Made by DATEXIS (Data Science and Text-based Information Systems) at Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Deep Learning Technology: Sebastian Arnold, Betty van Aken, Paul Grundmann, Felix A. Gers and Alexander Löser. Learning Contextualized Document Representations for Healthcare Answer Retrieval. The Web Conference 2020 (WWW'20)
Funded by The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Grant: 01MD19013D, Smart-MD Project, Digital Technologies
For people, the relevance and functionality of teeth can be easily taken for granted, but a closer examination of their considerable significance will demonstrate how they are actually very important. Among other things, teeth serve to:
- support the lips and cheeks, providing for a fuller, more aesthetically pleasing appearance
- maintain an individual's vertical dimension of occlusion
- along with the tongue and lips, allow for the proper pronunciation of various sounds
- preserve and maintain the height of the alveolar ridge
- cut, grind, and otherwise chew food
When an individual's mouth is at rest, the teeth in the opposing jaws are nearly touching; there is what is referred to as a "freeway space" of roughly 2–3 mm. However, this distance is partially maintained as a result of the teeth limiting any further closure past the point of maximum intercuspation. When there are no teeth present in the mouth, the natural vertical dimension of occlusion is lost and the mouth has a tendency to overclose. This causes the cheeks to exhibit a "sunken-in" appearance and wrinkle lines to form at the commissures. Additionally, the anterior teeth, when present, serve to properly support the lips and provide for certain aesthetic features, such as an acute nasiolabial angle.
Loss of muscle tone and skin elasticity due to old age, when most individuals begin to experience edentulism, tend to further exacerbate this condition.
The tongue, which consists of a very dynamic group of muscles, tends to fill the space it is allowed, and in the absence of teeth, will broaden out. This makes it initially difficult to fabricate both complete dentures and removable partial dentures for patients exhibiting complete and partial edentulism, respectively; however, once the space is "taken back" by the prosthetic teeth, the tongue will return to a narrower body.
Angular cheilitis is a fairly non specific term which describes the presence of an inflammatory lesion in a particular anatomic site (i.e. the corner of the mouth). As there are different possible causes and contributing factors from one person to the next, the appearance of the lesion is somewhat variable. The lesions are more commonly symmetrically present on both sides of the mouth, but sometimes only one side may be affected. In some cases, the lesion may be confined to the mucosa of the lips, and in other cases the lesion may extend past the vermilion border (the edge where the lining on the lips becomes the skin on the face) onto the facial skin. Initially, the corners of the mouth develop a gray-white thickening and adjacent erythema (redness). Later, the usual appearance is a roughly triangular area of erythema, edema (swelling) and breakdown of skin at either corner of the mouth. The mucosa of the lip may become fissured (cracked), crusted, ulcerated or atrophied. There is not usually any bleeding. Where the skin is involved, there may be radiating rhagades (linear fissures) from the corner of the mouth. Infrequently, the dermatitis (which may resemble eczema) can extend from the corner of the mouth to the skin of the cheek or chin. If "Staphylococcus aureus" is involved, the lesion may show golden yellow crusts. In chronic angular cheilitis, there may be suppuration (pus formation), exfoliation (scaling) and formation of granulation tissue.
Sometimes contributing factors can be readily seen, such as loss of lower face height from poorly made or worn dentures, which results in mandibular overclosure ("collapse of jaws"). If there is a nutritional deficiency underlying the condition, various other signs and symptoms such as glossitis (swollen tongue) may be present. In people with angular cheilitis who wear dentures, often there may be erythematous mucosa underneath the denture (normally the upper denture), an appearance consistent with denture-related stomatitis. Typically the lesions give symptoms of soreness, pain, pruritus (itching) or burning or a raw feeling.
Angular cheilitis (AC), is inflammation of one or both corners of the mouth. Often the corners are red with skin breakdown and crusting. It can also be itchy or painful. The condition can last for days to years. Angular cheilitis is a type of cheilitis (inflammation of the lips).
Angular cheilitis can be caused by infection, irritation, or allergies. Infections include by fungi such as "Candida albicans" and bacteria such as "Staph. aureus". Irritants include poorly fitting dentures, licking the lips or drooling, mouth breathing resulting in a dry mouth, sun exposure, overclosure of the mouth, smoking, and minor trauma. Allergies may include to substances like toothpaste, makeup, and food. Often a number of factors are involved. Other factors may include poor nutrition or poor immune function. Diagnosis may be helped by testing for infections and patch testing for allergies.
Treatment for angular cheilitis is typically based on the underlying causes along with the use of a barrier cream. Frequently an antifungal and antibacterial cream is also tried. Angular cheilitis is a fairly common problem, with estimates that it affects 0.7% of the population. It occurs most often in the 30s to 60s, although is also relatively common in children. In the developing world, iron and vitamin deficiencies are a common cause.
Orofacial granulomatosis is enlargement of lips due to the formation of non-caseating granulomatous inflammation, which obstruct lymphatic drainage of the orofacial soft tissues, causing lymphedema. Essentially, granulomatous cheilitis refers to the lip swelling that accompanies this condition. "Median cheilitis" may be seen, which is fissuring in the midline of the lips due to the enlargement of the lips. Angular cheilitis may also be associated with orofacial granulomatosis.
A related condition is Melkersson–Rosenthal syndrome, a triad of facial palsy, chronic lip edema, and fissured tongue. "Miescher’s cheilitis", and "granulomatous macrocheilitis", are synonyms of granulomatous cheilitis.
Chapped lips (also cheilitis simplex or common cheilitis) are characterized by cracking, fissuring, and peeling of the skin of the lips, and are one of the most common types of cheilitis. While both lips may be affected, the lower lip is the most common site. There may also be burning or the formation of large, painful cracks when the lips are stretched. If chronic, cheilitis simplex can progress to crusting and bleeding.
Lip licking, biting, or rubbing habits are frequently involved. Paradoxically, constant licking of the lips causes drying and irritation, and eventually the mucosa splits or cracks. The lips have a greater tendency to dry out in cold, dry weather. Digestive enzymes present in saliva may also irritate the lips, and the evaporation of the water in saliva saps moisture from them.
Some children have a habit of sucking and chewing on the lower lip, producing a combination of cheilitis and sharply demarcated perioral erythema (redness).
Treatment is usually successful with barrier lubricants, such as lip salve or Vaseline. Medical grade (USP) lanolin accelerates repair of the lips, and is used in some lip repair products.
Sometimes the term "cheilitis simplex" is used as a synonym for cheilitis generally, however, exfoliative cheilitis (discussed later) is also sometimes stated to be the equivalent of chapped lips.
Symptoms include: Short duration pain on biting, sensitivity to temperature change. Fracture lines may be visibly evident. Transillumination may reveal unseen fractures. Radiographic changes such as radiolucencies in the region of the fracture may be seen.
Vertical root fracture can be a difficult diagnosis to make where the fracture line is not evident.
Use of cone-beam computerized tomography has been described.
Hypogeusia is a reduced ability to taste things (to taste sweet, sour, bitter, or salty substances). The complete lack of taste is referred to as ageusia.
Causes of hypogeusia include the chemotherapy drug bleomycin, an antitumor antibiotic as well as zinc deficiency.
It is characterized by nodular thickening of the tunica muscularis of the narrow (isthmic) portion of the Fallopian tube. In severe cases, it leads to complete obliteration of the tubal lumen. It is uncommonly bilateral.
SIN is associated with infertility and ectopic pregnancy, and may present as either.
Dysplastic nails are a cutaneous condition, and may be a subtle finding of ridging, flaking, or poor growth of the nails, or more diffuse with nearly complete loss of nails. This condition may be seen in a number of syndromes, including Dyskeratosis congenita and Nail–patella syndrome.
Characteristics are:
- A fibrous band instead of the fibula
- Short deformed leg
- Absence of the lateral part of the ankle joint (due to absence of the distal end of the fibula), and what is left is unstable; the foot has an equinovalgus deformity
- Possible absence of part of the foot requiring surgical intervention to bring the foot into normal function, or amputation.
- Possible absence of one or two toes on the foot
- Possible conjoined toes or metatarsals
Partial or total absence of fibula is among the most frequent limb anomalies. It is the most common long bone deficiency and is the most common skeletal deformity in the leg. It most often is unilateral (present only on one side). It may also present as bilateral (affecting both legs). Paraxial fibular hemimelia is the most common manifestation in which only the postaxial portion of the limb is affected. It is commonly seen as a complete terminal deficiency, where the lateral rays of the foot are also affected. Hemimelia can also be intercalary in which case the foot remains unaffected. Although the missing bone is easily identified, this condition is not simply a missing bone. Males are affected twice as often as females in most series.
Cryptophthalmos is a rare congenital anomaly in which the skin is continuous over the eyeball with absence of eyelids. It is classified into three types: complete, incomplete and abortive. Failure of eyelid separation can be associated with maldevelopment of the underlying cornea and microphthalmia. Cryptophthalmos usually occurs on both sides and occurs in association with other multiple malformations collectively referred to as Fraser syndrome.
Fibular hemimelia or longitudinal fibular deficiency is "the congenital absence of the fibula and it is the most common congenital absence of long bone of the extremities." It is the shortening of the fibula at birth, or the complete lack thereof. In humans, the disorder can be noted by ultrasound in utero to prepare for amputation after birth or complex bone lengthening surgery. The amputation usually takes place at six months with removal of portions of the legs to prepare them for prosthetic use. The other treatments which include repeated corrective osteotomies and leg-lengthening surgery (Ilizarov apparatus) are costly and associated with residual deformity.
The severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is a severe immunodeficiency genetic disorder that is characterized by the complete inability of the adaptive immune system to mount, coordinate, and sustain an appropriate immune response, usually due to absent or atypical T and B lymphocytes. In humans, SCID is colloquially known as "bubble boy" disease, as victims may require complete clinical isolation to prevent lethal infection from environmental microbes.
Several forms of SCID occur in animal species. Not all forms of SCID have the same cause; different genes and modes of inheritance have been implicated in different species.
PRS symptoms have common characteristics with many other psychiatric disorders. However, none of the present DSM diagnoses can account for the full scope of symptoms seen in PRS, and refusal to eat, weight loss, social withdrawal and school refusal can be considered as the main distinctive features. Any system may be involved, however some more commonly engaged than others.
Gastrointestinal:
- recurring pain
- nausea
- loss of appetite
Neurological:
- headache
- seizure
- motor dysfunction
- sensory dysfunction
- fatigue
- altered consciousness
Musculoskeletal:
- joint pains
- muscle weakness
Gastric atresia is the complete occlusion of the pyloric outlet of the stomach and is an extremely rare event.
DIOS is sometimes classified by the degree of obstruction as incomplete or complete DIOS.
Lobar pneumonia is a form of pneumonia that affects a large and continuous area of the lobe of a lung.
It is one of the two anatomic classifications of pneumonia (the other being bronchopneumonia).
Signs and symptoms of DIOS include a sudden onset of crampy abdominal pain, vomiting, and a palpable mass (often in the right lower quadrant) in the abdomen. The characteristic abdominal pain is typically located in the center or right lower quadrant of the abdomen. X-rays of the abdomen may reveal stool in the colon and air-fluid levels in the small intestines.
Pervasive refusal syndrome (PRS), now referred to as pervasive arousal withdrawal syndrome (PAWS), is a rare but serious child psychiatric disorder that was first described by Bryan Lask and colleagues in 1991. As of 2011, it is not included in the standard psychiatric classification systems. PRS is the name allotted to a disorder in which children have abandoned their involvement in all phases of their life. It's characterized by refusal to eat, drink, talk, walk or self-care, and a firm resistance to treatment. PRS is very rare and its cause is unclear, but its severity makes it life-threatening. The disorder usually begins with a 'virus', or the child having a 'pain', that results in the need for consulting a doctor or going to the hospital, even though no substantial cause can be found. PRS starts slowly, but the child then worsens quickly becoming reluctant or not capable to do anything for themselves. They originally refuse to accept others caring for them, or helping them eat, and are very depressed and distraught. It is not guaranteed that recovery will take place, and it is a lengthy and complex process, involving specialist medical care. Nevertheless, once the patient is healthy, relapse is very infrequent.
A family with a psychiatric history or environmental stress factors can also play a role. Hospitalization is almost always necessary and the recovery period is lengthy; typically 12.8 months. During the recovery period symptoms disappear in the opposite order they appear. About 67% of the cases show complete recovery.
PRS may be linked to learned helplessness, and so it can be important for the patient to be able to manage the rate of their recovery. Music therapy may help in this regard as it provides empowerment by giving the patient choice and control, while allowing for improvisation can result in a sense of affirmation and validation; all important for a successful recovery.
Lobar pneumonia usually has an acute progression.
Classically, the disease has four stages:
- Congestion in the first 24 hours: This stage is characterized histologically by vascular engorgement, intra-alveolar fluid, small numbers of neutrophils, often numerous bacteria. Grossly, the lung is heavy and hyperemic
- Red hepatization or consolidation: Vascular congestion persists, with extravasation of red cells into alveolar spaces, along with increased numbers of neutrophils and fibrin. The filling of airspaces by the exudate leads to a gross appearance of solidification, or consolidation, of the alveolar parenchyma. This appearance has been likened to that of the liver, hence the term "hepatization".
- Grey hepatization: Red cells disintegrate, with persistence of the neutrophils and fibrin. The alveoli still appear consolidated, but grossly the color is paler and the cut surface is drier.
- Resolution (complete recovery): The exudate is digested by enzymatic activity, and cleared by macrophages or by cough mechanism. Enzymes produced by neutrophils will liquify exudates, and this will either be coughed up in sputum or be drained via lymph.
Neurotmesis (in Greek tmesis signifies "to cut") is part of Seddon's classification scheme used to classify nerve damage. It is the most serious nerve injury in the scheme. In this type of injury, both the nerve and the nerve sheath are disrupted. While partial recovery may occur, complete recovery is impossible.
Prenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis (fluid-filled kidneys) suggest post-natal follow-up examination.
The strongest neo-natal presentation is urinary tract infection. A hydronephrotic kidney may present as a palpable abdominal mass in the newborn, and may suggest an ectopic ureter or ureterocele.
In older children, ureteral duplication may present as:
- Urinary tract infection - most commonly due to vesicoureteral reflux (flow of urine from the bladder into the ureter, rather than vice versa).
- Urinary incontinence in females occurs in cases of ectopic ureter entering the vagina, urethra or vestibule.