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Biomedical subjects

A J Nowak

Publications and source records attributed to A J Nowak.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Effects of oral habits' duration on dental characteristics in the primary dentition.

BACKGROUND: Studies dating to the 1870s have demonstrated that long-term nonnutritive sucking habits may lead to occlusal abnormalities, including open bite and posterior crossbite. However, little is known as to whether habits of shorter durations have lasting effects. METHODS: The authors collected longitudinal data on nonnutritive sucking among children through a series of questionnaires regularly completed by parents. Researchers examined the children at ages 4 to 5 years and obtained study models. The models were measured for dental arch parameters (including arch width, arch length and arch depth) and assessed for overjet, overbite and posterior crossbite. The authors compared the dental arch and occlusal conditions among groups of children with nonnutritive sucking habits of different durations. RESULTS: Children with nonnutritive sucking habits that continued to 48 months of age or beyond demonstrated many significant differences from children with habits of shorter durations: narrower maxillary arch widths, greater overjet and greater prevalence of open bite and posterior crossbite. In addition, compared with those who ceased their habit by 12 months of age, those with habits at 36 months of age had significantly greater mandibular canine arch widths, maxillary canine arch depths and overjet, while those with habits at 24 months and 36 months had significantly smaller palatal depths. Prevalence of anterior open bite, posterior crossbite and excessive overjet (> 4 millimeters) increased with duration of habits. CONCLUSIONS: While continuous nonnutritive sucking habits of 48 months or longer produced the greatest changes in dental arch and occlusal characteristics, children with shorter sucking durations also had detectable differences from those with minimal habit durations. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: It may be prudent to revisit suggestions that sucking habits continued to as late as 5 to 8 years of age are of little concern.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2000

Infant oral health and oral habits.

Many oral diseases and conditions, including dental caries (cavities) and malocclusions, have their origins early in life. Prudent anticipatory guidance by the medical and dental professions can help prevent many of the more common oral health problems. This article provides information on the rationale for early dental examination and instructions for pediatric and family practitioners in scheduling and conducting an early oral intervention appointment. In addition, feeding practices, non-nutritive sucking, mouth breathing, and bruxing are discussed, including their effects on orofacial growth and development.

Dental Care for Children↗
PubMed1999

Conditioning and reflex modification of the rabbit nictitating membrane response using electrical stimulation in auditory nuclei.

Electrical brain stimulation (EBS) was applied to four nuclei in the auditory system, namely, the cochlear nucleus (CN), superior olive (SO), inferior colliculus, and medial geniculate. EBS was also applied to the pontine nuclei, which are the main relays for transmitting auditory conditioned stimuli (CSs) into the cerebellar pathways for conditioning of the nictitating membrane response (NMR). EBS of the CN, but no other site, yielded reflex modification, which was an increase in the unconditioned NMR to an airpuff unconditioned stimulus (US) when preceded by EBS. Throughout the experiment, EBS of the SO produced a distinctive distribution of NMRs, in which a high proportion had latencies less than 50 ms. When EBS was repeatedly paired with the airpuff US, conditioned responses (CRs) were acquired to comparable levels across all sites. At each site, response likelihood was an increasing function of the EBS parameters of pulse amplitude, pulse frequency, and pulse width. Combined with anatomical findings, these results indicate that multiple encodings of an auditory CS are sent to the pathways for the NMR.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Elicitation, modification, and conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response by electrical stimulation in the spinal trigeminal nucleus, inferior olive, interpositus nucleus, and red nucleus.

Elicitation of responses by electrical brain stimulation (EBS) was related to the synaptic distance of the target nucleus from the accessory abducens. Specifically, responses to EBS in the spinal trigeminal nucleus (TRIG) and red nucleus (RN) increased as a positive function of stimulation parameters. Responding to EBS in the interpositus nucleus (IP) was lower, and responding to EBS in the inferior olive (IO) was negligible. EBS in the TRIG, IP, and RN nuclei was then paired with a tone conditioned stimulus (CS). The CS modified responses for EBS in RN and TRIG but not IP. CS-EBS pairings yielded conditioned response (CR) acquisition, in which Groups TRIG, IP, and RN reached asymptotes of 90%, 70%, and 43% CRs, respectively. Thus, contrary to previous findings, EBS in the efferent pathway can support CR acquisition. The results are discussed with respect to the role of projections from the RN to the cerebellar cortex and the TRIG nucleus.

Abducens Nerve↗
PubMed1995

Imaging evaluation of breast-feeding and bottle-feeding systems.

OBJECTIVE: To compare infant sucking and swallowing patterns during feeding with a new artificial nipple and during breast-feeding. METHODS: Fifteen healthy, term infants were fed successfully for 1 week with use of the new tricut nipple; then each infant's oral cavity was examined during feeding by using real-time ultrasonography. Measurements of nipple length and compression were made, together with observations concerning the integrity of the seal formed by the infant's mouth around the nipple. These data were compared with similar data from previous studies of 16 breast-fed infants. RESULTS: Although no artificial feeding system exactly simulates breast-feeding, the new tricut nipple was sucked in a manner similar to the way the human nipple is sucked and delivered milk posteriorly to the foramen cecum region of the tongue, just as the breast does. CONCLUSION: Although further studies are necessary, to evaluate other characteristics of the new tricut nipple, the measurements from this investigation are useful additions to the ultrasound data these investigators have accumulated on various artificial feeding systems. These data may also prove helpful in determining the most appropriate nipples for infants with various feeding disorders.

Bottle Feeding↗
PubMed1995

Using anticipatory guidance to provide early dental intervention.

While the infectious-disease model continues to dominate the design of preventive programs for children, ample evidence supports the need to consider other aspects of caries prevention such as functional and developmental considerations--and to do it earlier than conventional wisdom would suggest--if further gains are to be made in caries reduction. Anticipatory guidance provides a framework for prevention that goes beyond caries to address all aspects of children's oral health.

Child↗
PubMed1994

Imaging evaluation of artificial nipples during bottle feeding.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether real-time ultrasonography can be used to directly visualize artificial nipples in vivo while an infant is sucking, to compare deformation differences of the artificial nipple with the human nipple during sucking, and to compare the suck mechanism used by the infant with four types of artificial nipples. DESIGN: Nonrandomized clinical study with a control group. SETTING: University-affiliated teaching hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. PARTICIPANTS: A volunteer sample of 35 healthy infants 6 to 12 weeks of age. INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS/MAIN RESULTS: Images produced by real-time ultrasound of infants during sucking using artificial nipples were measured to determine the percentage lengthening, the percentage lateral compression, and the percentage flattening of nipples. These results were compared with data obtained from studies using breast-fed infants. None of the artificial nipples lengthened like the human nipple. One artificial nipple was significantly more compressible than the human nipple and the remaining three artificial nipples. CONCLUSION: Real-time ultrasonography can be used to visualize artificial nipples in vivo during sucking.

Bottle Feeding↗
PubMed1994

Oral opening and other selected facial dimensions of children 6 weeks to 36 months of age.

Four hundred twenty-two children (Caucasians, Asians, and blacks) aged 6 weeks to 36 months were recruited. Five measurements (incisal edge distance, alveolar crest distance, closed mouth breadth, open mouth breadth, and nose-lip distance) were made by two calibrated examiners and an average was recorded. Because there were no statistically significant differences among races or genders the data were combined. The normative data for seven age groups (6 weeks to 36 months) and five oral-facial parameters are presented.

Cephalometry↗
PubMed1992

Craniofacial development in myotonic dystrophy.

Anthropometric, cephalometric, and dental data from 23 subjects (12 males and 11 females) afflicted with myotonic dystrophy were compared to similar data from normal subjects who participated in the Iowa Facial Growth Study. A two by two analysis of variance showed that myotonic subjects differed from normal subjects in headlength, head breadth, cephalic index, bizygomatic face width, nosebreadth, maxillary arch widths, palatal depth, anterior and posterior face heights, cranial base lengths, cranial base angles, and other cephalometric measures. Sex differences were observed for many of the variables. It is hoped that these findings will assist clinicians who treat patients having this disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Electrical stimulation of brainstem nuclei: elicitation, modification, and conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response.

Electrical stimulation of the reticular formation, pars oralis of the spinal trigeminal, abducens, and accessory abducens nuclei was used to assess the role of these sites in the elicitation, reflex modification, and classical conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response (NMR). Although electrical brain stimulation of the targeted sites revealed comparable levels of unconditioned responses, the spinal trigeminal nucleus was the only site at which reflex modification and conditioned response acquisition occurred reliably. These findings suggest that a locus of conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus interaction, mediating either or both reflex modification and NMR conditioning, is on the sensory side of the reflex arc, at the pars oralis of the spinal trigeminal nucleus.

Abducens Nerve↗
PubMed1988

Oropharyngeal lesions and their management in epidermolysis bullosa.

Unique oral problems are usually encountered in the patient with epidermolysis bullosa affecting both soft and hard oral tissues. Bulla formation leading to scarring, ankyloglossia, and microstomia restricts normal oral activities. In addition, food retention on hypoplastic enamel increases tooth breakdown. Management of routine dental care is complicated by the fears of both the patient and dentist. Preventive dental therapy should be initiated as early as possible to reduce dental diseases. Early intervention along with frequent evaluation by the dentist are indicated to ensure optimal dental health and oral functioning.

Dental Restoration, Permanent↗
PubMed1987

Rumination and vomiting in Prader-Willi syndrome.

Inability to vomit has been cited as characteristic of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Although post-prandial vomiting after gastric by-pass surgery has been reported, neither vomiting under "typical" circumstances or rumination have been described. Prompted by the discovery of several cases of vomiting and rumination, a questionnaire was sent to members of the PWS Association. Approximately 36% (113/313) of affected individuals reportedly experienced at least one episode of vomiting. Induced vomiting was unsuccessful in 9 of 14 cases in whom results were known. However, no complications of Ipecac were reported. We suggest that there is an alteration in the physiologic set-point at which vomiting occurs, leading to a decreased propensity to vomit. Liberal and strict definitions of rumination yielded 15.7% and 10.2% positive responses, respectively. Rumination was associated with a history of vomiting. Enamel deterioration consistent with rumination has been observed, and such changes should be looked for in all PWS children. In several instances, rumination was found to decrease when very strict weight control was lessened. Certain individuals may ruminate under too strict a weight control program, and weight control goals should be evaluated to achieve a reasonable compromise between ideal weight and obesity. Vomiting and rumination do not rule out the diagnosis of PWS.

Adolescent↗