Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction and Their Correlation with Educational Standards among Dental Assistants

A disparity exists in the educational qualifications of dental assistants working in various public and private institutions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of professional and personal characteristics on job satisfaction among dental assistants. A cross-sectional survey was performed among dental assistants using a 24-item self-administered questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between overall job satisfaction and other variables. The overall response rate was 72.1%. Factor analysis suggested that five underlying factors were related to job satisfaction. The mean score for overall job satisfaction was 3.86 (satisfied) out of 5. Among the work environment factors, the highest mean score, 4.26 (satisfied), was obtained for quality of service, and the lowest mean score, 2.78 (neutral), was obtained for the perception of income. The income and general prospects of the profession was significantly associated with overall job satisfaction. This study suggests that for dental assistants, professional and personal life, quality of service, perception of income and prestige and self-respect are important factors for job satisfaction. Despite differences in professional formation standards, in general, the study participants were considerably satisfied with their jobs.     

Exploring Migratory Dynamics on HIV Transmission: The Case of Mexicans in New York City and Puebla,Mexico

Migration and population movement are increasingly viewed as important factors associated with HIV transmission risk. With growing awareness of the potential impact of migration on HIV transmission, several perspectives have emerged that posit differing dynamics of risk. We considered available data on the role of migration on HIV transmission among Mexican migrants in New York City and Puebla, Mexico. Specifically, we examined 3 distinct models of migratory dynamics of HIV transmission—namely, the structural model, the local contextual model, and the interplay model. In doing so, we reframed current public health perspectives on the role of migration on HIV transmission.The epidemiological literature related to Latinos and HIV in the United States highlights geographic disparities in disease burden.1 HIV/AIDS cases among Latinos are clustered geographically, such that Latinos experience increased vulnerability as a function of residence in high-risk physical and geographic areas.2 Recent trends in HIV infection demonstrate that Latino mobility and migratory patterns are potentially associated with increased HIV incidence.3 As a result, several key dynamics to account for the role of migration and HIV transmission have emerged in recent literature. However, to adequately address the current HIV epidemic among Latinos, greater consideration of each of these mechanisms and enhanced attention to the role of geography and migration is warranted.4 Recent findings increasingly draw attention to the role of population mixing and movement, geography, and other physical spaces as important factors for understanding Latino HIV disparities.5 We build upon this work by examining the available empirical literature on HIV and migration in relation to the social structures and contexts in which risk behavior takes place. Specifically, we explored 3 mechanisms for the impact of migration on HIV transmission through the case of Mexican migrants in New York City (NYC) and Puebla.As the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States, NYC is one such high-risk geographic area.6 New York City has an incidence rate 3 times the national average and the highest number of AIDS cases relative to any other metropolitan city.6 Latinos in the city are disproportionately affected by the disease and are twice as likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS compared with non-Hispanic Whites.7 Furthermore, although Latinos account for approximately 25% of the population in NYC, they represent 33% of NYC persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).8,9 Among NYC Latinos, HIV occurs primarily among adults through high-risk sexual behavior and intravenous drug use.10 Specifically, Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) constitute the majority of cases (40%), followed by injection drug users (27%).10 These data suggest that in NYC, Latino MSM and intravenous drug users bear the burden of HIV disease. However, a significant proportion of Latina women in NYC infected with HIV are exposed through high-risk sexual activity (67%) and represents a steady proportion of new HIV diagnoses among women in recent years.11HIV/AIDS is of particular concern among Latinos as they are more likely to experience delays in access to care, which results in adverse health outcomes. For example, Latinos, particularly Mexicans with low levels of acculturation, are less likely to obtain an HIV test.12 Those who are diagnosed often experience rapid progression to AIDS, suggesting that many Latinos are diagnosed late in their infection.6 In 2011, for example, 31% of Latinos diagnosed with HIV in NYC were concurrently diagnosed with AIDS, compared with only 15% of Whites.11 Late diagnosis puts Latinos at greater health risks because they do not receive the benefits of early antiretroviral treatment.13 In addition to late diagnosis and delayed treatment, obstacles in access to HIV treatment for Latinos include lack of a designated routine health care provider and adequate health insurance.14Increasingly, the Latino population in NYC has undergone important demographic changes.15 Specifically, migratory changes have shifted the composition of the Latino population in NYC, introducing new Latino subgroups to a geographic area of heightened HIV risk. Traditionally, the Latino population in NYC has been classified as largely stemming from the Caribbean—specifically, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. However, Mexicans, whose US migration patterns have traditionally been associated with the areas of the Southwest, are increasingly moving to NYC, a nontraditional receiving community.For example, the Mexican population in NYC in 2010 was more than 5 times what it was in 1990.16 In 1990, an estimated 56 700 Mexicans were living in NYC; by 2000, this number grew to 180 000, and later to 325 000 in 2010.16 Foreign-born males with less than a high-school education represent the bulk of the Mexican population growth and a significant portion of this population attains employment in NYC.15 By 2024, it is predicted that Mexicans will be the most populous Latino ethnic subgroup in the largest city of the United States.17 One notable feature of NYC’s Mexican community is that nearly half (45%) originates from the state of Puebla in east-central Mexico, although other sources suggest far higher proportions (more than 70%).18 Data from the American Community Survey demonstrate that Mexican-born persons are geographically clustered in specific target communities, predominantly the Bronx and Queens (Figure 1).19Open in a separate windowFIGURE 1—Foreign-born from Mexico by Public Use Microdata Areas in New York City: 2006–2008.Note. PUMA = Public Use Microdata Area.Source. US Census Bureau.20     

Father involvement with three-to-four-year olds at home: giving fathers a chance

This study examined fathers' perceptions regarding their home-based activities (HBA) and the influence of fathers' demographic characteristics on their perceptions and practices at home. A total of 396 fathers completed a survey questionnaire describing their demographic information, perceptions and their practices regarding their involvement in HBA. Results indicated that fathers have moderate level of practice concerning their HBA, yet they have low perception of their actual practice at HBA. In addition, there was a statistical significance in HBA due to fathers' age, educational level and specialisation which had an influence on their perceptions as well. Recommendations and implications of future research were discussed.     

Non-Gaussian water diffusion in aging white matter

Age-associated white matter degeneration has been well documented and is likely an important mechanism contributing to cognitive decline in older adults. Recent work has explored a range of noninvasive neuroimaging procedures to differentially highlight alterations in the tissue microenvironment. Diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) is an extension of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that accounts for non-Gaussian water diffusion and can reflect alterations in the distribution and diffusion properties of tissue compartments. We used DKI to produce whole-brain voxel-based maps of mean, axial, and radial diffusional kurtoses, quantitative indices of the tissue microstructure's diffusional heterogeneity, in 111 participants ranging from the age of 33 to 91 years. As suggested from prior DTI studies, greater age was associated with alterations in white-matter tissue microstructure, which was reflected by a reduction in all 3 DKI metrics. Prominent effects were found in prefrontal and association white matter compared with relatively preserved primary motor and visual areas. Although DKI metrics co-varied with DTI metrics on a global level, DKI provided unique regional sensitivity to the effects of age not available with DTI. DKI metrics were additionally useful in combination with DTI metrics for the classification of regions according to their multivariate “diffusion footprint”, or pattern of relative age effect sizes. It is possible that the specific multivariate patterns of age-associated changes measured are representative of different types of microstructural pathology. These results suggest that DKI provides important complementary indices of brain microstructure for the study of brain aging and neurologic disease.     

CCL3L1 copy number, CCR5 genotype and susceptibility to tuberculosis

Background

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a common microdeletion syndrome, which occurs in approximately 1:4000 births. Familial autosomal dominant recurrence of the syndrome is detected in about 8-28% of the cases. Aim of this study is to evaluate the intergenerational and intrafamilial phenotypic variability in a cohort of familial cases carrying a 22q11.2 deletion.

Methods

Thirty-two 22q11.2DS subjects among 26 families were enrolled.

Results

Second generation subjects showed a significantly higher number of features than their transmitting parents (212 vs 129, P?=?0.0015). Congenital heart defect, calcium-phosphorus metabolism abnormalities, developmental and speech delay were more represented in the second generation (P?<?0.05). Ocular disorders were more frequent in the parent group. No significant difference was observed for the other clinical variables. Intrafamilial phenotypic heterogeneity was identified in the pedigrees. In 23/32 families, a higher number of features were found in individuals from the second generation and a more severe phenotype was observed in almost all of them, indicating the worsening of the phenotype over generations. Both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms may be involved in the phenotypic variability.

Conclusions

Second generation subjects showed a more complex phenotype in comparison to those from the first generation. Both ascertainment bias related to patient selection or to the low rate of reproductive fitness of adults with a more severe phenotype, and several not well defined molecular mechanism, could explain intergenerational and intrafamilial phenotypic variability in this syndrome.     

Anti-citrullinated heat shock protein 90 antibodies identified in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are a marker of lung-specific immune responses

Previous work has demonstrated a correlation between serum anti-citrullinated HSP90 antibodies and rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). To further investigate this potential pathogenic relationship, we used ELISA-based techniques to assess anti-citrullinated HSP90 antibody profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with different stages of RA-ILD. 9/21 RA-derived BALF specimens demonstrated IgG and/or IgA antibodies targeting citrullinated HSP90 proteins/peptides, highlighting disease specific responses (with a predilection for RA-ILD) that did not occur in IPF patients (0/5) or healthy control subjects (0/5). Comparison of antibody profiles between BALF and matching serum specimens revealed various recognition patterns favoring predominant production of anti-citrullinated HSP90 antibodies within the lung microenvironment—further supporting the connection between this antibody specificity and parenchymal lung disease. Equally important, qualitative as well as quantitative differences in anti-citrullinated HSP90 profiles between BALF and serum indicate that the lung plays a direct role in shaping the immune repertoire of RA/RA-ILD.     

Isolated brachial artery aneurysm: a rare presentation of paediatric Behçet’s disease

Behçet’s disease is a rare disease characterised by recurrent oral ulcers, with systemic manifestations including genital ulcers, ocular disease, skin lesions, gastrointestinal disease, neurologic disease, vascular disease and arthritis. Most clinical manifestations of Behçet’s disease are believed to be due to vasculitis. The heterogeneous clinical spectrum is influenced by sex, ethnicity and country of residence. Vascular manifestation in the form of isolated large brachial artery aneurysm is rare in children. Treatment involves aneurysmorrhaphy to avoid rupture or ischaemic sequelae in addition to lifelong medical management to control vasculitis.