Comparative analyses among interfaces of some ceramic materials and bone in sheep

Aim of this work is the evaluation of "in situ" implants in an animal model to study the interfaces that some ceramic materials for dental bone defects develop with bone and to check which material is more osteoconductive. In a sheep's jaw, eight holes were drilled and filled with six ceramic materials in granular shape. Two bilateral holes were left empty as reference. The ceramic materials were: porous tricalcium phosphate (TCP), porous hydroxylapatite (HA) and four bioactive glasses. The glasses differ for doping agents that affect the velocity of biodegradation in the living body. Monthly radiographs were taken and the X-ray pictures analyzed by means of a Video Display Computer in order to quantify the optical density changes occurred in the holes. After 4 months implantation, the segments of the jaw containing the materials were fixed in paraformaldehyde, embedded in methylmethacrylate and sectioned. The results obtained under the microradiograph, the SEM and the X-ray microprobe showed a good bone repair only with TCP granules. A great degradation was seen in HA granules and particularly in glasses. The degradation modified the structure and the composition of the glass granules, but it was not followed by a consequent bone deposition.     

Emotional and cognitive aspects in adolescence-onset school difficulties

Learning disorders in adolescence can become a significant risk factor for psychopathology. The paper investigates emotional and cognitive patterns in adolescents with learning disorders. The first part of the study describes the impact of child-onset learning disorders on adolescence passage. In the second part four clinical conditions that can determine adolescence-onset learning disorders are outlined. These are adolescent turmoil, intellectual inhibition, delay in reasoning development and metacognitive dysfunctioning. Cognitive, emotional and behavioral features of these conditions are discussed, in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic implications.     

Contribution of gamma glutamyl transpeptidase to oxidative damage of ischemic rat kidney

BACKGROUND: A variety of mechanisms have been considered in the pathogenesis of the cell damage occurring in the kidney that is undergoing transient ischemia. However, little information is available about the role of oxidative stress in building up the tissue injury in the hypoxic organ during short-term ischemia. METHODS: After a standard brief period (25 min) of unilateral kidney ischemia in rats, pretreated or not with acivicin (60 micromol/L/kg i.v.), tissue samples from both ischemic and not ischemic kidneys were obtained to measure malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) content, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) activity by spectrophotometry, localization and intensity of enzyme activity, and tissue damage by histochemistry. RESULTS: GGT activity was found to be increased in both cortical and medullar zones of the ischemic kidneys, where the GSH level was only slightly decreased and the MDA level, in contrast, was markedly increased; in parallel, the cytosolic volume of the proximal tubular (PT) cells showed a significant increment. The animal pretreatment with acivicin, a specific inhibitor of GGT, besides preventing the up-regulation of the enzyme during ischemia, afforded good protection against the observed changes of MDA and GSH tissue levels, as well as of tubular cell volume. CONCLUSIONS: Ex vivo data supporting a net pro-oxidant effect of up-regulated GGT during short-term ischemia of rat kidney have been obtained. The enzyme stimulation appears to contribute to the renal morphological damage exerted by a brief hypoxic condition at the level of PT cells. The actual impact on kidney function by GGT-dependent oxidative damage during transient ischemia and the potential protective action of GGT inhibitors require subsequent investigation.     

Characterization of Vaccine Breakthrough Cases during Measles Outbreaks in Milan and Surrounding Areas,Italy, 2017–2021

Despite the existence of an effective live-attenuated vaccine, measles can appear in vaccinated individuals. We investigated breakthrough measles cases identified during our surveillance activities within the measles/rubella surveillance network (MoRoNet) in Milan and surrounding areas (Northern Italy). Between 2017 and 2021, we confirmed measles virus (genotypes B3 or D8) infections in 653 patients and 51 of these (7.8%) were vaccinees. Among vaccinated individuals whose serum was available, a secondary failure was evidenced in 69.4% (25/36) of cases while 11 patients (30.6%) were non-responders. Non-responders were more frequently hospitalized and had significantly lower Ct values in both respiratory and urine samples. Median age and time since the last immunization were similar in the two groups. Importantly, we identified onward transmissions from vaccine failure cases. Vaccinees were involved in 20 outbreaks, in 10 of them they were able to transmit the virus, and in 8 of them, they were the index case. Comparing viral hemagglutinin sequences from vaccinated and non-vaccinated subjects did not show a specific mutation pattern. These results suggest that vaccination failure was likely due to the poor immune response of single individuals and highlights the importance of identifying breakthrough cases and characterizing their clinical and virologic profiles.     

Engaging Intergenerational Hispanics/Latinos to Examine Factors Influencing Childhood Obesity Using the PRECEDE–PROCEED Model

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Introduction Hispanics/Latinos are disproportionately affected by obesity in the U.S. Multiple factors place Hispanic/Latino children at risk for overweight,...