Effect of yogurt with Bifidobacterium DN-173 010 on salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in young adults

Probiotic bacteria are thought to reduce the risk of disease. Previous studies have suggested that lactobacilli-derived probiotics in dairy products may affect the oral ecology, but the effect of bifidobacteria has not previously been reported. The aim of the present study was to examine whether or not short-term consumption of yogurt containing bifidobacteria would affect the salivary levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in young adults. A double-blind, randomized crossover study was performed and 21 healthy subjects were followed over four periods. During periods 2 and 4 (2 weeks each), they ingested 200 g yogurt containing Bifidobacterium DN-173 010 once daily or a control yogurt without viable bacteria. Periods 1 and 3 were run-in and washout periods, respectively. Salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli were enumerated with chair-side kits. A statistically significant reduction (p <0.05) of salivary mutans streptococci was recorded after the probiotic yogurt consumption, which was in contrast to the controls. A similar trend was seen for lactobacilli, but this decrease failed to reach statistical significance. In conclusion, probiotic bifidobacteria in yogurt may reduce the levels of selected caries-associated microorganisms in saliva.     

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis

It is known that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas in comparison with the general population. Although increased risk of lymphoma is attributed to the disease activity, the drugs used in the therapy of RA may also cause increased risk of malignancy. Herein, we report on an RA patient who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after methotrexate therapy and review the literature about it. A 74-year-old man with RA had been treated with low-dose methotrexate and subsequently developed anaplastic large cell lymphoma of the T-cell phenotype. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma has been reported rarely in rheumatoid arthritis.     

Evaluation of interlobar and accessory pulmonary fissures on 64‐row MDCT

We aimed to describe the prevalence, morphology, and completeness of the oblique, horizontal, and accessory fissures on 64‐row multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scans. Three hundred and eighty‐seven patients were included in this study. The lungs were scanned from apex to diaphragm using 1‐mm collimation. Images were evaluated on a Philips workstation using the PACS system. Prevalence of the interlobar and accessory fissures and also incompleteness of the interlobar fissures was evaluated on axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. The frequencies of right oblique fissures, right horizontal fissures, and left oblique fissures were 99.7%, 94.8%, and 100%, and the percentage of incompleteness was 69.7%, 86.9%, and 48.3%, respectively. Accessory fissures were detected in 164 of the 387 patients (42.4%). Pulmonary fissures are well visualized on MDCT because of its capacity in evaluating the whole thorax with thin sections and at various planes. Fast‐image acquisition in MDCT also accounts for less motion artifacts and high‐image quality. Clin. Anat. 23:552–558, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Complete genome sequences and phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis delta viruses isolated from nine Turkish patients

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a subviral agent of hepatitis B virus (HBV), and its life cycle is dependent on HBV. It is commonly accepted that HDV has eight distinct genotypes. In this study, the complete nucleotide sequences of HDV genomes isolated from nine Turkish patients were obtained by RT-PCR using two pairs of primers that cover the entire HDV genome. PCR products were sequenced directly. The results showed that these 9 isolates were approximately 1680 base pairs in length and clustered in the genotype HDV-1 branch when phylogenetic analysis was done with the sequences together with the complete sequences of HDV genomes representing each genotype retrieved from GenBank. Analysis of a portion of the large hepatitis D antigen (L-HDAg) gene showed that sequence similarity among these Turkish isolates is between 87.4 and 97.1%, and the Turkish isolates have the most sequence similarity to HDV-1 (90.5%), while they have the least sequence similarity to HDV-3 (64.1%). Full-genome analysis indicates that the sequence similarity is between 80.7 and 95.4%, and the highest sequence similarity is 84.8% (between the Turkish isolates and HDV-1). The lowest sequence similarity is 56.4% (between the Turkish isolates and HDV-3). In conclusion, phylogenetic analysis shows that the Turkish HDV isolates belong to HDV-1.     

Detecting the Shape Differences of the Corpus Callosum in Behçet's Disease by Statistical Shape Analysis

The aim of this study was to assess the shape differences of the corpus callosum (CC) in patients with Behçet's disease using statistical shape analysis (SSA). Additionally, an attempt was made to investigate the changes in CC size according to disease duration. Twenty‐five adults with clinically diagnosed Behçet's disease and 25 age‐ and gender‐matched controls were examined by high‐resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging. The data obtained from the coordinate of landmarks were analyzed with Euclidean distance matrix analysis and a thin‐plate spline analysis. SSA and growth curve models were performed to investigate group differences and to fit the curves. A significant difference was determined between CC shape of Behçet patients and controls (P = 0.006). Based on the analysis, a decrease occurred in the CC size of the Behçet patients as the duration of disease increased. Maximum deformations were determined in the landmarks of interior notch of the splenium, inferior tip of the splenium, posterior‐most point of the CC, and topmost point of the CC. Similarly, the landmark of anterior‐most point of the CC was identified as having the minimum deformation. Behçet patients had significantly different CC shapes from control subjects. The results suggest that SSA is a promising tool for distinguishing Behçet patients from normal subjects, and that it can give useful information to assist clinicians. Additionally, SSA might be applied to detect shape differences in anatomical structures that are affected by a broad range of neurological diseases. Anat Rec, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.