Non-malignant conjunctival epithelial masses with ocular surface squamous neoplasia-like optical coherence tomography features

International Ophthalmology - To observe and describe the anterior segment optical coherence tomography features of limbally localised non-malignant epithelial mass lesions Thirteen patients (age:...     

Bacterial lysine decarboxylase influences human dental biofilm lysine content, biofilm accumulation, and subclinical gingival inflammation

Background: Dental biofilms contain a protein that inhibits mammalian cell growth, possibly lysine decarboxylase from Eikenella corrodens. This enzyme decarboxylates lysine, an essential amino acid for dentally attached cell turnover in gingival sulci. Lysine depletion may stop this turnover, impairing the barrier to bacterial compounds. The aims of this study are to determine biofilm lysine and cadaverine contents before oral hygiene restriction (OHR) and their association with plaque index (PI) and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) after OHR for 1 week. Methods: Laser‐induced fluorescence after capillary electrophoresis was used to determine lysine and cadaverine contents in dental biofilm, tongue biofilm, and saliva before OHR and in dental biofilm after OHR. Results: Before OHR, lysine and cadaverine contents of dental biofilm were similar and 10‐fold greater than in saliva or tongue biofilm. After 1 week of OHR, the biofilm content of cadaverine increased and that of lysine decreased, consistent with greater biofilm lysine decarboxylase activity. Regression indicated that PI and GCF exudation were positively related to biofilm lysine after OHR, unless biofilm lysine exceeded the minimal blood plasma content, in which case PI was further increased but GCF exudation was reduced. Conclusions: After OHR, lysine decarboxylase activity seems to determine biofilm lysine content and biofilm accumulation. When biofilm lysine exceeds minimal blood plasma content after OHR, less GCF appeared despite more biofilm. Lysine appears important for biofilm accumulation and the epithelial barrier to bacterial proinflammatory agents. Inhibiting lysine decarboxylase may retard the increased GCF exudation required for microbial development and gingivitis.     

Postsynaptic muscarinic m2 receptors at cholinergic and glutamatergic synapses of mouse brainstem motoneurons

In many brain areas, few cholinergic synapses are identified. Acetylcholine is released into the extracellular space and acts through diffuse transmission. Motoneurons, however, are contacted by numerous cholinergic terminals, indicating synaptic cholinergic transmission on them. The muscarinic m2 receptor is the major acetylcholine receptor subtype of motoneurons; therefore, we analyzed the localization of the m2 receptor in correlation with synapses by electron microscopic immunohistochemistry in the mouse trigeminal, facial, and hypoglossal motor nuclei. In all nuclei, m2 receptors were localized at the membrane of motoneuronal perikarya and dendrites. The m2 receptors were concentrated at cholinergic synapses located on the perikarya and most proximal dendrites. However, m2 receptors at cholinergic synapses represented only a minority (<10%) of surface m2 receptors. The m2 receptors were also enriched at glutamatergic synapses in both motoneuronal perikarya and dendrites. A relatively large proportion (20–30%) of plasma membrane–associated m2 receptors were located at glutamatergic synapses. In conclusion, the effect of acetylcholine on motoneuron populations might be mediated through a synaptic as well as diffuse type of transmission. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:2008–2024, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Cerebrovascular hemodynamic changes in multiple sclerosis patients during head-up tilt table test: effect of high-dose intravenous steroid treatment

Demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS) may cause damage to the vegetative nervous system. Our objective was to examine cerebral autoregulation assessed via blood pressure and cerebral blood flow velocity fluctuations during head-up tilt table testing. We also investigated the effects of high-dose intravenous corticosteroid treatment. Transcranial Doppler registration of middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity and continuous blood pressure and heart rate monitoring were performed at rest and during tilt table testing in 30 MS patients. Ten age-matched healthy subjects were also examined as controls. Correlations between mean arterial blood pressure (MBP) and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBF) fluctuations were averaged, yielding the correlation coefficient index Mx. For a subgroup of 11 patients with acute exacerbations, results were also evaluated before and after methylprednisolone treatment (1 g/day intravenously for 5 days). No significant differences in the autoregulatory indices were seen between patients and controls, or between pre- and post-steroid results. Modeling CBF velocity changes associated with a 1-mmHg increase in MBP, significant differences (p < 0.05) were detected in patients vs. controls, and also after vs. before steroid administration. We conclude that cerebrovascular autoregulation impairments are detectable in early phase MS. Corticosteroid treatment has a significant effect on hemodynamic changes in acute exacerbations.     

The Global Burden of Surgical Management of Osteoporotic Fractures

World Journal of Surgery - Osteoporosis is an epidemic in the developed world. Fracture is a major burden associated with osteoporosis. Surgical management is recommended for particular anatomical...     

Rapid in silico selection of an MCHR1 antagonists’ focused library from multi-million compounds’ repositories: biological evaluation

Target-focused libraries can be rapidly selected by 2D virtual screening methods from multimillion compounds’ databases if structures of active compounds are available. In the present study, a multi-step virtual and in vitro screening cascade is used to select melanin-concentrating hormone receptor-1 antagonists. The 2D similarity search combined with physico-chemical parameter filtering is suitable for selecting candidates from multimillion compounds’ repository. The seeds of the first round of virtual screening were collected from literature commercial databases, whereas the seeds of the second round were the hits the first round of biological testing In vitro screening underlined the efficiency of our approach, as in the second screening round the hit rate (8.6 %) significantly improved compared to the first round (1.9 %), applying a strict requirement for hit selection, and also this cascade-like screening method was appropriate for selecting several compounds reaching efficacies even below 10 nM.