More than four out of five dentists surveyed by the Chicago Dental Society revealed that patients send and receive text messages on their cell phones while receiving dental care.

The survey was conducted between July 16th and July 25th via email and among dentists in the Chicago Dental Society’s Facebook Fan Page.

In addition to the dentists who said their patients regularly text in the dental chair, 46 percent said this habit hampers their ability to provide care. The high number of dental chair texters is also surprising, given that 32 percent of the dentists indicated they have a cell phone/mobile device policy posted in a visible location in their office.

“We have signs up in the waiting room and directly in front of where the patient sits stating that they need to turn off their phones but most simply ignore them,” said one respondent. Another dentist indicated texting or answering calls can be a real barrier to delivering care because “many times the patient sits up during treatment to answer a call or text.”

But not every dentist views texting as a societal evil. Dr. Cissy Furusho, a pediatric dentist in Chicago, said her young teen patients have mastered texting to the point that they don’t even have to look down at their phone keyboard during treatment.

“This may surprise people, but most of my younger patients are very polite about using their cell phones in the chair,” she said. “The kids never answer their phone while getting treatment.”

Even dentists who don’t have a stated policy against texting say it can still interfere with communication between dentist and patient.

“It’s more difficult to communicate with a patient about recommendations,” one respondent wrote.

Niles, Illinois dentist Dr. Alice Boghosian said that there is a time and place for most things but texting or talking in the dental chair is a breach of etiquette.

“I’m not militant about it because I know that there are parents with kids in school who need to be in touch with their kids at times,” she said. “However, one young patient of mine had to interrupt me when his phone was buzzing in his pocket.” Dr. Boghosian said she was also surprised when a member of the clergy kept answering his phone even though he admitted the calls were not urgent.

“When patients insist on answering their phone or sending a text message, it does interrupt dental care,” she said.

For those who must text or talk on their cell phone while in the dental chair, the Chicago Dental Society provides these tips:

– If a dentist has a written policy against texting, respect it. Doing so may be in the best interest of your oral health
– If no policy exists and you must text, ask the dentist if it will interfere with treatment.
– Arrange to have an agreed-upon signal with the dentist if you must respond to texts.
– Or, keep temptation at bay and leave your phone with the receptionist for safekeeping. Your messages will be there for you to reply to after your appointment is over.

Source: Chicago Dental Society


Blood Test May Predict Course of MS

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Aug 31,2009

Scientists have discovered a blood test that could predict the course of multiple sclerosis (MS), or even indicate who is likely to develop the condition after a first MS-like attack.

The results of the study suggest that differing antibody levels produced in response to the common virus Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), may predict the course of MS.

If proven in further studies, this would be the first credible biological indicator, or biomarker, identified for MS that could predict disability progression from a simple blood test.

The innovative work was carried out at the Institute of Neurology, UCL and the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, Barts and The London and was funded by the MS Society.

It is hoped the findings will aid the development of better ways to predict who goes on to develop MS after initial MS-like symptoms and help in identifying more effective therapies for the 100,000 people living with MS in the UK.

The paper’s lead author, Clinical Research Fellow Dr Rachel Farrell, said: “All the participants in our study had previous history of infection with EBV, which has been shown in other studies and is not surprising given that a large majority of the adult population is infected with EBV.

“What was surprising is that the levels of a molecule in the blood called anti-EBNA-1 IgG, induced by the virus, were associated with the activity of MS.

“The results of this work show that those participants who had new areas of MS damage in the brain also had high levels of the anti-EBNA-1 IgG molecule in their blood.

“In addition, participants with higher levels of EBNA-1 in the bloodstream were more likely to have an increase over time in the disability associated with MS.”

The researchers received funding of nearly GBP 35,000 from the MS Society’s Innovation Research grant scheme and looked at 100 participants, 50 of whom had a single MS-like attack but no diagnosis of MS, 25 people with relapsing remitting MS and 25 with primary progressive MS.

They tested participants for evidence of EBV infection in the blood and also looked for anti-EBNA-1 IgG and other EBV induced antibodies. MRI brain scans of each participant were taken over a five year period and the scientists also measured disability progression.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Neurology, concluded that anti-EBNA-1 IgG is a potential biomarker in MS that might be useful in predicting disability and progression.

They added that the work needed to be validated in larger studies and in combination with other as yet unidentified biomarkers.

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Research Communications Officer at the MS Society said, “We’re delighted that such an interesting study has produced these valuable results that will give scientists a new avenue of MS research to explore.

“Identifying biomarkers of MS is a key area of research and this work is a stepping stone on the path to mapping out the course of the condition and potentially determining prognosis.

“People with MS find the uncertainty of what the future holds very daunting so more knowledge about what might lie in store could be a big help.”

Source: Multiple Sclerosis Society


Researchers find high-dose therapy for liver disease not effective

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Aug 30,2009

High-dose ursodeoxycholic acid detrimental for treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis

A national team of researchers led by scientists at Mayo Clinic has found that a common treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver disease, is not helpful for patients, according to a study published this month in the journal Hepatology.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a disease of the bile ducts. In this case, the term “cholangitis” refers to inflammation of the bile ducts, while “sclerosing” describes the hardening and scarring of the bile ducts that result from chronic inflammation.

“Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a serious liver disease lacking an effective medical therapy,” says Keith Lindor, M.D., Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and the study’s lead researcher. “Some studies have shown that the use of ursodeoxycholic acid, a naturally occurring bile acid, may be a potential solution for patients. Our research, however, showed long-term use of this treatment in high dosages is not suitable for patients.”

In this six-year, multicenter trial, 150 patients were enrolled in the study to determine the effectiveness of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in treatment of PSC. Seventy-six patients were treated with higher doses (28 to 30 mg/kg/day) of UDCA and 74 patients were given a placebo. Serious adverse events were more common in the UDCA group than the placebo group, which prompted researchers to halt the study. UDCA has been thought to be a possible treatment solution for PSC patients, but this trial indicates that the drug, used at this higher dose, is not helpful.

“All of us were surprised that the higher doses of UDCA did not help; in fact, the risk of developing even more liver problems increased with the higher dosages,” says Dr. Lindor. “While this was thought to be the best potential treatment for PSC, our study found that not to be the case.”

Dr. Lindor says that patients who are currently on higher doses of UDCA should consult with their doctors. He also points out that these study findings highlight the need for more research to look into better treatment options for PSC.

PSC is a progressive disease that leads to liver damage and, eventually, liver failure. Liver transplant is the only known cure for PSC, but transplant is typically reserved for people with severe liver damage.

PSC most often affects people in their 30s to 50s. The average age at diagnosis is 40. However, the condition can arise in childhood. About 60 to 75 percent of people diagnosed with the disease are men. Approximately 70 percent of people with PSC have an associated disease such as inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, gallbladder disease and bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma. However, only 1 to 5 percent of people with inflammatory bowel disease have PSC.

Mayo Clinic’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology has been ranked #1 in the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of Top Hospitals since the rankings began 20 years ago.

Source: Mayo Clinic


IBM scientists first to image the anatomy of a molecule

Imaging individual atoms within a molecule has been a long-standing goal of surface microscopy

IBM scientists have been able to image the “anatomy” — or chemical structure — inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using a complex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy.

The results push the exploration of using molecules and atoms at the smallest scale and could greatly impact the field of nanotechnology, which seeks to understand and control some of the smallest objects known to mankind.

“Though not an exact comparison, if you think about how a doctor uses an x-ray to image bones and organs inside the human body, we are using the atomic force microscope to image the atomic structures that are the backbones of individual molecules,” said IBM Researcher Gerhard Meyer. “Scanning probe techniques offer amazing potential for prototyping complex functional structures and for tailoring and studying their electronic and chemical properties on the atomic scale.”

The team’s current publication follows on the heels of another experiment published just two months ago in the June 12 issue of Science (Volume 324, Issue 5933, pp. 1428 – 1431) where IBM scientists measured the charge states of atoms using an AFM. These breakthroughs will open new possibilities for investigating how charge transmits through molecules or molecular networks. Understanding the charge distribution at the atomic scale is essential for building smaller, faster and more energy-efficient computing components than today’s processors and memory devices. These components could one day contribute to IBM’s vision of a smarter planet by helping instrument and interconnect the physical world.

As reported in the August 28 issue of Science magazine, IBM Research – Zurich scientists Leo Gross, Fabian Mohn, Nikolaj Moll and Gerhard Meyer, in collaboration with Peter Liljeroth of Utrecht University, used an AFM operated in an ultrahigh vacuum and at very low temperatures ( -268oC or – 451oF) to image the chemical structure of individual pentacene molecules. With their AFM, the IBM scientists, for the first time ever, were able to look through the electron cloud and see the atomic backbone of an individual molecule. While not a direct technological comparison, this is reminiscent of x-rays that pass through soft tissue to enable clear images of bones.

The tip that tipped the scale

The AFM uses a sharp metal tip to measure the tiny forces between the tip and the sample, such as a molecule, to create an image. In the present experiments, the molecule investigated was pentacene. Pentacene is an oblong organic molecule consisting of 22 carbon atoms and 14 hydrogen atoms measuring 1.4 nanometers in length. The spacing between neighboring carbon atoms is only 0.14 nanometers–roughly 1 million times smaller then the diameter of a grain of sand. In the experimental image, the hexagonal shapes of the five carbon rings as well as the carbon atoms in the molecule are clearly resolved. Even the positions of the hydrogen atoms of the molecule can be deduced from the image.

“The key to achieving atomic resolution was an atomically sharp and defined tip apex as well as the very high stability of the system,” said IBM scientist Leo Gross. To image the chemical structure of a molecule with an AFM, it is necessary to operate in very close proximity to the molecule. The range, where chemical interactions give significant contributions to the forces, is less than a nanometer. To achieve this, the IBM scientists were required to increase the sensitivity of the tip and overcome a major limitation: Similar to the way two magnets would attract or repel each other when getting close, the molecules would easily be displaced by or attach to the tip when the tip was approached too closely–rendering further measurements impossible.

Gross added, “We prepared our tip by deliberately picking up single atoms and molecules and showed that it is the foremost tip atom or molecule that governs the contrast and resolution of our AFM measurements.” A tip terminated with a carbon monoxide (CO) molecule yielded the optimum contrast at a tip height of approximately 0.5 nanometers above the molecule being imaged and–acting like a powerful magnifying glass–resolved the individual atoms within the pentacene molecule, revealing its exact atomic-scale chemical structure.

Furthermore, the scientists were able to derive a complete three-dimensional force map of the molecule investigated. “To obtain a complete force map the microscope needed to be highly stable, both mechanically and thermally, to ensure that both the tip of the AFM and the molecule remained unaltered during the more than 20 hours of data acquisition,” says Fabian Mohn, who is working on his Ph.D. thesis at IBM Research – Zurich.

To corroborate the experimental findings and gain further insight into the exact nature of the imaging mechanism, IBM scientist Nikolaj Moll performed first-principles density functional theory calculations of the system investigated. He explains, “The calculations helped us understand what caused the atomic contrast. In fact, we found that its source was Pauli repulsion between the CO and the pentacene molecule.” This repulsive force stems from a quantum mechanical effect called the Pauli exclusion principle. It states that two identical electrons can not approach each other too closely.

IBM and nanotechnology

Scientists have been striving to “see” and manipulate atoms and molecules to extend human knowledge and push the frontiers of manufacturing capabilities to the nanometer regime. IBM has been a pioneer in nanoscience and nanotechnology ever since the development of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1981 by IBM Fellows Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer at IBM Research – Zurich. For this invention, which made it possible to image individual atoms and later on to manipulate them, Binnig and Rohrer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986. The AFM, an offspring of the STM, was invented by Binnig in 1986. The STM is widely regarded as the instrument that opened the door to the nanoworld. A new facility for world-class collaborative nanoscale research, the Nanoscale Exploratory Technology Laboratory, will open in 2011 on the campus of IBM Research – Zurich. The nanotech center is part of a strategic partnership in nanotechnology with ETH Zurich, one of Europe’s premier technical universities.

The scientific paper entitled “The Chemical Structure of a Molecule Resolved by Atomic Force Microscopy” by L. Gross, F. Mohn, N. Moll, P. Liljeroth, and G. Meyer, appears in Science, Volume 325, Issue 5944, pp. 1110 – 1114 (28 August 2009).

Images are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibm_research_zurich/sets/72157622092395070/detail /


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