Inter-examiner variability in orthodontic treatment decisions for Danish children with 'borderline' treatment need.

This study explored the variation between examiners in the orthodontic treatment need assessments of fifth-grade children with a borderline orthodontic treatment need. Each of three groups of children with borderline treatment need (n = 18, 19, and 19, respectively) were examined by one of three groups of orthodontists (33 in each group), whereby each of 56 children had 33 orthodontic treatment need assessments based on a clinical examination. This treatment need determination exercise was subsequently repeated with treatment need determined based on study casts and extraoral photographs. The proportion of positive treatment decisions based on the clinical examination was 49.3, 49.6, and 52.5 per cent, respectively, and 45.7, 46.3, and 50.5 per cent, based on the model assessments. There was a considerable disagreement between examiners in the treatment need assessments, whether assessments were based on a clinical examination or on a model-based case presentation. The average percentage agreement between two orthodontists for the treatment need based on clinical examination was 69, 66, and 61, respectively, corresponding to mean kappa values of 0.38, 0.32, and 0.22. When the model-based assessments were considered, the average percentage agreement between two orthodontists was 62, 58, and 69, respectively, corresponding to mean kappa values of 0.25, 0.16, and 0.37. Linear regression analysis of the orthodontists' treatment propensity as a function of their gender, place of education, years of orthodontic treatment experience, type of workplace, and place of work showed that only the orthodontic experience was influential for the model-based treatment propensity [ß = 0.34 per cent/year (95 per cent confidence interval = 0.01-0.66)].

Influence of steroid drugs on orthodontically induced root resorption.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of acute and chronic corticosteroid treatment on orthodontically induced root resorption. DESIGN: 'Split mouth' design performing orthodontic tooth movement in 64, 6-month-old male rats divided into three groups: acute (n = 22), chronic (n = 23) and control group (n = 19). Acute and chronic group received corticosteroid treatment (8 mg/kg/day) for 3 and 7 weeks, respectively, while no pharmacological treatment was performed in the control group. Performed at the Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLE: The upper left first molar was moved mesially for 21 days in all three groups with 25 g of force. Undecalcified histological sections were cut at the coronal and apical level. OUTCOME MEASURE: The number of intersections hitting resorption lacunae (ES), defined as a scalloped surface with or without cementoclasts, over the total number of intersections hitting the root surface (RS) were recorded and expressed as percentage. RESULTS: The acute group showed significantly more root resorption at the mesio-coronal level compared with the control and the chronic group. CONCLUSION: This could be ascribed to the lack of balance between blastic activities (inhibited by the drug) and the clastic activities (enhanced or unchanged by drug administration) occurring in the initial phase of drug administration. As a consequence, a careful monitoring of patients undergoing acute corticosteroid treatment is suggested.

Formation of semicarbazide (SEM) in food by hypochlorite treatment: is SEM a specific marker for nitrofurazone abuse?

Semicarbazide (SEM) is considered to be a characteristic protein-bound side-chain metabolite of the banned veterinary drug nitrofurazone. It is therefore used as a marker for nitrofurazone abuse. Recently, there has been concern about other sources of SEM in tissue samples, which are not linked to the illegal use of nitrofurazone. The present studies have shown that SEM can occur naturally, e.g. in algae, shrimps and eggs, and is formed from natural substances, e.g. arginine and creatine. A significant formation of SEM was observed in samples treated with hypochlorite commonly used in food processing for disinfection or bleaching. SEM was formed in different kinds of nitrogen compound-containing samples (0.3-20 microg kg(-1)) after treatment with 1% active chlorine. It was detected in the mg kg(-1) range after hypochlorite treatment (0.015% active chlorine) of creatine. Lower levels were also formed from creatinine, arginine and urea. SEM present in hypochlorite-treated carrageenan proved mostly to occur in the tissue-bound form. Therefore, differentiation between SEM from nitrofurazone abuse and SEM originating from natural constituents (due to hypochlorite treatment) seems not to be unambiguously possible.

[The Freiburg Scarlet Fever Scheme, a guide for clinical practice in frequent occurrence of Streptococcus-A infections in schools and other community facilities according to paragraphs 44-48 of the Federal Infection Legislation]. / Das Freiburger Scharlachschema, ein Leitfaden für die Praxis bei gehäuftem Auftreten von Infektionen mit A-Streptokokken in Schulen und sonstigen Gemeinschaftseinrichtungen nach BSeuchG Sections 44-48a.

In the past years, the endemic occurrence of A-streptococcal infections in communal institutions for children and other reasons called for an increased number of activities to combat such diseases. In view of the multitude of different epidemiological situations, differentiated suggestions favouring a holistic strategy to combat such infections were elaborated, e.g. with regard to therapy, prophylaxis and the practice of readmission to community institutions. The methods of application have still to be improved upon.

[Communicable disease control measures in group A streptococcal diseases at community facilities]. / Seuchenhygienische Massnahmen bei A-Streptokokkenerkrankungen in Gemeinschaftseinrichtungen.

Considering the fact that various epidemiological situations in Public Health departments arise everyday life, many different proposals are made for Public Health and sanitary measures, e.g. throat culture, antibiotic treatment and, in particular, readmission to community institutions.

The WISC may not be a valid predictor of school performance for primary-grade minority children.

In the present investigation we studied the validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) for predicting several criterial teachers' ratings for primary-grade black, Anglo, and Mexican-American children. The results were rather striking: although validities for the combined groups were good (rs near .6), the validities calculated within each group presented a different picture. Validities were good for the Anglo children but near zero for the black and Mexican-American children. These results suggest that the WISC may be of little value in the assessment of the educability of minority children. The implications of these results for educational placement and the heredity-environment controversy were discussed.