福建省中老年人牙周健康状况流行病学调查报告

[目的]了解福建省中老年人牙周健康的现状,为牙周疾病的防治提供基线资料。[方法]采用多阶段、分层、整群、等容量、随机抽样的方法调查福建省35～44岁、65～74岁2个年龄组共1584人的牙龈出血,牙周探诊深度及附着丧失(LOA)。[结果]中年和老年人牙龈出血的检出率为94.4%和87.8%,牙周袋的检出率分别为72.2%和64.9%。中年和老年人LOA为0～3 mm的检出率分别为23.1%和14.2%。老年人6～8 mm LOA的检出率为36.5%。LOA严重程度随年龄的增高而增加。中老年人男性牙周袋和LOA的严重程度都高于女性。[结论]福建省中老年人牙龈出血及浅牙周袋、LOA为4～5 mm的情况都比较普遍。牙周健康状况女性优于男性。中年和老年人牙周健康状况都不容乐观,必须加强中老年人牙周疾病的预防。     

Attachment and coping with chronic disease

BACKGROUND: In this clinical study, attachment theory was applied to research in the field of coping with chronic disease. The approach was to integrate concepts of coping within a framework of attachment theory. It was hypothesised that attachment concepts have an influence on coping strategies, and that they may predict the subjective emotional and physical health status during the course of medical treatment. METHOD: One hundred fifty patients were investigated with an adult attachment interview (AAPR coding system) and a coping interview (Bernese Coping Modes). Self-reported coping modes, social support, the subjective health status and quality of life were also assessed by self-report measures at two or more sampling points of measurement. Three subsamples of patients, suffering from (a) breast cancer, (b) chronic leg ulcers and (c) alopecia, were studied in order to include a broad range of subjective impairment caused by a disease. RESULTS: Findings indicate a moderate statistical effect of attachment patterns on coping strategies when controlling the influence of confounding variables. Insecure attachment was related to less flexible coping. Coping strategies also differed between the different types of insecure attachment; however, there were differences depending on the perspective of the coping behaviour (self- vs. observer ratings) as well. From the observer perspective, ambivalently attached individuals showed more negative emotional coping while avoidantly attached individuals showed more diverting strategies. In the self-report, ambivalently attached patients revealed hyperactivating tendencies in their coping behaviour while avoidantly attached individuals revealed deactivating tendencies. CONCLUSION: As a conclusion, two levels of coping should be differentiated. One level strongly corresponds with affect regulation, in particular the regulation of attachment-related emotions and concerns, while the other level shows a stronger tendency to outwardly oriented coping. A more secure attachment might be considered to be an important inner resource in the emotional adaptation to chronic diseases.     

The real and the researchable: a brief review of the contribution of John Bowlby (1907-1990)

TOPIC. John Bowlby
PURPOSE. To provide a broad overview of Bowlby's life and contribution to psychoanalytic theory and to examine his departure from the British school of object relations.
SOURCES. Literature review and author's interpretation of material.
CONCLUSIONS. Bowlby's ideas remain relevant although controversial and merit continued study.     

Temperament as a moderator of pathways to conscience in children: the contribution of electrodermal activity

A longitudinal study (G. K. Kochanska, 1997) showed that temperamental fearfulness, assessed at toddler age via observational data and maternal ratings, moderated pathways to internalized conscience at age 4. For fearful children, maternal gentle discipline deemphasizing power predicted conscience development; for fearless children, attachment security predicted conscience development. Electrodermal reactivity assessed at age 4 on the same children was used as a physiological reflection of fearful temperament and was substituted for the earlier fearfulness measure to test the theoretical model. As expected, for electrodermally reactive children, maternal gentle discipline predicted conscience, whereas for nonreactive children, attachment security predicted conscience. The findings support the notions of (a) electrodermal reactivity at an early age as a correlate of temperament, (b) temperament as a moderator of socialization in early moral development, and (c) lovelessness in psychopathic individuals as an index of the failure of the alternative pathway (via attachment) to conscience in fearless children.     

Regeneration of the interdental soft tissues following denudation procedures

Abstract The present study investigated the location of the gingival margin, following denudation of the interdental alveolar bone. In seven patients apically positioned flap procedures were performed in such a way that complete interdental denudation was achieved. Teeth showing interdental osseous craters were excluded from the study. Three years post-treatment a mean pocket depth of 2.17 mm was found. No differences in attachment level prior to and 3 years after treatment could be assessed. Results showed a mean distance of 4.33 mm between the location of the gingival margin 3 years post-treatment and the bone level during surgery. This finding is discussed in relation to the question of how much alveolar bone should be removed if, in case of extensive carious lesion or crown fracture, the cervical outline of the restoration is located near the bone level.     

Assessing children's appraisals of security in the family system: the development of the Security in the Family System (SIFS) scales

BACKGROUND: Although delineating the processes by which children appraise the family as a source of security from their collective experiences in the family subsystem has assumed center stage in many conceptualizations of child development, the dearth of measures of child adaptation in the family system has hindered empirical advances. Therefore, this study introduced and tested the psychometric properties of the Security in the Family System (SIFS) scales, a new measure designed to assess children's appraisals of security in their family as a whole. METHODS: The SIFS was administered to 853 10-15-year-old schoolchildren and readministered to a smaller subsample two weeks later. Additional data was gathered from children, caregivers and teachers using a variety of instruments tapping family instability, cohesion, and conflict; parenting warmth and psychological control; child externalizing and internalizing symptoms; parent-child and interparental insecurity; and children's reactions to conflict simulations. RESULTS: Consistent with models of emotional security in the family, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded three reliable (i.e., good internal consistency, test-retest reliability) dimensions of family security: Preoccupation, Security, and Disengagement. Concurrent and prospective associations between the SIFS scales and measures of family functioning, children's psychological problems, and insecurity in specific family relationships supported the validity of the SIFS. Support for the discriminant validity of the SIFS was evidenced by its specific patterns of relations with children's psychological problems and ability to predict psychological problems after controlling for insecurity in specific family subsystems. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that the SIFS is a psychometrically sound tool capable of advancing family process models, and that family security is a viable construct whose factors parallel already-identified patterns of children's security in other family relationships.     

Memory of early maltreatment: neonatal behavioral and neural correlates of maternal maltreatment within the context of classical conditioning.

BACKGROUND: While children form an attachment to their abusive caregiver, they are susceptible to mental illness and brain abnormalities. To understand this important clinical issue, we have developed a rat animal model of abusive attachment where odor paired with shock paradoxically produces an odor preference. Here, we extend this model to a seminaturalistic paradigm using a stressed, "abusive" mother during an odor presentation and assess the underlying learning neural circuit. METHODS: We used a classical conditioning paradigm pairing a novel odor with a stressed mother that predominantly abused pups to assess olfactory learning in a seminaturalistic environment. Additionally, we used Fos protein immunohistochemistry to assess brain areas involved in learning this pain-induced odor preference within a more controlled maltreatment environment (odor-shock conditioning). RESULTS: Odor-maternal maltreatment pairings within a seminatural setting and odor-shock pairings both resulted in paradoxical odor preferences. Learning-induced gene expression was altered in the olfactory bulb and anterior piriform cortex (part of olfactory cortex) but not the amygdala. CONCLUSIONS: Infants appear to use a unique brain circuit that optimizes learned odor preferences necessary for attachment. A fuller understanding of infant brain function may provide insight into why early maltreatment affects psychiatric well-being.     

Testing a maternal attachment model of behavior problems in early childhood

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to test a maternal attachment model of behavior problems in early childhood using phase I data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, a prospective study of 1,364 children from birth through sixth grade. METHODS: Mothers' and caregivers' ratings of children's internalizing and externalizing problems at age three were regressed separately on a set of fifteen predictors that included security and disorganization scores from 15, 24, and 36 months using hierarchical and logistical modeling. RESULTS: There were three main findings. First, Q-set mother-child attachment security, based on home observations at 24 months, provided the best evidence that attachment was associated with behavior problems, especially above-average levels of problems. Second, insecurity in the 36-month modified Strange Situation predicted mothers' and caregivers' ratings of internalizing problems for boys and girls as well as their ratings of externalizing problems for boys. Third, maternal depressive symptoms predicted mothers' ratings of internalizing and externalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS: There are meaningful associations between attachment insecurity and behavior problems as assessed not only by mothers but also by caregivers.     

Composite device for attachment of polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogel to underlying bone

Polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogels (PVA-H) have been specifically proposed as promising prosthetic biomaterials because of their excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, it is very difficult to obtain stable long-term fixation of implanted PVA-H and this problem is the key point to be solved in the further development of PVA-H in biomedical applications more widely in various fields. Orthopedic implants using PVA-H have been developed and in the process this problem was solved using a composite device. This device consists of PVA-H and a titanium fiber mesh (TFM) as a porous tissue-ingrowth material. In the present study, the mechanical properties of this composite device produced using a new improved production method (injection molding) were investigated and animal experiments for in vivo evaluation were performed. In vitro tests showed that the shear strength at the interface of the PVA-H and TFM, and the mechanical properties of PVA-H itself were promising. Moreover, the histological appearance of the composite device implant in vivo showed abundant bone ingrowth into the deep pore spaces of TFM, which indicated that this device attached firmly to the adjacent bone. These results indicated this composite device prepared by this new method can supply firm attachment of PVA-H onto underlying bone, and that it will be available for various biomedical applications using PVA-H.     

Measuring receptor/ligand interaction at the single-bond level: experimental and interpretative issues

There is increased interest in measuring kinetic rates, lifetimes, and rupture forces of single receptor/ligand bonds. Valuable insights have been obtained from previous experiments attempting such measurements. However, it remains difficult to know with sufficient certainty that single bonds were indeed measured. Using exemplifying data, evidence supporting single-bond observation is examined and caveats in the experimental design and data interpretation are identified. Critical issues preventing definitive proof and disproof of single-bond observation include complex binding schemes, multimeric interactions, clustering, and heterogeneous surfaces. It is concluded that no single criterion is sufficient to ensure that single bonds are actually observed. However, a cumulative body of evidence may provide reasonable confidence. © 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC2002: 8715Kg, 8715By, 8716-b