Expression of Exogenous Antigens in the Mycobacterium bovis BCG Vaccine via Non-genetic Surface Decoration with the Avidin-biotin System.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious infectious disease and the only available vaccine M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is safe and effective for protection against children's severe TB meningitis and some forms of disseminated TB, but fails to protect against pulmonary TB, which is the most prevalent form of the disease. Promising strategies to improve BCG currently rely either on its transformation with genes encoding immunodominant M. tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific antigens and/or complementation with genes encoding co-factors that would stimulate antigen presenting cells. Major limitations to these approaches include low efficiency, low stability, and the uncertain level of safety of expression vectors. In this study, we present an alternative approach to vaccine improvement, which consists of BCG complementation with exogenous proteins of interest on the surface of bacteria, rather than transformation with plasmids encoding corresponding genes. First, proteins of interest are expressed in fusion with monomeric avidin in standard E. coli expression systems and then used to decorate the surface of biotinylated BCG. Animal experiments using BCG surface decorated with surrogate ovalbumin antigen demonstrate that the modified bacterium is fully immunogenic and capable of inducing specific T cell responses. Altogether, the data presented here strongly support a novel and efficient method for reshaping the current BCG vaccine that replaces the laborious conventional approach of complementation with exogenous nucleic acids.

Diagnosis and management of occlusal wear: a case report.

The rationale for doing full mouth rehabilitation are, when occlusal forces become traumatic hampering the health of periodontal tissues, extensive occlusal diseases, trauma, temporomandibular joint disease and congenital disorders with malformed dentition. Literature exposes that full mouth fixed rehabilitation is one of the taxing procedures in the field of Prosthodontics. A critical aspect for successful occlusal rehabilitation is to determine the aetiology, correct sequence of treatment and most importantly the occlusal vertical dimension and centric relation in which to plan the treatment. A systematic approach in managing these patients can lead to a predictable and favourable prognosis. This article presents the stages of prosthodontic rehabilitation, from diagnosis to final treatment and follow-up, of a bruxer patient with severely worn dentition.

Prosthetic rehabilitation of postsurgical nasomaxillary hypoplasia for a patient following reconstructive surgery: a clinical report.

Repairs of the cleft nose, lip, and palatal deformity remain challenging endeavors for reconstructive surgeons. Postsurgical nasomaxillary hypoplasia is a common finding in patients with extensive clefts. This complex deformity has a pronounced impact on the social behavior and self image of the subject. Esthetic and functional rehabilitation of this postsurgical defect is scarcely reported in the literature. Support in the form of prostheses or stents to prevent tissue collapse is usually required in these patients following surgery. This clinical case presentation discusses the fabrication of an internal nasal stent for a cleft nose, lip, and palate patient following surgical reconstruction. Two prostheses using two prosthetic materials (Polymethyl methacrylate, flexible resin) were prepared to compare their efficacy. The final prostheses improved the patient's appearance, making the postsurgical defect less conspicuous.