Validation of a Sulfuric Acid Digestion Method for Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Quantification of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanoparticles

A consistent analytical method incorporating sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) digestion and ICP-MS quantification has been developed for TiO₂ quantification in biotic and abiotic environmentally relevant matrices. Sample digestion in H₂SO₄ at 110°C provided consistent results without using hydrofluoric acid or microwave digestion. Analysis of seven replicate samples for four matrices on each of 3 days produced Ti recoveries of 97%?±?2.5%, 91?% ±?4.0%, 94%?±?1.8%, and 73?% ±?2.6% (mean?±?standard deviation) from water, fish tissue, periphyton, and sediment, respectively. The method demonstrated consistent performance in analysis of water collected over a 1 month.     

Domain-Specific Relationships in Sexual Measures of Impulsive Behavior

Impulsivity is an important construct for understanding sexual behaviors, but behavioral and self-report measures of impulsivity often are not correlated. One possible explanation for this is that there is little shared variance in the measures because behavioral measures index impulsivity by asking questions about monetary preferences, while self-report measures index impulsivity by asking about a broad range of real-world outcomes (including those of a sexual nature) largely unrelated to money-related preferences. Undergraduate students (total N?=?105; female n?=?77, male n?=?28) completed laboratory measures—delay discounting (DD) and probability discounting (PD)—for two different outcomes—money and sexual activity. Participants also completed the Delaying Gratification Inventory (DGI), which measures difficulty with delaying gratification (i.e., impulsivity) across different domains, including money and physical pleasures. Findings indicated that DD and PD for money were not related to any of the DGI subscales. However, DD for sexual activity was significantly related to the DGI Physical Pleasures subscale, but not other subscales. These findings suggest that the relationship between behavioral and self-report measures of impulsive choice may be stronger when both are measuring domain-specific rather than domain-general behavioral patterns, but further research is warranted.     

A rapid diagnosis of anaerobic infection in the oro-maxillary region by gas-liquid chromatography

The relationship between volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in pus and infecting bacterial species was examined in order to establish a rapid identification system for anaerobic microorganisms in purulent inflammation in the oro-maxillary region. VFAs were detected by the direct injection of pus into gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Bacterial examination was carried out by anaerobic culture using blood agar plates. The bacterial identification was carried out mainly according to the VPI manual. Analysis of the direct VFA patterns of each sample resulted in 5 groups. The following bacterial species were the main isolates in each group: Streptococcus intermedius in Group A, Peptostreptococcus micros in Group B, Fusobacterium nucleatum in Group C, Bacteroides gingivalis in Group D, and Peptostreptococcus anaerobius in Group E. The profile of VFAs produced in the PYG culture medium of the above isolated bacteria was compared with the direct VFA patterns. Agreement ratios between direct and PYG VFA patterns were as follows: Group A, 47.1%; Groups B and C, 45.0%; Group D, 87.5%; and Group E, 62.9%. The acetic acid concentration was more than 14 x 10(-4) meq/ml in Group B, the butyric acid concentration was more than 7 x 10(-4) meq/ml in Group C, and the iso-caproic acid concentration was more than 14 x 10(-4) meq/ml in Group E. In these cases, it was found that the agreement ratios between the direct and PYG FVA pattern were high. In Group D, irrespective of the concentration of iso-valeric acid detected, the agreement ratio was very high. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was studied. Efficiency rates of ABPC, PIPC, CCL, CEZ, CMZ, SBT/CPZ, JM, CLDM, MINO and GM were relatively low and resistant rates were high for the gram-negative rods.     

Chemiluminescence of neutrophils from patients with Beh?et's disease and its correlation with an increased proportion of uncommon serotypes of Streptococcus sanguis in the oral flora

Zymosan-induced chemiluminescence was investigated in whole blood and in neutrophils: in both, the peak count was frequently elevated in Beh?et's disease, and was significantly higher than in healthy controls; similarly the peak time was shorter. There were more uncommon serotypes of Streptococcus sanguis in the oral flora of patients with Beh?et's disease. Common serotypes were present in the flora of healthy controls, but not in patients with the disease. The percentage of Strep. sanguis in the oral flora was significantly correlated with the level of chemiluminescence response. Thus infection with uncommon serotypes of Strep. sanguis may play a role in the aetiology of Beh?et's disease.     

Caries incidence in children with acyanotic congenital heart diseases before and after the heart operation

An acyanotic cardiac disease (ASD) was diagnosed in a 9-year-old girl with a very high caries incidence and premature tooth eruption. After the heart operation her caries incidence declined considerably. An epidemiological survey was then conducted to find out if these observations could be generalized. dmf-t, dmfs, DMF-T and DMFS values for each year were counted retrospectively for a group of acyanotic heart diseased children operated on at the age of 5-7 years (mean 6) and another group operated on at the age of 10-13 years (mean 12), from the documents relating to annual examinations conducted by the public health dental services. The results were compared to those of healthy children matched for age and sex living in the same area. Heart disease resulted in DMF-T values above the control level in the group operated on at age 6 years, whereas the values were lower than the controls in the group operated on at age 12 years, the difference being significant after the operation in the latter case. It is concluded that acyanotic congenital heart disease may lead to a higher caries prevalence and sometimes rampant caries. When the caries prevalence of the population is high, however, (DMF-T higher than 4.5 at 12 years), the effect of heart disease remains hidden.     

Serum antibody response to antigens of oral gram-negative bacteria by cats with plasma cell gingivitis-pharyngitis

The etiology of a form of periodontal disease in domestic cats known as plasma cell gingivitis-pharyngitis is not understood. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Bacteroides species have been strongly implicated as the cause of periodontitis in humans and other mammalian species, and most affected patients manifest serum antibodies reactive with the infecting bacteria. We and others have isolated Bacteroides species from the oral flora of cats. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot procedures, we measured serum antibodies in affected and control cats reactive with human isolates of A. actinomycetemcomitans, B. gingivalis, and B. intermedius, and purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from these and other species, and Bacteroides of cat origin. Affected cats had serum antibody titers reactive with these Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that were significantly elevated relative to those of normal control cats. The quantitatively major antigens recognized by cat serum antibodies are proteins; this contrasts sharply with serum antibodies from humans with juvenile periodontitis, where LPS is the quantitatively major antigen fraction. Our data support the idea that plasma cell gingivitis-pharyngitis in cats may have a bacterial etiology, and that Gram-negative anaerobes similar to those that cause periodontitis in humans and other mammals may be involved.     

Scaling and root planing effectiveness: the effect of root surface access and operator experience

This study investigated two variables associated with scaling and planning (S&RP): operator experience level and root surface access. One hundred and fourteen periodontally involved, single-rooted teeth designated for extraction were randomly distributed among four operators of various experience levels for either an open or closed session of S&RP. Immediately after treatment, the teeth were extracted, washed, and scored for residual calculus in a blind manner. Results showed that there was no difference in S&RP effectiveness for experience level or type of procedure in shallow (1-3 mm) pockets. However, in moderate (4-6 mm) and deep (greater than 6 mm) periodontal pockets, S&RP combined with an open flap procedure was more effective than S&RP alone for both experience levels. Also, the more experienced operators produced a significantly greater number of calculus-free root surfaces than the less experienced operators in periodontal pockets with moderate and deep probing depths. Clinical application of these results suggests that surgical access is associated with thorough surface debridement in periodontal pockets with moderate-to-advanced probing depths. However, more experienced operators could be expected to render more effective soft surface debridement.     

Angiolipoma of the tongue: report of a case

Angiolipoma is a rare variety of lipoma in the maxillofacial region. Only eight cases have been documented so far. A case in which an angiolipoma occurred within the tongue of a 49-year-old man is described here. The difference from earlier cases occurring in the tongue is noted. Close follow-up has, as yet, revealed no recurrence.