Pediatric dentists' participation in advocacy and acceptance of new medicaid children in clinical practice.

Introduction: Advocacy involves promoting a noble cause or voicing on behalf of a program, policy, or population group. Previous literature shows that dentists who provide services to Medicaid-enrolled, underserved, and vulnerable children are more compassionate than those who do not.

Aim: To explore the association between pediatric dentists' (PDs) participation in various advocacy-related activities (ARAs) and their monthly acceptance of new Medicaid-enrolled children in their clinical practice to provide dental care services.

Covariates of craving in actively drinking alcoholics.

The goal of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship of alcohol craving with biopsychosocial and addiction factors that are clinically pertinent to alcoholism treatment. Alcohol craving was assessed in 315 treatment-seeking, alcohol dependent subjects using the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale questionnaire. Standard validated questionnaires were used to evaluate a variety of biological, addiction, psychological, psychiatric, and social factors.

UVB and proinflammatory cytokines synergistically activate TNF-alpha production in keratinocytes through enhanced gene transcription.

UVB irradiation potently induces cytokines in the skin, including IL-1alpha and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). The mechanism for TNF-alpha induction in UVB-irradiated keratinocytes is not clear. In this study, we explored the effects of UVB and cytokines, alone or in combination in human keratinocytes.

Mannose binding lectin (MBL) polymorphisms associated with low MBL production in patients with dermatomyositis.

One theory for the pathophysiology of photosensitive autoimmune skin diseases is that photoinduction of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) secretion leads to keratinocyte apoptosis and translocation of previously sequestered cellular antigens that then activate the immune system. We previously found an association of the overproducing TNFalpha-308 A variant with adult dermatomyositis and with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Here we focused on mannose binding lectin (MBL), which is one of several proteins involved in clearance of apoptotic cells and could thereby lessen photosensitive autoimmunity.

Associations of tumor necrosis factor alpha and HLA polymorphisms with adult dermatomyositis: implications for a unique pathogenesis.

We recently reported that the -308A tumor necrosis factor alpha promoter polymorphism is associated with the photosensitive disorder subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus and mediates an exaggerated tumor necrosis factor alpha response to ultraviolet B. We now sought to examine the association of this polymorphism with adult dermatomyositis, a photosensitive disease that exhibits some features in common with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Fifty adult patients with dermatomyositis and 239 healthy, race-matched controls were examined for the -308A tumor necrosis factor alpha polymorphism and the more common -308G allele.