Pulmonary-artery Cineangiocardiography and Echocardiography for Detection of Cardiac Sources of Cerebral Embolism

ABSTRACT Sixty-two patients with ischemic stroke possibly due to embolism of cardiac origin were investigated by pulmonary artery-cineangiography (PACAC) and echocardiography (UCG) to detect intracardiac thrombi. The proportion of intracardiac thrombi found by PACAC was 31% and by UCG 15%. The presence or absence of atrial fibrillation correlated well with PACAC findings of an intraventricular clot but poorly with UCG. Similarly, there was a significant association between ischemic heart disease and intraventricular thrombi detected by PACAC investigations but not with the results obtained by UCG. PACAC seems superior to UCG in the detection of intracardiac thrombi after possible embolic stroke.     

Functional analysis of fixed bridges on abutment teeth with reduced periodontal support

The present study examines (he function of fixed bridges on abutment teeth with reduced but non-inflamed periodontal tissues. Eighteen patients with advanced periodontal breakdown and indication for oral rehabilitation received periodontal treatment and their dentitions were restored with fixed bridgework. The analysis of function performed 2-5 years after insertion of the reconstructions was made by (1) evaluation of the patients' opinion on chewing ability and function of the masticatory system; (2) clinical examination of the border movements of the mandible, the status of the temporomandivular joints and the chewing muscles, and (3) measurements of the bite force in different areas of the dentition. The results of the study show that the functional capacity of the type of extensive bridgework discussed is good and that the patients–in spite of severe loss of periodontal tissue–achieve bite force values that are almost comparable to those in individuals with natural teeth. Comparison of the function of fixed bridges and that of removable dentures is also discussed.     

Staphylococcus aureus isolates from blood and anterior nares induce similar innate immune responses in endothelial cells

To evaluate the possibility to distinguish virulent from non‐virulent isolates, gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) induced by invasive and colonizing isolates of Staphylococcus aureus was compared. Gene expression in HUVEC was analyzed by microarray analysis after 4 h of infection with Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from healthy nasal carriers (n = 5) and from blood of septic patients (n = 5), to explore possible differences between the groups of bacteria in interaction with HUVEC. All isolates were spa‐typed to disclose strain relatedness. Moreover, the isolates were characterized with DNA microarray to determine the presence of virulence genes and to investigate the potential genes of importance in HUVEC interaction. The expression of 41 genes was up‐regulated, and four were down‐regulated in HUVEC by all isolates. Most of the up‐regulated genes encode cytokines, chemokines, interferon‐induced proteins, proteins regulating apoptosis and cell proliferation. There was no difference in the gene expression pattern between HUVEC infected with invasive or colonizing isolates. Furthermore, there was no difference in the presence of bacterial virulence genes between the two groups. In conclusion, our data indicate that S. aureus isolates induce comparable expression patterns in HUVEC, irrespective of invasiveness or presence of virulence genes.