Exploring the effectiveness of a specialized therapy programme for burnout using subjective report and biomarkers of stress

The increasing prevalence of stress-related disorders such as burnout urges the need for specialized treatment approaches. Programmes combining psychotherapy and regenerative interventions emerge to be the most successful. However, evaluated therapy programmes are scarce and usually involve subjective symptom quantification without consideration of physiologic parameters. The aim of the present exploratory, single-group study was the multimodal investigation of the effectiveness of a specialized holistic therapy programme by assessing symptoms and biological markers of chronic stress. Seventy-one in-patients (39 men/32 women; age 46.8 ± 9.9 years) of a specialized burnout ward with the additional diagnosis of burnout (Z73.0) in conjunction with a main diagnosis of depressive disorder (F32 or F33) according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 were included in the study. In addition to symptomatology, the stress-responsive biomarkers heart rate variability (HRV) and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were measured in patients at admittance to and discharge from the burnout ward applying a 6-week specialized treatment programme. At discharge, patients showed a significant reduction of symptom burden and a significant increase in serum BDNF, while HRV remained unchanged. The findings implicate that the therapy programme may have beneficial effects on symptomatology and neuroplasticity of patients with burnout. As therapy was often supplemented by psychopharmacological treatment, a relevant influence of antidepressant medication especially on BDNF has to be considered.     

Frequency of supernumerary teeth and possibilities of treatment

According to dental literature, the frequency of supernumerary teeth is 1-3%. The authors analyzed the orthopantomograms of 1875 children and adolescents aged between 6 and 18 years to determine the frequency of supernumerary teeth at the Department of Dentistry for Children and Orthodontics. The frequency was found to be 1.92%. The sequence of frequency of supernumerary teeth was: mesiodens, lateral incisor, central incisor. 77.8% of the supernumerary teeth occurred in the maxilla, 97.2% in the frontal region. Besides the data found, two successful cases of surgical and orthodontic treatment are also presented.     

The inability of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus to form a biofilm in vitro on dentine pretreated with ozone

Background: The use of ozone therapy in the treatment of dental caries is equivocal. The aim of this study was to use an in vitro model to determine the effects of prior ozone application to dentine on biofilm formation and to measure any associated reduction in bacteria viability. Methods: Twenty dentine discs were bonded to the bases of 5 mL polycarbonate screw top vials. Ten dentine discs were infused with ozone for 40 seconds, 10 samples remained untreated as a control. The vials were filled with nutrient medium, sterilized and placed into the outflow from a continuous chemostat culture of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus for four weeks. At the conclusion of the experiment bacterial growth was monitored by taking optical density readings of the growth medium in each vial and the outer surface of the dentine specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy as shown by SEM analysis. Results: Ozone infusion prevented biofilm formation on all the treated samples while there was substantial biofilm present on the control specimens. While the average optical density of the control specimens was almost twice that of the ozone infused dentine (0.710 for the control with a SD of 0.288 and 0.446 for the ozonated samples with a SD of 0.371), the results were not significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This preliminary study has shown that the infusion of ozone into non‐carious dentine prevented biofilm formation in vitro from S. mutans and L. acidophilus over a four‐week period. The possibility exists that ozone treatment may alter the surface wettability of dentine through reaction with organic constituents.     

The spectrum of MR detectable cortical microinfarcts: a classification study with 7-tesla postmortem MRI and histopathology

Cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) are common neuropathologic findings in aging and dementia. We explored the spectrum of cortical CMIs that can be visualized with 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Thirty-three coronal brain slices of 11 individuals with neuropathologically confirmed dementia were subjected to a high-resolution postmortem 7T MRI protocol. First, we identified all visible small (⩽5 mm) intracortical and juxtacortical lesions on postmortem MRI. Lesions were classified as CMI or nonCMI based on histology, and their MR features were recorded. Thirty lesions were identified on the initial MRI evaluation, of which twenty-three could be matched with histology. Histopathology classified 12 lesions as CMIs, all of which were located intracortically. On the basis of their MR features, they could be classified as chronic gliotic CMIs—with or without cavitation or hemorrhagic components—and acute CMIs. Eleven MRI identified lesions were not of ischemic nature and most commonly enlarged or atypically shaped perivascular spaces. Their MRI features were similar to gliotic CMIs with or without cavitation, but these ‘CMI mimics'' were always located juxtacortically. 7T postmortem MRI distinguishes different histopathologic types of cortical CMIs, with distinctive MR characteristics. On the basis of our findings, we propose in vivo rating criteria for the detection of intracortical CMIs.     

Transmission of human T-lymphotropic virus type I by blood components from a donor lacking anti-p24: a case report. The Transfusion Safety Study Group

The present criteria for confirmation of human T-lymphotrophic virus types I and II (HTLV-I/II) infection in blood donors are based on seroreactivity to p24 (gag) and gp46 and/or gp61 (env) on Western blot (WB) and radioimmunoprecipitation assays (WB/RIPA). Any single band and other combinations are classified as indeterminate. This case report documents infection in a donor with a repeatedly indeterminate pattern. The blood donor was anti-HTLV-I/II positive on enzyme-linked immunoassay, and two sera taken 5 years apart were WB/RIPA-indeterminate (p19 and gp68 only). His donations in the interval were associated with transmission of HTLV-I to four of the six recipients available for study. Other recipients of blood from donors whose WB/RIPA results were indeterminate by present criteria should be examined to determine if additional patterns are at least occasionally associated with transmission. The likelihood that such donors are infected is important to those who are counseling them and making decisions concerning recipients of their bloody.     

血管紧张素原基因5’端启动子区A-20C和A-6G单核苷酸多态性与蒙古族人群原发性高血压的相关性

目的:分析血管紧张素原基因启动子区A-20C和A-6G单核苷酸多态性与蒙古族人群原发性高血压的相关性。方法:实验于2005-08/2006-01在北京华大实验室完成。选取对象均为生活在内蒙古乌拉特后旗的蒙古族牧民,三代血亲内无其他民族。采用基因测序技术对内蒙古蒙古族人群中107例原发性高血压患者和108例正常对照者进行A-20C和A-6G基因分型,观察高血压组和正常对照组不同基因型的分布和等位基因频率的差异。结果:①两组受试者在性别、年龄及吸烟、饮酒、体质量指数和临床化验检查指标有较好的匹配(P均>0.05)。②两组血管紧张素原基因A-20C位点AA,AC,CC基因型频率比较差异无显著性意义(高血压组分别为0.51,0.29,0.20;正常对照组分别为0.49,0.28,0.23,χ2=0.395,P=0.529)。A,C等位基因频率比较差异无显著性意义(高血压组分别为0.65,0.35;正常对照组分别为0.63,0.37,χ2=0.015,P=0.904)。③两组血管紧张素原基因A-6G位点AA,AG,GG基因型频率比较差异无显著性意义(高血压组分别为0.50,0.33,0.17;正常对照组分别为0.55,0.34,0.11,χ2=1.924,P=0.165)。A,G等位基因频率比较差异无显著性意义(高血压组分别为0.66,0.34;正常对照组分别为0.72,0.28,χ2=1.728,P=0.189)。④高血压组协同存在血管紧张素原基因A-20C基因型CC时,血管紧张素原基因A-6G基因型GG频率稍高于正常对照组,但差异无显著性意义(χ2=2.395,P=0.122,OR=7.52,95%CI0.014～1.250),高血压组G等位基因明显高于正常对照组(分别为0.37,0.22,χ2=4.658,P=0.034),携带该等位基因的蒙古族人群发生原发性高血压的相对危险度升高(OR=2.80,95%CI1.087～7.271)。结论:血管紧张素原基因A-20C和A-6G单核苷酸多态性与蒙古族人群原发性高血压相关,并可能具有协同作用。     

Specificity of cytotoxic effector cells directed against trinitrobenzene sulfonate-modified syngeneic cells. Failure to recognize cell surface- bound trinitrophenyl dextran

Mouse splenic lymphocytes and lymphoid tumor cells were modified with the trinitrophenyl (TNP) group either by treatment with trinitrobenzene sulfonate (TNBS) (which covalently modifies cell surface proteins) or with TNP stearoyl dextran (TSD) (which binds to the cell by noncovalent forces). These cell preparations were compared for their ability to: (a) sensitive syngeneic splenic lymphocytes leading to the generation of cytotoxic effector cells; (b) serve as lysable targets in a 4-h(51)Cr- release assay for effector cells generated in (a); and (c) act as blocking cells in the lysis of TNBS-medified targets lysed by TNP self effector cells generated in (a). In none of these three experimental systems did TSD-medified syngeneic spleen or H-2-matched tumor cells act either as a sensitizing immunogen or as a target antigen, despite the demonstration that quantitatively equivalent mounts of TNP were exposed on the cell surface in the TNBS- and TSD-modified cells. In contrast, TNBS-modified spleen cells sensitized syngeneic lymphocytes to generate effectors against TNBS-modified syageneic targets. Furthermore, TNBS- modified, H-2-matched cells served as specific lysable targets and as inhibiting cells for such effectors. These results indicate that the manner in which TNP is associated with the cell surface is important in the immunogenicity and antigenicity of hapten-modified syngeneic stimulating cells in generating H-2-associated cell-mediated lympholysis (CML) reactions. These findings raise the possibility that a covalent or at least a stable linkage with cell surface proteins (possibly H-2- controlled products) is important for immunological function. Furthermore, these observations do not favor the dual receptor model for H-2-restricted syngeneic CML if it is assumed in such a model that one receptor is specific for the TNP moiety and the second for unmodified self major histocompatibility products.