Alzheimer’s disease as a consequence of chronic brain inflammation mediated by infectious microbes including the oral microbiome continues to attract support. Taiwan’s National Insurance database was ...used to evaluate associations between dental health and Alzheimer’s disease; 209,112 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease were matched 1:4 with 836,448 dementia-free controls to test the hypothesis that better dental health would be associated with less occurrence of dementia. Ten year dental records and conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Subgroup analyses compared vascular Alzheimer’s disease and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. As the population aged, Alzheimer’s disease diagnoses were more frequent with a 10 fold upward inflection after 60. Nearly 56% of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease patients were women but less than 50% had vascular Alzheimer’s disease. Comorbidities were 10–20% higher in the Alzheimer’s disease patients than in controls, but stroke, chronic infection, and pneumonia were 40–45% more common in the vascular Alzheimer’s disease patients. Heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, peripheral artery disease, pneumonia, and herpetic disease (HSV) were all associated with higher odds of Alzheimer’s disease. HSV was not a factor in the vascular Alzheimer’s disease. Routine dental procedures tended to lower odds ratios. Root canals and extractions that restore oral homeostasis were associated with lower odds of dementia. However, when extractions exceeded four, the odds of Alzheimer’s disease rose. The fact that Alzheimer’s disease was not associated with periodontal procedures per se but with more frequent periodontal emergencies suggested again a chronic issue. Dental health costs suggest that good dental care was associated with lower odds of Alzheimer’s disease except for radiographic costs which were consistently associated with higher odds, independent of oral health. Common comorbid conditions were associated with higher odds of Alzheimer’s disease and oral health care was associated with lower odds, providing support for the hypothesis that the oral microbiome is a factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Impact statement
This study clearly demonstrates the power and value of a nationally applied digital medical record. Longitudinal studies of gradually developing pathologies like dementia have often been limited by sample size and narrow and incomplete medical histories. The Taiwan National Insurance database provides an unparalleled opportunity for detailed analyses of associations between current medical conditions and a spectrum of prior medical and dental events. The temporal impact of the database will only become more important as the past historical record progressively expands going forward. The inclusion of dental records in assessing the relationship with subsequent dementia is very important because this information is often unavailable or dependent on subject recall. This study clearly establishes associations between a variety of suspected cardiovascular and metabolic factors and the odds of dementia. A critical outcome should include the design of targeted interventions and the subsequent assessment of their efficacy.
The effects of grazed grass, grass silage, or concentrates on fatty acid composition and conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9, trans-11-18:2; CLA) concentrations of i.m. fat of steers fed to achieve ...similar carcass growth rates were investigated. Fifty steers were divided into 10 blocks based on body weight and assigned at random from within blocks to one of five dietary treatments. The experimental rations offered daily for 85 d preceding slaughter were 1) grass silage for ad libitum intake plus 4 kg of concentrate, 2) 8 kg of concentrate plus 1 kg of hay, 3) 6 kg of grazed grass DM plus 5 kg of concentrate, 4) 12 kg of grazed grass DM plus 2.5 kg concentrate, or 5) 22 kg of grazed grass DM. The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in i.m. fat was higher (P < .05) for steers offered ration 5 than for those given any other ration. Decreasing the proportion of concentrate in the diet, which effectively increased grass intake, caused a linear decrease in the concentration of i.m. saturated fatty acids (SFA) (P < .01) and in the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio (P < .001) and a linear increase in the PUFA:SFA ratio (P < .01) and the conjugated linoleic acid concentration (P < .001). The data indicate that i.m. fatty acid composition of beef can be improved from a human health perspective by inclusion of grass in the diet.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by painful nodules, sinus tracts, and scars occurring predominantly in intertriginous regions. The prevalence of HS is ...currently 0.053-4%, with a predominance in African-American women and has been linked to low socioeconomic status. The majority of the reported literature is retrospective, population based, epidemiologic studies. In this regard, there is a need to establish a repository of biospecimens, which represent appropriate gender and racial demographics amongst HS patients. These efforts will diminish knowledge gaps in understanding the disease pathophysiology. Hence, we sought to outline a step-by-step protocol detailing how we established our HS biobank to facilitate the formation of other HS tissue banks. Equipping researchers with carefully detailed processes for collection of HS specimens would accelerate the accumulation of well-organized human biological material. Over time, the scientific community will have access to a broad range of HS tissue biospecimens, ultimately leading to more rigorous basic and translational research. Moreover, an improved understanding of the pathophysiology is necessary for the discovery of novel therapies for this debilitating disease. We aim to provide high impact translational research methodology for cutaneous biology research and foster multidisciplinary collaboration and advancement of our understanding of cutaneous diseases.
Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an active area of research devoted to systems that can autonomously and proactively assess the structural integrity of bridges, buildings, and aerospace ...vehicles. Recent technological advances promise the eventual ability to cover a large civil structure with low-cost wireless sensors that can continuously monitor a building's structural health, but researchers face several obstacles to reaching this goal, including high data-rate, data-fidelity, and time-synchronization requirements. This article describes two systems the authors recently deployed in real-world structures.
Abstract
DNA is comprised of chemically reactive nucleobases that exist under a constant barrage from damaging agents. Failure to repair chemical modifications to these nucleobases can result in ...mutations that can cause various diseases, including cancer. Fortunately, the base excision repair (BER) pathway can repair modified nucleobases and prevent these deleterious mutations. However, this pathway can be hindered through several mechanisms. For instance, mutations to the enzymes in the BER pathway have been identified in cancers. Biochemical characterisation of these mutants has elucidated various mechanisms that inhibit their activity. Furthermore, the packaging of DNA into chromatin poses another obstacle to the ability of BER enzymes to function properly. Investigations of BER in the base unit of chromatin, the nucleosome core particle (NCP), have revealed that the NCP acts as a complex substrate for BER enzymes. The constituent proteins of the NCP, the histones, also have variants that can further impact the structure of the NCP and may modulate access of enzymes to the packaged DNA. These histone variants have also displayed significant clinical effects both in carcinogenesis and patient prognosis. This review focuses on the underlying molecular mechanisms that present obstacles to BER and the relationship of these obstacles to cancer. In addition, several chemotherapeutics induce DNA damage that can be repaired by the BER pathway and understanding obstacles to BER can inform how resistance and/or sensitivity to these therapies may occur. With the understanding of these molecular mechanisms, current chemotherapeutic treatment regiments may be improved, and future therapies developed.
A custom radiation monitoring system was developed by Oregon State University at the request of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to measure radioactive cesium contaminants in the ocean waters ...near Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. The system was to be used on board the R/V Ka’imikai-O-Kanaloa during a 15 d research cruise to provide real-time approximations of radionuclide concentration and alert researchers to the possible occurrence of highly elevated radionuclide concentrations. A NaI(Tl) scintillation detector was coupled to a custom-built compact digital spectroscopy system and suspended within a sealed tank of continuously flowing seawater. A series of counts were acquired within an energy region corresponding to the main photopeak of 137Cs. The system was calibrated using known quantities of radioactive 134Cs and 137Cs in a ratio equating to that present at the reactors’ ocean outlet. The response between net count rate and concentration of 137Cs was then used to generate temporal and geographic plots of 137Cs concentration throughout the research cruise in Japanese coastal waters. The concentration of 137Cs was low but detectable, reaching a peak of 3.8 ± 0.2 Bq/L.
Concentrations of Cu and Pb were determined in the roots and shoots of six salt marsh plant species, and in sediment taken from between the roots of the plants, sampled from the lower salt marsh zone ...at four sites along the Suir Estuary in autumn 1997. Cu was mainly accumulated in the roots of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species. Pb was mainly accumulated in the roots of monocotyledons, while dicotyledons tended to accumulate Pb in the shoots. In the case of Aster tripolium there was a clear differentiation in the partitioning of Pb within the plant, between low and high salinity sites. At the low salinity sites, Pb accumulated only in the roots while at the high salinity sites there was a marked translocation to the shoots. The increase in Pb concentrations in roots and shoots of A. tripolium was accompanied by a concomitant decrease in sediment concentrations of Pb. This inverse correlation between sediment and plant concentrations of Pb was also recorded for Spartina spp. and Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani but in the case of these species the roots contained higher concentrations of Pb regardless of salinity levels. These differences in accumulation of Cu and Pb in various salt marsh species, and the influence of salinity on the translocation of Pb in A. tripolium in particular, should be taken into account when using these plants for biomonitoring purposes.
Aims
To compare the incidence of hyperglycaemia among participants with low, elevated and normal serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone concentration, as well as the incidence of abnormal thyroid function ...test results among participants with normal blood glucose and those with hyperglycaemia.
Methods
In a prospective study, a cohort of 72 003 participants with normal, low and elevated serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone concentration were followed from the study beginning to the first report of diabetes and prediabetes. A proportional hazards regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratios and 95% CIs for each outcome, adjusting for age, sex, education level, smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity. Analyses for the association between dysglycaemia and incident abnormal thyroid function test were also conducted.
Results
During a median 2.6 year follow‐up, the incident rates for dysglycaemia, particularly prediabetes, were substantially higher in participants with elevated thyroid‐stimulating hormone concentrations at baseline, while the rates for participants with normal and low thyroid‐stimulating hormone were similar. After controlling for risk factors, participants with elevated thyroid‐stimulating hormone retained a 15% increase in risk of prediabetes (adjusted hazard ratio 1.15, 95% CI 1.04–1.26), but were not at greater risk of diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio 0.96, 95% CI 0.64–1.44). By contrast, participants with normal and low thyroid‐stimulating hormone concentrations had similar dysglycaemia risks. Participants with diabetes and prediabetes were not at greater risks of developing abnormal thyroid function test results when compared with participants with euglycaemia.
Conclusions
People with elevated serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone concentration are at greater risk of developing prediabetes. Whether this includes a greater risk of developing frank diabetes may require an extended period of follow‐up to clarify.
What's new?
Elevated serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration may be a risk marker for prediabetes incidence.
By contrast, low serum TSH concentration did not appear to influence the risk of dysglycaemia.
People with diabetes and prediabetes were at no greater risk of developing abnormal thyroid function test results when compared with people with euglycaemia.
PDF
