Periodontal disease and systemic disease

Periodontal diseases are now recognized as bacterial infections among the chronic diseases of humans. The influence of the oral environment on systemic health, especially the periodontium, has long been supported by scientific evidence. However, an evidence base for the influence of periodontal disease on vital organs such as heart, lung has only recently begun to be established. We are hopeful that this information will stimulate new collaborations between physicians and dentist and serve as basis for studies to help improve the total health.     

Lung disease in Niemann-Pick disease

BACKGROUND: Lung involvement in children with Niemann-Pick disease has rarely been studied systematically. OBJECTIVE: To assess the involvement of the lung and the value of bronchoalveolar lavage in children with Niemann-Pick diseases. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of patient records. PATIENTS: Thirteen patients, with type A (n = 1), type B (n = 10), and type C (n = 2) Niemann-Pick disease, aged 2 months to 9 years at diagnosis, were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Lung involvement was assessed by clinical evaluation, chest radiograph, lung computed tomography (CT) scan, pulmonary function tests, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis. RESULTS: Respiratory symptoms were present at diagnosis in 10 patients and developed during follow up in the three other patients. All patients showed signs of interstitial lung disease on chest X-ray and lung CT scan. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis (n = 7) revealed a marked accumulation of foamy macrophages (Niemann-Pick cells) in all patients. At follow up, one patient died of respiratory failure, five patients required long term oxygen therapy and seven other patients presented a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 6) or chronic cough (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Lung disease was observed in all the patients included in the present study. Bronchoalveolar lavage may be useful in Niemann-Pick diseases by showing the presence of characteristic Niemann-Pick cells.     

Buerger's disease and coronary disease

The authors report the case of a 33 year old man with distal occlusive arterial disease diagnosed as Buerger's disease, with two previous transient ischaemic attacks and coronary disease resulting in myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography showed narrowing of the second segment of the left anterior descending artery, occluded distally and not suitable for revascularisation. The observation of coronary artery disease is very rare in Buerger's disease and data of coronary angiography are very sparse in this context. The occurrence of myocardial infarction and the angiographic appearances of the left anterior descending artery raise the question of coronary involvement of Buerger's disease.     

Hepatobiliary disease in inflammatory bowel disease

Many hepatobiliary diseases are seen in IBD. PSC is the most common, occurring in 7.5% of patients with UC. The cause of PSC is not well understood, but PSC seems to be associated with genetic susceptibility, sharing some immunologic abnormalities with UC. A characteristic cholangiogram in a patient with abnormal liver function tests usually establishes the diagnosis. Liver biopsy is not essential but can help make the diagnosis of small duct PSC in patients with a normal cholangiogram. There are no medications that treat PSC effectively. Endoscopic dilation of dominant strictures reduces the frequency of cholangitis and may improve survival. OLT remains the only proven treatment of advanced PSC. Cholangiocarcinoma is a feared complication of PSC that is difficult to diagnose. Cholelithiasis, PBC, portal vein thrombosis, and hepatic abscess are hepatobiliary disorders that occur less frequently in IBD patients.     

Assessing disease activity and disease activity indices for inflammatory bowel disease

A crucial step in the development of clinical trials to determine the efficacy of various therapies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been the creation of activity indices. This article reviews the major components and operating characteristics of clinical activity indices commonly used in randomized, controlled trials of IBD therapy. In addition, the paper provides a brief overview of the developmental requirements for any new index.     

Joint disease in inflammatory bowel disease

The joint disorders taxonomically included in the group of seronegative spondyloarthropathies under the generic name of enteropathic arthropathy represent the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), affecting 33% of patients. Their frequency is similar to that of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Enteropathic arthropathy consists of two main joint alterations, peripheral and axial arthritis, as well as a variable group of other peri-articular disorders. Type 1, or pauciarticular, peripheral arthritis generally coincides with IBD exacerbations, while type 2, or polyarticular, peripheral arthritis follows an independent course from IBD. Axial involvement precedes and follows an independent course from IBD and can behave as ankylosing spondylitis or asymptomatic sacroiliitis. The treatment of these rheumatologic disorders is based on the application of general measures and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents; intraarticular corticosteroid administration may eventually become necessary. Sulphasalazine and/or infliximab, which are indicated when the previously mentioned measures fail, can be used to treat both the articular and intestinal diseases simultaneously.     

冠状动脉硬化性心脏病和老年性痴呆

弄清冠状动脉硬化性心脏病是否与老年性痴呆有关联,有助于老年性痴呆的防治。我们从共同的危险因素载脂蛋白E4基因型以及二者的临床、病理的相关性方面,综述了冠状动脉硬化性心脏病与老年性痴呆的关系。其机制有待进一步研究。     

Borna病病毒及Borna病

20 0多年前 ,Ｂｏｒｎａ病 (ＢｏｒｎａｄｉｓｅａｓｅＢＤ)首先被描述为发生在德国东南部的一种马致死性神经疾病。 1885年 ,该病在德国Ｓａｘｏｎｙ州的Ｂｏｒｎａ镇周围流行而导致大批的马匹死亡 ,因而本病即以该镇命名〔1〕。研究表明 ,该病是一种以行为异常、脑实质和脑膜     

Adult-onset Still's disease preceding Crohn's disease

Concomitant diagnosis of Crohn's disease and juvenile or adult-onset idiopathic arthritis is rare. It is possible that both conditions share some genetic or immunological defects although sufficient data are lacking.We describe herein the first case of a patient with adult-onset Still's disease who was diagnosed on follow up with concomitant Crohn's disease.A 38-year-old man diagnosed with adult onset Still's disease from the age of 24 was admitted in our hospital because of bloody diarrhea. On admission physical examination was unremarkable and all routine laboratory tests were normal except of Hg at 11.3 gr/dl, erythrocyte sedimentation rate at 27 mm/h and C-reactive protein at 14 mg/dl.Ileocolonoscopy revealed small aphthoid ulcers in the terminal ileum and capsule endoscopy revealed the source of bleeding and small aphthoid ulcers starting from the distal jejunum up to the terminal ileum. Terminal ileum biopsies were diagnostic of Crohn's disease and patient had started on therapy with mesalamine 2 gr/day and azathioprine 2 mg/kg and is currently on multidisciplinary follow up.We review all literature on co-existence of Crohn's disease with chronic idiopathic arthritis and we discuss the possible difficulties in diagnosis and therapy of those patients also in the view of the new biological agents.     

Gastroesophageal reflux disease and extraesophageal disease

The patient with extraesophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease presents a clinical challenge. Symptom presentation overlaps with other otolaryngologic and pulmonary disease, and heartburn might be infrequent or absent. Endoscopy and pH monitoring are insensitive and therefore not useful in many patients as diagnostic modalities. Thus, antisecretory therapy is used as both a diagnostic trial and as therapy in the majority. Attention to optimizing therapy and judicious use of endoscopy and reflux monitoring are needed to minimize cost and maximize success.     

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and respiratory disease

Abstract An epidemiological survey showed that respiratory symptoms with gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER) were twice as high as those without GER symptoms. In 46 cases of unknown chronic cough or asthma, 67% had positive oesophageal pH monitoring. Of 34 patients with snoring and reflux symptoms, 16 (47.1%) were confirmed as positive for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and GER. Anti-reflux therapy significantly improved both GER and OSA.     

Cardiovascular disease and subsequent kidney disease

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, it is uncertain if CVD is a risk factor for progression or development of kidney disease. METHODS: Individual patient data were pooled from 2 longitudinal, community-based, limited-access studies, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study. Baseline CVD was defined by stroke, angina, claudication, transient ischemic attack, coronary angioplasty or bypass, and recognized or silent myocardial infarction. Study outcomes included kidney function decline, defined by an increase in serum creatinine level of at least 0.4 mg/dL (>or=35.4 micromol/L), and development of kidney disease, defined by an increase in serum creatinine level of at least 0.4 mg/dL (>or=35.4 micromol/L) in which the baseline serum creatinine level was less than 1.4 mg/dL (<123.8 micromol/L) in men and less than 1.2 mg/dL (<106.1 micromol/L) in women and the final serum creatinine levels exceeded these levels. Secondarily, kidney function decline was defined by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) reduction of at least 15 mL/min per 1.73 m(2), and development of kidney disease was defined by an eGFR reduction of at least 15 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) in which the baseline eGFR was at least 60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) and the final eGFR was below these levels. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between CVD and outcomes. RESULTS: Among 13 826 individuals, the mean +/- SD baseline serum creatinine level was 0.9 +/- 0.2 mg/dL (79.6 +/- 17.7 micromol/L), and the mean +/- SD baseline eGFR was 89.8 +/- 20.1 mL/min per 1.73 m(2). In serum creatinine level-based models, 520 individuals (3.8%) experienced kidney function decline, and 314 individuals (2.3%) developed kidney disease during a mean +/- SD of 9.3 +/- 0.9 years of follow-up. Baseline CVD, present in 1787 individuals (12.9%), was associated with an increased risk of all outcomes (odds ratio, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.36-2.13), an odds ratio of 1.75 (95% confidence interval, 1.32-2.32) for serum creatinine level, and odds ratios of 1.28 (95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.45) and 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.26-1.89) for eGFR for kidney function decline and development of kidney disease, respectively. CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular disease is independently associated with kidney function decline and with the development of kidney disease.     

Coeliac disease and autoimmune thyroid disease.

A well defined cohort of coeliac patients was studied prospectively to assess the prevalence of coexisting thyroid disease and positive thyroid autoantibodies. Comparison with epidemiological data on the prevalence of coeliac disease in a neighbouring area suggested that few adult coeliac patients had been missed. Overall, 14% of the coeliac patients had thyroid disease: 10.3% were hypothyroid and 3.7% hyperthyroid, both significantly more than expected. There were significantly more coeliac disease patients with thyroid autoantibodies than expected--11% had thyroglobulin antibodies and 15% had thyroid microsomal antibodies. This association is clinically important. Three patients are described in whom the coexistence of coeliac disease and hypothyroidism led to diagnostic difficulties and delay of treatment.     

Metabolic bone disease in inflammatory bowel disease

Osteoporosis is associated with a high morbidity rate and is a risk factor for fractures. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at increased risk of developing osteopenia and osteoporosis. Corticosteroid use, malnutrition, and proinflammatory cytokines are unique risk factors for bone loss in ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. Bone mineral density is assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and reported as a T score or number of standard deviations away from the mean. A T score < 1 SD below the mean is normal, 1 to 2.5 SD below the mean is consistent with osteopenia, and greater than 2.5 SD below the mean is defined as osteoporosis. Treatment includes a combination of basic preventative measures, for example, weight-bearing exercise, calcium, vitamin D, and pharmacologic agents, (e.g., bisphosphonates).