The oral health and treatment needs of community‐dwelling older people in a rural town in Western Australia

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess, in a sample of older rural community‐dwelling Australians, their: oral health status, dental treatment needs, perceived barriers to access dental services and the prevalence and severity of dental anxiety. Methods: A cross‐sectional study of elderly rural Australians. Results: Eighty participants (mean age of 71.7 years) had a mean number of 0.69 (SD 1.6) decayed teeth, 15.72 (SD 13.3) missing teeth and 3.9 (SD 5.4) filled teeth. Forty‐one per cent were edentulous. Xerostomia was reported by 53% of the edentulous and 43% of the dentate. The average Corah Dental Anxiety Scale score was 8.72 (SD 3.8). Prevalence of dental anxiety was 15.6%. Two‐thirds needed dental treatment. Conclusions: Caries experience was lower than that reported in other studies. Reported barriers to use of dental services were long waiting times, lack of perceived dental need and costs.     

105Changes in Nitric Oxide Levels After Deep Dermal injury in the Female,Red Duroc Pig (FRDP)

Introduction : Hypertrophic scar is a devastating sequel to burns and other tangential skin injuries. It follows deep dermal injuries and does not occur after superficial injuries. Nitric oxide (NO) plays many important roles in wound healing from inflammation to scar remodeling. Studies have shown that expression of nitric oxide synthase and nitric oxide production are decreased in human hypertrophic scar. However little is known about NO involvement in the early stages of hypertrophic scarring, because of the lack of an animal model. It was recently reported that the female red Duroc pig (FRDP) makes thick scar, which is similar to human hypertrophic scar. We hypothesized that NO production in wounds on the female, red Duroc pig is similar to that of human hypertrophic scar and that NO involvement in deep wounds is different from that in superficial wounds. Methods : Superficial (0.015” to 0.030”) and deep (0.045” to 0.060”) wounds were created on the backs of four FRDPs. Biopsies were collected at weeks 1.5, 4, 8 and 21 post wounding including samples of uninjured skin. Nitric oxide levels were measured with the Griess reaction assay and normalized with tissue protein level. Results : Superficial wounds healed with an invisible scar whereas the deep wounds healed with scar resembling mild hypertrophic scar. The thickness of the scars from the deep wounds was significantly greater than uninjured skin and healed superficial wounds (p < 0.01). NO levels were increased at 1.5 weeks in deep wounds compared to superficial wounds and uninjured skin (p < 0.05). At 8 weeks, NO levels in deep wounds had returned to the level of uninjured tissue and superficial wounds. By 21 weeks, NO levels had decreased significantly when compared to superficial wounds (p < 0.01). There were no differences in NO levels between uninjured skin and superficial wounds at any time point (p > 0.05). Conclusions : NO production is similar in late, deep wounds on the female, red Duroc pig to that reported in the literature for human hypertrophic scar further validating this animal model. NO production is quite different after deep wounds as compared to superficial wounds in the FRDP. Early elevation in nitric oxide production might account for excessive inflammation in deep wounds that become thick scars in the FRDP. Nitric oxide regulators and effects at early stages of scar formation should be elucidated further and the FRDP appears to be a useful model.     

Speed of repolarization and morphology of glygerol-treated frog muscle fibres

1. Single muscle fibres from frog semitendinosus were subjected to sudden changes in [K](o), while recording membrane potential.2. In agreement with Hodgkin & Horowicz (1960), a sudden increase in [K](o) in normal fibres produced a rapid depolarization (half-time 0.3 sec), whereas a sudden decrease in [K](o) produced a slower repolarization (half-time 2-3 sec).3. Fibres were subjected to ;glycerol-treatment', a procedure which was supposed to produce a functional disconnexion of the T-system from the surface. In these glycerol-treated fibres both depolarization and repolarization induced by changes of [K](o) took place rapidly.4. The results suggest that the slowness of the repolarization in normal fibres is due to a retention of K ions inside the T-tubules.5. Electron microscopical observation of single fibres or bundles of fibres, which have been soaked in a Ringer containing ferritin, revealed that normal fibres contained ferritin particles in the T-system, while glycerol-treated fibres showed no ferritin. Except for the presence of some large vacuoles and some swelling of the T-system, glycerol-treated fibres appeared morphologically normal.6. Prolonged soaking in a high potassium solution produced electrical effects suggesting that K ions can enter the tubules of treated fibres very slowly, in spite of their inaccessibility to ferritin.7. The main effect of glycerol-treatment does not seem to be a total disconnexion of the T-system from the fibre surface, but rather constriction of the T-tubules near their openings to the exterior.     

The distribution of the T-system along the sarcomeres of frog and toad sartorius muscles

1. Frog and toad sartorius muscles were soaked in ferritin suspensions and then fixed and prepared for electron microscopy. Ferritin particles were counted in micrographs of regions where fibril striations were in good register, and the number of particles plotted according to position along the sarcomeres.2. The distribution of ferritin particles in both frog and toad muscle sarcomeres could be accounted for by a single peak centred at the Z-line, with a total width of about 0.4 mu.3. The peak in toad fibres was slightly broader than that in frog fibres, and this was due to more frequent branching of the T-system in the toad. In both frog and toad sartorius muscles branching increases the total quantity of T-system by around 30%.4. No peak was found in the ferritin distribution which could account for the peak of albumin distribution observed near the A-I boundary of toad sartorius muscles by Hill (1964).     

TREATMENT OF PALMOPLANTER HYPERHIDROSIS BY IONTOPHORESIS

Twenty-seven patients with idiopathic palmoplanter hyperhidrosis were treated with Iontotherapy over a one year period. In twenty-four cases there was a good response but maintenance therapy was required every 3-4 weeks.KEY WORDS: Iontophoresis, Palmoplanter hyperhidrosis     

Mouse b-wave mutants

The b-wave is a major component of the electroretinogram that reflects the activity of depolarizing bipolar cells (DBCs). The b-wave is used diagnostically to identify patients with defects in DBC signaling or in transmission from photoreceptors to DBCs. In mouse models, an abnormal b-wave has been used to demonstrate a critical role of a particular protein in the release of glutamate from photoreceptor terminals, in establishing the structure of the photoreceptor-to-DBC synapse, in DBC signal transduction, and also in DBC development, survival, or metabolic support. The purpose of this review is to summarize these models and how they have advanced our understanding of outer retinal function.