Locally aggressive central odontogenic fibroma associated to an inflammatory cyst: a clinical, histological and immunohistochemical study

The case describes a 38-year-old woman presenting a multilocular radiolucency affecting the entire right half of the lower jaw, with an unerupted third molar displaced to the region of the coronoid process. The histological study showed the presence of fibroblasts, focally with pleomorphic nuclei, dense collagen and an odontogenic epithelium with dystrophic calcifications. A cyst with an important inflammatory infiltrate was, moreover, observed.     

Adverse drug reactions in internal medicine units and associated risk factors

Objectives  

This study was designed to assess the prevalence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the internal medicine wards of two teaching Hospitals, identify the most common ADRs, the principal medications involved, and determine the risk factors implicated in the occurrence of such ADRs.     

Decrease in the fatigue resistance of nickel-titanium rotary instruments after clinical use in curved root canals.

OBJECTIVE: The changes in fatigue resistance of nickel-titanium rotary ProFile instruments after clinical use for shaping 10 curved molar root canals were evaluated in this study. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-five sets of files #20, #25, and #30 and tapers .04 and .06 were divided into 2 groups, one with 10 sets of new files that were tested in a fatigue test bench device as a control. The other, experimental group, with 15 sets of clinically used files, was tested in the same device. The Student t test was employed to compare mean values of the measured parameters. RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease in the number of cycles to failure was determined for the clinically used files, as compared with the new ones. The fracture point was the same for all files tested. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical use of ProFile instruments for shaping curved canals reduces their fatigue resistance.     

Role of IL-2 in rat fetal thymocyte development

Early during rat thymus ontogeny, an important proportion of thymocytes expresses IL-2R and contains IL-2 mRNA. To investigate the role of the IL-2-IL-2R complex in rat T cell maturation, we supplied either recombinant rat IL-2 or blocking anti-CD25 mAb to rat fetal thymus organ cultures (FTOC) under several experimental conditions. The IL-2 treatment initially stimulated the growth of thymocytes and, as a result, induced T cell differentiation, but the continuous addition of IL-2 to rat FTOC, as well as the anti-CD25 administration, resulted in cell number decrease and inhibition of thymocyte maturation. These results indicate that immature rat thymocytes bear functional high- affinity IL-2R and that IL-2 promotes T cell differentiation as a consequence of its capacity to stimulate cell proliferation. Modifications in TCR alpha beta repertoire and increased numbers of NKR- P1+ cells, largely NK cells, were also observed in IL-2-treated FTOC. Furthermore, IL-2-responsiveness of different thymocyte subsets changed throughout thymic ontogeny. Immature CD4-CD8-cells responded to IL-2 in two stages, early in thymus development and around birth, in correlation with the maturation of two distinct waves of thymic cell progenitors. Mature CD8+ thymocytes maximally responded to IL-2 around birth, supporting a role for IL-2 in the increased proliferation of mature thymocytes observed in vivo in the perinatal period. Taken together, these findings support a role for IL-2 in rat T cell development.      

Role of the htrA gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae virulence

We recently described the use of mini-Tn5 to generate complement-sensitive mutants derived from a complement-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolate deficient in the lipopolysaccharide O side chain. One mutant with a reduced capacity to survive in nonimmune human sera carried the transposon inserted in the htrA gene. We cloned and sequenced the gene and predicted from the deduced amino acid sequence that the putative HtrA homolog contains structural features similar to those of previously described HtrA proteins. To investigate the biological functions and the role of the htrA gene in the virulence of K. pneumoniae, we constructed an isogenic mutant by insertion-duplication mutagenesis. Characterization of the mutant showed that it had greater sensitivity to temperature (50 degrees C) and oxidative stress (H(2)O(2)) than the parent strain. Furthermore, the htrA mutant produced less capsule, bound more molecules of complement component C3, and was more sensitive to complement and whole-blood killing than was the parent strain. Finally, disruption of the htrA gene in a virulent K. pneumoniae strain caused a reduction of its virulence in a mice model. Our results indicate that the htrA gene plays an important role in the virulence of K. pneumoniae.