HASH(0xe9a33e0)

BACKGROUND: Few have studied the association between chewing ability and longevity. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this prospective study, we analyzed 697 80-year-old participants residing in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Chewing ability was assessed on the basis of the types of food that each participant reported being able to chew. RESULTS: During follow-up, 108 participants died. Patients reporting the lowest numbers of chewable foods were associated with higher risks of cardiovascular mortality than those who were able to chew all the types of food surveyed (multivariate hazard ratio: 4.60; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-21.1). CONCLUSIONS: Impaired dentition status with poor masticatory ability was an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in active elderly individuals.

Objective: Poor oral health has been reported to be a risk indicator of mortality, however, few data are available regarding the relationship between chewing ability and mortality. We examined the relationship between self-assessed chewing ability and mortality in elderly subjects. Design: Prospective study. Subjects and methods: Participating in the study were 697 people (277 males, 420 females) from 1282 individuals (80 years old) residing in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Data on oral and systemic health status through questionnaires, accompanied by physical and laboratory blood examinations were obtained. Chewing ability was assessed based on the number of types of food each subject reported as able to chew by questionnaire. Results: A total of 108 subjects died between 1998 and 2002. Those with the lowest number of chewable foods were associated with higher risk of mortality than those with the ability to chew all of the 15 types of food surveyed [hazard ratio (HR)= 2.38, 95% confidence interval (95% CI)= 1.07-5.29], though other parameters including current smoking, low serum albumin, and poor physical health status were more significant. Further, reduced chewing ability of soft foods increased the risk (HR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.20-5.87). Conclusion: Chewing ability was associated with mortality in a population of 80-year-old community residents, and may be a predictor for survival rate. Oral Diseases (2007) 13, 214-219.

Rendezvous of the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa with the near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa took place during the interval September through November 2005. The onboard camera imaged the solid surface of this tiny asteroid (535 meters by 294 meters by 209 meters) with a spatial resolution of 70 centimeters per pixel, revealing diverse surface morphologies. Unlike previously explored asteroids, the surface of Itokawa reveals both rough and smooth terrains. Craters generally show unclear morphologies. Numerous boulders on Itokawa's surface suggest a rubble-pile structure.

BACKGROUND: The oral cavity is a reservoir for colonization and infection of systemic organs by pathogenic bacteria. It is understood that aging, tooth eruption, hormonal changes, active disease, oral hygiene, and other factors have an influence on biofilm formation and bacterial accumulation in the oral cavity. OBJECTIVE: To understand the influence of systemic health care on microfloral changes, we conducted epidemiological studies of nursing home residents in an attempt to elucidate the relationship between underlying systemic diseases and the isolation frequency of oral opportunistic pathogens. METHODS: The prevalence of bacteria and fungi causing pneumonia in association with oral biofilm bacteria were determined using detection culture plates. The influences of gender, age, denture-wearing status, number of teeth, and bedridden status in the patients residing in nursing homes were then analyzed. RESULTS: The isolation frequency rates of Candida albicans, Pseudomonadaceae, Staphylococcus spp., and some strains of Enterobacteriaceae in plaque samples, as well as C. albicans and Xanthomonas maltophilia in samples from the pharynx, were significantly higher in those requiring systemic care (mean age 83.9 years) than in those who did not require such care (mean 71.0 years). In particular, the frequencies of Pseudomonas spp., C. albicans, and Serratia marcescens in plaque were significantly higher in those who were bedridden. Furthermore, the isolation of Pseudomonas spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and/or C. albicans in plaque was significantly associated with heart disease. CONCLUSION: The coexistence of Pseudomonas spp. and C. albicans in elderly with 10-19 teeth is a potential indicator of high risk for pneumonia and heart disease. Therefore, attention to oral hygiene and professional care for removing the indicators may diminish the occurrence of systemic disease in the elderly requiring systemic care.

The processes of development and differentiation of the pancreas, an endoderm-derived vital organ that consists of both endocrine and exocrine cells, are highly conserved across most vertebrates. Recently, an in vitro system has been reported to induce embryonic pancreas using multipotent Xenopus ectodermal cells treated with activin and retinoic acid. In this study, this system was first modified to eliminate the mesoderm-derived pronephros. It was found that pronephros, which appeared with the use of low concentrations of activin, was eliminated at higher concentrations (400 ng/mL), while pancreas developed at a high frequency. Using this modified system, subtractive hybridization screening for novel pancreatic genes was done to better understand the molecular mechanisms of pancreas formation. Four novel genes were identified and characterized that were also found to be specifically expressed in the developing pancreas: carboxyl ester lipase, pancreatic elastase2, placental protein11 and protein disulfide isomerase A2 precursor. This in vitro pancreas-induction system may provide a useful model for analysis of the molecular mechanisms that function during pancreas development.

The Spemann organizer secretes several antagonists of growth factors during gastrulation. We describe a novel secreted protein, Mig30, which is expressed in the anterior endomesoderm of the Spemann organizer. Mixer-inducible gene 30 (Mig30) was isolated as a target of Mixer, a homeobox gene required for endoderm development. The Mig30 gene encodes a secreted protein containing a cysteine-rich domain and an immunoglobulin-like domain that belongs to the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein family. Overexpression of Mig30 in the dorsal region results in the retardation of morphogenetic movements during gastrulation and leads to microcephalic embryos. Overexpression of Mig30 also inhibits activin-induced elongation of ectodermal explants without affecting gene expression patterns in mesoderm and endoderm. These results suggest that Mig30 is involved in the regulation of morphogenetic movements during gastrulation in the extracellular space of the Spemann organizer.

In 1987, a survey was carried out to determine the prevalence and treatment needs of periodontal diseases in 2,684 (997 males and 1,687 females) employees of 57 supermarkets in Japan. The aim of this survey was to obtain fundamental data for planning preventive programs for periodontal diseases in the Japanese population. Most of the subjects showed some signs of periodontal disease. The percentages of persons having pathologic pockets 4 mm or deeper increased with age, and reached about 50% in the 45- to 64-year-olds. The percentage of persons affected was similar between the males and females, but the percentage of persons having pathologic pockets tended to be higher in the males than in the females. These findings indicate that the prevalence of periodontal diseases is extremely high among the Japanese population, and that primary prevention of periodontal disease during school days is required in order to maintain the adults' periodontal health.

A CPITN survey was conducted involving 12,832 Japanese subjects from 7 to 64 years of age. Subjects under 18 were schoolchildren, and 18-year-old and older subjects represented various social backgrounds, having been randomly selected from both urban and rural Japan. Fifty percent of the 7-yr-old children had signs of periodontal disease, and this percentage increased with increasing age. In those under 14, this increase in periodontal disease was mainly due to an increase in the proportion of children developing dental calculus. Subjects with 6 mm or deeper pockets were observed starting from the 20-29-yr-old age group. In subjects over this age, the prevalence of periodontal disease was higher in men than in women. The percentages of subjects having pathologic pockets had increased remarkably in the 30-44-yr-olds. In the 45-64-yr-old group, almost all subjects had some sign of periodontal disease, and the percentage of those with 4 or 5 mm pockets and 6 mm or deeper pockets were 37% and 21%, respectively.

The periodontal conditions of 2424 pregnant and 1565 non-pregnant women were assessed according to the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). The aim of this survey was to obtain information which is necessary for the planning of preventive programs of periodontal disease for pregnant women. 95% of the pregnant women and 96% of the non-pregnant women had some signs of periodontal disease. The % of pregnant women having 4 or 5 mm pockets was significantly higher than that of non-pregnant women, increased with the month of pregnancy, reached a maximum of 31% in the 8-month group, but decreased to the control level in the 9-month group. These changes were interpreted to suggest that the increase of pocket depth during pregnancy was caused by gingival enlargement rather than by periodontal destruction. The results show that pregnant women had a healthier periodontal condition when compared with non-pregnant women, i.e., the number of sextants with healthy periodontal tissues was higher, the % of people having deep pockets (6 mm or deeper) was lower, and the need for prophylaxis was lower in pregnant than in non-pregnant women. These findings suggest that a special program of periodontal disease prevention for pregnant women is not necessary.