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Poor oral health and oral diseases are common among people experiencing homelessness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental demands and needs of a population of homeless persons in the city of Rome, Italy.The clinical records of 165 homeless patients admitted between October 2020 and October 2021 to the dental service of the Primary Care Services of the Eleemosynaria Apostolica, Vatican City, were retrospectively reviewed. The service employed dentists to evaluate dental needs and oral conditions in patients experiencing homelessness. The main dental and oral pathological conditions were noted.One hundred and sixty-five records of homeless patients were included in the study. The sample consisted in 138 males (76.97%) and 27 females (23.03%) with a mean age of 46.9 years (range 7-85 years). Acute tooth pain was reported by 132 (80%) patients, 42 (25.45%) had edentulism or missing teeth and 18 (10.91%) patients had oral lesions. Both dental and oral pathologies were intercepted and managed in secondary healthcare facilities.Given the specific peculiarities of this vulnerable population, it is important to implement strategies that facilitate the access of persons experiencing homelessness to dental evaluation with a preventive and curative perspective.

To evaluate which of the following indicators of socio-economic status (SES) has the strongest association with dental caries status in a 6-year-old population: the educational level of each parent (individual-level); the mean price of housing/m2 in the area where the family resides; or the mean per capita income in the area where the family lives (area-level).Dental caries was recorded in 2,040 schoolchildren (42.5% boys, 57.5% girls) using decayed/missed/filled surface index (d3 level) in primary dentition. Parents filled in a standardised questionnaire regarding nationality, level of education, frequency of dental check-up and perception of child's oral health and child's oral hygiene habits.At the individual-level of SES, mothers' educational level was associated with their children's caries severity (chi2(9) = 147.51 p0.01): as educational level rose the proportion of children with high numbers of carious lesions fell. The two income indicators (area-level SES) were not associated. A multinomial logistic regression model was run for caries risk factors. Caries severity was used as dependent variable and the model was stratified by mothers' educational level. Mothers' perception of child's oral health was the only covariate that was always associated in every caries severity strata and for each level of mothers' education.The present study shows that mothers' educational level is a useful individual SES indicator for caries in Italian children living in a low-income population.

Red blood cells and plasma reduced and oxidized glutathione levels, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, thiobarbituric acid reactants (TBAR) of both chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients and a matched control group were investigated in this study. Oxidized and reduced pyridinic nucleotides in red blood cells (RBC), in which NADPH is a direct expression of hexose monophosphate shunt function, were also studied. The results obtained indicate that RBC and plasma are exposed to oxidative stress in CAPD. This condition is characterized by a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio, particularly evident in RBC as a consequence of the GSSG accumulation. Lipid peroxidation is increased, as indicated by raised TBAR levels, and reduced pyridinic nucleotides are decreased. Increased GSH-Px levels and unmodified or slightly increased GSH content were observed in the RBC but not in plasma, which showed decreased GSH and unmodified peroxidase activity. Peroxidase correlated positively with TBAR levels in the RBC lysates. In a subgroup of patients treated with erythropoietin (vs. untreated patients and controls) no differences were observed in the glutathione-related parameters studied. These data suggest that a mechanism for adaptation to oxidative conditions may be present in CAPD and its effects on RBC integrity are discussed in comparison with the hemodialysis conditions previously studied.

Reduced and oxidized glutathione and pyridine coenzymes, glutathione-related enzymes and Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) were investigated in the RBC of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and in age- and sex-matched controls. The effects of hemodialysis (HD) were also studied. A defective RBC redox state was shown in the CRF group based on a decreased GSH/GSSG ratio and NADPH levels. Increased activities of glutathione transferase (GSH-S-T) and Cu,Zn-SOD were observed before HD. Dialysis apparently restores the levels of antioxidant enzymes and at the same time strongly affects the redox state. Thus we can speculate that HD can generate severe redox impairment inducing damage in RBC and plasma antioxidant enzymes. Increased erythrocyte GSSG and GSM-S-T levels coupled with a reduced hexose monophosphate shunt (HMPS) function may be useful indexes of oxidative stress in uremic anemia.

The activity and some kinetic properties of RBC Na + ,K + -ATPase (EC 3.6.1.37) were investigated in essential hypertensives (EH; 40 subjects) and normotensives (NT; 20 subjects). A decrease in ouabain-sensitive 86 Rb uptake as well as ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity was found in EH. [Na + ] i and [K + ] i of EH did not show any statistical difference from NT. Na + ,K + -ATPase showed a reduced Mg 2+ activation and the apparent K m value for Mg 2+ was 2-fold increased in the EH group. The influence of temperature on the Na + ,K + -ATPase showed a reduced modulation and a minor activity peak at 37°C in the patients, consequently the calculated activation energy of the enzyme was increased at temperatures lower than 40°C. Increased RBC adenylate energy charge (EC) was observed in EH when compared with NT. A negative correlation between EC and total Na + ,K + -ATPase activity was found when all subjects were compared and also in both groups, showing a possible pump involvement in the regulation of the RBC metabolic flux in EH. These data provide evidence about some modifications in active Na + ,K + transport and in EC in RBC which allows a further characterization of membrane cation fluxes in EH.

The case of a haemolytic non-spherocytic anaemia with pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency is reported. The investigation concerns two families with a low level of PK. In the propositus and in the members of his family we have also examined the behaviour of some enzymes and the concentration of red cell metabolites. We confirm the heterogeneity of the manifestation and agree that anaemias due to PK deficiency are complex forms in which the enzyme defect is only one of the symptoms.