PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

R O'Leary

Publications and source records attributed to R O'Leary.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Psychosocial factors, dental plaque levels and smoking in periodontitis patients.

Psychological disturbances may lead patients to neglect oral hygiene. This study investigated whether a number of psychosocial factors (depression, state and trait anxiety, total and average perceived stress, and loneliness) could predict dental plaque levels in patients with adult onset rapidly progressive periodontitis (RPP) and routine chronic adult periodontitis (RCAP), before periodontal treatment. It was also examined whether RPP and RCAP patients differed on plaque and smoking. Plaque was scored in a sample of 6 teeth in each of 80 subjects, 40 with RPP, 40 with RCAP, before psychosocial questionnaire completion. Multiple regression was performed between plaque as the dependent and psychosocial factors, gender, education, form of periodontitis and smoking as independent variables. Only gender contributed significantly to prediction of plaque, t=-2.70, p=0.01, partial regression coefficient -0.37, 95% CI: -0.64 to -0.10, indicating that plaque was on average 0.37 lower for females than males, after adjusting for the other predictor variables. It was confirmed that RPP and RCAP patients did not differ significantly on plaque, univariate t-test(69.99)= 0.65, p=0.13. However, RPP patients smoked significantly more than RCAP patients t(69.72)=2.36, p=0.02. There was also a marginally significant correlation between depression and smoking, r=0.16, p=0.07. One possible reason advanced for the lack of an association between psychosocial factors and plaque, and the absence of a difference in plaque between RPP and RCAP patients is the fact that the patients involved in the present study were seen as secondary referrals. The gender difference in plaque levels and the greater incidence of smoking in RPP patients may be of significance in planning interventions with patients with periodontitis.

Adult

The bactericidal effects of dental ultrasound on Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. An in vitro investigation.

This study investigated the possible bactericidal acoustic effects of the dental ultrasonic scaler. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis suspensions, were subjected to the vibrations of a Cavitron P1 insert for 2.5 and 5.0 min in an acoustically-simulated pocket model and the survivors enumerated. The extent of any cavitation occurring within the pocket model to which the statistically significant bactericidal activity observed might be attributed, was determined by 'sonoluminescence', which was then investigated by photomultiplication techniques. However, these failed to detect any sonoluminescence within the pocket space and, moreover, the necessary deflection of the water coolant away from the insert tip, to avoid flooding of the experimental pocket, proved to result in temperatures of 47.6 degrees C and 52.3 degrees C at the respective time intervals, and thereby constituted an alternative possible bactericidal mechanism. Examination of the effects of such temperature changes on the target bacteria then revealed statistically significant differences in the viable counts of both microorganisms after 5.0-min periods, and as such were comparable to those previously detected in relation to the pocket model. Whilst it must be presumed that the bacteriolytic effect observed in the main investigation was due to the incidental temperature changes, in the absence of acoustic cavitation the influence of any associated acoustic microstreaming cannot be discounted. Further investigations to assess the bactericidal potential of acoustic phenomena using a modified experimental to exclude any hyperthermic effects are therefore necessary.

Acoustics

Detection of HIV in bone allografts prepared from AIDS autopsy tissue.

Processed bone from an AIDS patient was tested for the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The preliminary procedures used to process bone allografts included removal of adventitious material and two cycles of freeze thawing. Although infectious virus was readily observed in plasma and bone marrow cells taken at autopsy, no infectious virus was detected in processed bone fragments. However, by using the polymerase chain reaction procedure, the presence of proviral HIV DNA could be demonstrated in processed bone allografts from this donor. Whereas the best safeguard against transmission of HIV by allografts is rigorous criteria for the exclusion of seropositive individuals as donors, proper procedures for processing bone allografts can further reduce the possibility of HIV transmission by bone allografts in cases where tissue from an infected donor is collected and processed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Differential effects of bismuth and salicylate salts on the antibiotic susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The influence of salicylate or bismuth salts on antibiotic action against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was assessed in broth cultures. Sodium salicylate (2.5 mM) had no significant effect on the activity of any antibiotic tested. In contrast, bismuth compounds (0.5 mM) produced a significant change in the inhibitory activity of several antibiotics against all strains. Bismuth salts reduced imipenem activity by up to 20-fold, enhanced gentamicin or amikacin activity three to five-fold, and enhanced cefpirome or cefepime activity by as much as 10-fold against antibiotic-sensitive and resistant strains. Bismuth salts had little effect on cefoperazone, ceftazidime, or mezlocillin activity. Combining bismuth salts with aminoglycosides or fourth-generation cephalosporin antibiotics may help to combat the growing problem of resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Thermographic evaluation of the autonomic effects of nerve blocks in the foot.

The authors evaluated regional skin temperatures of the foot following the administration of a variety of local anesthetic nerve blocks with either Xylocaine (lidocaine hydrochloride) or Sensorcaine (bupivacaine hydrochloride). The study was carried out on ten randomized parallel groups of five subjects, each group being tested with one drug and one regional nerve block. The results indicated that both Xylocaine and Sensorcaine, when administered as a posterior tibial block, result in a significantly increased blood flow to the foot. Nerve blockade of the remaining nerves of the foot did not significantly increase the sympatholytic effect obtained by posterior tibial nerve block alone.

Adult

Clara D. Davies.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

History, 20th Century