International journal of tissue reactions最新文献

The benzoyl-DL arginine-naphthylamide (BANA) test for detecting digesting peptidase and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) measurement of pathogenic bacteria were performed in 15 patients with periodontal disease. The number of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroides forsythus and Treponema denticola, which are the most potent accelerators of alveolar bone resorption, were determined. Attachment loss and the BANA test showed significant close correlations with the number of pathogenic bacteria as well as with the tooth mobility and pocket depth. In conclusion, the BANA test and PCR measurement of bacteria are useful methods for detecting pathogenic bacteria that promote alveolar tissue destruction.

In patients with psoriasis, 2-6% suffer from flexural psoriasis. Areas where flexural psoriasis is found are the axillae, groin, submammary region, perianal region, and retroauricular fold. Eleven patients with flexural psoriasis were enrolled in this study: six men and five women, aged between 5 and 55 years. All patients had common psoriasis presented with psoriatic lesions involving the axillae, groin and submammary region. Each patient was instructed to apply calcipotriol 50 microg/gm twice daily for 6 weeks. The treatment assessment, based on changes in erythema, scaling and thickness scores, was carried out at 2, 4 and 6 weeks. The overall assessment of our cases in this study showed a marked and significant improvement in the treated intertriginous areas. The mean scores of erythema, scaling and thickness before treatment were 2.7, 2.3 and 2.5, respectively. There was a marked and dramatic improvement in seven patients (63.6%) within the first 2 weeks in which the response was more significant than other nonintertriginous psoriatic lesions. At the end of treatment, 10 patients (91%) showed complete clearance, and the mean scores were reduced to 0. One patient showed only moderate improvement. No significant adverse effect was reported. In conclusion, calcipotriol cream is effective, safe and well tolerated in the treatment of flexural psoriasis. Because tar preparations and anthralin are irritants and potent steroids are absorbed more in these areas, calcipotriol cream could be a better choice for the treatment of these cases.

To investigate whether bound thrombin can induce modulation of SMemb expression in vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells, messenger RNA (mRNA) expression was measured by in situ hybridization (ISH) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in cultured rabbit aortic VSM cells. To test the concentration- and time-dependent effect of bound thrombin on the expression of SMemb, confluent VSM cells were incubated for 48 h in 10% FBS-DMEM containing 0, 3, 10 and 30 units/ml of bound thrombin. In addition, the confluent VSM cells were incubated for 6, 12, 24 and 48 h in 10% FBS-DMEM containing 10 units/ml of bound thrombin. Consequently, bound thrombin significantly increased SMemb mRNA in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. When compared with the effect of rabbit fibrinogen (10 microg/ml) and native thrombin (10 units/ml), SMemb mRNA was significantly increased by bound thrombin and was slightly increased by native thrombin, but not by fibrinogen. Other myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform (SM1 and SM2) mRNA expressions were not changed by fibrinogen, native thrombin or bound thrombin. ISH revealed that there was no significant difference in the expression of MHC mRNAs among fibrinogen, native thrombin or bound thrombin. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the SMemb protein level was significantly increased by 2.5-fold by bound thrombin. When the clot-forming activities in cultured medium containing native thrombin or bound thrombin were measured from 0.5 to 48 h, the activity of bound thrombin declined more slowly than that of native thrombin. In conclusion, bound thrombin could upregulate the expression of SMemb mRNA and protein in cultured VSM cells and the activity of bound thrombin was maintained for longer than that of native thrombin in culture medium.

C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX I) is considered to be a specific marker sensitive to bone resorption; conversely, type II collagen C-telopeptide (CTX II) is considered to be a useful cartilage marker. CTX I assays in serum and urine samples of patients with various metabolic bone disorders, such as osteoporosis and Paget's disease, have been reported to show increased levels of this collagen fragment. In patients with knee osteoarthritis, a decrease in CTX I and an increase in CTX II were found. Osteoarthritis of the hands is one of the most common forms of osteoarthritis. Erosive osteoarthritis of the hands is a variant entity in which, as a consequence of rapid chondrolysis, bone involvement occurs very early in the process. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare CTX I assays in patients with erosive osteoarthritis of the hands versus those with nonerosive osteoarthritis of the hands. From a group of over 200 patients fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology's criteria for hand osteoarthritis, we considered the first 21 consecutive postmenopausal women with hand nodal osteoarthritis and disease duration of > or = 5 years and the first 21 consecutive postmenopausal women additionally presenting central joint erosions and disease duration of > or = 5 years. Our results show that in patients with erosive osteoarthritis, CTX I values are much higher than those in patients with nonerosive osteoarthritis.

Immune defects, thyroid abnormalities, infections and coeliac disease are often associated with Down's syndrome (DS). However, the basis of the immune defects is still unclear in DS. In the present study, we show that peripheral CD4 T-cells were decreased in children with DS, while mean values of cytotoxic CD8 T-cells were comparable with those from healthy children. Circulating activated (CD3/HLA-DR positive) T-cells were increased and a large proportion of purified T-cells from DS were also positive for APO-I/FAS (CD95) antigen. To further explore the functional status of circulating activated T-cells, enriched CD3 lymphocytes were cultured for 3 h and were tested for positivity to annexin-V (ANX-V) and propidium iodide. T-cells with the early apoptotic phenotype were increased in cell cultures from DS children. Plasma levels of inteleukin-6 (IL-6) were higher in DS children than in healthy children. The incidence of coeliac disease was also increased in this group of children. Most DS children showed increased levels of circulating IgG or IgA specific for gliadin, and their plasma IL-6 levels correlated with those of antigliadin IgG. The number of CD4 circulating cells was very low in DS children with coeliac disease, was low in those with serum antigliadin antibodies and was normal in DS without antigliadin antibodies. An overload of dietary antigens and impaired nutrient absorption secondary to altered functioning of the gastrointestinal mucosa might interfere with normal immune responses by inducing programmed cell death in CD4 T-cells.

The aim of this study was to evaluate microvascular assessment in patients with Behcet disease (BD) by means of an intravital videocapillaroscopic study. Sixteen BD patients were compared with an equivalent group of healthy subjects matched for age and sex. Videocapillaroscopy (VCP) was performed in peripheral areas and in conjunctiva, and morphological and quantitative parameters were assessed. In both areas VCP showed several morphological alterations (microaneurysms, megacapillaries, desertification areas) detectable in a high percentage of patients; quantitatively we found significant changes of incisuring and sludging score, of capillary loop intermediate branch length (in peripheral areas) and of arteriole/venule diameter (in conjunctiva). Therefore, vessel involvement included both the number and the whole vessel structure and was seen both in peripheral and conjunctival areas when the two different vascular beds of micro- and paramicrocirculation were examined. We conclude that an important rearrangement of microcirculation is detectable in BD and that VCP may have diagnostic and prognostic value, providing qualitative and quantitative information able to define the systemic extension of vascular damage and the degree of vessel wall alteration.

The aim of the present study was to determine the safety and efficacy of combined therapy with raloxifene (RLX) and clodronate (CLD) in postmenopausal women. We enrolled 45 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. The patients were randomly assigned to two different therapeutic groups: RLX 60 mg/day (n = 23) and RLX 60 mg/day plus CLD 100 mg intramuscularly (i.m.) once every 10 days (n = 22); 1 g of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D3 were also given daily to both groups. Lumbar and femoral bone mineral density (BMD) were assessed at baseline and after 12 months of therapy using the dual X-ray absorptiometry technique (Norland XR36). We measured the bone turnover markers NTx and CTx, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and osteocalcin at baseline and after 12 months of therapy. Our data demonstrate that 1 year of combined RLX+CLD therapy induced a higher increase in lumbar BMD than treatment with RLX alone as well as a major decrease in bone resorption markers, suggesting an additive effect of CLD on bone mass and inhibition of bone turnover. Furthermore, after 1 year of therapy levels of bone formation markers (osteocalcin and BAP) had increased in both groups, but the increase in osteocalcin and BAP was significantly higher in the RLX+CLD treated group, suggesting that, in addition to its inhibitory effects on resorption, CLD might also have stimulatory effects on mature osteoblast activity.

Vegetable proteins could be a suitable alternative to animal proteins in the clarification of wine, but their residues could represent a risk for subjects with food allergy or intolerance. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of specific immunoreactivity in red and white wines treated, as must or wine, with vegetable proteins in the clarification process. The proteins considered were prepared from lupins and peas, which are not included among the allergens listed in annex Illbis of Directive 2003/89/EC. The presence of residual immunoreactivity to specific rabbit anti-lupin and anti-pea polyclonal antibodies in treated wines was assessed by electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting. Residual protein was not detectable in red wines clarified with lupin, pea or a mixture of pea and lupin proteins or in white wines clarified with pea proteins. A small number of musts treated with lupin or pea proteins and white wines treated with lupin proteins yielded equivocal results, probably because of the presence of interfering material (e.g., sugar-rich proteins from grape and yeast). The use of bentonite as a secondary clarifying agent is therefore recommended since its combination with vegetable proteins is particularly effective in removing overall protein immunoreactivity.

D-003 is a mixture of very high molecular weight aliphatic primary acids purified from sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum, L) wax, in which the most abundant component is octacosanoic acid. Experimental studies have shown that D-003 not only shows cholesterol-lowering and antiplatelet effects, but also offers strong protection against plasma lipoprotein oxidation. Previous studies demonstrated that D-003 protected against the histological changes characteristic of Cl4C-induced hepatic injury in rats. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of D-003 in acute hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol in rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly distributed in two experimental series of three experimental groups as follows: group 1--positive control rats (paracetamol-treated); groups 2 and 3--rats with liver damage induced by paracetamol and treated with D-003 at 5 and 25 mg/kg, respectively, and which also received paracetamol to induce liver injury. In experimental series 1, animals received paracetamol orally (600 mg/kg). In series 2, paracetamol was administered through the intraperitoneal route (200 mg/kg). Eighteen hours after paracetamol dosing, rats were anesthetized with ether and livers were removed for histopathological studies. In the two experimental series, D-003 at 5 and 25 mg/kg significantly (p < 0.01) decreased the percentage of turgent cells and hepatocytes with necrosis and increased the percentage of normal hepatocytes with respect to positive controls in a dose-dependent manner. Necrotic areas and inflammatory infiltrates were observed in the liver of nine out of ten (90%) positive controls. In turn, D-003 dramatically reduced both necrotic areas and inflammatory infiltrate and was present in only one out of ten (10%) animals treated in the two experimental series. No histological alterations in liver sections of negative controls were found. D-003 protected against the histological changes characteristic of paracetamol-induced hepatic injury in rats, in which the process of lipid peroxidation plays a major role. The relationship between this protective action of D-003 in this experimental model and its antioxidant effects needs to be further investigated before definitive conclusions are drawn.

The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the efficacy of a natural metabolite of vitamin A, retinaldehyde 0.1%, vehicled in a gel in 17 patients with oral lichen planus and in 13 patients with oral leukoplakia, twice daily for 2 months. Our investigation was clinical, histological, immunohistochemical through the expression of markers of cell terminal differentiation and biochemical by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of cytokeratins (CK). In addition, the activity of retinaldehyde was studied ex vivo on surviving buccal mucosa. Retinaldehyde gel 0.1% showed good clinical efficacy, resulting in 6% disappearance and 82% improvement of the lesions in lichen planus and 17% disappearance and 75% improvement in leukoplakia. This was confirmed with immunohistochemistry, which revealed down-regulation of filaggrin and CK-10 as markers of terminal differentiation in both diseases. The effects of retinaldehyde in these two diseases were further demonstrated in the ex vivo surviving mucosal model, resulting in histological disappearance of keratinization in 80% of the lichen planus fragments and 40% of the leukoplakia fragments, associated with down-regulation of filaggrin and CK-10.