Association of problem behavior with sleep problems and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms.

BACKGROUND: There are few large-scale epidemiologic studies examining the associations between sleep problems, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, lifestyle and food habits and problem behaviors (PB) in adolescents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations among these factors in Japanese adolescents. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1840 junior high school students was carried out using questionnaires. The subjects were classified into PB or normal behavior (NB) groups using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC). The scores of the sleep-related factors, sleep bruxism, lifestyle and food habits, and GERD symptoms were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors related to PB. RESULTS: Mean subject age was 13.3 ± 1.8 years. The PB group had significantly longer sleep latency and higher GERD symptom score (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the PB group was significantly more likely to experience absence of the mother at dinner time, skip breakfast, and have <30 min of conversation among family at dinner time. The PB group had significantly higher frequencies of sleep bruxism, difficulty falling asleep within 30 min, nightmares, feeling of low sleep quality, daytime somnolence, and daytime lack of motivation. Feelings of low sleep quality had the strongest association with PB, with an adjusted odds ratio of 12.88 (95% confidence interval: 8.99-18.46). CONCLUSIONS: PB in adolescents are associated with sleep problems, including sleep bruxism, as well as lifestyle and food habits and GERD symptoms.

Patient with oculo-facio-cardio-dental syndrome treated with surgical orthodontics.

Oculo-facio-cardio-dental (OFCD) syndrome is a rare syndrome characterized by ocular, facial, cardiac, and dental disorders. Only about 20 cases have been reported to date. The most prominent of the various features of this syndrome is canine radiculomegaly. Other features include a long and narrow face, a high nasal bridge, a broad and pointed nose, a bifid nose, ear deformity, cleft palate or submucous cleft palate, maxillary growth retardation, a large gonial angle, open apices, delayed eruption, persistent deciduous teeth, extreme overbite, and constricted maxilla. Orthodontic and prosthodontic treatment has been reported for several patients, but surgical-orthodontic treatment for OFCD has not been reported. An 18-year-old woman with skeletal Class III malocclusion and OFCD syndrome was treated with edgewise appliance therapy combined with orthognathic surgery. We applied a light force during the treatment so as not to induce ankylosis. At the end of the surgical and orthodontic treatments, functional occlusion and an improved facial profile were achieved. After the retention period, stomatognathic function was improved. The results of this treatment suggest that surgical-orthodontic treatment is an effective method for improving skeletal disharmony, facial profile, occlusion, and stomatognathic function in patients with OFCD.

Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in adults with skeletal Class III malocclusion examined by questionnaires.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with masticatory dysfunction have a higher incidence of gastrointestinal disorders including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Masticatory function is significantly lower in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion than in those with normal occlusion. However, GERD symptoms in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion are still unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine GERD symptoms and masticatory functions in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion. METHODS: Nineteen adult patients with severe skeletal Class III malocclusion (Class III group) and 20 adults with normal occlusion (control group) participated in this study. The results of the Carlsson-Dent self-administered questionnaire (QUEST) and the frequency scale for the symptoms of GERD (FSSG) were compared between the 2 groups, along with occlusal contact area, maximal voluntary bite force, and salivary flow rate. RESULTS: The QUEST and FSSG scores were significantly higher in the Class III group. Occlusal contact area and maximal voluntary bite force were significantly smaller in the Class III group. There was no significant difference in the salivary flow rates between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: GERD symptoms were observed more often in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion than in normal subjects as determined by the questionnaires.

Protein classification using comparative molecular interaction profile analysis system.

We recently introduced a new molecular description factor, interaction profile Factor (IPF) that is useful for evaluating molecular interactions. IPF is a data set of interaction energies calculated by the Comparative Molecular Interaction Profile Analysis system (CoMIPA). CoMIPA utilizes AutoDock 3.0 docking program, and the system has shown to be a powerful tool in clustering the interacting properties between small molecules and proteins. In this report, we describe the application of CoMIPA for protein clustering. A sample set of 15 proteins that share less than 20% homology and have no common functional motifs in primary structure were chosen. Using CoMIPA, we were able to cluster proteins that bound to the same small molecule. Other structural homology-based clustering programs such as PSI-BLAST or PFAM were unable to achieve the same classification. The results are striking because it is difficult to find any common features in the active sites of these proteins that share the same ligand. CoMIPA adds new dimensions for protein classification and has the potential to be a helpful tool in predicting and analyzing molecular interactions.

RNA aptamer evaluation using comparative molecular interaction profile analysis system.

In this paper, we introduce a system named Comparative Molecular Interaction Profile Analysis system (CoMIPA) that utilizes virtual docking study for comprehensive analysis of molecular interactions. Research of RNA aptamer is very useful to creation of functional molecules, because RNA aptamer is excellent in binding selectivity and the stability of structure. By using 3-bases RNA fragment, the system can use computational molecular docking results to help for RNA aptamer screening. We believe that the system has the potential to be a useful for RNA aptamer design.

Molecular evaluation using in silico protein interaction profiles.

MOTIVATION: To find a correlation between the activities and structures of molecules is one of the most important subjects for molecular evaluation study. Traditional quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) methodologies represent those attempts using physicochemical descriptors. Creating a new molecular description factor based on the results of a computational docking study will add new dimensions to molecular evaluation. RESULTS: We propose a new molecular description factor analysis system called the Comparative Molecular Interaction Profile Analysis (CoMIPA) system in which the AutoDock program is used for docking evaluation of small molecule compound-protein complexes. Interaction energies are calculated, and the data sets obtained are called interaction profiles (IPFs). Using the IPF as a scoring indicator, the system could be a powerful tool to cluster the interacting properties between small molecules and bio macromolecules such as ligand-receptor bindings. Further development of the system will enable us to predict the adverse effects of a drug candidate.