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- Baumgartner, D, et al.
(author)
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OralDisk: A Chair-Side Compatible Molecular Platform Using Whole Saliva for Monitoring Oral Health at the Dental Practice
- 2021
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In: Biosensors. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-6374. ; 11:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Periodontitis and dental caries are two major bacterially induced, non-communicable diseases that cause the deterioration of oral health, with implications in patients’ general health. Early, precise diagnosis and personalized monitoring are essential for the efficient prevention and management of these diseases. Here, we present a disk-shaped microfluidic platform (OralDisk) compatible with chair-side use that enables analysis of non-invasively collected whole saliva samples and molecular-based detection of ten bacteria: seven periodontitis-associated (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Campylobacter rectus, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola) and three caries-associated (oral Lactobacilli, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus). Each OralDisk test required 400 µL of homogenized whole saliva. The automated workflow included bacterial DNA extraction, purification and hydrolysis probe real-time PCR detection of the target pathogens. All reagents were pre-stored within the disk and sample-to-answer processing took < 3 h using a compact, customized processing device. A technical feasibility study (25 OralDisks) was conducted using samples from healthy, periodontitis and caries patients. The comparison of the OralDisk with a lab-based reference method revealed a ~90% agreement amongst targets detected as positive and negative. This shows the OralDisk’s potential and suitability for inclusion in larger prospective implementation studies in dental care settings.
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2. |
- Herfurth, M., et al.
(author)
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Gait velocity and step length at baseline predict outcome of Nordic walking training in patients with Parkinson's disease
- 2015
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In: Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 1353-8020. ; 21:4, s. 413-416
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The impact of Nordic walking (NW) in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been investigated in several studies but results are inconsistent. This may be due to different cohorts studied and the heterogeneity of their PD symptoms which impact the outcome of NW. This study aimed at determining predictive factors for a positive effect of NW on PD. Methodology and principal findings: Primary outcome was to define the baseline disease-associated and demographic parameters that distinguish patients who demonstrate improvement in the Unified PD rating scale (UPDRS) motor part following NW training ("U+") from those patients with no improvement after the same intervention ("U-"). The potentially predictive parameters were: age, age at onset, disease duration, gait velocity, step length, daily step number, UPDRS-motor part, Berg-Balance-Scale, Parkinson-Neuropsychometric-Dementia-Assessment, verbal-fluency-test and Becks-Depression-Inventory-II. Twenty-two PD patients (H&Y stage 2-2.5) performed twelve weeks of NW training. Eighteen patients were included in the final analysis. Overall, the UPDRS motor part did not improve significantly; however, eight patients had an improvement in the UPDRS motor part from baseline to end of study (U+). When comparing the potentially predictive factors of the 1J(+) cohort with those ten patients who did not improve (U-), there was a notable difference in gait velocity and step length, and showed a significant correlation with an improvement in the UDPRS motor part scores. Conclusion: Gait velocity and step length can predict the outcome of NW training as determined by the UPDRS motor part, indicating that PD patients with only slightly impaired gait performance benefit most. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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