Reduction of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits and decrease of expressions of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor in foam cells by a water-soluble fraction of Polygonum multiflorum

Polygonum multiflorum stilbeneglycoside （PMS） is a water-soluble fraction of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. , one of the most famous tonic traditional Chinese medicines, that has protective effects on the cardiovascular system. The purpose of the present study is to elucidate the effects of PMS on macrophage-derived foam cell functions and the reduction of severity of atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic New Zealand White （NZW） rabbits. NZW rabbits were fed for 12 weeks with a normal diet, a high cholesterol diet, or a high cholesterol diet associated with irrigation with different doses of PMS （25, 50, or 100 mg/kg）. Treatment of NZW rabbits fed with high cholesterol diet with 100 mg/kg PMS attenuated the increase in plasma cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and plasma triglyceride. Treatment with 50 and 100 mg/kg PMS caused 43% and 60% decrease in atherosclerotic lesioned area ratio to total surface area, respectively. In U937 foam cells, PMS could decrease the high expression of intercellular adhesion molecule （ICAM）-1 protein and the vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） protein levels in the medium induced by oxidized lipoprotein when analyzed by flow cytometry. The results proved that PMS is a powerful agent against atherosclerosis and that PMS action could possibly be through the inhibition of the expression of ICAM-1 and VEGF in foam cells.     

Evidence for relationships between antiperinuclear and IgG rheumatoid factor

Summary Antiperinuclear factor (APF) and IgG-rheumatoid factor (IgG-RF) has been found in 64% and 48% of cases of rheumatoid arthritis, 36% and 50% of cases of psoriasis and 31% and 45% of cases of primary Sjögren's syndrome. A close relationship between APF and IgG-RF is suggested by statistical and experimental data. Purified IgG-RF has some degree of APF activity.     

Is periodontal disease mediated by salivary BAFF in Sjögren's syndrome?

OBJECTIVE: To correlate the periodontal status of 15 patients with primary Sj?gren's syndrome (SS) with their salivary levels of BAFF. METHODS: The periodontal status of 15 patients who fulfilled the criteria for primary SS was compared with that of 15 controls with xerostomia who did not fulfill the criteria for primary SS but had similar symptoms of dry mouth. The level of BAFF was measured in paired samples of saliva and serum using in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Periodontitis was assessed by the plaque index, the modified gingival index, the papillary bleeding index, and the periodontal pocket depth. RESULTS: Notwithstanding the better oral hygiene practices of the patients with primary SS compared with those of the xerostomia controls and the subsequent reduction of their plaque index scores, complications of periodontitis, such as bleeding, gingival hypertrophy, and periodontal pockets, were not improved. This failure to ameliorate the complications of periodontitis in patients with primary SS was associated with high levels of BAFF in their saliva compared with the levels in xerostomia controls (7.4 +/- 2.1 versus 1.0 +/- 0.4 ng/ml [P < 0.002]). The levels of BAFF in saliva did not correlate with the levels in sera but did correlate with the periodontal pocket depth (P < 0.002). CONCLUSION: These findings are similar to the bone resorption observed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. They suggest that the known effect of B cells in periodontitis would be partly mediated by salivary BAFF in patients with primary SS.     

Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathy in Brittany, France. Société de Rhumatologie de l'Ouest

OBJECTIVE: To document the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthropathy (SpA) in Brittany, France. METHODS: (1) Members of rheumatism self-help groups screened cases using questionnaires. (2) Rheumatologists in our unit contacted persons who had possible inflammatory rheumatic diseases and persons who refused the first interview. (3) When diagnosis remained unknown or discordant with the questionnaire, the general practitioner or the rheumatologist of these patients was interviewed. (4) Patients without diagnosis and who had not had a rheumatological examination were examined without charge by a rheumatologist. RESULTS: An overall prevalence rate of 0.62% (0.33-0.91) and 0.47% (0.22-0.72) was found for RA and for SpA, respectively. The prevalence of RA and SpA was 0.86 (0.39-1.33) and 0.53 (0.16-0.9) in women and 0.32 (0.01-0.63) and 0.41 (0.05-0.77) in men. The minimum prevalence of RA and SpA calculated on the estimated initial group (3189 persons) was 0.53 (0.28-0.78) and 0.41 (0.18-0.63), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our telephone survey revealed that the prevalences of RA and SpA are nearly similar among our population and that SpA is as common in women as in men.     

Confidence in the diagnosis of early spondylarthropathy: a prospective follow-up of 270 early arthritis patients

OBJECTIVE: To study the confidence of office-based rheumatologists (OBR) and a college of 5 experts in their diagnosis of spondylarthropathy (SpA) for early arthritis after more than 2 years of follow-up; to determine whether at that time the degree of confidence was improved by the fulfilment of the ESSG criteria. METHODS: 270 patients with early-onset (< 1 year) arthritis were prospectively followed-up for 29+/-11 months. At the final examination, OBR and the college of 5 experts rated their confidence in the diagnosis of SpA on a 0-10 analogue scale and on a 1-4 Likert scale, respectively. RESULTS: After 29+/-11 months OBR had classified 56 patients (21%) as SpA, while a collegial diagnosis of probable (N = 32) or certain SpA (N = 14) was made for 46 patients (17%). At the final examination OBR confidence in their diagnosis (gold standard) was only 6.7+/-2.4 for all 56 cases of SpA. The cumulative fulfilment of ESSG criteria for SpA after 29+/-11 months correlated with the confidence of OBR and the experts in SpA, but improved only slightly the final confidence of OBR (7.1+/-2.3 versus 6.7+/-2.4 for all 56 SpA). Similarly, OBR confidence for the 18/56 SpA patients positive for HLA-B27 was only 7.1+/-2.0. Only 21 of these 56 patients were considered as SpA at baseline, although 37/56 (66%) had fulfilled ESSG criteria since thefirst examination. CONCLUSION: This study indicates a probable lack of consensus on the nosology of early SpA and the limited help provided by the ESSG criteria to differentiate early SpA from otherforms of arthritis at baseline.     

Folic acid deficiency and neutrophil dysfunction

Polymorphonuclear leukocyte functions were studied in 92 patients with protein-calorie malnutrition. Serum folic acid levels were higher than 3 ng/ml in 38 patients and 3 ng/ml or less in 54 patients. Significant differences were found between these two groups of patients with regard to phagocytosis (81.5 +/- 1.9 versus 69.2 +/- 2.0 percent, p less than 0.001) and bactericidal ability (90.6 +/- 1.1 versus 84.5 +/- 2.3 percent, p less than 0.05). Correction of folic acid deficiency in 22 patients was associated with recovery of normal phagocytosis (p less than 0.001) but not bactericidal function. Adding folic acid to the serum of eight patients also restored normal phagocytic function (p less than 0.001). A correlation was found in vivo and in vitro between changes over time in folic acid levels and in phagocytosis.     

FISSURE SEALANT IN A NUTSHELL. EVIDENCE-BASED META-EVALUATION OF SEALANTS’ EFFECTIVENESS IN CARIES PREVENTION AND ARREST

ObjectiveThis meta-evaluation aimed to summarize all available evidence regarding different fissure sealants on occlusal caries prevention, arrest, retention rate, adverse effect, and cost-effectiveness; when compared with no intervention, other preventive or minimally-invasive procedures.Materials and MethodsThe systematic reviews and meta-analyses were identified via four electronic databases and manual searching. Two independent reviewers performed study selection, data extraction, quality assessment with AMSTAR-2.ResultsAmong the 366 records yielded, 38 systematic reviews were identified as eligible 24 of them included meta-analyses. Moderate evidence has supported the efficacies of resin-based sealants (RBS) in occlusal caries prevention, arrest and cost-effectiveness compared to no interventions. Low to very low certainty of evidence suggested similar effectiveness of glass-ionomer cements in caries prevention with RBS and more superior performance of resin infiltration in arresting non-cavitated occlusal lesions.ConclusionThis meta-evaluation supports the use of RBS on permanent molars to reduce occlusal caries occurrence, arrest lesion progression and alleviate oral health inequalities between individuals of different socioeconomic status. This meta-evaluation also advocates further research on glass-ionomer cements and resin infiltration with respect to their efficacies in caries prevention and arrest.