Masticatory coefficient and physical functioning in older frail patients admitted for a Comprehensive Gerontological Assessment.

Background: Physical functioning may be limited in older, frail patients with missing teeth without prosthetic correction. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between physical performance and the geriatric masticatory coefficient (GMC) in patients who underwent both a comprehensive gerontological assessment (CGA) to improve poly-pathology management and an intra-oral exam.

Methods: All patients were evaluated based on the following: (corrected) GMC, number of posterior occluding pairs (POPs), short physical performance battery (SPPB) or timed up and go (TUG) test, and mini-nutritional assessment (MNA).

Characterization of mouthguards: Impact performance.

Background/aim: It is difficult to characterize the impact behavior of mouthguards on the basis of their components. Impact behavior tests should be performed on mouthguard formed to simulate their intra-oral performance. The aim of this study was to compare the impact behavior of six models of mouthguards using a standardized experimental protocol.

Characterization of mouth-formed mouthguards: thermal performance.

This study examined whether the thermo-modeling process suits the thermal properties of the material constituting mouth-formed mouthguards (MGs). Five mouth-formed MGs were compared: four commercially available MGs (SDI™, Gel Nano™, Opro Shield Gold™, and Kipsta R300™) and one prototype. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to determine melting (T(m)) and crystallization (T(c)) temperatures and specific fusion and crystallization enthalpies (∆H(f) and ∆H(c) (J/g)).

Relationships between oral health, dysphagia and undernutrition in hospitalised elderly patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe relationships between oral status, dysphagia and malnutrition in a hospitalised older people.

Background: Undernutrition in older people is a major concern in geriatric hospital wards. Different factors can modify nutritional status like dysphagia or oral status.

Efficiency at the resident's level of the NABUCCOD nutrition and oral health care training program in nursing homes.

Objectives: To assess the impact of a nutrition and oral care training program on nursing home (NH) policies and residents.

Design: Cross-sectional surveys before/after intervention.

Participants: One hundred thirty-eight NHs participated in the initial training.

Hidden hysteresis - population dynamics can obscure gene network dynamics.

Background: Positive feedback is a common motif in gene regulatory networks. It can be used in synthetic networks as an amplifier to increase the level of gene expression, as well as a nonlinear module to create bistable gene networks that display hysteresis in response to a given stimulus. Using a synthetic positive feedback-based tetracycline sensor in E.

Behavior under impact of two polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene (PVA-PE) polymers and one elastomer--application to custom-made mouthguards.

A drop tower was used to identify the mechanical behaviors of two polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene (PVA-PE) polymers and one elastomer used to fabricate custom-made mouthguards. The samples were in the form of either small cubes (edge length: 20 mm) or large cubes (edge length: 30 mm). Force and strain were recorded as functions of time, enabling a stress-strain analysis to be performed.

Challenges to a blow/fill/seal process with airborne microorganisms having different resistances to dry heat.

Controlled challenges with air dispersed microorganisms having widely different resistances to dry heat, carried out on 624 BFS machine processing growth medium, have shown that higher the heat resistance, the greater the extent of vial contamination. Differences in heat resistance affected also the extent of vial contamination when parison and vial formation were knowingly manipulated through changes made to each of three process variables, provision of ballooning air, mould vacuum delay, and parison extrusion rate. The findings demonstrate that, in this investigational system, exposure of challenge micoorganisms to heat inherent in the process has a controlling influence on vial contamination, an influence that could also control microbiological risk in production environments.

Oral health status of 1500 university students in Toulouse France.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health status among a population of students enrolled in the first year at the Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse (France), and to compare the results with those of similar investigations.

Methods: An epidemiologic survey of 1,500 students at the Centre for Preventive Medicine at Paul Sabatier University (UPS) will enable us to obtain the prevalence of certain variables such as DMFT, sugar consumption, tooth-brushing frequency, and mouthwash use, through a structured questionnaire and a standardised oral health examination.

Results: The Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index of these students was 4.

[Maxillo-facial prostheses: an issue in public health].

Background: Acquired or congenital loss of structure can cause facial deformity. This can destroy identity and lead to certain forms of exclusion. Surgical and sometimes prosthetic reconstruction is required.

Impact of Blow/Fill/Seal process variables in determining rate of vial contamination by air dispersed microorganisms.

Controlled challenges of air dispersed spores of Bacillus subtilis NCIMB 8649 have been generated in a custom-built challenge room housing a Blow/Fill/Seal machine filling filter-sterilized trypticase soy broth into 5.5 cm3 low density polyethylene vials. The effects on the rate of vial contamination of systematic changes in the process variables, rate of provision of ballooning air, delay in the application of mould vacuum and duration of transfer of the open vial, have been examined.

Design, development and qualification of a microbiological challenge facility to assess the effectiveness of BFS aseptic processing.

A programme of work has been initiated to further the understanding of the impact of the environment surrounding a Blow/Fill/Seal (BFS) machine upon the microbiological quality of processed product. A dedicated facility (Challenge Room) has been constructed and qualified to provide for the production and containment of dispersions of micro organisms in air of a room housing an operating BFS machine of a given style and configuration. The facility achieves homogeneous distribution of generated dispersions throughout the Challenge Room air, including that within and close to the critical area in which aseptic BFS operations occur.

Evaluation of Blow/Fill/Seal extrusion through processing polymer contaminated with bacterial spores and endotoxin.

A study has been carried out to further the understanding of the extrusion process and its impact upon the quality of Blow/Fill/Seal product. Controlled challenges to the extrusion system, comprising low-density polyethylene granulate contaminated with characterized levels of Bacillus atrophaeus (ATCC 9372) endospores and Escherichia coli 055:B5 bacterial endotoxin, have been conducted. Batches of spore contaminated polymer, at challenge levels varying from 10(3) to 10(6) spores g(-1) polymer with derived D160 values ranging from 1.

Four major disasters in Aquitaine, France: use of odontologic techniques for identification.

The 4 mass disasters that have affected the Aquitaine region (France) in the previous 15 years are related through the specificity and the efficiency of dental methodology in identifying the victims. The results point to the decisive influence and the efficiency of dental methodology for identification of bodies that are burned or disfigured after an accident or a prolonged period in water.

Ramipril and felodipine: a comparison of the efficacy and safety of monotherapy versus combination therapy.

A multinational, double-blind, randomised study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of a low-dose combination of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, and the calcium antagonist, felodipine ER, in 642 patients with mild to moderate hypertension [supine diastolic blood pressure (DBP) = 95-115 mm Hg]. After a 4-week single-blind placebo run-in, patients were randomly allocated to once-daily felodipine extended release (ER; 2.5 mg), ramipril (2.

Cyst formation in gastric heterotopic pancreas: report of two cases.

Cyst formation is an uncommon pathologic finding in heterotopic pancreas. It is sometimes reported in a duodenal location but very rarely in a gastric location and leads to very large lesions of unusual endoscopic and radiographic appearance. Two cases of gastric heterotopic pancreas are described in which cystic zones in the gastric wall were found at preoperative ultrasound or computed tomography.