Metabolic disturbances and cardiovascular risk factors in obese children with vitamin D deficiency.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has been rapidly increasing in recent years. Obese individuals are at risk of vitamin D deficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and anthropometric measurements, cardiovascular risk factors, and glucose homeostasis in obese children. METHODS: Between June 2011 and January 2012, 40 obese and 30 non-obese children (between 7 and 14 years of age) were evaluated at Tepecik Training and Research Hospital. The following characteristics were recorded: height; weight; body mass index (BMI); total body fat content; fasting glucose, insulin, and lipid levels; basic biochemical parameters; complete blood count; bilateral carotid intima media thickness; liver ultrasound results; and left ventricular wall thickness were recorded. 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamin D levels were measured from serum. RESULTS: The serum 25(OH) vitamin D level was low in 45 children (64.3%). The 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurements, carotid intima-media thickness, and the prevalence of 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency were different between obese and non-obese children (P<0.05). The incidence of dyslipidemia was not statistically different between obese and non-obese children (P>0.05). Plasma 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations were negatively correlated with age, BMI, total body fat content, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure, and carotid intima-media thickness (P<0.05). Plasma 25(OH) vitamin D levels were not correlated with fasting plasma glucose, HOMA-IR, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density cholesterol, and high-density cholesterol (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in obese children. Serum 25(OH)vitamin D was significantly associated with several cardiometabolic risk factors. There was no relationship between abnormal glucose homeostasis and dyslipidemia with vitamin D deficiency in obese children.

Accuracy of the demirjian, willems and cameriere methods of estimating dental age on turkish children.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Age estimation plays a significant role in forensic science, archeology, pediatric endocrinology and clinical dentistry. Tooth development is a reliable pathway for age estimation, especially in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Demirjian method (DM), Willems method (WM) and Cameriere method (CM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included panaramic radiographs of 330 individuals (165 girls, 165 boys) aged between 5 and 15.90 years. The differences between chronological age (CA) and the estimated dental age (DA) were statistically tested using a paired sample t-test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: The mean prediction error showed that; the DM overestimated the DA by 0.304 years, the WM underestimated the DA by -0.060 years and the CM underestimated the DA by -0.580 years. The difference between CA and estimated DA was not statistically significant according to WM (p = 0.074) and statistically significant according to DM and CM (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study indicated that WM determines DA satisfactorily in a Turkish subpopulation.

Pyridyl-Acyl Hydrazone Rotaxanes and Molecular Shuttles.

We report on rotaxanes featuring a pyridyl-acyl hydrazone moiety on the axle as a photo/thermal-switchable macrocycle binding site. The pyridyl-acyl E-hydrazone acts as a hydrogen bonding template that directs the assembly of a benzylic amide macrocycle around the axle to form [2]rotaxanes in up to 85% yield; the corresponding Z-hydrazone thread affords no rotaxane under similar conditions. However, the E-rotaxane can be smoothly converted into the Z-rotaxane in 98% yield under UV irradiation. The X-ray crystal structures of the E- and Z-rotaxanes show different intercomponent hydrogen bonding patterns. In molecular shuttles containing pyridyl-acyl hydrazone and succinic amide ester binding sites, the change of position of the macrocycle on the thread can be achieved through a series of light irradiation and heating cycles with excellent positional integrity (>95%) and switching fidelity (98%) in each state.

Leptin receptor (Ob-R) mRNA expression and serum leptin concentration in patients with colorectal and metastatic colorectal cancer.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of leptin on the progression of colorectal carcinoma to metastatic disease by analyzing the serum leptin concentration and Ob-R gene expression in colon cancer tissues. Tissue samples were obtained from 31 patients who underwent surgical resection for colon (18 cases) and metastatic colon (13 cases) cancer. Serum leptin concentration was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Ob-R mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for both groups. ELISA data were analyzed by the Student t-test and RT-PCR data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U-test. RT-PCR results demonstrated that mRNA expression of Ob-R in human metastatic colorectal cancer was higher than in local colorectal cancer tissues. On the other hand, mean serum leptin concentration was significantly higher in local colorectal cancer patients compared to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The results of the present study suggest a role for leptin in the progression of colon cancer to metastatic disease without weight loss. In other words, significantly increased Ob-R mRNA expression and decreased serum leptin concentration in patients with metastatic colon cancer indicate that sensitization to leptin activity may be a major indicator of metastasis to the colon tissue and the determination of leptin concentration and leptin gene expression may be used to aid the diagnosis.

Leptin receptor (Ob-R) mRNA expression and serum leptin concentration in patients with colorectal and metastatic colorectal cancer

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of leptin on the progression of colorectal carcinoma to metastatic disease by analyzing the serum leptin concentration and Ob-R gene expression in colon cancer tissues. Tissue samples were obtained from 31 patients who underwent surgical resection for colon (18 cases) and metastatic colon (13 cases) cancer. Serum leptin concentration was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Ob-R mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for both groups. ELISA data were analyzed by the Student t-test and RT-PCR data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U-test. RT-PCR results demonstrated that mRNA expression of Ob-R in human metastatic colorectal cancer was higher than in local colorectal cancer tissues. On the other hand, mean serum leptin concentration was significantly higher in local colorectal cancer patients compared to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The results of the present study suggest a role for leptin in the progression of colon cancer to metastatic disease without weight loss. In other words, significantly increased Ob-R mRNA expression and decreased serum leptin concentration in patients with metastatic colon cancer indicate that sensitization to leptin activity may be a major indicator of metastasis to the colon tissue and the determination of leptin concentration and leptin gene expression may be used to aid the diagnosis.

Autonomous shuttling driven by an oscillating reaction: proof of principle in a cucurbit[7]uril-Bodipy pseudorotaxane.

A bipyridinium dication-substituted Bodipy fluorophore, with a terminal carboxylic acid function, provides two alternative stations for cucurbit[7]uril. Changing pH from basic to acidic results in shuttling of the cucurbit[7]uril from one station to another. In addition, this shuttling is accompanied by a change in the emissive properties of the Bodipy dye, which is only observed in the presence of cucurbit[7]uril. More striking, is a demonstration of autonomous shuttling of the pseudorotaxane system in an oscillating pH system.

Genetic characterization of green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotypes from eastern Turkey.

Green bean genotypes collected from eastern Turkey were characterized using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and morphological traits. Among 12 SSR markers, 10 produced successful amplifications and revealed DNA polymorphisms that were subsequently used to assess genetic relatedness of the genotypes. Based on the number of alleles generated and the probability of identity values, the most informative SSR loci were PVGLND5, PVMEIG, PV-ag001, and PV-ag004. Probably, due to the inbreeding nature of beans, the heterozygosity observed within genotypes was low at most of the SSR loci. The UPGMA dendrogram constructed based on the SSR data yielded two major clusters. The overall genetic distance was around 98%, among the genotypes. This information can be used to help select Turkish green bean lines.

Mandibular cortical index evaluation in masked and unmasked panoramic radiographs.

OBJECTIVES: The first aim of this study was to evaluate intra- and interobserver agreement in evaluating the mandibular cortical index (MCI) in masked and unmasked panoramic radiographs. The second aim was to evaluate the effect of previous experience of MCI classification on the observers' performance. METHODS: Three observers separately evaluated MCI, twice in masked and twice in unmasked panoramic radiographs, with 2 week intervals. The observations were repeated more than 9 months later. The second and third observers were inexperienced in evaluating MCI. Weighted kappa statistics were used to evaluate the inter- and intraobserver agreement. RESULTS: In the first session of the study, the kappa values for intraobserver agreements in masked panoramic radiographs were between 0.565 and 0.789; in unmasked panoramic radiographs, they were between 0.420 and 0.732. The kappa values for interobserver agreement were between 0.131 and 0.392 in masked radiographs and between 0.043 and 0.225 in unmasked radiographs. In the second session of the study, the kappa values for intraobserver agreements in masked panoramic radiographs were between 0.586 and 0.786. The kappa values for intraobserver agreements in unmasked panoramic radiographs were between 0.558 and 0.781. The kappa values for interobserver agreement were between 0.146 and 0.510 in masked radiographs and between 0.174 and 0.568 in unmasked radiographs. CONCLUSIONS: Masking has no effect on the evaluation of panoramic radiographs for MCI. Previous experience causes higher intraobserver agreement. Intra- and interobserver agreement increases along with the increased experience in MCI evaluations.

Clinical performance of IPS-Empress 2 ceramic crowns inserted by general dental practitioners.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of IPS-Empress 2(R) all-ceramic crowns placed by general dental practitioners. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eighty-two IPS-Empress 2 crowns placed in 64 patients (27 females and 37 males) were evaluated. These crowns had been in place for 15.2 to 57.2 months (mean 25.3 months, SD=9.3). Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Of the 82 crowns 93.9% were rated satisfactory. In terms of the integrity of the restorations, fracture was observed in three crowns and two showed a crack upon transillumination. Five crowns were rated unsatisfactory for color match; one for marginal adaptation; and none for discoloration, secondary caries, or sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: IPS-Empress 2(R) is a suitable material to fabricate all-ceramic crowns; when these all-ceramic crowns were inserted by general dental practitioners, they functioned satisfactorily with low failure rates during an observation period ranging between 15.2 to 57.2 months.

The PTB microbeam: a versatile instrument for radiobiological research.

The PTB microbeam is routinely used for the irradiation of living cells using protons (1-20 MeV) and alpha particles (1-28 MeV). The beam diameter is approximately 2 microm (fwhm), achieved by focussing, resulting in an excellent energy resolution and practically no scattered particles. Recently, an electrostatic beam scanner was added to the facility which allows targeting of each cell within 1 ms. This and other improvements led to an increase in the experimental speed of the system to a maximum of 50,000 cells per hour including all experimental steps. To improve the versatility of the facility further, a module for automatic quantification of immunocytochemical staining was implemented. This allows the analysis of protein activation, taking into account the positional information of the irradiation run.

Mandibular metastasis in a patient with pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Metastatic tumour spread to the mandible is quite rare. We report a case of distant metastasis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma in the mandibular bone. The patient had pain in his left mandibular premolar-molar area caused by a mandibular metastasis from a previously undiagnosed pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

Optimizing resin cement removal around esthetic crown margins.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify luting cement at the crown-tooth interface of esthetic crowns fabricated using four different techniques and two methods of excess cement removal. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four methods of crown fabrication were used: the feldspathic porcelain and platinum foil technique, the feldspathic porcelain and refractory die technique, the resin composite crown and CAD/CAM technique, and the feldspathic porcelain crown and CAD/CAM technique. Half of the cemented crowns were allocated to Group A: removal of excess cement by flicking-off with a plastic instrument 3 min after initial polymerization, or Group B: removal of excess cement using a wiping action with cotton pellets. Morphologic measurements, using non-destructive digital profilometry, were made of the volume of excess cement (mm(3)), mean maximum and mean depth of excess cement (microm), and surface area of excess cement (mm(2)). RESULTS: ANOVA and Duncan post-hoc tests revealed no statistical differences (p<0.05) between the four types of crown fabrication with respect to volume and mean depth of retained luting cement. There was a significantly greater volume, mean depth, and mean maximum depth of luting cement retained using the "flick off" method compared to the cotton pellet "wiping" method for excess cement removal, but no statistical differences in mean surface area between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: Following removal of excess luting cement, as judged clinically, using two methods, subclinical amounts of cement remained adherent to the tooth surface of all specimens at the crown-tooth interface.

The differences in panoramic mandibular indices and fractal dimension between patients with and without spinal osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship between osteoporosis, oral signs, body mass index and age; and to assess the possibility of using these parameters as an indicator of post-menopausal osteoporosis. The oral signs were panoramic-based mandibular indices, such as cortical width, cortical index, panoramic mandibular index and mandibular crest resorption degree; the number of teeth and fractal dimension analysis. METHODS: Forty-eight post-menopausal women between the ages of 40 years and 64 years were evaluated. Mandibular indices and the number of mandibular teeth were measured and evaluated from panoramic radiographs and fractal dimension was calculated from the direct digital periapical radiographs of the mandibular premolar-molar region in box-counting method. Weight, height, menopausal status and age of the patients were recorded by questionnaire. Bone mineral densities of the patients were measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: In this study there were no statistically significant differences between the osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic patients for cortical width, panoramic mandibular index, alveolar crest resorption degree, fractal dimension and the number of mandibular teeth, but there was a difference for cortical index. Binary logistic regression analyses demonstrated that age (P = 0.015) was an important risk factor for osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that osteoporotic patients were more likely to have altered inferior cortex morphology than non-osteoporotic patients and age is an important risk factor for osteoporosis.

Effect of LED curing modes on cusp deflection and hardness of composite restorations.

This in vitro study measured cusp deflection associated with MOD resin composite restorations in maxillary premolars with different curing light modes. Soft-start polymerization may reduce cusp deflection by reducing polymerization shrinkage stress. Forty maxillary premolars were mounted in stone and slot MOD cavities were prepared. The teeth were randomized into four groups: Group A--cavities were etched, bonded and restored with two increments of Z-100 composite. Each increment was cured with an LED curing light (fast curing mode). Group B--similar to Group A except that the LED curing light with pulse curing mode was used. Group C--similar to Group A except that the LED curing light with stepped curing mode was used. Group D--a visible curing light was used for curing the composite. The distance between the indexed cusp tips was measured before the restorations were completed and five minutes after, 24 hours after and two weeks after completion of the restorations. The mean contraction of the cusps in microm at five minutes, 24 hours and two weeks, respectively, for each group was A: 25.4, 16.2 and 8.2, B: 6.4, 3.4 and 2.2, C: 11.6, 7.0 and 4.4, D: 33.0, 21.6 and 15.8. Group D resulted in the highest deflection, Group A was intermediate and Groups B and C were the lowest. Ten samples of the composite for each group with 2-mm thickness were prepared for the Vickers hardness test. No difference among the samples was found.

Fractal dimension and lacunarity analysis of dental radiographs.

OBJECTIVE: As the occlusal forces transmitted to the jaw bones during mastication might be different in dentate and edentulous regions, there might be different radiographical trabecular bone texture in these regions. Image analysis procedures are promising techniques which are used to detect structural changes of bone texture on radiographs. In this study, the differences of fractal dimension (FD) and lacunarity measurements of radiographical trabecular bone between dentate and edentulous regions were investigated. METHODS: Direct digital radiographs of premolar-molar region were taken from 51 patients who were included in our study. Two rectangular regions of interest (ROIs) with the same dimensions (37x119 pixels) were created on these radiographs; one in the edentulous region and the other one in the dentate region. The ROIs were segmented as black and white areas. Box-counting fractal dimension and lacunarity of these regions were calculated. RESULTS: Paired samples t-test and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated. It was found that there were differences between dentate and edentulous regions for FD and lacunarity (P=0.000). There is a negative correlation between FD and lacunarity (-0.643, P<0.01), positive correlation between dentate and edentulous regions and FD (0.819, P<0.01), and a negative correlation between lacunarity and dentate and edentulous regions (-0.541, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The differences of occlusal forces generated in dentate and edentulous regions during mastication cause some alterations in trabecular bone structure, and fractal dimension and lacunarity can reveal these alterations quantitatively.

Omphalitis in term and preterm appropriate for gestational age and small for gestational age infants.

To determine whether there is a difference on the historical and clinical characteristics of omphalitis among term and preterm appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and small for gestational age (SGA) infants, we prospectively investigated 85 newborns with bacteriologically proved omphalitis. Study groups were based on gestational age and being SGA. Preterm AGA infants had significantly lower mean age and neutrophil counts. Risk factors such as septic delivery including unplanned home delivery, and bacterial spectrum were similar in the groups. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were the most frequent micro-organisms. Mortality rates for the study groups were similar and overall case fatality rate was 13 per cent. Immunological immaturity of preterm newborns may explain the earlier occurrence age of omphalitis and lower absolute neutrophil count. The following features such as early-onset infection, septic delivery including unplanned home delivery and abnormal temperature may be considered as determinants of poor prognosis. However, further studies are needed.