Periodontal treatment needs in populations under 20 years of age in Espoo, Finland and Chiangmai, Thailand

The aim of this study was to assess the periodontal treatment needs at under 20 yr of age in the affluent area of Espoo, Finland, offering comprehensive public dental health care, as compared to a less advantaged area in Chiangmai, Thailand. In Espoo, 50 girls and 50 boys were examined in each age group of 7, 12 and 17 yr. In Chiangmai equal numbers of girls and boys were examined to obtain a group of 89 subjects aged 18.5 + 0.6 yr. According to the Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs (CPITN) the need of scaling increased in Espoo from 6% of the 7-yr-olds to 39% of the 17-yr-olds. Moderate pocketing (4-5 mm) occurred in one subject at age 12 and in three subjects at age 17. In Chiangmai, deep pockets (6 mm and over) were recorded for 1%, moderate pockets for a total of 44%, and dental calculus as the highest treatment need indicator in the remaining 55%, indicating a need for professional treatment in 100% of the group examined. The mean number of sextants requiring scaling was 0.6 per person at age 17 in Espoo as compared to 4.5 at 18.5 yr of age in Chiangmai. Three or more healthy sextants per subject were recorded for 47% of the 17-yr-olds in Espoo and for only 6% of the 18.5-yr-olds in Chiangmai. It was concluded that already at young age vast differences occur between periodontal treatment needs in industrialized and developing countries.     

The levels of cockroach allergen in relation to cockroach species and allergic diseases in Thai patients

Recently, cockroaches have been established as the second most Important allergen, producing allergic diseases, especially in low socioeconomic populations. In Thailand, about 44-61% of atopic patients were positive to cockroach extract by a skin-prick test. This study examined cockroach allergen levels in relation to cockroach species and allergic diseases in the houses of cockroach-sensitive patients. Sixty households of allergic patients in the Bangkok metropolitan area were surveyed using open- and closed-ended questionnaires. Cockroaches were collected using commercial cockroach traps, while dust samples were obtained from the bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms of the houses using a vacuum cleaner. The cockroaches were counted and their species Identified. The levels of cockroach allergens were determined by specific monoclonal antibodies using a monoclonal antibody-polyclonal antibody based sandwich ELISA kit. Six cockroach species were Identified: Periplaneta americana (American cockroach, 72.15%), Supella longlpalpa (2.75%, found in only one house), Periplaneta brunnea (0.78%), Periplaneta australaslae (0.78%), Neostylopyga rhombifolla (0.78%), Blattella germanica (German cockroach, 0.39%) and nymphs (22.35%). Allergens of the predominant species, P. americana, were detectable in all homes studied, with the highest levels in the kitchen areas. The range of allergen levels in house dust varied from 0.40-162.00 microg per g of dust. The median and mean allergen levels in kitchen dust were 59.16 microg and 62.80 microg per g of dust, respectively, while the median allergen level in bedroom dust was only 15.90 microg per g of dust. The German cockroach allergen (Bla g 2) was undetectable in any of the houses. IN CONCLUSION: P. americana was the most common cockroach and may be the species causing allergic diseases, especially asthma, in Thailand, which differs from the USA and Europe     

A serine proteinase PmClipSP2 contributes to prophenoloxidase system and plays a protective role in shrimp defense by scavenging lipopolysaccharide

Serine proteinases (SPs) participate in various biological processes and play vital role in immunity. In this study, we investigated the function of PmClipSP2 from shrimp Penaeus monodon in defense against bacterial infection. PmClipSP2 was identified as a clip-domain SP and its mRNA increased in response to infection with Vibrio harveyi. PmClipSP2-knockdown shrimp displayed a significantly reduced phenoloxidase (PO) activity and increased susceptibility to V. harveyi infection. Injection of LPS and/or β-1,3-glucan induced a dose-dependent mortality and a significant decrease in the number of total hemocytes, with clear morphological changes in the hemocyte surface, of the PmClipSP2-knockdown shrimp. Recombinant PmClipSP2 was shown to bind to LPS and β-1,3-glucan and to activate PO activity. These results reveal that PmClipSP2 acts as a pattern-recognition protein, binding to microbial polysaccharides and likely activating the proPO system, whilst it may play an essential role in the hemocyte homeostasis by scavenging LPS and neutralizing its toxicity.     

The essential role of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in yellow head virus propagation in the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

Yellow head virus (YHV) is one of the most widespread viruses seriously affecting black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) cultivation. A previous microarray study demonstrated that clathrin coat assembly protein 17 (AP17) was significantly up-regulated after YHV infection (Pongsomboon et al., 2011). Clathrin coat AP17 is a part of the assembly protein σ2 (AP-2) complex which is involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed that the clathrin coat AP17 gene was up-regulated 3-fold at 12 h post YHV infection. In addition, immunofluorescence microscopy showed that clathrin coat AP17 was highly expressed in the cytoplasm of the YHV-infected hemocytes. Knockdown of the clathrin coat AP17 gene dramatically reduced YHV replicativity by 32-fold. Interestingly, shrimp pre-treated with chlorpromazine, a commercial drug that inhibits clathrin-dependent endocytosis, exhibited significantly low levels of YHV infection. Taken together, these results suggest that clathrin-mediated endocytosis is involved in YHV propagation in P. monodon.     

Comparative study of two automated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein methods in a large population

OBJECTIVES: Increased serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with future risk of coronary heart disease in apparently healthy individuals. Numerous high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) methods are available but their comparability in large populations has not been assessed. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of two CRP methods in a large Asian population. DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared the Tina-quant CRP immunoturbidimetric assay (Roche COBAS INTEGRA) to the N high-sensitivity latex-enhanced immunonephelometric (BN 100 nephelometer, Dade Behring) assay using 4118 serum samples from the International Collaborative Study on Atherosclerosis and Stroke in Asia (Inter ASIA). RESULTS: The median hs-CRP value for the N high-sensitivity CRP method (1.23 mg/L) was significantly lower than that for the Tina-quant method (1.50 mg/L), P < 0.001. The two methods were highly associated (r = 0.9916). Deming regression analysis gave a slope of 0.958 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.954-0.962] with an intercept of 0.280 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.268-0.292]. The mean of the method differences was 0.19 mg/L and the limits of agreement (LOA), which encompass 95% of results, were -0.36-0.74 mg/L. We found the percentages of low, average, and high-risk results were 42.9, 33.8, and 23.3 for the N high-sensitivity CRP and 33.2, 41.1, and 25.7 for the Tina-quant method. The percentage of samples concordant by both methods was 87.4%. The Tina-quant CRP classified more subjects into the high-risk group. CONCLUSIONS: The two hs-CRP methods were highly associated and are suitable for screening large populations.     

Efficacy of electrical stimulation in preventing or reducing subluxation of the shoulder after stroke: a meta-analysis

After stroke, up to 81% of individuals develop shoulder subluxation, a condition frequently associated with poor upper limb function. Recently, electrical stimulation has been applied to shoulder muscles to treat shoulder subluxation. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the efficacy of surface electrical stimulation for the prevention or reduction of shoulder subluxation after stroke. A meta-analysis of all eligible randomised or quasi-randomised trials of electrical stimulation for the treatment of shoulder subluxation identified by computerised and hand searches of the literature was carried out. The primary outcome measure of interest was subluxation. Seven (four early and three late) trials met the inclusion criteria. The mean PEDro score out of 10 for quality of the methods was 5.8 for the four early trials and 4.3 for the three late trials. Data were pooled when subluxation was measured in millimetres. Analysis found that, when added to conventional therapy, electrical stimulation prevented on average 6.5mm of shoulder subluxation (weighted mean difference, 95% CI 4.4 to 8.6) but only reduced it by 1.9mm (weighted mean difference, 95% CI -2.3 to 6.1) compared with conventional therapy alone. Therefore, evidence supports the use of electrical stimulation early after stroke for the prevention of, but not late after stroke for the reduction of, shoulder subluxation.