Oligoclonal IgG antibodies in multiple sclerosis target patient-specific peptides.

IgG oligoclonal bands (OCBs) are present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of more than 95% of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and are considered to be the immunological hallmark of disease. However, the target specificities of the IgG in MS OCBs have remained undiscovered. Nevertheless, evidence that OCBs are associated with increased levels of disease activity and disability support their probable pathological role in MS.

The "Smart Dining Table": Automatic Behavioral Tracking of a Meal with a Multi-Touch-Computer.

Studying how humans eat in the context of a meal is important to understanding basic mechanisms of food intake regulation and can help develop new interventions for the promotion of healthy eating and prevention of obesity and eating disorders. While there are a number of methodologies available for behavioral evaluation of a meal, there is a need for new tools that can simplify data collection through automatic and online analysis. Also, there are currently no methods that leverage technology to add a dimension of interactivity to the meal table.

A study of patient attitudes towards fasting prior to intravenous sedation for dental treatment in a dental hospital department.

Introduction: Intravenous sedation is the most commonly used method of sedation for the provision of adult dental care. However, disparity exists in pre-operative fasting times in use for patients throughout the United Kingdom.

Aims: The aims of the study were to obtain information on the effects of existing extended pre-operative fasting regimens, to canvas patient opinions on the fasting process, and to record their positive and negative experiences associated with it.

A comparison of inhalation sedation agents in the management of children receiving dental treatment: a randomized, controlled, cross-over pilot trial.

Aims: First, to compare the relative effectiveness of inhalation sedation using (A) nitrous oxide and oxygen with (B) nitrous oxide, sevoflurane, and oxygen in the management of children receiving dental extractions. Secondly, to determine patient and guardian preference between the two sedation techniques.

Materials And Methods: A randomized, controlled, double-blinded, cross-over, pilot clinical trial was undertaken.

Pre-operative fasting for intravenous conscious sedation used in dental treatment: are conclusions based on relative risk management or evidence?

Intravenous sedation is a widely used pharmacological method of patient management commonly used in dental surgery for the treatment of anxious patients. Variety exists in fasting regimes between different centres offering dental sedation, with some advocating starvation in line with general anaesthesia protocols and others not enforcing starvation at all. The currently available guidelines on fasting protocols are ambiguous and open to interpretation partly because they are based on expert opinion rather than evidence-based research.

Provision of domiciliary dental care by Scottish dentists: a national survey.

Unlabelled: Demand for domiciliary dental care is increasing as a result of a growing population of elderly and functionally dependent patients, legislative pressure and an increasingly dentate population.

Objective: To estimate the amount and types of dental care currently being undertaken on a domiciliary basis in Scotland and to examine the barriers to the provision of such care.

Method: A descriptive study, involving a self-administered postal questionnaire was employed.

Maxillary incisor palatal erosion: no correlation with dietary variables?

The objectives of the study were to examine a relationship between tooth erosion affecting the palatal aspects of permanent maxillary central incisors with dietary, behavioral and medical variables. The methods included, 251 schoolchildren aged 11 to 13 years were recruited to participate. Each subject had dental impressions of the palatal aspects of both upper central incisors recorded at baseline, 9 and 18 months intervals.

Assessment of a procedure for detecting minute levels of tooth erosion.

Over a period of some years, the components of a system for discerning erosion on children's teeth have been progressively developed, for use in an extensive project seeking correlations between erosion and various perceived risk factors. The aim was the detection of minute levels of erosion, based on mappings of the palatal surfaces of the maxillary central incisors in children. Significant challenges were encountered, the primary problem being the impracticality of placing control marks that would aid the realignment of successive measurements.

Root agenesis in developing canines as a complication of intranasal antrostomy.

A case is reported in which the roots of both maxillary canines failed to develop, a defect that could be traced to antral surgery when the patient was 8 years of age. The differential diagnosis of such a finding is proffered. The maxillary antrum is described, and aspects of the surgical procedure, the nasal antrostomy, used in this patient are discussed.

Mucous membrane pemphigoid: an elusive diagnosis?

Vesiculobullous diseases, including mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), are uncommon. This study was a retrospective examination of the clinical findings, histopathologic findings, and lesional immunostaining with respect to 76 consecutive patients referred to the Department of Oral Medicine, Surgery and Pathology, Bristol Dental Hospital and School, between 1982 and 1985 with a potential diagnosis of MMP. Of these, 42 patients were assigned alternative clinical diagnoses, 71% of which were confirmed by immunostaining and histology.