Die Schmelznatur der eisenoxidhaltigen Kappe auf Teleostier-Zähnen

Zusammenfassung Die Durodentinspitze von Teleostier-Zähnen trägt manchmal eine sehr dünne eisenoxidgefärbte Kappe. Ihre Darstellung und ihr Verhalten werden des näheren beschrieben. Da nun bei Säugern, Reptilien und Amphibien solche Färbung ausschließlich dem Schmelz angehört, ist die fragliche Schicht bei Knochenfischen als Schmelz anzusehen. — An Selachier-Zähnen — denen Schmelz stets fehlt! — wurde niemals eine eisengefärbte Kappe beobachtet.

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The enamel character of the iron-oxid coloured cap of teleostean teeth

Summary The distal part of the durodentine tip of teleostean teeth is occasionally provided with a very thin cap coloured by iron-oxid. The pecularities of this cap are demonstrated. In mammals, reptiles and amphibians the iron-oxid coloration of the tooth tip belongs exclusively to enamel; it is therefore concluded, that the coloured cap of the teleostean teeth is to be considered as a very thin enamel layer. In selachian teeth (always free of enamel) ironoxid coloration of the tip was never observed.

     

Rat <Emphasis Type="Italic">wct</Emphasis> mutation prevents differentiation of maturation-stage ameloblasts resulting in hypo-mineralization in incisor teeth

A recent study provided genetic and morphological evidence that rat autosomal-recessive mutation, whitish chalk-like teeth (wct), induced tooth enamel defects resembling those of human amelogenesis imperfecta (AI). The wct locus maps to a specific interval of rat chromosome 14 corresponding to human chromosome 4q21 where the ameloblastin and enamelin genes exist, although these genes are not included in the wct locus. The effect of the wct gene mutation on the enamel matrix synthesis and calcification remains to be elucidated. This study clarifies how the wct gene mutation influences the synthesis of enamel matrix and its calcification by immunocytochemistry for amelogenin, ameloblastin and enamelin, and by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA). The immunoreactivity for enamel proteins such as amelogenin, ameloblastin, and enamelin in the ameloblasts in the homozygous teeth was the same as that in the heterozygous teeth from secretory to transitional stages, although the homozygous ameloblasts became detached from the enamel matrix in the transitional stage. The flattened ameloblasts in the maturation stage of the homozygous samples contained enamel proteins in their cytoplasm. Thus, the wct mutation was found to prevent the morphological transition of ameloblasts from secretory to maturation stages without disturbing the synthesis of enamel matrix proteins, resulting in the hypo-mineralization of incisor enamel and cyst formation between the enamel organ and matrix. This mutation also prevents the transfer of iron into the enamel.     

What constitutes fair shared decision-making in global health research collaborations?

Funders (located primarily in high-income countries) and high-income country researchers have historically dominated decision-making within global health research collaborations: from setting agendas and research design to determining how data are collected and analysed and what happens with findings and outputs. The ethical principle of shared decision-making has been proposed as a way to help address these imbalances within collaborations and to reduce semicolonial and exploitative forms of global health research. It is important to be clear about what shared decision-making means in order to ensure that it is not done in a tokenistic, shallow way. Thus far, the principle’s content has not been examined and articulated in detail. This paper aims to start the process of delineating a concept of fair shared decision-making as a minimum standard for global health research. Using two hypothetical case examples, the paper will demonstrate that global health research practice is often inconsistent with ideal shared decision-making. In such instances, it can be difficult to decide whether shared decision-making within collaborations is fair. The paper describes how the two cases do not meet criteria for unfair or non-ideal shared decision-making, despite having potentially morally troubling features. The nuances of these examples of research practice help to generate clearer ideas about how to judge fairness in shared decision-making. The paper concludes by presenting ideas about when soft power can be fairly employed between high-income-country and low- and middle-income-country partners and what fair compromise agreements may look like in shared decision-making.     

Odontometric differences betweenCercopithecus aethiops populations: A simulation approach to estimating confidence limits for Penrose’s shape coefficient

A modified bootstrapping procedure is described by means of which standard errors and confidence limits may be determined for the Penrose shape coefficient. This method is then applied to odontometric data derived from four closely related groups of primates: Cercopithecus aethiops pygerythrus, C. a. sabaeus,St. Kitt’s green monkey (derived from C. a. sabaeus),and C. a. centralis.Although statistically significant distances were found to exist between these groups, one shape coefficient was significantly greater than the others: that between C. a. pygerythrusand C. a. centralis.Low levels of sexual dimorphism characterized the shape coefficients, with distances based on mandibular teeth being greater than those derived from maxillary teeth.     

Rat wct mutation induces a hypo-mineralization form of amelogenesis imperfecta and cyst formation in molar teeth

Our previous findings have demonstrated that the rat autosomal-recessive mutation, whitish chalk-like teeth (wct), induces enamel defects resembling those of human amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) in continuously growing incisor teeth. The present study clarifies the effect of the wct mutation on the morphogenesis and calcification of rat molar teeth. Formalin-fixed maxillae obtained from animals aged 4-30 days were examined by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) and by immunocytochemistry for amelogenin, ameloblastin, and enamelin. There were no distinct differences in the calcium and phosphorous contents and the amount of enamel between homozygous mutant and wild-type teeth during postnatal days 4–11. Although the mineral density in the enamel matrix considerably increased in the wild-type teeth until day 15, no changes occurred in mutant teeth during days 11–30. The immunoreactivity for enamel proteins in the secretory-stage ameloblasts in mutant teeth was similar to that in the wild-type teeth, and subsequently mutant maturation-stage ameloblasts became detached from the enamel surface, resulting in odontogenic cyst formation between the enamel organ and matrix until day 7 and the expansion of the cyst around the whole tooth crown on day 15. On day 30, the erupted mutant teeth presented morphological changes such as enamel destruction and tertiary dentin formation in addition to low mineral density in the enamel. Thus, the wct mutation prevents mineral transport without disturbing the synthesis of enamel proteins in molar teeth because of the absence of maturation-stage ameloblasts, in addition to the occurrence of odontogenic cysts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. This work was supported in part by KAKENHI (B) (no. 16390523 to H.O.) and KAKENHI (C) (no. 18592002 to T.U.) from MEXT, Japan.     

Portrayal of the Human Resource Crisis and Accountability in Healthcare: A Qualitative Analysis of Ugandan Newspapers

Background

Uganda is one of the 57 countries with a critical shortage of health workers. The aim of this study was to determine how the human resources and health service crisis was covered in Ugandan newspapers and, in particular, how the newspapers attributed accountability for problems in the health services.

Methods

We collected all articles related to health workers and health services for the calendar year 2012 in the two largest national newspapers in Uganda (collection on daily basis) and in one local newspaper (collection on weekly basis). These articles were analysed qualitatively regarding the main themes covered and attribution of accountability.

Results

The two more urban national newspapers published 229 articles on human resources and health services in Uganda (on average over two articles per week), whereas the local more rural newspaper published only a single article on this issue in the 12 month period. The majority of articles described problems in the health service without discussing accountability. The question of accountability is raised in only 46% of articles (106 articles). The responsibility of the government was discussed in 50 articles (21%), and negligence, corruption and misbehaviour by individual health workers was reported in 56 articles (25%). In the articles about corruption (n=35), 60% (21 articles) mention corruption by health workers and 40% (14 articles) mention corruption by government officials. Six articles defended the situation of health workers in Uganda.

Conclusions

The coverage of accountability in the Ugandan newspapers surveyed is insufficient to generate informed debate on what political actions need to be taken to improve the crisis in health care and services. There exists not only an “inverse care law” but also an “inverse information law”: those sections of society with the greatest health needs and problems in accessing quality health care receive the least information about health services.     

Blood–brain barrier permeation,a challenge for the CNS chemist

Blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeation remains, within the optimization process of CNS drugs, a challenge for the medicinal chemist. In vitro tools are available for evaluating at an early stage the BBB permeation properties of drugs. Of particular interest is the in vitro model consisting of a mono‐layer of cocultured endothelial cells, in presence of astrocytes that allows the evaluation of trans‐endothelial permeability properties. This model is useful but presents some drawbacks and limitations. In addition it cannot be taken isolated from others pharmacokinetic parameters for optimizing in vivo BBB permeation properties. Illustrative examples of prototypic situations will be presented, including false positive or negative results, matched and mismatched relations between in vitro and in vivo results. As a conclusion, BBB permeation properties have to be linked to metabolic stability and oral absorption parameters for ideal optimization of CNS drugs.     

A cross-sectional study of oral health and oral health-related quality of life among frail elderly persons on admission to a special oral health care programme in Copenhagen City, Denmark

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00486.x
A cross‐sectional study of oral health and oral health‐related quality of life among frail elderly persons on admission to a special oral health care programme in Copenhagen City, Denmark Aim: To describe the oral health and the oral‐health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) of citizens in Copenhagen City on admission to a specific oral health‐care programme for disabled elderly persons. Further, to analyse how various factors influence the oral health and the OHRQoL among these patients. Methods: A cross‐sectional study of 189 persons (average 85 years) consecutively admitted to a special oral health‐care programme. Clinical data and data from interviews comprising social factors, life‐style, dental visit habits, oral hygiene practices and self‐perceived oral health were collected. A modified index on perceived dysfunction, discomfort and disability due to oral disorders was used. Results: Sixty‐eight per cent had natural teeth, among those 57% had decayed teeth and two out of three wore dentures. Smoking habits influence the number of teeth present and the OHRQoL (p < 0.05) of the patients. Edentulousness, decayed teeth, and presence of dentures did not seem to cause OHRQoL problems, while higher OHRQoL scores (more problems) were reported by those with 1–9 teeth and tooth mobility. Conclusion: OHRQoL of these patients can be increased by removal of loose teeth and provision of dentures to those with very few teeth rather than focus on traditional caries treatment.     

Gastric teeth of some thoracotreme crabs and their contribution to the brachyuran phylogeny

The gastric teeth of three ocypodoid species were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, and the morphological results were discussed with respect to the known food preferences. The species were chosen in particular because of contrasting ideas about their relationships within the Thoracotremata. For the genera Heloecius, Dotilla, Mictyris, and “Uca” (s. str.), we find a specific correlation of the gastric teeth with the suspension feeding. The lateral gastric teeth of Uca have no prominent lateral teeth cusps, and most of their teeth surface consists of transverse comb‐like lamellae. However, this possible food adaptation does not exclude the usability of specific teeth characters to distinguish species of suspension feeders. The closer relationship of the Dotillidae to grapsoid lines of gecarcinid or sesarmid crabs suggested by molecular data is not supported by the gastric teeth. For the genus Ucides, we found several characters that distinguish Ucides from the remaining ocypodoid genera Heloecius, Dotilla, Mictyris, and “Uca.” In particular, the structures of the lateral and the dorsomedian teeth show some similarities to genera of the Gecarcinidae and Sesarmidae. Our results suggest that foregut characters can be used for phylogenetic analyses. J. Morphol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Factors influencing older people's self reported use of dental services in the UK

Objectives: This study was designed to determine the use of dental services and factors associated with their use among the United Kingdoms' older population. Design: A national study involving 1,116 older people (aged 60 or older). Setting: Home Interview s were undertaken exploring the time and reason for last dental visit. In addition, socio-demographic characteristics and proxy oral health measures (self-reported number of teeth and edentulous status) of the respondents were collected. Results: Forty seven percent (528) claimed they visited the dentist within the past year, 10% (116) claimed that the reason for their last visit was because of a dental emergency, 43% (484) were classified as “regular attenders” - having attended the dentist within the past year for a non dental emergency. Bivariate analysis identified that regular dental attendance was associated with age (P<0.01), social class (P<0.01), income level (P<0.01), educational attainment (P<0.01), self-reported number of teeth possessed (P<0.01) and edentulous status (P<0.01). In regression analysis, self reported edentulous status and number of teeth possessed emerged as the most important factors in determining service utilisation. Possessing a full denture was associated with a 6-fold decrease, having accounted for other factors, in the likelihood of attending the dentist within the past year for a non dental-emergency (OR=0.15, CI 0.10,0.21). Conclusion: Less than half of the sample population were “regular dental attenders”, their attendance was associated with a number of socio-demographic and oral health factors. In particular, edentulous state was a major factor associated with their use of services.     

Identity,Subjectivity, and Disorders of Self in Psychosis

Alterations in self-experience are increasingly attended to as relevant and important aspects of schizophrenia, and psychosis more broadly, through a burgeoning self-disorders (SD) literature. At the same time, issues of self, subject, and subjectivity within schizophrenia-spectrum illnesses have also gained attention from researchers across the social sciences and humanities, and from ethnographic research especially. This paper examines the subjective experience of disruptions in self-identity within a cohort of first episode psychosis (FEP) service users, critically engaging with the SD literature and bringing it into conversation with social sciences and humanities scholarship on self and schizophrenia. Drawing findings from an ongoing ethnographic study of young peoples’ experiences with psychosis, we explore meanings of mental distress relating to psychotic episodes and attend to issues of self, identity, and subjectivity. We critique the division between “normal” and “pathological” self-experience that is endorsed within the SD literature, arguing against the notion that fragmentation of self-experience in schizophrenia-spectrum illnesses is indicative of psychopathology. We highlight how experiences categorized as psychosis are also important and complete aspects of one’s social world and inner life and explore the ways in which at least some aspects of disruptions of self-identity stem from clinical situations themselves—in particular, from asymmetries of power within the mental health system. Relating our findings to feminist, postcolonial, and disability studies’ approaches to the “self,” we emphasize the complex interplay between interpersonal, cultural, and structural aspects of self-experience within FEP.

     

Oral health‐related quality of life in patients receiving home‐care nursing: associations with aspects of dental status and xerostomia

doi:10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2009.00344.x
Oral health‐related quality of life in patients receiving home‐care nursing: associations with aspects of dental status and xerostomia Objective: To explore the differences in oral status, dental attendance and dry mouth problems between patients with long‐term disease with high and low scores on Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP 14) and how patients cope with oral problems such as xerostomia and a reduced ability to brush their teeth. Background: There has been a lack of studies of oral health and oral health‐related quality of life in the frail elderly within the community services. Materials and methods: A cross‐sectional questionnaire study was conducted with 137 patients receiving home‐care nursing. Structured interviews were conducted by student nurses using OHIP‐14, items from the Xerostomia Inventory and questions concerning dental visit habits, brushing of teeth and data from medical records. Results: Eighty‐three per cent of patients had natural teeth and 60% had only natural teeth. ‘Natural teeth only’ indicated a low score on OHIP‐14. Problems with brushing and items concerning xerostomia indicated a high score on OHIP‐14. Contrasts in the assessments concerning brushing of teeth and xerostomia indicated low priority from the patients themselves and the nursing staff. Conclusion: Community health services should focus upon oral health. Both patients and nurses should assess the need for regular brushing of teeth carried out by home‐care nurses. Assessment and treatment of dry mouth problems should have higher priority.     

I Gave My Child Life but I Also Gave Her Death

The capacity for a complex inner life—encompassing inner speech, imaginative reverie and unarticulated moods—is an essential feature of living with illness and a principal means through which people interpret, understand and manage their condition. Nevertheless, as Nigel Rapport has pointed out in a recent edition of The Australian Journal of Anthropology (2008: 19 (3)), interiority largely remains a ‘terra‐incognita’ for social science, while anthropology lacks a generally accepted theory or methodological framework for understanding how interiority relates to people’s public actions and expressions. Moreover, as conventional social‐scientific methods are often too static to understand the fluidity of perception among people living with illness or bodily instability, I argue we need to develop new, practical approaches to knowing. By placing the problem of interiority directly into the field and turning it into an ethnographic, practice‐based question to be addressed through fieldwork in collaboration with informants, this article works alongside women living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda with the aim of capturing the unvoiced but sometimes radical changes in being, belief and perception that accompany terminal illness.     

Social Participation and Dental Health Status among Older Japanese Adults: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Although social participation is a key determinant of health among older adults, few studies have focused on the association between social participation and dental health. This study examined the associations between social participation and dental health status in community-dwelling older Japanese adults.

Methods and Findings

In 2010, self-administered postal questionnaires were distributed to all people aged ≥65 years in Iwanuma City, Japan (response rate, 59.0%). Data from 3,517 respondents were analyzed. Data on the number of remaining natural teeth, for determining the dental health status, and social participation were obtained using self-administered questionnaires. The number, type, and frequency of social activities were used to assess social participation. Social activities were political organizations or associations, industrial or professional groups, volunteer groups, senior citizens'' clubs, religious groups or associations, sports groups, neighborhood community associations, and hobby clubs. Using ordinal logistic regression, we calculated the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for an increase in category of remaining teeth based on the number, type, and frequency of social activities. Sex, age, marital status, current medical history, activity of daily living, educational attainment, and annual equivalent income were used as covariates. Of the respondents, 34.2% reported having ≥20 teeth; 27.1%, 10–19 teeth; 26.3%, 1–9 teeth; and 12.4%, edentulousness. Social participation appeared to be related with an increased likelihood of having a greater number of teeth in old age, even after adjusting for covariates (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.10–1.53). Participation in sports groups, neighborhood community associations, or hobby clubs was significantly associated with having more teeth.

Conclusions

Our results suggest a protective effect of social participation on dental health. In particular, participation in sports groups, neighborhood community associations, or hobby clubs might be a strong predictor for retaining more teeth in later life.     

Impact of restricted marital practices on genetic variation in an endogamous Gujarati group

Recent studies have examined the influence on patterns of human genetic variation of a variety of cultural practices. In India, centuries‐old marriage customs have introduced extensive social structuring into the contemporary population, potentially with significant consequences for genetic variation. Social stratification in India is evident as social classes that are defined by endogamous groups known as castes. Within a caste, there exist endogamous groups known as gols (marriage circles), each of which comprises a small number of exogamous gotra (lineages). Thus, while consanguinity is strictly avoided and some randomness in mate selection occurs within the gol, gene flow is limited with groups outside the gol. Gujarati Patels practice this form of “exogamic endogamy.” We have analyzed genetic variation in one such group of Gujarati Patels, the Chha Gaam Patels (CGP), who comprise individuals from six villages. Population structure analysis of 1,200 autosomal loci offers support for the existence of distinctive multilocus genotypes in the CGP with respect to both non‐Gujaratis and other Gujaratis, and indicates that CGP individuals are genetically very similar. Analysis of Y‐chromosomal and mitochondrial haplotypes provides support for both patrilocal and patrilineal practices within the gol, and a low‐level of female gene flow into the gol. Our study illustrates how the practice of gol endogamy has introduced fine‐scale genetic structure into the population of India, and contributes more generally to an understanding of the way in which marriage practices affect patterns of genetic variation. Am J PhyAnthropol 2012. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Application of Prediction Analysis to Cross Classifications of Ordinal Data

Prediction analysis (PA) of cross classifications is characterized as a method for the analysis of local prediction hypotheses, that is, hypotheses that link particular predictor states to particular states of criteria. To evaluate the success of a prediction, PA compares the observed with an expected frequency distribution. The latter is estimated under the assumption of independence between predictors and criteria. When predictors of criteria have ordinal categories, the success of a prediction hypothesis is overestimated if there is a regression of the cell frequencies on the ranks of the variable categories. Using the method of log-linear models, it is shown how ordinal categories can be taken into account in PA. Numerical examples are given from the areas of cognitive development and drug research.     

Occurrence of heavy metals,sodium, calcium,and potassium in human hair,teeth, and nails

Heavy metals in biological samples: nails, teeth, and hair were examined during 1991–1993. Investigations of biological samples (hairn=249 samples, teethn=145, nailsn=80 samples) were provided for inhabitants of selected towns in Beskid Śląski. The towns are small mountain towns in southern Poland: Wista, Szczyrk, Istebna, Koniaków, and Jaworzynka. The analysis of ANOVA and MANOVA variances were used for biological samples in the context of age, sex, and type of samples for 12 elements (Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ni, Co, Ca, Na, and K). The matrix correlation and cluster analysis were applied to explain the behavior of metals in human hair, teeth, and nails.     

A carboniferous chondrichthyan assemblage from residues within a Triassic karst system at Cromhall quarry,Gloucestershire, England

Abstract. Sixteen different Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian Courceyan to Chadian age, Mississippian) chondrichthyan teeth types have been extracted from Triassic erosional/aeolian fills in shallow karst systems found in the limestone quarry at Cromhall, Gloucestershire, England. These Carboniferous teeth have been found within a much larger assemblage of disarticulated bones and teeth belonging to small late Triassic terrestrial reptiles, for which Cromhall quarry is famous. The Carboniferous teeth are derived fossils, released during subaerial dissolution of the surrounding limestones. Owing to low specimen numbers and uncertainty of intraspecific character, 10 types of teeth are left in open nomenclature, although it is likely they represent new taxa. They belong to Jalodus, Ctenacanthiformes, Protacrodus, Orodus, Chomatodus, Petalodontidae, Euchondrocephali?, Helodus and Psephodus. A new genus and species, Cromhallia parvunda, of indeterminate phylogenetic relationships, is also erected. The assemblage includes also an identified suite comprising Thrinacodus ferox, Bransonella cf. nebraskensis and Stethacanthus cf. altonensis. The identification of all fish teeth found in the Cromhall assemblages as derived fossils from the Carboniferous removes any ambiguity regarding the fully terrestrial nature of the late Triassic fauna preserved in the residue‐bearing karst systems.     

Range use of the forest chimpanzees of Kibale: Implications for the understanding of chimpanzee social organization

We contrast the range use patterns of male and female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) based on repeated sightings over three years of 19 individuals in the Kanyawara community of Kibale Forest Reserve, Uganda. Depending on how home range size was calculated, male chimpanzees used an area that was 1.5 to 2 times greater than that of females. There was no difference between the sexes in whether their home ranges were used in a clumped or uniform fashion. However, males were more likely to be seen in boundary areas than females. These results are discussed in light of previously proposed models of chimpanzee social organization. It is concluded that the scenario in which females have smaller core areas within the defended home range of the males is most strongly supported by the range use patterns observed in Kibale chimpanzees. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Is Rukun Dead? Ethnographic Interpretations of Social Change and Javanese Culture

Within the ethnography of Indonesia in general and Java in particular, the Javanese notion of rukun, the appearance of harmony and helpfulness, has frequently been interpreted as referring not only to social harmony, but also to economic egalitarianism. Hence ‘traditional’ Javanese economic practices such as open harvests, the distribution of harvest shares and the use of the finger-knife in rice harvesting have been seen as explicable by reference to rukun. Changes in harvesting practices with the introduction of ‘modern’ techniques, such as the use of contract labourers, have been depicted as signalling the death of rukun, both as an economic practice and as a cultural value. This article argues that such a view of social change in Java is theoretically and empirically flawed. Rukun is not a practice but rather a central ideological concept through which Javanese contextualise and apprehend their lives, their aspirations, their motivations and their social relations. In this sense, the ‘traditional’ notion of rukun is equally applicable to contemporary Java, and contemporary Javanese are just as likely to interpret the ‘modern’ world in terms of rukun.