Cupped lesions of early onset dental erosion in young southeast Queensland adults

Background: Dental erosion manifests as cupped lesions on cusp apices and in fissures of teeth in patients from southeast Queensland referred with excessive tooth wear When found in young adults, these lesions may indicate early onset of active dental erosion. If the numbers and extent of cupped lesions increase with age, erosion may be a slow cumulative process. Methods: This cross-sectional study recorded the presence or absence and the relative sizes of cupped lesions from all cusps and occlusal fissures on premolar and permanent molar teeth from study models by image analysis. Type-specimens of cupped lesions were examined. Results: The Incidence by tooth reflected time in the mouth, post-tooth emergence. A linear increase in lesion number and size, with age, was found. However, cupped lesions occurred on mandibular first molar cusp apices as often, and attained greater extent, in adults under 27 years compared with older subjects. Conclusion: Marked differences were found between lesion number and size, between maxillary and mandibular molar sites that reflect differences in salivary protection against dental erosion. The significance of this study is that the mandibular first permanent molar indicates the age of onset and severity of dental erosion.

Effects of short-term acetaminophen and celecoxib treatment on orthodontic tooth movement and neuronal activation in rat

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used for pain relief in orthodontics, but clinical studies reported that they may reduce tooth movement (TM). By other side, TM seems to activate brain structures related to nociception, but the effects of NSAIDs in this activation have not been studied yet. We analyzed the effect of short-term treatment with acetaminophen or celecoxib in the separation of rat upper incisors, as well as in neuronal activation of the spinal trigeminal nucleus, following tooth movement. Thirty rats (400-420 g) were pretreated through oral gavage (1 ml/dose)with acetaminophen (200 mg/kg), celecoxib (50 mg/kg) or vehicle (carboxymethylcellulose 0.4%). After 30 min, they received an activated (30 g) orthodontic appliance for TM. In controls, this appliance was immediately removed after its introduction. Rats received ground food, and every 12 h, one of the drugs or vehicle. After 48 h, they were anesthetized, maxilla was radiographed, and were perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde. Brains were further processed for Fos immunohistochemistry. TM induced incisor distalization (p < 0.05) and neuronal activation of the spinal trigeminal nucleus. Treatment with both drugs did not affect tooth movement, but reduced c-fos expression in the caudalis subnucleus. No changes in c-fos expression were seen in the oralis and interpolaris subnuclei. We conclude that neither celecoxib nor acetaminophen seems to affect tooth movement, when used for 2 days, but both drugs are able to reduce the activation of brain structures related to nociception. Short-term treatment with celecoxib, thus, may be a therapeutic alternative to acetaminophen when the latter is contra indicated. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Persistent Impairment of Testicular Histology and Sperm Motility in Adult Rats Treated with Cisplatin at Peri-Puberty

Cisplatin is one of the most widely used and effective chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of several human malignancies. This study evaluated the effects of peri-pubertal cisplatin administration on several reproductive end-points and the reversibility of these effects in adulthood. Peri-pubertal Wistar male rats (45 days old) were divided into two groups: control (saline 0.9%) and cisplatin (1 mg/kg/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks, i.p.). The study was conducted in two steps and evaluations were performed at ages of 66 (post-pubertal age) and 140 (adult age) days on: (i) organ weights, serum gonadotropins and testosterone levels, sperm counts, motility and morphology, testicular histomorphometry, spermatogenesis kinetics, Sertoli cell number and in situ detection of apoptotic germ cells and (ii) sexual behaviour, fertility and intratesticular testosterone. At the end of cisplatin therapy, rats showed reductions in sperm production and reserves, sperm with progressive movement, tubular diameter, intratesticular testosterone and fertility potential, but increased numbers of TUNEL-positive seminiferous tubules, immotile sperm and pre-implantation losses compared with control. Moreover, cisplatin-treated post-pubertal rats displayed impaired testicular histopathology and sexual behaviour. Serum gonadotropins and testosterone levels, sperm morphology, spermatogenesis kinetics and Sertoli cell number were comparable between experimental groups at both ages. Alterations found in post-puberty were recovered at adulthood, except for sperm motility and damage to testicular histology. The persistence of these cisplatin effects, despite the unaltered fertility after natural mating in rats, may have implications for reproductive function of young boys undergoing cancer therapy, given the lower reproductive efficiency in human beings compared with rats.

Prevalence of Adverse Life Events, Depression and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviour among a Community Sample of Young People aged 15-24 Years

Objective: To provide prevalence data on several key mental health indicators for young people aged 15 to 24 years. Methods: A cross-sectional household survey, using telephone recruitment followed by a postal pencil-and-paper questionnaire. The overall response rate was 67.3%. Results: Difficulties with interpersonal relationships are common causes of distress for young people, in particular problems with parents, problems with friends and relationship break-ups. Depressive symptomatology is common among young people with approximately one in eight males and one in four females reporting current depressive symptomatology. One in three young people reported that they had had suicidal thoughts at some time in the past, 1.2% of young people reported that they had made a plan on how to kill themselves in the four-week period prior to completing the survey and 6.9% of young people reported that they had tried to kill themselves at some time during their life time (4.2% of males and 9.0% of females). Conclusions and implications: The prevalence figures for the various mental health indicators presented in this paper represent good baseline information upon which to examine the progress over time of interventions designed to improve the mental health of young people.

Considerations in the design of a mixed-method cluster evaluation of a community programme for 'at-risk' young people

This article discusses the design of a comprehensive evaluation of a community development programme for young people 'at-risk' of self-harming behaviour. It outlines considerations in the design of the evaluation and focuses on the complexities and difficulties associated with the evaluation of a community development programme. The challenge was to fulfil the needs of the funding body for a broad, outcome-focused evaluation while remaining close enough to the programme to accurately represent its activities and potential effects at a community level. Specifically, the strengths and limitations of a mixed-method evaluation plan are discussed with recommendations for future evaluation practice.

The young women's network: A case study in community development

While young women have been found to be at additional risk for psychological morbidity after a breast cancer diagnosis, their specific needs in relation to support are not well described. A community development approach was utilized to develop the Young Women's Network, a peer support programme for young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer that addresses their specific psychological and social needs, Central to this approach was the key role of the target group in both the definition of the problem and the generation of the solutions. This article describes the steps involved in developing this programme and guidelines for health professionals and community members who may wish to replicate either the Young Women's Network or this particular approach to programme development. Copyright (C), 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Movement and stock structure of narrow-barred Spanish mackerel as indicated by parasites

Data from permanent parasites (juvenile trypanorhynchs and anisakids) indicated that Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus commerson from four sites on the west coast of Australia, Abrolhos, Shark Bay, Exmouth and Onslow, intermingled and were probably all drawn from the same stock. Fish from Broome, Kupang (Indonesia), Groote Eylandt-Torres Strait and the cast coast of Australia had distinct faunas of permanent parasites and probably each belonged to a different stock. There was evidence of movement of fish between Broome and the west coast. Abundances of temporary parasites (gill copepods and monogeneans) suggested that males and females on the west coast migrated separately because in several cases the parasite fauna of one sex was more similar to that of fish in an adjacent area than to the opposite sex in the same area. (C) 2001 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Association of bowel movement frequency and use of laxatives with the occurrence of symptomatic gallstone disease in a prospective study of women

OBJECTIVES: The authors prospectively examined the association between bowel movement frequency (used as a proxy for intestinal transit), laxative use, and the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease. METHODS: A total of 79,829 women, aged 36–61 yr, without a history of symptomatic gallstone disease and free of cancer, responded to a mailed questionnaire in 1982 that assessed bowel movement frequency and use of laxatives. Between 1984 and 1996, 4,443 incident cases of symptomatic gallstone disease were documented. Relative risks (RRs) of symptomatic gallstone disease and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: After controlling for age and established risk factors, the multivariate RRs were, compared to women with daily bowel movements, 0.97 (95% CI 0.86–1.08) for women with bowel movements every third day or less, and 1.00 (95% CI 0.91–1.11) for women with bowel movement more than once daily. No trend was evident. As compared to women who never used laxatives in 1982, a significant modest inverse association was seen for monthly laxative use, with a multivariate RR of 0.84 (95% CI 0.72–0.98), and weekly to daily laxative use was associated with a RR of 0.88 (95% CI 0.78–1.02). CONCLUSIONS: These findings do not support an association between infrequent bowel movements and risk of symptomatic gallstone disease in women, and indicate that simple questions directed at bowel movement frequency are unlikely to enhance our ability to predict risk of symptomatic gallstone disease. The slightly inverse association between use of laxatives and risk of symptomatic gallstone disease may be due to a mechanism that is not related to bowel movement frequency.

Conversational influences on young children's responses to misleading questions

The present study investigated the degree to which young children's suggestible responses were related to their pragmatic language ability. In Experiment 1, forty-seven 5- and 6-year-olds were read a short picture story followed the next day by a postevent synopsis that included both consistent and misleading details about the original story. Six days later, a suggestibility effect was evident with responses to questions about the details that had been misled being less accurate than to those about details not misled. Although age significantly correlated with this effect, the relationship was not significant after controlling for the children's pragmatic language ability. The procedure in Experiment 2 was identical with the exception that the thirty-nine 5- and 6-year-olds were questioned in a format that made explicit the intended reference point of the interrogation. A suggestibility effect was now not evident nor was accuracy related to age. Taken together, these results support the position that young children's suggestibility requires a consideration not only in terms of suggestible memories but also in terms of suggestible responses that can result from incorrectly interpreting the intended message of an experimenter's questions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

The English-only movement: A communication analysis of changing perceptions of language vitality

This paper reexamines the potential impact of the English-only movement on linguistic minorities and Anglos' perceptions of their own and minority groups' language vitality. Of particular interest is the Hispanic population-the fastest growing minority in the U.S. Communication scholars have paid only scant attention to the English-only movement and how it affects the social and communication climate for Latinos. However, literature reviews prepared for the American Psychological Association and for the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (in 1991 and 1995, respectively) concluded that English-only initiatives have negative consequences for limited-English proficiency groups. Revisiting this still-growing issue in the light of more recent studies across disciplines and media reports, we examine how Anglo support for English-only policies limits the use, promotion, and salience of minority languages like Spanish in institutional settings and in the linguistic landscape and suggest directions for future research.

Dieting and health in young Australian women

This paper examines the prevalence of dieting behaviours and correlates with physical and mental health in young Australian women who are participants in the Australian Longitudinal Stud of Women's Health. A total of 14 686 women aged 18-23 years, randomly selected from the National Medicare database, with over-sampling from rural and remote areas, responded to a questionnaire seeking dieting and health information. The results showed that 66.5 percent of the women had a BMI within the healthy weight range (18- < 25 kg/m(2)). However only 21.6 percent of these women were happy with their weight and almost half (46 percent) had dieted to lose weight in the last year (also one in five who had a BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)). High frequency of dieting (rather than dieting per se) and earlier dieting onset were associated with poorer physical and mental health (including depression), more disordered eating (bingeing and purging), extreme weight and shape dissatisfaction and more frequent general health problems. The results suggest that there is a need for programmes that will enhance self esteem and weight/shape acceptance and promote more appropriate strategies for maintenance of healthy weight. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.