Individual factors and physical work load in relation to sensory thresholds in a middle-aged general population sample

The aim of this study was to explore individual and occupational factors possibly related to sensory thresholds in 484 middle-aged men and women from the general population. Multivariate analyses were performed using a linear model including eight covariates (age, body height, skin temperature, smoking habits, musculoskeletal symptoms during the last week before examination, isometric muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and average physical work load during the last 15 years). Men and women were considered separately in all analyses. Major findings were as follows: pressure pain thresholds increased with muscle strength; cold perception thresholds on the foot improved with increasing skin temperature; vibration and warm perception thresholds on the foot increased with age and body height; pressure pain threshold on the leg was decreased and vibration threshold on the hand was increased in women with musculoskeletal symptoms; pressure pain thresholds were slightly increased in men reporting long-lasting high physical work load. Significant sex differences were found for the majority of sensory thresholds, that is higher thresholds in men. However, body height was found to be more important than gender for differences in vibration and warm perception thresholds on the foot. Electronic Publication     

Semi-conducting properties of titanium dioxide surfaces on titanium implants

The properties of the TiO₂ layer on titanium implant surfaces are decisive for good contact with the surrounding tissue. The oxide properties can be deliberately changed by for example chemical etching, ion incorporation or anodisation. In the present study impedance spectroscopy was used to study the semi-conducting properties of the naturally formed oxide for different pre-treatment of the surface. A turned surface was used as a reference and both physical (blasting) and chemical (hydrofluoric acid etching) treatments were investigated. Blasting of a titanium sample introduces defects in the metal surface and the study clearly shows that also the oxide layer contains defects leading to a higher number of charge carriers (increased conductivity) compared with the oxide on the turned surface. The hydrofluoric acid etching of the blasted surface results in an oxide film with even higher conductivity. Indication of the defect oxide structure for fluoride treated samples was also seen when analysing the TiO⁺/Ti⁺ ratio from ToF-SIMS data. The lowest value of this ratio was obtained for the HF etched sample, indicating a less stoichiometric oxide compared to the other surfaces. This is a result of incorporation of fluoride ions in the oxide, as proven by adsorption studies on a TiO₂ suspension. The results were treated in the context of surface complexation and two surface complexes were identified. Our results are discussed in relation to pull-out data on rabbit. The pull-out forces depend primarily on surface roughness but the contribution from the hydrofluoric acid etching might be explained by fluoride ion incorporation and the resulting increase in oxide conductivity.     

Flavonoids as Phospholipase A2 Inhibitors: Importance of Their Structure for Selective Inhibition of Group II Phospholipase A2

The inhibitory effect of the plant flavonoid, rutin, on group I phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂-I) from porcine pancreas and Naja naja, and on group II phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂-II) from Vipera russelli and Crotalus atrox was investigated. Rutin efficiently inhibited PLA₂-II from both Vipera russelli and Crotalus atrox but was only a weak inhibitor of PLA₂-I from porcine pancreas and Naja naja. The lack of strong inhibition of pancreatic PLA₂-I was not due to contaminating proteins in the enzyme preparation, since the same weak inhibition was obtained against pancreatic PLA₂ purified to homogeneity as judged by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Rutin also efficiently inhibited human PLA₂-II from synovial fluid but was only a weak inhibitor of human PLA₂-I from pancreatic juice, suggesting that rutin is a selective PLA₂-II inhibitor. A number of structurally similar flavonoids were tested for their ability to inhibit PLA₂-II from Crotalus atrox and, for comparison, PLA₂-I from porcine pancreas. The results obtained indicate that the hydroxyl group in 5-position as well as the double bond and the double-bonded oxygen in the oxane ring are all important for the overall ability of flavonoids to inhibit PLA₂ activity, and that the hydroxyl groups in 3- and 4-position are required for selective inhibition of PLA₂-II.     

Depressed adolescents in a case-series were low in vitamin D and depression was ameliorated by vitamin D supplementation

Aim: The relationship between depression in adolescents and vitamin D was studied in a case‐series that included effects of vitamin D supplementation. Methods: Serum 25OH vitamin D (25OHD) levels in 54 Swedish depressed adolescents were investigated. Subjects with vitamin D deficiency were given vitamin D₃ over 3 months (n = 48). To evaluate well‐being and symptoms related to depression and vitamin D status, the WHO‐5 well‐being scale, the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ‐S) and a vitamin D deficiency scale were used. Results: Mean serum 25OHD in the depressed adolescents was 41 at baseline and 91 nmol/L (p < 0.001) after supplementation. Basal 25OHD levels correlated positively with well‐being (p < 0.05). After vitamin D supplementation, well‐being increased (p < 0.001) and there was a significant improvement in eight of the nine items in the vitamin D deficiency scale: depressed feeling (p < 0.001), irritability (p < 0.05), tiredness (p < 0.001), mood swings (p < 0.01), sleep difficulties (p < 0.01), weakness (p < 0.01), ability to concentrate (p < 0.05) and pain (p < 0.05). There was a significant amelioration of depression according to the MFQ‐S (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study showed low levels of vitamin D in 54 depressed adolescents, positive correlation between vitamin D and well‐being, and improved symptoms related to depression and vitamin D deficiency after vitamin D supplementation.     

Costimulation blockade induces tolerance to HESC transplanted to the testis and induces regulatory T-cells to HESC transplanted into the heart

In order to study the ability of costimulation blockade to induce tolerance to human embryonic stem cells (HESC), severe combined immunodeficient (SCID), and immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice treated with costimulation blockade received intratesticular and intramyocardial HESC transplants. All SCID mice with intratesticular HESC transplants developed teratoma. When SCID mice were transplanted intramyocardially, only two of five mice developed teratoma-like tumors. C57BL/6 mice transplanted intratesticularly and treated with costimulation blockade all developed teratoma and were surrounded by CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T-cells, while isotype control treated recipients rejected their grafts. Most C57BL/6 mice transplanted intramyocardially and treated with costimulation blockade demonstrated lymphocytic infiltrates 1 month after transplantation, whereas one maintained its graft. Isolation of regulatory T-cells from intramyocardial transplanted recipients treated with costimulation blockade demonstrated specificity toward undifferentiated HESC and down-regulated naive T-cell activation toward HESC. These results demonstrate that costimulation blockade is sufficiently robust to induce tolerance to HESC in the immune-privileged environment of the testis. HESC specific regulatory T-cells developed to HESC transplanted to the heart and the success of transplantation was similar to that seen in SCID mice.     

Aluminum concentration in deciduous teeth is dependent on tooth type and dental status

Aluminum (Al) concentration was assessed in deciduous teeth in relation to sex, year of birth, tooth type, and the presence of caries and roots. Three hundred and twenty-three deciduous teeth from children born during the period 1952-93 in a county in southeast Sweden were sampled, and the Al content determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The arithmetic mean of the Al concentration was 0.58 &#45 0.64 ppm dry weight (mean &#45 standard deviation) and differed significantly between incisors (1.05 &#45 1.04 ppm) and canines (0.48 &#45 0.50 ppm) and between incisors and molars (0.53 &#45 0.55 ppm). A significant difference was found between teeth with and without caries. No significant differences were found between sexes. The Al concentration correlated significantly with tooth weight for incisors (r =-0.47)and canines (r =-0.45) but not for molars (r = 0.03). No significant change in Al concentration was found over time. Caries-free deciduous molars are suggested as the most useful teeth for biological monitoring of aluminum.     

Cytokines,matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases‐1 in gingival crevicular fluid from patients with Papillon‐Lefèvre syndrome

The aim of the present study was to compare concentrations of cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and a metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP‐1) in gingival crevicular fluids (GCF) from sites with gingival inflammation in 28 young patients with Papillon‐Lefèvre syndrome (PLS), and in age‐ and gender‐matched controls. Each group consisted of 17 females and 11 males with a mean age of 11.0 years (range 4–22 years). In both groups, anterior upper sites with a clinical diagnosis of gingival inflammation and with pockets ≤3?mm were selected for sampling of GCF, which was carried out with filter disks inserted into the gingival crevice until saturated. The concentrations of cytokines (IL‐1α, IL‐1β, TNF‐α, and IL‐8), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP‐1, MMP‐3, MMP‐8, and MMP‐9), and their tissue inhibitor (TIMP‐1) were analysed using commercial ELISA kits. Significantly higher levels of IL‐1β (P?P?P?P?P?相似文献