Prevalence of clinical attachment loss in adolescents in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

BACKGROUND: Data on periodontal conditions in adolescents in the Dominican Republic are scarce. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to estimate the prevalence of periodontal attachment loss among Dominican adolescents. This study did not attempt to classify the disease into aggressive and chronic periodontitis. METHODS: A random sample of 2,007 Dominican adolescents was obtained. A probability, weighted sample was selected using a complex, multi-stage probability sampling design. The study was clustered in 26 schools and 106 classes. The study subjects were clinically examined under field conditions by a single calibrated examiner who measured gingival recession and probing depth at six sites per tooth, with subsequent calculation of clinical periodontal attachment level for each site. RESULTS: The prevalence of clinical attachment loss > or = 1 mm was 49.5%, with the prevalence ranging between 48.7% and 50.2%, depending on age and gender. Clinical attachment loss > or = 2 mm was found in 15% of the students and attachment loss > or = 3 mm in 4.0% of the students. Logistic regression model revealed that only age significantly increased the probability of having clinical attachment loss. CONCLUSION: We conclude that clinical attachment loss is common in adolescents in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, suggesting the necessity for improved standards of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these lesions.     

A trihomoabietane diterpenoid from Plectranthus grandidentatus and an unusual addition of acetone to the ortho-quinone system of cryptotanshinone

A new 9alpha-(2-oxopropyl)abietane derivative (1) has been isolated from an acetone extract of Plectranthus grandidentatus. Extraction of the plant material and analytical processes carried out in the absence of acetone also revealed the presence of 1 in the plant, thus suggesting that it is a natural product rather than an artifact. Attempts at obtaining Michael adducts between acetone and para-quinone abietane diterpenoids were unsuccessful, whereas treatment of the ortho-quinone cryptotanshinone (3) with acetone under basic conditions yielded compound 2. The structures of 1 and 2 were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic studies.     

Tamsulosin does not have greater efficacy than conventional treatment for distal ureteral stone expulsion in Mexican patients

The objective of the study was to evaluate tamsulosin (TAM) efficacy in distal ureteral stone expulsion in Mexican patients. A double-blind clinical trial was carried out for a period of 4 weeks on 65 patients assigned to the following treatment groups: Group A, 32 patients receiving conventional treatment + TAM; and Group B, 33 patients receiving conventional treatment + placebo. Patients of both groups were checked every 14 days to evaluate treatment adherence and clinical progression through plain abdominal film and abdominal ultrasonogram. There was no significant difference in stone expulsion percentage between groups: Group A 69% (n = 22) versus Group B 70% (n = 23), P = 0.9. There was no significant difference in mean expulsion time comparison between groups: Group A 22 ± 6.7 days (11–30 days interval) versus Group B 23 ± 6.3 days (11–30 days interval), P = 0.3. Tamsulosin did not demonstrate greater efficacy in distal ureteral stone expulsion in Mexican patients.     

Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism is associated with severe hypoxemia in pediatric ARDS

Purpose  

The D allele of the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of a 287-bp sequence in the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has been associated with an increased activity of this enzyme. Its role in susceptibility to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not been well defined. We hypothesized that ACE I/D genotype in pediatrics is associated with ARDS and plasma levels of angiotensin II.     

Lack of association between IL6 single nucleotide polymorphisms and cardiovascular disease in Spanish patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex polygenic inflammatory disease associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. IL-6 is a key mediator of inflammation in RA. A recent study showed an association between IL6-174 G/C gene polymorphism and cardiovascular (CV) disease in UK individuals with RA. To confirm this association we assessed the influence of three IL6 gene polymorphisms in the risk of CV disease in a large series of patients with RA.

Material and methods

We studied 1250 Spanish patients with RA. Besides genotyping the traditional single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) promoter -174G/C (rs1800795), we assessed another two SNPs (rs2069827 and rs2069840) located in the IL6 gene that were selected by SNP-tagging.

Results

Two-hundred and twenty (17.6%) of the 1250 patients experienced CV events. No significant differences in the genotype, allele and haplotype frequencies between RA patients with and without CV events were observed.

Conclusion

Our results do not confirm in a Spanish population the association of IL6 gene with CV disease in RA previously reported in the UK.     

High-Flow therapy via nasal cannula in acute heart failure

Various oxygenization methods are used in the treatment of respiratory failure in acute heart failure. Occasionally, after patients are stabilized by these ventilation methods, some maintain a degree of dyspnea or hypoxemia which does not improve and is unrelated to deterioration in the functional class or the need to optimize pharmacological treatment. High-flow oxygen systems administered via nasal cannula that are connected to heated humidifiers (HFT) are a good alternative for oxygenation, given that they are easy to use and have few complications. We studied a series of 5 patients with acute heart failure due to acute pulmonary edema with stable dyspnea or hypoxemia following noninvasive ventilation. All the patients were successfully treated with HFT, showing clinical and gasometric improvement and no complications or technical failures. We report our experience and discuss different aspects related to this oxygenation system.Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org     

Mild hypothermia attenuates lung edema and plasma interleukin-1β in a rat mechanical ventilation-induced lung injury model

Recent data suggest that deep hypothermia has protective effects on experimental induced lung injury. It is not well known if these effects persist with mild hypothermia. The authors hypothesized that mild hypothermia may attenuate lung injury and decrease local and systemic proinflammatory cytokines in a rat model of injurious mechanical ventilation (MV). Twelve Sprague-Dawley male adult rats were anesthetized, intubated, and randomly allocated to normothermia group (37°C) (NT) or mild hypothermia group (34°C) (MH). After 2 hours of deleterious MV (peak inspiratory pressure [PIP] 40 cm H(2)O, zero end-expiratory pressure [ZEEP], and inspiratory fraction of oxygen [Fio(2)] 100%), arterial blood gases, lung gravimetry, and histological study were obtained. Protein content, interleukin (IL)-1β, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Subjects that underwent MH had a significant lower wet-to-dry lung weight ratio (8.32 ± 0.28 vs. 10.8 ± 0.49, P = .01), IL-1β plasma concentration (0.6 ± 0.6 vs. 10.27 ± 2.80 pg/mL, P = .0048) and PaCO(2). There were no differences in terms of PaO(2), histological injury, or BAL protein content. In this model of injurious mechanical ventilation, subjects treated with mild hypothermia had less lung edema and lower plasma IL-1β. Some of known beneficial effects of deep hypothermia can be obtained with mild hypothermia.     

Evaluation of kidney injury biomarkers in rat amniotic fluid after gestational exposure to cadmium

Cadmium is a well‐characterized nephrotoxic agent that is also capable of accumulating and diffusing across the placenta; however, only a few studies have addressed its effects over fetal kidneys and none of them has used a panel of sensitive and specific biomarkers for the detection of kidney injury. The goal of this study was to determine cadmium renal effects in rat fetuses by the quantification of early kidney injury biomarkers. Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed by inhalation to an isotonic saline solution or to CdCl₂ solution (D_Del=1.48 mg Cd kg^?1 day^?1) during gestational days (GD) 8–20. On GD 21, dams were euthanized and samples obtained. Kidney injury biomarkers were quantified in amniotic fluid samples and fetal kidneys were microscopically evaluated to search for histological alterations. Our results showed that cadmium exposure significantly raised albumin, osteopontin, vascular endothelial growth factor and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases‐1 levels in amniotic fluid, whereas it decreased creatinine. Clusterin, calbindin and IFN‐inducible protein 10 did not show any change. Accordingly, histological findings showed tubular damage and precipitations in the renal pelvis. In conclusion, gestational exposure to cadmium induces structural alterations in fetal renal tissue that can be detected by some kidney injury biomarkers in amniotic fluid samples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.