The effect of Fränkel's function regulator type III on the apical base.

Dento-alveolar and skeletal effects of orthopaedic treatment have always been the subject of controversial scientific discussions. The objective of this retrospective study was to demonstrate the changes in the dental arch and the apical base of both jaws following therapy with Fränkel's function regulator type III (FR III). For this purpose, 42 Class III patients (28 females, 14 males, mean age 7.5 years) were selected according to strict criteria. The control group consisted of 16 patients (eight females, eight males, mean age 8.3 years) with minor malocclusion symptoms. Study models of all patients at the beginning and end of treatment were evaluated using a sophisticated measuring system. Apart from common parameters of model analysis, cusp inclination of the first molars, and apical bases of the maxilla and mandible were recorded to facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of treatment effects (including growth). The FR III stimulated the development of the maxilla, thus resulting in a more physiological growth pattern. Mandibular prognathism, however, was still discernible after therapy in the Class III patients, even though mandibular growth did not differ significantly between the two groups.

Inflamed kidneys of NZB / W mice are a major site for the homeostasis of plasma cells.

(NZB x NZW)F1 (NZB / W) mice develop a disease similar to human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including autoantibody production, hypergammaglobulinaemia and inflammation of the kidneys. It is known that large numbers of lymphocytes infiltrate the kidneys of these mice. Here, we compare the roles of bone marrow, spleen and inflamed kidneys of NZB / W mice in the activation of B cells and the persistence of antibody-secreting cells (ASC). ASC are present in the kidneys of NZB / W mice with full-blown disease, as many as in the spleen and bone marrow. The specificity of the ASC in the inflamed kidneys is not restricted to self-antigens. After immunization of NZB / W mice with ovalbumin (OVA) the OVA-specific ASC are found initially in the spleen. Weeks later, OVA-specific ASC are found in high numbers in the bone marrow and the kidneys of these mice, but no longer in the spleen. As determined by FACS, B cells with a germinal center phenotype (B220(+) / PNA(+)) are found only in very low numbers in the kidneys, but in high numbers in the spleen of NZB / W mice. Germinal centers could not be detected in the kidneys, but in the spleen, and plasma cells appear to be scattered over the tissue. These data suggest that in autoimmune NZB / W mice, plasma cells generated in immune reactions of secondary lymphoid organs, later accumulate and persist in the inflamed kidneys, were they enhance the local concentrations of Ab and immunocomplexes. These experiments identify the inflamed kidneys of NZB / W mice as a site of prime relevance for the homeostasis of plasma cells, irrespective of their specificity.