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 Gynaecologic Leiden Questionnaire: psychometric properties of a self-report questionnaire of sexual function and vaginal changes for gynaecological cancer patients

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the items concerning sexual functioning of the Gynaecologic Leiden Questionnaire (LQ), which consists of items for post operative morbidity for women with cancer. Methods: The total study sample consisted of 198 subjects: 66 patients treated for cervical cancer, 66 patients with sexual complaints and 66 subjects from the general population. Results: By means of factor analysis three subscales were derived: Female Sexual Complaints, Female Sexual Function and Female Orgasm. The reliability of the subscales appeared to be satisfactory. The scores on the three subscales differentiated well between the patients treated for cervical cancer, patients with sexual complaints and the subjects from the general population. Furthermore, the subscales were sensitive to changes within the patients treated for cervical cancer. The convergent and divergent construct validities of the LQ were investigated using other instruments measuring sexual functioning, sexual dissatisfaction, marital distress, general life distress and psychological distress. The LQ subscales were found to represent relatively independent constructs. Conclusion: The results support the reliability and psychometric validity of the LQ in the assessment of sexual functioning and vaginal changes in gynaecological cancer patients. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prognostic significance of low volume sentinel lymph node disease in early-stage cervical cancer

Objective

Evaluate prognostic significance of low volume disease detected in sentinel nodes (SN) of patients with early stages cervical cancer. Although pathologic ultrastaging of SN allows for identification of low volume disease, including micro-metastasis and isolated tumor cells (ITC), in up to 15% of cases, prognostic significance of these findings is unknown.

Methods

A total of 645 records from 8 centers were retrospectively reviewed. Enrolled in our study were patients with early-stage cervical cancer who had undergone surgical treatment including SN biopsy followed by pelvic lymphadenectomy and pathologic ultrastaging of SN.

Results

Macrometastasis, micrometastasis, and ITC were detected by SN ultrastaging in 14.7%, 10.1%, and 4.5% patients respectively. False negativity of SN ultrastaging reached 2.8%. The presence of ITC was not associated with significant risk, both for recurrence free survival and overall survival. Overall survival was significantly reduced in patients with macrometastasis and micrometastasis; hazard ratio for overall survival reached 6.85 (95% CI, 2.59-18.05) and 6.86 (95% CI, 2.09-22.61) respectively. Presence of micrometastasis was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in a multivariable model.

Conclusion

Presence of micrometastasis in SN in patients with early stage cervical cancer was associated with significant reduction of overall survival, which was equivalent to patients with macrometastasis. No prognostic significance was found for ITC. These data highlight the importance of SN biopsy and pathologic ultrastaging for the management of cervical cancer.     

Growth hormone therapy in pre-pubertal children with Noonan syndrome: first year growth response and comparison with Turner syndrome

We studied the growth-promoting effect of treatment with recombinant human growth hormone in 23 prepubertal children with Noonan syndrome, aged between 5. 4 and 14. 3 y, and all with a height < 1. 4 SD for Tanner standards. The growth response and skeletal maturation after 1 y of recombinant human growth hormone treatment (0. 15 U/kg/day given by daily injection) in the Noonan syndrome patients was compared with the auxological changes observed in a group of 17 girls with Turner syndrome with a comparable age and height deficit who were treated with recombinant human growth hormone in a similar way. During 1 y of treatment, the mean ± SD height velocity increased by 4. 0 ± 1. 6 cm/y in the Noonan syndrome group and by 3. 6 ± 1. 3 cm/y in the Turner syndrome group. Height SDS for chronological age in the Noonan syndrome group increased by 0. 53 ± 0. 46 ( p < 0. 001). In the Noonan syndrome patients the changes in height velocity were positively related to birthweight ( r = 0. 48, p < 0. 05). The changes in height velocity or height SDS were not related to the age, height deficit or a delay in bone age maturation at start of treatment. In neither the patients with Noonan syndrome nor Turner syndrome was an acceleration of bone maturation found. We conclude that treatment with recombinant human growth hormone in pre-pubertal NS patients induces an increase in height velocity and height SDS comparable to that observed in Turner syndrome girls.     

Glucocorticoid receptors in cord blood lymphocytes of healthy neonates and of preterms suffering from respiratory distress syndrome

We measured the number of glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in cord blood lymphocytes and the binding affinity (K_d) in 15 term and in 20 preterm babies. Thirteen preterms of the latter group received prenatal steroid treatment. Seven preterms developed neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS). The number of GR and the K_d were similar in the term and preterm (with and without NRDS) babies. The maximum thymidine incorporation into DNA of cord blood lymphocytes from all preterms, with or without NRDS was suppressed when compared to that from term babies or adults. This could partly be explained by the antenatal steroid treatment. Sensitivity (ID₅₀) of the lymphocytes for the inhibitory effect of dexamefhasone was the same in all groups. In this study on the number and function of GR in lymphocytes, we were unable to find a relation between the functionality of the GR and the development of NRDS.     

A possible autocrine role for interleukin-6 in two lymphoma cell lines

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a growth factor with diverse biologic activity. Originally described as a T-cell product that enhances immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion in antigen-stimulated B cells, it also affects the growth of T cells, plasmacytomas, hybridomas, and hematopoietic stem cells. We report the expression and secretion of IL-6 by two lymphoma cell lines, OCI-LY3 and OCI-LY12. Addition of recombinant IL-6 stimulated their growth, whereas addition of polyclonal anti- recombinant IL-6 (anti-rIL-6) had a marked inhibitory effect on proliferation. These results suggest an autocrine role for IL-6 in the growth of these lymphoma cells in culture.