Sociodemographic, biological, and timing characteristics of dental caries and fluorosis using mixed-type cluster analysis on 12-year-olds in Ho Chi Minh city, 1989-2019.

Objectives: In 1990, Ho Chi Minh City started Community water fluoridation (CWF) at 0.7 ppm F, and in 2000, it was adjusted to 0.5 ppm F. Here, we analyzed dental caries and fluorosis data in Ho Chi Minh City to explore commonalities associated with CWF among 12-year-old children. Methods: Dental caries and fluorosis data were collected in 1989, 2003, 2012, and 2019 (N = 4773). Trained dentists scored dental caries using the WHO detection criteria and fluorosis using Dean's Fluorosis Index. We used these data and the k-prototypes method by the R package to identify clusters of participants with shared clinical and water fluoride levels. Results: We used datasets 1 (4773 participants) and 2 (4194 participants, missing fluorosis data in 1989). K-prototypes analysis identified three clusters in each dataset. Cluster 1, with 80 % of the sample at 0.5 ppm F area characterized by low caries and fluorosis scores. Cluster 2 with 60 % of the sample non-fluoridated area had high caries and low fluorosis scores. Cluster 3, with 75 % of the sample in 0.7 ppm area, had low caries but borderline high fluorosis scores. Conclusion: Identifying three clusters based on clinical and environmental scores supports the decision to fluoridate the water to prevent caries (0-0.7 ppm) and the shift from 0.7 to 0.5 ppm to keep the caries preventive effect while reducing the risk of fluorosis. Clinical significance: Our results support the effectiveness of CWF in preventing dental caries and the appropriateness of changing the F concentration to reduce the risk of fluorosis while maintaining its effectiveness.

Experience of Autologous Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Zoledronate-Actived Gammadelta T Cells.

BACKGROUND: Several nations around the world have utilized autologous immune enhancement therapy in the treatment of cancer, with initial positive outcomes. This study describes our experience with autologous gamma delta T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer patients in Vietnam, a developing nation. METHODS: Five patients with non-small cell lung cancer at stages III - IV were enrolled in the study. Each patient received six infusions of autologous γδT cells, separated by two weeks. Before, during, at the end of treatment, and three and six months after treatment, a comprehensive evaluation of clinical, laboratory, quality of life, and adverse events related to the method was conducted. RESULTS: At the time of culture seeding, the total number of cells ranged from 2.9 to 18.2 x 106, with γδT cells ranging in number from 10.7 to 19.6 x 104. On day 14 of the culture, the number of γδT cells ranged from 3.1 to 8.3 x 108. Regarding the safety of therapy in a total of 30 infusions, two (fever), one (myalgia), and one (joint pain) were graded as 1 by CTCAE criteria. After the course, no toxicity was observed in the hematopoietic system, kidney function, or liver function. Evaluation of the patient's response in accordance with the RECIST 1.1 criteria: 20% of patients (one patient) had partial response disease, and 80% of patients (four patients) had stable disease at the end of treatment. During the follow-up period of the study, three patients were still alive, and the disease remained stable. The patient's quality of life improved after treatment in most functional measures (activity, cognitive, and social), but physical and emotional scores decreased slightly. Two patients' fatigue symptoms increased, but after six months of treatment, the average value dropped from 25.3 to 8.3. Dyspnea symptoms decreased gradually from 33.3 at the start of treatment to 8.3 six months later. CONCLUSIONS: The initial results we obtained regarding the efficacy and safety of autologous γδT cell immunotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer are extremely encouraging and comparable to those of previous studies.

Influence of titanium dioxide and composite on the accuracy of an intraoral scanner for bilateral upper posterior edentulous jaw (Kennedy class I) scanning: An in vitro study.

OBJECTIVES: The accuracy of 3-dimensional images produced by the intraoral scanner (IOS) is affected by scanning-aid materials. This in vitro study aimed to elucidate the influence of scanning-aid materials on the accuracy (trueness and precision) of digital scanning on the bilateral upper posterior edentulous jaw (Kennedy class I). METHODS: The asymmetrical bilateral upper posterior edentulous model (reference model) was generated using a 3D printer with three groups (application of TiO2 powder - composite and no-treatment control). The experimental scans were executed (n = 10 per group) using TRIOS3 (3shape), while one reference scan was obtained by an industrial scanner (Solutionix - C500). Values of trueness and precision were evaluated using the 3D superimposition method on mean deviation values. The accuracy was assessed using mean deviation values following the 3D superimposition method. RESULTS: IOS had high trueness (20.6 µm), and significant differences were found between the no-treatment and TiO2 groups. Considering the cut-off value of deviations as 300 µm for clinical acceptability, the analysis clarified the most variations in the control group. There was a significant difference between the no-treatment group and others in the maxillary tuberosity area relating to long-span edentulous. The composite group had the best precision values (1.1 µm). Significant differences were found between composite and TiO2 groups (2.7 µm). CONCLUSIONS: The bilateral upper posterior edentulous jaw digital impressions obtained using IOS were accurate. However, the digital images in the palate and maxillary tuberosity area related to long-span edentulous differed significantly. TiO2-containing powder and composite landmarks affected the accuracy and stability of the IOS. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Scanning aid materials can increase the accuracy of the bilateral upper posterior edentulous jaw scanning with IOS.

Developing and assessing the efficiency of VOSER software in recording dental caries according to WHO's criteria 2013.

Background/purpose: World Health Organization (WHO) oral health survey manual is the main guideline for most oral health surveys worldwide. It has been updated several times since 1971; however, using papers and pens for data recording remains unchanged. This study aimed to develop the Vietnam Oral Survey Electronics Recorder (VOSER) to record dental caries data based on the WHO 2013 criteria and assess its reliability and efficiency. Materials and methods: VOSER was developed and tested for reliability and efficiency by performing clinical examinations on 365 school children in three key indicator age groups: 120 5-year-old students with primary dentition, 123 8-year-old students with mixed dentition, and 122 12-year-old students with permanent dentition. One gold standard examiner and two trained clerks examined these children using either WHO's paper survey form or VOSER's digital form for dental caries. Recording time, spreadsheet time, DMFT/S, and dmft/s were analyzed to compare the efficiency of VOSER to the paper form. Cohen's Kappa, intraclass correlation coefficient, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were adopted in the data analyses. Results: Median time of using VOSER was significantly shorter than the standard time in all three dentitions (P < 0.001). Cohen's Kappa values between data collected by VOSER and paper form showed almost perfect agreements (0.927-0.958). DMFT/S and dmft/s values calculated from data collected by both methods had good to excellent reliabilities (0.791-0.997). Conclusion: VOSER is efficient and reliable for conducting dental caries surveys according to the WHO 2013 criteria and should be utilized in the era of digital technology.

Reliability of online dental final exams in the pre and post COVID-19 era: A comparative study.

Amidst the fourth COVID-19 wave in Viet Nam, national lockdowns necessitated the closure of numerous dental schools. To assess DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) graduation exams, this study analyzed their 2021 implementation in comparison to onsite exams conducted in 2020 and 2022 at the Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam (FOS-UMPH). The final online examination comprises two main sessions: a synchronous online examination using FOS-UMPH e-Learning for theories (consisting of 200 MCQs and 3 written tests with 3 clinical situations needed be solved) and a synchronous online examination using Microsoft Teams for practicum (comprising of 12 online OSCE stations). The final grades were evaluated using the same metrics in face-to-face final examinations in 2022 and 2020. A total of 114, 112 and 95 students were recruited for the first-time exams in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. In order to analyze the reliability, histogram and k-mean clustering were employed. The histograms from 2020, 2021 and 2022 showed a striking similarity. However, fewer students failed in 2021 and 2022 (13% and 12.6%, respectively) compared to 2020 (28%), with clinical problem-solving part grades (belonging to theory session) being notably higher in 2021 and 2022. Intriguingly, the MCQ Score results showed the identical patterns. The courses of orthodontics, dental public health, and pediatrics subjects (in the group of prevention and development dentistry) stood out for their exceptional accuracy across both sessions. After examining data gathered over three years, we identified three distinct clusters: the first comprised of scattered average and low scores, the second characterized by high scores but unstable and scattered and the third cluster boasting consistently high and centered scores. According to our study, online and onsite traditional graduation exam results are relatively equivalent, but additional measures are necessary to standardize the final examination and adapt to the new normal trend in dental education.

Effects of core buildup composite resin translucency on intraoral scanner accuracy: an in vitro study.

AIM: The accuracy of 3D images produced by an intraoral scanner (IOS) is affected by the optical characteristics of restorative materials such as metal, ceramic, and composite resin. The present in vitro study aimed to investigate the impact of core buildup composite resin translucency on IOS accuracy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A core buildup procedure was performed on a proprietary 3D-printed model using injectable composite resins in four groups with different levels of translucency (highest to lowest: AE, A3, AO3, and EX). Ten experimental scans per group were performed using a Medit i700 IOS on a phantom head-mounted model. Reference scans were obtained using an industrial scanner (Solutionix C500). Values of accuracy (trueness and precision) for the respective groups were evaluated using mean deviation values following 3D superimposition. RESULTS: Composite resin translucency caused the scale reduction of the optical impressions. Values of trueness showed the highest scale reduction in AE, significantly, followed by A3, AO3, and EX. Considering 50 µm as the cut-off value of deviations for clinical acceptability, the analysis showed most deviations in AE and A3. Similar results were found with precision, where AE showed the highest deviation value statistically, followed by A3, AO3, and EX. CONCLUSIONS: Composite resin translucency affects the accuracy of optical impressions, causing a fitting error of CAD/CAM prostheses. The more translucent the composite resin, the less accurate the optical impression. This suggests the need for proper compensation during prosthesis designing for an optimal clinical result. In addition, practitioners should indicate in the digital workflow the proper restorative materials regarding not only the mechanical properties and esthetics, but also the optical characteristics.

How are Hydroxyl Groups Localized on a Graphene Sheet?

Arrangements of hydroxyl groups on graphene sheets were systematically investigated using density functional theory calculations that included van der Waals interactions. Results show that hydroxyl groups tend to gather at para-positions on graphene sheets to generate perfect ring-like hexahydroxyl group adsorption. The close proximity of hydroxyl groups is in good agreement with the experimental separation between unoxidized, aromatic and oxidized, saturated regions in graphene oxide. The orientation of hydrogen atoms in hydroxyl groups creates both O-H···O and O-H···π hydrogen bonds. Calculations also indicated that the binding energy per hydroxyl group follows a logarithmic function with respect to the number of hydroxyl groups. Besides, the opening band gap was observed for several derivatives, and the relationship between the band gap and O/C ratio was found to be nonmonotonic. Analysis of the density of states showed that bands around the Fermi levels of derivatives between graphene and hydroxyl groups are mainly composed of 2p z orbitals of carbon and oxygen atoms.

Magnetic Sector Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry on FIB-SEM Instruments for Nanoscale Chemical Imaging.

The structural, morphological, and chemical characterization of samples is of utmost importance for a large number of scientific fields. Furthermore, this characterization very often needs to be performed in three dimensions and at length scales down to the nanometer. Therefore, there is a stringent necessity to develop appropriate instrumentational solutions to fulfill these needs. Here we report on the deployment of magnetic sector secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) on a type of instrument widely used for such nanoscale investigations, namely, focused ion beam (FIB)-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) instruments. First, we present the layout of the FIB-SEM-SIMS instrument and address its performance by using specific test samples. The achieved performance can be summarized as follows: an overall secondary ion beam transmission above 40%, a mass resolving power (M/ΔM) of more than 400, a detectable mass range from 1 to 400 amu, a lateral resolution in two-dimensional (2D) chemical imaging mode of 15 nm, and a depth resolution of ∼4 nm at 3.0 keV of beam landing energy. Second, we show results (depth profiling, 2D imaging, three-dimensional imaging) obtained in a wide range of areas, such as battery research, photovoltaics, multilayered samples, and life science applications. We hereby highlight the system's versatile capability of conducting high-performance correlative studies in the fields of materials science and life sciences.

Effectiveness and Tolerability of First-Line Afatinib for Advanced EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of Afatinib as first-line treatment of advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of Vietnamese patients  with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with first-line afatinib at the National Cancer Hospital from 1st January 2018 to 31st October 2020. Patients' demographic, clinical and treatment data were captured. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), time to treatment failure (TTF) and tolerability were evaluated. We used Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test for survival, and Cox regression model for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were included. Common EGFR mutations (Del 19/L858R) were detected in 61% patients. Fifty percent of patients with uncommon mutations had compound mutations of G719X, L861Q and S768I. The ORR was 75% while DCR rate was 98%. The median TTF was 12.3 months (95% CI: 7.2-17.3); the mTTFs were 12.3 and 10.8 months for patients with common and uncommon mutations (p = 0.001), respectively, and 14.0 and 7.5 months for patients with Del 19 and L858R mutations (p = 0.067), respectively. Afatinib 30 mg once daily was the most common starting (77%) and maintenance (64%) doses. The mTTFs were 12.3 and 7.5 months for patients with 30 mg starting dose vs 40 mg dose (p = 0.256), respectively. Diarrhea, skin rash, paronychia and fatigue were observed in 32%, 30%, 25% and 9%, respectively. There was no grade 4 toxicity except three patients with grade 3 paronychia. CONCLUSIONS: First-line afatinib is beneficial for Vietnamese patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC with a good response rate and prolonged TTF with manageable adverse event profile. Baseline brain metastasis status and starting doses do not significantly impact TTF.
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Effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The periodontal condition has a reciprocal relationship with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid arthritis patients are reported to present with more serious periodontal disease (PD) as compared to non-RA patients. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment on Vietnamese patients with active RA and PD, where the clinical characteristics and serum indices of the patients were of interest. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized clinical trial (RCT) on 82 RA patients with PD. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: the intervention group, consisting of patients who received oral hygiene instructions, scaling and root planing; and the control group, consisting of patients who received oral hygiene instructions only. Both groups received the same treatment plan for RA. The Disease Activity Score 28 based on C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP), disease activity classification, rheumatoid factor (RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPAs), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were monitored, with the measurements taken at 3 months and 6 months following the treatment. RESULTS: The 2 groups exhibited similar parameters at baseline. In the intervention group, DAS28-CRP and disease activity classification were significantly reduced at 3 months after treatment as compared to the baseline data. At 6 months following the treatment there was a significant decrease in ESR, ACPAs and DAS28-CRP in the intervention group, while the control group showed a decrease only in ACPAs. Further, when comparing the intervention and control groups at 6 months following the treatment, there were no differences between the groups in the ACPAs, RF and CRP serum levels. CONCLUSIONS: Non-surgical periodontal treatment can significantly reduce DAS28-CRP, disease activity classification, ESR, and the ACPAs level in serum, and can be applied to reduce RA severity in RA patients with PD.

Metagenomic 16S rDNA amplicon data of microbial diversity of guts in Vietnamese humans with type 2 diabetes and nondiabetic adults.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an important public health problem. The knowledge of bacterial communities in the gut of Vietnamese patients with T2DM and non diabetic controls is still insufficient. We report in this article the 16S rDNA amplicon data of the gut microbiomes of Vietnamese patients with T2DM and nondiabetic controls carried out using the Illumina sequencing. This work included 7 patients and 7 controls. A total of 1,627,646 reads were obtained and a total of 13 phyla, 25 classes, 94 genera were revealed. The top three dominant bacterial phyla in all subjects were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Significant differences in the relative abundances of the phylum Firmicutes and class Clostridia between patients and controls were observed, suggesting that the reducing of phylum Firmicutes and class Clostridia in the gut may be linked to obesity and T2DM. All sequencing libraries were deposited in the NCBI SRA as BioProject PRJNA668251. The datasets are needed to determine the association between the bacterial composition of the gut and the pathogenesis of T2DM in Vietnamese patients.

A Case Report of Primary Pulmonary Choriocarcinoma in a Man: Successful Combination of Surgery and Chemotherapy.

Choriocarcinoma is a malignant tumor that typically appears in gonadal organs and primarily occurs in women of reproductive age. Being a primary extragonadal choriocarcinoma, primary pulmonary choriocarcinoma (PPC) is an extremely rare condition. Due to the rarity of PPC, no standardized treatment has been established so far. However, surgery combined with adjuvant chemotherapy appears to be the most optimal treatment. Here, we report a rare case of a man with PPC that was successfully treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy.

Clinical Features, Laboratory Characteristics and Prognostic Factors of Severity in Patients with Rickettsiaceae at Two Military Hospitals, Northern Vietnam.

INTRODUCTION: Rickettsioses are diseases caused by intracellular Gram-negative bacteria of the Rickettsiaceae family and transmitted through the bite of infected ticks or mites. AIM OF STUDY: To investigate the clinical and subclinical characteristics and prognostic severe factors of the disease caused by Rickettsiaceae. METHODS: A prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Department of Infectious Diseases of two military hospitals in Northern Vietnam from May 2013 to June 2019, in which 88 adult febrile patients caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (50 patients) or Rickettsia spp. (38 patients) were enrolled. We recorded information regarding epidemiological characteristics (age, geography, residence, occupation), medical history, clinical and subclinical findings, life-threatening complications during treatment, outcomes and some factors predicting serious life-threatening complications in a case record form. RESULTS: Scrub typhus (ST) patients had eschar (70%), skin-conjunctiva congestion (60%) and lymphadenopathy (44%). Rickettsia patients had a higher rate of maculopapular rash (39.5%), no ulcers and no lymphadenopathy detected. The majority of patients had elevated PCT >0.05 ng/µL and increase in liver enzymes and thrombocytopenia. Major prognostic factors for severe complications included diffuse infiltrates on lung X-ray (OR: 19.5; p = 0.014), coarse crackles (OR: 18; p = 0.016), respiratory rate ≥25 cycles/minute (OR: 18; p = 0.016), shortness of breath (OR: 7.44; p = 0.003), pleural fluid (OR: 4.3; p = 0.035) and increase in AST ≥ 200 UI/l (OR: 4.42; p = 0.012). The PCT value is able to distinguish between the two groups with quite high reliability (the area under the ROC curve is 0.75). CONCLUSION: Eschar and peripheral lymphadenopathy were two valuable clinical symptoms for the diagnosis of scrub typhus and distinguishing 2 groups of diseases. Respiratory distress, increase in AST ≥ 200 UI/l and level of PCT were used as major prognostic factors in patients with Rickettsiaceae.

Relationship between periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis in Vietnamese patients.

Objective: This study aimed to survey periodontal status of Vietnamese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and investigates the association between periodontitis and RA in these patients.Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study on 150 RA patients and another 150 patients with osteoarthritis (OA). RA was evaluated using the DAS28 disease activity score based on C-reactive protein levels (DAS28-CRP), disease activity classification, and serum levels of RA biomarkers. Periodontal status was determined using periodontal indices.Results: The proportion of periodontitis cases in the RA group was significantly higher than the OA group (67 and 28%, respectively). The rate of severe periodontitis observed in the RA group was also significantly higher than that in the OA group (22.7 and 8%, respectively). RA patients with periodontitis had higher DAS28-CRP scores, disease activity levels, ACPA positivity and higher serum levels of CRP and ACPAs. Periodontitis is associated with an increased risk for RA (odds ratio [OR]: 5.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.14 - 8.41) and with higher disease activity classification (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.14 - 6.42).Conclusions: Vietnamese RA patients often presented with a more serious periodontal condition than OA patients. We observed an association between periodontal disease (PD) status and clinic symptoms and biochemical/immunological characteristics of RA.

A Twisted Case Of Jaundice.

Diaphragmatic hernias (DH) may be congenital or acquired in origin. Those causing obstructive jaundice in the elderly are extremely rare but can occur. These patients may present with painless jaundice, early satiety, and weight loss due to biliary tract obstruction and stomach compression by the hernia. Therefore, clinicians should consider an anatomic anomaly when evaluating patients with jaundice. Here, we report the case of a 71-year-old female, with a medical history of hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, who presented with jaundice. The patient was found to have dilation of the common bile duct due to external mechanical compression of abdominal organs from a DH. Because the patient had poor functional status and multiple comorbidities, the risks of surgically correcting the hernia outweighed the benefits. The patient instead received a biliary decompression and stent, and her jaundice significantly improved.

Maternal and Child Nutrition and Oral Health in Urban Vietnam.

The global nutrition transition has contributed to child obesity and dental caries in developing countries, including Vietnam. Few studies have described the nutrition and oral health of mothers and children. This a descriptive study of the nutrition and oral health characteristics of a convenience sample of 571 children aged 2 to 5 years and their mothers from 5 urban preschools in Central and South Vietnam. The mothers completed a written survey, and the children received dental exams and weight/height measurements. High rates of bottle-feeding and the consumption of sweets were reported. One in 4 children were overweight/obese. Dental caries increased in prevalence and severity by age-at 5 years, 86.7% of children had tooth decay in an average of 8.5 teeth, and 70.9% experienced mouth pain. Most mothers and children suffered from untreated dental disease. Public health programs should focus on nutrition and oral health promotion, as well as dental treatment from pregnancy and birth onward.

Persistence criteria for populations with non-local dispersion.

In this article, we analyse the non-local model: [Formula: see text]where J is a positive continuous dispersal kernel and f(x, u) is a heterogeneous KPP type non-linearity describing the growth rate of the population. The ecological niche of the population is assumed to be bounded (i.e. outside a compact set, the environment is assumed to be lethal for the population). For compactly supported dispersal kernels J, we derive an optimal persistence criteria. We prove that a positive stationary solution exists if and only if the generalised principal eigenvalue [Formula: see text] of the linear problem [Formula: see text]is negative. [Formula: see text] is a spectral quantity that we defined in the spirit of the generalised first eigenvalue of an elliptic operator. In addition, for any continuous non-negative initial data that is bounded or integrable, we establish the long time behaviour of the solution u(t, x). We also analyse the impact of the size of the support of the dispersal kernel on the persistence criteria. We exhibit situations where the dispersal strategy has "no impact" on the persistence of the species and other ones where the slowest dispersal strategy is not any more an "Ecological Stable Strategy". We also discuss persistence criteria for fat-tailed kernels.

Early Childhood Caries, Mouth Pain, and Nutritional Threats in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the relationships among early childhood caries (ECC), mouth pain, and nutritional status in children aged 1 to 6 years in Southern and Central Vietnam. METHODS: A total of 593 parent-child pairs were recruited from 5 kindergartens or preschools in Ho-Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Parents completed surveys about dietary habits, oral health practices, and children's mouth pain experience; children received anthropometric assessment and dental examinations. RESULTS: There was a high prevalence of dental caries (74.4%), mostly untreated, and mouth pain (47.1%). Moderate correlations were found between parents' and children's consumption of soda (ρ = 0.361; P < .001) and salty snacks (ρ = 0.292; P < .001). Severity of ECC was associated with decreased weight- and body mass index-for-age z-scores. Presence of pulp-involved caries was associated with strikingly lower height-for-age (mean difference = 0.66; P = .001), weight-for-age (mean difference = 1.17; P < .001), and body mass index-for-age (mean difference = 1.18; P < .001) z-scores. Mouth pain was associated with lower body mass index-for-age z-scores (mean difference = 0.29; P = .013). CONCLUSIONS: ECC might negatively affect children's nutritional status, which might be mediated by the depth of decay, chronic inflammation, and mouth pain. Family-based and prevention-oriented nutrition and oral health programs are needed and should start during pregnancy and infancy.

Theoretical study on the reaction of the methylidyne radical, CH(X(2)Π), with formaldehyde, CH2O.

A theoretical study of the mechanism and kinetics of the CH(X(2)Π) + H2C═O reaction was carried out by ab initio molecular orbital theory based on the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//BHandHLYP/aug-cc-pVDZ method in conjunction with statistical theoretical kinetic VTST and RRKM Master Equation calculations. The potential energy surface for the cis/trans-HCOH + CH reactions was also examined. Calculated results show that the association reaction of CH and CH2O occurs by addition of the CH radical onto the oxygen atom, cycloaddition onto the C═O bond, and, for a small fraction, insertion of CH into a C-H bond, forming CH2C-O-CH, cyclic H2COCH, and CH2CHO, respectively. These channels are all barrierless, leading to a rate coefficient near the collision limit with a slight negative temperature dependence, in excellent agreement with experimental data. The intermediates can undergo extensive isomerization across seven C2H3O isomers, many with multiple conformers, prior to fragmentation. Eight fragmentation product sets were characterized, where H2CCO + H and CH3 + CO were found to be the major products at lower temperatures, while (3)CH2 + HCO started to contribute at higher temperatures. CCHO + H2, C2H + H2O, HCCOH + H, C2H2 + OH, and HCCO + H2 have negligible contributions for temperatures below 3000 K and pressures up to 100 atm. Collisional stabilization of the C2H3O isomers is negligible except at the highest of pressures and low temperatures.

In situ Raman and UV-vis spectroscopic studies of polypyrrole and poly(pyrrole-2,6-dimethyl-ß-cyclodextrin).

Polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(pyrrole-2,6-dimethyl-ß-cyclodextrin) [P(Py-ß-DMCD)] films prepared by potential cycling in aqueous acidic solutions on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass and gold electrodes were studied by in situ UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy. Characteristic UV-vis and Raman bands were identified and their dependencies on the electrode potential have been discussed. Spectroelectrochemical results reveal differences both in the position of the spectral bands and their potential dependence for PPy and P(Py-ß-DMCD) films indicating interactions between polymer chains and CDs during electropolymerization process. The films were also characterized by cyclic voltammetry and FT-IR spectroscopy.