Children’s experiences following a CBT intervention to reduce dental anxiety: one year on

Objective: To investigate children’s ongoing experiences of dental care and use of strategies to manage their dental anxiety following cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Design: A child self-completed postal questionnaire. Settings: Hospital, community and general dental practice. Subjects: Questionnaires were sent to 44 children, aged 10-17 years who had been referred to specialist services due to their dental anxiety. Intervention: Children had all previously received a guided CBT self-help intervention to reduce their dental anxiety and, on completion of treatment, had been discharged to their referring dentist. Questionnaires were sent out 12-18 months later to ascertain dental attendance patterns and application of any strategies learnt from the previous CBT intervention. Results: 22 responses (50%) were received from 16 girls and 6 boys. 82% had subsequently accessed follow up care with a general dental practitioner and over half of these had undergone a dental procedure, other than a check-up. 91% reported feeling less worried about dental visits, than previously, and described a change in cognition, behaviours, and feelings that allowed them to manage their anxiety better. Conclusions: CBT has positive immediate and longitudinal effects in reducing children’s dental anxiety. The challenge of adopting this evidence-based approach within primary care settings remains

Serum biomarkers of papillary thyroid cancer

Abstract Objective To identify serum biomarkers of papillary thyroid cancer. Methods Prospective analysis was performed of banked tumor and serum specimens from 99 patients with thyroid masses. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure levels of five serum proteins previously demonstrated to be up-regulated in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC): angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), cytokeratin 19 (CK-19), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), chitinase 3 like-1 (YKL-40), and galectin-3 (GAL-3). Serum levels were compared between patients with PTC and those with benign tumors. Results A total of 99 patients were enrolled in the study (27 men, 72 women), with a median age of 54 years. Forty-three patients had PTC and 58 cases were benign tumors. There were no statistically significant differences when comparing all five different biomarkers between PTC and other benign thyroid tumors. The p-values were 0.94, 0.48, 0.72, 0.48, and 0.90 for YKL-40, Gal-3, CK19, TIMP-1, and Ang-1, respectively. Conclusion Serum levels of four of the five proteins were elevated in patients with thyroid masses relative to normal values. However, the difference between benign and PTC was not significant. Two of the markers (Gal-3 &amp; TIMP-1) displayed a greater potential difference, which may warrant further investigation. This study suggests that other serum markers should be sought. This is the first study to investigate potential serum biomarkers based on over-expressed proteins in thyroid cancer versus benign pathology. </jats:sec

Britain and the opening of the Karun River circa 1873-1910

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D39508/82 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders at Workplaces in the People's Republic of China

This paper presents 2 musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire surveys in 10 different Chinese occupational groups. Data collected from 1,603 workers using a modified Nordic musculoskeletal disorders symptom questionnaire showed that the 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, particularly in the low back and shoulder-neck regions, was high at many Chinese workplaces. Significant differences existed between occupational groups. Assembly workers usually had higher neck-shoulder complaints compared to workers in most other occupations. However, the nature of assembly seemed also to influence the prevalence rate. Workers at a cassette recorder and a TV set assembly plant appeared to have more neck complaints compared with a group of thermos flask assemblers

Cataract as the root cause of fatal road traffic accidents in pedestrians

Senile cataract is an important cause of preventable blindness, affecting 12–15 million people worldwide. In India, approximately 3.8 million people become blind from cataract each year. Moreover, in India, senile cataract develops at a relatively younger age than that seen in developed countries. However, during routine postmortem examination, search for cataract is often ignored, although it could be a major factor responsible for many road traffic accidents. This paper reports two cases of road traffic accident, where the judgement of the court exonerated the accused drivers based on the findings of eye examination during autopsy. Routine examination of the eye for cataract is recommended in every person involved in a road traffic accident irrespective of whether he is a victim or an accused. </jats:p

Studies on Fly- ash and Slag incorporated Sustainable AAC Composites

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is a lightweight and environmentally friendly construction material that is being utilized in modern masonry construction. This paper presents the development of AAC, consisting of industrial wastes such as Class F fly ash and Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS). In this study, the AAC was composed of OPC, GGBS, fly ash, water, and aluminum oxide (which generates hydrogen bubbles). AAC blocks were manufactured by combining, shaping, slicing, and autoclaving at elevated temperatures and pressures, as per IS 2185 (Part 3). AAC samples were developed by substituting sand with fly ash or GGBS at four different levels: 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. After the autoclave process, the flexural, compressive, and thermal conductivity properties of all AAC samples were analyzed. The microstructure was analyzed using optical microscopy (OM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The densities of all AAC samples ranged from 450 to 650 kg/m3. The compressive strength of the fly ash-induced AAC samples varied from 1.6 to 2.2 MPa, while the thermal conductivity ranged from 0.147 to 0.164 W/mK. The compressive strength of GGBS incorporated AAC composites ranged from 0.78 to 3.24 MPa, thermal conductivity ranged from 0.151 to 0.162 W/mK, and flexural strength varied from 0.30 to 1.17 MPa. AAC has a lower energy consumption than clay bricks. In conclusion, autoclaved aerated concrete is a versatile and sustainable building material that offers a range of benefits, including reduced density, increased specific strength, improved thermal insulation, and enhanced fire resistance, when compared to conventional concrete. Their unique properties make them an attractive option for modern construction projects