Destination memory accuracy and confidence in younger and older adults.

Background/Study Context: Nascent research on destination memory-remembering to whom we tell particular information-suggested that older adults have deficits in destination memory and are more confident on inaccurate responses than younger adults. This study assessed the effects of age, attentional resources, and mental imagery on destination memory accuracy and confidence in younger and older adults. METHODS: Using computer format, participants told facts to pictures of famous people in one of four conditions (control, self-focus, refocus, imagery). RESULTS: Older adults had lower destination memory accuracy than younger adults, driven by a higher level of false alarms. Whereas younger adults were more confident in accurate answers, older adults were more confident in inaccurate answers. Accuracy across participants was lowest when attention was directed internally but significantly improved when mental imagery was used. Importantly, the age-related differences in false alarms and high-confidence inaccurate answers disappeared when imagery was used. CONCLUSION: Older adults are more likely than younger adults to commit destination memory errors and are less accurate in related confidence judgments. Furthermore, the use of associative memory strategies may help improve destination memory across age groups, improve the accuracy of confidence judgments in older adults, and decrease age-related destination memory impairment, particularly in young-old adults.

Dental hygienists' knowledge, attitudes and practice behaviors regarding caries risk assessment and management.

PURPOSE: Lifelong control of disease processes associated with dental caries should be an essential part of the process of care for practicing dental hygienists. The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge, attitudes and practice behaviors among dental hygienists regarding caries risk assessment (CRA) and management. METHODS: Utilizing the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) Survey/Research Center database of all registered dental hygienists in the U.S., 2,500 actively licensed dental hygienists were randomly selected and sent a web-based survey via SurveyMonkey™. The survey included items about practice characteristics and questions regarding knowledge, attitudes and practice behaviors regarding CRA and management. Second and third emails were sent to non-respondents. A 4-point Likert type scale (1=never, 2=sometimes, 3=frequently and 4=always) was used to rate the occurrence of caries management recommendations used in the practice setting. Frequencies and percentiles were used to evaluate demographic, knowledge and attitude information. RESULTS: The response rate was 9% (n=219) - 87% were ADHA members. Participants reported a high level of comfort (89%) in performing CRA, yet only 23% used an established CRA/management instrument. Over-the-counter fluoride dentifrices (70.1%), individualized oral hygiene instructions (86%) and individualized recare intervals (73.7%) were most often used as caries management recommendations, while low-dose fluoride rinses (45%) and prescription strength sodium fluoride gel or paste (42%) were used less frequently. Dental hygienists scored high on knowledge of CRA with the exception of white spot lesions as a risk factor (42%) and efficacy of chlorhexidine in caries management (61%). CONCLUSION: There is a need to improve practicing dental hygienists' knowledge and involvement in the active management of caries. Focused training in the use of established CRA/management tools should be designed to improve their knowledge and influence practice behaviors.

The role of supportive messages and distracting thoughts on everyday problem-solving performance.

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: An increasing number of studies have examined factors related to everyday problem-solving performance across adulthood. The current study examined the role of experimentally provided supportive messages intended to provide practical or emotional support on everyday problem-solving performance. Other factors such as participant age and distracting thoughts experienced during task completion were also investigated. METHODS: Everyday problem-solving performance, verbal ability performance, inductive reasoning performance, and self-reports of distracting thoughts were obtained from 54 middle-aged and 48 older adults. Participants were also exposed to practically supportive messages, emotionally supportive messages, or no supportive messages prior to completing the everyday problem-solving task. RESULTS: Exposure to emotionally supportive messages increased task performance and lowered levels of distracting thoughts. Distracting thoughts mediated the relation between exposure to emotionally supportive messages and everyday problem-solving performance. Distracting thoughts also mediated the relation between age and everyday problem-solving performance. CONCLUSION: Study findings indicate that emotionally supportive messages may increase everyday problem-solving performance by decreasing the amount of distracting thoughts experienced by participants. This finding suggests that consistent administration of emotionally supportive messages could result in more optimal everyday problem-solving performance among middle-aged and older adults.

Inhibition of Cell Proliferation and MAP Kinase and Akt Pathways in Oral Squamous cell Carcinoma by Genistein and Biochanin A.

High morbidity and mortality associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are largely attributable to late stage diagnosis. Despite significant advances in therapeutic strategies, the five-year survival rate for oral cancer remains at about 50%. A chemopreventive approach may be an effective alternative or adjunct to current therapies. Previous studies have shown anti-tumor effects of isoflavones in several cancers, including oral cancer. However, their mechanisms of action are still unclear. We hypothesized that isoflavones inhibit multiple signaling pathways implicated in oral carcinogenesis. To address our hypothesis, we investigated the effects of three isoflavone derivatives, genistein, biochanin A and daidzein, on SCC15 and SCC25 squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. In cell proliferation experiments, we found that genistein and biochanin A inhibited SCC15 and SCC25 cell growth with an IC50 of 50 µM. We also investigated the effect of isoflavones on ERK and Akt pathways. Our results, from western blot analysis, suggest that both genistein and biochanin A induced decreases in phosphorylation of ERK and Akt at treatment concentrations of 20, 50 and 100 µM. Taken together, our results clearly demonstrate a differential regulation of signaling pathways by various isoflavones in OSCC cell lines. Thus, tumor progression models can be utilized to study the preventive and therapeutic roles of isoflavones in oral cancer cell lines.

Comparing mechanical fetal response during descent, crowning, and restitution among deliveries with and without shoulder dystocia.

OBJECTIVE: Previous computer simulations of shoulder dystocia (SD) explored the effect of SD itself on the mechanical response of the fetus. Our objective was to perform a mechanical simulation study to explore the variations in fetal response during routine, unilateral SD (USD), and bilateral SD (BSD) deliveries. STUDY DESIGN: Using a biofidelic birthing simulator, we performed 30 experiments mimicking passage of the fetus through the pelvis. For routine deliveries, we engaged the fetal head and allowed it to progress through cardinal movements using typical uterine contraction forces. Deliveries stopped when the head restituted externally to left occiput anterior (LOA) position. The identical procedure was repeated for USD deliveries, except we obstructed the anterior shoulder on the symphysis pubis; for BSD, the posterior shoulder was also impacted on the sacral promontory. For each delivery we continuously measured head rotation, brachial plexus (BP) stretch and neck extension, selecting peak values for analysis. Maximum rotation, BP stretch, and extension were compared among groups using analysis of variance, with P < .05 considered significant. RESULTS: Among routine, USD, and BSD deliveries, mean peak BP stretch varied between 10% and 21%, rotation varied between 70 degrees and 77 degrees, and extension varied between 6% and 18%. Greatest stretch occurred in the posterior BP during descent in non-SD deliveries, whereas anterior BP stretch, rotation, and extension were similar among the 3 types of deliveries. CONCLUSION: Quantifiable mechanical response occurs in routine and SD deliveries. Posterior BP stretch is significantly longer for routine deliveries than either USD or BSD deliveries. By itself, shoulder dystocia does not pose additional risk of brachial plexus stretch over routine deliveries.

After shoulder dystocia: managing the subsequent pregnancy and delivery.

Among risk factors for shoulder dystocia, a prior history of delivery complicated by shoulder dystocia is the single greatest risk factor for shoulder dystocia occurrence, with odds ratios 7 to 10 times that of the general population. Recurrence rates have been reported to be as high as 16%. Whereas prevention of shoulder dystocia in the general population is neither feasible nor cost-effective, intervention efforts directed at the particular subgroup of women with a prior history of shoulder dystocia can concentrate on potentially modifiable risk factors and individualized management strategies that can minimize recurrence and the associated significant morbidities and mortality.