bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improvement of periodontal condition by probiotics with Lactobacillus salivarius WB21: a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study
Authors: Shimauchi Hidetoshi , Mayanagi Gen , Nakaya Seigo , Minamibuchi Maiko , Ito Yasuhiro , Yamaki Keiko , Hirata Haruhisa 
Published: August 2008

AbstractAim: This randomized clinical study was designed to evaluate the effect of probiotic intervention using lactobacilli on the periodontal condition of volunteers without severe periodontitis.Material and Methods: Freeze‐dried Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 (WB21)‐containing tablets or a placebo were given to volunteers in a double‐blind randomized study. A total of 66 volunteers were finally enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tablets containing WB21 (6.7 × 108 CFU) with xylitol or xylitol alone (placebo) three times a day for 8 weeks. Periodontal clinical parameters and whole saliva samples were obtained at baseline (BL), 4 weeks, and the end of the interventional period (8 weeks). Salivary lactoferrin (Lf) levels were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Lactobacilli in saliva and plaque samples was detected by semi‐quantitative RT‐PCR using 16S rRNA primers.Results: Periodontal clinical parameters were improved in both groups after an 8‐week intervention. Current smokers in the test group showed a significantly greater improvement of plaque index and probing pocket depth from BL when compared with those in the placebo group. Salivary Lf level was also significantly decreased in the test group smokers.Conclusion: Our results indicate that probiotics could be useful in the improvement/maintenance of oral health in subjects at a high risk of periodontal disease.
Association of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels in serum with periodontal status in older Japanese adults
Authors: Ishisaka Aiko , Ansai Toshihiro , Soh Inho , Inenaga Kiyotoshi , Awano Shuji , Yoshida Akihiro , Hamasaki Tomoko , Sonoki Kazuo , Takata Yutaka , Nishihara Tatsuji , Takehara Tadamichi 
Published: August 2008

AbstractBackground and Aim: The associations between periodontitis and stress‐related steroid hormone levels released by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the association between levels of the stress‐related steroid hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone‐sulphate (DHEAS) and periodontitis in elderly subjects.Methods: A total of 467 subjects participated in this study. Serum cortisol and DHEAS levels were determined, and a medical questionnaire regarding medical conditions and lifestyle was administered. In addition, clinical examinations including probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were conducted.Results: The subjects were divided into tertiles on the basis of periodontitis severity. When the analysis was stratified by smoking status, we found that cortisol levels were significantly higher in those with severe CAL among subjects who had never smoked. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis showed that a higher level of cortisol was significantly associated with greater numbers of sites with severe CAL only in those who had never smoked, while a somewhat weaker association was also observed regarding cortisol/DHEAS ratio. In contrast, the level of DHEAS in serum was not associated with periodontitis.Conclusion: There were significant associations between serum cortisol level, including cortisol/DHEAS ratio, and periodontitis severity in elderly subjects who had never smoked.
A correlation found between gold concentration in blood and patch test reactions in patients with coronary stents
Authors: Ekqvist Susanne , Svedman Cecilia , Lundh Thomas , Möller Halvon , Björk Jonas , Bruze Magnus 
Published: August 2008

Background:  Patients with dental gold restorations are known to have a higher level of gold concentration in blood (B‐Au).Objectives:  To further investigate, in a study on patients with intracoronary stents and contact allergy to metals, the gold and nickel release from stainless steel stent with (Au stent) and without (Ni stent) gold plating.Method:  A total of 460 patients treated with stenting underwent patch testing with metals, and information on gold and nickel exposure and blood samples were collected. About 200 blood samples were randomly selected and the analysis of B‐Au and nickel concentration in blood (B‐Ni) was made using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.Results:  There was a correlation between the intensity of Au patch test reaction and B‐Au (P < 0.001). This correlation could not be seen between Ni patch test reaction and B‐Ni. A Au stent gave a fivefold higher B‐Au than a Ni stent.Conclusions:  Gold is released from the Au stent and patients with a Au stent have a fivefold higher B‐Au than patients with an Ni stent. The patch test reactions for gold were correlated with B‐Au.
Effect of hand dermatitis on the total body burden of chromium after ferrous sulfate application in cement among cement workers
Authors: Chou Tzu‐Chieh , Chang Ho‐Yuan , Chen Chiou‐Jong , Yu Hsin‐Su , Wu Jyun‐De , Sheu Shiann‐Cherng , Shih Tung‐Sheng 
Published: August 2008

Background:  Ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) added to cement has been used to reduce the prevalence of dermatitis in workers. However, the effect of dermatitis on the total uptake of chromium in cement with or without FeSO4 has not been previously explored.Objective:  The objective of this study was to compare the urinary chromium levels before and after FeSO4 addition among cement workers with or without hand dermatitis.Methods:  Thirty‐five male workers were recruited in this study for two consecutive years: 2003 without using FeSO4 and 2004 after adding FeSO4. Urinary chromium was used as a biomarker to estimate the total body burden of chromium.Results:  Urinary chromium concentration showed significant decreases after FeSO4 was used, and a larger decrease of urinary chromium was observed in workers with hand dermatitis than for those without hand dermatitis. Moreover, a significant decrease of urinary chromium was observed in workers with hand dermatitis in both 2003 and 2004.Conclusion:  FeSO4 decreases the total body burden of chromium, especially in workers with severe and continuous hand dermatitis.
The validity and reliability of the occupational contact dermatitis disease severity index
Authors: Curr Nathan , Dharmage Shyamali , Keegel Tessa , Lee Adriene , Saunders Helen , Nixon Rosemary 
Published: August 2008

Background:  The occupational contact dermatitis disease severity index (ODDI) was designed to assess the severity and importantly the functional disability caused by occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) of the hands in patients attending our occupational dermatology clinic.Objectives:  To investigate the accuracy of the ODDI.Patients/Methods:  Of 205 patients, 95 were assessed as having OCD of the hands. Content validity was assessed by content mapping and expert opinion. Construct validity was examined through comparing the ODDI against global clinical dermatology severity assessment (GCDSA). Intraobserver reliability, interobserver reliability, internal consistency, acceptability and convenience were also assessed.Results:  The ODDI was found to have content validity by the experts and was moderately correlated with GCDSA, supporting construct validity (Pearson’s r = 0.54; P ≤ 0.01). The ODDI was shown to be reliable with substantial agreement for both intraobserver reliability [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.62] and interobserver reliability (ICC = 0.75). Internal consistency within the ODDI was almost perfect (ICC = 0.94–0.99) and user survey showed the ODDI to be acceptable, easy and quick to use.Conclusions:  The ODDI is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the severity and functional limitations caused by OCD, in patients who have had treatment or modified work duties, associated with some improvement of their dermatitis.
Recruitment strategies for a hand dermatitis prevention programme in the food industry
Authors: Kaatz Martin , Ladermann Regina , Stadeler Martina , Fluhr Joachim Wilhelm , Elsner Peter , Bauer Andrea 
Published: August 2008

Background:  An interdisciplinary ‘Skin Disease Prevention Programme (SDPP) in the baking, hotel, and catering industries’ was established. However, only 30% of the eligible employees suffering from occupational hand dermatitis (OHD) participated in the programme.Objectives:  The aim of the present study was to increase the participation rate in the SDPP from 30% to 50% by specific recruitment strategies.Patients/Methods:  Two hundred and twenty five baker and catering trade employees suffering from OHD were included in a prospective controlled intervention study. The employees were invited to take part in the SDPP using (i) a standard invitation letter (n = 40), (ii) a newly developed, personalized, and targeted invitation letter (n = 52), (iii) the new invitation letter and a case report (n = 75), and (iv) the new invitation letter, the case report, and the additional information (n = 58).Results:  The commitment of the employees to join the SDPP increased significantly from 30% to 54% (P < 0.02) in the group receiving the new personalized targeted invitation letter. Neither the additional case report nor the supplementation with additional information concerning the SDPP did further increase the recruitment.Conclusions:  The strategy to personalize and target the new invitation letter was successful to influence the employees’ commitment to participate in the SDPP.
A familial analysis of aggressive periodontitis – clinical and genetic findings
Authors: Nibali L. , Donos N. , Brett P. M. , Parkar M. , Ellinas T. , Llorente M. , Griffiths G. S. 
Published: August 2008

Background and Objective:  Family history is a primary diagnostic criterion for current classification of aggressive periodontitis (AgP). However, results of previous studies have shed controversy over the degree of familiarity of AgP and its possible inheritance mechanisms. The aims of this study were to estimate the percentage of affected relatives of AgP individuals, to analyse the disease phenotypes in relatives and to explore the distributions of genetic polymorphisms of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) in AgP patients and in diseased and healthy relatives.Material and Methods:  Patients with AgP were clinically examined and asked to provide relatives for examination. First‐degree relatives were clinically and radiographically diagnosed. Blood samples were collected, DNA was extracted and analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms of IL‐6 (at positions −174, −1363 and −1480) by polymerase chain reaction was performed in patients and relatives.Results:  Fifty‐five AgP patients provided relatives for examination. A total of 100 first‐degree relatives were assessed and 10 of them (10%) were found to have AgP. All relatives diagnosed with AgP had the same disease as the corresponding proband (localized AgP/localized AgP or generalized AgP/generalized AgP). The same IL‐6 genotypes (−174 GG, −1480 CC) previously associated with AgP showed a tendency for association with AgP in relatives.Conclusion:  This pilot study confirmed a relatively high risk for relatives of AgP patients to have AgP (10%). Genetic polymorphisms in the IL‐6 gene may have an impact in aetiopathogenesis. This study provides a sample size calculation for a novel study design using healthy relatives as control subjects.
The defensive role of lysozyme in human gingiva in inflammatory periodontal disease
Authors: Younes R. , Yousfi M. , Ghorra C. , Khalife S. , Igondjo‐Tchen‐Changotade S. , Willig C. , Senni K. , Charpiot P. , Naaman N. , Godeau G. 
Published: August 2008

Background and Objective:  The presence of lysozyme in human gingiva has not previously been demonstrated. In this study, we looked for evidence for the potential role of lysozyme as a protector of gingival elastic fibres. The objective of this study was also to determine the ex vivo susceptibility to hydrolysis of gingival elastic fibres from patients with or without periodontal disease by human leukocyte elastase and by human cathepsin G.Materials and Methods:  Using gingival tissue sections from eight control, 10 gingivitis and 10 periodontitis patients, we evaluated the area fraction occupied by gingival elastic fibres (after selective staining) by the use of automated image analysis. In the ex vivo experiments, serial tissue sections from four control, four gingivitis, four young periodontitis and four aged periodontitis patients were submitted to the action of human leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G, after which enzymatic activities were determined by image analysis. Indirect immunodetection of lysozyme was also done on tissue sections for all patients included in this study.Results:  Large variations of the area fraction occupied by elastic fibres were observed in human gingiva from young and aged patients with and without periodontal disease. In control and gingivitis patients, leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G had high comparable elastin solubilizing activities. With young and aged periodontitis patients, the two serine proteinases had weak elastin solubilizing activities. Lysozyme appeared to be present at the periphery of gingival elastic fibres in periodontitis patients.Conclusion:  Lysozyme can be considered an important natural protector of elastic fibres in pathological gingiva.
Relationship of smoking and smoking cessation with number of teeth present: JPHC Oral Health Study*
Authors: Yanagisawa T , Marugame T , Ohara S , Inoue M , Tsugane S , Kawaguchi Y 
Published: August 2008

Background:  Smoking is associated with the number of teeth. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of number of teeth with smoking and smoking cessation.Methods:  Subjects included 547 males aged between 55 and 75 years. Oral examinations were conducted in 2005. Smoking status information was collected from questionnaire surveys conducted in 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005. The relationship between having more than eight missing teeth and smoking status was estimated with adjusted odds ratio.Results:  Comparing with never smokers, odds ratios of having more than eight missing teeth among current and former smokers were 1.96 and 1.86, respectively. The odds ratios in those who had stopped smoking for ≤10 years was 3.02, and for those who had ceased smoking for 11–20 years was 2.66. In those who stopped smoking for 21 years or more, there was no increase in the odds ratio.Conclusion:  Smoking had a positive association with the number of missing teeth and smoking cessation is beneficial for maintaining teeth. The odds of having more than eight missing teeth in those who had never smoked was equal to that of individuals who reported that they had stopped smoking for 21 years or more.
Imaging Changes during Therapy: Does it Matter?
Authors: Aubry J.‐F. , Pouliot J. 
Published: August 2008

SummaryRecent developments in 3D X‐ray imaging have made available new tools for imaging patients in the treatment room. Several researchers in the radiation oncology community are recognizing that these imaging tools not only help to achieve better patient positioning, but also provide a wealth of information relative to the various changes that occur during the course of treatment. This article discusses some of the changes that are observed and what can be done to assess their importance. Two types of changes that can be observed with in‐room 3D imaging are considered: positioning changes and anatomical changes. Examples of such changes are given for head and neck and prostate patients. The different magnitudes of these changes are discussed first. Because the biological effect of radiation on anatomical structures is determined by dose, the importance of these changes is then considered through their dosimetric consequences. Early findings show that not all anatomical structures receive the dose that was intended during treatment planning. Because the convolution of positioning and anatomical changes is difficult to predict, the consequences of these changes is better evaluated on a case‐by‐case basis as a first step towards adaptive radiation therapy.
Langerhans cell histiocytosis in a premature baby presenting with skin‐isolated disease: case report and literature review
Authors: Aviner Shraga , Ronen Meir , London Daniel , Tobar Ana , Zangen Shmuel 
Published: August 2008

AbstractLangerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in premature babies is extremely rare as is a vesicular skin rash, while gastrointestinal involvement is associated with a poor outcome. We report a case of LCH in a premature baby presented with isolated vesiculo‐papulo‐macular skin lesions and insidiously developed gastrointestinal symptoms, haematological and severe pulmonary involvement. We also reviewed a few cases of LCH in premature babies in the English language medical literature. LCH in preterm babies appears to be a severe systemic disease, usually lethal in‐utero or post delivery.Conclusion: Careful observation should be applied to newborns with skin‐only Langerhans cell histiocytosis in order to identify in time progression to potentially fatal systemic disease.
From Translator to Laureate: Imagining the Medieval Author
Authors: Bale Anthony 
Published: August 2008

AbstractToday we largely take it for granted that every text has an author, but what is understood by the term ‘author’ was very different in the Middle Ages. Medieval English ideas of authorship were many and varied, and show some key changes from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries. In manuscript cultures, like England before the late fifteenth century, the author has little control over the repetition of his text; in many medieval vernacular texts the author is represented as a craftsman and translator rather than a visionary or virtuoso. Texts in manuscript were inherently open to rewriting and were often anonymous. The role and status of the author was interrogated by poets and scholars, often revealing a remarkably open sense of who, or what, an author could be. In the later medieval period, traditions of depicting real (Geoffrey Chaucer) and imagined (Sir John Mandeville) authors developed, signalling a growing trend of attaching an authorial identity to a text worth reading. The development of mysticism and affective religion brought further transformations in the role of the author, given the anxiety over who has the right and access to represent divine communication; this issue is raised inThe Cloud of UnknowingandThe Book of Margery Kempe, both of which play with conceits of anonymity. After Chaucer, in particular in the poetry of John Lydgate, we can identify the development of the English ‘laureate’ poet. In the early era of print, especially in the prologues of William Caxton, one discerns the emergence of an author, through the posthumous image of Chaucer, similar to that known today: not only a writer but also a creator, a celebrity and an authority.
Phytosociological study of steppe vegetation in Mongolia
Authors: Cheng Yunxiang , Tsendeekhuu Tsagaanbandiin , Narantuya Naidan , Nakamura Toru 
Published: August 2008

AbstractUsing phytosociological methods, vegetation data were collected from 144 stands in seven areas across approximately 800 km, covering a large proportion of the east–west axis of the Mongolian steppe. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was used to identify trends within the complete set of vegetation data from all 144 stands. We recognized four phytosociological plant communities and seven lower units, among which three of the communities (the Stipa baicalensis–Agropyron cristatum, Stipa grandis–Achnatherum sibiricum and Chamaerhodos erecta–Artemisia scoparia communities) may be considered valuable additions to the current classification system of Mongolian steppe by Hilbig (1995). Three lower units of the Stipa krylovii–Cleistogennes squarrosa community were identical with associations described by Hilbig (1990), which named typical sub‐association of Cymbario dahuricae–Stipetum krylovii, Cymbario dahuricae–Stipetum krylovii and Amygdalo pedunculatae–Spriaeetum aquilegifolia. The present floristic composition of the community types, which showed a high density of unpalatable species, suggests that intensive grazing has become a widespread problem across the entire Mongolian steppe. On the other hand, the first ordination axis of DCA was associated with land used for cultivation. The stands abandoned over 10 years had high scores on the first axis.
Evaluation of tissue culture response from mature seeds ofPanicumspp.
Authors: Seo Mi‐Suk , Takahara Manabu , Ebina Masumi , Takamizo Tadashi 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe genusPanicumcontains important warm‐season forage grasses and species with potential as biomass crops. We selectedPanicumgenotypes with high response to tissue culture for genetic improvement. The highest frequency of callus induction from mature seed ofPanicum maximumcultivar Natsukaze was obtained on MS medium containing 4.0 mg L−12,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and solidified with 0.3% Gelrite. We compared germination frequencies and callus induction capacities among 24 genotypes of 11Panicumspecies on this medium. Callus induction frequencies varied among genotypes. Those with high germination frequencies generally had high callus induction frequencies. On the other hand, especially inP. maximum, the callus induction ratio (callus induction frequency/germination frequency) depended on the reproductive mode and ploidy. The callus induction ratio of three sexual accessions ofP. maximumwere very low compared to apomictic accessions, and besides, a tetraploid sexual accession Noh PL1 had very low germination and callus induction frequencies. Callus induction and regeneration capacities were independent of each other. For shoot regeneration, we transferred callus derived from the 24 genotypes onto MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L−1kinetin and 0.4% Gelrite. Six of the genotypes regenerated plantlets. Among them,Panicum meyerianumproduced the highest shoot regeneration frequency of 61.6% and the maximum number of shoots callus−1in the shortest time. The callus ofP. meyerianumalso showed vigorous proliferation. We thus selected high‐response genotypes ofP. meyerianum.
Field Evidence for Flow Reduction through a Zero‐Valent Iron Permeable Reactive Barrier
Authors: Johnson R.L. , Thoms R.B. , O’Brien Johnson R. , Krug T. 
Published: August 2008

AbstractThe combination of detailed multilevel ground water geochemistry samples, a natural‐gradient tracer test, minislug tests, and a numerical flow and transport model was used to examine flow through a zero‐valent iron permeable reactive barrier (PRB) installed to remove explosives from ground water. After 20 months of operation, the PRB continued to completely remove explosives from the ground water flowing through it. However, the data indicate that a portion of ground water flow was being diverted beneath the PRB. Ground water geochemistry was significantly altered by the PRB, and concentrations of some ions, including sulfate, carbonate, and calcium, were substantially reduced due to precipitation. Field data and numerical model results indicate that, after 20 months of operation, flow through the PRB was reduced to approximately one‐third of its expected value.