Relationship of periodontal infection to serum antibody levels to periodontopathic bacteria and inflammatory markers in periodontitis patients with coronary heart disease.

Several reports have demonstrated a possible association of periodontal infections with coronary heart disease (CHD) by elevated antibody titre to periodontopathic bacteria in CHD patients compared with non-diseased controls. Although each periodontopathic bacterium may vary in virulence for periodontitis and atherosclerosis, antibody response to multiple bacteria in CHD patients has not been understood fully. Therefore, serum levels of antibody to 12 periodontopathic bacteria together with other atherosclerotic risk markers were compared among 51 patients with CHD, 55 patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis and 37 healthy individuals. The antibody response was the most prevalent for Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major causative organism, in CHD as well as periodontitis patients. However, antibody positivity was different between CHD and periodontitis if the response was analysed for two different strains of P. gingivalis, namely FDC381 and Su63. While periodontitis patients were positive for both P. gingivalis FDC381 and Su63, a high frequency of antibody positivity for P. gingivalis Su63 but not for FDC381 was observed in CHD patients. The results indicate that the presence of particular periodontopathic bacteria with high virulence may affect atherogenesis. Identifying the virulence factors of P. gingivalis Su63 may gain insight into the new therapeutic modality for infection-induced deterioration of atherosclerosis.

Rapidly growing histologically benign meningiomas: cell kinetic and deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy features: report of three cases.

We present three cases of histologically benign meningiomas with a rapid and known time course to the development of symptoms. Tumor doubling time calculated from sequential computed tomographic scans and computer-assisted image analysis of proliferating cell nuclear antigen reactivity suggested rapid growth. Feulgen staining indicated deoxyribonucleic acid aneuploidy. Tests for progesterone and estrogen receptor immunoreactivity were negative. These cases are noteworthy for their uncharacteristically rapid growth in the absence of histological evidence of atypia.

The effect of ouabain on pressor responses to infused noradrenaline in patients with essential hypertension.

The relationship between changes in the pressor response to infused noradrenaline induced by intravenous injection of ouabain, an Na+,K+-ATPase inhibitor, and plasma renin activity and plasma ionized calcium was examined in 16 normotensive subjects and in 16 patients with essential hypertension. These patients were divided into 11 normal-renin and five low-renin essential hypertensives. The pressor response was significantly greater in low-renin hypertensives than in normotensives and normal-renin hypertensives. Following the injection of ouabain, the pressor response was significantly increased with no change in basal levels of blood pressure, plasma noradrenaline concentration, plasma calcium and plasma parathyroid hormone in both normotensives and essential hypertensives. The pressor response to noradrenaline was negatively correlated with levels of plasma noradrenaline and calcium after the injection of ouabain as well as before the injection in normotensives and essential hypertensives. The regression line between the pressor response and that of plasma noradrenaline or plasma calcium was significantly shifted towards a higher pressor response in normotensives, but not in essential hypertensives. The changes in the pressor response to noradrenaline induced by the injection of ouabain was significantly smaller in essential hypertensives, particularly in low-renin hypertensives, compared with normotensives. These results suggest that: (1) ouabain increases the pressor response to noradrenaline; (2) this increase is related to calcium metabolism; (3) endogenous Na+,K+-ATPase inhibitor(s) might be elevated in essential hypertensives; and (4) an increase in endogenous Na+,K+-ATPase inhibitor might, therefore contribute to an enhanced noradrenaline response in essential hypertensives, particularly in low-renin hypertensives.