No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This retrospective cohort study of 336 lateral cephalometric radiographs from 62 children (34 males and 28 females) with non-syndromic complete unilateral cleft lip and palate from the Hospital for Sick Children and 50 non-cleft children (25 females and 25 males) from the Burlington Growth Centre. Cervical vertebral maturation stages at age 10, 12 and 14 were determined. The cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) was established using the 6-stage method described by Baccetti and coworkers. The reproducibility of classifying CVM stages was high, with an inter-rater reliability (ICC) with the standard (Baccetti et al, 2005) of 80% and intra-rater reliability of 85%. The Cervical vertebral maturation stage for both males and females with UCLP was significantly later than children without a cleft at age 10, 12 and 14. The results suggest that patients with UCLP show delayed skeletal maturation in comparison to non-cleft patients.

This retrospective cohort study of 336 lateral cephalometric radiographs from 62 children (34 males and 28 females) with non-syndromic complete unilateral cleft lip and palate from the Hospital for Sick Children and 50 non-cleft children (25 females and 25 males) from the Burlington Growth Centre. Cervical vertebral maturation stages at age 10, 12 and 14 were determined. The cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) was established using the 6-stage method described by Baccetti and coworkers. The reproducibility of classifying CVM stages was high, with an inter-rater reliability (ICC) with the standard (Baccetti et al, 2005) of 80% and intra-rater reliability of 85%. The Cervical vertebral maturation stage for both males and females with UCLP was significantly later than children without a cleft at age 10, 12 and 14. The results suggest that patients with UCLP show delayed skeletal maturation in comparison to non-cleft patients.

Three hundred and four women with mild dyskaryosis were recruited into this study. They were examined using cervical cytology, HPV 16 & HPV 18 detection and colposcopic assessment, and the histological outcome was diagnosed by Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone. The resulting statistical analysis of this data showed that a secondary screening programme that combines HPV 16 & HPV 18 level with repeat cytology would not be a very efficient screening programme for the management of women with a mildly dyskaryotic smear. The study women were also examined for the presence of a specific P4501A1 polymorphism. When considering the women who had high grade disease, it was discovered that the mean age of the women with the normal genotype was 29 years, whereas the mean age of the women with the 'high' risk genotype was 25 years. This difference was significant and could not be accounted for by years the women with the 'high' risk genotype have smoked, or how many cigarettes these women smoked a day. CIN is commonly treated by excisional surgical procedures. Chemotherapy, however, would represent a new, less invasive and potentially less expensive alternative for the prevention of cervical cancer. There are a number of anticancer drugs available, daunorubicin and doxorubicin being the 2 most commonly used antracyclines. However, the use of such drugs is strongly limited by their lack of selectivity for cancer cells. A method has thus been adapted to test whether DaunoXomes (daunorubicin encapsulated liposomes) could be used to kill cervical cancer cells. The long term aim of this is to achieve specific targeting of DaunoXomes to cancer cells using antibody-enzyme conjugates. Preliminary results appear promising as death of cancer cells was achieved by release of the DaunoXomes contents in the close proximity of the cancer cells.

Background: Human Papillomavirus is the most common STI in United States and is most prevalent among the adolescents and young adults. HPV causes cervical, anal, vulvar, vaginal, penile, oropharyngeal cancers and ano-genital warts. Certain populations are found to be at higher risk such as African Americans. 3 doses of HPV vaccine are recommended to adolescents before sexual debut to immunize against HPV. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors associated with the completion of 3 dose HPV vaccination series particularly among the African American adolescents. Methods: National Immunization Survey – Teen 2012 data was used to assess the association of selected factors with the completion of 3 dose HPV vaccination series among the African American adolescents. Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression was conducted. Results: Factors, gender, age and maternal education are associated with the completion of HPV vaccination series among the African American adolescents. The Black females are 5 times more likely to complete the HPV vaccination than males. The 15 year olds are thrice more likely to complete the HPV vaccination than 13 year olds. Adolescents with maternal education higher than high school are twice more likely to complete the HPV vaccination series. Conclusion: Among the African American adolescents, socio-demographic factors influence the completion of HPV vaccine series. This study provides a direction to public health practices to focus on Black male adolescents and subpopulations with low maternal education to improve HPV vaccination in US.

Mobility of the vertebral column is important for many ecological aspects of vertebrates, especially in the cervical series, which connects the head to the main body. Thus, fusion within the cervical series is hypothesized to have ecological and behavioural implications. Fused, anterior cervical vertebrae have evolved independently over 20 times in ecologically disparate amniotes, most commonly in pelagic, ricochetal, and fossorial taxa, suggesting an adaptive function for the ‘syncervical.’ Fusion may help increase out-force during head-lift digging or prevent anteroposteriorly shortened vertebrae from mechanically failing during locomotion, but no hypothesis for syncervical function has been tested. The syncervical of neoceratopsian dinosaurs is hypothesized to support large heads or aid in intraspecific combat. Tests of correlated character evolution within a ceratopsian phylogeny falsify these hypotheses, as the syncervical evolves before large heads and cranial weaponry. Alternative functional hypotheses may involve ancestral burrowing behaviour or unique feeding ecology in early neoceratopsians.

Mobility of the vertebral column is important for many ecological aspects of vertebrates, especially in the cervical series, which connects the head to the main body. Thus, fusion within the cervical series is hypothesized to have ecological and behavioural implications. Fused, anterior cervical vertebrae have evolved independently over 20 times in ecologically disparate amniotes, most commonly in pelagic, ricochetal, and fossorial taxa, suggesting an adaptive function for the ‘syncervical.’ Fusion may help increase out-force during head-lift digging or prevent anteroposteriorly shortened vertebrae from mechanically failing during locomotion, but no hypothesis for syncervical function has been tested. The syncervical of neoceratopsian dinosaurs is hypothesized to support large heads or aid in intraspecific combat. Tests of correlated character evolution within a ceratopsian phylogeny falsify these hypotheses, as the syncervical evolves before large heads and cranial weaponry. Alternative functional hypotheses may involve ancestral burrowing behaviour or unique feeding ecology in early neoceratopsians.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) consist of a group of pathologies affecting the masticatory muscles, the temporomandibular joint and related structures. The association between the cervical spine and TMD has been studied from different perspectives; however, the study of cervical muscles and their significance in the development and perpetuation of TMD has not been elucidated. Thus, this project was designed to investigate the association between cervical musculoskeletal impairments and TMD. A sample of subjects who attended the TMD/Orofacial Pain clinic, and students and staff at the University of Alberta participated in this study. All subjects underwent a series of physical tests and electromyographic assessment (i.e. head and neck posture, maximal cervical muscle strength, cervical flexor and extensor muscles endurance, and cervical flexor muscle performance) to determine cervical musculoskeletal impairments. All subjects were asked to complete the Neck disability Index and the Jaw Function Scale, and the Chronic Pain Grade Disability Questionnaire. A strong relationship between neck disability and jaw disability was found (r=0.82). Craniocervical posture (measured using the eye-tragus-horizontal angle) was statistically different between patients with myogenous TMD and healthy subjects. However, the difference was too small (3.3) to be considered clinically relevant. Maximal cervical flexor muscle strength was not statistically or clinically different between patients with TMD and healthy subjects. No statistically significant differences were found in electromyographic activity of the sternocleidomastoid or the anterior scalene muscles in patients with TMD when compared to healthy subjects while executing the craniocervical flexion test (p=0.07). However, clinically important effect sizes (0.42-0.82) were found. Subjects with TMD presented with reduced cervical flexor as well as extensor muscle endurance while performing the flexor and extensor muscle endurance tests when compared to healthy individuals. Furthermore, patients with mixed TMD presented with steeper negative slopes (although modest) at several times during the neck extensor muscle endurance test than healthy subjects. The results of this research provided an important clinical contribution to the area of physical therapy and TMD. It identified impairments in the cervical spine in patients with TMD that could help guide clinicians in the assessment and prescription of more effective interventions for individuals with TMD. / Rehabilitation Science