Developing a protocol for a preventive oral health exam for elderly people (EDePAM) using E-Delphi methodology

Abstract The aim of this study was to develop a Preventive Oral Health Exam for Elderly People (EDePAM), using the e-Delphi technique, to diagnose oral health problems in people 65 or older. The e-Delphi technique was used with experts in multiple stages, and in a final workshop, where an agreement on an examination protocol was reached for diagnosing dental caries, oral mucosa lesions, periodontal diseases, and masticatory function disorders. Quantitative analyses of all the rounds of the e-Delphi method were conducted. It was agreed that the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) should be used together with a modified version of the Nyvad criteria to detect and assess caries lesions. It was also agreed that an assessment was needed of the different factors involved in determining caries risk, namely socioeconomic level, access to fluoride, level of dependence/functionality, salivary flow, history of head and neck cancer treatment, use of medications that decrease salivary flow, diet, use of removable dental prostheses, exposure of root surfaces, and caries history. Furthermore, patients would be required to undergo an examination of the oral mucosa, where any existing lesion should be described in terms of its clinical appearance, location, and risk potential. It was also agreed that an assessment of masticatory function should be performed using the Leake index, together with chewing-gum combined with a color scale to categorize masticatory performance. The number of pairs of occluding antagonist teeth was considered as the best predictor of masticatory function. The 2018 classification by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) / European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) was accepted as the standard to assess periodontal status, and it was agreed that this assessment should include an evaluation of clinical attachment loss and bleeding on probing. The novel EDePAM was considered as appropriate for conducting a functional assessment of oral health by providing a comprehensive diagnosis of oral diseases.

Evaluating kinetic and physiological features of rCHO-K1 cells cultured on microcarriers for production of a recombinant metalloprotease/disintegrin

We present kinetic and physiological data regarding the culturing of rCHO-K1 cells on various microcarriers, to evaluate the potential of this culture strategy for mass production of these cells and expression of a recombinant disintegrin. Cultures were performed in 500 mL spinner flasks in DMEM culture medium with 10 percent v/v fetal calf serum, gently shaken at 37 C, pH 7.4, in a 10 percent v/v CO2 atmosphere. The following values were obtained, respectively, for the adhesion time-constant Ka (h) and specific growth rate micron max (d-1) on each microcarrier: Cytodex 1 (0.91, 0.45), Cultispher S (0.28, 0.34), Immobasil FS (0.85, 0.52) and Pronectin F (5.12, 0.67). Metabolic characteristics showed some variation among the cultures with the four microcarriers, the most significant being the higher production of ammonia with microcarriers coated with adhesive molecules (Cultispher S and Pronectin F) relative to the uncoated carriers (Cytodex 1 and Immobasil FS). Experiments where the DMEM medium was gradually replaced by the serum-free medium (CHO-SFM-II) revealed important advantages over media containing serum, not only for assay purposes, but also for purification of the disintegrin. Altogether these results demonstrate that cultures on microcarriers, especially on Pronectin F, show good potential for larger scale cultures of rCHO-K1 cell.

Performance evaluation of CHO-K1 cell in culture medium supplemented with hemolymph

Desenvolvimento de meios de cultura isentos de soro fetal bovino (SFB) é uma das grandes prioridades de pesquisa em desenvolvimento de processos com célula animal. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar uma análise do potencial de uso da hemolinfa como suplemento do meio utilizado no cultivo da célula animal ancorante CHO-K1. Para isso, foi adicionado 1% v/v de extrato de hemolinfa ao meio DMEM contendo 10% v/v de SFB e 1,0 ou 4,5 g/L de glicose. O cultivo foi realizado em frascos tipo spinner em um ambiente de 10% v/v de CO2, a 37ºC, utilizando o microcarregador Cytodex 1. Comparando os resultados obtidos no ensaio com hemolinfa com um sem hemolinfa pode-se notar uma influência positiva da hemolinfa no cultivo, já que o ensaio com hemolinfa apresentou uma concentração máxima de células 52% maior e uma produtividade máxima de até 40% maior.

Evaluation of the performance of a novel ceramic membrane bioreactor using the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum

The fungus Penicillium chrysogenum IFO-8644 was grown in a new type of ceramic membrane bioreactor operating with synthetic and complex germination medium at 27§C and pH7.0, using membranes with average pore diameters of 2.28 mm and effective area of 26.5 cm². Tests with different age inocula, an important factor in the development of the microorganisms, were performed. The best results were obtained using fresh inocula. Another extremely important factor to be considered in the desing of the bioreactor was the available membrane area for the growth of the fungus. As to the metabolism, sucrose was confirmed as the best source of carbon and energy since glucose had a repressive effect on the antibiotic production. A mathematical model, based on Monod growth kinetics for cell inhibition, enabled a reliable representation of the behavior of the bioreactor. Analysis of the experimental and simulated results showed that the bioprecess is viable in the novel bioreactor and that this bioreactor presents very promising potentials for large scale use.