A machine learning-based linguistic battery for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease

There is a limited evaluation of an independent linguistic battery for early diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD). We hypothesized that an independent linguistic battery comprising of only the language components or subtests of popular test batteries could give a better clinical diagnosis for MCI-AD compared to using an exhaustive battery of tests. As such, we combined multiple clinical datasets and performed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to extract the underlying linguistic constructs from a combination of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD), Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) Logical Memory (LM) I and II, and the Boston Naming Test. Furthermore, we trained a machine-learning algorithm that validates the clinical relevance of the independent linguistic battery for differentiating between patients with MCI-AD and cognitive healthy control individuals. Our EFA identified ten linguistic variables with distinct underlying linguistic constructs that show Cronbach's alpha of 0.74 on the MCI-AD group and 0.87 on the healthy control group. Our machine learning evaluation showed a robust AUC of 0.97 when controlled for age, sex, race, and education, and a clinically reliable AUC of 0.88 without controlling for age, sex, race, and education. Overall, the linguistic battery showed a better diagnostic result compared to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR), and a combination of MMSE and CDR.

Long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of surgical management of central giant cell granuloma of the maxilla

The aim of this study was to report the results of long-term clinical and radiological follow up of the surgical management of central giant cell granuloma of the maxilla. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 12 patients--5 male and 7 female whose ages ranged from 9 to 41 years, with central giant cell granuloma of the maxilla treated between 1991 and 2000. The anterior maxilla was involved in five cases, seven cases were in the posterior region, and none crossed the midline. Four patients were asymptomatic and eight patients presented with pain, mobility of teeth, and rapidly enlarging facial swelling. Radiographically, all lesions were radiolucent; 58.3% were unilocular, and the borders were well-defined in 33.3%. Roots were commonly displaced by the lesion, but no root resorption was observed. Cortical perforation was seen clinically and on CT scan in four patients. All cases were treated with thorough curettage until healthy bone was encountered. In cases with cortical perforation the affected buccal and/or palatal mucosa was excised. When the maxillary sinus was affected or the lesion was bulging into the nose, the nasal mucosa was also removed. All patients were reviewed annually for a follow-up period of 2-9 years; the condition recurred in two patients. It is concluded that thorough curettage is a satisfactory method for the treatment of non-aggressive and aggressive central giant cell granuloma of the maxilla, with a low recurrence rate and favorable postoperative outcome.

Oral and maxillofacial tumours in north Jordanian children and adolescents: a retrospective analysis over 10 years

This study evaluates the types and distribution of oral and maxillofacial tumours in north Jordanian children and adolescents. The records of the Department of Pathology at Jordan University of Science & Technology, during the period 1991-2000, were reviewed for patients younger than 19 years with oral and maxillofacial tumours. The tumours were analysed for age, sex, site and type. Out of all maxillofacial tumours, 23% occurred in children and adolescents, of these 10% were malignant and 90% were benign. 73% of the latter were soft tissue tumours and 17% were jaw tumours (58% odontogenic and 42% non-odontogenic). The most common benign soft tissue and jaw tumours were haemangioma and odontoma, respectively. 58% of malignant tumours were sarcomas and 42% were carcinomas. The mean age was 11 years with a female to male ratio of 1:1.2. The intraoral and extraoral sites most commonly affected by benign soft tissue tumours were the lower lip and face, respectively. While the total number of benign jaw tumours was slightly larger in the maxilla than the mandible, odontogenic tumours were more in the maxilla, and nonodontogenic tumours were more in the mandible. Differences found in this study between Jordanian children and adolescents and those from other countries may be attributable to genetic and geographic differences. The majority of benign tumours in the young are probably developmental rather than true neoplasms.

Prevalence of dilaceration in Jordanian adults

AIM

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of dilaceration in a sample of Jordanian dental patients.

METHODOLOGY

The data were collected from examination of radiographs from a random sample of periapical films. In all, 4655 teeth from 814 dental records at the Faculty of Dentistry, Irbid, Jordan were evaluated. The films were viewed using a magnifying lens and an X-ray viewer. A tooth was recorded as having a dilaceration towards the mesial or distal direction if there was a 90 angle or greater along its long axis using a small ruler aligned along the pulp of the tooth. Dilacerated roots towards the buccal or lingual directions were determined by evaluating the appearance of a round opaque area with a dark shadow in its central region, cast by the apical foramen in which the root canal gave a 'bulls-eye' appearance.

RESULTS

Dilacerations were recorded in 3.78% of the teeth examined. Mandibular third molar teeth were the most commonly affected (19.2%) followed by mandibular first molars (5.6%). The maxillary anterior teeth and mandibular incisors were least affected exhibiting dilaceration in approximately 1% of teeth. Two-thirds of the dilacerations were in the mandible and approximately 5% were in anterior teeth.

CONCLUSION

Dilaceration is not common, but it is an important dental anomaly that affects all teeth. Recognizing the condition will facilitate endodontic, orthodontic and surgical treatment.