Inhibitory Activity of Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) Extract on Some Clinically Isolated Cariogenic and Periodontopathic Bacteria

Objective

To determine the in vitro inhibitory activity of green tea extract on some clinically isolated cariogenic and periodontopathic bacteria.

Materials and Methods

Twenty strains of each of Streptococcus mutans, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Prevotella intermedia were isolated from carious teeth and periodontal pockets of patients with dental caries and periodontal diseases. Green tea extract was prepared by aqueous extraction method and diluted from 50 to 1.56 mg/ml. Standard techniques of agar disk diffusion and broth microdilution assays were applied for qualitative and quantitative determinations of antibacterial activity of green tea extract on each isolates.

Results

All clinical isolates of S. mutans (100s%) were sensitive to green tea extract at concentrations 6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/ml producing inhibition zones ranging from 10 to 38 mm. All periodontopathic isolates (A. actinomycetemcomitans, n = 20, P. intermedia, n = 20, and P. gingivalis, n = 20) (100s%) tested were sensitive to 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/ml of this extract. The minimal inhibitory concentration of green tea extract for S. mutans was 3.28 ± 0.7 mg/ml and for A. actinomycetemcomitans 6.25, for P. gingivalis and P. intermedia 12.5 mg/ml.

Conclusions

Our findings showed that green tea extract exhibited strong antibacterial activity on S. mutans, A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis and P. intermedia and therefore may be used in mouthwashes or dentifrices for prevention of dental caries and periodontal diseases.Key Words: Green tea, Streptococcus mutans, Periodontopathic, Minimal inhibitory concentrations     

The EANM clinical and technical guidelines for lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel node localization in gynaecological cancers

The accurate harvesting of a sentinel node in gynaecological cancer (i.e. vaginal, vulvar, cervical, endometrial or ovarian cancer) includes a sequence of procedures with components from different medical specialities (nuclear medicine, radiology, surgical oncology and pathology). These guidelines are divided into sectione entitled: Purpose, Background information and definitions, Clinical indications and contraindications for SLN detection, Procedures (in the nuclear medicine department, in the surgical suite, and for radiation dosimetry), and Issues requiring further clarification. The guidelines were prepared for nuclear medicine physicians. The intention is to offer assistance in optimizing the diagnostic information that can currently be obtained from sentinel lymph node procedures. If specific recommendations given cannot be based on evidence from original scientific studies, referral is made to “general consensus” and similar expressions. The recommendations are designed to assist in the practice of referral to, and the performance, interpretation and reporting of all steps of the sentinel node procedure in the hope of setting state-of-the-art standards for high-quality evaluation of possible metastatic spread to the lymphatic system in gynaecological cancer. The final result has been discussed by a group of distinguished experts from the EANM Oncology Committee and the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO). The document has been endorsed by the SNMMI Board.     

Mixed metaplastic carcinoma of the breast associated with pregnancy: Diagnostic dilemmas in fine‐needle aspiration cytology

Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast represents a rare entity characterized by the simultaneous presence of ductal, squamous, and/or mesenchymal components in several proportions. There are limitations in fine‐needle aspiration diagnosis due to its pathological heterogeneity. When it develops under pregnancy and lactation influence, the cytologic evaluation appears to be more difficult and accurate diagnosis often proves challenging. We describe a case of mixed metaplastic carcinoma with dominant areas of squamous metaplasia, sarcomatoid stroma with spindle cells, and a minor component of cartilaginous metaplasia. We notify our experience in diagnostic approach of this entity focusing on differential diagnosis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Clitoromegaly as first presentation of a neurocutaneous syndrome in a 3‐year‐old girl

A rare cause of clitoral hypertrophy in a child is neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Although evaluation, including karyotype and hormonal studies, is necessary to exclude ambiguous genitalia, the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis as a possible cause of clitoromegaly may help avoid lengthy and sometimes invasive interventions.     

Coronary artery disease and upper abdominal surgery: impact of anesthesia on perioperative myocardial ischemia

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Some papers claim that epidural anesthesia and analgesia lowers the incidence of perioperative ischemic events and may have a favorable effect on perioperative cardiac morbidity and mortality. We studied the effect of epidural anesthesia and analgesia on perioperative myocardial ischemia, in a group of patients with known coronary artery disease, who underwent upper abdominal surgery. METHODOLOGY: Fifty patients with coronary artery disease scheduled for elective upper abdominal surgery, were randomized to two study groups: Group A (n = 25) received general anesthesia plus epidural anesthesia and analgesia, while group B (n = 25) received general anesthesia with postoperative i.v. analgesia. All patients had Holter ECG recording from 24 hours preoperatively until 48 hours postoperatively. RESULTS: Preoperatively, no significant differences in ischemic burden were observed between the two groups. Intraoperatively, significantly fewer patients in group A had ischemic episodes (8% vs. 36%, p < 0.05) and there was also a significant reduction in the number of ischemic episodes and in mean duration of ischemia per hour of monitoring. Similar findings were observed in the first 24 hours postoperatively but not later on, with 12% of patients in group A having ischemic episodes vs. 60% in group B (p < 0.01). Group A had significantly better pain control postoperatively. Only one third of ischemic episodes were related to hemodynamic abnormality, and most of them were clinically silent. No serious cardiac morbidity or mortality was observed during the period of monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: Epidural anesthesia and analgesia reduces intraoperative and early postoperative ischemia in patients with known coronary artery disease undergoing upper abdominal surgery.     

High prevalence of thrombophilia among young patients with myocardial infarction and few conventional risk factors

BACKGROUND: Thrombophilia refers to series of acquired and inherited conditions that confer a tendency to thrombus formation. The exact relationship between thrombophilia and MI is not well established. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of thrombophilia in young patients with their first MI and few conventional risk factors. METHODS: We evaluated the baseline characteristics and the thrombophilia profile, including anti-cardiolipin antibodies, activated protein C resistance (APCR) with the factor V Leiden mutation, prothrombin G20210A mutation, protein C, protein S, and antithrombin-III levels, among 85 consecutive patients (<50 year old) who were admitted to CCU with their first MI. Patients were divided into two groups: group A-patients with < or =1 risk factor and group B-patients with > or =2 risk factors. RESULTS: 92% were male and 55% with anterior wall MI. Overall, the risk factor profile was: smoking in 60%, hyperlipidemia in 42%, positive family history in 29%, hypertension in 18%, diabetes mellitus in 13%, and obesity in 8%. Forty-seven percent of patients had < or =1 risk factor (n=40, group A) and 53% had > or =2 risk factors (n=45, group B). The prevalence of the prothrombin mutation was 15% in group A compared to 7% in group B (p=0.12). APCR secondary to a heterozygous genotype of factor V Leiden mutation was found in 20% in group A compared to 2% in group B (p<0.01). Anti-cardiolipin antibodies were found in 16% in group A compared to 22% in group B (p=ns). Finally, we have found that the likelihood of identifying at least one thrombophilia marker was 50% in group A compared to 29% in group B (p=0.046). CONCLUSIONS: The likelihood to detect at least one thrombophilia marker in young patients with MI and few conventional risk factors is significantly high. Thrombophilia may contribute to the development of MI in this specific group of young patients.     

Administration of baclofen, a gamma-aminobutyric acid type B agonist in the thalamic ventrobasal complex, attenuates allodynia in monoarthritic rats subjected to the ankle-bend test

gamma-Aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptors are involved in the modulation of neuronal activity in response to chronic noxious input. However, the effect of their activation in chronic inflammatory pain in relay thalamic nuclei such as the ventrobasal complex (VB) is not known. In this study, experimental groups of 2, 4, and 14 days monoarthritic (MA) rats were injected with saline (controls) or baclofen (0.875 microg), a specific GABAB receptor agonist, in the VB contralateral to the inflamed joint, and the ankle-bend test was performed. Ankle-bend scores in control animals were near the maximum and were rather constant throughout the entire experimental period, indicating severe nociception. The same was observed in 2 days MA rats injected with baclofen. In the 4 days MA group, the response to baclofen injection was inconsistent among different animals, whereas, in 14 days MA rats, baclofen caused clear antinociceptive effects. Additionally, a 0.5 microg dose of baclofen was tested in 14 days MA rats, but no effect was observed, whereas a 1.25 mug dose produced visible side effects. Baclofen injections that did not target the VB but reached neighboring nuclei were ineffective in reducing nociception. Data demonstrate that the activation of the GABAB receptors by baclofen in the VB of MA rats leads to a decrease of nociception. Moreover, the response depends on the time course of the disease, suggesting the occurrence of different excitatory states of thalamic VB neurons. In conclusion, GABAB receptors in the VB play an important role in chronic inflammatory pain processing.