Dental Disease: Etiology and Epidemiology

OBJECTIVESpinal fusion is used in the treatment of pediatric neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS) to improve spine alignment and delay disease progression. However, patients with NMS are often medically complex and require a higher level of care than those with other types of scoliosis, leading to higher treatment costs. The purpose of this study was to 1) characterize the cost of pediatric NMS fusion in the US and 2) determine hospital characteristics associated with changes in overall cost.METHODSPatients were identified from the National Inpatient Sample (2012 to the first 3 quarters of 2015). Inclusion criteria selected for patients with NMS, spinal fusion of at least 4 vertebral levels, and elective hospitalization. Patients with no cost information were excluded. Sociodemographics, treating hospital characteristics, disease etiology/severity, comorbidities, length of stay, and hospital costs were collected. Univariable analysis and multivariable gamma log-link regression were used to determine hospital characteristics associated with changes in cost.RESULTSA total of 1780 weighted patients met inclusion criteria. The median cost was $68,815. Following multivariable regression, both small (+$11,580, p < 0.001) and medium (+$6329, p < 0.001) hospitals had higher costs than large hospitals. Rural hospitals had higher costs than urban teaching hospitals (+$32,438, p < 0.001). Nonprofit hospitals were more expensive than both government (–$4518, p = 0.030) and investor-owned (–$10,240, p = 0.001) hospitals. There was significant variability by US census division; compared with the South Atlantic, all other divisions except for the Middle Atlantic had significantly higher costs, most notably the West North Central (+$15,203, p < 0.001) and the Pacific (+$22,235, p < 0.001). Hospital fusion volume was not associated with total cost.CONCLUSIONSA number of hospital factors were associated with changes in fusion cost. Larger hospitals may be able to achieve decreased costs due to economies of scale. Regional differences could reflect uncontrolled-for variability in underlying patient populations or systems-level and policy differences. Overall, this analysis identified multiple systemic patterns that could be targets of further cost-related interventions.

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Dental disease in the Hungarian conquest period

Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d anthropologie de Paris ◽

10.3406/bmsap.1998.2530 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 457-470

Author(s):

Márta Maczel ◽

Gábor S. Kocsis ◽

Antónia Marcsik ◽

Erika Molnár

Keyword(s):

Dental Disease

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Fungal Phytotoxins in Sustainable Weed Management

Current Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/0929867324666170426152331 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 268-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Maurizio Vurro ◽

Angela Boari ◽

Francesca Casella ◽

Maria Chiara Zonno

Keyword(s):

Weed Management ◽

Pathogenic Fungi ◽

Mechanisms Of Action ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Integrated Weed Management ◽

Plant Pathogenic Fungi ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Disease Etiology ◽

Chemical Structures ◽

Toxic Metabolites

Fungal phytotoxins are natural secondary metabolites produced by plant pathogenic fungi during host–pathogen interactions. They have received considerable particular attention for elucidating disease etiology, and consequently to design strategies for disease control. Due to wide differences in their chemical structures, these toxic metabolites have different ecological and environmental roles and mechanisms of action. This review aims at summarizing the studies on the possible use of these metabolites as tools in biological and integrated weed management, e.g. as: novel and environmentally friendly herbicides; lead for novel compounds; sources of novel mechanisms of action. Moreover, the limiting factors for utilizing those metabolites in practice will also be briefly discussed.

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Bedtime Oral Hygiene Behaviours, Dietary Habits and Children’s Dental Health

Children ◽

10.3390/children8050416 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 416

Author(s):

George Kitsaras ◽

Michaela Goodwin ◽

Michael P. Kelly ◽

Iain A. Pretty

Keyword(s):

Oral Hygiene ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Dental Health ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Study Data ◽

General Anaesthetic ◽

Dental Disease ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Important Relationship ◽

Bedtime Routine

Background: Oral hygiene behaviours as well as dietary habits before bed can affect children’s dental health resulting in higher prevalence of dental disease. Dental disease can affect children’s health, development and even school performance. If left untreated, dental disease can progress and it can lead to extractions under general anaesthetic causing further distress for children and families. Consistent and appropriate oral hygiene behaviours and dietary habits can prevent dental diseases from occurring in the first place. Objective: This cross-sectional study examines the relationship between oral hygiene behaviours, dietary habits around bedtime and children’s dental health. Methods: A total of 185 parents with children between the ages of 3 and 7 years from deprived areas participated in the study. Data on bedtime routine activities were collected using an automated text-survey system. Children’s dental health status was established through examination of dental charts and dmft (decayed, missed, filled teeth) scores. Results: In total, 52.4% of parents reported that their children’s teeth were brushed every night. The majority of children (58.9%) had dmft scores over zero. In total, 51 (46.7% of children with dmft score over 0 and 27.5% of all children) children had active decay. The mean dmft score for those experiencing decay was 2.96 (SD = 2.22) with an overall mean dmft score of 1.75 (SD = 2.24). There were significant correlations between frequency of tooth brushing, frequency of snacks/drinks before bed and dmft scores (r = −0.584, p < 0.001 and r = 0.547, p = 0.001 respectively). Finally, higher brushing frequency was associated with a lower likelihood of a dmft score greater than 0 (Exp(B) = 0.9). Conclusions: Despite families implementing oral hygiene behaviours as part of their bedtime routines those behaviours varied in their consistency. Results of this study highlight the need for additional studies that consider bedtime routine-related activities and especially the combined effects of oral hygiene practices and dietary habits due to their potentially important relationship with children’s dental health.

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A Review of Machine Learning Methodologies for Dental Disease Detection

2020 IEEE India Council International Subsections Conference (INDISCON) ◽

10.1109/indiscon50162.2020.00025 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Gautam Chitnis ◽

Vidhi Bhanushali ◽

Aayush Ranade ◽

Tejasvini Khadase ◽

Vaishnavi Pelagade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Disease Detection ◽

Dental Disease

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The APAC Score: A Novel and Highly Performant Serological Tool for Early Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10153392 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (15) ◽

pp. 3392

Author(s):

Joeri Lambrecht ◽

Mustafa Porsch-Özçürümez ◽

Jan Best ◽

Fabian Jost-Brinkmann ◽

Christoph Roderburg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

At Risk ◽

Liver Cirrhosis ◽

Early Stage ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Growth Factor Receptor ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Disease Etiology ◽

Risk Patients ◽

Scoring Tool

(1) Background: Surveillance of at-risk patients for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly necessary, as curative treatment options are only feasible in early disease stages. However, to date, screening of patients with liver cirrhosis for HCC mostly relies on suboptimal ultrasound-mediated evaluation and α-fetoprotein (AFP) measurement. Therefore, we sought to develop a novel and blood-based scoring tool for the identification of early-stage HCC. (2) Methods: Serum samples from 267 patients with liver cirrhosis, including 122 patients with HCC and 145 without, were collected. Expression levels of soluble platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (sPDGFRβ) and routine clinical parameters were evaluated, and then utilized in logistic regression analysis. (3) Results: We developed a novel serological scoring tool, the APAC score, consisting of the parameters age, sPDGFRβ, AFP, and creatinine, which identified patients with HCC in a cirrhotic population with an AUC of 0.9503, which was significantly better than the GALAD score (AUC: 0.9000, p = 0.0031). Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of the APAC score was independent of disease etiology, including alcohol (AUC: 0.9317), viral infection (AUC: 0.9561), and NAFLD (AUC: 0.9545). For the detection of patients with (very) early (BCLC 0/A) HCC stage or within Milan criteria, the APAC score achieved an AUC of 0.9317 (sensitivity: 85.2%, specificity: 89.2%) and 0.9488 (sensitivity: 91.1%, specificity 85.3%), respectively. (4) Conclusions: The APAC score is a novel and highly accurate serological tool for the identification of HCC, especially for early stages. It is superior to the currently proposed blood-based algorithms, and has the potential to improve surveillance of the at-risk population.

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Yellow Fever’s Historical Lessons for COVID-19: International Interventions and Disease Control in Early Twentieth-century Ecuador and Guatemala

Journal of Developing Societies ◽

10.1177/0169796x21998482 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0169796X2199848

Author(s):

David Carey

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Yellow Fever ◽

Latin American ◽

Rockefeller Foundation ◽

Federal State ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Scientific Medicine ◽

Disease Etiology ◽

Early Twentieth Century

Throughout tropical urban Latin America, yellow fever wreaked havoc. Located at sea level, Guayaquil (Ecuador) and Puerto Barrios (Guatemala) were particularly susceptible to yellow fever; yet, Ecuadorians and Guatemalans enjoyed significant success in early twentieth-century campaigns against yellow fever. Reflecting international efforts that informed, collaborated with, and at times underwrote Latin American public health campaigns, the Rockefeller Foundation (RF) sent representatives to Guatemala and Ecuador in the mid-1910s to eradicate yellow fever. While those interventions enjoyed immediate success, the long-term effects were more ambiguous. By collaborating with RF, Ecuador had all but eradicated yellow fever by 1919. In Guatemala, however, a few months after RF declared Guatemala free of yellow fever, influenza struck, likely originating from US military camps in Guatemala that RF sought to shield from yellow fever. Analysis of early twentieth-century yellow fever epidemics and campaigns to arrest them sheds light on COVID-19 pandemic challenges. Even as knowledge of disease etiology was evolving in Ecuador and Guatemala, most leaders accepted or at least did not publicly reject scientific medicine. In contrast, beginning with the most powerful politicians and filtering down throughout federal, state, and municipal authorities, many US leaders rejected science crucial to the campaigns against COVID-19. Similarly, in a pattern that resonates with US residents rejecting precautionary measures against COVID-19 such as wearing masks and maintaining social distance, compliance with anti-yellow fever campaigns was not always forthcoming.

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Commonalities between Copper Neurotoxicity and Alzheimer’s Disease

Toxics ◽

10.3390/toxics9010004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 4

Author(s):

Roshni Patel ◽

Michael Aschner

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Copper Ion ◽

Plaque Formation ◽

Ion Concentration ◽

Medical Community ◽

Disease Etiology ◽

Parent Protein ◽

Lead Zinc

Alzheimer’s disease, a highly prevalent form of dementia, targets neuron function beginning from the hippocampal region and expanding outwards. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by elevated levels of heavy metals, such as lead, zinc, and copper. Copper is found in many areas of daily life, raising a concern as to how this metal and Alzheimer’s disease are related. Previous studies have not identified the common pathways between excess copper and Alzheimer’s disease etiology. Our review corroborates that both copper and Alzheimer’s disease target the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and brainstem, affecting motor skills and critical thinking. Additionally, Aβ plaque formation was analyzed beginning from synthesis at the APP parent protein site until Aβ plaque formation was completed. Structural changes were also noted. Further analysis revealed a relationship between amyloid-beta plaques and copper ion concentration. As copper ion levels increased, it bound to the Aβ monomer, expediting the plaque formation process, and furthering neurodegeneration. These conclusions can be utilized in the medical community to further research on the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and its relationships to copper and other metal-induced neurotoxicity.

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Prognostic gene expression signatures of breast cancer are lacking a sensible biological meaning

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79375-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kalifa Manjang ◽

Shailesh Tripathi ◽

Olli Yli-Harja ◽

Matthias Dehmer ◽

Galina Glazko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Gene Expression ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Disease Etiology ◽

Signature Genes ◽

Biological Meaning ◽

Gene Sets ◽

Breast Cancer Outcome ◽

Biological Interpretation ◽

Pathological Behavior

AbstractThe identification of prognostic biomarkers for predicting cancer progression is an important problem for two reasons. First, such biomarkers find practical application in a clinical context for the treatment of patients. Second, interrogation of the biomarkers themselves is assumed to lead to novel insights of disease mechanisms and the underlying molecular processes that cause the pathological behavior. For breast cancer, many signatures based on gene expression values have been reported to be associated with overall survival. Consequently, such signatures have been used for suggesting biological explanations of breast cancer and drug mechanisms. In this paper, we demonstrate for a large number of breast cancer signatures that such an implication is not justified. Our approach eliminates systematically all traces of biological meaning of signature genes and shows that among the remaining genes, surrogate gene sets can be formed with indistinguishable prognostic prediction capabilities and opposite biological meaning. Hence, our results demonstrate that none of the studied signatures has a sensible biological interpretation or meaning with respect to disease etiology. Overall, this shows that prognostic signatures are black-box models with sensible predictions of breast cancer outcome but no value for revealing causal connections. Furthermore, we show that the number of such surrogate gene sets is not small but very large.

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