Local simvastatin and inflammation during periodontal mini-flap wound healing: Exploratory results.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this exploratory study was to evaluate inflammatory markers in periodontal maintenance patients from a randomized, double-masked, parallel intervention clinical trial comparing local simvastatin (SIM) to carrier alone following mini-flap access. METHODS: Fifty patients with a 6-9-mm inflamed pocket during periodontal maintenance therapy (PMT) were treated with papilla reflection (PR)/root planing and placement of 2.2-mg simvastatin in methylcellulose (SIM/MCL) or methylcellulose alone (MCL). A small piece of interproximal soft tissue was harvested at baseline and 2 weeks postoperatively, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) obtained at baseline, 2 weeks and 12 months, and bleeding on probing (BOP) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were measured at baseline and 12 months. Pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-6 and anti-inflammatory IL-10 gene activation were determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR). GCF IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) were measured with multiplex technology. Comparisons between groups and over time used logistic regression and general estimating equations. Associations between inflammatory markers and 12-month outcomes used Wilcoxon rank sum tests or Pearson correlations. RESULTS: Patients in the SIM group had 4.17 greater odds (p = 0.047) of improved BOP at 12 months. Median IL-6 and VEGF were significantly increased for all patients after 2 weeks of healing (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.03, respectively), while median IL-10 gene activation was increased after 2 weeks in SIM/MCL (NS). Overall, elevated GCF IL-10 at 2 weeks was significantly correlated with improved CAL at 12 months (r = -0.32, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Local SIM/MCL may have anti-inflammatory effects that potentially are associated with improved long-term CAL outcomes.

Self-report measures of distractibility as correlates of simulated driving performance.

The present study investigated the relationship between self-reported measures pertaining to attention difficulties and simulated driving performance while distracted. Thirty-six licensed drivers participated in a simulator driving task while engaged in a cell phone conversation. The participants completed questionnaires assessing their tendency toward boredom, cognitive failures, and behaviors associated with attention deficit and hyperactivity. Scores on these measures were significantly correlated with various driving outcomes (e.g., speed, lane maintenance, reaction time). Significant relationships were also found between one aspect of boredom proneness (i.e., inability to generate interest or concentrate) and self-reports of past driving behavior (moving violations). The current study may aid in the understanding of how individual differences in driver distractibility may contribute to unsafe driving behaviors and accident involvement. Additionally, such measures may assist in the identification of individuals at risk for committing driving errors due to being easily distracted. The benefits and limitations of conducting and interpreting simulation research are discussed.

Engrossed in conversation: the impact of cell phones on simulated driving performance.

The current study examined the effects of cognitively distracting tasks on various measures of driving performance. Thirty-six college students with a median of 6 years of driving experience completed a driving history questionnaire and four simulated driving scenarios. The distraction tasks consisted of responding to a signal detection task and engaging in a simulated cell phone conversation. Driving performance was measured in terms of four categories of behavior: traffic violations (e.g., speeding, running stop signs), driving maintenance (e.g., standard deviation of lane position), attention lapses (e.g., stops at green lights, failure to visually scan for intersection traffic), and response time (e.g., time to step on brake in response to a pop-up event). Performance was significantly impacted in all four categories when drivers were concurrently talking on a hands-free phone. Performance on the signal detection task was poor and not significantly impacted by the phone task, suggesting that considerably less attention was paid to detecting these peripheral signals. However, the signal detection task did interact with the phone task on measures of average speed, speed variability, attention lapses, and reaction time. The findings lend further empirical support of the dangers of drivers being distracted by cell phone conversations.