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Background: This series of case reports examined attainment of parents' goals for children receiving treadmill training and parents' satisfaction with goal attainment., Methods: Four children with cerebral palsy completed 5-8 weeks of standardized training while wearing a body weight support harness. Outcome measures were family goals using goal attainment scaling (GAS): a score of 0 equaled goal attainment, scores of -2 and -1 represented lower-than-expected performance and +1 and +2 exceeded expected performance. Parent satisfaction with goal attainment was assessed on a Likert scale from 1 (very satisfied) to 5 (very unsatisfied)., Results: All participants achieved GAS levels of ≥0, indicating all goals were met. All parents rated their satisfaction with goal attainment as 'very satisfied'., Conclusion: This is the first report using family goals as outcome measures to assess effects of treadmill training. Future studies of treadmill training should include family- and child-centred goals as potential outcomes.

A serine (Ser-700) amino acid rather than an asparagine (Asn-700) at residue 700 of thrombospondin-1 has been linked to an increased risk for development of premature, familial heart attacks. We now have identified both functional and structural differences between the Ser-700 and Asn-700 thrombospondin-1 variants. The Ser-700 variant increased the rate and extent of platelet aggregation and showed increased surface expression on platelets compared with the Asn-700 variant. These differences could be ascribed to an enhanced interaction of the Ser-700 variant with fibrinogen on the platelet surface and are consistent with a prothrombotic phenotype in Ser-700 individuals. The Ser-700 variant thrombospondin-1 was conformationally more labile than the Asn-700 variant as demonstrated by increased susceptibility to proteolytic digestion and enhanced susceptibility to unfolding by denaturants. These data suggest a potential molecular and cellular basis for a genetic risk factor associated with early onset myocardial infarction.

Variations in treatment planning and prescription have been described in relation to routine restorative dentistry. This study examined dentists' decisions regarding treatment planning for fixed bridgework. Fifty five dentists who attended a Continuing Education course on fixed bridgework were given standard information about a patient in the form of study casts, photographs of radiographs and a clinical history. They were asked to design a bridge where a previous one had failed and to complete a proforma which was returned to the course organisers in advance of the event. The response rate was 65%. The data showed wide variation in identification of features of diagnostic importance. Seventy percent of respondents chose to use again as abutments teeth which were extensively damaged and had failed to retain the previous bridge: while only 30% noted features of the occlusion which if left unchanged would have precluded a successful bridge from being made. A further feature was that nearly 70% chose to use multiple abutments to support the bridge. The implications of these results were discussed with respect to current concepts of bridge design.

Restoration of worn teeth can be made easier by surgical crown lengthening. It improves appearance and facilitates tooth preparation. Anatomical features can limit the height that can be gained.

Monocytic cells bind fibrinogen (fg) through integrin alphaMbeta2. fg-bound monocytic cells demonstrate an enhanced adhesion to endothelial cells, which is dependent on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Our studies differentiate fg interactions with stimulated and resting endothelial cells, which are ICAM-1 dependent and independent, respectively. This report documents a direct interaction between fg and intact ICAM-1 and with a two-Ig domain form of ICAM-1. A small region within the first Ig domain of ICAM-1, ICAM-1-(8-21) (KVILPRGGSVLVTC), was identified to interact with fg in a specific and selective manner. ICAM-1-(8-21) bound to plasmin-derived fg fragments X, D100, and D80 but not to fragment E. Consistent with this finding, fg gamma-chain peptide, fg-gamma-117-133, blocked fg interaction with ICAM-1-(8-2 1. ICAM-1-(8-21) peptide and antibodies directed against ICAM-1-(8-21) also blocked the adhesion and binding of ICAM-1-bearing Raji cells with fg. ICAM-1-(8-21) and fg-gamma-117-133 are likely to be one of the contact pairs mediating fg-ICAM-1 interactions.

This study tried to determine whether a relationship exists between the degree of alveolar resorption of the edentulous mandible and the degree of osteoporosis, as expressed by the metacarpal index. Eighty patients were examined. Each had a radiograph of the left hand to show the second metacarpal, and a standard pan-oral radiograph. A morphological measurement of the metacarpal bone, which is a good indication of the mineral content of the skeleton, was made on each hand radiograph. Alveolar resorption was estimated on the pan-oral radiograph by taking the original height of the alveolar process as being three times the distance from the inferior border of the madible to the inferior edge of the mental foramen. The regression analysis revealed no relationship between osteoporosis, as measured by the metacarpal index, and the amount of alveolar bone resorption.

A radiographic method of measurement of the depth of labial vestibule in the mandibular anterior region has been described. Contrast medium was applied to the lip and mucobuccal fold and radiopaque marker attached to the labial surface of each tooth. The head was positioned in a craniostat and a posterior-anterior radiograph exposed. The radiopaque boundaries of the vestibule showed on the radiograph so that they could be measured. Statistical analysis showed a recording error of 0.6 mm and an observation error of 0.29 mm, which are within the range of error acceptable for this type of recording technique.

Using a radiographic technique, the depth of the vestibular fornix in the lower anterior region was determined for 100 periodontally healthy subjects. The width of attached gingiva was measured clinically. The vestibule in the mandibular anterior region was found to be approximately uniform in depth for each individual from canine to canine, being reduced where there were frenal and muscle attachments. The depth, measured from the gingiva to mucobuccal fold, varied from 2.5 to 11.5 mm; and. measured from the crest of the lip to mucobuccal fold, varied from 10 to 29 mm. The proportion of the vestibule, measured from gingiva to mucobuccal fold, occupied by attached gingiva, varied from a mean of 34% in the canine region, to approximately 60% in the lateral incisor region, and to approximately 55% in the central incisor region. The minimum depth of the vestibule determined was 2.5 mm, and this was associated with a zone of attached gingiva 1 mm wide. Considering that all subjects in this study were periodontally and gingivally healthy, it would appear that satisfactory periodontal and gingival health may be maintained even where the vestibule is shallow.