Chronic kidney disease–mineral bone disorder: an update on the pathology and cranial manifestations

Chronic kidney disease–mineral bone disorder (CKD‐MBD) is a syndrome encompassing skeletal and extra skeletal changes associated with chronic kidney disease. It progresses silently until an advanced clinical stage when complications impact on the quality of life and survival rates of patients. The maxillofacial manifestations are unique and may play an important role in the early identification of changes which could influence the management of these patients. The goal of this review is to highlight the maxillofacial features, pathology, and principles of management of CKD‐MBD.     

Emerging Filoviral Disease in Uganda: Proposed Explanations and Research Directions

Outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg virus diseases have recently increased in frequency in Uganda. This increase is probably caused by a combination of improved surveillance and laboratory capacity, increased contact between humans and the natural reservoir of the viruses, and fluctuations in viral load and prevalence within this reservoir. The roles of these proposed explanations must be investigated in order to guide appropriate responses to the changing epidemiological profile. Other African settings in which multiple filoviral outbreaks have occurred could also benefit from such information.     

Principle‐based analysis of the concept of telecare

Aim. To report a concept analysis of telecare. Background. Lately telecare has become a worldwide, modern way of giving care over distance by means of technology. Other concepts, like telemedicine, e‐health, and telehealth, focus on the same topic though the boundaries between them seem to be blurred. Data sources. Sources comprise 44 English language research articles retrieved from the database of Medline and Cinahl (1995–October 2011). Design. Literature Review. Method. A principle‐based analysis was undertaken through content analysis of the definitions, attributes, preconditions, and outcomes of the concept. Results. The attributes are well described according to the use of technology, caring activity, persons involved, and accessibility. Preconditions and outcomes are well described concerning individual and health political needs and benefits. The concept did not hold its boundaries through theoretical integration with the concept of telemedicine and telehealth. The definition of telecare competes with concepts like home‐based e‐health, telehomecare, telephonecare, telephone‐based psychosocial services, telehealth, and telemedicine. Assessment of the definitions resulted in a suggestion of a new definition: Telecare is the use of information, communication, and monitoring technologies which allow healthcare providers to remotely evaluate health status, give educational intervention, or deliver health and social care to patients in their homes. Conclusion. The logical principle was assessed to be partly immature, whereas the pragmatical and linguistical principles were found to be mature. A new definition is suggested and this has moved the epistemological principle forward to maturity.     

Effect of electric toothbrush on residents' oral hygiene: a randomized clinical trial in nursing homes

A single‐blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial was performed to investigate the effect of electric toothbrushes (ET) compared with manual toothbrushes (MT) on residents in nursing homes and to evaluate the caregiver's opinion on ET. A sample of 180 nursing‐home residents were given either a new ET or a new MT. Oral examinations were performed to measure dental hygiene, using the Oral Hygiene Index‐Simplified (OHI‐S). Both groups received the same instructions for use. After 2 months participants were re‐examined. Questionnaires were then sent to their caregivers. Participants' mean age was 86.1 ± 7.7 yr, and the mean number of remaining teeth was 20 ± 5.6. No specific intervention effect was found for ET. Both groups showed identical improvements in the OHI‐S, from 1.27 ± 0.63 at baseline (the mean value for all participants) to 1.01 ± 0.53 after 2 months. Of 152 caregivers who responded to the questionnaire, the majority evaluated ET to be beneficial and less time‐consuming compared with MT, also for demented residents. In a frail population, no difference is found in the effect of ET compared with MT. However, the ET appears to be a useful aid for residents who receive assistance with dental hygiene.     

Normative comparisons for large neuropsychological test batteries: User-friendly and sensitive solutions to minimize familywise false positives

Introduction. In neuropsychological research and clinical practice, a large battery of tests is often administered to determine whether an individual deviates from the norm. We formulate three criteria for such large battery normative comparisons. First, familywise false-positive error rate (i.e., the complement of specificity) should be controlled at, or below, a prespecified level. Second, sensitivity to detect genuine deviations from the norm should be high. Third, the comparisons should be easy enough for routine application, not only in research, but also in clinical practice. Here we show that these criteria are satisfied for current procedures used to assess an overall deviation from the norm—that is, a deviation given all test results. However, we also show that these criteria are not satisfied for current procedures used to assess test-specific deviations, which are required, for example, to investigate dissociations in a test profile. We therefore propose several new procedures to assess such test-specific deviations. These new procedures are expected to satisfy all three criteria. Method. In Monte Carlo simulations and in an applied example pertaining to Parkinson disease, we compare current procedures to assess test-specific deviations (uncorrected and Bonferroni normative comparisons) to new procedures (Holm, one-step resampling, and step-down resampling normative comparisons). Results. The new procedures are shown to: (a) control familywise false-positive error rate, whereas uncorrected comparisons do not; (b) have higher sensitivity than Bonferroni corrected comparisons, where especially step-down resampling is favorable in this respect; (c) be user-friendly as they are implemented in a user-friendly normative comparisons website, and as the required normative data are provided by a database. Conclusion. These new normative comparisons procedures, especially step-down resampling, are valuable additional tools to assess test-specific deviations from the norm in large test batteries.     

Health-Related Quality of Life

Abstract

Background: Motor neurone disease (MND) remains universally fatal despite the introduction of disease-modifying therapy in the form of the glutamate inhibitor, riluzole. Caring for people with MND presents enormous challenges, many of which are particular to the disease complex. An understanding of the carer burden is required in order to inform the delivery of palliative care to MND patients and their carers.

Aim: To explore the experiences and perceptions of carers and former carers of people with MND with emphasis on the later stages of the disease.

Participants and Methods: Focus groups were conducted with two groups of former carers and one group of current carers recruited through the Motor Neurone Disease Association of NSW. Recruitment continued until no new themes emerged. The discussions were taped, transcribed verbatim and content analysed.

Results: There was a clear thematic trajectory from diagnosis through to death and bereavement with ramifications evident for the delivery of palliative care. Unmet emotional needs and the unremitting and all-encompassing nature of care were emphasised, as was the importance of love in sustaining the carer.

Conclusions: The experience of caring for a person with MND has a lasting psychological impact which may outweigh the physical and financial costs of care. This relatively unexplored area of enquiry lacks adequate models on which to base quantitative investigation. This qualitative study provides a starting point for future research.     

Effects of immediate versus delayed antihypertensive therapy on outcome in the Systolic Hypertension in Europe Trial

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of immediate versus delayed antihypertensive treatment on the outcome of older patients with isolated systolic hypertension, we extended the double-blind placebo-controlled Systolic Hypertension in Europe (Syst-Eur) trial by an open-label follow-up study lasting 4 years. METHODS: The Syst-Eur trial included 4695 randomized patients with minimum age of 60 years and an untreated blood pressure of 160-219 mmHg systolic and below 95 mmHg diastolic. The double-blind trial ended after a median follow-up of 2.0 years (range 1-97 months). Of 4409 patients still alive, 3517 received open-label treatment consisting of nitrendipine (10-40 mg daily) with the possible addition of enalapril (5-20 mg daily), hydrochlorothiazide (12.5-25 mg daily), or both add-on drugs. Non-participants (n = 892) were also followed up. RESULTS: Median follow-up increased to 6.1 years. Systolic pressure decreased to below 150 mmHg (target level) in 2628 participants (75.0%). During the 4-year open-label follow-up, stroke and cardiovascular complications occurred at similar frequencies in patients formerly randomized to placebo and those continuing active treatment. These rates were similar to those previously observed in the active-treatment group during the double-blind trial. Considering the total follow-up of 4695 randomized patients, immediate compared with delayed antihypertensive treatment reduced the occurrence of stroke and cardiovascular complications by 28% (P = 0.01) and 15% (P = 0.03), respectively, with a similar tendency for total mortality (13%, P = 0.09). In 492 diabetic patients, the corresponding estimates of long-term benefit (P < 0.02) were 60, 51 and 38%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Antihypertensive treatment can achieve blood pressure control in most older patients with isolated systolic hypertension. Immediate compared with delayed treatment prevented 17 strokes or 25 major cardiovascular events per 1000 patients followed up for 6 years. These findings underscore the necessity of early treatment of isolated systolic hypertension.     

Synthesis of Telechelic and Three‐Arm Polytetrahydrofuran‐block‐amylose

Telechelic amine terminated polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) is prepared via cationic ring opening polymerization (CROP) of THF, initiated by trifluoromethanesulphonic anhydride (triflic anhydride). Hexamethylene tetramine (HMTA) is used as a terminating agent. The resulting HMTA terminated PTHF is hydrolyzed to result in an amine terminated PTHF. Reductive amination is carried out by reacting the PTHF with maltoheptaose resulting in maltoheptaose‐b‐PTHF‐b‐maltoheptaose. The product is prepared as a primer for the enzymatic polymerization to synthesize amylose‐b‐PTHF‐b‐amylose. In addition, a three‐arm PTHF is prepared via CROP of THF. The initiator is synthesized in situ by the reaction of triflic anhydride and triethanol amine. The resulting amine terminated three‐arm PTHF is reacted with maltoheptaose to synthesize a three‐arm PTHF‐b‐maltoheptaose which can be used for the enzymatic synthesis of three‐arm PTHF‐b‐amylose. Characterization of the products is difficult due to the amphiphilic behavior of both telechelic amylose‐b‐PTHF‐b‐amylose and three‐arm PTHF‐b‐amylose. Therefore, the analysis of the products is mainly based on attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.