Fracture resistance of complex amalgam restorations

We surveyed the clinical presentation, initial management and subsequent course of a prospectively registered cohort of 60 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) diagnosed before age 15 years in the Sultanate of Oman between January 1990 and December 1993. Clinical details from the time of diagnosis were available on all the children. At diagnosis 9 (15 per cent) presented with severe ketoacidosis (DKA) with pH less than 7.1 or plasma bicarbonate less than 10 mmol/l, and 16 (27 per cent) had mild to moderate ketoacidosis with pH 7.1-7.35 or plasma bicarbonate 10-18 mmol/l. During DKA electrolyte disturbances included: hypokalemia (K < 3.5 mmol/l) 25 per cent), hyperkalemia (K > 5.5 mmol/l) (18 per cent) and hyponatremia (Na < 130 mmol/l) (40 per cent). Serum creatinine concentrations were high in 25 per cent of children with DKA. Within the first year of diagnosis, 17 of the 60 children (28 per cent) experienced symptomatic hypoglycaemia, which in six (10 per cent) led to one or more admissions. Re-admission for unstable glycaemic control, excluding acute hypoglycaemia occurred at least once in six children (10 per cent) within 1 year of diagnosis and in 10 (17 per cent) within 2 years. Statural growth velocity (GV) and GVSDS (6.9 +/- 0.85 cm/year and 0.75, respectively) were significantly higher in the group of children with good glycaemic control (HbA1C = 7.9 +/- 0.4 per cent) compared to those children (3.7 +/- 0.44 cm/ year and -1.6, respectively) with bad glycaemic control (HbA1C = 12.5 +/- 1.5 per cent). Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations were significantly higher (260 +/- 21 ng/ml) in the group with good glycemic control v. the group with bad control (149 +/- 15 ng/ml). In summary, greater public and medical awareness of the presenting features of diabetes in young children is needed to reduce the frequency of DKA at presentation, and improvement of patient and family education is necessary to reduce the incidence of DKA and hypoglycaemia in children with IDDM.     

Marginal leakage of amalgam restorations pretreated with various liners

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the microleakage of amalgam restorations lined with four different liners. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cylindrical occlusal cavities were prepared in extracted human molars and the teeth were then divided into four groups and lined with one of four liners: Amalcoden, AM (glass-metal ionomer), FujiDuet, FD (glass ionomer), Amalgambond, AB (adhesive resin), or copal varnish, CV. Each cavity was then restored with a high-copper amalgam alloy and aged for 7 days in 37 degrees C distilled water. The specimens were then thermocycled for 300 cycles followed by immersion in 0.5% basic fuchsin dye solution for 24 hours. The teeth were then embedded in resin, sectioned, and dye penetration at the tooth/amalgam interface evaluated microscopically at x 100 and scored from 0 to 4 (0 = no leakage and 4 = greatest leakage). RESULTS: The median values were: AM = 1.0; FD = 0.5; AB = 1.1; and CV = 4.0. Statistical analysis using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U indicated no significant differences between AM and AB or FD and AB. CV was however, significantly worse at P < 0.01.     

Utilization of ceromer inlays/onlays for replacement of amalgam restorations

Fiber-reinforced Ceromer technology has been recommended for a variety of restorations, including inlays/onlays, crowns and bridges, and direct restorations. Ideal restorative dental materials must exhibit adequate physical properties and fit, as well as ease and predictability of fabrication and repair. The Ceromer restorative material combines the positive attributes of indirect composite restorations, feldspathic ceramics, and cast-gold restorations. This article reviews the material properties and aesthetic characteristics inherent to Ceromers, as well as the appropriate preparation and adhesive techniques for inlay/onlay restorations.     

The use of liners under amalgam restorations: an in vitro study on marginal leakage

OBJECTIVE: Marginal leakage of amalgam restorations may lead to secondary caries and pulpal damage. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect various cavity liners might have on microleakage. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Mesio-occlusodistal amalgam restorations with margins on enamel and dentin were treated with different liner materials (an adhesive system, a topical fluoride gel, a cavity varnish, and a glass-ionomer cement) in vitro. Following restoration, the teeth were submitted to thermocycling in a stained solution and sectioned to allow assessment of microleakage. RESULTS: On enamel, the control group (no liner) and the glass-ionomer-lined group had equivalent leakage scores and were superior to every other group. On dentin, only the glass-ionomer specimens had superior performance. The cavity varnish and fluoride-lined specimens exhibited the highest leakage scores. CONCLUSION: The use of liners does not reduce microleakage on amalgam restorations when the cavity margins remain on enamel. On dentin margins, a glass-ionomer liner can reduce microleakage.     

Influence of finishing and polishing procedures on the decision to replace old amalgam restorations: an in vitro study

The purpose of this study was to establish the influence that finishing and polishing of existing amalgam restorations might have on the decision to replace them. Forty extracted teeth, in which amalgam restorations had been placed in vivo, were individually examined by 60 practitioners and students prior to and following standard finishing and polishing procedures. Examiners, who had not been informed of the study's methodology or objective, opted either for maintaining or replacing the restoration in question. The main reasons for replacement were also registered. Finishing and polishing significantly reduced the number of decisions to replace restorations in all groups and for all practitioners. "Appearance" (anatomic shape) was the most frequently cited reason for replacing restorations before finishing and polishing, followed by marginal defects and secondary caries.     

Impact of scale standardization on images of digital radiography systems

OBJECTIVES: To test the effect of altering image size on diagnostic quality. METHODS: Endodontic files, size 10 and 15 were prepared to full root length and 1.5 mm short, in upper and lower molars and premolars. Digital images of the Sidexis (S) and Visualix/Vixa (V) system were reduced in size to Digora (D) scale, and the D images were enlarged to S scale. ROC analysis was performed and data analysed with MANOVA statistics. RESULTS: Assessment of root canal length with file size 10 was less accurate for the S images reduced in size, compared with the original S images (P < 0.011). All other differences were not significant (P > 0.081). CONCLUSIONS: Relevant diagnostic information may be lost when images are reduced in size. Therefore, for optimal presentation, the smaller images should be enlarged rather than the larger ones reduced.     

Verbal-performance IQ discrepancies on the WAIS-R: An examination of the old-age standardization sample.

Compared base rate information on verbal IQ (VIQ) and performance IQ (PIQ) discrepancies for the old-age standardization sample of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) and 130 normal volunteers (aged 75+ yrs). VIQ–PIQ difference was 0.13 and was similar to the original WAIS—R standardization. Inspection of frequency distributions revealed that 38.5% of the Ss had VIQ–PIQ discrepancies greater than or equal to 9 points and 32.3% had differences greater than or equal to 12 points. The variables of gender, age, and race did not influence VIQ–PIQ differences. However, trends for educational attainment and level of full scale IQ did emerge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of rapid advancement of international standardization on technical requirements for new drug registration

Internationalization of new drug research and development is rapidly progressing. When mutual international acceptance of clinical trial data is realized, scientifically superior data will eradicate and replace all not so scientific data. This means that healthy competition would benefit the data of clinical trials. The same is true of anti-tumor drugs. Some Japan originated antitumor drugs were developed in foreign countries prior to domestic clinical development. In future, geographic centralization of clinical trials in areas which can conduct scientifically more consistent trials is expected. There are only a limited number of institutes which can conduct high-quality clinical trials of antitumor drugs, so they want Japan, a potential country, to come to other areas to produce high-quality clinical trial data. The resolution of a number of daily stumbling blocks such as informing the patient that he or she is suffering from cancer is a prerequisite for conducting high-quality clinical trials. But every effort must be made so that it will not be said: "Data produced overseas are better. There is no need for Japan to use its knowledge and effort in the field of clinical development."     

Interfacial bond strengths of amalgam bonded to amalgam and resin composite bonded to amalgam

A preparative method for the preparation of large peptides is described. An advantageous theoretical weight of peptide/weight of starting resin ratio (tPw/Rw) of about 0.3 was successfully experimented. The esterification of the first amino acid was realized with a racemization of less than 1%. The study of the coupling conditions led to the use of a diluted acylating mixture that allowed a 56% consumption of the amino acid derivatives (percentage use of amino acids) introduced in the synthesis. The cost analysis of the synthesis showed that the recovery of the amino acid derivatives was not worthwhile.     

An examination of differences between native and non-native psychiatric offenders on the MMPI.

Compared Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scores of 57 native and 218 non-native Canadian Prairie psychiatric offenders. All Ss were adult males. In uncontrolled comparisons, considerable cross-cultural profile similarity was observed. Separate native and non-native multiple regressions were performed, using the 13 MMPI scales as criterion variables with age, time served, education level, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) Full Scale IQ, and Verbal Comprehension as the predictors. WAIS Full Scale IQ and education level were the strongest predictors of native and non-native MMPIs, respectively. When controlled MMPI comparisons were made using IQ and education as covariates, the previous differences were erased. With covariates, significantly lower native scores were found on Mf, Pa, and Si, while K was significantly higher. The lowered native profile was due primarily to the IQ covariate. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Online persuasion: An examination of gender differences in computer-mediated interpersonal influence.

The purpose of this research was to investigate how computer-mediated communication affects persuasion in dyadic interactions. Two studies compared participants' attitudes after hearing a series of arguments from a same-gender communicator via either e-mail or face-to-face interaction. In Study 1, women showed less message agreement in response to e-mail versus face-to-face messages, whereas men showed no difference between communication modes. Study 2 replicated this finding and examined the impact of prior interaction with the communicator. For women, the condition that provided the least social interaction led to the least message agreement. For men, the condition that provided the most social challenge led to the least message agreement. Results are interpreted in terms of gender differences in interaction style. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of adolescent sex differences in some ability and personality traits.

Administered a battery of ability and personality measures to 138 male and 142 female 11th and 12th graders. The ability factors comprised an extended list of the primary mental abilities; the personality factors were many of those comprising R. B. Cattell's trait organization of personality. Results are used to reexamine earlier-established sex differences on ability and personality factors, and to ascertain whether such differences exist on some more recently discovered primary ability traits. Results are presented in terms of the trait means, variances, and covariance structures. (French summary) (2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of gender and racial differences among Missouri insanity acquittees

This study examines gender and racial differences among Missouri insanity acquittees, which included 42 African American females, 279 African American males, 63 Caucasian females, and 458 Caucasian males. Significant differences across the four groups were not found in age, current marital status, a diagnosis of borderline intellectual functioning/mental retardation, committing crimes of assault and burglary, and whether insanity acquittees ever received conditional releases to reside in the community. Some variations across the four gender/race categories were related to race (diagnoses of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and other Axis I diagnoses), but variations were more frequently related to gender (whether ever married; diagnoses of substance abuse, sexual disorders, antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and any personality disorder; committing crimes of murder, sexual offenses, and serious offenses; and current residential status). African American males were identified as being an at-risk population. They were the most likely to have a schizophrenia diagnosis, a substance abuse diagnosis, an antisocial personality disorder diagnosis, and to be hospitalized on the survey date. Implications for treatment and future research are explored.     

企业信息标准化工作的探讨

介绍了湘钢企业信息标准化工作情况 ,分析了企业实施信息标准化时存在的问题 ,需要采取的对策及其效果。     

Elimination of inter-institutional discrepancies in health check-up results: standardization of diagnostic decision level and uniformity of examination data

We present a patient with prostate cancer who developed symptomatic hypocalcemia while taking oral clodronate for painful bony metastases. He had a past history of a bowel resection for Crohn's disease, and, although he was normocalcemic prior to taking clodronate, it is likely that the surgery had caused mild hyperparathyroidism. The addition of clodronate prevented the chronic osteolysis of bony metastases, which would have helped maintain normocalcemia. The case was complicated by hypomagnesemia and hypokalemia resulting from diarrhea. Hypomagnesemia is a cause of refractory hypocalcemia and hypokalemia. This case illustrates two important points. First, care must be taken with bisphosphonates in patients with a previous bowel resection. Second, magnesium plays a key role in the metabolism of both calcium and potassium, and must be considered in the evaluation of the hypocalcemic patient.     

Sex differences in the intimacy of social interaction: Further examination of potential explanations.

Two studies, with 58 female and 49 male undergraduates, evaluated potential explanations of the finding that males' same-sex interaction is less intimate than that of females. These explanations concerned differing criteria for intimacy, labeling differences, selectivity in the occasions or partners for intimacy, the question of capability vs preference, and gender-cued stereotypic judgments. In a replication of the essential datum, diarylike reports of naturalistic interaction indicated that males' same-sex interaction was substantially less intimate than that of females. Subsequently, Ss were asked to judge standard stimuli and to have an intimate conversation in a laboratory setting. Analyses revealed that the sex difference could not be attributed to differing criteria, labeling, selectivity, or gender-cued judgments. Further analyses indicated that preference played more of a role in the sex difference than did capability, because situational manipulations eliminated the sex difference. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How much insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) circulates? Impact of standardization on IGF-I assay accuracy

There is a significant systematic difference between the normal range obtained from ethylenediamine tetraacetate plasma samples using the Genentech total insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) RIA and normal ranges for other total IGF-I RIAs. To determine whether the quality of the assay standard was the cause of this systematic difference, we analyzed commercially available preparations of recombinant human IGF-I (rhIGF-I) typical of those used as IGF-I immunoassay standards along with our own well characterized rhIGF-I assay standard. For the commercial standards, high performance liquid chromatography-derived purities were low, and some vendor-assigned protein concentrations were inconsistent with values from quantitative amino acid analysis. The Genentech rhIGF-I assay standard was highly pure and quantitatively correct. However, the poor quality of some commercial rhIGF-I preparations was not the primary reason for the systematic discrepancy between the Genentech total IGF-I RIA normal range and most other normal ranges. Most assays for total IGF-I are calibrated against the WHO International Reference Reagent (IRR) for IGF-I Immunoassays (87/518). The Genentech total IGF-I RIA is not calibrated against WHO IRR 87/518. The protein content assigned to WHO IRR 87/518 was a consensus value from a multicenter collaborative study. Physicochemical analyses showed that WHO IRR 87/518 is Met(-1)-IGF-I of low purity (44%), and that the assigned protein content is higher than the value determined by quantitative amino acid analysis. Thus, assays that are calibrated against WHO IRR 87/518 will report total IGF-I concentrations in excess of actual values. We believe that calibration against WHO IRR 87/518 is the cause of the systematic discrepancy between the Genentech IGF-I assay normal range and most other normal ranges, and that much of the plasma IGF-I concentration data in the literature are of questionable accuracy.     

An examination of differences between multiple- and single-incident victims of sexual assault.

Examined differences between 25 multiple- and 25 single-incident victims of sexual assault using demographic data and a 117-item interview that assessed functioning prior to the current rape. Multiple-incident Ss were poorer and more transient than were single-incident Ss. Multiple-incident Ss also had a history of more frequent victimization other than rape and were significantly more dysfunctional in their personal and interpersonal adjustment. They reported more problems with depression, and 52% had attempted suicide. Comparisons of events leading up to and surrounding the current rape for these 2 groups were not significant. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Barriers to completion of health care proxies: an examination of ethnic differences

BACKGROUND: Advance directives have not been uniformly used by different segments of the US population and studies have consistently shown a lower prevalence of advance directives among African Americans and Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic whites. OBJECTIVE: To examine barriers to completion of health care proxies for different ethnic groups. METHODS: One hundred ninety-seven subjects aged 65 years or older self-identified as African American (n = 65), Hispanic (n = 65), or non-Hispanic white (n = 67) attending a geriatrics and internal medicine outpatient clinic of a large New York City teaching hospital were administered a questionnaire. Questionnaires were developed to examine potential barriers to completion of health care proxies. Barriers were drawn from the literature and from focus groups. RESULTS: Significant predictors of proxy completion using logistic regression analysis included knowledge of health care proxies, availability of a health care agent, exposure to mechanical ventilation, age, and self-reported health status as fair to poor. Subjects who believed that a health care agent was irrelevant in the setting of involved family were significantly less likely to have completed a health care proxy. Although there were significant differences in the baseline completion rates of health care proxies for the 3 ethnic groups, ethnicity did not predict prior appointment of a health care agent in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in health care proxy completion rates across white, African American, and Hispanic elderly individuals in this New York City population seem to be related to potentially reversible barriers such as lack of knowledge and the perceived irrelevance of advance directives in the setting of involved family. Enhanced educational efforts of both health care personnel and patients could increase the rate of formal health care proxy appointment.