Cellular immunity and hypersensitivity as components of periodontal destruction

BACKGROUND: Cellular immunity has been implicated in periodontal destruction for over 25 years. Studies in the 1970s used lymphocyte transformation and lympho-kine assays to establish a role for cell-mediated mechanisms in periodontal disease. lmmunohistological studies subsequently showed that the formation of gingivitis followed a similar pattern to the formation of a delayed type hypersensitivity reaction. Further functional studies suggested that a T cell/macrophage immunoregulatory imbalance may exist locally in the periodontitis lesion and that this imbalance may be antigen specific. RECENT EVIDENCE: More recently, T cell subsets have been dichotomised on the basis of their cytokine profiles. In general, Thl cells produce IL-2 and IFN-gamma while Th2 cells produce IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6. The major function of Th l cells is to mediate delayed type hypersensitivity. In contrast the major function of Th2 cells is to provide B cell help.
HYPOTHESIS: A model for periodontal disease has now been developed based on this functional dichotomy which provides a framework for the study of cytokine profiles in periodontal disease. Early studies in this context have demonstrated a higher proportion of IL-4 producing cells in periodontitis tissues suggesting a role for Th2 cells in the progressive lesion. Clonal studies have shown that the selection of a particular cytokine profile is not antigen dependent and that differences may be due to the host susceptibility although this remains to be determined.
CONCLUSION: These emerging data clearly establish a role for cell-mediated mechanisms in the control of periodontal destruction and raise the possibility that in the future cytokine therapy for the treatment of periodontal disease in susceptible subjects may become a viable option.     

大学生静态平衡能力与运动及性别的关系:定量对比分析

目的:采用定量分析方法比较体育与非体育专业大学生静态平衡能力,分析运动及性别对大学生静态平衡功能的影响。方法:于2007-01/03选取首都体育学院在校大学生共78名为受试对象,其中体育(武术)专业学生40名,非体育(康复)专业学生38名。所有选取对象了解试验目的,并同意参与本实验。采用意大利PosturalEqua平静分析系统,对实验对象分别在睁眼60s、闭眼60s两种状态下测试其静态平衡的各项指标,包括压力中心,线形图总长度,最大摆幅,线形图面积,LFS指数,压力分布,稳定性图及隆伯格值。结果:78名为受试对象均进入结果分析。①两专业学生压力中心X轴短于Y轴、压力分布前(%)高于后(%)(P<0.01)。②在闭眼状态下,体育专业男大学生在指标LFS指数和额状面上大于非体育专业(P<0.05)。③非体育业大学生在睁眼状态下,Y值女性小于男性,额状面值女性大于男性。男、女生睁闭眼差值进行比较时,女性在线形图总长度、额状面和LFT指数均大于男性(P<0.01),而线形图面积小于男性(P<0.05)。④体育专业大学生在睁眼状态下,指标参数Y值女性小于男性,额状面值女性大于男性;闭眼状态下,指标参数Y值女性小于男性,额状面值和LFS值女性大于男性。男、女生睁闭眼差值比较,女性在线形图总长度、额状面和LFT指数均大于男性(P<0.05,P<0.01),而线形图面积小于男性(P<0.05)。结论:①运动训练对大学生静态平衡影响不大,但对男性大学生的某些平衡指标却有显著影响。②性别对大学生的静态平衡均产生影响,表现为男性平衡的微控制能力优于女性。     

Donor screening for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen and hepatitis B virus infection in transfusion recipients

BACKGROUND: Testing for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) as a surrogate for hepatitis C viremia is no longer needed for blood donor screening. Currently, the important question is how much its use supplements hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) donor screening in preventing transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: In a study conducted in the 1970s, 64 blood donors were associated with 15 cases of HBV (1.0%) in 1533 transfusion recipients. Sera from 61 donors at donation and 29 follow-up visits were available for present-day assays for HBsAg, HBV DNA, anti-HBc, and antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs). RESULTS: HBsAg was found in four previously negative blood donors; HBV DNA was limited to three of these four. Anti-HBc was detected in six HBsAg-negative donors. Two other donors were negative in all assays at donation, but positive for anti- HBc and anti-HBs 2 to 4 months later. The remaining donors were negative for all HBV markers, which left five recipient cases unexplained. No HBV transmission was observed when anti-HBs sample-to- negative control values were > or = 10. CONCLUSION: Some 33 to 50 percent of cases of hepatitis B that could be transmitted by transfusion of blood from HBsAg-negative donors are prevented by anti- HBc screening. Anti-HBc-positive donors unequivocally positive for anti- HBs should be considered noninfectious for HBV and should be allowed to donate. Anti-HBc screening of paid plasmapheresis donors, supplemented by anti-HBs testing, would reduce the amount of HBV to be processed by virus inactivation and increase the content of anti-HBs in plasma pools.     

自体与异体移植重建膝关节前交叉韧带的关键技术

目的:探索膝关节前交叉韧带重建术的各个关键技术环节,为提高前交叉韧带修复的临床效果提供理论和实践依据。方法:通过分析与总结与前交叉韧带重建相关的文献资料,包括其手术方式、移植物的选择、骨道定位、髁间窝成形、移植物预张与张力、移植物固定等,同时结合作者的工作经验旨在进一步提高前交叉韧带重建技术。结果:①手术方式选择:膝关节镜下生物材料移植重建前交叉韧带取得比以往优良的临床效果,已得到广泛认可。多数采用单束重建,部分学者正在尝试双束重建以改善移植物生物力学性能。②移植材料的选择:包括自体和同种异体材料,其中自体骨-髌腱-骨与腘绳肌腱最为常用。骨-髌腱-骨由于两端带有骨块,固定牢靠,允许早期重返运动场,颇受年轻运动员青睐。腘绳肌腱取材切口小,术后很少出现膝前痛,但其稳定性不如骨-髌腱-骨,且术后相对容易出现骨隧道扩大。异体移植物在体内结合、重塑速度较自体移植慢,但若经过严格的供体筛选、合理的组织取材、消毒和保存,而不减弱移植物强度,仍可取得与自体移植相当的效果。③骨道位置:正确的骨道定位非常重要,骨道位置太靠前会造成髁间窝撞击和伸直受限。研究表明,术中采用骨性标志定位法要比采用软组织标志定位法准确,术中摄片有助于骨道位置的正确定位。④髁间窝成形术:髁间窝成形的目的是为了便于更清楚的观察髁间窝后侧,同时也是为了避免髁间窝撞击综合征的发生,由于髁间窝过度成形会增加关节出血、疼痛、肿胀以及骨赘生长,所以一般不主张广泛的髁间窝成形,除非术中确有必要时才进行。⑤移植物预张与张力:移植物初始张力不够会导致膝关节持续松弛,而张力过高会限制关节活动并加速关节退变。目前对于最佳的初始张力尚无确切说法。⑥固定:现在已经研制出许多不同类型的固定材料。对于骨-髌腱-骨而言,界面挤压螺钉单切口重建前交叉韧带时,股骨侧靠近关节腔侧固定,胫骨侧远离关节腔侧固定,双切口技术时胫骨侧靠近关节腔侧固定,股骨侧远离关节腔侧固定。股骨侧固定完毕后,膝关节取何角度对胫骨侧进行固定尚存争议。膝关节稍屈曲状态下固定不容易发生松弛,但正常的膝关节在前后方向上是允许有一定松弛度的。有些学者认为在膝关节完全伸直状态下固定可以避免屈曲挛缩畸形的发生并允许前后方向有轻度松弛。而有些学者认为在膝关节稍微屈曲状态下固定会更紧。结论:要真正做到解剖、生物力学、生理功能全方位重建,前交叉韧带重建技术,仍需不断完善,分子生物学、基因工程和组织工程技术的发展以及计算机辅助机器人手术的开展会使前交叉韧带重建技术日臻完善。     

Value of determining carbohydrate-deficient transferrin isoforms in the diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether isoform separation of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is of value in the diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and is specific to ALD when compared with other liver diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During 1995 and 1996, 47 patients with ALD were evaluated with CDT at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The diagnosis of ALD was based on biochemical and histological analyses and on a history of drinking that exceeded 5 years with an average alcohol intake of more than 60 g/d. Disease controls included nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (n = 26) and other liver disease (n = 22). Normal controls (n = 21) were healthy individuals without liver disease. Transferrin isoforms were quantified by densitometry of Coomassie-stained transferrins after affinity purification and isoelectric focusing. The pentasialo, tetrasialo, trisialo, disialo, monosialo, and asialo isoforms were quantified as percentages of total band densities. RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for each isoform. The curves for total desialated isoforms (sum of disialo, monosialo, and asialo) displayed the best relationship between sensitivity and specificity with an ROC-area under the curve (AUC) of 0.922. The ROC-AUC values for individual transferrin isoforms in ALD vs NASH for pentasialo, tetrasialo, trisialo, disialo, monosialo, and asialo were 0.806, 0.917, 0.885, 0.933, 0.804, and 0.785, respectively. Only 58% of patients with ALD were detected at a specificity that excluded ALD in 84% of those who did not have it. CONCLUSION: Within alcohol ingestion times reported to us, no associations with recent drinking were observed. Alcohol as a cause of liver disease is not perfectly established by CDT analysis, although a high total CDT value favors ALD over NASH.     

Surgery for cholangiocarcinoma: the role of liver transplantation

Liver transplantation alone for unresectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is fraught with frequent recurrence and poor long-term survival. The Mayo Clinic developed a novel therapeutic protocol combining neoadjuvant chemoradiation and orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in 1993 to treat patients with unresectable hilar CCA or CCA arising in the setting of PSC. Aim. We recently reviewed our experience over the past 14 years with the specific aim to evaluate the long-term outcomes of CCA patients treated according to our study protocol. Methods. We analyzed data from all patients enrolled in the Mayo Clinic liver transplant protocol since 1993. Statistical data analysis of recurrence and survival rates was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results. 148 patients were enrolled in the protocol. Of 90 patients who completed neoadjuvant therapy and subsequent OLT, 71 are alive and 19 have died – only 8 due to recurrent CCA. Nineteen patients are awaiting OLT and 39 were removed from the protocol owing to disease progression or death. Overall, 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival was 82%, 63%, and 55%, respectively; 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival after OLT was 90%, 80%, and 71%. Conclusions. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation and OLT achieves significantly lower recurrence and higher long-term survival rates than resection, OLT alone, or medical treatment in hilar CCA. Additional experience at independent transplant centers is necessary to confirm these encouraging results, address the role of neoadjuvant therapy and liver transplantation versus conventional resection, determine appropriate inclusion/exclusion criteria, and define the risk of disease progression while awaiting transplantation.