Prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus in Colombia: data from the national health registry 2012-2016.

INTRODUCTION: Registries are essential to keep track of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) epidemiology and to provide better care to patients. The Colombian Ministry of Health has adopted a registry (SISPRO) to gather comprehensive information coming from the Colombian health system, which provides close to universal coverage (around 95%). The information collected from SISPRO is available for scientific analysis. OBJECTIVES: We used data collected by SISPRO to estimate prevalence and specific characteristics of patients with SLE registered from January 2012 to December 2016. METHODS: This is a descriptive epidemiological study using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems as search terms related to SLE, based on SISPRO data. Criteria for diagnosis are not explicitly addressed in each individual case. RESULTS: National records report 41,804 patients with a diagnosis of SLE for an estimated prevalence of 91.9/100,000 subjects (based on a total population of 47,663,162), being more frequent in women (89% cases). When adjusted, female and male prevalences were 204.3 and 20.2 per 100,000 (ratio 10.1) with a 7.9:1 female:male ratio, and were highest in the 45-49-year age group. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that describes demographic characteristics of SLE in Colombia, with useful information for decision makers. It also suggests a similar prevalence to other countries.

The Negro River (Ancash-Peru): A unique case of water pollution, three environmental scenarios and an unresolved issue.

This paper is focused on the hydrogeochemical characterization of the Negro River along its course, as well as in the proposal of a functioning model for the contamination processes in order to establish potential cause-effect relationships between water quality, geology (ARD), mining activities (AMD) and the tectonic framework as transmission vector of acidity, metals and sulphates. The scenario shows a heavily-contaminated river compared to the unaffected regional background. By graphical and statistical treatments of physico-chemical data of Negro River and the unaffected values of regional background and other AMD/ARD representative rivers' it is possible to conclude that Antamina Mine, is not the cause of the Negro River contamination, without the need of isotopic tracers, but just through the inexistent concentrations of Cu, Bi and Mo found in the waters. In the proposed contamination model, climatic factors (glacial retreat) activate geological (ARD) processes. The tectonic scenario (faults) intervenes as a transport medium of the contamination flux from the sulphide oxidation surface in upper altitudes until the spring in lower altitudes. At the end, it is concluded that this contamination comes from the recent glacial retreat in areas near the Cordillera Blanca that has left massive amounts of sulphide materials exposed to weathering conditions, oxidizing naturally (ARD processes) and finally contributing to the contamination of the Negro River through faults. In this case, we would face an ARD process in the strict sense, which is the direct oxidation of sulphides outcropping in the upper part of the mountain with the generation of sulphates, the release of hydrogen ions and the consequent generation of acid and the dissolution of the metals. This ARD process would come from the glacial retreat, which, through the faults, transports contaminated water until the spring.

Application of fuzzy logic tools for the biogeochemical characterisation of (un)contaminated waters from Aljustrel mining area (South Portugal).

Aljustrel mining area (South Portugal) belongs to the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). It is classified of high environmental risk due to its large tailings and to the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) affected waters, generated by sulphides' oxidation. Integrating biological parameters (for the first time) in the input data matrix of the software PreFuRGe, allowed a better discrimination of the diatoms' responses to the stimuli caused by the hydrochemical changes imposed by the processes affecting water quality. Each hydrochemical scenario, was modeled by imposing maximum and minimum limits for each antecedent, according to the conditions imposed by the consequent, which in this case were the number of diatom species and pH. Thus, PreFuRGe evidenced some qualitative aspects that could not be achieved by classic statistics. pH appeared as the main discriminator of diversity and diatom species composition, nevertheless and due to the complex environment under study other chemical interactions must be considered: (a) AMD waters, with extremely low pH values, but also with extremely high hydrogeochemical complexity, represented by a mixture of metals, do not allow to associate, unequivocally, the reduction in diatom diversity to pH, but also to high metal (loid)s concentrations; (b) in the most alkaline waters, with higher abundance of diatom species, average to high concentrations of Na and Cl (due to Cenozoic sediments) do not seem to affect diatom diversity. This methodology proved to be an efficient tool to establish, for the first time, cause-effect relationships, improving the comprehension between biological (diatoms) and hydrochemical parameters.

Map of impact by acid mine drainage in the river network of The Iberian Pyrite Belt (Sw Spain).

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), in the southwest of Europe, is characterized by high levels of contamination by acid mine drainage (AMD) in a large extent of its river network. In this scenario, it is necessary to characterize the degree of pollution of the mining leachates in the AMD-generating sources as well as of the main receiving watercourses. A map of impact of each basin was developed, based on the model proposed by Grande (2011) and the European Directive 98/83/EC that defines the quality standards for drinking water. The results indicate that practically all the mining leachates exceeded the maximum concentrations established by Directive 98/83/CE for Fe and Cd, almost 90% exceeded the limit for Mn and 82% for Al. Likewise, Fe, Cd, and Mn caused 'extremely high' degradation in most sampled leachates. Similarly, these metals, in addition to Pb, produced more pollution in watercourses located downstream of exploitations.

Oral appliance attached to a bubble helmet for prevention of self-inflicted injury.

A six-year-old girl was referred to the Dental Clinic of Monroe Developmental Center by the New York State School for the Blind. She had a history of self-abusive behavior, particularly in biting her lower lip, and had previously had all primary teeth removed to prevent further damage. The school psychologist was concerned about new injuries because her permanent first molars were erupting and cheek lacerations were already present in those areas. An oral appliance attached to a bubble helmet was designed and fabricated. The patient tolerated it well. Her behavior improved with a change in psychotropic medication, and the lacerations of oral and peri-oral areas healed. At this time, more permanent teeth are present in the oral cavity.

Differences between normal and developmentally disabled children in a first dental visit.

Twenty-eight three- and four-year-old normal children participated in a study where they were exposed to a tape-slide series before a first dental examination. The audiovisual product gives an explanation about a first examination, the children having no previous dental experience. The purposes of the study were to evaluate the behavior modification that took place and to see whether differences could be found with the results of the same study performed four years before, with developmentally disabled children. The results obtained with normal children were the opposite of those obtained with special children. The normal population subjected to the audiovisual technique behaved better and had a lower heart rate throughout the appointment.

Performance comparison of two Wolter type II telescopes in the far ultraviolet.

Experimental results for image quality and scatter in far-UV light are used to choose between the conventionally polished Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS-A) and computer-controlled polished SERTS-C Wolter type II solar rocket telescopes for an extreme-UV flight instrument. In 124-nm light the SERTS-C telescope image had a 0.67-arcsec full width at half-maximum (FWHM), compared with a 1.25-arcsec FWHM for the SERTS-A telescope. In addition SERTS-C had twice the peak irradiance of SERTS-A and an order of magnitude lower near-angle scatter. The inflight performance of the telescopes is consistent with laboratory findings.

Comparison of the sedative effectiveness of two pharmacological regimens.

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of two orally administered pharmacological regimens. The subjects were twenty-six patients requiring a sedative premedication for dental treatment, due to difficult behavior. A randomized, double-blind, cross-over design was employed using chloral hydrate syrup, 30 mg/Kg; and diphenhydramine HCl, 1.5 mg/Kg orally, not to exceed 2,000mg and 75mg, respectively; and chloral hydrate syrup, 30 mg/Kg; and diazepam solution, 0.2 mg/Kg orally, not to exceed 2000mg and 10mg, respectively. The level of conscious sedation was assessed, utilizing two scales employed previously in other studies. It was demonstrated that it is possible to maintain a low-dose range of sedative medication with satisfactory results. The combination of diazepam and chloral hydrate was found to be more effective than the diphenhydramine, chloral hydrate combination.

Bonding to dentin: evaluation of three adhesive materials.

Dye penetration was observed in all specimens. SEM demonstrated isolated areas with no gap formation, suggesting a partial bond with dentin. A correlation is evident from the results of both techniques. Since dye-penetration was found to be similar in all the specimens, it was difficult to assess the effect of thermocycling on the amount of dye penetration. The use of posterior composites should be considered as a short-term tested procedure. It should be utilized carefully, following the manufacturer's instructions, and monitored routinely. Undoubtedly, the utilization of posterior composite materials is a very technique-sensitive procedure. Comparing the results of this in vitro study with those previously reported suggests that little improvement has been made in the bonding of the materials tested. Development of new materials and improved techniques are necessary.

A study of behavior modification for developmentally disabled children.

A tape-slide series, using a desensitization and modeling approach, was developed in order to prepare three- and four-year-old developmentally disabled children for an initial dental examination. The tape-slide series pleasantly describes what to expect during the first visit to the dental office. A clown and a four-year-old girl were used as models. Twenty-eight children participated in the study, divided into two groups: control and experimental. A requirement for qualification as a patient was that the child not have had any previous dental experience. Three techniques for measuring behavior were used: heart rate, a modified Melamed's scale, and a dentist's subjective evaluation. The results demonstrated that: a) The experimental group was in a high state of arousal when starting the dental procedures; b) Children exposed to the tapeslide series showed worse behavior and a higher heart rate than children not exposed to the series; c) Heart rate was sensitive and objective in measuring anxiety and arousal in the dental setting; d) Modified Melamed's scale was not sensitive enough to measure microbehavior in this study; e) The subjective dentist's evaluation showed the impossibility of preventing a biased interpretation of behavior by the evaluator.

Behavioral and pharmacological dental management of a patient with autism.

A 10-year longitudinal report of case of an institutionalized autistic male dental patient is described. Interpretation of the data in the clinical and medical charts during this period points to possible clues to facilitating treatment for autistic individuals. One potentially important finding is the apparent inverse relationship that was found between level of sedation and patient cooperation. The impact of the specific medical diagnosis on the comprehensive care for these patients is also addressed.

Marginal adaptation of composite resins and dentinal bonding agents.

The purpose of this in vitro study was to determine the bonding qualities of three commercially available dentin bonding agents, namely Dentin Adhesit/Heliomolar, Creation Bond/Visar Fil and Scotchbond/P30. Microleakage tests and a scanning electron microscopy study of the interface between dentin and resin were performed. In eighteen specimens, the penetration of 0.5 percent basic fuchsin solution was studied across the enamel and dentin interfaces with the resin. Half of the specimens in each group of products were thermocycled. Leakage was evaluated after sectioning under a light optical stereomicroscope at 20 x magnification, using a classification reported by Eriksen and Buonocore. The interface between the restorative resin and the dentin axial walls of the preparation and its floor were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that leakage was commonly found at the resin/dentin interface and SEM showed gaps between the restoration and walls and floor of the preparation. It was concluded that the dentin bonding agents failed to provide a bond between restorative resin and dental tissue.

Adhesive penetration in human artificial and natural white spots.

Penetration of a liquid adhesive into human artificial and natural white spots, both acid-conditioned and nonconditioned, was studied. All artificial white spots showed penetration of the adhesive. Acid-conditioned natural lesions exhibited penetration to a lesser amount than in vitro lesions. Penetration in nonconditioned natural lesions was not apparent.