New UK graduates' knowledge of training and service provision within restorative dentistry - a survey.

Objective To assess new UK graduates' knowledge of training and service provision within restorative dentistry.Design A national descriptive cross-sectional survey.Subjects and methods An online survey assessing clinicians' knowledge of restorative dentistry, who had graduated within the last four years in the UK, was distributed across the UK via postgraduate dental deaneries. One-hundred responses were accepted as a sample of a potential population of 4,000.Main outcome measure How well respondents understood the service provision and training aspects of the specialty of restorative dentistry.Results The responses were received from graduates from a variety of dental schools across the UK. Of those respondents, 41 reported receiving career guidance within restorative dentistry. 45 new graduates were confident in their understanding of the specialty, while 53 were confident in the differences between restorative dentistry and monospecialty training. The respondents appeared unaware regarding treatment priorities within restorative dentistry departments. Most respondents felt that receiving teaching on restorative dentistry as a specialty and career pathway would be beneficial.Conclusion The results suggest that new graduates may benefit from clarification regarding the specialty of restorative dentistry, however, caution must be taken due to the limitations of the study.

Information regarding restorative dentistry for new graduates.

A recent national survey has shown the need for clarification regarding the various disciplines encompassed by restorative dentistry and their respective training pathways. This document aims to address this by outlining the remit of restorative dentistry, in addition to the various job roles involved. This information is being disseminated by the British Society for Restorative Dentistry, and given the relevance to referrers and those looking for insight into the speciality, it has been reproduced here. Roles within the speciality range from dentists with special interests to specialists and consultants, whether primarily academic or clinical. The choice that a new graduate may make to choose a specific route will likely depend on a number of factors, often specific to each individual. Guidance on ways to gain experience and sources of further information are also provided.

Supraglottitis and abscess formation.

OBJECTIVE: This case series report aims to raise awareness of the association between supraglottic infection and abscess formation, which has been rarely documented. METHOD: We report a series of four patients who developed cervical abscesses following supraglottic infection. The diagnosis was confirmed by imaging in three patients, and by incision and drainage of pus at direct laryngoscopy in one. RESULTS: All four patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics, steroids and humidification; two also underwent surgical drainage of pus. All made an uneventful recovery. CONCLUSION: The factors that lead to neck abscess formation are poorly understood. Physicians should always be aware of this potential complication. If it is suspected, appropriate neck imaging should be undertaken, after excluding airway copromise; this will aid early diagnosis and treatment.

Therapeutic whole lung lavage for inhaled plutonium oxide revisited.

Two reviews in the last 12 years have differed widely in their indications for the use of whole lung lavage (WLL) to remove plutonium from the lung, one recommending its use at relatively low radiation doses to prevent stochastic effects and the other recommending restricting its use to high doses to prevent deterministic effects only. Since the publication of these reviews significant data have accumulated demonstrating the increased safety of WLL, and there are additional data on stochastic and deterministic effects. We discuss deterministic and stochastic risks and the practical aspects of undertaking WLL. We recommend that each case be assessed individually.

Performance and welfare of laying hens in conventional and enriched cages.

Concerns regarding the welfare of laying hens raised in battery cages have led to the development of enriched cages that allow hens to perform natural behaviors including nesting, roosting, and scratching. This study was conducted to compare indices of production and welfare in birds housed in 2 different caging systems. Shaver White hens were housed from 21 to 61 wk in either conventional battery cages (n = 500; 10 cages; 5 hens/cage; floor space = 561.9 cm(2)/hen) or enriched cages (n = 480; 2 cages; 24 hens/cage; floor space = 642.6 cm(2)/hen) and were replicated 10 times. Enriched cages provided hens with a curtained nesting area, scratch pad, and perches. Production parameters and egg quality measures were recorded throughout the experiment. Plumage condition was evaluated at 37 and 61 wk. Bone quality traits and immunological response parameters were measured at 61 wk, and 59 and 61 wk, respectively. Hen-day egg production, feed consumption, egg weight, and percentage of cumulative mortality of laying hens were not affected by the cage designs. Specific gravity and the percentage of cracked and soft-shelled eggs were also similar between the 2 housing systems. The incidence of dirty eggs was, however, significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in enriched cages than in conventional cages. Feather scores were similar between birds except for the wing region, which was higher (P < 0.05) for hens housed in conventional cages. Bone quality measures tended to be higher for hens housed in enriched cages compared with hens in conventional cages. However, the increase was significant only for bone mineral density. Immunological response parameters did not reveal statistically significant differences. Overall, laying performance, exterior egg quality measures, plumage condition, and immunological response parameters appear to be similar for hens housed in the 2 cage systems tested. Enrichment of laying hen cages resulted in better bone quality, which could have resulted from increased activity.

Hydrogen peroxide tooth-whitening (bleaching) products: review of adverse effects and safety issues.

Hydrogen peroxide in the form of carbamide peroxide is widely used for tooth whitening (bleaching), both in professionally- and in self-administered products. Adverse effects have become evident. Cervical root resorption is a possible consequence of internal bleaching and is more frequently observed in teeth treated with the thermo-catalytic procedure. Tooth sensitivity is experienced in 15-78% of patients undergoing external tooth bleaching. However, clinical studies addressing other adverse effects are lacking. Direct contact with hydrogen peroxide induces genotoxic effects in bacteria and cultured epithelial cells, but the effect is reduced or totally abolished in the presence of metabolising enzymes. Several carcinogenesis studies, including the hamster cheek pouch model, indicate that hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) might possibly act as a promoter. Until further clinical research is concluded to address the question of possible carcinogenicity, it is recommended that: tooth-bleaching products using concentrated H(2)O(2) should not be used without gingival protection; that H(2)O(2) containing products should be avoided in patients with damaged or diseased soft tissues. For nightguard vital bleaching, minimal amounts of low dose H(2)O(2) (including in the form of carbamide peroxide) are preferred, thereby avoiding prolonged and concentrated exposures.

Lymphangioma presenting as a neck mass in the adult.

Lymphangiomas are uncommon congenital lesions of the lymphatic system which usually present in childhood. We report a case of adult lymphangioma, localised in the neck, and discuss the presentation, diagnosis and management of this tumour.

Extensive metastatic renal cell carcinoma presenting as facial nerve palsy.

Metastatic lesions of the parotid gland are well described in the literature. Metastatic spread to the parotid from renal cell carcinoma is rare. We present the only reported case of facial nerve palsy caused by a metastasis to the parotid from a renal cell carcinoma.

Electronic monitoring of mounting behavior in beef cattle on pasture.

An automated heatmount detection system was employed to detect estrus for artificial insemination in 57 beef cows. First service conception rate was 84.2% and the pregnancy rate was 89.5% for a 42-day breeding season. Duration of estrus was 9.6 h, sx = 0.5 h and mounting activity was lowest during the dark part of the day.

Management of spent hens.

When hens kept for commercial egg production reach the end of their economically viable life span, they are usually transported to a processing plant for conversion into meat products. In this article, we review methods used in Canada and the United States for the catching and removing of these "spent" hens from the layer house and the subsequent loading of them onto vehicles for transport, unloading, and slaughter at the processing plant. We outline welfare concerns associated with these procedures with emphasis on bone fractures. We discuss the move toward on-farm euthanasia in North America and the humaneness of the various techniques under investigation. We conclude with recommendations aimed at increasing bone strength and improving the equipment and handling methods used in the movement and slaughter of spent hens.

Antienvelope antibodies are protective against GBV-C reinfection: evidence from the liver transplant model.

An assay for the detection of antibody against the second envelope (E2) protein of GB virus type C (GBV-C) has been developed. Early reports suggested that this antibody was a marker of viral clearance, yet it is unknown whether anti-E2 is protective against further GBV-C infection. The primary aims were to determine (1) if posttransplantation immunosuppression alters the prevalence of anti-E2; and (2) if anti-E2 positivity pretransplantation protects against acquisition of GBV-C infection posttransplantation. Fifty-four recipients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for end-stage liver disease of nonviral etiologies were tested for GBV-C RNA using a PCR-based assay and anti-E2 antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Anti-E2 was present in 35% and in 46% of patients pre- and posttransplantation, respectively. Anti-E2 positivity pretransplantation was strongly associated with anti-E2 positivity after transplantation (P < 0.001); 83% of patients with anti-E2 prior to transplantation remained anti-E2-positive after transplantation. A negative association between presence of GBV-C viremia and presence of anti-E2 was found in all patients tested either prior to or following transplantation (P=0.03). Acquisition of GBV-C infection was significantly lower in patients who were anti-E2-positive prior to transplantation (2/13) compared to those who were anti-E2-negative (12/26) (P=0.05). It is concluded that immunosuppression does not reduce the prevalence of anti-E2 after transplantation in those who are seroreactive prior to transplantation. Anti-E2 appears to be a neutralizing antibody whose presence at the time of liver transplantation protects against acquisition of GBV-C infection in the peritransplantation period.

Neurenteric cyst of the cerebellopontine angle: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We report a case of a neurenteric cyst of the cerebellopontine angle and review the five previously reported cases. The pathology and classification of these cysts are discussed. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: The patient presented with a 1-month history of nausea, vomiting, vertigo, and sudden hearing loss. INTERVENTION: The cyst was decompressed by a retrosigmoid approach. After recurrence of symptoms at 2 months, further decompression was required. CONCLUSION: The patient achieved a good outcome after the second operation, with cessation of her vomiting and vertigo, although she had residual hearing loss. Four of the five previously reported patients experienced satisfactory outcomes after surgery. The definitive diagnosis of these rare lesions is made using immunocytochemical techniques.

Isolation of new bioactive annonaceous acetogenins from Rollinia mucosa guided by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) fractionation, monitored by liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS), led to the isolation of two new bioactive annonaceous acetogenins, rollidecin C (1) and rollidecin D (2), from the bioactive aqueous methanol fraction of the leaves of Rollinia mucosa (Annonaceae). The structures were confirmed by analyses of the 1H and 13C NMR data. In addition, a known adjacent bis-tetrahydrofuran (THF) acetogenin, desacetyluvaricin (3), was isolated from this plant for the first time utilizing the LC/ESI-MS monitoring approach. Compound 1 exhibited selective cytotoxicity toward the colon tumor cell line (HT-29), while 2 showed only borderline cytotoxicity in a panel of six human tumor cell lines.

Copper toxicity in confinement-housed ram lambs.

Fourteen Suffolk rams (6 mo) were diagnosed with chronic copper poisoning. Preliminary results indicated that a combination of serum aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyltransferase, and copper could be used as a test so that high risk lambs could be treated more aggressively.

The histone 3'-terminal stem-loop is necessary for translation in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The metazoan cell cycle-regulated histone mRNAs are the only known cellular mRNAs that do not terminate in a poly(A) tall. Instead, mammalian histone mRNAs terminate in a highly conserved stem-loop structure which is required for 3'-end processing and regulates mRNA stability. The poly(A) tail not only regulates translational efficiency and mRNA stability but is required for the function of the cap in translation (m(7)GpppN). We show that the histone terminal stem-loop is functionally similar to a poly(A) tail in that it enhances translational efficiency and is co-dependent on a cap in order to establish an efficient level of translation. The histone stem-loop is sufficient and necessary to increase the translation of reporter mRNA in transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells but must be positioned at the 3'-terminus in order to function optimally. Mutations within the conserved stem or loop regions reduced its ability to facilitate translation. All histone mRNAs in higher plants are polyadenylated. The histone stem-loop did not function to influence translational efficiency or mRNA stability in plant protoplasts. These data demonstrate that the histone stem/loop directs efficient translation and that it is functionally analogous to a poly(A) tail.

Florid reactive mesenchymal proliferation.

Florid reactive mesenchymal proliferation describes a benign soft tissue tumour found in the hand as well as at other sites. The histological appearance and rapid growth of the lesion may lead to an incorrect diagnosis of malignancy. We describe a case in a 79-year-old lady, unusual because of her age at presentation and long history, and review the literature.

Phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin release in fetal rat islets.

The association between phosphoinositide hydrolysis and insulin release in fetal islets was investigated. Islets from 21.5-day-old fetal rats were cultured for 7 days in inositol-free RPMI 1640 containing 11.1 mM glucose and labeled with 20 microCi/ml [3H]inositol for the final 2 days. The labeled islets were then perifused under various conditions for 60 min. Glucose (16.7 mM) caused a modest increase in [3H] efflux from labeled islets, but there was a subsequent fall-off in [3H] efflux. Fetal islets showed the first phase of insulin release without the continued rising second phase. When islets were perifused with 5 mM LiCl, the glucose-induced efflux of [3H] was greatly reduced, whereas glucose-induced insulin release was not affected. A pronounced effect of LiCl was an increase in inositol monophosphate, indicating increased phospholipase C activity. Although marked release of [3H] from labeled islets occurred in the presence of 5 mM inositol, the decreases in radioactive inositol lipid and insulin release induced by glucose were not changed. These data suggest that the fall-off in the second phase of insulin release from fetal islets may be partly due to blunted phosphoinositide hydrolysis.