Gentle mastication is able to induce the release of bacterial endotoxins from oral origin into the bloodstream, especially when patients have severe periodontal disease. This finding suggests that a diseased periodontium can be a major and underestimated source of chronic, or even permanent, release of bacterial pro-inflammatory components into the bloodstream.

No abstract

In the present study, periodontitis was revealed to be a significant risk factor for CAD after adjusting for other confounding factors, with the level of association increasing with the individual extent of the periodontal lesions.

This study evaluated the microleakage of composite fillings prepared with 4 etch and rinse and 3 self-etch adhesive systems after thermocycling. Also evaluated was the potential improvement of cavity sealing when utilizing a low charged resin lining for cavity preparations. Seventy recently extracted teeth were randomly allocated to 7 experimental adhesive systems: two 3-step etch and rinse adhesive systems, Scotchbond Multipurpose (SBMP) and Optibond Solo Plus (OS); two 2-step etch and rinse adhesive systems, referred to as "one-bottle," Scotchbond 1 (SB1) and Gluma Comfort Bond + Desensitizer (G); and 3 self-etch "all-in-one" adhesives, Adper Prompt-L-Pop (PLP), Xeno III (X-III) and iBond (iB). On each tooth, 2 rectangular cavities were prepared at the cemento-enamel junction: 1 cavity was prepared with adhesive and the hybrid composite and the second was filled with the same adhesive and a thin layer of flowable composite (Filtek Flow) under the resin composite (Z100). All teeth were thermocycled for 800 cycles (5 degrees C-55 degrees C, 30 seconds dwell time). Leakage was evaluated on a 6-point (0-5) severity scale for enamel and dentin on 4 interfaces for each restoration. The results are expressed as means +/- standard deviation (SD). Microleakage scores were analyzed by means of generalized linear mixed models (GLMM), assuming an ordinal logistic link function. Covariates in the model were: (1) adhesives, (2) fluid composite and (3) interface. The model also accounts for repeated measurements on the various teeth. The authors found that the mean score of microleakage per tooth was significantly higher at the enamel rather than at the dentin interfaces (1.21 +/- 0.51 and 0.87 +/- 0.48; p<0.0001). In this study, there was no significant difference among the 4 etch and rinse adhesive systems. On the other hand, these adhesives yielded smaller mean scores of microleakage than the 3 self-etch systems (respectively, 0.85 +/- 0.2 and 1.3 +/- 0.5; p<0.0001). Among the self-etch adhesives, microleakage was significantly greater for PLP (1.74 +/- 0.46) than for the other self-etch products (p<0.0001), while X-III, an intermediary strong self-etch, was found to be as good as the etch and rinse systems, with a mean score of 0.97 +/- 0.27. In addition, results have also shown that an under layer of flowable composite significantly improved the water tightness of the PLP adhesive restorations (p=0.042). This in vitro study concluded that the self-etch adhesives remain less effective than etch and rinse. Nevertheless, X-III, a self-etch adhesive, showed acceptable performance in accordance with this study's 6-point severity scale of microleakage, but this needs to be confirmed in further clinical studies. On the other hand, this study failed to reveal that the addition of a thin layer of fluid composite improved the water tightness of the restoration, except for PLP.

The AIMS65 score is superior to the GBRS for predicting in-hospital mortality and hospital length of stay for patients with UGIH. The AIMS65 score and GBRS are similar in predicting 30-day mortality, rebleeding, and a composite endpoint.

Aeration represents the main part of energy consumption in the low-load activated sludge process. Because of its ability to remove the various kinds of pollution (carbonaceous, nitrogenous) with a high dependability level, this process is the most widespread throughout France, particularly in its tropical overseas regions. A previous study led the authors to set up a graph which links energy savings and effluent quality (carbonaceous and nitrogenous pollution removal). This graph appears useful as well to monitor biological phosphorus removal in the low-load activated sludge process including an anaerobic basin. In order to optimize pollution removal and energy savings, ORP regulation has been carried out since January 1983 on the Yffiniac plant (West of France). It was preferred to dissolved oxygen (D.O.) regulation because of the low values of D.O. observed in this plant and the difficulties of operating D.O. regulation. A laboratory and full-scale study shows that ORP regulation is possible and particularly accurate as a contribution to optimizing pollution removal, energy savings and operating conditions. Since then other ORP Regulations have been installed. The observations we made specify which cases lend themselves to successful ORP regulation.

In order to complete and support the industrial application of ORP regulation for Activated Sludge, initiated by the first installation at Yffiniac in 1983, the thermodynamic approach to oxidation-reduction equilibria has been examined using the Pourbaix atlas of electro-chemical equilibria. A “biological window” has been defined in the pH-EH diagram for pure water, including the EH = f (pH) lines for redox pairs relating to the main elements involved in biological treatment (C, N, P, S). The theoretical values have been compared with those observed in various plants chosen for the variety of situations which they represent. The recordings and graphs show that values “in the field” are consistent with those given by the thermodynamic approach. Moreover, they illustrate how compounds of carbon, nitrogen and iron influence the redox potential measurement and, as a result, how ORP regulation is useful in controlling them. The way in which transformations of compounds of phosphorus and potassium are affected by the oxidation-reduction conditions of the medium is also demonstrated. Fifteen years of experience with ORP regulation has allowed conclusions to be drawn regarding both the measurement itself and its use. Application of ORP regulation, initially normally reserved for plants with capacities above 10,000 PE, now extends to smaller plants. Many of the new logic controllers have this type of regulation, including SUPEROXYDOSE, specially designed for reliability of operation of small and medium sized plants. Another development, of relevance to larger plants, is the REGUL'N® process.

The control of aeration by measuring the oxidation reduction potential (ORP) of activated sludge, conducted at the YFFINIAC (West of France) sewage plant in 1983, showed this type of regulation to be attractive in that it can optimize energy costs and perfect the removal of carbonaceous and nitrogenous pollutants (CHARPENTIER et al, 1987). From a practical point of view, this new, inexpensive means of regulation has moreover proved easier to implement than the method based on measuring Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.). Before implementingthis process, we undertoook a pilot study that enabled us to make more accurate the ORP values for activated sludge that must be observed in order to achieve the satisfactory removal of carbonaceous and nitrogen pollutants. Furthermore, the ORP readings revealed points of inflection that can be used for regulation purposes. These have been related to the disappearance either of the ammonia or the nitrates with release of phosphates. The experience gained with 7 ORP regulating systems, most of them in operation now for several years, and installed in works with vastly different characteristics, shows that the range of ORP values used corresponds to the pilot-scale experiments. It also shows the attractive features of the ORP signal, compared with that of D.O., when used for the regulation and interpretation of the phenomena involved in the biological treatment. This type of regulation leads to improvements in the annual electricity balance, expressed in terms of kWh v. kg of treated BOD5, and has proved to be compatible with a programmed shutdown of the aerators during the winter peak hours when the tariff per kWh is particularly expensive. In conclusion, the diversity of experiments on site has largely contributed towards the definition of those practical methods upon which depends the success of the system.