Effect of mechanical treatment on healing after third molar extraction

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of subgingival scaling and root planing on healing of the distal surface of second molars following extraction of third molars. Twenty-eight patients with contralateral erupted third molars and pocket depths greater than or equal to 3 mm on the distal surface of the second molars participated in this study. Measurements of supragingival bacterial plaque, bleeding on probing, pocket depth, and relative attachment level were performed at baseline and 2 months after treatment. Extraction of contralateral third molars was carried out simultaneously. The experimental site received thorough scaling and root planing of the distal surface of the second molar, while the control site received extraction alone. Experimental sites showed significant improvement in all clinical parameters assessed compared to the control sites. In conclusion, periodontal lesions on the distal of second molars can be significantly improved following scaling and root planing after extraction of third molars.     

Study of sialated neoglycoconjugates by surface enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy

Neoglycoconjugates based on polyacrylamide and sialic acid with N-acetylneuraminic acid or sialooligosaccharides as side chains were studied by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. It had previously been found that these polymers can effectively inhibit influenza virus adhesion. This study revealed the possibility to evaluate, based on the intensity of SERS signals, the overall availability for interaction and the conformational freedom of sialic acid residues in glycoconjugates. The dependence of these two factors on the structure and density of sialylated side chains was studied. The uniformity of distribution of sialylated side chains in conjugates was shown. Comparison of the results of the SERS spectroscopic study of the conjugates and the data on their inhibitory effect on the adhesion of specific strains of influenza virus allowed the identification of the conjugates for which the availability and conformational freedom of sialic acid are the main factors determining their inhibitory properties. A conclusion was also reached about the predominance of one of the mechanisms (competitive inhibition or steric stabilization) in the inhibitory properties of the specific conjugates.     

The value of the Parenting Scale for measuring the discipline practices of parents of middle school children

The psychometric properties of the Parenting Scale (Arnold, O'Leary, Wolff, and Acker, 1993), a 30-item instrument originally developed to assess the discipline practices of parents of preschool children, were examined for parents of middle school students. Subjects were 298 parents of middle school student identified as at-risk for problem behavior. An exploratory factor analysis identified two factors labeled 'Overreactivity' and 'Laxness', closely resembling two of the factors found by Arnold et al., but each of these factors contained only six items. Confirmatory factor analyses, using data from the first two assessments, replicated this factor structure. The factors were significantly correlated with measures of parents' behavior, with scales from the child Behavior Checklist and Parent Daily Reports, and with the Beck Depression Inventory. The Laxness factor was less robust than the Overreactivity factor.     

An antagonist for the leukemia inhibitory factor receptor inhibits leukemia inhibitory factor, cardiotrophin-1, ciliary neurotrophic factor, and oncostatin M

The leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (LIF-R) is activated not only by LIF, but also by cardiotrophin-1, ciliary neurotrophic factor with its receptor, and oncostatin M (OSM). Each of these cytokines induces the hetero-oligomerization of LIF-R with gp130, a signal-transducing subunit shared with interleukin-6 and interleukin-11. The introduction of mutations into human LIF that reduced the affinity for gp130 while retaining affinity for LIF-R has generated antagonists for LIF. In the current study, a LIF antagonist that was free of detectable agonistic activity was tested for antagonism against the family of LIF-R ligands. On cells that express LIF-R and gp130, all LIF-R ligands were antagonized. On cells that also express OSM receptor, OSM was not antagonized, demonstrating that the antagonist is specific for LIF-R. Ligand-triggered tyrosine phosphorylation of both LIF-R and gp130 was blocked by the antagonist. The antagonist is therefore likely to work by preventing receptor oligomerization.     

Ultrasonic vocalization behavior differs between lines of ethanol-preferring and nonpreferring rats

To further understand the relationship between emotional state and alcohol intake in rats, the tendency to emit ultrasonic vocalizations in response to an aversive, but nonpainful, air puff stimulus was tested in several rat lines. Included in this group were Maudsley Reactive (MR) and Non-Reactive (MNR) rats, and several lines of rats with either high ethanol preference or a low ethanol preference: Preferring, (P), Alko-Alcohol (AA), and Fawn-Hooded (FH) animals; and Non-Preferring (NP), Alko-Non-Alcohol (ANA), and Flinders Resistant Line (FRL). MR rats emitted fewer ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and showed less preference for ethanol than did MNR animals. An overall analysis that included the P, NP, FH, FRL, AA, and ANA groups demonstrated a significant negative correlation between the total number of USVs emitted and ethanol consumption. NP, FRL, and especially ANA rats (low ethanol-preferring) emitted the most USVs--to an extent similar to that typically found for normal rats. The duration of vocalizing was higher only in the NP and the FRL rats the relative to their P and FH comparison groups, respectively. In the ethanol-preferring and nonpreferring lines, the numbers of USVs emitted correlated positively with the duration of vocalizing, but not with the latency to vocalize, which in turn did not correlate strongly with ethanol intake. The latency to vocalize did not correlate significantly with ethanol intake across all drinking lines or MR or MNR rats, but was found to be higher in FH and AA rats relative to their nondrinking comparison groups. These associations suggest that the relationship between emotional state and ethanol drinking is complex and cannot be attributed to a simple elevated state of anxiety or emotionality. Further examination of the central nervous system mechanisms mediating the difference in USVs between paired lines of ethanol-preferring and nonpreferring rats may identify neurochemical factors that predict ethanol preference.     

Are supplementary services provided during methadone maintenance really cost-effective?

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has suggested that support services supplementing methadone maintenance programs vary in their cost-effectiveness. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of varying levels of supplementary support services to determine whether the relative cost-effectiveness of alternative levels of support is sustained over time. METHOD: A group of 100 methadone-maintained opiate users were randomly assigned to three treatment groups receiving different levels of support services during a 24-week clinical trial. One group received methadone treatment with a minimum of counseling, the second received methadone plus more intensive counseling, and the third received methadone plus enhanced counseling, medical, and psychosocial services. The results at the end of the trial period have been published elsewhere. This article reports the results of an analysis at a 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: The follow-up analysis reaffirmed the preliminary findings that the methadone plus counseling level provided the most cost-effective implementation of the treatment program. At 12 months, the annual cost per abstinent client was $16,485, $9,804, and $11,818 for the low, intermediate, and high levels of support, respectively. Abstinence rates were highest, but modestly so, for the group receiving the high-intensity, high-cost methadone with enhanced services intervention. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that large amounts of support to methadone-maintained clients are not cost-effective, but it also demonstrates that moderate amounts of support are better than minimal amounts. As funding for these programs is reduced, these findings suggest a floor below which supplementary support should not fall.