Elimination of bacteria on different implant surfaces through photosensitization and soft laser. An in vitro study.

Microbiologic examinations of implants have shown that certain micro‐organisms described as periodontal pathogens may have an influence on the development and the progression of peri‐implant disease. This experimental study aimed to examine the bactericidal effect of irradiation with a soft laser on bacteria associated with peri‐implantitis following exposure to a photo‐sensitizing substance. Platelets made of commercially pure titanium, either with a machined surface or with a hydroxyapatite or plasma‐flame‐sprayed surface or with a corundum‐blasted and etched surface, were incubated with a pure suspension of Actinobacillus actinomyetemcomitans or Porphyromonas gingivalis or Prevotella intermedia. The surfaces were then treated with a toluidine blue solution and irradiated with a diode soft laser with a wave length of 905 nm for 1 min. None of the smears obtained from the thus treated surfaces showed bacterial growth, whereas the smears obtained from surfaces that had been subjected to only one type of treatment showed unchanged growth of every target organism tested ( P <0.0006). Electron microscopic inspection of the thus treated platelets revealed that combined dye/laser treatment resulted in the destruction of bacterial cells. The present in vitro results indicate that lethal photosensitization may be of use for treatment of peri‐implantitis.     

Biological Activity of a Mouse-Human Chimeric Immunoglobulin G2 Antibody to Cryptococcus neoformans Polysaccharide

The variable regions of the heavy and light chains of the protective murine monoclonal antibody (MAb) 2H1 (m2H1) were expressed with the human constant region genes for immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2) and kappa, respectively, to construct a chimeric antibody (ch2H1). ch2H1 retains the specificity of the parent MAb, exhibits biological activity, and lacks the toxicity of the parent murine IgG1 in chronically infected mice.     

Canine versus in vitro data for predicting input profiles of L-sulpiride after oral administration.

The objective of this study was to assess the relative usefulness of canine versus in vitro data sets in the prediction of absorption of L-sulpiride (a low permeability compound) from an immediate and an extended release formulation. To reduce species differences on upper gastrointestinal residence times, human and canine data were collected in the fed state. In vitro permeability data (that were additionally confirmed by rat perfusion data) were obtained from the literature. In vitro release data were obtained in media simulating the gastric composition (without and with simultaneous protein digestion) and intestinal composition in the fed state. The results showed that, regardless of the formulation, canine input profiles were vastly different from human profiles at times longer than 2h after administration and led to 2.7 times higher total amount absorbed in dogs. In contrast, reliable in vitro permeability data in combination with in vitro release data collected in biorelevant media led to successful prediction of the human input profile; regardless of the dosage form, simulated and actual mean input profiles differed by less than 20%.     

Downregulation of human kallikrein 10 (KLK10/NES1) by CpG island hypermethylation in breast, ovarian and prostate cancers.

OBJECTIVE: The human kallikrein 10 (KLK10)/normal epithelial cell-specific-1 (NES1) gene is highly expressed in normal mammary, ovary and prostate cells, but its expression is dramatically decreased in cancer cell lines. Recently, it has been shown that CpG island hypermethylation of the KLK10 gene is responsible for the tumor-specific loss of KLK10 gene expression in certain breast cancer cell lines. METHOD: We examined the role of CpG island hypermethylation in the tumor-specific loss of KLK10 expression in breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. We treated cells with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (dC) and monitored changes in KLK10 mRNA by RT-PCR and secreted hK10 protein expression by ELISA. The following cell lines were used: MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, MCF-7, ZR-75-1, T-47D and BT-474 (breast); BG-1, MDAH-2774, HTB-75, HTB-161, PA-1 and ES-2 (ovary), and LNCaP and PC-3 (prostate). RESULTS: Upregulation of KLK10 mRNA levels, which was accompanied by an increase in secreted hK10 protein concentration, was observed for a subset of breast, ovarian, and prostate tumor cell lines after 5-aza-2'-dC. Genomic sequencing of sodium-bisulfite-treated DNA demonstrated that CpG sites within the KLK10 gene exon 3 were highly methylated. Hypermethylation of exon 3 CpG regions was also detected in primary ovarian cancers. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that CpG island hypermethylation plays an important role in the downregulation of kallikrein 10 mRNA and protein expression, but it cannot explain the pattern of expression of this gene in all cell lines or tissue tested.     

Evidence-based recommendations for the management of ankylosing spondylitis: systematic literature search of the 3E Initiative in Rheumatology involving a broad panel of experts and practising rheumatologists

Objective. Recommendations and/or guidelines represent a popularway of integrating evidence-based medicine into clinical practice.The 3E Initiatives is a multi-national effort to develop recommendationsfor the management of rheumatic diseases, which involves a largenumber of experts combined with practising rheumatologists addressingspecific questions relevant to clinical practice. Methods. Ten countries participated in three rounds of discussionsand votes concerning the management of AS. A set of nine questionswas formulated in the domains of diagnosis, monitoring and treatment,after a Delphi procedure. A literature search in MedLine wasconducted. Predefined outcome parameters for the domains ofdiagnosis, monitoring and treatment were assessed. The evidenceto support each proposition was evaluated and scored. Afterdiscussion and votes, the final recommendations were presentedusing brief statements by each national group, following whichthe final international recommendations were formulated. Results. A total of 2699 papers were found and 467 were selectedfor analysis. Twelve key recommendations were developed: threein the domain of diagnosis addressing general diagnostic considerations,early AS diagnosis and general practitioners’ referralrecommendations; three concerning monitoring of AS disease activity,severity and prognosis; six concerning pharmacological treatment(except biologics): non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/COX-IIinhibitors, bisphosphonates and treatment of enthesitis. Thecompiled agreement among experts ranged from 72% to 93%. Conclusion. Recommendations for the management of AS were developedusing an evidence-based approach followed by expert/physicianconsensus with high level of agreement. Involvement of a largerand more representative group of rheumatologists may improvetheir dissemination and implementation in daily clinical practice. KEY WORDS: Ankylosing spondylitis, Systemic literature search, Recommendations, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, COX-II inhibitors, Monitoring, Diagnosis, Treatment     

Quality of life in Greek family members living with leg ulcer patients

Leg ulcers have been shown to have a significant impact on a patient's quality of life (QoL). Little is known, however, about the secondary impact of the disease on the QoL of the relatives and partners of patients with leg ulcers. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of chronic leg ulcers on the lives of both patients and their family members. Two hundred sixteen patients with leg ulcers and their family members were recruited. All patients entered were evaluated for QoL using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scale, and family members were similarly evaluated using the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI).The study included 56 female and 52 male patients, and 50 female and 58 male family members. The FDLQI score for the latter group was 14.37 ± 2.46 with over 96% of family members reporting a large effect on their QoL due to their relative's disease. The DLQI score in patients with leg ulcers was 13.18 ± 2.88. A significant positive and high correlation between DLQI and FDLQI scores (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) was documented, while DLQI contributed significantly to the prediction of FDLQI (standardized β = 0.71, p < 0.001). Our study results indicate that the QoL of the family was also affected by the patient's condition of chronic leg ulcers and clearly associated with that of the patients.