Dental erosion: a widespread condition nowadays? A cross-sectional study among a group of adolescents in Norway

Objective. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, distribution and severity of erosive wear in a group of 16–18-year-olds in the western part of Norway. A second aim was to describe possible associations between caries experience, socioeconomic background and origin of birth. Materials and methods. Adolescents (n = 795) attending recall examinations at Public Dental Service (PDS) clinics were also examined for dental erosive wear on index surfaces, using the Visual Erosion Dental Examination scoring system (VEDE). Results. In total, 795 individuals were examined. Dental erosive wear was diagnosed in 59% of the population (44% erosive wear in enamel only, 14% combination of enamel and dentine lesions, 1% erosive wear in dentine only). The palatal surfaces of upper central incisors and occlusal surfaces of first lower molars were affected the most (33% and 48% of all surfaces, respectively). Cuppings on molars were registered in 66% of the individuals with erosive wear. Erosive wear was significantly more prevalent among men (63%) than women (55%) (p = 0.018). Conclusions. There were no significant associations between dental erosive wear and caries experience, socioeconomic background or origin of birth.     

What are the defining characteristics of the most cited publications in orthognathic surgery?

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics associated with highly cited papers in orthognathic surgery. This was a cohort study of articles published in the English-language literature from 1900 to 2017. Citation databases were searched for papers related to orthognathic surgery and the most frequently cited papers were identified. For each paper, the following variables were collected: region of origin, time-period of publication, corresponding author specialty, journal of publication, topic area, study design, and number of citations. The outcome variable was the citation index (citations per year). North American investigators published 70% of the 100 most-cited articles in orthognathic surgery. The majority of papers were from oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Frequent content areas were diagnosis, virtual planning, fixation/stability, and complications. The majority (54%) of studies were cohort or case report/series. The mean number of citations was 235.0 ± 126.5; the mean citation index was 9.9 ± 6.1 citations per year. Time-period, content area, and study design were associated with the citation index (all P < 0.001). Time-period, content area, and study design predicted the citation index (all P ≤ 0.009). Among frequently cited papers in orthognathic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgeons had the highest volume of contributions. Diagnosis, treatment planning, and complications were the most common topics studied.     

Responsiveness of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index in patients with adhesive capsulitis

Background  

Instruments designed to measure the subjective impact of painful shoulder conditions have become essential in shoulder research. The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) is one of the most extensively used scales of this type. The objective of this study was to investigate reproducibility and responsiveness of the SPADI in patients with adhesive capsulitis.     

A randomised phase II multicentre trial of irinotecan (CPT-11) using four different schedules in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

The purpose of this phase II trial was to compare the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of four irinotecan schedules for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. In total, 174 5-fluorouracil pretreated patients were randomised to: arm A (n=41), 350 mg m(-2) irinotecan as a 90-min i.v. infusion q3 weeks; arm B (n=38), 125 mg m(-2) irinotecan as a 90-min i.v. infusion weekly x 4 weeks q6 weeks; arm C (n=46), 250 mg m(-2) irinotecan as a 90-min i.v. infusion q2 weeks; or arm D (n=49), 10 mg m(-2) day(-1) irinotecan as a 14-day continuous infusion q3 weeks. No significant differences in efficacy across the four arms were observed, although a shorter time to treatment failure was noted for arm D (1.7 months; P=0.02). Overall response rates were in the range 5-11%. Secondary end points included median survival (6.4-9.4 months), and time to progression (2.7-3.8 months) and treatment failure (1.7-3.2 months). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the incidence of grade 3-4 toxicities, although the toxicity profile between arms A, B, and C and D did differ. Generally, significantly less haematologic toxicity, alopecia and cholinergic syndrome were observed in arm D; however, there was a trend for increased gastrointestinal toxicity. Irinotecan is an effective and safe second-line treatment for colorectal cancer. The schedules examined yielded equivalent results, indicating that there is no advantage of the prolonged vs short infusion schedules.     

Hospitalizations for bacterial pneumonia after renal transplantation in the United States

PURPOSE: Bacterial pneumonia has been cited as the leading cause of infectious death in renal transplant recipients but has not been studied in a national transplant population. SUBJECT AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the incidence, risk factors and mortality of hospitalized bacterial pneumonia (ICD9 Code 481.x486.x) for 33,479 renal transplant recipients in the United States Renal Data System transplanted from 1 July 1994-30 June 1997. RESULTS: Among all transplant recipients, 4.7% were hospitalized for a primary discharge diagnosis of pneumonia in the study period (2.86 episodes per 100 person years). 9.9% had bronchoscopy and 4.8% had open lung biopsy. A specific etiology was not identified in 72.5% of patients. The hospitalization rate for pneumonia and hazard for mortality due to hospitalized pneumonia were both constant over time. In logistic regression analysis, pneumonia prior to transplant (odds ratio 1.73, 95% confidence interval, 1.32-2.26), older recipient age, diabetes, delayed graft function, rejection (occurring at any time after transplant during the time of the study), duration of pre-transplant dialysis, and positive recipient cytomegalovirus serology were associated with pneumonia. In Cox Regression, hospitalization for pneumonia was associated with greater risk of mortality (hazard ratio 1.64, 95% CI, 1.42-1.89). CONCLUSIONS: Renal transplant recipients with a previous history of pneumonia are at increased risk for subsequent pneumonia, which is associated with substantially decreased patient survival. Given the low rate of specific etiologies identified in this study, invasive diagnosis may be underutilized in this population.     

Effects of 20-s and 180-s double poling interval training in cross-country skiers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of upper body 20-s or 180-s interval training, using a double poling ergometer, on upper body power output and selected physiological and biomechanical parameters in cross-country skiers. Twenty (12 male, 8 female) well-trained cross-country skiers took part. Two intervention groups, a 20-s interval training group (IT20; n=6) and a 180-s interval training group (IT180; n=7), underwent training three times a week for 6 weeks on a double poling ergometer. A third group served as a control (CON; n=7) and followed the same training program as the IT20 and IT180 groups without the double poling ergometer interval training. The IT20 and IT180 groups significantly (P<0.05) increased both peak and mean power in a 30-s test and mean power in a 6-min test after double poling training. There was a significant improvement in work efficiency in both IT20 and IT180 (P<0.05) and, in IT180, a significant reduction (P<0.05) in blood lactate concentration at given sub-maximal workloads. O_2peak increased significantly during double poling in IT180 (P<0.05) only. O_2max did not change significantly in either group. There were no significant changes in any of the test variables in CON. In conclusion, this study shows that 6 weeks of 20-s or 180-s double poling interval training, three times a week, significantly increases power output in both 30-s and 6-min tests, as well as in selected physiological and biomechanical parameters in well-trained cross-country skiers.