Plasmin is essential in preventing periodontitis in mice.

Periodontitis involves bacterial infection, inflammation of the periodontium, degradation of gum tissue, and alveolar bone resorption, which eventually leads to loss of teeth. To study the role of the broad-spectrum protease plasmin in periodontitis, we examined the oral health of plasminogen (Plg)-deficient mice. In wild-type mice, the periodontium was unaffected at all time points studied; in Plg-deficient mice, periodontitis progressed rapidly, within 20 weeks. Morphological study results of Plg-deficient mice revealed detachment of gingival tissue, resorption of the cementum layer, formation of necrotic tissue, and severe alveolar bone degradation. IHC staining showed massive infiltration of neutrophils in the periodontal tissues. Interestingly, doubly deficient mice, lacking both tissue- and urokinase-type plasminogen activators, developed periodontal disease similar to that in Plg-deficient mice; however, mice lacking only tissue- or urokinase-type plasminogen activator remained healthy. Supplementation by injection of Plg-deficient mice with human plasminogen for 10 days led to necrotic tissue absorption, inflammation subsidence, and full regeneration of gum tissues. Notably, there was also partial regrowth of degraded alveolar bone. Taken together, our results show that plasminogen is essential for the maintenance of a healthy periodontium and plays an important role in combating the spontaneous development of chronic periodontitis. Moreover, reversal to healthy status after supplementation of Plg-deficient mice with plasminogen suggests the possibility of using plasminogen for therapy of periodontal diseases.

Does sickness presenteeism have an impact on future general health?

PURPOSE: The primary aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether working despite illness, so called "sickness presenteeism", has an impact on the future general health of two different working populations during a follow-up period of 3 years. METHODS: The study was based on two bodies of data collected at a number of Swedish workplaces from 1999 to 2003. The first material comprised 6,901 employees from the public sector and the second 2,862 subjects from the private sector. A comprehensive survey was issued three times: at baseline, after 18 months and after 3 years. Apart from the explanatory variable sickness presenteeism, several potential confounders were considered. The outcome variable was good/excellent versus fair/poor self-reported health. RESULTS: Sickness presenteeism at baseline was consistently found to heighten the risk of fair/poor health at both the 18-month and 3-year follow ups even after adjusting for the detected confounders. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to show that sickness presenteeism appears to be an independent risk factor for future fair/poor general health.

Flexible pay but fixed expenses: personal financial strain among on-call employees.

The aim of the study was to investigate the financial circumstances of a group of temporary employees and whether personal financial strain is related to an increased risk of ill-health. The study group consisted of 778 on-call employees. The response rate to a mailed questionnaire was 56 percent. Twenty percent of respondents stated that they had experienced economic difficulties of some kind. More than 50 percent regarded their form of employment as an impediment to obtaining a loan, and approximately 40 percent regarded it as a barrier to acquiring a housing contract. The study group is strongly polarized with regard to personal financial matters. There is a clear connection between poverty and health. Individuals who were both worried about their personal finances and objectively poor had far lower levels of psychological well-being (as measured by GHQ-12), more stomach, back, and neck complaints, more headaches, and greater tiredness and listlessness. Sleep disturbances acted as a mediating variable between financial pressure and stomach problems.

Welding and ischemic heart disease.

Metal welding and cutting are associated with inhalation of gases and respirable particles. The purpose of this study was to compare the mortality of male welders with that of all gainfully employed men in Sweden regarding ischemic heart disease (IHD). Male welders and gas cutters were identified in the Swedish National Censuses of 1970 and 1990. Two cohorts were established and followed until the end of 1995. The IHD mortality among the welders was compared with that of all gainfully employed men. An increased mortality due to IHD was observed among welders identified in the 1990 Census, SMR = 1.35, 95% confidence limits 1.1-1.6. The observed increased mortality due to IHD was unlikely to be explained by different smoking habits. A general hypothesis linking inhalation of particles to the occurrence of IHD via an inflammatory process is discussed.