Mundgesundheitskompetenz von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund – Erste Auswertungen der MuMi-Studie

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz - Erste Studien heben den Migrationshintergrund von Menschen in Deutschland als eigenständigen Risikofaktor für eine...     

Mathematical model of volume kinetics and renal function after burn injury and resuscitation

This paper presents a mathematical model of blood volume kinetics and renal function in response to burn injury and resuscitation, which is applicable to the development and non-clinical testing of burn resuscitation protocols and algorithms. Prior mathematical models of burn injury and resuscitation are not ideally suited to such applications due to their limited credibility in predicting blood volume and urinary output observed in wide-ranging burn patients as well as in incorporating contemporary knowledge of burn pathophysiology. Our mathematical model consists of an established multi-compartmental model of blood volume kinetics, a hybrid mechanistic-phenomenological model of renal function, and novel lumped-parameter models of burn-induced perturbations in volume kinetics and renal function equipped with contemporary knowledge on burn-related physiology and pathophysiology. Using the dataset collected from 16 sheep, we showed that our mathematical model can be characterized with physiologically plausible parameter values to accurately predict blood volume kinetic and renal function responses to burn injury and resuscitation on an individual basis against a wide range of pathophysiological variability. Pending validation in humans, our mathematical model may serve as an effective basis for in-depth understanding of complex burn-induced volume kinetic and renal function responses as well as development and non-clinical testing of burn resuscitation protocols and algorithms.     

Differential pharmacology between the guinea-pig and the gorilla 5-HT1D receptor as probed with isochromans (5-HT1D-selective ligands).

1. Both the 5-HT1D and 5-HT1B receptors are implicated in migraine pathophysiology. Recently isochromans have been discovered to bind primate 5-HT1D receptors with much higher affinity than 5-HT1B receptors. In the guinea-pig, a primary animal model for anti-migraine drug testing, however, isochromans bound the 5-HT1D receptor with lower affinity than the gorilla receptor. 2. This species-specific pharmacology was investigated, using site-directed mutagenesis on cloned guinea-pig receptors heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Mutations of threonine 100 and arginine 102 at the extracellular side of transmembrane II of the guinea-pig 5-HT1D receptor to the corresponding primate residues, isoleucine and histidine, respectively, enhanced its affinity for isochromans to that of the gorilla receptor, with little effects on its affinities for serotonin, sumatriptan and metergoline. Free energy change from the R102H mutation was about twice as much as that from the T100I mutation. 3. For G protein-coupling, serotonin marginally enhanced GTPgamma35S binding in membranes expressing the guinea-pig 5-HT1D receptor and its mutants, but robustly in membranes expressing the gorilla receptor. Sumatriptan enhanced GTPgamma35S binding in the latter nearly as much as serotonin, and several isochromans by 30-60% of serotonin. 4. We discovered key differences in the function and binding properties of guinea-pig and gorilla 5-HT1D receptors, and identified contributions of I100 and H102 of primate 5-HT1D receptors to isochroman binding. Among common experimental animals, only the rabbit shares I100 and H102 with primates, and could be useful for studying isochroman actions in vivo.     

Stereotactic approach to skull-base lesions

With improved knowledge of the anatomy and increased collaboration between the neurosurgeon and the otolaryngologist, successful surgical resection of skull-based tumors is being achieved with reduced mortality and morbidity. In spite of this, there remains a group of patients in whom an alternate surgical approach of stereotaxis may be indicated. This group of patients includes those in whom only biopsy is required, or those in whom brachytherapy using high-intensity (125)I is planned because the patients' general condition is not good enough to undergo open surgical resection of the tumor or the tumor is unresectable or the patient refuses open surgery. This article presents a preliminary report on stereotactic approach to skull base lesions with special emphasis on the technique.     

HIV Prevalence and Related Behaviors Among People Who Inject Drugs in Iran from 2010 to 2020

AIDS and Behavior - Injection drug use has been the leading route of HIV transmission in Iran. We assessed HIV prevalence, risk behaviors, and uptake of prevention services among people who inject...     

Negative biomarker-based male fertility evaluation: sperm phenotypes associated with molecular-level anomalies

Biomarker-based sperm analysis elevates the treatment of human infertility and ameliorates reproductive performance in livestock. The negative biomarker-based approach focuses on proteins and ligands unique to defective spermatozoa, regardless of their morphological phenotype, lending itself to analysis by flow cytometry (FC). A prime example is the spermatid specific thioredoxin SPTRX3/TXNDC8, retained in the nuclear vacuoles and superfluous cytoplasm of defective human spermatozoa. Infertile couples with high semen SPTRX3 are less likely to conceive by assisted reproductive therapies (ART) and more prone to recurrent miscarriage while low SPTRX3 has been associated with multiple ART births. Ubiquitin, a small, proteolysis-promoting covalent posttranslational protein modifier is found on the surface of defective posttesticular spermatozoa and in the damaged protein aggregates, the aggresomes of spermiogenic origin. Semen ubiquitin content correlates negatively with fertility and conventional semen parameters, and with sperm binding of lectins LCA (Lens culinaris agglutinin; reveals altered sperm surface) and PNA (Arachis hypogaea/peanut agglutinin; reveals acrosomal malformation or damage). The Postacrosomal Sheath WWI Domain Binding Protein (PAWP), implicated in oocyte activation during fertilization, is ectopic or absent from defective human and animal spermatozoa. Consequently, FC-parameters of PAWP correlate with ART outcomes in infertile couples and with fertility in bulls. Assays based on the above biomarkers have been combined into multiplex FC semen screening protocols, and the surface expression of lectins and ubiquitin has been utilized to develop nanoparticle-based bull semen purification method validated by field artificial insemination trials. These advances go hand-in-hand with the innovation of FC-technology and genomics/proteomics-based biomarker discovery.     

Clinical success of shade guides arranged according to lightness measured digitally

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the VITA Classical shade guide arranged according to lightness allows clinicians to more often obtain a shade match than with an arrangement based on hue groups. A panel of 50 students determined the shade of the maxillary right central incisors of three patients with two differently arranged and blinded shade guides under standardized conditions. The L*a*b* values of the tabs were compared with those of the teeth spectrophotometrically. There were no statistically significant differences between the two arrangements. Using the arrangement according to lightness did not result in improved correct shade selection.     

Oral health and access to dental care – a comparison of elderly migrants and non-migrants in Germany

Objectives: To compare oral health, access barriers to dental care, oral health behavior and oral hygiene behavior of elderly German residents with and without immigration background.

Design: In this cross-sectional explorative study, a convenience sample (N?=?112, age?≥?60 years, 54% immigrants) was recruited in four dental practices in Hamburg, Germany. Oral health was assessed with Decayed/Missing/Filled Teeth (DMFT), Papillary Bleeding Index (PBI), and Approximal Plaque Index (API). Dental health was operationalized as number of decayed teeth, and poor oral hygiene based on a PBI?≥?40%. Access barriers and oral health behavior were assessed with a standardized questionnaire.

Results: While caries experience was similar in migrants and non-migrants (DMFT mean: 24.8 vs. 23.4, n.s.), significantly more teeth were decayed (5.3 vs. 2.1, p?p?=?0.002) and PBI (46.3% vs. 30.5%, p?=?0.016) were significantly higher in migrants. After adjusting for age, sex, income, education, and number of teeth, migrants still had on average 3 decayed teeth more than non-migrants. However, impact of migration background on poor oral health changed from OR?=?3.61 (p?=?0.007) to OR?=?1.05 (n.s.) after adjusting for confounders, mainly due to lower income in migrants. Fewer migrants had visited a dentist within the past 12 months, and migrants were less likely to have a regular dentist that they visit and more often indicated language or cost barriers than non-migrants.

Conclusion: Elderly German migrants have higher treatment needs than non-migrants. Likely causes are poorer oral hygiene and lower utilization of dental care services. Specific prevention programs targeting migrants are warranted to improve oral health in this disadvantaged group.     

Evaluation of the Essen Rotary as a new technique for bacterial swabs: results of a prospective controlled clinical investigation in 50 patients with chronic leg ulcers

Most chronic wounds are colonised with different microorganisms, especially problematic bacteria like methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which represent an increasing therapeutic challenge in the modern wound therapy regimen. Therefore, it is essential to specify the bacteria in wounds for an individual‐specific treatment. In most patients, an exemplary bacterial swab is taken from the centre of the wound surface. This so‐called Levine technique is propagated currently as the gold standard. The aim of our clinical investigation was to compare the results of different swab techniques to the new established Essen Rotary. In this monocentric prospective investigation, 50 patients with chronic leg ulcers were examined consecutively. The results of our clinical study show that bacteria are heterogeneously spread on wound surfaces. The analysis of the semiquantitative measured results showed that the Essen Rotary could detect significant more bacteria with a total amount of 111 bacteria (P = 0·049) compared to usual swab techniques. Considerably, only the Essen Rotary identified five compared to three MRSA‐patients detected by other techniques. The Essen Rotary is an efficient, economic and uncomplicated modification of bacteriological swab techniques which detects significant more bacteria compared to other conventional swab techniques. Therefore, the Essen Rotary may become the new gold standard in routinely taken bacteriological swabs especially for MRSA screenings in patients with chronic leg ulcers.