Evaluation of surface characteristics of denture base using organic-inorganic hybrid coating: an SEM study

Statement of Problem: Despite the numerous positive features of acrylic denture base, there are a number of undeniable associated disadvantages. The properties of denture base have been improved through various interventions including application of different types of filler and coatings

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the surface roughness, thickness and coating quality of organic-inorganic coating on the denture base through scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the colour change was evaluated visually

Materials and Methods: The organic-inorganic hybrid coatings were prepared. Acrylic discs of 10x10 mm were fabricated. The test discs were dipped in the hybrid coating and cured. In order to evaluate the surface roughness and coating thickness, the surface and cross-section of the samples in both coated and control groups were subjected to scanning electron microscopy. The colour change and transparency were visually evaluated with naked eyes. The data were statistically analyzed by student's t test

Results: The hybrid materials perfectly covered all the surfaces of acrylic resin and established proper thickness. The coated group seemed smoother and flatter than the control group; however, the difference was not statistically significant [for all parameters p > 0.05]. It was quite a thin coating and no perceptible colour change was observed

Conclusions: The hybrid coating maintained good binding, caused no noticeable discoloration, and thoroughly covered the acrylic resin surface with uniform delicate thickness. It also slightly improved the acrylic resin surface roughness

[Stages of inter-dental cleaning behavior change and its relationship with the processes of change among pre-university students in Yazd]

Teeth and mouth diseases encompass about 5-10% of the total health care costs. Transtheoretical Model [TTM] explains when individuals will adopt changes in their behaviors, how they change their behaviors, and which factors affect the changes in their behaviors. Processes of change is an important component of the model which include covert and overt activities that people use to progress through the stages. The purpose of this study was to determine the stages of change of inter-dental cleaning behavior and its relationship with the process of changes based on TTM in Yazd, Iran. This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 361 students from 8 pre-university schools who were selected via cluster sampling. Appropriate standard instrument were used to measure the stages of inter-dental cleaning behavior, and the process of change questionnaire was developed by the researchers. The reliability and validity of questionnaires were examined and approved using expert panel and cronbach's coefficient. Data were analyzed with SPSS software and using ANOVA and Binary Logistic Regression tests. 49% of students were in pre-contemplation stage, 5.3% in contemplation, 24.1% in preparation, 6.8% in action and 12.5% were in maintenance stage. The subjects earned 73.98% scores of cognitive processes of change, 63.59% scores of behavioral processes of change and 59.77% of scores of total processes of change. According to binary logistic regression analysis, In order to transfer from pre-action stages to action stages, the students used consciousness raising [Odd Ratio=1.061] and Self-liberation [Odd Ratio=1.155], and social liberation [Odd Ratio=1.204]. Majority of students was in pre-contemplation stage and most of them used cognitive processes of change to move from primary to final stages. So, interventional strategies which include programs with the aim of increasing cognitive process of change may be useful for transferring the students from primary stages of inter-dental cleaning behaviors to final stages

Pediatrician - based malnutrition reduction in children under 5 years of age: an interventional project a health- treatment center

Malnutrition, especially in the developing countries, is a common disease of children. Some causes of malnutrition are inappropriate supplementary feeding, parental low nutrition-related knowledge, and childhood diseases especially digestive and respiratory disorders. Various interventions have been made in different countries based on their present conditions and facilities. The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of interventions conducted by nutrition consulting center based on pivotal role of pediatrician at health center over growth status in children suffering from malnutrition. In this intervening quasi -experimental study, 189 children between 6-48 months affected by malnutrition were identified and included in the investigation using random sampling method. After verifiying diagnosis by pediatrist, required interventions were made and growth indices were determined before and after the intervention. Who's Anthro software and graphs were used to evaluate growth indices. Results indicated that 17.8 and 9.1% of boys and girls were respectively suffering from acute thinness; however, after intervention these findings reduced to 4.4 and 5.1% respectively. Moreover, 14.4 and 6.1% of the boys and girls who suffered from acute low-weight showed meaningful lower problem the intervention. The interventions could not deal with shortness of stature in the society. Through setting up intervening centers pivoted by pediatricians at the center of the provinces aimed at recognizing and treating children suffering from malnutrition as well as activating referral systems, we may take a step forward into a better situation therein improving the status of children suffering from low weight and malnutrition

[Musculoskeletal disorders among video display terminal [VDT] workers comparing with other office workers]

Scientific and industrial development has led to increased production, which has been associated with different complications, including occupational stress, and increased incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders are frequent causes of absenteeism in developed countries. We designed this study to assess musculoskeletal disorders and occupational stress among video display terminal [VDT] workers in comparison with other office workers. This was a cross-sectional study on 72 VDT workers [case] and 145 office workers [control]. In this study we used Nordic and Osipow questionnaires in order to evaluate musculoskeletal disorders and job stress, respectively. The questionnaires were filled by direct interview. T test, chi square, Fisher test and logistic regression were used for data analysis. The frequency of musculoskeletal disorders among VDT users in the last 12 months was 46.5%, 20.3%, 5.1%, 12.4% and 57.6% in neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and low back areas, respectively. The frequency of musculoskeletal complaints in neck, shoulder and wrist and mean score of occupational stress was significantly higher in the case group comparing with control group, and both results were statistically significant. VDT working is a high-risk job for musculoskeletal disorders. In this study the frequency of musculoskeletal disorders, especially in high-risk regions for this job, was higher in VDT workers than other office workers. We recommend to perform other studies in order to find non-ergonomic points and postures in these persons

role of adverse lifestyle changes in the causation of coronary artery disease

Adverse lifestyle changes like rapid change in dietary habits coupled with decreased physical activity and increasing rates of alcohol and tobacco consumption can increase coronary artery disease [CAD] risk factors and its mortality even higher than the rates predicted. To evaluate the role of adverse lifestyle changes factors in the causation of CAD, a hospital based case-control study was conducted in an urban area of East Delhi from April 2002 to December 2003. A total of 500 subjects with age group 30-75 [250 cases and 250 controls], were included in this study. To obtain more validate comparisons, 250 controls also was selected from community of East Delhi. The tool of enquiry was a pre-tested and pre-coded questionnaire. A confidence level of 95% and study power of 80% were considered for the interpretation of possible significant findings. Sexwise stratified analysis was separately done for male and female subjects using Multiple Logistic Regression. Comparison of male cases with their counterparts in both control groups indicated that milk consumption, using saturated oils for cooking medium, and tobacco consumption could account for as CAD independent predictors [P < 0.001]. The comparison of female cases with their counterparts in both control groups also showed that majority of those significantly were nuts consumer. Male cases compared to males in hospital group and female cases compared with females in community control group significantly were nuts consumer and used saturated oils in their cookings respectively. Our study showed that dietary factors such as consumption of milk, nuts, saturated oils and smoking, as misbehavior factor, could play an important role in the causation of CAD in urban area of East Delhi, India

Breast cancer risk factors in an urban area of Yazd city, Iran

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women in many parts of the world. The risk factors for breast cancer cover a broad range of conditions, from age to complex genetic alterations. Present data is showing an increase in the annual incidence rates of disease and it is ranked as the first recorded malignancies among Iranian women after 1999. To study the association of reproductive and non reproductive factors with breast cancer among women with age group 30-75 years residing in urban area of Yazd city, Iran, this community based case-control study was carried out. A total of 160 subjects including 80 cases and 80 community controls were studied. Age was matched for both the case and control groups. Association of various kinds of risk factors with breast cancer was studied using odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals through both the univariate and multivariate analysis. The findings based on multivariate analysis showed that being employment in outdoor jobs, positive familial history of breast cancer amongst the first grades, early onset of the first menstruation cycle [/= 19 ys.], less number of live children [

Pain reducing in icteric neewborns while venipuncturing: comparison of local anesthetic cream with orally glucose

A number of studies has shown that orally administered sweet-tasting solutions reduce signs of pain during painful procedures. The local anesthetic cream EMLA has recently been shown to be safe for use in neonates. The present study aimed to compare the pain-reducing effect of EMLA cream with that of orally administered glucose during venipuncturing in newborns in Yazd city. A randomized, controlled, double-blind Clinical trial was done on the 220 newborns undergoing venipuncture for clinical purposes. One hundred- six of the newborns received EMLA on the skin and orally administered placebo [sterile water] and 114 received orally glucose 30% and placebo [Vit A+D] on the skin. Symptoms associated with pain while venipuncturing measured by Neonatal/ Infant pain scale [NIPS] and crying time were compared between two groups. There were no differences in background variables between the 2 groups. The results showed that the NIPS scores were significantly lower in the glucose group [Median: 2] compared with the EMLA group [Median: 3] [P=.000]. The duration of crying in the first 2 minutes was significantly lower in the glucose group [Median: 2sec] than in EMLA group [Median: 9sec] [P<.01]. 12.3% and 29.2% of neonates in glucose and EMLA groups had NIPS above 3 respectively where the observed difference was found to be statistically significant [P<.05]. Our study showed that compared with EMLA cream, orally administration glucose can be more effective, tolerable and convenient in reducing of pain resulting from venipuncturing in neonatal period

relationship between intercanthal dimension and width of maxillary anterior teeth

One of the difficult aspects of designing complete denture prosthesis is the selection of appropriately sized maxillary anterior teeth. The aim of this investigation was to determine if there is any relationship between the intercanthal dimension and mesiodistal width of combined four maxillary anterior teeth. The maxillary anterior teeth were examined in 300 adult subjects. The distance between the median palpebral fissures was measured as the intercanthal distance. The mean width of the two central incisors, the combined widths of the central incisors, the combined width of the four incisors and the combined width of six anterior teeth were determined intra-orally at the widest dimension. T-test and Pearson correlation were used for statistical analysis. The men width of 4 maxillary incisor teeth was 30.8 +/- 1.91 mm and the mean width of 6 anterior maxillary teeth was 46.47 +/- 2.54 mm. Although the Pearson correlation was relatively small, a significant relationship was detected between the intercanthal and four maxillary teeth dimensions in all subjects [P=0.0001]. It was found that biometric ratio of 0.266 and 1.447 could be used to estimate the central incisor width and the combined widths of the six anterior teeth, respectively. The intercanthal distance can be used as preliminary criteria to determine the width of maxillary anterior teeth for edentulous patients

[Flow cytometric survey of RBC chimerism after bone marrow transplantation]

The aim of the present study was to evaluate red blood cell chimerism after bone marrow transplantation by flow cytometry. In order to perform this assay, FITC labeled antibodies against blood groups ABH, Rh, Kell, Duffy, Kidd, MNS were used.14 hematologic patients under BMT were selected for this study. The required sample was 5 ml peripheral blood that is collected in tubes containing EDTA. At first, donor and recipients red cells phenotypes were identified with the use of both agglutination and flow cytometry methods; then, on post-transplantation days of 15, 30 and 60, only blood samples of the recipients were analyzed by flow cytometry for the antigens differing from donors to recipients. Antibody screening test and titration of ABH Isohemagglutinins were performed on recipients' plasma samples and then repeated on post-transplantation day of 60. After BMT, red cell chimerism was detected in all 14 patients [in 9 patients on post-transplantation day of 15 and in 5 patients on day of 30]. Antibodies against minor blood groups and Rh blood group were not detected at all. The occurrence of chimerism was not inhibited by ABO incompatibility of donors and recipients but in patients who were ABH incompatible with their donors, ABH isohemagglutinins titer following transplantation decreased. Although the presence of isohemagglutinins did not prevent chimerism but it seems these antibodies by attaching to their related antigens on chimeric red cells membrane prevented corresponding antigen detection. Now by using flow cytometry, red cell phenotyping is applicable and reticulocyte analysis is much easier to perform so that chimerism can be detected in patients who have recently experienced blood transfusion. Moreover, through further evaluation of red cell chimerism and detection of recipient autologous red cells, disease relapse can be predicted