scholarly journals Modeling Subjective Symptoms Related to Micro-Hydrargyrism in a Population of Moroccan Dentists

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nourdine Attiya ◽  
Ayoub Filali ◽  
Rkia Fattahi ◽  
Soumia Moujane ◽  
Hamid Mazouz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Phenotype ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Dental Amalgam ◽  
Mercury Exposure ◽  
The Body ◽  
Subjective Symptoms ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Models Comparison ◽  
Dental Amalgams ◽  
Cellular Pathways

BACKGROUND፡ The ability of mercury to deposit throughout the body and alter a wide range of molecular and cellular pathways results in a polymorphic and complex clinical phenotype with over 250 possible symptoms. However, some of them are recurrently cited as evoking chronic mercury poisoning. In this light, dentists users of dental amalgams are chronically exposed to mercury so that in-depth epidemiological investigations and adapted statistical methods are required to highlight adverse effects of this exposure.METHODS: In order to study the health impact of the occupational mercury exposure in a population of liberal dentists practicing in two Moroccan regions, a list of eighteen subjective symptoms commonly associated with micro-hydrargyrism was drawn up. Then, seven statisctical models adapted to count data were fitted. Finally, three methods were used to compare their relative performance in order to choose the most appropriate one.RESULTS: The adopted logical path, from the response variable selection till models’ comparison, led us to lean towards quasi- Poisson regression as the best way to predict the number of symptoms declared by dentists according to mercury exposure.CONCLUSIONS: Interpretation of the selected model allowed us to conclude that the reduction of dental amalgam use allows the reduction of subjective symptoms related to mercury exposure.

scholarly journals How adolescents use an online question-answer (QA) service to address their mental issues

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Sand ◽  
G Tøndel ◽  
E Lassemo
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
The Body ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
First Time ◽  
Mental Issues

Abstract Background Ung.no is Norway’s largest information website directed at adolescents, with more than 800 000 users per month. Ung.no offers an online QA service in which 13-20-year-olds post their questions and get answers from professionals. Anonymous answers are publicly available online. Descriptive analysis of over 125 000 questions written to ung.no from 2016-2018 showed that most adolescents asked questions about body and health. Subsequent qualitative content analyses of the body-and-health-questions showed that mental health is one of the most prominent topics in the adolescents’ questions. The aim of the present study is to investigate how adolescents use the QA service to address mental issues. Methods A random selection of 360 questions - stratified by age and gender - concerning body and health were made. The questions were analysed by use of a qualitative thematic analysis with a functional textual approach, i.e. examining the questions’ linguistic functions. Results In the sample, 20 % of the questions concerned mental issues, ranging from negative feelings of sadness, fear or anger, to disorders such as psychosis and depression and grave issues such as suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Three main functions of the adolescents’ questions were identified: 1) Telling about their troubles for the first time; some of them did not ask a question in their post, they just described their feelings; 2) Asking what to do when nothing else has been of help and 3) Seeking confirmation of information they have already received from health experts, teachers, parents or friends, or read on the internet. Conclusions A low threshold service such as an anonymous QA service seems to be useful for adolescents when they need and want to tell about their mental issues or seek help, often for the first time. The outreach of the ung.no QA service is universal, and hence has great potential public health impact. Key messages Adolescents use a low threshold online QA service to address a wide range of mental problems. Adolescents use a low threshold online QA service to tell about their mental issues for the first time.

Estimation of Mercury Body Burden from Dental Amalgam: Computer Simulation of a Metabolic Compartmental Model

1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 1415-1419 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Vimy ◽  
A.J. Luft ◽  
F.L. Lorscheider
Keyword(s):  
Low Dose ◽  
Body Burden ◽  
Compartment Model ◽  
Dental Amalgam ◽  
The Body ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Dental Amalgams ◽  
Wet Weight ◽  
Total Body

Estimated release rates of Hg vapor from dental amalgams permitted calculation of the potential Hg body burden by employing a four-compartment model for inorganic and elemental Hg distribution. A computer program, compatible with most personal computers, simulated the cumulative and incremental distribution in each compartment and total body accumulation between 1 and 10,000 days for different daily Hg dosages. For a given Hg dose of 30 μ g/day, metabolic compartments R1-R3 were close to equilibrium at 5, 100, and 300 days, respectively; whereas by 10,000 days, R4 closely approximated total body burden and had not yet attained equilibrium. Projected values obtained with the computer model were consistent with results obtained by another method using a standard tissue burden equation, which employed experimentally determined tissue half-lives for blood and CNS. The model predicted that continuous exposure to elemental Hg vapor, at 30 μ g/day for 10 years, would result in a total Hg body burden of 5.9 mg, of which 4.8 mg could be contained in R4. Assuming that the Hg in R4 displayed uniform distribution throughout the body, then the brain concentration was estimated to be 68 nglg wet weight. In contrast, if Hg in R4 reflected long-term preferential accumulation in brain and other neural tissue, then concentrations as high as 4.0 μ g/g could be attained. However, predictions of Hg concentrations in blood and urine were well within established ranges, and were unlikely to be of utility in assessing effects of chronic low-dose Hg exposure. It is concluded that the CNS could accumulate a substantial amount of Hg over extended time, based on low-dose elemental Hg vapor exposure via inhalation from dental amalgams.

Creating the Wind

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 14-31
Author(s):  
Élodie Dupey García
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
The Body ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Natural Behavior ◽  
Sensory Experiences ◽  
Identity And Agency ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Late Postclassic ◽  
Comparative Examination ◽  
Meteorological Phenomenon

This article explores how the Nahua of late Postclassic Mesoamerica (1200–1521 CE) created living and material embodiments of their wind god constructed on the basis of sensory experiences that shaped their conception of this divinized meteorological phenomenon. In this process, they employed chromatic and design devices, based on a wide range of natural elements, to add several layers of meaning to the human, painted, and sculpted supports dressed in the god’s insignia. Through a comparative examination of pre-Columbian visual production—especially codices and sculptures—historical sources mainly written in Nahuatl during the viceregal period, and ethnographic data on indigenous communities in modern Mexico, my analysis targets the body paint and shell jewelry of the anthropomorphic “images” of the wind god, along with the Feathered Serpent and the monkey-inspired embodiments of the deity. This study identifies the centrality of other human senses beyond sight in the conception of the wind god and the making of its earthly manifestations. Constructing these deity “images” was tantamount to creating the wind because they were intended to be visual replicas of the wind’s natural behavior. At the same time, they referred to the identity and agency of the wind god in myths and rituals.

Development and Validation of a New Scoring Tool to Evaluate the Clinical Evolution of Adult Patients with Nonsegmental Vitiligo

Dermatology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
María Luisa Peralta-Pedrero ◽  
Denisse Herrera-Bringas ◽  
Karla Samantha Torres-González ◽  
Martha Alejandra Morales-Sánchez ◽  
Fermín Jurado Santa-Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Surface ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Similar Response ◽  
Clinical Evolution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Extreme Groups

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Vitiligo has an unpredictable course and a variable response to treatment. Furthermore, the improvement of some vitiligo lesions cannot be considered a guarantee of a similar response to the other lesions. Instruments for patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) can be an alternative to measure complex constructions such as clinical evolution. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> The aim of this study was to validate a PROM that allows to measure the clinical evolution of patients with nonsegmental vitiligo in a simple but standardized way that serves to gather information for a better understanding of the disease. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The instrument was created through expert consensus and patient participation. For the validation study, a prospective cohort design was performed. The body surface area affected was measured with the Vitiligo Extension Score (VES), the extension, the stage, and the spread by the evaluation of the Vitiligo European Task Force assessment (VETFa). Reliability was determined with test-retest, construct validity through hypothesis testing, discriminative capacity with extreme groups, and response capacity by comparing initial and final measurements. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Eighteen semi-structured interviews and 7 cognitive interviews were conducted, and 4 dermatologists were consulted. The instrument Clinical Evolution-Vitiligo (CV-6) was answered by 119 patients with a minimum of primary schooling. A wide range was observed in the affected body surface; incident and prevalent cases were included. The average time to answer the CV-6 was 3.08 ± 0.58 min. In the test-retest (<i>n</i> = 53), an intraclass correlation coefficient was obtained: 0.896 (95% CI 0.82–0.94; <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). In extreme groups, the mean score was 2 (2–3) and 5 (4–6); <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001. The initial CV-6 score was different from the final one and the change was verified with VES and VETFa (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05, <i>n</i> = 92). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The CV-6 instrument allows patient collaboration, it is simple and brief, and it makes it easier for the doctor to focus attention on injuries that present changes at the time of medical consultation.

scholarly journals Hydromechanics of low-Reynolds-number flow. Part 2. Singularity method for Stokes flows

1975 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen T. Chwang ◽  
T. Yao-Tsu Wu
Keyword(s):  
Exact Solutions ◽  
Stokes Flow ◽  
Fundamental Solutions ◽  
The Body ◽  
Circular Cylinders ◽  
Geometrical Parameters ◽  
Flow Problems ◽  
Singularity Method ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Body Shapes

The present study further explores the fundamental singular solutions for Stokes flow that can be useful for constructing solutions over a wide range of free-stream profiles and body shapes. The primary singularity is the Stokeslet, which is associated with a singular point force embedded in a Stokes flow. From its derivatives other fundamental singularities can be obtained, including rotlets, stresslets, potential doublets and higher-order poles derived from them. For treating interior Stokes-flow problems new fundamental solutions are introduced; they include the Stokeson and its derivatives, called the roton and stresson.These fundamental singularities are employed here to construct exact solutions to a number of exterior and interior Stokes-flow problems for several specific body shapes translating and rotating in a viscous fluid which may itself be providing a primary flow. The different primary flows considered here include the uniform stream, shear flows, parabolic profiles and extensional flows (hyper-bolic profiles), while the body shapes cover prolate spheroids, spheres and circular cylinders. The salient features of these exact solutions (all obtained in closed form) regarding the types of singularities required for the construction of a solution in each specific case, their distribution densities and the range of validity of the solution, which may depend on the characteristic Reynolds numbers and governing geometrical parameters, are discussed.

scholarly journals A Computational Study on the Role of Parameters for Identification of Thyroid Nodules by Infrared Images (and Comparison with Real Data)

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4459
Author(s):  
José R. González ◽  
Charbel Damião ◽  
Maira Moran ◽  
Cristina A. Pantaleão ◽  
Rubens A. Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thyroid Nodules ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
Internal Heat ◽  
Heat Transfer Process ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Infrared Sensors ◽  
Wide Range

According to experts and medical literature, healthy thyroids and thyroids containing benign nodules tend to be less inflamed and less active than those with malignant nodules. It seems to be a consensus that malignant nodules have more blood veins and more blood circulation. This may be related to the maintenance of the nodule’s heat at a higher level compared with neighboring tissues. If the internal heat modifies the skin radiation, then it could be detected by infrared sensors. The goal of this work is the investigation of the factors that allow this detection, and the possible relation with any pattern referent to nodule malignancy. We aim to consider a wide range of factors, so a great number of numerical simulations of the heat transfer in the region under analysis, based on the Finite Element method, are performed to study the influence of each nodule and patient characteristics on the infrared sensor acquisition. To do so, the protocol for infrared thyroid examination used in our university’s hospital is simulated in the numerical study. This protocol presents two phases. In the first one, the body under observation is in steady state. In the second one, it is submitted to thermal stress (transient state). Both are simulated in order to verify if it is possible (by infrared sensors) to identify different behavior referent to malignant nodules. Moreover, when the simulation indicates possible important aspects, patients with and without similar characteristics are examined to confirm such influences. The results show that the tissues between skin and thyroid, as well as the nodule size, have an influence on superficial temperatures. Other thermal parameters of thyroid nodules show little influence on surface infrared emissions, for instance, those related to the vascularization of the nodule. All details of the physical parameters used in the simulations, characteristics of the real nodules and thermal examinations are publicly available, allowing these simulations to be compared with other types of heat transfer solutions and infrared examination protocols. Among the main contributions of this work, we highlight the simulation of the possible range of parameters, and definition of the simulation approach for mapping the used infrared protocol, promoting the investigation of a possible relation between the heat transfer process and the data obtained by infrared acquisitions.

scholarly journals Polymer-Drug Conjugates as Nanotheranostic Agents

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-81
Author(s):  
Sajana Manandhar ◽  
Erica Sjöholm ◽  
Johan Bobacka ◽  
Jessica M. Rosenholm ◽  
Kuldeep K. Bansal
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Drug Release ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
The Body ◽  
Drug Conjugates ◽  
Imaging Characteristics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Systemic Side Effects ◽  
Theranostic Agents ◽  
The Stability

Since the last decade, the polymer-drug conjugate (PDC) approach has emerged as one of the most promising drug-delivery technologies owing to several benefits like circumventing premature drug release, offering controlled and targeted drug delivery, improving the stability, safety, and kinetics of conjugated drugs, and so forth. In recent years, PDC technology has advanced with the objective to further enhance the treatment outcomes by integrating nanotechnology and multifunctional characteristics into these systems. One such development is the ability of PDCs to act as theranostic agents, permitting simultaneous diagnosis and treatment options. Theranostic nanocarriers offer the opportunity to track the distribution of PDCs within the body and help to localize the diseased site. This characteristic is of particular interest, especially among those therapeutic approaches where external stimuli are supposed to be applied for abrupt drug release at the target site for localized delivery to avoid systemic side effects (e.g., Visudyne®). Thus, with the help of this review article, we are presenting the most recent updates in the domain of PDCs as nanotheranostic agents. Different methodologies utilized to design PDCs along with imaging characteristics and their applicability in a wide range of diseases, have been summarized in this article.

scholarly journals Sustainable Sources from Aquatic Organisms for Cosmeceuticals Ingredients

Cosmetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Carmen G. Sotelo ◽  
María Blanco ◽  
Patricia Ramos ◽  
José A. Vázquez ◽  
Ricardo I. Perez-Martin
Keyword(s):  
Social Issues ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fishing Activity ◽  
Marine Biomass ◽  
Cosmetic Industry ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Long Life ◽  
By Products

Long life expectancy of populations in the developing world together with some cultural and social issues has driven the need to pay special attention to health and physical appearance. Cosmeceuticals are gaining interest in the cosmetic industry as their uses fulfills a double purpose: the requirements of a cosmetic (clean, perfume, protect, change the appearance of the external parts of the body or keeping them in good condition) with a particular bioactivity function. The cosmetics industry, producing both cosmetics and cosmeceuticals, is currently facing numerous challenges to satisfy different attitudes of consumers (vegetarianism, veganism, cultural or religious concerns, health or safety reasons, eco-friendly process, etc.). A currently growing trend in the market is the interest in products of low environmental impact. Marine origin ingredients are increasingly being incorporated into cosmeceutical preparations because they are able to address several consumer requirements and also due to the wide range of bioactivities they present (antioxidant, whitening, anti-aging, etc.). Many companies claim “Marine” as a distinctive marketing signal; however, only a few indicate whether they use sustainable ingredient sources. Sustainable marine ingredients might be obtained using wild marine biomass through a sustainable extractive fishing activity; by adopting valorization strategies including the use of fish discards and fish by-products; and by sustainably farming and culturing marine organisms.

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