A novel estimate of biological aging by multiple fitness tests is associated with risk scores for age-related diseases.

Introduction: Recent research highlights the need for a correct instrument for monitoring the individual health status, especially in the elderly. Different definitions of biological aging have been proposed, with a consistent positive association of physical activity and physical fitness with decelerated aging trajectories. The six-minute walking test is considered the current gold standard for estimating the individual fitness status in the elderly. Methods: In this study, we investigated the possibility of overcoming the main limitations of assessing fitness status based on a single measure. As a result, we developed a novel measure of fitness status based on multiple fitness tests. In 176 Sardinian individuals aged 51-80 years we collected the results of eight fitness tests to measure participants' functional mobility, gait, aerobic condition, endurance, upper and lower limb strength, and static and dynamic balance. In addition, the participants' state of health was estimated through validated risk scores for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, mortality, and a comorbidity index. Results: Six measures contributing to fitness age were extracted, with TUG showing the largest contribution (beta = 2.23 SDs), followed by handgrip strength (beta = -1.98 SDs) and 6MWT distance (beta = -1.11 SDs). Based on fitness age estimates, we developed a biological aging measure using an elastic net model regression as a linear combination of the results of the fitness tests described above. Our newly developed biomarker was significantly associated with risk scores for cardiovascular events (ACC-AHA: r = 0.61; p = 0.0006; MESA: r = 0.21; p = 0.002) and mortality (Levine mortality score: r = 0.90; p = 0.0002) and outperformed the previous definition of fitness status based on the six-minute walking test in predicting an individual health status. Discussion: Our results indicate that a composite measure of biological age based on multiple fitness tests may be helpful for screening and monitoring strategies in clinical practice. However, additional studies are needed to test standardisation and to calibrate and validate the present results.

Colin Robertson, Smile A While: Dentistry, History, Theater and Golf.

Many commentators argue that, until the 1980s, Brisbane and Queensland were cultural backwaters within the Australian context. However, with the hosting of the highly successful XII Commonwealth Games (1982) and World Expo 88 (1988) and with the development of the Queensland Cultural (1976-) and South Bank (1974-) Precincts, Brisbane and Queensland cast aside perennial apologism to acquire prominence, maturity, and self-respect. Within these national, state, and municipal settings, the theme, timing, and venue for the 24th Australian Dental Congress (1985) involved risk. Enter a Brisbane dental practitioner, Colin Robertson: a theater critic and a scriptwriter, who possessed competitive and entrepreneurial streaks, a vivid imagination, a steely resolve, and a love of golf. Robertson became an erudite, incisive, and prolific commentator, who penned much of the historical musical Smile A While (aka Smile Awhile) for the abovementioned congress. He contributed to an outstanding Dental Health Week (1980), served on the Australian Dental Association Queensland Branch Council (1981), its Fluoridation Committee (1973) and chaired both its Oral Health Education Committee (1981) and the Congressional Entertainment Division within the Congress Organizing Committee (1982-1985). Accordingly, the authors use historical methods to expose and explore a scarcely acknowledged narrative within dental history in Queensland.

Christensen House: A Case Study for Inclusive Decision-making within Professional Associations.

Accounts of dental history in Queensland are few and almost invariably authored by those who either held or hold power. The focus is 'who, what, when' rather than 'why and how'. House-related developments as a case study provide an opportunity to assess aspects of the Australian Dental Association Queensland Branch's (ADAQ) model of administration in the early 1970s. The authors use literature review and historical methods. The ADAQ's articles of association, codes of conduct and memoranda centralized Brisbane-based authority and elite leadership into its management. The ADAQ council's decision to build Christensen House in Brisbane, prompted by the posthumous benevolence of George Christensen, was informed, logical, measured and appeared timely. The advocates for the house were innovative, optimistic, resolute, and well-intentioned, with their design and selected location of the building being appropriate. However, the decision occurred at a time of latent discontent within the membership, many of whom did not support the project financially. Distance in Queensland dictates that provincial members either accept or tolerate Brisbane-based centralized authority within ADAQ administration. Nonetheless, when it comes to policy warranting membership subscription, the Christensen House experience demonstrates that the modus operandi of the ADAQ council should be, as far as possible, inclusive, and representative.

James Meyrick Croker: A Model for Professional Behavior.

The rationale that underpins volunteering has long fascinated behavioral scientists. James Meyrick Croker's personal life, professional career and community engagement conform to the classic twentieth century model for professional behavior. Accordingly, the authors use historical methods of investigation to evaluate the influences on and the legacies from a remarkable contribution to the professions and the community. The narrative demonstrates elements of altruism, collaboration, conviction, compassion, drive, entrepreneurialism, familial and grammar school influence, leadership, pragmatism and vision. Croker's professional and community service was multi-organizational. Concurrent demands on his time warranted discipline, energy and expertise. For the behavioral scientist, achievement, affiliation, nature and nurture appear relevant to the outcome. Available archives provide no evidence of ego-driven motivation. Leadership style was transformational not transactional. Major legacies to the national and state Australian Dental Associations are ADAQ Christensen House (1972-1980), the eventual financial stability for the Australian Dental Association Queensland Branch, formal dental assistant training, policies of the Australian and Queensland Councils of Professions, a notable Goddard Oration and the successful 24th Australian Dental Congress.

Behavioral, neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders in Parkinson's disease patients with and without motor complications.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD), commonly defined as a hypokinetic movement disorder, is hampered by the appearance of motor complications (MC), including dyskinesias and motor fluctuations, and non-motor symptoms such as behavioral, neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders, which, in the last years, are gaining increasing attention. The factors affecting MC and these non-motor symptoms are still largely unknown and their interactions are not yet fully evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To identify the presence of behavioral, neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders in PD patients with and without MC and to evaluate their association with MC. METHODS: Consecutive PD patients received a comprehensive structured clinical evaluation including pharmacologic treatment, MC and non-motor symptoms such as reward-seeking behaviors, neuropsychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, psychoses and hallucinations) and dementia. RESULTS: 349 patients were included in this analysis. Patient with MC showed enhanced frequency of dementia (p < 0.001), anxiety, depression and psychoses (p < 0.01). A higher frequency of impulse control disorders was detected in patients with dyskinesias (22.2% - p < 0.001) and motor complications (12.2% - p < 0.05). Dyskinesias were significantly more present in patients with hypersexuality (p < 0.05) and compulsive shopping (p < 0.001), while they were not significantly associated with pathological gambling and binge eating. Patients with dyskinesias also had significantly higher frequency of dopamine dysregulation syndrome, hallucinations and delusions (p < 0.001), with the exception of delusional jealousy. DISCUSSION: We found a higher frequency of behavioral, neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders in patients with MC. The lack of detection of dyskinesias in several PD patients with pathological gambling in our study represents a very interesting issue. While binge eating mainly seems to be related to the use of dopamine agonists, the significant lack of association between dyskinesias and delusional jealousy suggests the hypothesis of a possible underlying psychopathological predisposition rather than a mere pharmacologic effect in PD patients with these behavioral complications.

Does the Ventrica magnetic vascular positioner (MVP) for coronary artery bypass grafting significantly alter local fluid dynamics? A numeric study.

OBJECTIVE: Automatic devices have been recently introduced to make the anastomosis procedure quick and efficient when creating a coronary bypass on the beating heart. However, the implantation of these devices could modify the graft configuration, consistently affecting the hemodynamics usually found in the traditional anastomosis. As local fluid dynamics could play a significant role in the onset of vessel wall pathologies, in this article a computational approach was designed to investigate flow patterns in the presence of the Ventrica magnetic vascular positioner (Ventrica MVP) device. METHODS: A model of standard hand-sewn anastomosis and of automated magnetic anastomosis were constructed, and the finite volume method was used to simulate in silico realistic graft hemodynamics. Synthetic analytical descriptors -- i.e., time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), oscillating shear index (OSI) and helical flow index (HFI) -- were calculated and compared for quantitative assessment of the anastomosis geometry hemodynamic performance. RESULTS: In this case study, the same most critical region was identified for the 2 models as the one with the lowest TAWSS and the highest OSI (TAWSS=0.229, OSI=0.255 for the hand-sewn anastomosis; TAWSS=0.297, OSI=0.171 for the Ventrica MVP(R)). However, the shape of the Ventrica MVP does not induce more critical wall shear stresses, oscillating flow and damped helicity in the graft fluid dynamics, as compared with conventional anastomosis. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the use of the Ventrica MVP for the case study under investigation was not associated with more critical fluid dynamics than with conventional hand-sewn anastomosis. Thereby, the device could facilitate beating heart and minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting without increasing local hemodynamic-related risks of failure.

[Multiple simultaneous stratigraphy. Results with a 5-plane system for pediatric use]. / Stratigrafia multipla simultanea. Risultati di un sistema a 5 strati per uso pediatrico.

The authors report the results of a five-layer simultaneous multisection tomographic technique to be used in pediatric radiology, based on an appropriately selected series of Trimax rare-earth intensifying screens arranged in progressive speed order. The technique has been so far employed with excellent results in 100 children, especially during IVP, when X-ray examination is very frequently disturbed by ileocolic gas. The many advantages of the technique are emphasized: a) all sections are perfectly parallel and simultaneous, in the same respiratory phase and body position; b) film density is practically identical in all sections; c) there is considerable saving in time, machine consumption, and radiation dose.

The effects of the administration of tamoxifen, ethynyloestradiol, and prednisolone on the activities of certain enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in primary human breast carcinomas in vivo.

Postmenopausal patients with primary breast cancer were treated with tamoxifen, ethynyloestradiol or prednisolone for up to 12 days before mastectomy and the effects of pretreatments with these drugs on the activities of phosphofructokinase (PFK), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) and alpha-glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase (alpha-GPDH) in the carcinomas were compared with age, stage and menopausal status matched untreated controls. The administration of tamoxifen or prednisolone resulted in a significant increase in the activity of alpha-GPDH and the alpha-GPDH/6PGDH ratio, whereas ethynyl-oestradiol treatment produced a significant decrease in the activity of the enzyme and the ratio. When tamoxifen and ethynyl-oestradiol were administered together, it was found that tamoxifen failed to reverse the oestrogen-induced reduction in the activity of alpha-GPDH. Since increased activity of the enzyme or a higher alpha-GPDH/6PGDH ratio are associated with a lower risk of recurrence (Deshpande et al., 1981), it is postulated that the beneficial effects of tamoxifen or prednisolone in terms of prolongation of the relapse free interval might be mediated via alterations in the activity of alpha-GPDH in micrometastases. The activities of PFK and 6PGDH remained unaffected by these treatments.

[Peripheral schwannomas: a case report]. / Schwannomi periferici: contributo casistico.

The Authors present 10 cases of peripheral schwannomas observed in the Ancona University Surgical Clinic in the five-year period 1976-1980. An examination is made of the frequency of the various symptoms in relation to the different localisations, the diagnostic techniques, among which particular importance is attributed to echo tomography, and the principles underlying surgical treatment.

[Orthotopic homograft of the rat stomach: microsurgical technic]. / Omotrapianto ortotopico di stomaco nel ratto: tecnica microchirurgica.

The principal aim of this study is to set up a new microsurgical technique that can be reproducible easily for the execution of orthotopic homograft of stomach in rat. The vascularization of homograft is given, for arterial district by a termino-terminal anastomosis between celiac artery of donor and right renal artery of receiving, and, for venous district, by a termino-lateral anastomosis between portal vein of donor and vena cava of receiving. The middle survival of rats that were had a graft, in this first stage of research, has been of 3 days, therefore it hasn't't been possible to look into the function of graft.