Early child stimulation and attention-related executive functions at 11 years: 2004 Pelotas birth cohort study

The study aimed to explore associations between socioeconomic position (SEP) indicators, early child stimulation (ECS) and attention-related executive functions (EF) at age 11. Children born in Pelotas, Brazil, in 2004, were recruited to a birth cohort (n = 4231, non-response rate at recruitment < 1%) and followed from birth to age 11. SEP variables were family income and maternal schooling. At the 24 and 48-month follow-ups, five markers of cognitive stimulation and social interaction were recorded and positive answers were summed to a score ranging from 0 to 5. At age 11, attentional-switching and control, and selective-attention were assessed using the adapted Test-of-Everyday-Attention-for-Children (TEA-Ch). We used multivariable logistic regression models and mediation analysis to investigate potential mediator role of ECS in the association between SEP and EF. 3106 children were included in the analyses. Less than 7% of the more stimulated individuals showed low performance in attention-related EFs at age 11 compared with almost 20% in the bottom groups of stimulation. Higher child stimulation scores were associated with fewer impairments in attentional-control (OR adj 0.84; CI 95% 0.72–0.98) and attentional-switching (OR adj 0.85; CI 95% 0.73–0.99). Mediation analysis suggested that for attentional-switching, ECS mediated almost 20% of the total protective effect of maternal schooling for impaired EF. Assuming causal relationships, if maximum stimulation was provided to all children, the advantageous effect of maternal schooling on EF would be reduced by 47%. ECS may represent a protective factor for cognitive impairments in childhood and can be easily implemented at relatively low cost.

     

Herpes simplex virus 2 vasculitis as cause of ischemic stroke in a young immunocompromised patient

Journal of NeuroVirology - Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) is a very rare cause of central nervous system (CNS) infections. We report a case of a young woman with a left middle cerebral artery (MCA)...     

Simultaneous detection of West Nile and Japanese encephalitis virus RNA by duplex TaqMan RT-PCR

West Nile virus (WNV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) are important mosquito-borne viruses of the Flaviviridae family, associated with encephalitis, mainly in humans and horses. WNV is also pathogen for many bird species. The incidence of human and animal WNV infections in Europe has risen, mostly in recent years, and JEV was detected in 2011 in mosquitoes collected in Italy and may emerge in Europe in the same way as other flaviviruses had emerged recently (USUTU and Bagaza virus) and should be regarded as a potential threat to public health.     

Is There a Positive Effect of Smoking Cessation on Periodontal Health? A Systematic Review

Background: Although the detrimental effects of tobacco on the periodontal tissues have been reported extensively, little is known about the potential beneficial effect of smoking cessation on periodontal health. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effect of smoking cessation on periodontitis progression and response to periodontal therapy. Methods: Two independent reviewers completed the review process through title (n = 118), abstract (n = 24), and whole‐paper selection (n = 5). Sources include Medline and EMBASE databases (up to December 2012) and a reference list of selected studies. Prospective studies comparing progression rates of periodontitis between smokers and quitters and clinical trials evaluating the effect of smoking‐cessation programs, alone or in combination with periodontal treatment, were included. At least 1 year of follow‐up was required for inclusion. Results: Of 331 potentially relevant publications, five studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Because of heterogeneity of the studies, a meta‐analysis could not be performed. One study reported that the progression of clinical attachment loss (AL) ≥3 mm during a 6‐year period was approximately three times higher among smokers than quitters (P <0.001). Two studies (10 and 20 years of follow‐up) observed a decrease in radiographic bone loss of ≈30% among quitters when compared with smokers. Among individuals receiving non‐surgical periodontal treatment, quitters were more likely to have periodontal probing depth reductions (P <0.05) than non‐quitters/oscillators. No differences in AL were observed. Conclusion: Based on the limited available evidence, smoking cessation seems to have a positive influence on periodontitis occurrence and periodontal healing.     

Evaluation of subcutaneous and alveolar implantation surgical sites in the study of the biological properties of root-end filling endodontic materials

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare two methodologies used in the evaluation of tissue response to root-end filling materials in rats.

Material and Methods

Forty rats were divided into 4 groups: in Groups I and II (control groups), empty polyethylene tubes were implanted in the extraction site and in the subcutaneous tissue, respectively; in Groups III and IV, polyethylene tubes filled with ProRoot MTA were implanted in the extraction site and in the subcutaneous tissue, respectively. The animals were killed 7 and 30 days after tube implantation, and the hemi-maxillas and the capsular subcutaneous tissue, both with the tubes, were removed. Specimens were processed and evaluated histomorphologicaly under light microscopy. The scores obtained were analyzed statistically by the Kruskal-Wallis test (p<0.05).

Results

There were no statistically significant differences between the implantation methods (p=0.78033, p=0.72039). It was observed that the 30-day groups presented a more mature healing process due to smaller number of inflammatory cells.

Conclusion

The present study showed no differences in tissue responses as far as the implantation site and the studied period were concerned. Alveolar socket implantation methodology represents an interesting method in the study of the biological properties of root-end filling endodontic materials due to the opportunity to evaluate bone tissue response.     

Immunohistochemical expression of DNA methyltransferases 1, 3a and 3b in oral leukoplakias and squamous cell carcinomas

Over-expression of DNA methyltransferases DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b has been reported in various cancers and precancerous lesions.

Objective

To investigate DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b enzymes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and leukoplakia, and their relationship with histopathologic/clinical parameters.

Study design

Immunohistochemistry was carried out to evaluate the three DNMTs in 60 samples of oral SCC and 37 samples of oral leukoplakia.

Results

DNMT3a immunoreactivity in the three groups of oral SCC (39.8%) was significantly higher than in control (22.6%) (ANOVA, Student–Newman–Keuls test, P < 0.05), but not when compared to oral leukoplakia groups (28.2%). For DNMT1 and DNMT3b, there were no statistically significant differences between oral SCC groups (65% and 74.7%), oral leukoplakia groups (68.3% and 70.9%) and control (65.4% and 76.5%). There was a significantly higher mean percentage of DNMT1 immunoreactivity in non-smokers (ANOVA, P = 0.048), and a higher DNMT3a immunoreactivity in alcohol users (ANOVA, P = 0.01).

Conclusions

Higher DNMT3a immunopositivity may be associated with oral SCC and alcohol use, whilst lower levels of DNMT1 may be related with smoking habit. However, there was a significantly higher mean percentage of DNMT1 immunoreactivity in non-smokers (ANOVA, P = 0.048), and a higher DNMT3a immunoreactivity in alcohol users (ANOVA, P = 0.010).     

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN POLYMORPHISM IN THE PROMOTER REGION (G/C-915) OF PAX9 GENE AND THIRD MOLAR AGENESIS

Purpose:

Hypodontia is the congenital absence of one or more (up to six) permanent and/or deciduous teeth, being one of the most common alterations of the human dentition. Genetic polymorphisms are variations of DNA sequences occurring in a population. This study investigated whether G-915C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in the PAX9 gene promoter is associated with hypodontia in humans.

Material and Methods:

The polymorphism in region G/C-915 of PAX9 gene (NCBI ref SNP ID: rs 2073247) of 240 patients was analyzed, being 110 controls and 130 individuals with third molar agenesis. After DNA extraction, the region of interest was amplified by PCR technique using two different primers. The significance of the differences in observed frequencies of polymorphisms in both groups was assessed by odds-ratio and chi-squared test with 95% confidence interval.

Results:

Genotype CC was more frequent in patients with agenesis (11.5%) compared to the control (1.8%), while GG was more prevalent in the control group (39.1%) compared to the individuals with agenesis (26.2%).

Conclusion:

These data showed that the allele C could be associated with the third molar agenesis.