An international survey of oral medicine practice: proceedings from the 5th World Workshop in Oral Medicine.

OBJECTIVES: (i) To define the current state of oral medicine clinical practice internationally, and (ii) to make recommendations for future modeling of the practice of oral medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was designed by an international panel of oral medicine experts to assess the current state of oral medicine practice internationally. The survey was sent to oral medicine experts across the world, and responses were electronically stored and analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Two hundred respondents completed the survey representing 40 countries from six continents. The two most common settings for an oral medicine practice were in a hospital and a dental school. More than 88% of respondents considered management of oral mucosal disease, salivary dysfunction, oral manifestations of systemic diseases, and facial pain in the definition of oral medicine. CONCLUSIONS: (i) Oral medicine clinicians diagnose and manage a wide variety of orofacial conditions; (ii) There are significant differences in the definition of oral medicine clinical practice from country to country; (iii) India has the largest expansion of oral medicine services as defined by escalating numbers of clinicians within the specialty as compared with other countries; (iv) oral medicine practitioners have a wide range of professional responsibilities.

Detection of survivin mRNA in healthy oral mucosa, oral leucoplakia and oral cancer.

BACKGROUND: Survivin is involved in modulation of cell death and cell division processes. Survivin expression in normal adult tissues has not been fully understood, although it is markedly lower than in cancer, where it is over-expressed. OBJECTIVE: To investigate survivin expression in normal, potentially malignant and cancerous oral mucosa. METHODS: We measured survivin mRNA levels by real-time RT-PCR in specimens of oral mucosa (15 from normal mucosa, 17 from potentially malignant lesions, 17 from neoplasms). Scores were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test and post hoc according to Conover. Chi-squared test was used for dichotomous data. RESULTS: The median relative levels of survivin mRNA resulted six for normal mucosa, eight for potentially malignant lesions, 13 for cancers: differences among these three groups were statistically significant, as between cancer and potentially malignant lesions. Expression in normal mucosa and potentially lesions group showed no significant difference. Low, but not marginal expression of survivin in normal mucosa is a new finding, and it could be explained with the higher sensibility of our methods. CONCLUSIONS: Survivin expression in oral potentially malignant lesions might indicate a progressive deregulation of expression paralleling oncogenesis, particularly during the first stages of process, suggesting a putative predictive role for survivin.

Characterization of oxidative stress biomarkers in a freshwater anomuran crab.

In general, environmental responses at level of populations or communities are preceded by alterations at lower biological levels which can be efficiently detected by the analysis of biomarkers. We analyzed the oxidative biomarkers TBARS and Catalase in Aegla singularis, a freshwater crustacean highly sensitive to environmental changes. The objective was to address if are differences in these biomarkers related to the gender as well if they are influenced by seasonal or water physicochemical variables. The results showed differences in biomarkers profile related to the gender. In female crabs were not sensitive to seasonal variations throughout the study period. However, in males the biomarkers evaluated were higher in the winter as compared to remaining seasons and showed tendency of negative correlation with water temperature and pH. This study highlights that gender, seasonal variations and physicochemical variables can influence oxidative stress biomarkers in A. singularis. Female crabs probably are better suited as a model for biomarker application in environmental studies, because their insensibility to seasonal variations can facilitate the observations of responses related specifically to environmental disturbances.

Oral medicine in Europe: past, present and future.

Oral medicine (OM) is a relatively young dental specialty usually dealing with the oral healthcare of patients suffering from chronic recurrent and medically-related disorders of the mouth and maxillofacial region and with their diagnosis and mostly non-surgical management. The beginning of OM goes back to 1925 in the USA and 1950s in Europe. However, official specialty recognition is more recent and within Europe, it is only in the UK, Croatia and Israel where OM is recognised by local registering authorities, although in several other European countries it is viewed as a distinct field of study. Despite a broad agreement in OM syllabi and clinical practice, there are still some important differences in its definition and scopes within Europe. It is crucial that European countries agree a consensus definition of OM and clarify competencies and limits, so they may move from institution and region-specific approaches to an international framework. According to the European Directives, it is timely to recognise a minimum three year standard curriculum at a post-graduate level which will lead to uniformity of training for OM residencies in European country members and will eventually provide guidelines for a broader OM specialty recognition.

Effectiveness of budesonide nebulising suspension compared to disodium cromoglycate in early childhood asthma.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal treatment for early childhood asthma remains controversial. Budesonide (BUD) has shown superiority over placebo in infants, and over disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) in children aged > 2 years. The aim of this double-blind, randomised, parallel-group study was to compare the effectiveness of nebulised BUD and DSCG in asthmatic children aged < 36 months. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: 82 infants (mean age 18.0 months [range, 11.6-31.2 months]) with suspected asthma (three exacerbations of dyspnoea and wheezing during the past 12 months, with one or more exacerbations in the past 3 months) were treated for 3 months with nebulised BUD (Pulmicort Respules) 0.5 mg/2 mL bid or DSCG 20 mg/2 mL tid. Follow-up was at 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND RESULTS: Patients treated with BUD had a lower exacerbation rate than DSCG-treated patients after 3 months of treatment (5.4% vs. 31.7%; p = 0.003) and towards the end of follow-up (30% vs. 49%; p = 0.062). During treatment, days without cough were 80% and 65% for BUD and DSCG, respectively (p = 0.014), and nights without cough were 89% and 78%, respectively (p = 0.016). Side-effects were mild and of similar frequency in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Inhaled nebulised BUD was well tolerated and more effective than nebulised DSCG in reducing the incidence of asthma exacerbations and days with symptoms. These beneficial effects of BUD were maintained throughout the 6-month follow-up.

Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia.

BACKGROUND: Oral leukoplakia is a relatively common oral lesion that in a small but significant proportion of cases changes into cancer. Since most leukoplakias are asymptomatic, the primary objective of treatment should be to prevent such malignant transformation. OBJECTIVES: To assess effectiveness, safety and acceptability of treatments for leukoplakia. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following databases were searched for relevant trials: Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register (to April 2006), CENTRAL (TheCochrane Library 2006, Issue 1), MEDLINE (from 1966 to December 2005), and EMBASE (from 1980 to December 2005). Handsearching was performed for the main oral medicine journals. References of included studies and reviews were checked. Oral medicine experts were contacted through an European mailing list (EURORALMED). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), enrolling patients with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia, were included. Any surgical or medical (topical and systemic) treatment was included. The primary outcome considered was malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Other outcomes considered were clinical resolution, histological modification and frequency of adverse effects. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were collected using a specific extraction form. Malignant transformation of leukoplakia, demonstrated by histopathological examination, was the main outcome considered. Secondary outcomes included clinical resolution of the lesion and variation in dysplasia severity. The validity of included studies was assessed by two review authors, on the basis of the method of allocation concealment, blindness of the study and loss of participants. Data were analysed by calculating risk ratio. When valid and relevant data were collected, a meta-analysis of the data was undertaken. MAIN RESULTS: The possible effectiveness of surgical interventions, including laser therapy and cryotherapy, has never been studied by means of a RCT with a no treatment/placebo arm. Twenty-five eligible RCTs of non-surgical interventions were identified: 11 were excluded for different reasons, five were ongoing studies, leaving nine studies to be included in the review (501 patients). Two studies resulted at low risk of bias, six at moderate risk of bias and one at high risk of bias. Vitamin A and retinoids were tested by five RCTs, two studies investigated beta carotene or carotenoids, the other drugs tested were bleomycin (one study), mixed tea (one study) and ketorolac (one study). One study tested two treatments. Malignant transformation was recorded in just two studies: none of the treatments tested showed a benefit when compared with the placebo. Treatment with beta carotene, lycopene and vitamin A or retinoids, was associated with significant rates of clinical resolution, compared with placebo or absence of treatment. Whenever reported, a high rate of relapse was a common finding. Side effects of variable severity were often described; however, interventions were well accepted by patients, since drop-out rates were similar between treatment and control groups. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: To date there is no evidence of effective treatment in preventing malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Treatments may be effective in the resolution of lesion, however relapses and adverse effects are common.

Spline-based image-to-volume registration for three-dimensional electron microscopy.

This paper presents an algorithm based on a continuous framework for a posteriori angular and translational assignment in three-dimensional electron microscopy (3DEM) of single particles. Our algorithm can be used advantageously to refine the assignment of standard quantized-parameter methods by registering the images to a reference 3D particle model. We achieve the registration by employing a gradient-based iterative minimization of a least-squares measure of dissimilarity between an image and a projection of the volume in the Fourier transform (FT) domain. We compute the FT of the projection using the central-slice theorem (CST). To compute the gradient accurately, we take advantage of a cubic B-spline model of the data in the frequency domain. To improve the robustness of the algorithm, we weight the cost function in the FT domain and apply a "mixed" strategy for the assignment based on the minimum value of the cost function at registration for several different initializations. We validate our algorithm in a fully controlled simulation environment. We show that the mixed strategy improves the assignment accuracy; on our data, the quality of the angular and translational assignment was better than 2 voxel (i.e., 6.54 angstroms). We also test the performance of our algorithm on real EM data. We conclude that our algorithm outperforms a standard projection-matching refinement in terms of both consistency of 3D reconstructions and speed.

Attitude towards smoking and oral cancer prevention among northern Italian dentists.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the smoking habits of Northern Italian dental practitioners and their basic skills in the prevention of oral cancer. 217 of the 250 dental practitioners (86.8%) contacted by telephone from September to December 1994, answered a simple questionnaire. One third of the sample interviewed was formed by current smokers; nevertheless 60.8% of them always advise their patients to give up smoking. Only a relatively small percentage of the questioned dental practitioners (10.6%) do not examine the oral mucosa of the patients on a regular basis and 40% of responders had made a clinical diagnosis of oral cancer in the past. The lack of a specific dental education was associated with less scrupulous examination of the oral soft tissues and minor experience of cancer diagnosis. Despite their smoking habit, Northern Italian dental practitioners self-reported encouraging behaviour towards primary and secondary oral cancer prevention.

Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia.

BACKGROUND: Oral leukoplakia is a relatively common oral lesion that in a varying proportion of cases undergoes malignant transformation. Since most leukoplakias are asymptomatic, the need for treatment is primarily based on the precancerous nature of the lesion. OBJECTIVES: To assess effectiveness, safety and acceptability of treatments for leukoplakia. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following data bases were searched for relevant trials: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CancerLit, Biological Abstracts, Cochrane library. Hand searching was performed for the main oral medicine journals. Oral medicine experts were contacted through an European mailing list (EURORALMED). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), enrolling patients with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia, were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were collected using a specific abstraction form. Malignant transformation of leukoplakia, demonstrated by histopathological examination, was the main outcome considered. Secondary outcomes included clinical resolution of the lesion and variation in dysplasia severity. The validity of included studies was assessed on the basis of the method of allocation concealment, blindness of the study and loss of participants. Data were analysed by calculating relative risk. MAIN RESULTS: The possible effectiveness of surgical interventions, including laser therapy and cryotherapy, has apparently never been studied by means of a RCT. Fourteen potentially eligible RCTs of nonsurgical intervention were identified: five were excluded for different reasons, three were ongoing studies, leaving six studies to be included in the review. Vitamin A and retinoids were tested by four RCTs (224 patients), the other drugs tested were bleomycin (one study), mixed tea (one study) and beta carotene (one study). Malignant transformation was recorded in just two studies: none of the treatments tested showed a benefit when compared with the placebo. Treatment with beta carotene and vitamin A or retinoids, was associated with better rates of clinical remission, compared with placebo or absence of treatment. Whenever reported, a high rate of relapse was a common finding. Side effects of variable severity were often described; however, interventions were well accepted by patients, since drop-out rates were similar between treatment and control groups. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: To date there is no evidence of effective treatment in preventing malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Treatments may be effective in the resolution of lesion, however relapses and adverse effects are common.

Interventions for treating oral leukoplakia.

BACKGROUND: Oral leukoplakia is a relatively common oral lesion that in a small but significant proportion of cases changes into cancer. Since most leukoplakias are asymptomatic, the primary objective of treatment should be to prevent such malignant transformation. OBJECTIVES: To assess effectiveness, safety and acceptability of treatments for leukoplakia. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following databases were searched for relevant trials: Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE. Handsearching was performed for the main oral medicine journals. References of included studies and reviews were checked. Oral medicine experts were contacted through an European mailing list (EURORALMED). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), enrolling patients with a diagnosis of oral leukoplakia, were included. Any surgical or medical (topical and systemic) treatment was included. The primary outcome considered was malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Other outcomes considered were clinical resolution, histological modification and frequency of adverse effects. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were collected using a specific extraction form. Malignant transformation of leukoplakia, demonstrated by histopathological examination, was the main outcome considered. Secondary outcomes included clinical resolution of the lesion and variation in dysplasia severity. The validity of included studies was assessed by two reviewers, on the basis of the method of allocation concealment, blindness of the study and loss of participants. Data were analysed by calculating relative risk. When valid and relevant data were collected, a meta-analysis of the data was undertaken. MAIN RESULTS: The possible effectiveness of surgical interventions, including laser therapy and cryotherapy, has never been studied by means of a RCT. Nineteen potentially eligible RCTs of non-surgical interventions were identified: eight were excluded for different reasons, four were ongoing studies, leaving seven studies to be included in the review. Two studies resulted at low risk of bias, four at moderate risk of bias and one at high risk of bias. Vitamin A and retinoids were tested by five RCTs (245 patients), the other drugs tested were bleomycin (one study), mixed tea (one study) and beta carotene (one study). Malignant transformation was recorded in just two studies: none of the treatments tested showed a benefit when compared with the placebo. Treatment with beta carotene and vitamin A or retinoids, was associated with significant rates of clinical resolution, compared with placebo or absence of treatment. Whenever reported, a high rate of relapse was a common finding. Side effects of variable severity were often described; however, interventions were well accepted by patients, since drop-out rates were similar between treatment and control groups. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: To date there is no evidence of effective treatment in preventing malignant transformation of leukoplakia. Treatments may be effective in the resolution of lesion, however relapses and adverse effects are common.

Benzydamine hydrochloride oral rinses in management of burning mouth syndrome. A clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the topical use of benzydamine hydrochloride 0.15% oral mouthwashes in the control of burning mouth syndrome symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: In this double-blind, randomized, longitudinal investigation, each of 30 patients with burning mouth syndrome was assigned to one of 3 management modalities. Those in group A received an oral rinse solution of benzydamine hydrochloride 0.15% 3 times a day for 4 weeks, those in group B received a placebo 3 times a day for 4 weeks, and those in group C did not receive any kind of treatment. A visual analog scale was used for evaluation of the symptoms; a Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance exact test was performed on the resulting data. RESULTS: The findings of this investigation failed to reveal significant differences among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical application of benzydamine hydrochloride oral rinses in the treatment of patients with burning mouth syndrome did not demonstrate significative efficacy in comparison with use of a placebo solution.

GM-CSF mouthrinses in the treatment of severe oral mucositis: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this open trial was to test the efficacy of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mouthrinses as a potential treatment in reducing the duration of severe oral mucositis in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation for hematologic malignancies. STUDY DESIGN: The study group was composed of 10 consecutive patients suffering from severe oral mucositis during bone marrow transplantation procedures. The control group was similar to the study group in age and gender and comprised 29 historical patients with similar clinical characteristics. Freshly prepared GM-CSF mouthwash (0.5 microg/mL) was administered to the study population for 1 minute 3 times per day after oral hygiene procedures, starting from the first day of mucositis until clinical improvement of oral lesions. The study and control populations were compared with respect to duration of severe oral mucositis (1-9 days, 10-19 days, > or =20 days). RESULTS: There was no statistically (chi2 exact test) significant difference in mean mucositis score between the study group (11.9+/-6.1) and the control group (16.6+/-8.9). However, the duration of severe mucositis appeared to be reduced; 60% of the GM-CSF mouthrinse patients had severe mucositis for less than 9 days, whereas only 28% of the controls had severe mucositis for less than 9 days. In addition, 10% of the GM-CSF mouthrinse patients experienced severe mucositis lasting 20 or more days, whereas 34% of the controls experienced severe mucositis for 20 or more days. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that GM-CSF may reduce the duration of severe mucositis, but controlled, double-blind clinical trials are now required.

Genoprevalence of TT virus among clinical and auxiliary UK dental healthcare workers: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: In 1997 a new human hepatotropic virus, TT virus (TTV), was identified. The clinical significance of TT virus infection remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To undertake an initial evaluation of the genoprevalence of TTV DNA among health care workers in the United Kingdom. SETTING: A UK dental hospital. STUDY DESIGN: The sera of 53 dental healthcare workers (9 dentists, 14 dental nurses and 30 office staff) were tested for the presence of TTV DNA using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). RESULTS: TT virus DNA was detected in 3 out of 53 (5.7%) samples. This frequency of TTV carriage is similar to that of blood donors and healthy persons in the UK. CONCLUSION: The present data suggest that dental healthcare workers in the UK are not at increased risk of nosocomial acquisition of TT virus.

Dental experience and self-perceived dental care needs of patients with angioedema.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the self-perceived dental care needs and dental experiences of patients with angioedema. At the 1998 annual meeting of the Voluntary Association for the Fight, Study and Treatment of Hereditary Angioedema ("Associazione volontaria per la lotta, lo studio e la terapia dell'angioedema ereditario"), a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to participants affected by hereditary or acquired angioedema. Fifty-seven persons completed the questionnaire (37 females, 20 males; mean age, 39 +/- 17 yrs; range, 5-76). The vast majority (91%) had the hereditary form of the disease. One-third of the respondents had some problems in obtaining oral treatment, with one person having been refused care. About half of the group had experienced an acute attack following dental treatment. Preventive measures needed improvement in about two-thirds of respondents. More than half (58%) of the group perceived a need for dental care. We conclude that persons with angioedema may experience difficulty in obtaining dental treatment, a common cause of acute attacks.

Prevention and treatment of chemo- and radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis.

The administration of many chemo-radiotherapy regimens in patients with cancer may be complicated by toxicities that limit the clinicians' abilities to deliver the most effective doses of active agents. Oral mucositis is a major dose-limiting toxic effect and the most important cause of morbidity in patients undergoing chemo-radiotherapy for head and neck cancers, in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation and those receiving certain chemotherapeutic agents for a variety of human malignancies. The intent of this paper is to review preventive strategies and treatment approaches for patients with established oral mucositis. Many agents of differing mechanisms of action have been used in the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis induced by anticancer therapies. Currently, no intervention is completely successful at preventing or treating oral mucositis. The several solutions, drugs and methods used and studied in the prophylaxis and therapy of chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis reflects the need of new, more efficient tools in the management of this complication. Current studies and our increasing understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of oral mucositis will lead to new approaches to the management and improved quality of life for these patients.

Characterization of oxidative stress biomarkers in a freshwater anomuran crab / Caracterização de biomarcadores de estresse oxidativo em caranguejos anomuros de água doce

Abstract In general, environmental responses at level of populations or communities are preceded by alterations at lower biological levels which can be efficiently detected by the analysis of biomarkers. We analyzed the oxidative biomarkers TBARS and Catalase in Aegla singularis, a freshwater crustacean highly sensitive to environmental changes. The objective was to address if are differences in these biomarkers related to the gender as well if they are influenced by seasonal or water physicochemical variables. The results showed differences in biomarkers profile related to the gender. In female crabs were not sensitive to seasonal variations throughout the study period. However, in males the biomarkers evaluated were higher in the winter as compared to remaining seasons and showed tendency of negative correlation with water temperature and pH. This study highlights that gender, seasonal variations and physicochemical variables can influence oxidative stress biomarkers in A. singularis. Female crabs probably are better suited as a model for biomarker application in environmental studies, because their insensibility to seasonal variations can facilitate the observations of responses related specifically to environmental disturbances.

Resumo Em geral, as respostas ambientais ao nível de populações ou comunidades são precedidas pelas alterações nos níveis biológicos inferiores que podem ser eficientemente detectados pela análise de biomarcadores. Neste trabalho, foram analisados os biomarcadores oxidativos TBARS e Catalase em Aegla singularis, um crustáceo de água doce altamente sensível às mudanças ambientais. O objetivo foi investigar se há diferenças nestes biomarcadores relacionados com o gênero, bem como se eles são influenciados por parâmetros sazonais ou físico-químicos. Os resultados mostraram diferenças no perfil de biomarcadores relacionados com o gênero. Caranguejos fêmeas não foram sensíveis a variações sazonais ao longo do período de estudo. Nos machos, os biomarcadores avaliadas apresentaram níveis mais altos no inverno, em comparação com as demais estações e mostraram uma tendência de correlação negativa com a temperatura e pH da água. Este estudo destaca que o sexo, variações sazonais e variáveis físico-químicas podem influenciar os biomarcadores de estresse oxidativo em A. singularis. As fêmeas de A. singularis provavelmente são mais adequadas como um modelo para aplicação destes biomarcadores em estudos ambientais, uma vez que sua insensibilidade às variações sazonais podem facilitar as observações das respostas relacionadas especificamente com perturbações ambientais.

Characterization of oxidative stress biomarkers in a freshwater anomuran crab

Abstract In general, environmental responses at level of populations or communities are preceded by alterations at lower biological levels which can be efficiently detected by the analysis of biomarkers. We analyzed the oxidative biomarkers TBARS and Catalase in Aegla singularis, a freshwater crustacean highly sensitive to environmental changes. The objective was to address if are differences in these biomarkers related to the gender as well if they are influenced by seasonal or water physicochemical variables. The results showed differences in biomarkers profile related to the gender. In female crabs were not sensitive to seasonal variations throughout the study period. However, in males the biomarkers evaluated were higher in the winter as compared to remaining seasons and showed tendency of negative correlation with water temperature and pH. This study highlights that gender, seasonal variations and physicochemical variables can influence oxidative stress biomarkers in A. singularis. Female crabs probably are better suited as a model for biomarker application in environmental studies, because their insensibility to seasonal variations can facilitate the observations of responses related specifically to environmental disturbances.

Resumo Em geral, as respostas ambientais ao nível de populações ou comunidades são precedidas pelas alterações nos níveis biológicos inferiores que podem ser eficientemente detectados pela análise de biomarcadores. Neste trabalho, foram analisados os biomarcadores oxidativos TBARS e Catalase em Aegla singularis, um crustáceo de água doce altamente sensível às mudanças ambientais. O objetivo foi investigar se há diferenças nestes biomarcadores relacionados com o gênero, bem como se eles são influenciados por parâmetros sazonais ou físico-químicos. Os resultados mostraram diferenças no perfil de biomarcadores relacionados com o gênero. Caranguejos fêmeas não foram sensíveis a variações sazonais ao longo do período de estudo. Nos machos, os biomarcadores avaliadas apresentaram níveis mais altos no inverno, em comparação com as demais estações e mostraram uma tendência de correlação negativa com a temperatura e pH da água. Este estudo destaca que o sexo, variações sazonais e variáveis físico-químicas podem influenciar os biomarcadores de estresse oxidativo em A. singularis. As fêmeas de A. singularis provavelmente são mais adequadas como um modelo para aplicação destes biomarcadores em estudos ambientais, uma vez que sua insensibilidade às variações sazonais podem facilitar as observações das respostas relacionadas especificamente com perturbações ambientais.

Burning mouth syndrome: a retrospective study investigating spontaneous remission and response to treatments.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the spontaneous remission rate of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) in a group of subjects suffering from this syndrome. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The medical records of BMS patients attending the Unit of Oral Medicine (1995-2002) were reviewed. The patients with a follow-up period of at least 18 months were then contacted over phone and interviewed using a structured ad hoc questionnaire to record their current symptoms and data about their treatment responses to the therapies. RESULTS: Forty-eight women and five men with a mean age of 67.7 years (range 33-82 years) were included in the study (mean duration of BMS 5.5 years, s.d. +/-1.9 years, mean follow-up period of 56 months). As a consequence of different treatments, 26 patients (49.0%) reported no change in oral symptoms, 15 (28.3%) moderate improvement and 10 (18.9%) a worsening of oral complaints. Only two patients (3.7%) reported a complete spontaneous remission of oral symptoms without any treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, a complete spontaneous remission was observed in 3% of the patients within 5 years after the onset of BMS. A moderate improvement was obtained in <30% of the subjects.

Spectral signal-to-noise ratio and resolution assessment of 3D reconstructions.

Measuring the quality of three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed biological macromolecules by transmission electron microscopy is still an open problem. In this article, we extend the applicability of the spectral signal-to-noise ratio (SSNR) to the evaluation of 3D volumes reconstructed with any reconstruction algorithm. The basis of the method is to measure the consistency between the data and a corresponding set of reprojections computed for the reconstructed 3D map. The idiosyncrasies of the reconstruction algorithm are taken explicitly into account by performing a noise-only reconstruction. This results in the definition of a 3D SSNR which provides an objective indicator of the quality of the 3D reconstruction. Furthermore, the information to build the SSNR can be used to produce a volumetric SSNR (VSSNR). Our method overcomes the need to divide the data set in two. It also provides a direct measure of the performance of the reconstruction algorithm itself; this latter information is typically not available with the standard resolution methods which are primarily focused on reproducibility alone.

Self-preventive oral behavior in an Italian university student population.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the oral hygiene attitude and the professional preventive examination compliance in Italian university students. METHOD: A sample of 202 students attending the University of Bologna was randomly selected and interviewed about their preventive oral health attitude and compliance. All students reported using toothpaste and most of them (92.1%) brushed their teeth at least 2x a day using artificial, medium stiffness bristles. The toothbrush was generally (81.6%) replaced within 3 months. Few subjects (14.9%) said they used dental floss daily or utilized other devices. A majority of subjects (59.9%) had a dental examination within the year previous to the interview. Cluster analysis was performed. RESULTS: 4 groups were identified with homogeneous oral hygiene behavior and compliance toward professional preventive examination. Only one cluster, representing 33.6% of the sample, showed consistent frequency and modalities of oral hygiene habits. The other clusters seemed to be defective with interproximal cleaning procedures and compliance toward professional preventive care. Since the sample was characterized by a young, urbanized, homogeneous group with a high educational level and frequently from an upper middle class social status, the analysis probably gives a supra-estimation of the positive behavior. CONCLUSION: It is rational to suppose that strategies to promote dental service utilization, patients' compliance and a professional style oriented toward prevention may be useful to improve the oral health condition in the young adult Italian population.