bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A 2‐year study of Candida‐associated denture stomatitis treatment in aged care subjects
Authors: Webb Bettine C. , Thomas Cyril J. , Whittle Terry 
Published: August 2005

Objective:  To test the efficacy of two methods of treatment for denture stomatitis in aged care institutions.Background data:  Candida‐associated denture stomatitis has been associated with a lack of denture hygiene.Materials and methods:  Sixty subjects with denture stomatitis were randomly divided into three groups: sodium hypochlorite denture soak, microwaving and control. Both methods of treatment were carried out on a nightly basis for 1 week, excepting the control group. Standardised photographs of the palate and microbial samples of palate, upper and lower dentures were taken before and after treatment.Results:  Both hypochlorite and microwave irradiation significantly reduced the numbers of Candida and aerobic bacteria on both dentures and both methods significantly reduced Candida on the palate. However, palatal aerobic bacteria were not significantly reduced by either method and the controls showed insignificant changes at all three sites for both Candida and aerobes.Conclusion:  While both methods of denture disinfection were successful, except for the counts of palatal aerobic bacteria, three independent observers of the clinical photographs had difficulty in identifying the controls but were more successful with the treatments. The raters also showed that there was no difference between both methods of disinfection and this agreed with the microbiological analysis.
A study to compare the oral health impact profile and satisfaction before and after having replacement complete dentures in England and Scotland
Authors: Forgie Andrew H. , Scott Brendan J. J. , Davis David M. 
Published: August 2005

Objective:  To assess the oral health impact profile (OHIP) on edentulous subjects in Scotland and England who needed to have their dentures replaced, and to determine whether any change in the subjects’ assessment of their original and replacement dentures impacted on oral health related quality of life parameters.Background:  The loss of all teeth may impact on functional activities. The OHIP is an instrument used to measure subjects’ perception of the social impact of oral disorders on their well being.Methods:  A total of 58 edentulous subjects were studied. Subjects completed the OHIP‐14 questionnaires before and after being provided with a set of replacement complete dentures. They also assessed specific features of the upper and lower dentures. Responses were recorded on a Likert scale.Results:  For many subjects, the responses in the before treatment questionnaires were at the lower end of the Likert scale, indicating that there were no major impacts on oral health related quality of life parameters. There were significant improvements in four of the 14 OHIP parameters assessed after treatment. With the new dentures, subjects expressed improved satisfaction, particularly for the lower prosthesis. There were no major differences between the responses of the subjects in Scotland and England.Conclusion:  For this group of edentulous subjects, although they may need dentures to be replaced after a period of wear, this does not necessarily have significant social impacts. For this reason the provision of new dentures did not result in major changes to the OHIP.
Oral health and dental care facilities in Maltese residential homes
Authors: Schembri Alexander , Fiske Janice 
Published: August 2005

Objectives:  To establish oral health care practices, including the use of dental services, in the residential homes of Malta and Gozo by assessing the knowledge of home managers and assistance of care staff regarding residents’ oral health and hygiene; and evaluating the residents’ demand for dental treatment and residential home managers response to this demand.Subjects:  A total population sample of licensed residential homes (38) in Malta and Gozo was used comprising all home managers in government (seven), church (20), and privately run (11) residential homes.Method:  A 19‐question questionnaire was designed, piloted and sent to the home managers requesting them to report on the dental care provision for their elderly residents. The questionnaire was distributed by post, along with a reply‐paid envelope and an explanatory letter. A response deadline of 1 month was included.Results:  An 87% response rate was achieved. Whilst the majority of home managers (64%) were aware of domiciliary dental services, there was no code of care practice for oral health. Routine dental check‐ups were not organised for residents of most homes. Although home staffs were generally given information about residents’ oral health and hygiene, the majority did not assist residents with oral hygiene. Home managers identified the following barriers to the use of dental services by residents: cost, communication problems with dental staff, journey to place of treatment, waiting time at the dental clinic, access to premises/clinic, lack of information on oral health and dental service availability, no one to accompany the person to the clinic, and health problems such as mobility, poor eyesight, hearing impairment and mental health status.Conclusion:  Although most home managers appreciate the importance of oral health care for their residents, the residents still face many barriers to maintaining adequate oral health care and accessing dental services.
Transient oral microflora in Greeks attending day centres for the elderly and residents in homes for the elderly
Authors: Kaklamanos E. G. , Charalampidou M. , Menexes G. , Topitsoglou V. , Kalfas S. 
Published: August 2005

Objective:  To examine the isolation frequency and the carriage of yeasts, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus and Enterococcus species in oral samples from elderly Greeks living alone or in institutions.Background:  Ageing may promote changes in the oral ecosystem, which lead to colonisation of the mouth by microbes found less commonly or only transiently in younger subjects. Previous studies indicate a geographical variation in the isolation frequency of such bacteria in elderly populations.Materials and methods:  Medical and dental records were obtained from 66 attenders at elderly people's day centres (EPDC), and 82 residents of elderly people's homes (EPH), 66–95 years old. Mucosa smear samples were cultured on appropriate media for enumeration of the above species. Microbial identification was performed by conventional microbiological tests. The results were analysed using the Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), anova and other traditional statistical tests.Results:  No statistically significant association was found between the place of residence and the wearing of dentures. The isolation frequencies of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus and Enterobacteriaceae species were 21.6, 20.3 and 7.4% respectively. MCA, and further statistical analysis, revealed that the place of residence affected the isolation frequency of years (54.9% in EPH vs. 37.9% in EPDC). Moreover, anova showed that living in EPH increased the carriage of yeasts.Conclusions:  Elderly Greeks exhibit a moderate to high oral carriage of transient bacteria compared with other elderly populations. Living in EPH seems to increase both the isolation frequency and carriage of yeasts.
Level of education and incidence of caries in the elderly: a 5‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Siukosaari P. , Ainamo A. , Närhi T. O. 
Published: August 2005

Objective:  This study aimed to examine the possible association between level of education and 5‐year caries increment in the elderly inhabitants of Helsinki.Background:  Low salivary flow and high numbers of salivary microorganisms are associated with the presence of caries, but cannot predict the increment in caries in the elderly.Materials and methods:  This study group was derived from a population‐based Helsinki Aging Study, which consisted of a random sample of elderly born in 1904, 1909 and 1914. The 71 dentate elderly who underwent clinical oral examinations at baseline (1990–91) and 5 years later (1995–96) were included in the study group. Decayed, Missing or Filled Tooth (DMFT) and Root Caries Index (RCI) indexes were used to study subject’ caries experience. Data on subjects’ education came from questionnaire studies. The subjects were divided into four groups according to their level of education and occupation. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate relationships between subjects’ caries experience and level of education.Results:  At baseline the elderly with high level of education had more teeth and more root surfaces at risk than those with low level of education. Number of teeth decreased (−1.085, p < 0.0001), while both DMFT (1.164, p < 0.0001) and RCI (0.081, p < 0.0001) indices increased during follow‐up. The increments in DMFT and RCI were not directly associated with the level of education. Multivariate analysis in which subjects’ gender, number of teeth, level of education, frequency of eating and frequency of brushing were taken into consideration, showed no significant association with caries increment.Conclusions:  Within the limitations of this study it can be concluded that the level of education of the elderly is not directly associated with the increment in caries.
Impact of Island-Induced Clouds on Surface Measurements: Analysis of the ARM Nauru Island Effect Study Data
Authors: McFarlane Sally A. , Long Charles N. , Flynn Donna M. 
Published: August 2005

Abstract
An Atmospheric Radiation and Cloud Station (ARCS) was established on the island of Nauru by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. Analysis of the Nauru99 field experiment data indicated that measurements at the ARCS were affected by a cloud plume that was induced by diurnal heating of the island. During the Nauru Island Effects Study, instrumentation was installed at a second site to develop criteria for identifying when the cloud plume occurs and to quantify its effect on ARCS measurements. The plume directional heading and frequency of occurrence are affected by the large-scale tropical circulation. During the present study, in which an El Niño was developing, Nauru was in a region of active convection, and easterly trade winds were not dominant; plumes were observed in 25% of satellite images, and only one-half of the observed plumes were downwind of the ARCS site. Surface wind direction, surface air temperature, and downwelling solar radiation at the two sites were used to identify periods when the cloud plume affected surface measurements. Differences in low-cloud frequency and surface radiation between plume-affected and non-plume-affected periods were examined. Existence of the cloud plume increased the average low-cloud frequency of occurrence from 20% to 35%, decreased the average downwelling shortwave radiation by 50–60 W m−2, and increased the average downwelling longwave radiation by 5–10 W m−2. Installing a suite of surface meteorological instruments and a global shortwave radiometer at a second site will allow for the long-term quantification of the cloud plume effect on the radiation field at the ARCS site.
Temporal and Spatial Changes of the Agroclimate in Alberta, Canada, from 1901 to 2002
Authors: Shen S. S. P. , Yin H. , Cannon K. , Howard A. , Chetner S. , Karl T. R. 
Published: August 2005

Abstract
This paper analyzes the long-term (1901–2002) temporal trends in the agroclimate of Alberta, Canada, and explores the spatial variations of the agroclimatic resources and the potential crop-growing area in Alberta. Nine agroclimatic parameters are investigated: May–August precipitation (PCPN), the start of growing season (SGS), the end of the growing season (EGS), the length of the growing season (LGS), the date of the last spring frost (LSF), the date of the first fall frost (FFF), the length of the frost-free period (FFP), growing degree-days (GDDs), and corn heat units (CHUs). The temporal trends in the agroclimatic parameters are analyzed by using linear regression. The significance tests of the trends are made by using Kendall’s tau method. The results support the following conclusions. 1) The Alberta PCPN has increased 14% from 1901 to 2002, and the increment is the largest in the north and the northwest of Alberta, then diminishes (or even becomes negative over two small areas) in central and southern Alberta, and finally becomes large again in the southeast corner of the province. 2) No significant long-term trends are found for the SGS, EGS, and LGS. 3) An earlier LSF, a later FFF, and a longer FFP are obvious all over the province. 4) The area with sufficient CHU for corn production, calculated according to the 1973–2002 normal, has extended to the north by about 200–300 km, when compared with the 1913–32 normal, and by about 50–100 km, when compared with the 1943–72 normal; this expansion implies that the potential exists to grow crops and raise livestock in more regions of Alberta than was possible in the past. The annual total precipitation follows a similar increasing trend to that of the May–August precipitation, and the percentile analysis of precipitation attributes the increase to low-intensity events. The changes of the agroclimatic parameters imply that Alberta agriculture has benefited from the last century’s climate change.
Error Statistics of VPR Corrections in Stratiform Precipitation
Authors: Bellon Aldo , Lee Gyu Won , Zawadzki Isztar 
Published: August 2005

Abstract
Errors in surface rainfall estimates that are caused by ignoring the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) and range effects have been assessed by simulating how fine-resolution 3D reflectivity measurements at close ranges are sampled by the radar at various ranges and heights. Uncorrected and corrected accumulations from 33 events of mainly stratiform precipitation, with a recognizable melting layer for over 250 h, have been generated using two basic procedures: (a) the “near range” or “inner” VPR and (b) the intensity-dependent “climatological” VPR. The root-mean-square (rms) error structure has been derived as a function of height and range, for accumulations ranging from 5 min to 2 h, for various brightband heights and verification areas. However, it is the errors along the lowest default height that are most relevant. The stratification of the results by the height of the bright band is essential to understand the influence of the bright band with range. The largest errors (&gt;100% at near ranges without correction) are encountered with lower and stronger bright bands. After correction, errors of less than 20% can be achieved with method “a” but only over large verification areas (&gt;100 km2), with long accumulation intervals (&gt;45 min), with bright bands that are relatively high (&gt;2.5 km), and for ranges within ∼130 km. The climatological correction yields errors that are roughly 2 times as large. The results with the inner VPR method can only be obtained by assuming conditions of spatial homogeneity in the VPR structure of the rainfall fields. Simulations of the VPR variability have indicated that larger errors are to be expected in real-time operations, particularly when measurements are made inside the bright band. The magnitude of these errors may approach those of a “realistic climatological” correction that incorporates some uncertainty in the brightband height.
Interannual Variations of Aerosol Optical Depth over Coastal India: Relation to Synoptic Meteorology
Authors: Saha Auromeet , Moorthy K. Krishna , Niranjan K. 
Published: August 2005

Abstract
Interannual variations in spectral aerosol optical depths (AOD) were examined using the data obtained from a chain of ground-based multiwavelength solar radiometers from various locations of the Indian peninsula during the dry winter season (January–March) of 1996–2001. All of the stations revealed significant interannual variations, even though the spatial pattern of the variations differed over the years. These interannual variations were found to be significantly influenced by the extent of the southward excursion of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). The years in which the southward excursion of the ITCZ was less (i.e., the years when the wintertime ITCZ was closer to the equator) showed higher AODs than the years in which the ITCZ moved far southward. The spatial variation was found to be influenced by large-scale vertical descent of an air mass over peninsular India, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Bay of Bengal.
Comparison of Soil Hydraulic Parameterizations for Mesoscale Meteorological Models
Authors: Braun Frank J. , Schädler Gerd 
Published: August 2005

AbstractSoil water contents, calculated with seven soil hydraulic parameterizations, that is, soil hydraulic functions together with the corresponding parameter sets, are compared with observational data. The parameterizations include the Campbell/Clapp–Hornberger parameterization that is often used by meteorologists and the van Genuchten/Rawls–Brakensiek parameterization that is widespread among hydrologists. The observations include soil water contents at several soil depths and atmospheric surface data; they were obtained within the Regio Klima Projekt (REKLIP) at three sites in the Rhine Valley in southern Germany and cover up to 3 yr with 10-min temporal resolution. Simulations of 48-h episodes, as well as series of daily simulations initialized anew every 24 h and covering several years, were performed with the “VEG3D” soil–vegetation model in stand-alone mode; furthermore, 48-h episodes were simulated with the model coupled to a one-dimensional atmospheric model. For the cases and soil types considered in this paper, the van Genuchten/Rawls–Brakensiek model gives the best agreement between observed and simulated soil water contents on average. Especially during episodes with medium and high soil water content, the van Genuchten/Rawls–Brakensiek model performs better than the Campbell/Clapp–Hornberger model.
Global expression profiling of theophylline response genes in macrophages: evidence of airway anti-inflammatory regulation
Authors: Yao Pei-Li , Tsai Meng-Feng , Lin Yi-Chen , Wang Chien-Hsun , Liao Wei-Yu , Chen Jeremy JW , Yang Pan-Chyr 
Published: August 2005

AbstractBackgroundTheophylline has been used widely as a bronchodilator for the treatment of bronchial asthma and has been suggested to modulate immune response. While the importance of macrophages in asthma has been reappraised and emphasized, their significance has not been well investigated. We conducted a genome-wide profiling of the gene expressions of macrophages in response to theophylline.MethodsMicroarray technology was used to profile the gene expression patterns of macrophages modulated by theophylline. Northern blot and real-time quantitative RT-PCR were also used to validate the microarray data, while Western blot and ELISA were used to measure the levels of IL-13 and LTC4.ResultsWe identified dozens of genes in macrophages that were dose-dependently down- or up-regulated by theophylline. These included genes related to inflammation, cytokines, signaling transduction, cell adhesion and motility, cell cycle regulators, and metabolism. We observed that IL-13, a central mediator of airway inflammation, was dramatically suppressed by theophylline. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA analyses also confirmed these results, without respect to PMA-treated THP-1 cells or isolated human alveolar macrophages. Theophylline, rolipram, etazolate, db-cAMP and forskolin suppressed both IL-13 mRNA expression (~25%, 2.73%, 8.12%, 5.28%, and 18.41%, respectively) and protein secretion (<10% production) in macrophages. These agents also effectively suppressed LTC4 expression.ConclusionOur results suggest that the suppression of IL-13 by theophylline may be through cAMP mediation and may decrease LTC4 production. This study supports the role of theophylline as a signal regulator of inflammation, and that down regulation of IL-13 by theophylline may have beneficial effects in inflammatory airway diseases.
Anti-Fas mAb-induced apoptosis and cytolysis of airway tissue eosinophils aggravates rather than resolves established inflammation
Authors: Uller Lena , Rydell-Törmänen Kristina , Persson Carl GA , Erjefält Jonas S 
Published: August 2005

AbstractBackgroundFas receptor-mediated eosinophil apoptosis is currently forwarded as a mechanism resolving asthma-like inflammation. This view is based on observationsin vitroand in airway lumen with unknown translatability to airway tissuesin vivo. In fact, apoptotic eosinophils have not been detected in human diseased airway tissues whereas cytolytic eosinophils abound and constitute a major mode of degranulation of these cells. Also, Fas receptor stimulation may bypass the apoptotic pathway and directly evoke cytolysis of non-apoptotic cells. We thus hypothesized that effects of anti-Fas mAbin vivomay include both apoptosis and cytolysis of eosinophils and, hence, that established eosinophilic inflammation may not resolve by this treatment.MethodsWeeklong daily allergen challenges of sensitized mice were followed by airway administration of anti-Fas mAb. BAL was performed and airway-pulmonary tissues were examined using light and electron microscopy. Lung tissue analysis for CC-chemokines, apoptosis, mucus production and plasma exudation (fibrinogen) were performed.ResultsAnti-Fas mAb evoked apoptosis of 28% and cytolysis of 4% of eosinophils present in allergen-challenged airway tissues. Furthermore, a majority of the apoptotic eosinophils remained unengulfed and eventually exhibited secondary necrosis. A striking histopathology far beyond the allergic inflammation developed and included degranulated eosinophils, neutrophilia, epithelial derangement, plasma exudation, mucus-plasma plugs, and inducement of 6 CC-chemokines. In animals without eosinophilia anti-Fas evoked no inflammatory response.ConclusionAn efficient inducer of eosinophil apoptosis in airway tissuesin vivo, anti-Fas mAb evoked unprecedented asthma-like inflammation in mouse allergic airways. This outcome may partly reflect the ability of anti-Fas to evoke direct cytolysis of non-apoptotic eosinophils in airway tissues. Additionally, since most apoptotic tissue eosinophils progressed into the pro-inflammatory cellular fate of secondary necrosis this may also explain the aggravated inflammation. Our data indicate that Fas receptor mediated eosinophil apoptosis in airway tissuesin vivomay cause severe disease exacerbation due to direct cytolysis and secondary necrosis of eosinophils.