"A Tribe Apart": Sexuality and Cancer in Adolescence.

This qualitative study employed hermeneutic phenomenology and narrative inquiry to examine the topic of sexuality and adolescents with cancer from the perspectives of survivors who had experienced cancer as adolescents. This investigation examined the potentially sensitive, disquieting, and often taboo issue of sexuality in the interest of optimizing wellness in young people, and, ultimately, in the health of adults. Understanding the adolescent body as a sensitive, sexual, and developing self can enrich our understanding of adolescent cancer and promote best health care and practices, examining ways that we might mitigate the long-term effects of arrested or delayed development of sexual identity. In this article, we discuss phase 1 of the study, which used hermeneutics as the method of inquiry. Findings included a general experience of adolescents having a sense of "losing themselves" while at the same time finding themselves in a new light. Other findings include the connection between sexuality, self, and identity; the unique "tribe" of adolescents with cancer; the necessity for sexuality to take a backseat to cancer; the changing mirror images from self and others; sexuality and fertility; and, ultimately, that sexuality is a relational experience.

Qualifying the lapped enamel surface: a profilometric, electron microscopic and microhardness study using human, bovine and ovine enamel.

OBJECTIVE: When enamel specimens are prepared for erosion and abrasion studies, the assumption is often made that specimens prepared in the same way will have the same baseline surface characteristics. This study aimed to test the null hypothesis that there are no significant differences in baseline surface characteristics of human, ovine and bovine enamel specimens prepared using the same method. DESIGN: Twenty enamel slabs were prepared from bovine, human and ovine incisor crowns and polished with 3µm aluminium oxide paste. Roughness average (Ra), bearing parameters (MR1, MR2, Rpk, Rk, Rvk), surface microhardness and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to compare the different tissues. One way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to quantitatively compare surface characteristics between tissue types. RESULTS: Human, bovine and ovine enamel roughness and microhardness were significantly different to one another at baseline (P<0.001); ovine enamel was the roughest and softest, and bovine enamel was the smoothest and hardest. SEM allowed a visual comparison to be made between tissue types, confirming the quantitative data. CONCLUSIONS: Enamel from human, bovine and ovine specimens showed significantly different surface characteristics after lapping and polishing. The null hypothesis is rejected, recognising that the same preparation techniques will not necessarily result in consistent baseline roughness or surface characteristics between tissue types. Surface studies should lap and polish samples with a standardised approach, whilst ensuring that baseline data are recorded for comparison.

Reducing the risk of failure in complete denture patients.

UNLABELLED: This paper aims to review the factors associated with an increased risk of failure in complete denture patients, based on the strength of the available evidence base. These include accuracy of jaw relations, a poorly formed mandibular ridge, poor quality dentures and patient neuroticism. Clinical strategies for overcoming these issues are described with particular reference to impression-taking and jaw relations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Identifying potential problems will help to improve outcomes for edentulous patients treated with conventional complete dentures.