Dental esthetics and quality of life in adults with severe malocclusion before and after treatment

Objective:To investigate the association between satisfaction with dental esthetics and quality of life, and esthetics satisfaction in relation to esthetic evaluations of three panel groups.Materials and Methods:Fifty-two patients (36 women, 16 men; age 18–61 years) with severe malocclusion were treated in Oulu University Hospital. Of these, 38 and 14 patients underwent orthodontic/surgical treatment and orthodontic treatment, respectively. A questionnaire and dental photographs were collected before and after treatment. The 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to measure oral health-related quality of life. Satisfaction with dental esthetics was evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale. Dental photographs were presented to three panel groups: 30 laypersons, 30 dental students, and 10 orthodontists, who rated the photographs using the Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need.Results:Oral health–related quality of life (OHIP-14 severity score) and esthetic satisfaction (according to the Visual Analogue Scale) improved after the treatment (P < .001). The most unsatisfied patients reported oral effects more often both before and after treatment. Changes in oral health–related quality of life components of severity, psychological discomfort, and psychological disability correlated positively with the changes in esthetic satisfaction. Orthodontists graded the situation before treatment as worse and the outcome as better than the laypersons; the level of grading by dental students fell between these two groups.Conclusion:Improvement in esthetic satisfaction due to the treatment of severe malocclusion improves oral health–related quality of life, particularly by decreasing psychological discomfort and psychological disability.     

Pressure injury prevalence and incidence in acute inpatient care and related risk factors: A cross‐sectional national study

The aim of this national cross‐sectional study was to explore the prevalence of pressure injuries and incidence of hospital‐acquired pressure injuries, and the relating factors in somatic‐specialised inpatient care in Finland. The study was conducted in 16 (out of 21) Finnish health care organisations offering specialised health care services. Data were collected in 2018 and 2019 from adult patients (N = 5902) in inpatient, emergency follow‐up, and rehabilitation units. Pressure injury prevalence (all stages/categories) was 12.7%, and the incidence of hospital‐acquired pressure injuries was 10%. Of the participants, 2.6% had at least one pressure injury at admission. The risk of hospital‐acquired pressure injuries was increased for medical patients with a higher age, the inability to move independently, mode of arrival, being underweight, and the absence of a skin assessment or pressure injury risk assessment at admission. For surgical patients, the risk was associated with the inability to move independently, mode of arrival, and lack of skin assessment at admission, while being overweight protected the patients. Overall, medical patients were in greater risk of hospital‐acquired pressure injuries than the surgical patients. An assessment of the pressure injury risk and skin status should be carried out more systematically in Finnish acute care hospitals.     

N2 event-related potential correlates of response inhibition in an auditory Go/Nogo task.

The aim of this study was to investigate the event-related potential correlates of response inhibition in the N2 time window, specifically in the auditory modality. A paired tone Go/Nogo paradigm elicited an enhanced fronto-central negativity in the Nogo condition, which was accompanied by a concurring inferior fronto-temporal positivity. In contrast to most previous studies our data provide evidence for a fronto-central Nogo-N2 component in the auditory modality.     

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells undergo nemosis and induce keratinocyte wound healing utilizing the HGF/c-Met/PI3K pathway

We previously showed cell–cell contacts of human dermal fibroblasts to induce expression of the hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF) in a process designated as nemosis. Now we report on nemosis initiation in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Because BMSCs are being used increasingly in cell transplantation therapy we aimed to demonstrate a functional effect and benefit of BMSC nemosis for wound healing. Nemotic and monolayer cells were used to stimulate HaCaT keratinocyte migration in a scratch-wound healing assay. Both indicators of nemosis, HGF production and cyclooxygenase-2 expression, were induced in BMSC spheroids. When compared with a similar amount of cells as monolayer, nemotic cells induced keratinocyte in vitro scratch-wound healing in a concentration-dependent manner. The HGF receptor, c-Met, was rapidly phosphorylated in the nemosis-stimulated keratinocytes. Nemosis-induced in vitro scratch-wound healing was inhibited by an HGF-neutralizing antibody as well as the small molecule c-Met inhibitor, SU11274. HGF-induced in vitro scratch-wound healing was inhibited by PI3K inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, while LY303511, an inactive structural analogue of LY294002, had no effect. Inhibitors of the mitogen-activated protein kinases MEK/ERK1/2 (PD98059 and U0126), and p38 (SB203580) attenuated HGF-induced keratinocyte in vitro scratch-wound healing. We conclude that nemosis of BMSCs can induce keratinocyte in vitro scratch-wound healing, and that in this effect signaling via HGF/c-Met is involved.     

Alcohol Consumption and Its Influence on the Clinical Picture of Puumala Hantavirus Infection

Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Characteristic clinical findings include acute kidney injury (AKI), thrombocytopenia, and capillary leakage. Smoking increases the risk of severe AKI, but it is not known whether alcohol consumption predisposes patients to a more severe infection. Liver and pancreatic enzymes, as well as biomarkers of alcohol consumption (gamma-glutamyl transferase, GGT; carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, CDT; GGT-CDT combination; and ethyl glucuronide, EtG), were measured from 66 patients with acute PUUV infection during hospitalization and at the convalescence phase. Alcohol consumption was present in 41% of the study population, 15% showing signs of heavy drinking. Alcohol use did not affect the severity of PUUV induced AKI nor the overall clinical picture of the infection. Liver enzyme levels (GGT or alanine aminotransferase, ALT) were elevated in 64% of the patients, but the levels did not associate with the markers reflecting the severity of the disease. Serum amylase activities at the convalescent stage were higher than those at the acute phase (p < 0.001). No cases with acute pancreatitis were found. In conclusion, our findings indicate that alcohol consumption does not seem to affect the clinical course of an acute PUUV infection.     

Neuropeptide Y and Y2‐receptor are involved in development of diabetic retinopathy and retinal neovascularization

BACKGROUND: Neuropeptide Y is a sympathetic neurotransmitter, a potent endothelium‐derived angiogenic factor and a vascular mitogen. We have studied the role of the functional leucine7 to proline7 polymorphism of the signal peptide region of preproneuropeptide Y (prepro‐NPY) as a genetic susceptibility factor for diabetic retinopathy. In addition, we investigated the role of the NPY Y2‐receptor as a putative mediator of angiogenic NPY signaling in the retina.

METHODS: Frequencies of proline7 (Pro7) carriers in the prepro‐NPY were determined in type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients having retinopathy, in type 2 diabetes patients without retinopathy and in healthy control subjects. The role of Y2‐receptor in hyperoxemia‐induced retinal neovascularization was investigated in Y2‐receptor knockout mice (Y2 ^?/? ) and in rats administered Y2‐receptor mRNA antisense oligonucleotide.

RESULTS: The carriers having Pro7 in the preproNPY are markedly over‐represented among type 2 diabetes patients with retinopathy compared to type 2 diabetes patients without retinopathy and to the population control. Neonatal exposure to hyperoxia resulted in development of retinal neovascularization that was prevented in Y2 ^?/? ‐mice, and significantly inhibited in rats treated with the Y2‐receptor antisense oligonucleotide.

CONCLUSIONS: NPY and Y2‐receptor play important roles in diabetic retinopathy and retinal neovascularization and are thus potential new targets for drug molecules for treatment of retinopathy.