Topical chemotherapy in human periodontitis using a new controlled-release insert containing ofloxacin. I. Microbiological observation

The recognition that destructive periodontal diseases may be caused by specific microorganisms in periodontal pockets has led to an increased interest in and usage of antimicrobial agents in periodontal therapy. Recently, a new controlled-release insert containing ofloxacin, a synthetic antibiotic, has been developed. In this study, the controlled-release insert (PT-01) was microbiologically evaluated in combination with or without subgingival mechanical debridement. PT-01 was applied in the periodontal pockets of 27 patients with chronic periodontitis. Three sites with a deep probing pocket depth (greater than or equal to 5 mm) were randomly selected in different quadrants of each patient, and were assigned into three groups, i.e., PT-01 applied (T), placebo applied (P) and control sites (C). Periodontal treatments consisted of supragingival scaling with oral hygiene instruction for the first 2 weeks followed by root planing and subgingival scaling PT-01 was applied weekly on day 0 to 35, and the subgingival plaque samples from each site were collected on d 0, 14, 21 and 42. The dynamics of the subgingival microflora was investigated by dark field microscopy and by anaerobic and aerobic cultivation. In the supragingival scaling period, significant reduction in percentages of spirochetes and motile rods and significant increase of the percentage of coccoid cells were observed only at T sites. In addition, the total viable counts of bacteria, black-pigmented Bacteroides and Fusobacterium species were significantly reduced at T sites. After mechanical subgingival debridement, significant shifts in the proportion and reduction of the viable counts in the subgingival microflora were found at all sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Dietary treatment for decreasing 141Ce body burden in immature rats

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effect of prolonged (immediate or delayed) administration of dietary additives to suckling rats on the absorption and retention of radioactive cerium in the body.The experiment was performed on 6-day-old suckling rats. According to dietary treatment the animals were divided into thee groups. Each group was artificially fed over 8 h for 6 or 12 days on one of the diets: the first group of animals was fed milk, the second group was given ingredients of rat diet and the third received milk during the first 2 days of the experiment and the ingredients of rat diet afterwards. At the end of the artificial feeding period the pups returned to their mothers and suckled overnight. On the 1st day of the experiment the food was labelled with ¹⁴¹Ce. Whole body radioactivity was determined in a double crystal scintillation counter every 48 h over a 12-day period. Half of the animals from each group were killed 6 days after ¹⁴¹Ce administration and the other half after 12 days. At these intervals retention was determined in the gut, liver, idneys and femur. The early and delayed administration of rat diet ingredients — fish meal, sunflower meal, alfalfa, cane molasses and premix — greatly reduced whole body retention. The early treatment was more efficacious than the delayed one. The reduction was mostly due to decreased gut retention but organ retentions were also lower. The results obtained indicate that by prolonged (immediate or delayed) administration of some dietary means the retention of radioactive cerium in sucklings can be significantly decreased.     

Comparison of topoisomerase-IIalpha gene status between primary breast cancer and corresponding distant metastatic sites

Background. Topoisomerase-II (topo-II) is a key enzyme in DNA replication and a molecular target for anti-cancer drugs called topoisomerase-II inhibitors, such as anthracyclines. Its value as a predictive marker of responsiveness to these cytotoxic drugs is currently being evaluated with promising results. However, even in the metastatic setting, the choice of treatment is based on the biologic characteristics of the primary tumor. Few data are available regarding the expression of biological markers between the primary tumor and the corresponding distant metastases. Methods. Topo-II gene status was evaluated in 29 breast cancer patients in which a primary tumor sample and a corresponding metastatic sample were both available. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with the Vysis triple probe (Vysis multi-color topo-II spectrum orange, Her-2 spectrum green and CEP17 spectrum aqua probe) was used, which allowed the concomitant evaluation of HER-2 gene status. Results. As previously reported, topo-II gene aberrations are always associated with HER-2 gene amplification; indeed no topo-II gene aberrations have been observed in the HER-2 negative tumors. Conversely, 38.5% (five patients) of the HER-2 positive primary breast tumors (13 patients) were topo-II amplified, while 61.5% (eight patients) had a normal topo-II gene. No topo-II gene deletion was found in our series. Topo-II gene amplification in the primary tumor was always associated with amplification in the corresponding metastases, and no metastases with topo-II gene amplification were seen without amplification in the primary tumor. Furthermore, the amplification level of topo-II (i.e., ratio topo-II: CEP17) remained unchanged in primary and metastatic sites. Conclusion. Despite the low number of patients, our results seem to indicate that topo-II gene status evaluation in the primary breast tumor accurately reflects its status in the corresponding distant metastases.     

中国汉族人群多巴胺D2 受体-141C Ins/Del 多态性与海洛因依赖的Meta 分析

目的：系统评价多巴胺D2受体基因-141C Ins/Del多态性与中国汉族人群海洛因依赖的相关性。方法：检索 中外数据库于建库至2014年3月公开发表的文献,收集有关多巴胺D2受体基因-141C Ins/Del多态性与中国汉族人群海洛 因依赖的病例对照研究,使用Stata12.0软件进行Meta分析。结果：共纳入7项关于多巴胺D2受体基因-141C Ins/Del多态 性与海洛因依赖的病例对照研究,其中病例组3 211人,对照组1 979人。Meta分析结果显示各基因型合并后的OR值、 OR值95% CI和P值,其中基因型Ins/Ins与基因型Del/Del比较,OR=0.51,95% CI：0.27~0.96,P=0.017;基因型Ins/Ins 与基因型Ins/Del+Del/Del比较,OR=0.82,95% CI：0.72~0.94,P=0.448;基因型Ins/Ins+Ins/Del与基因型Del/Del比较, OR=0.53,95% CI：0.28~0.98,P=0.019;基因型Ins/Del与基因型Del/Del比较,OR=0.59,95% CI：0.32~1.07,P=0.045; Ins等位基因与Del等位基因比较,OR=0.79,95% CI：0.71~0.89,P=0.101。结论：多巴胺D2受体基因-141C Ins/Del多态 性与中国汉族人群海洛因依赖存在关联,携带有Ins等位基因的个体可能不易对海洛因产生依赖。     

ANGIOGRAPHIC STUDY OF THE SUBDERMAL PLEXUS: A PRELIMINARY REPORT

The subdermal plexus was pictured angiographically in five fresh cadavers injected systemically with a lead oxide-gelatin mixture. Subdermal plexus was found either in the subdermal plane or in the deep part of the dermis. Diameters of vessels in the subdermal plexus are not uniform and there are differences in vascular continuity, which means that the subdermal plexus does not always have a random pattern. This observation is important when designing a thin flap.     

Regional differences in the control of lipolysis in human adipose tissue

Omental fat cells were 30% smaller than those in subcutaneous regions. In omental fat cells with a mean diameter of 95 mu, the basal cAMP concentration was 50% lower, but the basal rate of glycerol release was three times as rapid as in subcutaneous (epigastric) fat cells of identical size. Added at maximal effective concentration, noradrenaline increased the level of cAMP and the rate of glycerol release more markedly in the omental than in the subcutaneous adipocytes, whereas the response to isopropyl noradrenaline was similar. Before starvation the lipolytic effects of noradrenaline and isopropyl noradrenaline, respectively, were identical in the two regions of subcutaneous adipose tissue investigated (femoral and hypogastric). The findings were well related to the tissue levels of cAMP induced by the two agents. During starvation noradrenaline and isopropyl noradrenaline increased the cAMP level and the rate of lipolysis in fat cells obtained from the hypogastric region, whereas noradrenaline decreased these parameters in femoral adipocytes. Starvation was associated with a more prominent inhibitory effect of phenylephrine on basal and isopropyl-noradrenaline-induced lipolysis in femoral than in hypogastric adipose tissue. In conclusion, differences exist between different regions of adipose tissue in their lipolytic responsiveness to noradrenaline, which seems related to the balance between alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptor response.     

Surface Contamination of CT and MRI Equipment—A Potential Source for Transmission of Hospital-Acquired Infections

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a major problem for health care worldwide. These infections cause additional suffering for the patient and infer major societal costs. There has been extensive research on infection transmission in health care, but to a lesser extent within the field of radiology. The purpose of this study was to identify selected hand-touched surfaces inside and outside the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination rooms which are prone to contamination and which could represent a risk for transmission of HAI pathogens. We also aimed to examine differences in bacterial contamination between public and private radiology departments. Six public and four private radiology departments participated in the study. Bacterial samples were taken from ten predetermined surfaces inside and outside CT and MRI examination rooms. Sampling was carried out between patients after standard cleaning procedure, using flocked nylon swabs. The swab was applied over a 100 cm² surface, and after cultivation, bacterial colony-forming units (CFU) per cm² were calculated. Bacterial CFU were found on almost all selected surfaces. The highest numbers were found on keyboards, chairs of the patient changing rooms, headphones, and the alarm control/buzzer. There was no significant difference between public and private radiology departments. No multidrug-resistant microorganisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase–producing Enterobacterales, or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales were found in any of the investigated radiology departments. Both the CT and MRI equipment in public and private radiology departments may be potential sources of pathogenic bacteria, and disinfection between patients should be improved.     

miR-200a/miR-141 and miR-205 upregulation might be associated with hormone receptor status and prognosis in endometrial carcinomas

The aim of this study was to compare the clinicopathological significance of miR-200a/miR-141 and miR-205 expression in endometrioid carcinomas (ECs) versus nonendometrioid carcinomas (NECs) and to assess their correlation with hormone receptor status. miR-200a/miR-141 and miR-205 expression in 154 endometrial cancers was determined by qRT-PCR. The status of estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER/PR) was assessed using immunohistochemistry. miR-200a/miR-141 and miR-205 increased significantly in ECs and in NECs. The expression level of miR-200a was significantly higher in NECs than in ECs (P = 0.025). Furthermore, there was a trend that NECs with worse clinicopathological variables had a higher miR-200a expression, while an inverse trend existed in ECs. miR-205 upregulation occurred frequently in NECs without lymph node metastases (P = 0.030), whereas such association was not present in ECs. Interestingly, In ECs, miR-200a/miR-141 upregulation occurred frequently in the hormone receptor positive subgroups than the negative subgroups (P < 0.05). Similarly, the expression level of miR-205 was higher in the hormone receptor positive subgroups and the association between miR-205 and PR reached statistical significance (P = 0.024). In contrast, in NECs, a negative correlation was found between miR-200a/miR-141 and ER or PR status. Meanwhile, in ECs, miR-200a upregulation correlated with prolonged survival in the ER positive subgroup (P = 0.046), whereas an inverse trend existed in the ER negative subgroup. Our findings suggest that miR-200a/miR-141 and miR-205 increased significantly in ECs and in NECs. However, they might behave differently in ECs versus NECs. miR-200a/miR-141 and miR-205 might be associated with hormone receptor status in endometrial cancer and may possess prognostic impacts.     

人参皂甙Rb1抑制扩张型心肌病发生中的HB-EGF表达和纤维化

目的 HB-EGF过表达可促进心肌纤维化及心肌细胞凋亡,本文研究人参皂甙Rb1对cTnTR141W转基因扩张型心肌病小鼠发病过程中的HB-EGF表达和心肌纤维化的影响. 方法将cTnTR141W转基因小鼠随机分为模型组和人参皂甙Rb1组(70 mg/kg/d),连续给药7个月,取野生型小鼠作为对照组.用Kaplan-Meier法进行生存分析.心脏超声检测心功能及心脏几何构型.计算心重指数.光镜观察心肌细胞及间质变化.Western blot检测心脏HB-EGF,pSTAT3表达水平. 结果 Rb1长期给药能显著改善该模型的心功能和心脏几何构型,将死亡率降低50%.Rb1治疗组心重指数降低11.3%(P<0.05),光镜观察显示Rb1能减轻心肌细胞排列紊乱以及间质纤维化.Western blot结果显示Rb1能够显著降低模型中的HB-EGF及pSTAT3的表达.结论 Rb1抑制心肌病发生中的HB-EGF表达及抑制下游信号pSTAT的激活,并改善扩张型心肌病模型的心功能及心脏重构.