Periodontitis phenotypes and clinical response patterns to non-surgical periodontal therapy: reflections on the new periodontitis classification

We aimed to identify response patterns to non-surgical periodontal therapy and to investigate whether the new classification system for periodontitis reflects response to treatment after 1 yr. At baseline, data on sociodemographic status, smoking, and diabetes were obtained from participants with periodontal disease. Clinical periodontal data and subgingival plaque were also collected. Participants underwent non-surgical periodontal therapy, and after 3 and 12 months, clinical data were reassessed. Factor analyses, group-based-trajectory modeling, and mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Factor analysis of the baseline periodontal parameters revealed two different periodontitis dimensions: ‘moderate’ and ‘severe’. Two response patterns for each of these periodontitis dimensions were identified. Periodontal therapy had a beneficial effect on both ‘moderate’ and ‘severe’ periodontitis; however, individuals with higher levels of disease at baseline experienced greater treatment effect. Regarding the new classification system, while the staging component distinguished different levels of ‘moderate’ and ‘severe’ periodontitis before and after treatment, the grading component did not. This study shows the beneficial effect of non-surgical periodontal therapy on both ‘moderate’ and ‘severe’ periodontitis. However, the benefit was limited among individuals with low levels of disease. The new classification system did not adequately reflect the periodontal response to therapy in this patient group.     

A pattern of association between clinical form of vitiligo and disease-related variables in a Brazilian population

Background

Vitiligo classification systems are often based exclusively on the number and distribution of the white patches. To what extend these classification protocols reflect possible different pathophysiological basis for vitiligo or carry any prognostic value is currently unknown.

Objective

To investigate patterns of association between type of vitiligo and common disease-related variables, in order to advance on the understanding of the exact nature of different clinical forms of disease, as well as to identify features with prognostic value for clinical progression of early diagnosed vitiligo.

Materials and methods

This is a cross-sectional study of a population sample from south of Brazil composed of 586 independent vitiligo-affected individuals. Different strategies of case-control analysis were employed to test for association between the three most common vitiligo clinical types and age of onset, family history of vitiligo, occurrence of Köebner phenomenon (KP) and presence of autoimmune co-morbidity.

Results

Individuals affected by segmental vitiligo showed lower average age of onset (16 years) when compared with vulgaris (23.9 years) and acrofacial cases (29 years) (p < 0.001). The distribution of occurrence of KP, family history of vitiligo and co-occurrence of autoimmune disease followed a gradient pattern, with high, intermediate and low chance of occurrence of all three variables observed for vulgaris, acrofacial and segmental vitiligo, respectively (p < 0.001 for overall distribution).

Conclusion

Results indicate a uniform pattern of association between vitiligo clinical forms and KP, positive vitiligo family history and occurrence of co-morbidity autoimmune. The impact of the observed pattern of association over disease prognosis and classification is discussed.     

Feedforward and feedback connections and their relation to the cytox modules of V2 in Cebus monkeys

To study the circuitry related to the ventral stream of visual information processing and its relation to the cytochrome oxidase (CytOx) modules in visual area V2, we injected anterograde and retrograde cholera toxin subunit B (CTb) tracer into nine sites in area V4 in five Cebus apella monkeys. The injection site locations ranged from 2° to 10° eccentricity in the lower visual field representation of V4. Alternate cortical sections, cut tangentially to the pial surface or in the coronal plane, were stained for CTb immunocytochemistry or for CytOx histochemistry or for Nissl. Our results indicate that the V4‐projecting cells and terminal‐like labeling were located in interstripes and thin CytOx‐rich stripes and avoided the CytOx‐rich thick stripes in V2. The feedforward projecting cell bodies in V2 were primarily located in the supragranular layers and sparsely located in the infragranular layers, whereas the feedback projections (i.e., the terminal‐like labels) were located in the supra‐ and infragranular layers. V4 injections of CTb resulted in labeling of the thin stripes and interstripes of V2 and provided an efficient method of distinguishing the V2 modules that were related to the ventral stream from the CytOx‐rich thick stripes, related to the dorsal stream. In V2, there was a significant heterogeneity in the distribution of projections: feedforward projections were located in CytOx‐rich thin stripes and in the CytOx‐poor interstripes, whereas the feedback projections were more abundant in the thin stripes than in the interstripes. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:3091–3105, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

4种支架构建复合式口腔黏膜的组织学特点

目的利用4种不同支架材料构建复合式口腔黏膜,并比较其组织结构特点。方法体外培养人口腔黏膜的成纤维细胞和角质形成细胞,在4种支架材料中加入成纤维细胞,培养7d后,在支架表面加入角质形成细胞,培养4d后,移至气-液界面继续培养7d。苏木精-伊红染色镜下观察构建的复合式口腔黏膜的组织形态学特点。结果 4种支架均可构建形成复层上皮。其中,上皮层与脱细胞真皮基质材料(de-epidermised dermis,DED)结合紧密,形成的人工黏膜有明显的上皮钉突。不同于以往报道,上皮层与Alloderm结合并不十分紧密。以胶原凝胶为基质形成的人工口腔黏膜最厚,有明显分层。以胶原海绵-胶原凝胶为基质形成的复层上皮在部分区域长入至胶原海绵的空隙中。结论以DED和胶原凝胶为支架构建的口腔黏膜更接近于天然结构,而后者脆性较大,限制了其临床应用的可能。     

Myopathy of distal lower limbs: the clinical variant of Miyoshi

Miyoshi distal dystrophy is a rare myopathy characterized by an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance and it is prevalent in Japan. Onset of disease is in early adult life with weakness and atrophy of the leg muscles. Recently gene linkage to chromosome 2p12-14 has been established. We report three sisters, born of consanguineous parents. All of them noticed weakness and atrophy of leg muscles, and could not walk on their heels. In all of them the creatine kinase concentrations were very high. The electromyography showed myopathic patterns and the muscle biopsy disclosed dystrophic changes and an absence of dysferlin. There are few cases reported of Miyoshi distal dystrophy in Latin America. The Miyoshi myopathy may be distinct among the hereditary distal myopathies.     

肠息肉发生的细胞和分子生物学研究进展

肠息肉是一类从黏膜表面突出到肠腔内的隆起状病变的临床诊断．在最近的研究中陆续证实,其发生和发展的原因和机制,是由于Bmprla,APC,SMAD4,PTEN,STK11等基强突变而使各种细胞信号分子通过影响BMP信号通路,PTEN信号通路及Wnt信号通路所组成的生长信号调控网络,造成β-catenin在肠干细胞中的过度积聚,使得肠干细胞功能紊乱,导致其自我更新、克隆增殖、分化和凋亡失去平衡的结果．