Time trends in organ donation after neurologic determination of death: a cohort study.

Background: The cause of brain injury may influence the number of organs that can be procured and transplanted with donation following neurologic determination of death. We investigated whether the distribution of causes responsible for neurologic death has changed over time and, if so, whether this has had an impact on organ quality, transplantation rates and recipient outcomes.

Methods: We performed a cohort study involving consecutive brain-dead organ donors in southern Alberta between 2003 and 2014.

After proper optimization of carvedilol dose, do different child classes of liver disease differ in terms of dose tolerance and response on a chronic basis?

Background/aims: Literature regarding safe doses of carvedilol is limited, and safe doses across different Child classes of chronic liver disease are not clear.

Patients And Methods: A total of 102 consecutive cirrhotic patients with significant portal hypertension were included in this study. Hepatic venous pressure gradient was measured at baseline and 3 months after dose optimization.

Prediction of success and failure of behavior modification as treatment for dental anxiety.

Behavior modification techniques are effective in the treatment of extreme dental anxiety, but their success is by no means absolute. In the present article, the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), the self-report symptom inventory SCL-90R and a questionnaire accessing subjects' daydreaming styles (the Short Imaginal Process Inventory) were used to develop possible predictive measures for success and failure of behavior modification as a treatment for dental fear. The patients' level of distractibility and mind wandering, initial dental anxiety and somatization significantly predicted the success of therapy.

Modulation of dental anxiety--the role of past experiences, psychopathologic traits and individual attachment patterns.

Objective: To evaluate factors affecting modulation of dental anxiety among adults.

Methods: A total of 183 adult members of a closed communal society (Kibbutz), who have been treated since childhood only by the dentists employed in their community, were investigated concerning their past and present dental anxiety, evaluation of their past and present dentists, psychopathologic symptoms and individual pattern of attachment.

Results: The best predictor of subjects' evaluation of their present dental anxiety was the scale of anxiety as recorded by the SCL-90R questionnaire.

Effect of anxiety on the experience of pain in implant insertion.

Pain is a complex experience affected by such factors as stress, anxiety and cognitions. The purpose of this study was to examine the inter-relationship between anxiety and acute pain perception under an oral surgery procedure of implant insertion. The study population consisted of 60 dental patients (58% female, mean age 42 year), who were scheduled for implant insertion in a private clinic specializing in oral surgery.

Self-perception of breath odor.

Background: Bad breath, also known as halitosis, is a common concern for millions of people. Yet there is almost no reliable way for people to properly assess their breath odor. While many develop faulty perceptions about having bad breath that affect their entire lives, others who have halitosis are unaware of their condition.

Self-perception of breath odor: role of body image and psychopathologic traits.

Oral malodor is a common complaint in Western society and is an important reason why adults seek dental counsel. In the present study, an attempt was made to evaluate the contribution of psychopathologic traits and of body-image char acteristics on participants' self-perception of breath odor. 60 participants without any specific complaint concerning breath odor (55% men: M age 35.

Effect of gender on acute pain prediction and memory in periodontal surgery.

Pain is a complex experience that is affected by factors such as gender, stress, anxiety and cognitions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the inter-relationship between gender and acute pain prediction and memory under periodontal surgery treatment. The study was conducted on 15 male and 22 female dental patients (mean age 34 yr, mean education level 14.

Antecedents of dental anxiety: learned responses versus personality traits.

The origins of dental fear and anxiety are numerous and complex. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relative effects of learned responses and subjective personality traits on the development of dental anxiety. The study was carried out in kibbutzim (closed homogeneous societies) in Israel where all subjects had received dental treatment from the same dentist since childhood with no choice of dentist.

Monitoring and assessment of dietary exposure to chemical contaminants.

The results of the Global Environment Monitoring System/Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment Programme (GEMS/Food) and other monitoring programmes for priority contaminants in the diet, including lead, cadmium, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticide residues and aflatoxin, are presented. These results are assessed with respect to established acceptable or tolerable intakes for these contaminants. While the assessments generally confirm the effectiveness of government efforts to prevent or reduce food contamination in industrialized countries, better exposure estimates for infants and children and other vulnerable groups should be calculated.

The complaint of oral malodor: possible psychopathological aspects.

Oral malodor (halitosis) is a common concern in Western society. As with other human perceptions, emotional as well as cognitive variables play a major role in one's sensation and complaint. To study factors potentially associated with the complaint of oral malodor, periodontal and psychological evaluations were carried out on 38 subjects (66% female, mean age 43 years) with a complaint of oral malodor.

Self-estimation of oral malodor.

Bad breath (halitosis, oral malodor) is a common condition, usually the result of microbial putrefaction within the oral cavity. Often, people suffering from bad breath remain unaware of it, whereas others remain convinced that they suffer from foul oral malodor, although there is no evidence for such. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether objective self-measurement of oral malodors is possible.

Detection of psychopathologic trends in glossodynia patients.

Glossodynia affects primarily middle-aged women. Although many possible etiologies have been proposed for the syndrome, most have not been substantiated. In the present study 56 glossodynia patients were evaluated for their psychopathologic profile as reflected by the SCL-90 questionnaire.

Antecedents of burning mouth syndrome (glossodynia)--recent life events vs. psychopathologic aspects.

Burning mouth syndrome--BMS (also known as glossodynia, glossalgia, glossopyrosis, or oral dysesthesia)--primarily affects middle-aged women. Many possible etiologies have been proposed to account for the syndrome; most are still unsubstantiated. One possible suggested etiology involves the presence of psychological components.

Correlates of success and failure in behavior therapy for dental fear.

Extreme dental fear and avoidance are universal problems, with severe adverse effects on the patient's oral health. Although behavior modification techniques were shown to be effective in the treatment of this problem, their success is by no means absolute. In the present article, the SCL-90 questionnaire was used for development of possible predictive measures for success and failure of behavior modification as a treatment for dental fear.