Risk factors of early childhood caries in a Southeast Asian population

A retrospective cohort study on ECC and associated factors was conducted among mothers with 25- to 30-month-old infants in a community where prolonged breastfeeding was common practice. All infants who consumed sugary supplementary food or rice that was pre-chewed by the mother, or who fell asleep with the breast nipple in their mouths, had ECC. Infants without those habits, and who were breastfed up to 12 months, had no ECC. Breastfeeding during the day beyond the age of 12 months was not associated with ECC, but infants who were breastfed at night > 2 times had an OR for ECC of 35 (CI 6-186), and those who were exposed to > 15 min per nocturnal feeding had an OR for ECC of 100 (CI 10-995). The present study indicates that, in this population, besides the consumption of sugars and pre-chewed rice, nocturnal breastfeeding after the age of 12 months poses a risk of developing ECC.     

Advances in the field of nanooncology

Nanooncology, the application of nanobiotechnology to the management of cancer, is currently the most important chapter of nanomedicine. Nanobiotechnology has refined and extended the limits of molecular diagnosis of cancer, for example, through the use of gold nanoparticles and quantum dots. Nanobiotechnology has also improved the discovery of cancer biomarkers, one such example being the sensitive detection of multiple protein biomarkers by nanobiosensors. Magnetic nanoparticles can capture circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream followed by rapid photoacoustic detection. Nanoparticles enable targeted drug delivery in cancer that increases efficacy and decreases adverse effects through reducing the dosage of anticancer drugs administered. Nanoparticulate anticancer drugs can cross some of the biological barriers and achieve therapeutic concentrations in tumor and spare the surrounding normal tissues from toxic effects. Nanoparticle constructs facilitate the delivery of various forms of energy for noninvasive thermal destruction of surgically inaccessible malignant tumors. Nanoparticle-based optical imaging of tumors as well as contrast agents to enhance detection of tumors by magnetic resonance imaging can be combined with delivery of therapeutic agents for cancer. Monoclonal antibody nanoparticle complexes are under investigation for diagnosis as well as targeted delivery of cancer therapy. Nanoparticle-based chemotherapeutic agents are already on the market, and several are in clinical trials. Personalization of cancer therapies is based on a better understanding of the disease at the molecular level, which is facilitated by nanobiotechnology. Nanobiotechnology will facilitate the combination of diagnostics with therapeutics, which is an important feature of a personalized medicine approach to cancer.     

Antiviral activity and safety of aplaviroc,a CCR5 antagonist,in combination with lopinavir/ritonavir in HIV‐infected,therapy‐naïve patients: results of the EPIC study (CCR100136)*

Background

This phase IIb study explored the antiviral activity and safety of the investigational CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) antagonist aplaviroc (APL) in antiretroviral‐naïve patients harbouring R5‐ or R5X4‐tropic virus.

Methods

A total of 191 patients were randomized 2:2:2:1 to one of three APL dosing regimens or to lamivudine (3TC)/zidovudine (ZDV) twice daily (bid), each in combination with lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) 400 mg/100 mg bid. Efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic parameters were assessed.

Results

This study was terminated prematurely because of APL‐associated idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity. A total of 141 patients initiated treatment early enough to have been able to complete 12 weeks on treatment [modified intent‐to‐treat (M‐ITT) population]; of these, 133 completed the 12‐week treatment phase. The proportion of subjects in the M‐ITT population with HIV‐1 RNA <400 copies/mL at week 12 was 50, 48, 54 and 75% in the APL 200 mg bid, APL 400 mg bid, APL 800 mg once a day (qd) and 3TC/ZDV arms, respectively. Similar responses were seen in the few subjects harbouring R5X4‐tropic virus (n=17). Common clinical adverse events (AEs) were diarrhoea, nausea, fatigue and headache. APL demonstrated nonlinear pharmacokinetics with high interpatient variability.

Conclusions

While target plasma concentrations of APL were achieved, the antiviral activity of APL+LPV/r did not appear to be comparable to that of 3TC/ZDV+LPV/r.     

Effect of smear layer deproteinization with HOCl solution on the dentin bonding of conventional and resin-modified glass-ionomer cements

The effect of smear layer-deproteinizing pretreatment using hypochlorous acid (HOCl) on the micro-shear bond strengths (μSBS) of conventional and resin-modified glass-ionomer cements (GIC) to dentin was investigated and compared with demineralizing pretreatment with polyacrylic acid (PAA). Three GICs: Fuji IX GP Extra (restorative conventional GIC), GC Fuji II LC EM (restorative resin-modified GIC), and GC Fuji Luting EX (luting resin-modified GIC), were used. One hundred fifty human molars were divided into groups (n = 10) according to the cements and dentin pretreatments; no pretreatment (control), 10 s PAA pretreatment, and HOCl pretreatment for 5, 15, or 30 s. After 24 h, μSBS was tested and the data were statistically analyzed using a two-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey's post-hoc test. HOCl pretreatment significantly increased μSBS of conventional GIC compared to the control group. For resin-modified restorative GIC, 5 s HOCl deproteinization significantly increased μSBS, while longer application times did not. There was no significant difference between HOCl-pretreated and control groups of resin-modified luting GIC. PAA pretreatment increased the μSBS of all cements significantly. In conclusion, smear layer deproteinization with HOCl can enhance the dentin bonding of conventional GIC. However, the residual radicals may adversely affect the polymerization of resin-modified GICs.     

Development of 11 polymorphic microsatellite markers for Xylocarpus granatum (Meliaceae) using next-generation sequencing technology

Human impacts have seriously damaged mangroves, and conservation of mangroves will require information on local and regional population genetic structures. Here, we report the development and polymorphism of eleven novel microsatellite markers, developed using next-generation sequencing on 56 samples of widespread mangrove species Xylocarpus granatum (Meliaceae) from nine populations across the Indo-West Pacific region. All loci were found to be polymorphic, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from four to 19. In a population from Sabah (Malaysia), the mean observed and expected heterozygosity per locus was 0.59 and 0.58, respectively. No null allele, significant linkage disequilibrium or deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was detected among all loci. The eleven markers developed can be valuable tools to conservation genetics of this species across its distributional range.     

Immunization of Saimiri sciureus Monkeys with a Recombinant Hybrid Protein Derived from the Plasmodium falciparum Antigen Glutamate-Rich Protein and Merozoite Surface Protein 3 Can Induce Partial Protection with Freund and Montanide ISA720 Adjuvants

The immunogenicity and efficacy of a hybrid recombinant protein derived from the N-terminal end of the glutamate-rich protein (GLURP) and the C-terminal portion of the merozoite surface protein 3 (MSP3) of Plasmodium falciparum was evaluated in Saimiri sciureus monkeys. The GLURP/MSP3 hybrid protein, expressed in Lactococcus lactis, was administered in association with alum, Montanide ISA720, or complete or incomplete Freund adjuvant (CFA/IFA) in groups of five animals each. The three formulations were shown to be immunogenic, but the one with alum was shown to be weak compared to the other two, particularly CFA/IFA, which provided very high antibody titers (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titers of >3,000,000 and immunofluorescence antibody test titers of 6,400). After a challenge infection with P. falciparum FUP strain, all five monkeys from the GLURP/MSP3-alum group showed a rapid increase in parasitemia, reaching 10% and were treated early. The two monkeys with the highest antibody titers in group GLURP/MSP3-Montanide ISA720 had a delay in the course of parasitemia and were treated late due to a low hematocrit. In the GLURP/MSP3-CFA/IFA group, parasitemia remained below this threshold in four of the five animals and, after it reached a peak, parasitemia started to decrease and monkeys were treated late. When all animals were grouped according to the outcome, a statistically significant association between high antibody titers and partial protection was observed. The challenge infection boosted the antibody titers, and the importance of this event for vaccine efficacy in areas where this parasite is endemic is discussed. In conclusion, these data suggest that GLURP and MSP3 can induce protection against malaria infection if antibodies are induced at properly high titers.     

Virulence factors and genetic characteristics of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Myanmar

Staphylococcus aureus produces virulence factors, including various exotoxins and adhesins, which are associated with a variety of symptoms caused by its infections. In the present study, the prevalence of these virulence factors was analyzed for 23 S. aureus strains isolated from wound infections in hospitals, nasal swabs, or vomit from patients and cooks in a food poisoning case and from healthy adults in Yangon, Myanmar. Among these strains, five were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) derived from pus (four strains, SCCmec III, ST239) and a healthy adult (one strain, SCCmec-IVa, ST5). The Panton-Valentine leukocidine (PVL) gene was detected in five methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) clinical strains belonging to ST121 (CC121). The MRSA clinical strains had only a few or no staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes, whereas PVL-positive MSSA and an MRSA strain from a healthy adult possessed an enterotoxin gene cluster (seg, sei, sem, sen, seo, and selu). Strains from the food poisoning case had either SE genes or only etd and edin-B. Adhesin genes, which are associated with binding to fibronectin, fibrinogen, and elastin, were detected in all the MRSA and most of the MSSA strains examined. However, the bone sialoprotein-binding protein gene (bbp) and the variant form of the elastin-binding protein gene (ebpS-v) with an internal 180?bp deletion were identified only in the MSSA strains harboring the PVL gene. These findings suggest that those genetic traits are characteristic of PVL-positive ST121 S. aureus strains in Myanmar.