Oral ulcer by Sphingomonas paucimobilis: first report.

The first case of an oral infection caused by Sphingomonas paucimobilis is reported. A 73-year-old man presented with a gingival ulcer with bone exposure affecting the attached gingiva in the anterior maxillary region. He reported pain during chewing and the presence of fever. Since the first case of S. paucimobilis infection was reported in 1977, involving a leg ulcer, the number of reports related to this organism has been increasing, indicating that the bacterium should be considered an emerging pathogen. It is possible that other non-classical pathogens of the oral cavity may be responsible for infectious lesions, which represents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

Association among 1267 A/G HSP70-2, -308 G/A TNF-α polymorphisms and pro-inflammatory plasma mediators in old ZincAge population.

Proinflammatory cytokines and heat shock proteins play relevant roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. We investigated whether Hsp70 1267 A/G and TNF-α -308 G/A polymorphisms are associated with proinflammatory mediators, zinc status and laboratory parameters in 1,078 healthy elderly from ZincAge study. Hsp70 1267 A/G genotype and allele distribution were similar among various European countries, while a TNF-α genetic heterogeneity was observed between the Northern and the Southern European populations, with a major frequency of the -308 A variant in France, Germany and Poland. We used linear regression models to test additive, dominant or recessive associations of each SNP with proinflammatory mediators, laboratory parameters, metallothioneins and zinc status. Hsp70 1267 A/G SNP, but not TNF-α -308 G/A SNP, influences TNF-α and IL-6 plasma levels under additive, dominant and recessive models (for TNF-α only). An association between Hsp70 1267 A/G SNP and zinc plasma levels was observed in the dominant model. In particular, G allele carriers showed increased circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and zinc. Moreover, both these SNPs affect creatinine levels suggesting a possible influence on renal function. In conclusion, Hsp70 1267 A/G SNP is associated with pro-inflammatory cytokine production in healthy elderly and might represent a possible determinant of individual susceptibility to inflammatory diseases.