COVID-19 in chronic kidney disease: a retrospective,propensity score-matched cohort study

International Urology and Nephrology - The prognostic factors for COVID-19 in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are uncertain. We conducted a study to compare clinical and prognostic...     

Human leukocyte antigen class II alleles and dental caries in a child population

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate a possible relationship between human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) DRB1 and DQB1, dental caries, and colonization by mutans streptococci (MS) in children. METHODS: Sixty children were clinically examined for caries in accordance with World Health Organization criteria and methods. Thereafter, subjects were assigned into 2 groups: (1) high-caries children (dft and DMFT > or = 5); and (2) caries-free children (dft and DMFT = 0). Fresh saliva samples were collected and testedfor mutans streptococci, after which the subjects were placed into 2 groups, having either high (> or =10(5) colony-forming units [CFU]/mL saliva) or low (< 10(5) CFU/mL saliva) numbers of micro-organisms in saliva. The polymerase chain reaction/sequence specific primer method was used to determine HLA DNA typing from fresh blood samples. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the frequency of HLA alleles in high-caries and caries-free subjects. Although chi-square test suggested an association for HLA-DRB1*01 and HLA-DQB1*03 with the salivary numbers of MS (P = .026 and P = .009, respectively), these could not be confirmed by logistic regression analysis (P = .188 and P = .101, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained fail to establish an association between human leukocyte antigen alleles DRB1 and DQB1 and salivary numbers of MS in the selected child population.     

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (Hurler syndrome): oral and radiographic findings and ultrastructural/chemical features of enamel and dentin

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (Hurler syndrome, MPS I-H) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism due to deficient alpha-L-iduronidase enzyme activity and is characterized by accumulation of incompletely degraded glycosaminoglycans that generally lead to impairment of organ and body functions. This report presents oral, dental, and radiographic findings in a boy who presented with MPS I-H. Nine of the patient's primary teeth were extracted and investigated using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Compared with the teeth of otherwise healthy patients, MPS I-H-affected dentin was characterized by extremely narrow dentinal tubules, whose direction followed an irregular wave-like pattern. The enamel-dentin junction was defective, as evidenced by microgaps, and the enamel displayed irregular arrangement of prisms. The additional novel observation was made that the protein structure of enamel and dentin changed in MPS I-H-affected teeth. Also, an increase was observed in the relative mineral/matrix ratio of MPS I-H-affected dentin, indicating that its protein content had decreased in comparison with normal dentin.     

Combined technique with glass‐fibre‐reinforced composite post and original fragment in restoration of traumatized anterior teeth – a case report

Abstract – Dentoalveolar trauma is frequently encountered by dental practitioners. In some instances, saving a child’s traumatized permanent teeth can create difficulties for the child, the parents and the dentist. Reattachment of a crown fragment is a conservative treatment that should be considered for crown fractures of anterior teeth. This case describes the clinical reattachment of an original tooth fragment. A 10‐year‐old male presented at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry with a complex crown fracture of the left maxillary central incisor 1 day after the trauma occurred. Following endodontic treatment, a glass‐fibre‐reinforced composite root canal post (FRC Postec^®; Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Schaan, Liechtenstein) was inserted to increase retention and distribute stress along the root. The dental restoration was completed using the original fragment and a dual‐cured resin composite (Variolink^® II; Ivoclar Vivadent AG). Clinical and radiographic examinations at 1‐year recall showed the glass‐fibre‐reinforced composite root canal post and restoration to be in place, indicating the success of the treatment in maintaining the fractured tooth. Thus, we conclude that reattachment of a tooth fragment using a dual‐cured resin composite and a glass‐fibre‐reinforced composite root canal post is an alternative method for the rehabilitation of fractured teeth that offers satisfactory aesthetic and functional outcomes.     

T cell subpopulations and IL-2R in vitiligo

Immunological alterations have been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of vitiligo. The aim of this study was to determine peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations and interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) in patients with vitiligo. Forty-five vitiligo patients (24 female, 21 male) and 34 healthy controls (11 female, 23 male) were included into the study. Eight (17.8%) of the patients had the segmental type, and 37 (82.2%) had generalized vitiligo. The disease was active in 25 (55.6%) patients; the other 20 (44.4%) patients had static vitiligo. Flow cytometry was used to determine the percentages of total T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, helper/inducer T cells, suppressor/cytotoxic T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, activated T cells and interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) with the use of CD3, CD19, CD4, CD8, CD16, HLA-DR and CD25 monoclonal antibodies, respectively. The mean value of helper T cells showed a significant difference (p=0.01) between the two groups with the value being 32.5% in patients and 38.1% in control subjects. CD4/CD8 was significantly lower in vitiligo patients (p=0.04). There was also a statistically significant difference in the mean percentage of activated T cells between vitiligo patients and control subjects (4.7 and 8.1, respectively; p=0.001). No statistically significant differences were found when the values were compared between segmental and generalized vitiligo patients, or between active and static cases. In conclusion, T helper/inducer cells, CD4/CD8 ratio and activated (HLA-DR+) T cells are decreased in vitiligo patients, suggesting a role for changes in cellular immunity.