Histomorphometric evaluation of the effect of doxycycline on the healing of bone defects in experimental diabetes mellitus: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: Bone healing is impaired in diabetes mellitus, particularly due to increased collagen breakdown. Recently, tetracyclines have been used to treat experimental bone defects because they have anticollagenolytic properties, and positive effects on the healing process have been obtained. The objective of this study was to develop a computer-assisted histomorphometric technique to quantitatively determine the amount of regenerating bone within experimental bone defects in a diabetic rodent model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined the effects of systemic doxycycline administration on the healing of tibial bone defects in healthy albino rats and in experimentally induced diabetic rats. Twenty-four female albino rats were assigned to 4 groups: diabetic, diabetic plus doxycycline, control, or control plus doxycycline. The standardized bone defects were histomorphometrically examined 10 and 30 days postoperatively. Histomorphometric analysis of the amount of new bone formation was performed using the Zeiss Vision image analysis program KS 400 (Kontron Elektron GmbH, Eching, Germany). RESULTS: At 10 days of healing, the diabetic groups exhibited inferior healing compared with the control groups in terms of the amount of new bone formation within the defects. However, the effect of doxycycline administration to the diabetic and control groups was not statistically different. At 30 days of healing, there were no statistically significant differences between the amount of newly formed bone in any of the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that doxycycline administration did not significantly alter the amount of new bone formation during the healing of bone defects in control and diabetic rats.     

Adiponectin is an independent determinant of insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is frequently associated with insulin resistance and a consequent increased risk of metabolic diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of adiponectin in insulin resistance in PCOS women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with PCOS and 23 control subjects, matched for age and body mass index (BMI), were enrolled in the study. Clinical, metabolic and hormonal parameters and adiponectin levels were measured, and HOMA-IR score (homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index) was calculated for each subject. RESULTS: There was no difference in adiponectin levels between PCOS patients and the control group. However, adiponectin levels were negatively correlated with obesity-associated parameters and HOMA-IR score in PCOS patients and controls. As adiponectin is modulated by BMI we adjusted for BMI among the PCOS patients, and found a negative correlation between adiponectin levels and HOMA-IR score (r = -0.51, p < 0.001). Adiponectin and BMI were independent determinants of insulin resistance in PCOS patients (adjusted R2 = 0.66, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Adiponectin did not seem to be actively involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. However, adiponectin levels were independently associated with insulin resistance in PCOS patients, suggesting that adiponectin might play a role in the complicated metabolic abnormalities of PCOS.     

Sustained low-grade pro-inflammatory state in unmedicated, remitted women with major depressive disorder as evidenced by elevated serum levels of the acute phase proteins C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) shows increased coronary artery disease (CAD) risk of unknown mechanism(s). MDD is more common in women than men; CAD diagnosis can be difficult in women. Elevations of the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) predict increased CAD risk in populations; few data on these markers exist in MDD, particularly in remitted patients. METHODS: We measured fasting am serum CRP (high sensitivity, CRP(hs)) and SAA in 18 unmedicated, remitted women with MDD (mean age 41 +/- (SD)12, body mass index (BMI) 25.2 +/- 4.1 kg/m(2)) and 18 BMI-matched healthy control subjects (age 36 +/- 10, BMI 25.3 +/- 3.8 kg/m(2)) on 2 separate occasions, > or = 6 days apart. RESULTS: Repeat SAA and CRP(hs) measurements strongly correlated across study days (SAA: r = .83, p < .001; CRP(hs): r = .94, p < .001). Both SAA (5.30 +/- 3.39 vs. 2.84 +/- 1.87 mg/L, p < .005) and CRP(hs) (3.23 +/- 3.17 vs. 1.12 +/- 1.45 mg/L; p < .01) were significantly elevated in MDD women versus controls. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated SAA and CRP(hs) in remitted, unmedicated women with MDD indicate a pro-inflammatory state unrelated to current depressive symptoms or pharmacotherapy. These findings suggest that inflammatory mechanisms may in part underlie findings of increased CAD risk in MDD.     

Anticonvulsive effects of quinine on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity: an in vivo study.

Epilepsy is an important problem in neurological disorders. The common features of all types of epilepsy are the synchronized and uncontrolled discharges of nerve cell assemblies. Recent studies claimed that gap junctions have a critical role in epileptic neuronal events. The aim of present study is to investigate the effects of connexin36 (Cx36) channel blocker quinine on penicillin-induced experimental epilepsy. For this purpose, 4 months old male Wistar rats were used in the present study. Permanent screw electrodes allowing EEG monitoring from conscious animals and permanent cannula providing the administration of the substances to the brain ventricle were placed into the cranium of rats under general anesthesia. At the end of the postoperative recovery period, epileptiform activity was generated by injecting 300 IU crystallized penicillin through the ventricular cannula. When the epileptiform activity, monitored from a digital recording system, reached maximal frequency and amplitude, quinine (200, 400 or 1000 nmol) was administered similar to penicillin. Effects of quinine on epileptiform activity were assessed by both electrophysiological and behavioral analysis. Quinine suppressed epileptiform activity by decreasing the amplitude and frequency of epileptiform spikes and by attenuating the epileptiform behavior. The outcomes of this study suggest that the blockade of Cx36 channels may contribute to the amelioration of epileptic activity.     

'To touch them, is to love them': effects of direct experience with condoms on adolescents' attitudes toward condoms

The present study examined the effect of a short physical interactionwith condoms (opening packages, taking out the condoms and unrollingthem) on the attitude toward condoms and on intended condomuse. Using a pre-post experimental design, 101 adolescents wererandomly assigned to one experimental and four control groups.Subjects in the experimental group handled condoms for about10 min, answering questions about the difficulty of performingthe instructed tasks. In the first control group, subjects completeda filler questionnaire on HIV infection. Subjects in a secondcontrol group watched a peer from the experimental group andanswered similar questions about the difficulty of performingthe tasks. The attention of subjects in the third control groupwas focused away from the features of condoms that are associatedwith their use; subjects were instructed to look at the condomsand complete a filler task. Subjects in a last control groupwere to observe subjects from Control group 3 and to completethe same filler task. Results indicated that having a short,direct experience with condoms failed to influence the attitudetoward condom use and intended condom use. Post hoc examinationof the effects in the control groups, however, suggested thatinducing an affective focus in subjects resulted in positiveattitudinal changes and had a positive effect on the expectationto use condoms in the future.     

Comparison of amoxicillin with second and third generation cephalosporins in the treatment of acute otitis media

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy and the tolerability of three different antibiotic regimens for the treatment of acute otitis media in paediatric patients. 75 children, age range 6 months-6 years, divided into three groups, were involved in the study, each group consisting of 25 randomly assigned children (Group 1, amoxicillin 40 mg/kg tid per os for 10 days; Group 2, cefuroxime axetil 30 mg/kg bid per os for 10 days; ceftriaxone 50 mg/kg single-dose i.m.). No statistically significant difference was noted in the clinical efficacy among the different groups. Although amoxicillin is the drug of choice in paediatric otitis media, single dose ceftriaxone might be considered as an interesting alternative regimen when ease of administration and cost of therapy are considered.     

Aglossia-adactylia syndrome (special emphasis on the inheritance pattern)

Three cases, one with aglossia-adactylia and two with aglossia, are presented, all of whom were born to consanguineous families. Although none of the cases had similarly affected sibs, the possibility of the autosomal recessive mode of inheritance might be taken into account in this syndrome. The dermatoglyphic findings in one previously reported patient showed great similarity to those of one of our cases.