Stomatitis from dentures: etiopathological and therapeutic considerations

Infection of the oral mucous membrane is frequent in patients with removable prostheses, either totally of partially, and particularly when the prostheses is palatal. The principal etiological factor causing the infection is accepted to be "Candidas" aided by the presence of plaque bacteria (in patients with poor oral hygiene care), and a poor fit of the prostheses to the soft tissues. Treatment of the infection must proceed in the following order: a) use of effective medication against oral fungus such as Nystatin or Ketoconazole. b) Meticulous oral hygiene care in the mucous membrane as well as in the prostheses, but using the prostheses as little as possible during the treatment period. c) A total cure of the infection (denture stomatitis) before proceeding to the next phase of the treatment. d) Determination of the adjustment and occlusion of the prostheses in order to determine those areas of the prostheses which need to be refilled because of maladjustment of the prostheses to the soft tissues of the patient.     

Identification of a Thymidylate Synthase Gene within the Genome of Chilo Iridescent Virus

The thymidylate synthase (TS, EC 2.1.1.45) is essential for the de novo synthesis of dTMP in pro- and eucaryotic organisms. Consequently it plays a major role in the replication of the DNA genome of a cell or a DNA virus. The gene encoding the TS of Chilo iridescent virus (CIV) was identified by nucleotide sequence analysis of the viral genome and was mapped within the EcoRI CIV DNA fragments G and R. Computer assisted analysis of the DNA nucleotide sequence between the genome coordinates 0.482 and 0.489 revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 885 nucleotides. This ORF was found to encode a polypeptide of 295 amino acid residues (33.9 kDa) that showed significant homologies to known TS of different species including mammals, plants, fungi, protozoa, bacteria, and DNA viruses. The highest amino acid homologies were found between the CIV-TS and the TS of herpesvirus ateles (54.0%), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (51.8%), herpesvirus saimiri (51.0%), rhesus monkey rhadinovirus (50.7%), mouse (50.5%), rat (50.2%), varicella-zoster virus (50.2%), equine herpesvirus 2 (50.0%), and the human TS (48.4%). The CIV-TS contains six amino acid domains that are highly conserved in the TS of other species. Within these domains the major amino acid residues are present for which a functional role has been reported. The CIV-TS was found to be more closely related to the TS of eucaryotes than to the TS of procaryotes indicating the phylogenetic origin of the CIV-TS gene. The identification of a TS gene in the genome of CIV is the first report of a viral TS that is not encoded by a herpesvirus or a bacteriophage.     

Localization of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactivity in the brain of the Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis

The localization of catecholamines in the brain of the Senegalese sole was determined by immunohistochemical techniques using antibodies against tyrosine hydroxylase. Although the general pattern of distribution of catecholamines is consistent with that reported in other teleosts, some remarkable differences are observed. The most rostral tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-ir) cells were identified in the olfactory bulbs, in which a clear asymmetry in the number and location of TH-ir perikarya and fibers was observed. The number of TH-ir cells is manifestly higher in the right olfactory bulb, especially in the internal cell layer. TH-ir fibers are also much more abundant in the right bulb, principally in the glomerular and internal cell layers. Other TH-ir cell masses were identified in the ventral telencephalon, preoptic area, caudoventral hypothalamus, posterior tuberculum, synencephalon, isthmic region and rhombencephalon. Surprisingly, no ir cell bodies were identified in the ventromedial thalamic nucleus, which exhibits a large number of TH-ir cells in other teleosts. The presence of TH-ir fibers in the brain of sole is particularly evident within and around the nuclei in which immunoreactive cells are found. However, other zones such as the dorsal telencephalon, posterior commissure, optic tectum, torus semicircularis, reticular formation or inferior olive also displayed TH-ir fibers. TH-ir axons also enter the infundibulum, reaching the proximal pars distalis of the adenohypophysis. The distribution of TH-ir cells and fibers is compared with that observed in other teleosts and is discussed in a comparative context.     

Immunity in HIV-1-Infected Adults with a Previous State of Moderate-Severe Immune-Suppression and More Than 500 CD4+ T Cell After Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

We evaluated phenotypic and functional parameters of immune restoration of 27 HIV-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) (HIV-cases) with HIV-RNA levels below detectable limits at least during 18 months, and CD4+ cell per microliter higher than 500 at the moment of the study and lower than 300 anytime before. These patients were compared with 11 HIV-controls that never had less than 500 CD4+ cell per microliter and 20 healthy-controls (HIV seronegative subjects) in a cross-sectional study. HIV-cases had lower counts of naïve CD4+ than HIV-controls and healthy-controls. HIV-patients (both HIV-cases and HIV-controls) showed higher values of naïve and memory CD8+ counts than healthy-controls. TREC-bearing cell levels were significantly lower in HIV-cases than in healthy-controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultures, HIV-cases had lower values in proliferation to streptokinase (SK) and tetanus toxin (TT) than in healthy-controls. HIV-cases had lower IFN-γ and higher IL-5 production with pokeweed than healthy-controls (P < 0.01). However, IL-5 production of HIV-cases after TT stimulation was lower than in HIV-controls and healthy-controls. Total IgG and IgG1 levels were significantly higher in HIV-cases than in HIV-controls and healthy-controls. Also, IgM levels were significantly higher in HIV-cases than in healthy-controls. Nevertheless, IgG2 levels were significantly lower in HIV-cases and HIV-controls than in healthy-controls. The levels of specific Igs antipneumococcal capsular polysaccharide and TT were significantly lower in HIV-cases than in healthy-controls. HIV-patients with a previous state of severe-moderate immunosuppression normalizing their CD4+ counts have a incomplete immune reconstitution after HAART. Long-term consequences of this subclinical immune deficiency remain to be determined.     

Classification of Breast Masses Using Selected Shape,Edge-sharpness,and Texture Features with Linear and Kernel-based Classifiers

Breast masses due to benign disease and malignant tumors related to breast cancer differ in terms of shape, edge-sharpness, and texture characteristics. In this study, we evaluate a set of 22 features including 5 shape factors, 3 edge-sharpness measures, and 14 texture features computed from 111 regions in mammograms, with 46 regions related to malignant tumors and 65 to benign masses. Feature selection is performed by a genetic algorithm based on several criteria, such as alignment of the kernel with the target function, class separability, and normalized distance. Fisher's linear discriminant analysis, the support vector machine (SVM), and our strict two-surface proximal (S2SP) classifier, as well as their corresponding kernel-based nonlinear versions, are used in the classification task with the selected features. The nonlinear classification performance of kernel Fisher's discriminant analysis, SVM, and S2SP, with the Gaussian kernel, reached 0.95 in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve. The results indicate that improvement in classification accuracy may be gained by using selected combinations of shape, edge-sharpness, and texture features.     

Ramification of the portal vein at the porta hepatis in humans

The ramification of the portal vein at the porta hepatis was studied by anatomic dissection performed in 32 formalin fixed human livers. In all the specimens there were branches which ran towards the caudate lobe, arising from the portal vein and either from the left or the right portal branches. Tri-and quadrifurcation of the portal vein was observed. In 5 cases (16%) there were branches arising from left portal branch or portal vein and directed anteriorly to the quadrate lobe or to the region of the gall-bladder sulcus. These branches ranged from 1.0 to 6.0 mm in diameter. The portal caudate branches were divided into 3 groups.Group 1: Branches to the papillary process; 1 or 2 branches in 26 cases (82%), 3 or 5 branches in 3 cases (9%) and no branches in 3 cases (9%);     

核辐射对机体的影响

机体受到一定剂量核辐射后会出现多个器官结构和功能的改变.本文综述了机体受到低剂量核辐射后出现的免疫细胞数量和功能变化,包括淋巴细胞总数和部分亚群数量、淋巴细胞转化率、血清免疫球蛋白含量以及单核细胞功能等变化.同时还综述了核辐射对内分泌及遗传的影响.     

Transmission of HIV-1 infection between trophoblast placental cells and T-cells take place via an LFA-1-mediated cell to cell contact

HIV-1 vertical transmission is thought to mainly take place by virus crossing the placental barrier. However, the mechanism by which HIV-1-infects placental cells remains to be elucidated. We have found that purified cytotrophoblasts as well as trophoblastic cell lines are susceptible to infection by different HIV-1 isolates as detected by DNA-PCR and release of infectious virus, although with very low efficiency. Purified trophoblast or trophoblastic cell lines express low levels of chemokine receptors CCR-5 and CXCR-4 but not CD4 on the cell surface. To test if those molecules were used as receptors for HIV-1 infection, placental cells were pretreated with antibodies to CD4, CC-chemokines, C-X-C chemokines. None of those treatments inhibited HIV-1 infection. In contrast, we have found that HIV-1 infection of placental cells was increased in cocultures of infected T-cell blasts and placental cells. More interestingly, antibodies to beta(2) integrins and to LFA-1 were able to significantly block infection of placental cells. Cell surface expression of ICAM-1, an adhesion molecule involved in attachment of leukocytes to placenta, was upregulated in HIV-1-infected placental cells. Placental cells were able to transfer HIV-1 infection to T-cell blasts. This transmission required cell to cell contact and was also inhibited by anti-LFA-1 antibodies. In summary our results suggest that placental trophoblast could be infected by HIV-1 by a mechanism involving T cell to placental contact. Moreover, placental infection enhanced ICAM-1 expression and leukocyte adherence, an event which was required to transfer HIV-1 infection to T cells. This provides an explanation of the virus passing through the placental barrier during in utero HIV-1 vertical transmission.     

Transmission of Pneumocystis carinii DNA from a patient with P. carinii pneumonia to immunocompetent contact health care workers

The transmission of Pneumocystis carinii from person to person was studied by detecting P. carinii-specific DNA in prospectively obtained noninvasive deep-nasal-swab samples from a child with a documented P. carinii pneumonia (PCP), his mother, two contact health care workers, and 30 hospital staff members who did not enter the patient's room (controls). Nested-DNA amplification was done by using oligonucleotide primers designed for the gene encoding the mitochondrial large subunit rRNA of rat P. carinii (P. carinii f. sp. carinii) that amplifies all forms of P. carinii and internal primers specific for human P. carinii (f. sp. hominis). P. carinii f. sp. hominis DNA was detected in samples from the patient and all of his contacts versus none of the 30 hospital staff members. The results, as previously shown in murine models of P. carinii pneumonia, document that person-to-person transmission of P. carinii is possible. This observation suggests that immunocompromised patients not on PCP prophylaxis should not enter the room of a patient with PCP, and it also raises the question as to whether healthy contacts can transmit the disease to immunocompromised patients at risk.     

Molecular mechanisms underlying IFN-{gamma}-mediated tumor growth inhibition induced during tumor growth inhibition induced during tumor immunotherapy with rIL-12

The present studnt Investigates the molecular by which IFN-produced as a result of in vitroIL-12 addministration exertsits anty-tumor,rIL-12 was administered three or five times intomice bearing CDA1M fibrosarcoma, OV-HM ovarian carcinoma orMCH-1-A1 fibosarcoma. This regimen induced complete regressionof CSA1M and OV-HM tumors but only transient growth inhibitionof MCH-1-A1 tumors. The anty-tumor effects of Il-12 were associatatedwith enhanced induction of IFN-becouse these effects were abrogatedby pretreatment of hosts with anti-IFN- antibody.Exposure inin vitro of the three types of tumor cells to rIFN- resultedin moderate to potent inhibition of tumor cell growth.IFNstimulatedthe expression of mRNAs for an inducible type of NO synthasa(INOS)in CSA1M cells and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenasa (IDO),an enzyme capable of degrading tryptophan, in OV-HM cells ,but induced only marginal levels of these mRNAs in MCH-I-ALcells. In association withiNOS gene expression, INF--stimulatedCSA1M cells produced a large amount of NO which functioned toinhibit their own growth in vitro. Although OV-HM and MCH-1-A1cells did not produce NO, they also exhibited NO susceptibility.Whereasthe tumor masses from IL-12-treated CSA1M-bearing mice inducedhigher levels of INOS (for CSA1M) or IDO and iNOS (for OV-HM)mRNAs,the MCH-1-A1 tumor mass expressed lower levels of iNOS mRNAalone.Moreover, massive infiltration of CD4⁺and CD8⁺ T cellsand Mac-1⁺ cells was seen only in the CSA1M and OV-HM tumors.Thus, these results indicate that IFN- produced after IL-12treatment induces the expression of various genes with potentialto modulate tumor cells and growth by acting directly on tumorecells or stimulating tumor-infiltrating lymphold cells and thatthe effectiveness of IL12 therapy is assoiated with the operation if these mechanisms.