Development of short forms for screening children's dental caries and urgent treatment needs using item response theory and machine learning methods.

Objectives: Surveys can assist in screening oral diseases in populations to enhance the early detection of disease and intervention strategies for children in need. This paper aims to develop short forms of child-report and proxy-report survey screening instruments for active dental caries and urgent treatment needs in school-age children.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 497 distinct dyads of children aged 8-17 and their parents between 2015 to 2019 from 14 dental clinics and private practices in Los Angeles County.

Quantitative data collection approaches in subject-reported oral health research: a scoping review.

Background: This scoping review reports on studies that collect survey data using quantitative research to measure self-reported oral health status outcome measures. The objective of this review is to categorize measures used to evaluate self-reported oral health status and oral health quality of life used in surveys of general populations.

Methods: The review is guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) with the search on four online bibliographic databases.

Investigating Perceptions of Teachers and School Nurses on Child and Adolescent Oral Health in Los Angeles County.

This study reports the results of focus groups with school nurses and teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools to explore their perceptions of child and adolescent oral health. Participants included 14 school nurses and 15 teachers (83% female; 31% Hispanic; 21% White; 21% Asian; 14% African American; and 13% Others). Respondents were recruited from Los Angeles County schools and scheduled by school level for six one-hour focus groups using .

Using a Machine Learning Algorithm to Predict the Likelihood of Presence of Dental Caries among Children Aged 2 to 7.

Background: Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood infectious disease and is a serious public health problem affecting both developing and industrialized countries, yet it is preventable in most cases. This study evaluated the potential of screening for dental caries among children using a machine learning algorithm applied to parent perceptions of their child's oral health assessed by survey.

Methods: The sample consisted of 182 parents/caregivers and their children 2-7 years of age living in Los Angeles County.

Computerized adaptive testing and short form development for child and adolescent oral health patient-reported outcomes measurement.

Objectives: To develop computerized adaptive testing (CAT) and short forms of self-report oral health measures that are predictive of both the children's oral health status index (COHSI) and the children's oral health referral recommendation (COHRR) scales, for children and adolescents, ages 8-17.

Material And Methods: Using final item calibration parameters (discrimination and difficulty parameters) from the item response theory analysis, we performed post hoc CAT simulation. Items most frequently administered in the simulation were incorporated for possible inclusion in final oral health assessment toolkits, to select the best performing eight items for COHSI and COHRR.

Development of toolkits for detecting dental caries and caries experience among children using self-report and parent report.

Objectives: To develop child- and parent-reported toolkits for active caries and caries experience in children and adolescents, ages 8-17.

Methods: A sample of 398 child/parent dyads recruited from 12 dental practices in Los Angeles County completed a computer-assisted survey that assessed oral health perceptions. In addition, children received a dental examination that identified the presence or absence of active caries and caries experience.

Development of a parents' short form survey of their children's oral health.

Background: Parents play an important role in their children's oral health behaviors, provide oral health access, initiate prevention, and coping strategies for health care.

Aim: This paper develops a short form (SF) to assist parents to evaluate their children's oral health status using Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) framework that conceptualized health as physical, mental, and social components.

Design: Surveys of parents were conducted at dental clinics in Los Angeles County, together with an on-site clinical examination by dentists to determine clinical outcomes, Children's Oral Health Status Index (COHSI), and referral recommendations (RRs).

Short form development for oral health patient-reported outcome evaluation in children and adolescents.

Purpose: Children and adolescents are vulnerable to dental problems and oral diseases. This paper presents the development of two multi-item self-report scales for use in assessing oral health status of children and adolescents.

Methods: Following the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System framework, survey questions were designed using a newly developed conceptual model.

Qualitative methods in the development of a parent survey of children's oral health status.

Background: Parents' perceptions of their 8-17-year-old children's oral health status were assessed using a sample from diverse dental clinics in Greater Los Angeles County to identify constructs for a survey instrument.

Methods: Focus groups with 29 parents or guardians were conducted to identify themes that informed development of survey items. The draft items were administered to a different group of 32 parents or guardians in cognitive interviews, and revised for subsequent field-testing.

Patient-Reported oral health outcome measurement for children and adolescents.

Background: Oral health is an important component of daily functioning and well-being. A comprehensive patient-reported oral health measure is needed to gauge the impact of oral health status on children and adolescents. This study aims to develop oral health item banks and associated short-form surveys for children and adolescents 2-17 year olds.

Telomere Dysfunction Triggers Palindrome Formation Independently of Double-Strand Break Repair Mechanisms.

Inverted chromosome duplications or palindromes are linked with genetic disorders and malignant transformation. They are considered by-products of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair: the homologous recombination (HR) and the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). Palindromes near chromosome ends are often triggered by telomere losses.

Rif1 and Exo1 regulate the genomic instability following telomere losses.

Telomere attrition is linked to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and aging. This is because telomere losses trigger further genomic modifications, culminating with loss of cell function and malignant transformation. However, factors regulating the transition from cells with short telomeres, to cells with profoundly altered genomes, are little understood.

Child and adolescent perceptions of oral health over the life course.

Purpose: To elicit perceptions of oral health in children and adolescents as an initial step in the development of oral health item banks for the Patient-Reported Oral Health Outcomes Measurement Information System project.

Methods: We conducted focus groups with ethnically, socioeconomically, and geographically diverse youth (8-12, 13-17 years) to identify perceptions of oral health status. We performed content analysis, including a thematic and narrative analysis, to identify important themes.

The genetic basis of variation in clean lineages of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in response to stresses encountered during bioethanol fermentations.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the micro-organism of choice for the conversion of monomeric sugars into bioethanol. Industrial bioethanol fermentations are intrinsically stressful environments for yeast and the adaptive protective response varies between strain backgrounds. With the aim of identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL's) that regulate phenotypic variation, linkage analysis on six F1 crosses from four highly divergent clean lineages of S.

Assessing the contribution of the dental care delivery system to oral health care disparities.

Objectives: Existing studies of disparities in access to oral health care for underserved populations often focus on supply measures such as number of dentists. This approach overlooks the importance of other aspects of the dental care delivery system, such as personal and practice characteristics of dentists, that determine the capacity to provide care. This study aims to assess the role of such characteristics in access to care of underserved populations.

Phenotypic characterisation of Saccharomyces spp. yeast for tolerance to stresses encountered during fermentation of lignocellulosic residues to produce bioethanol.

Background: During industrial fermentation of lignocellulose residues to produce bioethanol, microorganisms are exposed to a number of factors that influence productivity. These include inhibitory compounds produced by the pre-treatment processes required to release constituent carbohydrates from biomass feed-stocks and during fermentation, exposure of the organisms to stressful conditions. In addition, for lignocellulosic bioethanol production, conversion of both pentose and hexose sugars is a pre-requisite for fermentative organisms for efficient and complete conversion.

Social support and dental visits.

Background: The authors conducted a study to examine the influence of social support on dental visits among an adult population.

Methods: Using 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, the authors analyzed information pertaining to adults 40 years and older (N = 2,598) (with the exclusion of edentulous people), who represent about 108 million people in the United States. They weighted logistic regression models for dental visits, while controlling for demographic characteristics (age, race/ethnicity, sex, education, insurance, income), socioenvironmental characteristics (marital status, emotional and financial support, number of close family members and friends, years lived in the neighborhood) and physical and mental health status.

Predictive power of the severity measure of attachment loss for periodontal care need.

Background: The prevalence of periodontal diseases is high, and >15% of adults have severe gum disease. Clinical attachment loss (AL) is one of the most important measures for periodontal disease severity. With AL, one could measure the worst scenario, the average, or the cumulative sum of AL among all teeth.

Oral health status and the epidemiologic paradox within Latino immigrant groups.

Background: According to the United States census, there are 28 categories that define "Hispanic/Latinos." This paper compares differences in oral health status between Mexican immigrants and other Latino immigrant groups.

Methods: Derived from a community-based sample (N = 240) in Los Angeles, this cross-sectional study uses an interview covering demographic and behavioral measures, and an intraoral examination using NIDCR epidemiologic criteria.

Socio-behavioral predictors of self-reported oral health-related quality of life.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between social and financial support, behavioral and sociodemographic variables, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in a national probability sample.

Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 data system was used; there were 12,761 persons selected for the sample, 10,122 of those were interviewed (79.3 %).

National estimates of the characteristics of individuals infected with HIV who are likely to report and receive treatment for painful bleeding gums.

Painful bleeding gums may be associated with HIV infection. This study examined the characteristics of persons reporting the symptom "painful bleeding gums" and their likelihood of accessing care. The study population consisted of persons receiving care for HIV as part of the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS).

Variations in self-reported provision of services by general dentists in private practice.

Background: Variations in dentists' provision of services have been documented, but information about contributing factors is limited.

Methods: The authors used responses to a 2003 survey of general dentists in private practice in California (46 percent response rate; 3,098 dentists included in the final sample) to assess variations in service provision and its correlates. They used logistic regressions to assess the correlation of various characteristics with the self-reported percentage of time spent providing services.

Calibration of self-reported oral health to clinically determined standards.

Objective: Self-report of oral health is an inexpensive approach to assessing an individual's oral health status, but it is heavily influenced by personal views and usually differs from that of clinically determined oral health status. To assist researchers and clinicians in estimating oral health self-report, we summarize clinically determined oral health measures that can objectively measure oral health and evaluate the discrepancies between self-reported and clinically determined oral health status. We test hypotheses of trends across covariates, thereby creating optimal calibration models and tools that can adjust self-reported oral health to clinically determined standards.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, yKu and subtelomeric core X sequences repress homologous recombination near telomeres as part of the same pathway.

Unlike in meiosis where recombination near telomeres is repressed, subtelomeric regions appear to recombine with each other frequently in vegetative cells with no detrimental consequences. To test whether or not such recombination is prevented in the core of chromosomes for maintenance of genome stability, we measured allelic homologous recombination (HR) along chromosome arms and between different ectopic locations. We found that there is an increase of recombination at telomeres in wild-type cells compared with sequences at proximal subtelomeric and interstitial regions of the genome.

The association of yKu with subtelomeric core X sequences prevents recombination involving telomeric sequences.

The yKu protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is important for genome stability by repressing recombination involving telomeric sequences. The mechanism of this repression is not known, but silent heterochromatin such as HML, HMR, and telomeres are compartmentalized at the nuclear periphery and yKu is proposed to interact with these regions and to play a role in telomeric silencing and tethering. We have utilized ChIP on chip, quantitative PCR, and quantitative recombination assays to analyze yKu binding and its effect on genome stability in wild-type and mutant backgrounds.