Association of Temporomandibular Joint Osseous Changes with Anxiety, Depression, and Limitation of Mandibular Function in Elderly Vietnamese.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed (1) to determine the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and TMJ osseous changes in elderly Vietnamese according to sex and residence, and (2) to investigate the association of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osseous changes with anxiety, depression, and limitation of mandibular function. METHODS: Elderly people living in Danang, Vietnam were recruited. Participants were screened for anxiety and depression using the self-reported 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively. Participants then self-rated the limitation of their mandibular function using the 20-item Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS-20) questionnaire. TMJ osseous changes (erosion, flattening, osteophytes, and sclerosis) were evaluated using digital orthopantomography. RESULTS: Of 179 participants aged 65 to 74 years, 17.9% and 35.8% had anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. Compared with urban residents, rural residents had higher prevalence of anxiety (23.3% vs 12.4%, p = 0.009) and depression (46.62% vs 24.7%, p = 0.019). The prevalence of TMJ osseous changes was 58.1%. The most common TMJ osseous change was flattening (41.3%), followed by erosion (34.6%), sclerosis (16.2%), and osteophytes (7.8%). Participants with or without TMJ osseous changes were comparable in terms of GAD-7 score, PHQ-9 score, and JFLS-20 score and sub-scores. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety and depression and TMJ osseous changes were prevalent in elderly Vietnamese. Rural residents had higher prevalence of anxiety and depression than urban residents. TMJ osseous changes were not associated with anxiety, depression, or limitation of mandibular function.

[Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome among patients with stable COPD]. / Étude du phénotype mixte BPCO-asthme dans une série de patients BPCO en état stable.

The purpose of this research was to describe the frequency and characteristics of the overlap syndrome among stable COPD patients (stage 2 to 4 according to GOLD). Material and method: We studied 46 patients with stable COPD recruited from the outpatient clinic of the CHU of Liege from May 2013 to April 2014. Definition of the overlap syndrome was based on the coexistence of post-bronchodilation FEV1/FVC < 70% and, either, an asthmatic history before the age of 40, or, at least, two functional and immune-inflammatory asthmatic traits : 1) significant FEV1 reversibility to inhaled bronchodilator (FEVI change >/= 200 ml and >/= 12% after bronchodilation), 2) eosinophilic inflammation : sputum eosinophils ≥ 3%,blood eosinophils ≥ 400/µl, or FENO ≥ 45 ppb, 3) clinical history of airway allergy, or total serum IgE ≥ 113 KU/l, or RAST ≥ 0,35 KU/l against major aeroallergens. 37% patients had the COPD-asthma overlap syndrome and this group had a higher CAT score reflecting more severe symptoms (24,6 ± 8,1 vs 19,4 ± 8, p < 0,05) despite similar level of airway obstruction. The transfer coefficient DLCO/VA was preserved in the overlap group (97 ± 24%), but altered in the pure COPD group (80 ± 20%), p < 0,05. Approximately one third of COPD patients present with the overlap syndrome and they are more symptomatic without any evidence of more severe airway obstruction.

Ex vivo characterization of human atherosclerotic iliac plaque components using cryo-imaging.

We characterized atherosclerotic plaque components with a novel cryo-imaging system in lieu of standard histological methods commonly used for imaging validation and research endpoints. We aim to accurately identify plaque tissue types from fresh cadaver specimens rapidly (less than 5 h) in three dimensions for large specimens (up to 4 cm vessel segments). A single-blind validation study was designed to determine sensitivity, specificity and inter-rater agreement (Fleiss' Kappa) of cryo-imaging tissue types with histology as the gold standard. Six naïve human raters identified 344 tissue type samples in 36 cryo-image sets after being trained. Tissue type sensitivities are as follows: greater than 90% for adventitia, media-related, smooth muscle cell ingrowth, external elastic lamina, internal elastic lamina, fibrosis, dense calcification and haemorrhage; greater than 80% for lipid and light calcification; and greater than 50% for cholesterol clefts. Specificities were greater than 95% for all tissue types. The results demonstrate convincingly that cryo-imaging can be used to accurately identify most tissue types. If the cryo-imaging data are entered into visualization software, three-dimensional renderings of the plaque can be generated to visualize and quantify plaque components.

Estimation of internal radiation dose to the adult Asian population from the dietary intakes of two long-lived radionuclides.

Daily dietary intakes of two naturally occurring long-lived radionuclides, 232Th and 238U, were estimated for the adult population living in a number of Asian countries, using highly sensitive analytical methods such as instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis (INAA and RNAA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The Asian countries that participated in the study were Bangladesh (BGD), China (CPR), India (IND), Japan (JPN), Pakistan (PAK), Philippines (PHI), Republic of Korea (ROK) and Vietnam (VIE). Altogether, these countries represent more than 50% of the world population. The median daily intakes of 232Th ranged between 0.6 and 14.4 mBq, the lowest being for Philippines and the highest for Bangladesh, and daily intakes of 238U ranged between 6.7 and 62.5 mBq, lowest and the highest being for India and China, respectively. The Asian median intakes were obtained as 4.2 mBq for 232Th and 12.7 mBq for 238U. Although the Asian intakes were lower than intakes of 12.3 mBq (3.0 ug) 232Th and 23.6 mBq (1.9 ug) 238U proposed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for the ICRP Reference Man, they were comparable to the global intake values of 4.6 mBq 232Th and 15.6 mBq 238U proposed by the United Nation Scientific Commission on Effects of Radiation (UNSCEAR). The annual committed effective doses to Asian population from the dietary intake of 232Th and 238U were calculated to be 0.34 and 0.20 microSv, respectively, which are three orders of magnitude lower than the global average annual radiation dose of 2400 microSv to man from the natural radiation sources as proposed by UNSCEAR.

Dietary intakes of seven elements of importance in radiological protection by asian population: comparison with ICRP data.

Within the framework of a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, the daily dietary intakes of seven elements by adult populations living in nine Asian countries were estimated. The countries that participated in the study were Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea (Republic of Korea, ROK), and Vietnam and together they represented more than half of the world population. The seven elements studied were calcium, cesium, iodine, potassium, strontium, thorium, and uranium. These elements have chemical and biological similarity to some of the radionuclides abundantly encountered during nuclear power production and therefore data on these elements could provide important information on their biokinetic behavior. Analyses of diet samples for these seven elements were carried out using highly sensitive and reliable analytical techniques. One thousand one hundred and sixty analytical determinations were made on two hundred and twenty samples of typical diets consumed in these countries to estimate the daily intakes of these elements by the adult Asian population. The median daily dietary intakes for the adult Asian population were found to be 0.45 g calcium, 7 microg cesium, 90 microg iodine, 1.75 g potassium, 1.65 mg strontium, 1 microg thorium, and 1 microg uranium. When compared with the intakes proposed for ICRP Reference Man by International Commission for Radiological Protection, these intakes were lower by factors of 0.41 for calcium, 0.7 for cesium, 0.45 for iodine, 0.53 for potassium, 0.87 for strontium, 0.33 for thorium, and 0.52 for uranium. The lower daily intakes of calcium, cesium, and iodine by Asian population could be due to significantly lower consumption of milk and milk products, which are rich in these elements. The significantly lower intake of calcium in most of the Asian countries may lead to higher uptake of fission nuclide 90Sr and could result in perhaps higher internal radiation dose. The use of highly sensitive and reliable analytical methods resulted in accurate and lower intake values obtained for thorium and uranium, which suggest that radiation dose from their ingestion at natural background levels is likely to be lower than what may be concluded from ICRP data.

Role of gammaENaC subunit in lung liquid clearance and electrolyte balance in newborn mice. Insights into perinatal adaptation and pseudohypoaldosteronism.

Genetic evidence supports a critical role for the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in both clearance of fetal lung liquid at birth and total body electrolyte homeostasis. Evidence from heterologous expression systems suggests that expression of the alphaENaC subunit is essential for channel function, whereas residual channel function can be measured in the absence of beta or gamma subunits. We generated mice without gammaENaC (gammaENaC -/-) to test the role of this subunit in neonatal lung liquid clearance and total body electrolyte balance. Relative to controls, gammaENaC (-/-) pups showed low urinary [K+] and high urinary [Na+] and died between 24 and 36 h, probably from hyperkalemia (gammaENaC -/- 18.3 mEq/l, control littermates 9.7 mEq/l). Newborn gammaENaC (-/-) mice cleared lung liquid more slowly than control littermates, but lung water at 12 h (wet/dry = 5.5) was nearly normal (wet/dry = 5.3). This study suggests that gammaENaC facilitates neonatal lung liquid clearance and is critical for renal Na+ and K+ transport, and that low level Na+ transport may be sufficient for perinatal lung liquid absorption but insufficient to maintain electrolyte balance by the distal nephron. The gammaENaC (-/-) newborn exhibits a phenotype that resembles the clinical manifestations of human neonatal PHA1.

Phenotypic analysis of mice lacking the highly abundant Purkinje cell- and bipolar neuron-specific PCP2 protein.

The Purkinje cell protein-2 (Pcp2, also known as L7) gene is abundantly expressed only in Purkinje cells of the cerebellum and bipolar neurons of the retina. The spatio-temporal expression pattern of this gene suggests a role for PCP2 in Purkinje cell development or normal cell physiology. A PCP2-deficient mouse was created by gene targeting to test the hypothesis that it is required for Purkinje cell development or function. Although normally present in abundance, the absence of PCP2 in null animals caused no observable cerebellar abnormalities. Behavioral analysis reveals normal abilities for balance and coordination. Null cerebellum has normal Purkinje cell numbers, morphology, and ultrastructure. Retinal bipolar neurons appear similarly unaffected. Aged null animals (22 months) were also examined and no deficits were detected using the same behavioral and histologic analyses. Although the null animal does not reveal the function of PCP2, it does rule out an essential role for PCP2 in Purkinje cell development, in Purkinje cell survival, and in at least some aspects of cerebellar function.