A randomized-controlled clinical trial evaluating clinical and radiological outcomes after 3 and 5 years of dental implants placed in bone regenerated by means of GBR techniques with or without the addition of BMP-2

Objective: The aim of this randomized-controlled clinical trial was to evaluate the long-term outcome of implants placed in bone augmented with a xenogenic bone substitute material and a collagen membrane with or without the addition of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2).
Material and methods: Eleven patients received a total of 34 implants placed into sites exhibiting lateral bone defects. In a split mouth design, the defects were randomly treated with the graft material and the collagen membrane either with (test) or without (control) rhBMP-2. The patients were examined 3 and 5 years after insertion of the prosthetic restoration. Student's paired t -test was performed to detect differences between the two groups.
Results: The survival rate at 3 and 5 years was 100% for both groups. The peri-implant soft tissues were stable and healthy without any difference between the two groups. The prosthetic reevaluation demonstrated four loose prosthetic screws during the first 3 years and seven ceramic chippings after 3 and 5 years. The mean distance between the first bone to implant contact to implant abutment junction at 3 years was 1.37 mm (test), 1.22 mm (control), and 1.38 mm (test), and 1.23 mm (control) at 5 years. The difference of <0.2 mm between test and control implants was not statistically significant. The mean change of the marginal bone level between baseline and 5 years ranged from −0.07 mm (mesial, test), −0.11 mm (distal, test), −0.03 mm (mesial, control), to +0.13 mm (distal, control). No statistically significant differences were observed between test and control sites.
Conclusion: Implants placed in bone augmented with and without rhBMP-2 revealed excellent clinical and radiological outcomes after 3 and 5 years.     

Aminoglycoside-associated hypomagnesaemia in children with cystic fibrosis

Hypomagnesaemia in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) is under-recognized. We report a child with CF who developed significant hypomagnesaemia following intravenous (i.v.) treatment with aminoglycosides for exacerbations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Three additional cases have also been observed. Investigations in two patients have revealed excessive renal loss of magnesium. It is postulated that renal tubular damage secondary to the cumulative effects of repeated courses of aminoglycosides resulted in hypomagnesaemia, and we suggest screening for this problem by monitoring serum magnesium regularly in all patients with CF receiving multiple courses of aminoglycosides.     

The human lung cell line A549 does not develop adaptive protection against the DNA‐damaging action of formaldehyde

The alkaline comet assay was used to further characterize the induction of DNA‐protein crosslinks (DPX) by formaldehyde (FA) and their removal in the human lung cell line A549. DPX were indirectly measured as the reduction of gamma ray‐induced DNA migration. Repeated treatments of A549 cells with low FA concentrations (up to 100 μM) did not lead to significant differences in the induction of DPX in comparison with a single treatment. Pretreatment with higher FA‐concentrations (200 μM and above) enhanced the crosslinking effect. There was no indication for an adaptive protection against the induction of DPX by FA. These findings are in agreement with RT‐PCR measurements of the expression of genes that encode the main enzymes involved in FA detoxification. A549 cells exposed to FA (50–300 μM) for 1, 4, or 24 hr did not reveal altered expression of the GSH‐dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FDH, which is identical to alcohol dehydrogenase 3; ADH3), the cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1A1) and the mitochondrial ALDH2. Pretreatment of A549 cells with a low FA concentration (50 μM) also did not enhance the removal of DPX induced by higher FA concentrations. Taken together, these results suggest that A549 cells do not develop adaptive protection against the genotoxic action of FA. Neither metabolic inactivation of FA nor the repair of FA‐induced DPX seems to be enhanced in cells pretreated with FA. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Cryptosporidium baileyi infection associated with an outbreak of ocular and respiratory disease in otus owls (Otus scops) in a rehabilitation centre

Cryptosporidiosis has been reported in more than 30 avian species worldwide. Although some cases of cryptosporidiosis have been described in captive birds of prey in the order Falconiformes, to date there have been no reports of the disease in wild raptors. Here we describe for first time an ocular and respiratory disease associated with Cryptosporidium baileyi in wild scops owl (Otus scops, order: Strigiformes). Sixteen otus owl fledglings born in the wild during the summer of 2008 were admitted to the Torreferrussa Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (Catalonia, northern Spain) in July and August of the same year. In the middle of September, blepharoedema, conjunctival hyperaemia and mucopurulent ocular discharge were diagnosed unilaterally in 75% (12/16) of the birds and bilaterally in 25% (4/16). Moreover, five birds (31%) developed diffuse epithelial corneal oedema, one owl (6%) displayed mild anterior exudative uveitis and another developed rhinitis (6%). Two birds were euthanized because of the severity of disease. The histopathology demonstrated cryptosporidia-like structures in the conjunctival cells and in the nasal respiratory epithelium of one owl. Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts (6.5 to 7.0 × 5.0 to 5.5 µm) were identified by immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) in histological sections from eyelids, trachea and respiratory sinuses and in swab samples from the glottis, choanal slit and conjunctival sac. Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequence analysis confirmed the presence of C. baileyi. Birds were treated orally with azithromycin (40 mg/kg) once a day for 15 days, and by the end of the treatment all owls tested negative for the parasites, by IFAT, and did not display further signs of disease.     

Exploring the Focus and Experiences of Smartphone Applications for Addiction Recovery

Addiction recovery Smartphone applications (apps) (n = 87) identified on the Google Play store in 2012 were coded, along with app user reviews, to explore functions, foci, and user experiences. Content analysis revealed that apps typically provided information on recovery, as well as content to enhance motivation, promote social support and tools to monitor progress. App users commented that the apps helped to inform them, keep them focussed, inspire them, and connect them with other people and groups. Because few addiction recovery apps appear to have been formally evaluated, further research is needed to ascertain their effectiveness as stand-alone or adjunctive interventions.