Carpenter bee thorax vibration and force generation inform pollen release mechanisms during floral buzzing.

Approximately 10% of flowering plant species conceal their pollen within tube-like poricidal anthers. Bees extract pollen from poricidal anthers via floral buzzing, a behavior during which they apply cyclic forces by biting the anther and rapidly contracting their flight muscles. The success of pollen extraction during floral buzzing relies on the direction and magnitude of the forces applied by the bees, yet these forces and forcing directions have not been previously quantified. In this work, we developed an experiment to simultaneously measure the directional forces and thorax kinematics produced by carpenter bees (Xylocopa californica) during defensive buzzing, a behavior regulated by similar physiological mechanisms as floral buzzing. We found that the buzzing frequencies averaged about 130 Hz and were highly variable within individuals. Force amplitudes were on average 170 mN, but at times reached nearly 500 mN. These forces were 30-80 times greater than the weight of the bees tested. The two largest forces occurred within a plane formed by the bees' flight muscles. Force amplitudes were moderately correlated with thorax displacement, velocity and acceleration amplitudes but only weakly correlated with buzzing frequency. Linear models developed through this work provide a mechanism to estimate forces produced during non-flight behaviors based on thorax kinematic measurements in carpenter bees. Based on the buzzing frequencies, individual bee's capacity to vary buzz frequency and predominant forcing directions, we hypothesize that carpenter bees leverage vibration amplification to increase the deformation of poricidal anthers, and hence the amount of pollen ejected.

Slumber in a cell: honeycomb used by honey bees for food, brood, heating and sleeping.

Sleep appears to play an important role in the lives of honey bees, but to understand how and why, it is essential to accurately identify sleep, and to know when and where it occurs. Viewing normally obscured honey bees in their nests would be necessary to calculate the total quantity and quality of sleep and sleep's relevance to the health and dynamics of a honey bee and its colony. Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) spend much of their time inside cells, and are visible only by the tips of their abdomens when viewed through the walls of an observation hive, or on frames pulled from a typical beehive. Prior studies have suggested that honey bees spend some of their time inside cells resting or sleeping, with ventilatory movements of the abdomen serving as a telltale sign distinguishing sleep from other behaviors. Bouts of abdominal pulses broken by extended pauses (discontinuous ventilation) in an otherwise relatively immobile bee appears to indicate sleep. Can viewing the tips of abdomens consistently and predictably indicate what is happening with the rest of a bee's body when inserted deep inside a honeycomb cell? To distinguish a sleeping bee from a bee maintaining cells, eating, or heating developing brood, we used a miniature observation hive with slices of honeycomb turned in cross-section, and filmed the exposed cells with an infrared-sensitive video camera and a thermal camera. Thermal imaging helped us identify heating bees, but simply observing ventilatory movements, as well as larger motions of the posterior tip of a bee's abdomen was sufficient to noninvasively and predictably distinguish heating and sleeping inside comb cells. Neither behavior is associated with large motions of the abdomen, but heating demands continuous (vs. discontinuous) ventilatory pulsing. Among the four behaviors observed inside cells, sleeping constituted 16.9% of observations. Accuracy of identifying sleep when restricted to viewing only the tip of an abdomen was 86.6%, and heating was 73.0%. Monitoring abdominal movements of honey bees offers anyone with a view of honeycomb the ability to more fully monitor when and where behaviors of interest are exhibited in a bustling nest.

Holding personal information in a disease-specific register: the perspectives of people with multiple sclerosis and professionals on consent and access.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the views of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and professionals in relation to confidentiality, consent and access to data within a proposed MS register in the UK. DESIGN: Qualitative study using focus groups (10) and interviews (13). SETTING: England and Northern Ireland. PARTICIPANTS: 68 people with MS, neurologists, MS nurses, health services management professionals, researchers, representatives from pharmaceutical companies and social care professionals. RESULTS: People with MS expressed open and altruistic views towards the use of their personal information to facilitate service provision and research, placing trust in responsible guardianship and legitimate use of their information. Participant's proposed that people with MS should be able to select their individual level of involvement in a register using levels of consent. It was agreed that access to the register should be governed by a guardianship committee composed of a range of stakeholders. People with MS did not wish their details to be used by marketing agencies and did not consider this a legitimate use of their data. Whilst participants were positive of the role a register could play in promoting research, participants felt that access to data by pharmaceutical industries should be administered by the guardianship committee. People with MS are concerned should their employers be able to access their personal information. Professionals were more cautious than people with MS in their approach to the use of patient personal data within a register. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst all stakeholders were positive of the benefits of an MS register, development of such a resource must incorporate robust data security and guardianship measures in order to ensure that, whilst opportunities are maximised, risks to the privacy of individuals and legal challenges to professionals are avoided.

The reproducibility of the Denplan Oral Health Score (OHS) in general dental practitioners.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reproducibility of the Denplan Oral Health Score (OHS) and to examine whether general dental practitioners are more reproducible at measuring oral health when they use the OHS than when they use their usual method of examining patients. DESIGN: This was a single centre study designed to compare dentists' reproducibility using the Oral Health Score with their reproducibility when using the method of examination that they normally employ in general practice. SETTING: The study was carried out at The University of Birmingham School of Dentistry during 2001. PARTICIPANTS: Ten local general dental practitioners were recruited by advertising. The patients were selected from various clinics in the University of Birmingham School of Dentistry to provide a broad spectrum of oral health. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The dentists scored oral health by two methods; firstly on a 10 cm linear scale after using their everyday method of examination and secondly using the structured format of the OHS examination, where the Oral Health Scores were expressed as a percentage. RESULTS: Overall, the majority of the participating dentists demonstrated better intra-examiner reproducibility with the OHS than with their own method of examination. There was also higher inter-examiner reproducibility with the OHS than with the dentists' own method.

Practitioner evaluation of an online oral health and risk assessment tool for young patients.

Aim To test the validity and acceptability of an online oral health assessment and biofeedback tool for young patients (under 17) for use in general dental practice.Methods A convenience sample of thirteen practitioners were recruited to test the functionality of a novel version of the Denplan PreViser Patient Assessment tool (DEPPA) developed for young patients (YDEPPA). Dentists who had completed eight or more assessments during a one month window were sent a link to an online feedback survey, comprising eight statements about YDEPPA, with scoring options of 0-10, where a score of 10 indicated complete agreement with the relevant questions. Verbatim comments were encouraged. The clinical data submitted were held in a central database in an encrypted format so that only the user practice could identify individual patients.Results Twelve practitioners completed eight or more assessments and were included in the survey. A total of 175 patient assessments were received. Ten practitioners completed the on-line survey. The statement 'YDEPPA produces a valid measurement of each patient's oral health' received an average feedback score of 8.8. The statement 'The full YDEPPA report is a valuable communication aid' received a score of 9.6. Feedback was generally very positive with all scores >8.2. Constructive critical feedback was received for the caries risk aspect of the YDEPPA protocol, with suggestions made for improving objectivity of data inputs. Eighty-one percent of the verbatim comments received were positive.Conclusions Once the caries risk issues raised by pilot dentists have been addressed, YDEPPA appears suitable as a pragmatic analytical and biofeedback tool for use in general dental practice to assess the oral health of young patients, and to facilitate education and engagement of young patients and their parents/carers in positive health behaviours.

The relationship between general health and lifestyle factors and oral health outcomes.

Aim The primary research question addressed in this paper was 'are lower than average oral health scores observed for those patients who report problems with general health and high-risk lifestyle factors?'Methods A population analysis was conducted on the first 37,330 patients, assessed by 493 dentists in the UK, to receive a Denplan PreViser Patient Assessment (DEPPA) at their dental practice. The Oral Health Score (OHS) was generated using a mixture of patient-reported factors and clinical findings and is an integrated component of DEPPA. Patients' self-reported risk factors included diabetes status, tobacco use and alcohol consumption. Patients' general health was measured by self-report, that is, a yes/no answer to the question 'have you experienced any major health problems in the last year for example a stroke, heart attack or cancer?' Multivariable linear regression analysis was employed to study the association between the OHS and general health and risk factors for patients in the DEPPA cohort.Results The mean age of participants was 54 years (range 17-101; S.D. 16 years) and the mean OHS for the group was 78.4 (range 0-100; S.D. 10). 1,255 (3%) of patients reported experiencing a major health problem in the previous year. In the fully adjusted model, diabetes, tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption (three or more drinks per day), and poor overall health in the preceding year were all associated with a statistically significant drop in the mean OHS of patients. Having diabetes was associated with a 1.7 point (95% CI 1.3-2.1, P <0.001) drop in OHS, tobacco use was associated with a 2.7 point (95% CI 2.5-2.9, P <0.001) drop in OHS, and excessive alcohol consumption was associated with a 1.8 point (95% CI 1.3-2.4, P <0.001) drop in OHS. The mean OHS in patients who reported a major health problem in the preceding year was 0.7 points (95% CI 0.2-1.2, P = 0.006) lower than that of patients who did not report a major health problem in the preceding year.Conclusion The current study has demonstrated that patient reported general health and risk factors were negatively associated with an overall composite oral health score outcome in a large population of over 37,000 patients examined by 493 dentists. While the clinical significance of some of the reported associations is unknown, the data lend support to the growing body of evidence linking the oral and systemic health of individuals. Therefore, GDPs may be in a unique position to influence the lifestyle and general health of patients as part of their specific remit to attain and maintain optimal oral health.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance methyl and methylene linewidths from plasma decrease during postprandial lipemia.

Narrow proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) linewidths from plasma have been associated with the presence of malignancy (Fossel et al., New Engl. J. Med. (1986) 315, 1369-1376). In that study, subjects and controls were not fasted. In the present study, 1H-NMR methyl and methylene linewidths were measured in plasma from normolipemic individuals without cancer both during fasting and every 90 min after eating a fat meal. Plasma lipoprotein levels were measured in order to relate results to postprandial lipemia. Methyl, methylene, and average 1H-NMR linewidths were strongly positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein levels and inversely correlated with triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein levels in both the fasting and postprandial states. Linewidths decreased postprandially, reaching a nadir at the peak of plasma triacylglycerol levels. This study demonstrated that postprandial lipemia can lead to narrowing of plasma methyl and methylene resonances comparable to that reported for subjects with cancer.

Prevalence and long-term significance of exercise-induced frequent or repetitive ventricular ectopic beats in apparently healthy volunteers.

Frequent or repetitive exercise-induced ventricular ectopic beats are often considered a marker for serious cardiac disease or sudden death, or both. However, the prognostic value of these arrhythmias in an unreferred asymptomatic community-dwelling population over a broad age range is unknown. Of 1,160 subjects aged 21 to 96 years who underwent maximal exercise treadmill testing an average of 2.4 times, 80 (6.9%) developed frequent (greater than or equal to 10% of beats in any 1 min) or repetitive (greater than or equal to 3 beats in a row) ventricular ectopic beats on at least one test. These 80 individuals were significantly older than the group without such arrhythmia (63.8 +/- 12.5 versus 50.0 +/- 16.1 years, p less than 0.0001). A striking age-related increase in the prevalence of frequent or repetitive exercise-induced ventricular ectopic beats was seen in men (p less than 0.0001) but not in women. The prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities at rest, exercise-induced ST segment depression and thallium perfusion defects, duration of treadmill exercise, maximal heart rate, systolic blood pressure and rate-pressure product did not differ between these 80 study subjects with frequent exercise-induced ventricular ectopic beats and a control group matched for age and gender. Furthermore, the incidence of cardiac events (angina pectoris, nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiac syncope or cardiac death) (10% versus 12.5%) as well as noncardiac mortality (each 7.5%) was found to be similar for the study and control groups, respectively, over a mean follow-up period of 5.6 years. No study subjects required antiarrhythmic drugs over this time interval.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Is any particular aspect of perceived quality associated with patients tending to promote a dental practice to their friends and colleagues?

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between perceived quality and patients' tendencies to recommend a practice to friends and colleagues. METHODS: Data from 64 practices using the Denplan Excel Patient Survey (DEPS) were analysed. The Net Promoter Score (NPS max score 100), developed by Reichheld, is reported to each practice using DEPS. It is claimed that the NPS measures the likelihood that patients will recommend the practice to friends and colleagues. A Patient Perception Index (PPI max score 100) is also reported to practices. The PPI is calculated from the responses to the ten core questions of DEPS on perceived quality. The 64 practices were placed into three groups for data analysis according to their NPS result: group one practices receiving an NPS of less than 80, group two practices receiving an NPS of 80-89 and group three practices receiving an NPS of greater than 89. These groups represented practices scoring statistically significantly (to 90% confidence) below the mean NPS (group one), practices close to the mean NPS (group two) and practices statistically significantly (to 90% confidence) above the mean NPS. RESULTS: Group one practices scored a mean PPI of 73, group two scored a mean PPI of 76 and group three a mean PPI of 80. These differences in values of PPI between the groups are statistically significant (to 90% confidence). Of the ten constituent issues which contribute to PPI, the greatest difference in scoring between group one and group three was found to be around perceived value for money. CONCLUSION: The probability of patients recommending a dental practice seems to rise in direct proportion to favourable perceptions of quality. A perception of 'ideal' value for money is the most highly correlated aspect with a high NPS.

Long-term validity and reliability of a patient survey instrument designed for general dental practice.

AIM: To consider the extent to which the validity and reliability of the Denplan Excel Patient Survey (DEPS) has been confirmed during its development and by its use in general dental practice and to explore methods by which any survey instrument used in general dental practice might be validated and tested for reliability. METHODS: DEPS seeks to measure perceived practice performance on those issues considered to be of greatest importance to patients. Content validity was developed by a literature review and tested in a pilot study. Criterion validity was tested by comparing patient retention in a payment plan for practices achieving the highest DEPS scores with those attaining the lowest scores over a two year period (surveys completed between 2010 and 2012). Reliability was assessed using the test/re-test method for 23 practices with approximately a three year time interval between tests. Internal consistency was tested by comparing Net Promoter Scores (NPS - which is measured in DEPS) attained by practices with their Patient Perception Index (PPI) as measured by the ten core questions in DEPS. RESULTS: Practices in the pilot study strongly endorsed the content validity of DEPS. The 12 practices with the highest scores in the DEPS slightly increased their number of patients registered in Denplan payment plans during a two year period. The 12 lowest scoring practices saw 7% of their patients de-register during the same period. The 23 practices selected for the test/re-test study averaged more than 250 responses for both the test and re-test phases. The magnitude and pattern of their results were similar in both phases, while, on average, a modest improvement in results was observed. Internal consistency was confirmed as NPS results in DEPS closely mapped PPI results. The higher the measurement of perceived quality (PPI) the more likely patients were to recommend the practice (NPS). CONCLUSION: Both through its development and use over the last four years The DEPS has demonstrated good validity and reliability. The authors conclude that this level of validity and reliability is adequate for the clinical/general care audit purpose of DEPS and that it is therefore likely to reliably inform practices where further development are indicated. It is important and quite straightforward to both validate and check the reliability of patient surveys used in general dental practice so that dental teams can be confident in the instrument they are using.

Measurement of lactose consumption reliability and comparison of two methods.

The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of lactose consumption measured with a food-frequency questionnaire and to compare food-frequency data to prospectively recorded data. A self-administered food-frequency questionnaire (FF1) was completed by 295 women ages 38 to 49. Two months later, 75 received the same food-frequency questionnaire (FF2), and 75 received a 1-week diet diary listing 23 commonly eaten lactose-containing foods. Estimated mean intake of lactose was 16.1 g/d with FF1. Intake was slightly (but not significantly) higher at follow-up: Mean difference (95% confidence interval) was 1.4 (-0.8, 3.7) g/d for FF2 versus FF1, and 0.5 g (1.3, 2.3) g/d for the diet diary versus FF1. A moderate level of correlation was found: r = 0.57 between FF1 and FF2, and r = 0.65 between FF1 and the diet diary. Smaller subsets of items (n = 15 and n = 7) could be used to estimate lactose, with 89% and 82% agreement within tertiles, respectively. Since relatively few foods contain substantial amounts of lactose, a limited food-frequency or structured diary may be useful in research studies on the association between lactose consumption and ovarian cancer or other diseases.

Single-breath measurements of pulmonary oxygen uptake and gas flow rates for ventilator management in ARDS.

Monitoring data in critical care and anesthesiology should be displayed to present a rapid and easily comprehensible definition of the patient's clinical status. A graphic computer display of the analog output of gas flow rates and the O(2) and CO(2) concentrations of respiratory gases profiles the expired breath for an estimation of pulmonary function and gas exchange. An estimate of pulmonary perfusion, cardiac output, and the general adequacy of cardiovascular circulation is obtained from the computer calculation of O(2) uptake and CO(2) elimination, dead space, and alveolar ventilation. Adjunctive data from the spirometric measurements of airway pressures, volumes, and compliance, supplemented by hemodynamic monitoring, aids in the diagnosis of physiologic changes. For > 10 years, we have used this system to monitor patients who are anesthetized, sedated, and receiving mechanical ventilation during anesthesia and surgery, and recently have extended the technique to intensive care areas. Our experience has shown good correlation of changes in the computer-assisted expired breath analysis with coinciding clinical events, including upper airway obstruction, bronchospasm, and alveolar volume/pulmonary capillary blood flow impairment. To demonstrate the use of this system, we describe the ventilator management for a patient with severe ARDS. In this patient, changes in ventilator management, including pressure control ventilation, improved pulmonary O(2) uptake (mean, 18.7 vs 8.5 mL/breath), CO(2) elimination (mean, 17 vs 13 mL/breath), and compliance (mean, 29.7 vs 19.0 mL/cm H(2)O), were compared with intermittent mandatory ventilation.

Glucose tolerance in women: the effects of age, body composition, and sex hormones.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the separate and interactive effects of age, phase of the menstrual cycle, menopausal hormone status, body fat mass, and regional fat distribution on glucose tolerance in healthy women. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. PATIENTS: Two hundred sixty healthy women aged 22-89 years. MEASUREMENTS: Plasma levels of estradiol and progesterone, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and plasma glucose values in the fasting state (FPG) as well as 120 minutes after 40 gm/m2 of oral glucose (G120) were measured for each participant. RESULTS: We found a progressive decline in oral glucose tolerance of 0.4 mM (6.7 mg/dL)/decade at G120) in women from early to late adult years, with no relationship to phase of the menstrual cycle and no abrupt change associated with the menopause. Multiple regression analysis revealed significant, independent effects of BMI and WHR on FPG and G120. The influence of age (P less than 0.01) on G120 was stronger than that of the BMI or WHR (P less than 0.05). There was no significant relationship between the levels of endogenous sex hormones and glucose tolerance after adjustments for age, BMI, and WHR. However, women taking oral contraceptives, but not those receiving postmenopausal replacement therapy, did exhibit mildly elevated G120 values. CONCLUSIONS: Age per se, and to a lesser extent BMI and WHR, but not levels of endogenous sex steroids, contribute to the physiological decline in glucose tolerance in older women.

Predominant arm weakness in acute idiopathic polyneuritis: a distinct regional variant.

Acute idiopathic polyneuritis is a heterogeneous disorder with a number of clearly established variants. We describe four patients who present with an acute neuropathy predominantly affecting the arms which we believe should be considered as a distinct variant of acute polyneuritis. In two cases a primary demyelinating process affecting both motor and sensory nerves is suggested whereas in the other two the features were of a pure motor axonal degeneration. The relationship between these neuropathies, other variants of acute idiopathic polyneuritis and multifocal motor neuropathy is considered.

Electrophoretic enantiomer separations at high pH using the new, single-isomer octakis(2,3-dimethyl-6-O-sulfo)-gamma-cyclodextrin as chiral resolving agent.

The latest, single-isomer, sulfated gamma-cyclodextrin, the sodium salt of octakis(2,3-dimethyl-6-O-sulfo)-gamma-cyclodextrin that is stable in basic media was used to separate the enantiomers of neutral, weak acid and weak base analytes by capillary electrophoresis in high pH aqueous background electrolytes. The effective mobilities and separation selectivities were found to follow trends similar to those observed earlier in acidic aqueous background electrolytes. Octakis(2,3-dimethyl-6-O-sulfo)-gamma-cyclodextrin proved to interact with all three analyte types less strongly than other single-isomer sulfated cyclodextrins do under comparable conditions.

Artifact-free matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectra of tert.-butyldimethylsilyl ether derivatives of cyclodextrins used for the synthesis of single-isomer, chiral resolving agents for capillary electrophoresis.

Artifact-free, high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight mass spectra have been obtained for the labile, single-isomer, tert.-butyldimethylsilyl ether derivatives of alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins by optimizing the MALDI sample preparation method. 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid, a 3:1 mixture of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 1-hydroxyisoquinoline, and 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone were investigated as MALDI matrices with methanol and acetonitrile as matrix solvents. Partial-to-complete loss of the tert.-butyldimethylsilyl groups was observed when the commonly used 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid was the MALDI matrix and/or methanol was the solvent, both with and without trifluoroacetic acid as additive. Loss of the labile tert.-butyldimethylsilyl groups was avoided with 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone as MALDI matrix and acetonitrile as matrix solvent. Good ion intensities were achieved for the (M+Na)+ and (M+K)+ quasimolecular ions in the positive-ion mode. Minor byproducts were observed in some of the samples and the information was used to aid the optimization of the synthetic work.

[Microalbuminuria and hypertension in obese patients]. / Microalbuminurie et hypertension artérielle chez les obèses.

The present study was designed to evaluate the frequency of an increase in the urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) and the factors involved in this parameter in non-diabetic obese patients; 122 non-diabetic obese patients were investigated. None had proteinuria or history of nephropathy or uropathy. Fourty of them had moderate hypertension. Compared with a group of 22 lean controls, UAER was significantly higher in the obese patients (19.0 +/- 2.0 (SEM) mg/24 h vs 3.2 +/- 0.6 mg/24 h, p < 0.001). UAER was elevated (> 20 mg/24 h) in 29 patients (23.7%). Prevalence of microalbuminuria was not significantly different in hypertensive than in normotensive patients. However UAER was significantly higher in the 32 patients with a family history of hypertension (29.6 +/- 6.3 mg/24 h vs 15.3 +/- 1.5 mg/24 h, p < 0.002). In patients with microalbuminuria, body weight was significantly higher (100.3 +/- 3.9 kg vs 91.8 +/- 1.9 kg, p < 0.05), plasma albumin was significantly lower (38.3 +/- 0.6 g/l vs 40.3 +/- 0.3 g/l, p < 0.005) and the estimated value of fractional albumin clearance was significantly higher. These results show the high frequency of microalbuminuria in non-diabetic obese patients. They suggest that UAER level may be an index of family hypertension in obese patients and that microalbuminuria is part of a widespread abnormality of the capillary permeability.

Evaluation of an oral health scoring system by dentists in general dental practice.

UNLABELLED: An Oral Health Index (OHX) has been designed to provide a numerical measure of the overall state of a patient's oral health by means of a series of simple clinical examinations. This has been amended to produce the Oral Health Score (OHS). OBJECTIVE: To assess, by means of a questionnaire, the ease of use and understanding of the OHS by general dental practitioners. METHODS: 350 GDPs were asked to participate in the project, of whom 329 agreed. These dentists were given a lecture of 2 hours' duration on the OHS. The participating dentists were requested to use the OHS for a period of 1 year. At the end of this period, a questionnaire was delivered to them by post, with an explanatory letter and reply-paid envelope. RESULTS: Completed, usable questionnaires were received from 239 GDPs, a 77% response rate. Ninety three percent of respondents considered the OHS instructions to be satisfactory. The respondents' views on the criteria on which the OHS component assessments are based indicated that over 90% of respondents agreed with the criteria for caries, adequacy of restorations, periodontal assessment, mucosal assessment and assessment of dentures. A majority of respondents agreed that the OHS provided a valid representation of oral health. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that the OHS is considered to be an easy-to-use measure of a patient's oral health and that it provides a valid representation of a patient's oral health.

Spatial and temporal patterns in summer ichthyoplankton assemblages on the eastern Bering Sea shelf 1996-2007.

Larval and early juvenile fishes were sampled from the eastern Bering Sea (EBS) shelf from 2001 to 2005, and in 2007. Data from these collections were used to examine spatial and temporal patterns in species assemblage structure and abundance. The years 2001-2005 were unusual because the EBS water temperature was 'warm' compared with the long-term mean temperature. In contrast, 2007 was a 'cold' year. The abundance of the five most numerous taxa at 12 stations common to all years sampled (1996-2005, 2007) were significantly different among years. Larval and early juvenile stage Theragra chalcogramma (walleye pollock), a commercially important gadid, were by far the most abundant fish in all years. Bottom depth alone best explained assemblage structure in most years, but in others, bottom depth and water column temperature combined and percent sea-ice coverage were most important. Abundance of T. chalcogramma larvae increases with water column temperature until 5°C and then becomes level. Higher abundances of Gadus macrocephalus (Pacific cod) larvae occur in years with the greatest percent sea-ice cover as indicated by GAM analysis. Larvae of Lepidopsetta polyxystra (northern rock sole) increase in abundance with increasing maximum wind speed, but decrease at a later date during the last winter storm. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that oceanographic conditions, specifically water temperature and sea-ice coverage, affect the spatial and temporal pattern of larval abundances. In general, ichthyoplankton species assemblages can be important early indicators of environmental change in the Bering Sea and potentially other subarctic seas as well.

The relationship between oral health risk and disease status and age, and the significance for general dental practice funding by capitation.

AIM: The aim of this paper was to review the oral health and future disease risk scores compiled in the Denplan Excel/Previser Patient Assessment (DEPPA) data base by patient age group, and to consider the significance of these outcomes to general practice funding by capitation payments. METHODS: Between September 2013 and January 2014 7,787 patient assessments were conducted by about 200 dentists from across the UK using DEPPA. A population study was conducted on this data at all life stages. RESULTS: The composite Denplan Excel Oral Health Score (OHS) element of DEPPA reduced in a linear fashion with increasing age from a mean value of 85.0 in the 17-24 age group to a mean of 72.6 in patients aged over 75 years. Both periodontal health and tooth health aspects declined with age in an almost linear pattern. DEPPA capitation fee code recommendations followed this trend by advising higher fee codes as patients aged. CONCLUSIONS: As is the case with general health, these contemporary data suggest that the cost of providing oral health care tends to rise significantly with age. Where capitation is used as a method for funding, these costs either need to be passed onto those patients, or a conscious decision made to subsidise older age groups.