Clinical and antimicrobial effects of a single episode of subgingival irrigation with tetracycline HCI or chlorhexidine in deep periodontal pockets

Abstract. 15 adults, each providing 4 non-adjacent untreated periodontal pockets with a probing depth (PD) exceeding 6 mm. volunteered for a randomized, split-mouth, double-blind, clinical study evaluating subgingival irrigation with chlorhexidine (CHX) or tetracycline HCl (TTC). The study protocol included oral hygiene instructions followed by scaling and root planing. Experimental and immediately adjacent teeth did not receive instrumentation. The 4 deep periodontal pockets in each patient were assigned to be irrigated with 150 ml CHX (0.12%). TTC (10 or 50 mg/ml; TTC10, TTC50), or sterile saline (control) in a single episode. Post-irrigation mechanical plaque control was supported by 2× daily CHX rinses throughout the 12-week observation interval. Recordings of oral hygiene (PlI), gingival health (GI). bleeding on probing (BoP). probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and microbial morphotypes from subgingival paper point samples were performed pre-irrigation. and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks post-irrigation. Mean post-irrigation PlI was low, fluctuating between 0.0 and 0.4, without significant differences between experimental groups. Mean pre-irrigation GI approximated 1.4 and reached 0.8 at the exit of study without significant differences between experimental groups. All experimental sites exhibited BoP pre-irrigation. BoP was significantly reduced in TTC50 compared to TTC10, CHX and control sites from week 8 post-irrigation. PDs were reduced for the experimental groups with TTC50 exhibiting the strongest reduction. CALs remained unaltered from pre-irrigation for TTC10. CHX and control sites over the 12-week observation interval, whereas TTC50 sites consistently improved to significantly differ from all other groups at week 10 and 12 post-irrigation. The distribution of bacterial morphotypes was significantly altered towards one of periodontal health for all experimental groups with a profound effect for TTC50 sites. Our results suggest that subgingival irrigation with TTC solutions at high concentrations may have a rôle in the management of adult periodontitis.     

The meaning of “physical fitness”

The understanding of the term "physical fitness" was determined for a randomly selected sample (n = 94) of a population using a self-administered mailed questionnaire. Subjects were asked to state and give a reason for their perceived level of physical fitness, to state their perceived performance level in a number of physical fitness tests (muscular strength, daily physical work capacity, fatness, level of regular physical exercise, exercise speed, and body flexibility), and to rate how well these tests measure physical fitness. The reason most frequently stated for perceived level of physical fitness was the level of habitual physical activity (43%); significantly less frequently (P less than 0.01-0.0001) cited were reasons related to health (23%), physical performance (12%), and obesity (3%). The variation in perceived level of physical fitness was best explained by the variation in imagined regular exercise and fatness (r2 = 0.66, P less than 0.0001) with no significant additional contribution from imagined performance in remaining fitness tests. The measurement of regular exercise was most favored as a test of physical fitness. These results, taken together with evidence of the physical and psychological health benefits of regular exercise, imply that the most appropriate measure of physical fitness for the average person is an assessment of the habitual physical activity level.     

dazed gene is necessary for late cell type development and retinal cell maintenance in the zebrafish retina.

Several molecules, such as growth factors and neurotrophic factors, are required both for the differentiation of specific retinal cell types and the long-term cell survival of all retinal neurons. As diffusible factors, these molecules act non-cell-autonomously. Here, we describe the loss of function phenotype for dazed (dzd), a gene that acts cell-autonomously for retinal cell survival and affects the differentiation of rod photoreceptors and the Muller glia. By 3 days after fertilization, dazed mutant embryos have small eyes and slight heart edema. Acridine orange staining indicated a significant degree of retinal cell death occurring by 48 hr after fertilization, and histological analysis revealed that dying cells were found in the inner and outer nuclear layers and near the marginal zones. Although molecular and morphological differentiation of the inner retina and cone photoreceptors occurred, rod photoreceptors failed to differentiate beyond a small patch in the ventral retina and rod precursors failed to respond to exogenously added retinoic acid, which normally potentiated rod differentiation. Mosaic analysis indicated that the dazed gene acts cell-autonomously for rod production and cell survival, as dazed clones failed to produce rods outside the ventral patch and dazed cells were not maintained in wild-type hosts. Raising mutants under constant light resulted in severe retinal degeneration, whereas raising embryos under constant darkness did not provide any additional protection from cell death. Behavioral analysis showed that a subpopulation of adult fish that were heterozygous for the dazed mutation had elevated visual thresholds and were night blind, suggesting that dazed may also be required for long-term dim-light vision. Taken together, our studies suggest a role for the dazed gene in rod and Muller cell development and overall retinal cell survival and maintenance.     

A microwave technique for double indirect immunostaining of human brain tissue cultures with mouse monoclonal antibodies.

The use of 2 monoclonal antibodies during double immunohistochemistry would enable the use of a greater variety of antibody combinations. Here, we demonstrate a simple, cost effective method of double indirect immunostaining of cultured cells using primary antibodies from the same species. This method uses microwaving of cell samples immediately after the application of the first secondary antibody, and significantly reduces the level of nonspecific staining. This technique does not elute the antibodies, nor raise the sample temperature above 37 degrees C.     

Scanning Density Gradient Isoelectric Focusing of Staphylococcus aureus Enterotoxins B and C1

Purified Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins B and C(1), the causative agents of staphylococcal food poisoning, were resolved into several components by scanning isoelectric focusing in sucrose density gradients in the absence and presence of 6 M urea and 5 mM dithiothreitol. The observed heterogeneity persisted in the denaturing medium, which suggests that the primary structure of protein enterotoxins B and C(1) may be partly responsible for the isoelectric point differences of the various forms. To our knowledge, the scanning isoelectric focusing patterns of staphylococcal enterotoxins B and C(1) are reported for the first time.     

Multidimensional analysis of the symptoms of chronic bronchitis and emphysema

Subjective symptoms and experiences were explored within a group of 146 severe, chronic bronchitis and emphysema patients. Eighty-nine symptoms and experiences, derived from initial interviews with 29 patients, were rated according to the frequency of occurrence during breathing difficulties. Key cluster analyses were used to derive a Bronchitis-Emphysema Symptom Checklist (BESC) measuring 11 symptom categories: Helplessness-Hopelessness, Decathexis, Fatigue, Poor Memory, Peripheral-Sensory Complaints, Dyspnea, Congestion, Sleep Difficulties, Irritability, Anxiety, and Alienation. The BESC symptom categories are highly reliable and the relationships among categories are stable across two subgroups of patients. The BESC provides one way to describe how patients cope with and experience chronic bronchitis and emphysema.     

The effect of stabilization on isokinetic knee extension and flexion torque production

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of four methods of stabilization on maximal reciprocal isokinetic knee extension and flexion. Left knee extension/flexion was tested at 60°/s in 20 subjects. Warm-up consisted of five submaximal and one maximal effort followed by three maximal efforts in each of four randomized stabilization conditions: 1) Hands and back stabilization; the trunk was strapped to the back rest and the hands grasped the seat. 2) Back stabilization; the trunk was strapped to the back rest and the hands were folded across the chest. 3) Hand stabilization; the hands grasped the seat and the back rest was removed. 4) No stabilization; the hands were folded across the chest and the back rest was removed. One-way repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant effect of stabilization for knee extension (F(3,57)=17.44, p=.0001) and knee flexion (F(3,57)= 5.37, p=.002). Paired, two-tailed student's t-tests with Bonferroni correction showed that, in knee extension, no stabilization was significantly less than all others, p<.001. In addition, back stabilization was less than hands and back stabilization, p<.005. In knee flexion, no stabilization was significantly less than all others, p<.01. In conclusion, the method of trunk stabilization significantly affected maximal reciprocal isokinetic knee extension/flexion strength measurements. Maximal knee extension/flexion torque production was achieved when the trunk was strapped to the back support and when the hands grasped the seat.     

Direct comparison of umbilical cord blood versus bone marrow-derived endothelial precursor cells in mediating neovascularization in response to vascular ischemia.

Endothelial precursor cells (EPCs) cultured from adult bone marrow (BM) have been shown to mediate neovasculogenesis in murine models of vascular injury. We sought to directly compare umbilical cord blood (UCB)- and BM-derived EPC surface phenotypes and in vivo functional capacity. UCB and BM EPCs derived from mononuclear cells (MNC) were phenotyped by surface staining for expression of stromal (Stro-1, CXCR4, CD105, and CD73), endothelial (CD31, CD146, and vascular endothelial [VE]-cadherin), stem cell (CD34 and CD133), and monocyte (CD14) surface markers and analyzed by flow cytometry. The nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency murine model of hind-limb ischemia was used to analyze the potential of MNCs and culture-derived EPCs from UCB and BM to mediate neovasculogenesis. Histologic evaluation of the in vivo studies included capillary density as a measure of neovascularization. Surface CXCR4 expression was notably higher on UCB-derived EPCs (64.29%+/-7.41%) compared with BM (19.69%+/-5.49%; P=.021). Although the 2 sources of EPCs were comparable in expression of endothelial and monocyte markers, BM-derived EPCs contained higher proportions of cells expressing stromal cell markers (CD105 and CD73). Injection of UCB- or BM-derived EPCs resulted in significantly improved perfusion as measured by laser Doppler imaging at days 7 and 14 after femoral artery ligation in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice compared with controls (P<.05). Injection of uncultured MNCs from BM or UCB showed no significant difference from control mice (P=.119; P=.177). Tissue samples harvested from the lower calf muscle at day 28 demonstrated increased capillary densities in mice receiving BM- or UCB-derived EPCs. In conclusion, we found that UCB and BM-derived EPCs differ in CXCR4 expression and stromal surface markers but mediate equivalent neovasculogenesis in vivo as measured by Doppler flow and histologic analyses.