Microbiological culture analysis of the tongue anaerobic microflora in subjects with and without halitosis

Objective:  Determination of the microflora present on the tongue dorsum of subjects with and without halitosis using conventional microbiological culture methods.
Methods:  Twenty-one halitosis and 20 control patients were recruited using a strict clinical protocol. Samples were collected from the posterior dorsum of the tongue using a sterile brush. Each sample was vortex mixed for 30 s and serial 10-fold dilutions to 10⁻⁷ were carried out. Samples were plated onto fastidious anaerobe agar (FAA) and FAA enriched with vancomycin. These were incubated under anaerobic conditions for 10 days at 37°C. Strict anaerobes were identified by metronidazole sensitivity and bacteria were identified to genus level by a combination of colony morphology, Gram staining and biochemical and enzymatic tests (rapid ID 32 A).
Results:  The predominant species in test and control groups were Veillonella sp. and Prevotella sp. Greater species diversity was found in the halitosis samples compared with controls. The halitosis samples contained an increased incidence of unidentifiable Gram-negative rods, Gram-positive rods and Gram-negative coccobacilli.
Conclusions:  There was no obvious association between halitosis and any specific bacterial genus. The increased species diversity found in halitosis samples suggests that halitosis may be the result of complex interactions between several bacterial species. The role of uncultivable bacteria may also be important in contributing to this process.     

Sustainability of a Curriculum-based Intervention on Dietary Behaviours and Physical Activity among Primary School Children in Trinidad and Tobago

Objectives:

Childhood obesity and poor lifestyle practices are emerging as major public health challenges in the Caribbean. Given the fact that a significant part of childhood is spent at school, curriculum-based interventions aimed at improving good dietary and physical activity patterns may provide a useful vehicle for mass inculcation of long-term healthy lifestyle practices. In this study, we evaluated the long-term impact of a brief curriculum based intervention on dietary behaviour, physical activity and knowledge level of primary schoolchildren.

Methods:

The study was a randomized, controlled, school-based nutrition education and physical activity intervention. One hundred students each were then randomly assigned to the intervention (IVG) and non-intervention (NIVG) groups and followed-up for 18 months. Participants in the IVG group were exposed to a curriculum consisting of six one-hour modules followed by school-based activities geared at fostering healthy behaviours. Students in the non-intervention group did not receive any modules and were subject to the information available at school on a regular basis.

Results:

In multivariate regression equations controlling for age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and baseline values, intervention was associated with lower intake of fried foods and sodas (p < 0.05) and higher knowledge scores (p < 0.01) 18 months later but not significantly associated with improved physical activity or lower BMI.

Conclusions:

In this study, participants in the intervention group reported significantly lower intakes of fried foods and sodas and higher knowledge scores than participants in the control group some 18 months post-intervention independent of age, gender, BMI, ethnicity and the intakes at baseline.     

Long-term Physiologically Regulated Expression of the Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor In Vivo Using Genomic DNA Mini-gene Constructs

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a condition caused by mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene. Expression of LDLR is highly regulated and excess receptor expression is cytotoxic. To incorporate essential gene regulation into a gene therapy vector for FH, we generated vectors in which the expression of therapeutic human LDLR gene, or luciferase reporter gene, is driven by 10 kb of human LDLR genomic DNA encompassing the promoter region including elements essential for physiologically regulated expression. Using luciferase expression and specific LDL binding and internalization assays, we have shown in vitro that the genomic promoter element confers long-term, physiologically regulated gene expression and complementation of receptor deficiency in culture for 240 cell-generations. This was demonstrated in the presence of sterols or statins, modifiers of LDLR promoter activity. In vivo, we demonstrate efficient liver-specific delivery and expression of luciferase following hydrodynamic tail-vein injection and confirm that expression from the LDLR promoter element is sensitive to statin administration. We also demonstrate long-term LDLR expression from the 10-kb promoter element up to 9 months following delivery. The vector system that we describe provides the efficient delivery, long-term expression, and physiological regulation required for a successful gene therapy intervention for FH.     

冠状动脉粥样硬化ADAMTS7新位点的发现和冠状动脉粥样硬化中ABO位点与心肌梗死的相关性:两项全基因组关联研究

<正>背景:该研究旨在评价在现有的冠状动脉粥样硬化的病变中,遗传因素对粥样硬化斑块进展及特异性心肌梗死是否存在显著作用。方法:对欧洲后裔参与者冠状动脉造影表型进行了两项全基因组关联研究(GWAS),为寻找冠状动脉疾病(CAD)易感性基因位点,研究比较了有异常(n=12393)和无异常的(对照组n=7383)个体;为寻找心肌梗死易感性基因位点,也同时比较了造影证实存在CAD并且有心肌梗死的个体(n=5783)与虽有CAD但无心肌梗死的个体(n=3644)。