific of cyclic-branched peptides and result from a dual c/z\bullet and y/b dissociation, in the ring and in the tail, respectively. This work shows the potentiality of ECD for structural characterization of peptide topoisomers, as well as the effect of conformation on hydrogen migration subsequent to electron capture

Photophysical performance of radio frequency sputtered Pt/n-PSi/ZnO NCs/Pt photovoltaic photodetectors

The effect of the annealing temperature on the photoelectrical properties of the nanoporous silicon/zinc oxide nanocrystallites-based (Pt/n-PSi/ZnO NCs/Pt) photodetector was investigated. Different morphologies of 3D ZnO were synthesized onto the n-PSi substrates via radio frequency (RF) sputtering in the absence of a catalyst. The synthesis of ZnO NCs was controlled by varying the growth temperature between 600–700 °C and 800–900 °C. The effect of the synthesis temperature on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the n-PSi/ZnO NCs was systematically studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) techniques. The roughness was found to be dependent on the anodization current density. The optimal n-PSi/ZnO NCs-based metal-semiconductor-metal UV detector (MSM) was fabricated at 700 °C. The fabricated device showed a high sensitivity of 1007.14, an internal photoconductive gain of 11.07, and a responsivity of 5.99 A/W with a low dark current when illuminated with 380 nm light (1.55 mW/cm2) at +5 V bias voltage. In addition, the response and recovery times were determined to be 0.34 and 0.22 s, respectively. This approach offers a cost-effective substrate and simple synthesis method to improve the growth of the n-PSi/ZnO NCs and demonstrates the successful fabrication of nanoscale photodetectors with potential application in nano-optics devices

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Long-term outcome of LRBA deficiency in 76 patients after various treatment modalities as evaluated by the immune deficiency and dysregulation activity (IDDA) score

Background: Recent findings strongly support hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with severe presentation of LPS-responsive beige-like anchor protein (LRBA) deficiency, but long-term follow-up and survival data beyond previous patient reports or meta-reviews are scarce for those patients who do not receive a transplant.Objective: This international retrospective study was conducted to elucidate the longitudinal clinical course of patients with LRBA deficiency who do and do not receive a transplant.Method: We assessed disease burden and treatment responses with a specially developed immune deficiency and dysregulation activity score, reflecting the sum and severity of organ involvement and infections, days of hospitalization, supportive care requirements, and performance indices.Results: Of 76 patients with LRBA deficiency from 29 centers (median follow-up, 10 years; range, 1-52), 24 underwent HSCT from 2005 to 2019. The overall survival rate after HSCT (median follow-up, 20 months) was 70.8% (17 of 24 patients); all deaths were due to nonspecific, early, transplant-related mortality. Currently, 82.7% of patients who did not receive a transplant (43 of 52; age range, 3-69 years) are alive. Of 17 HSCT survivors, 7 are in complete remission and 5 are in good partial remission without treatment (together, 12 of 17 [70.6%]). In contrast, only 5 of 43 patients who did not receive a transplant (11.6%) are without immunosuppression. Immune deficiency and dysregulation activity scores were significantly lower in patients who survived HSCT than in those receiving conventional treatment (P = .005) or in patients who received abatacept or sirolimus as compared with other therapies, and in patients with residual LRBA expression. Higher disease burden, longer duration before HSCT, and lung involvement were associated with poor outcome.Conclusion: The lifelong disease activity, implying a need for immunosuppression and risk of malignancy, must be weighed against the risks of HSCT.Transplantation and immunomodulatio