[A Multicenter randomized comparative study of dementia nursing practice skills development programs for nurses in acute care hospitals: A Comparison of person-centered care and dementia-type-specific programs].

PURPOSE: The present multicenter randomized controlled trial explored the effectiveness of a person-centered care program (intervention group) and a dementia-type-specific program (control group) for nurses in acute-care hospitals. METHODS: Seven hospitals in Prefecture A were randomly allocated to two groups (an intervention group and a control group), and a study of these groups was conducted from July 2021 to January 2022. RESULTS: A total of 158 participants were included in the study: 58 in the control group and 100 in the intervention group. In a comparison of assessment values immediately after the course, three months later, and six months later for both the intervention and control groups, "expertise in dementia nursing," "medical expertise in dementia, " and "confidence in nursing older people with dementia" were all significantly higher than before the course. Significant improvements in the intervention group's "knowledge of dementia" and "sense of dignity" on the ethical sensitivity scale were found immediately after the course compared to baseline, three months later, and six months later and were also significantly greater than the control group in terms of the amount of change. In the control group's "unique care tailored to cognitive function and the person," there were significant improvements in the ratings immediately after the course and three and six months after the course compared to baseline, with significantly greater amounts of change than in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: The person-centered care program for nurses led to improvements in the knowledge about dementia and awareness of the dignity of ethical sensitivity. In addition, the type of dementia program had a significant influence on medical knowledge and unique care tailored to the cognitive function and the individual patient. Further outcome evaluations of physical restraint rates as a quality of care in nursing practice are needed.

Mandibular Endochondral Growth Is Specifically Augmented by Nutritional Supplementation with Myo-Inositol Even in Rabbits.

Mandibular retrognathism occurs by insufficient mandibular growth and causes several issues, such as respiratory difficulty and diminished masticatory function. At present, functional orthodontic appliances are used for stimulating mandibular growth in pediatric cases. However, the effectiveness of functional appliances is not always stable in daily practices. A more effective, reliable, and safer therapeutic method for mandibular growth promotion would be helpful for growing mandibular retrognathism patients. As we previously discovered that nutritional supplementation of myo-inositol in growing mice specifically increases mandibular endochondral growth, we performed preclinical animal experiments in rabbits in this study. Briefly, six-week-old male Japanese white rabbits were fed with or without myo-inositol supplementation in laboratory chow until 25 weeks old, and 3D image analysis using micro CT data and histological examinations was done. Myo-inositol had no systemic effect, such as femur length, though myo-inositol specifically augmented the mandibular growth. Myo-inositol increased the thickness of mandibular condylar cartilage. We discovered that the nutritional supplementation of myo-inositol during the growth period specifically augmented mandibular growth without any systemic influence, even in rabbits. Our results suggest the possibility of clinical use of myo-inositol for augmentation of the mandibular growth in growing mandibular retrognathism patients in the future.

Early diagnosis of aortic calcification through dental X-ray examination for dental pulp stones.

Vascular calcification, an ectopic calcification exacerbated by aging and renal dysfunction, is closely associated with cardiovascular disease. However, early detection indicators are limited. This study focused on dental pulp stones, ectopic calcifications found in oral tissues that are easily identifiable on dental radiographs. Our investigation explored the frequency and timing of these calcifications in different locations and their relationship to aortic calcification. In cadavers, we examined the association between the frequency of dental pulp stones and aortic calcification, revealing a significant association. Notably, dental pulp stones appeared prior to aortic calcification. Using a rat model of hyperphosphatemia, we confirmed that dental pulp stones formed earlier than calcification in the aortic arch. Interestingly, there were very few instances of aortic calcification without dental pulp stones. Additionally, we conducted cell culture experiments with vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and dental pulp cells (DPCs) to explore the regulatory mechanism underlying high phosphate-mediated calcification. We found that DPCs produced calcification deposits more rapidly and exhibited a stronger augmentation of osteoblast differentiation markers compared with SMCs. In conclusion, the observation of dental pulp stones through X-ray examination during dental checkups could be a valuable method for early diagnosis of aortic calcification risk.