Dental caries status of Dai preschool children in Yunnan Province,China

Background

The Dai people, one of the ethnic minorities in China, have a population of 1,260,000. They have the same origin as one of the main ethnic groups of Laos and Thailand. Most of the Dai live in Yunnan province, which is located in the less-developed southwestern part of China. This study aimed to describe the oral health status of Dai preschool children in China and the factors that influence their oral health status.

Methods

An oral health survey was performed between 2011 and 2012 to select Dai five-year-old children using multi-stage stratified sampling in Yunnan. Their dental caries experience was measured using the “dmft” index, and severe caries was assessed using the “pa” index, which is modified from the “pufa” index. Oral hygiene status was assessed using the visual plaque index (VPI). A questionnaire to study the children’s socio-demographic background and oral health-related behaviours was completed by the children’s parents.

Results

A total of 833 children were examined. Their caries prevalence was 89% and 49% of the children had carious tooth with pulp involvement. The mean (SD) dmft score was 7.0 (5.3). Higher dmft scores were found among children who were girls, were currently bottle-fed, took daily sweet snacks, had higher VPI scores, and had visited a dentist within the last year.

Conclusions

The caries prevalence and experience of the five-year-old Dai children in Yunnan, China was high, and almost half had severe caries. The caries experience was associated with gender, snack habits, dental visit habits, and oral hygiene status.

     

A systematic review and meta‐analysis of clinical variables used in Huntington disease research

Treatment effect in Huntington disease (HD) clinical trials has relied on primary outcome measures such as total motor score or functional rating scales. However, these measures have limited sensitivity, particularly in pre‐ to early stages of the disease. We performed a systematic review of HD clinical studies to identify endpoints that correlate with disease severity. Using standard HD keywords and terms, we identified 749 published studies from 1993 to 2011 based on the availability of demographic, biochemical, and clinical measures. The average and variability of each measure was abstracted and stratified according to pre‐far, pre‐close, early, mild, moderate, and severe HD stages. A fixed‐effect meta‐analysis on selected variables was conducted at various disease stages. A total of 1,801 different clinical variables and treatment outcomes were identified. Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Motor, UHDRS Independence, and Trail B showed a trend toward separation between HD stages. Other measures, such as UHDRS Apathy, Verbal Fluency, and Symbol Digit, could only distinguish between pre‐ and early stages of disease and later stages, whereas other measures showed little correlation with increasing HD stages. Using cross‐sectional data from published HD clinical trials, we have identified potential endpoints that could be used to track HD disease progression and treatment effect. Longitudinal studies, such as TRACK‐HD, are critical for assessing the value of potential markers of disease progression for use in future HD therapeutic trials. A list of variables, references used in this meta‐analysis, and database is available at http://www.cmmt.ubc.ca/research/investigators/leavitt/publications . © 2013 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society     

Vascular erosion by central venous catheters used for total parenteral nutrition

Objective To establish the incidence of central venous catheter erosion in a patient cohort receiving total parenteral nutrition and to examine risk factors and complications of vascular erosion. Design and setting Review of prospectively collected intravenous nutrition service audit records in a tertiary university hospital. Results Records of 1,499 patients (2,992 catheters) were studied over the 14 year period 1991–2005. Fisher's exact test was used to determine statistical significance. Five erosions occurred, representing an incidence of 0.17% per catheter or 0.28 per 1,000 catheter days. One of the five patients died from ensuing complications. Mean time to onset of symptoms was 3.6 days following catheter insertion. Symptoms/signs included dyspnoea (n = 5), chest pain (n = 2) and pleural effusion (n = 5). Diagnosis was delayed by a mean of 1.6 days. Three erosions occurred in left subclavian catheters (n = 583); two in left internal jugular catheters (n = 453). None occurred in right-sided catheters (n = 1956). The relative risk of erosion occurring in left-sided catheters compared to right was 2.9 (95% CI 2.76–3.00; p = 0.009). There was no statistically significantly greater risk of vascular erosion in subclavian than internal jugular catheters (relative risk 0.9; p = 1.0). Older age was a statistically significant risk factor (p = 0.009); female sex was not (p = 0.18). Conclusion In patients receiving total parenteral nutrition via central venous catheters, erosion has an incidence per catheter of 0.17% and is more likely to occur in left-sided catheters and elderly patients.     

Use of the endotracheal bougie introducer for difficult intubations

A difficult to intubate patient occurs infrequently in the emergency department. The endotracheal tube introducer or gum elastic bougie is a device used by British anesthesiologists in difficult airways. The device is inexpensive, has few complications and is easy to use. Similar to the Seldinger technique for gaining access to a large central vein, the endotracheal tube introducer is used to assist in cannulating the trachea and acts like the wire in central vein access.