Association of stress, depression, and suicidal ideation with subjective oral health status and oral functions in Korean adults aged 35 years or more.

BACKGROUND: Oral health greatly affects well-being throughout the different stages of life from childhood to late adulthood. Loss of teeth due to poor oral health hinders mastication, leading to poor nutrition absorption, and affects pronunciation and aesthetics, leading to interpersonal difficulties. As social activities become limited, a sense of isolation and loneliness, stress, and depression grows while happiness decreases. This study aimed to examine the association of stress, depression, and suicidal ideation with oral health status and oral functions in a large nationwide sample of Korean adults aged 35 years or more. METHODS: The sample comprised 15,716 adults, selected using a rolling survey sampling method and data were extracted from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) (2010-2012). Participants were interviewed about their self-evaluation of health including oral health status and mental health, such as stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. Data from 11,347 adults were finally selected after excluding participants with missing answers. The dependent variables were stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. The independent variables were gender, age, household income, education, smoking, drinking, oral health perception, chewing, and speaking. Complex samples logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Participants met the criteria for stress (25.4%), depression (13.0%), and suicidal ideation (13.9%). Subjective oral health status was not significantly associated with stress, depression, and suicidal ideation. However, the presence of very uncomfortable chewing problems was significantly associated with stress (OR = 2.294, 95% CI = 1.41, 3.72), depression (OR = 3.232, 95% CI = 1.97, 5.31), and suicidal ideation (OR = 2.727, 95% CI = 1.58, 4.72). The presence of very uncomfortable speaking problems was significantly associated with stress (OR = 1.592, 95% CI = 1.13, 2.24) but not significantly associated with depression and suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: Oral functional problems including chewing and speaking difficulties can be associated with mental health. It is necessary to develop oral health promotion programs for adults and help them maintain a good quality of life and mental health.

MRI Monitoring of Tumor-Selective Anticancer Drug Delivery with Stable Thermosensitive Liposomes Triggered by High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound.

Monitoring of drug release from a heat-activated liposome carrier provides an opportunity for real-time control of drug delivery and allows prediction of the therapeutic effect. We have developed short-chain elastin-like polypeptide-incorporating thermosensitive liposomes (STLs). Here, we report the development of STL encapsulating gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA), a MRI contrast agent, and doxorubicin (Dox) (Gd-Dox-STL). The Dox release profile from Gd-Dox-STL was comparable to Gd-Dox-LTSL; however, the serum stability of Gd-Dox-STL was much higher than Gd-Dox-LTSL. MRI studies showed that the difference in T1 relaxation time between 37 and 42 °C for Gd-Dox-STL was larger than the difference for Gd-Dox-LTSL. Although relaxivity for both liposomes at 42 °C was similar, the relaxivity of Gd-Dox-STL at 37 °C was 2.5-fold lower than that of Gd-Dox-LTSL. This was likely due to Gd-BOPTA leakage from the LTSL because of low stability at 37 °C. Pharmacokinetic studies showed plasma half-lives of 4.85 and 1.95 h for Gd-Dox-STL and Gd-Dox-LTSL, respectively, consistent with in vitro stability data. In vivo MRI experiments demonstrated corelease of Dox and Gd-BOPTA from STL under mild hyperthermia induced by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), which suggests STL is a promising tumor selective formulation when coupled with MR-guided HIFU.

Plasma modification of poly(2-heptadecyl-4-vinylthieno[3,4-d]thiazole) low bandgap polymer and its application in solar cells.

For the first time, we here propose a green methodology to modify a low bandgap polymer for highly efficient solar cells using atmospheric pressure plasma jet or soft plasma operating on different feeding gases (air, Ar and N2). The physical properties of the modified polymer were investigated using conductivity measurements, UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammograms, atomic force microscopy, cathodoluminescence and confocal Raman spectroscopy. Further, we examined the variation of the work function of the polymer before and after plasma treatment using a γ-focused ion beam. Additionally, photovoltaic cells based on the plasma-modified polymer having ITO/PEDOT:PSS/PHVTT (with or without plasma modification):PC71BM/LiF/Al configuration were fabricated and then characterized. We found that the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the plasma-modified polymer increased dramatically as compared to the control polymer (without plasma treatment). PCE of the control polymer was found to be 4.11%, while after air, Ar and N2 gas plasma treatment the polymer showed PCEs of 4.85%, 4.87% and 5.14% respectively. Thus, plasma treatment not only alters the surface properties, but also modifies the bulk properties (changes in HOMO and LUMO bandgap level). Hence, this work provides new dimensions to explore more about plasma and polymer chemistry.

Periapical Healing in Single-visit Endodontics under General Anesthesia in Special Needs Patients.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors of periapical healing of teeth after single-visit nonsurgical endodontic treatment under general anesthesia in special needs patients. METHODS: This retrospective study collected 448 teeth from 241 patients (mean age = 27.4 years, standard deviation = 13.9 years). A total of 271 teeth (60.5%) with clinical and radiographic follow-up records longer than 12 months (mean [standard deviation] = 56.1 [27.9]) were included in the outcome analysis. Demographic, systemic, and dental information about the cases were compared between the healed and nonhealed groups using the Pearson chi-square test. Factors contributing to periapical healing were determined with multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Complete periapical healing without clinical signs was observed in 221 teeth (81.5%), uncertain healing with decreased size of the periapical lesion was shown in 43 teeth (15.9%), and no reduction in lesion size was observed in 7 cases (2.6%). In the multivariate analysis, diet type, oral hygiene maintenance, pulp vitality, and root filling length were detected as contributing factors for complete resolution of periapical lesions (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Successful outcomes of single-visit endodontic treatment under general anesthesia were shown in special needs patients. The prognoses were influenced by the clinical circumstances of the patients and the preoperative conditions of their teeth.

Health effects from exposure to dental diagnostic X-ray.

The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of studies on of the association between exposure to dental X-rays and health risk. To perform the systematic review, We searched the PUBMED, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases for papers published before December 15, 2016. A total of 2 158 studies, excluding duplicate studies, were found. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility of each study. The final 21 studies were selected after application of exclusion criteria. In terms of health outcomes, there were 10 studies about brain tumors, 5 about thyroid cancer, 3 about tumors of head and neck areas, and 3 related to systemic health. In brain tumor studies, the association between dental X-ray exposure and meningioma was statistically significant in 5 of the 7 studies. In 4 of the 5 thyroid-related studies, there was a significant correlation with dental diagnostic X-rays. In studies on head and neck areas, tumors included laryngeal, parotid gland, and salivary gland cancers. There was also a statistically significant correlation between full-mouth X-rays and salivary gland cancer, but not parotid gland cancer. Health outcomes such as leukemia, low birth weight, cataracts, and thumb carcinomas were also reported. In a few studies examining health effects related to dental X-ray exposure, possibly increased risks of meningioma and thyroid cancer were suggested. More studies with a large population and prospective design are needed to elaborate these associations further.

Novel temperature-triggered liposome with high stability: formulation, in vitro evaluation, and in vivo study combined with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

We developed a novel temperature-sensitive liposome, STL composed of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC), 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethyleneglycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG-2000), cholesterol, and a fatty acid conjugated elastin-like polypeptide (ELP). The STL had a unilamellar spherical shape with a mean diameter of 160 nm. Doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated by the STL using an ammonium sulfate gradient method with a lipid to drug ratio of 1:0.2 (w/w), resulting in 95% loading efficiency. The STL exhibited better stability than conventional low temperature sensitive liposome (LTSL-lysolipid-based temperature sensitive liposomes; DPPC:MSPC:DSPE-PEG-2000=90:10:4) at 37 °C in the presence of serum; there was rapid release of doxorubicin in the range of 39-42 °C (≥95% release at 42 °C within 10s). A confocal microscope revealed that DOX encapsulated in STL (STL-DOX) was taken up much better by cell nuclei at 42 °C than at 37 °C. The difference in cell viability between 37 and 42 °C was 63% relative to STL-DOX and 18% for LTSL-DOX. The pharmacokinetics (PK) and antitumor effect of STL-DOX combined with high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) were studied, and compared with LTSL. An in vivo study demonstrated that STL-DOX is highly stable, with a long circulating property (half life=2.03±0.77 h) in HIFU-untreated mice, and resulted in significant tumor regression for 2 days after intravenous injection of STL-DOX at 5 mg DOX/kg in combination with HIFU. These results are better than conventional LTSL, for which the blood circulation time is short (0.92±0.17 h) and inhibition of tumor growth is weak. These results indicate that the properties of stability at 37 °C and burst release at 42 °C of STL-DOX act synergistically against tumors.

Gas-filled phospholipid nanoparticles conjugated with gadolinium play a role as a potential theragnostics for MR-guided HIFU ablation.

To develop a long-circulating theragnostics, meaning therapeutics and diagnostics for MR-guided HIFU ablation, we designed and prepared Gd-C(5)F(12)-phospholipid nanobubbles (PLNs) 30-100 nm in diameter. The biochemical and physical characterization of Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLNs were performed. Since Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLN-50 (Φ = 50 nm) and Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLN-100 (Φ = 100 nm) enhanced the hyperthermal effect of HIFU size- and concentration-dependently in a tissue-mimicking phantom, its circulation, distribution, tumor accumulation and tumor ablation were examined in tumor-bearing mice. The plasma-half life of Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLNs was longer than 1.5 hrs. Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLNs mainly accumulated in the liver and the spleen, suggesting that they are slowly secreted through the hepatobiliary pathway. Monitored by the T1 signal intensity of MR, Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLNs accumulated in tumor tissues for 8 hours in mice. HIFU with Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLN-100 showed the increased tumor ablation area as compared with HIFU alone. The results suggest that Gd-C(5)F(12)-PLNs exhibit a potential theragnostics for MR-guided HIFU ablation.