Prevalence of periodontal disease among mine workers of Zonguldak, Kozlu District, Turkey: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Occupational injuries cause major health problems in all nations. Coal mining is one of the largest, oldest industries in the world. However, there is relatively little available literature concerning the health status of coal miners. The purpose of this work is to assess the prevalence of periodontal disease among coal miners and provide a basis for planning and evaluating the data from community oral health services. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted 106 men selected based on a stratified cluster sampling procedure. The study was performed among the mine workers of Zonguldak, Kozlu District, Turkey. The questionnaire prepared by the American Academy of Periodontology risk assessment test was used for the evaluation. The data were collected byWorld Health Organization (WHO) oral health assessment form, and clinical examination was conducted by the method recommended by the WHO oral health surveys. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software programme. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of periodontal disease was found to be 96.2% and was determined by considering subjects with Community Periodontal Index scores of 1-4 as diseased and the healthy subjects comprised of a mere 3.8%. Furthermore, various disturbing or embarrassing work conditions were reported. Statistically significant differences were observed among the workers who brush their teeth daily and visit dental attendance within the last two years have better periodontal status than those of the others (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present level of periodontal disease in coal mine workers is severe. Moreover, its distribution and severity are strongly influenced by host susceptibility and risk factors. The priority should be based on population strategy and primary prevention programmes to benefit the periodontal health by promoting self-care and oral hygiene.

Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer in Untreated Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate peripapillary choroidal thickness (PPCT), central macular choroidal thickness (CMCT), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in untreated patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). METHODS: This prospective, randomized, and comparative study was conducted in a university ophthalmology clinic. 106 eyes of 106 patients with OSAHS and 44 eyes of 44 healthy individuals were evaluated in this study. Only right eyes were evaluated. The patients with OSAHS were divided into three groups as mild (group 1), moderate (group 2), and severe (group 3) according to apnea-hypopnea index. The PPCT, CMCT, and RNFL measurements were performed by using spectral domain optical coherence tomography with enhanced depth imaging technique. The main parameters assessed were PPCT-Temporal, PPCT-Superior, PPCT-Nasal, PPCT-Inferior quadrants, CMCT, and RNFL thicknesses. RESULTS: The PPCT of all quadrants was significantly thicker in the control group compared with the moderate and severe subgroups of OSAHS (p < 0.05). The PPCT-Superior and PPCT-Temporal were significantly thinner in the mild subgroup compared with the control group (p = 0.003 and p = 0.028, respectively). There was no difference between the control and mild groups regarding the RNFL thicknesses except nasal RNFL and inferotemporal RNFL which are thinner in the mild group. The RNFL thicknesses of all quadrants were significantly thicker in the control group compared with moderate and severe subgroups (p < 0.05). The CMCT was significantly thicker in the control group compared with all subgroups of OSAHS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In OSAHS patients, PPCT, CMCT, and RNFL were significantly thinner compared with the control group. These results may explain why OSAHS patients are prone to normotensive glaucoma.

Phenomenological subtypes of mania and their relationships with substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the distinct clusters of subtypes among patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and the relationship between the clinical features of BD patients, particularly substance use disorders (SUDs) and the clusters. METHOD: The present study initially assessed 96 inpatients who were hospitalized in the psychiatric clinic of Bakirköy Prof. Mazhar Osman Training and Research Hospital for Psychiatry and Neurology, for a BD manic episode. All patients were evaluated during the initial 3 days of their admission using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS),the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The factor structures of the psychopathological scale items were determined with factor analyses and based on the factor loadings, cluster analyses were performed. The relationships among the clusters and the clinical variables were then evaluated. RESULTS: The factor analyses generated three factors: increased psychomotor activity, dysphoria, and psychosis. A hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to the three factor loadings, and revealed that factor 1 (increased psychomotor activity) was high in cluster 1 and that the effects of factors 2 (dysphoria) and 3 (psychosis) were high in cluster 2. Within cluster 1 (Psychomotor elevation), 39% of patients were diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder while 31.6% of patients in the cluster 2 (dysphoric-psychotic) were diagnosed with both alcohol and cannabis use disorders. Within cluster 2 (dysphoric-psychotic), 47.4% of patients had one suicide attempt and 21.1% of patients had two or more attempts during their lifetime. CONCLUSION: There was a significant difference in the presence of SUDs between patients with psychomotor elevation and patients in dysphoric-psychotic cluster. This may be point out that pure manic patients with BD self-medicate using the sedative effects of alcohol and the causal relationship between cannabis and psychosis. Using a dimensional approach to study BD may enhance detection of the biological correlates of BD and improve the treatment and outcomes of the disorder.

Helicobacter pylori eradication does not change circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 levels in patients with and without precancerous gastric lesions.

BACKGROUND: Circulating insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3 levels in the serum of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori)-infected patients were investigated. METHODS: The study subjects consisted of 54 patients with H pylori infection, and the control subjects included 27 patients without H pylori infection. There was no statistical difference in the age and sex distributions between the study and control groups. Pretreatment serum levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were studied in all the subjects, including the healthy controls. H pylori eradication was achieved with a triple drug regimen for 2 weeks, and 1 month after this treatment, the serum levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were measured. The post-treatment H pylori status by a second gastroscopy, antral histopathology and urea breath testing was tested. RESULTS: The pretreatment serum levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 of the study and control groups were not found to be different (P > 0.05). H pylori treatment was successful in 42 patients in whom both serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels decreased with treatment, but the difference was only significant for the serum IGF-1 levels (P: 0.04). There was no change in the serum levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in the 27 patients with precancereous gastric lesions before and after successful H pylori eradication. CONCLUSIONS: No supporting evidence of a major interaction between H pylori infection itself and H pylori-associated premalignant lesions with circulating IGFBP-3 levels could be shown. Nevertheless, successful eradication of this microorganism led to a statistically significant decrease in serum IGF-1 levels.