Long-term evaluation of swallowing function before and after sagittal split ramus osteotomy.

The aim of this study was to determine whether mandibular setback by sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) influences swallowing function. The subjects were 14 patients with skeletal class III malocclusions who underwent setback surgery by SSRO. Morphological changes were studied on cephalograms, and swallowing function was evaluated by videofluorography before the operation (T0) and at 7-10 days (T1), 3 months (T2), and 6 months (T3) after surgery. The angle between nasion, sella, and hyoid bone (HSN) and the sella-hyoid distance had increased significantly at T1. The hyoid bone returned to the preoperative position at T2. There were no significant changes in the oropharyngeal space at any time. On videofluorographic assessment, lingual movement, soft palate movement, and epiglottic movement had decreased at T1, but all patients recovered at T2. The oral transit time was significantly longer at T1 than at T0. Our results confirm that SSRO influences swallowing function. Swallowing function appears to stabilize by 3 months after surgery.

Therapeutic effect of EDTA in experimental model of multiple sclerosis.

UNLABELLED: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, neurodegenerative disease that causes central nervous system (CNS) demyelination and affects approximately 2 million people worldwide. The aim of the present study was to test the therapeutic effect of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) in an experimental model of MS. The experiment was done on male C57BL/6 mice aged 6-8 weeks. The experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced using 250 microg of the MOG35-55 peptide emulsified in CFA and injected subcutaneously on day 0 over two flank areas. In addition, 250 ng of pertussis toxin in 400 microl PBS was injected i.p. on days 0 and 2. In the treatment group, EDTA was administered i.p. at a dose 75 mg/kg/day. The mice were sacrificed 21 days after EAE induction and blood samples were taken from their hearts. The brains of mice were removed for histological analysis and their isolated splenocytes were cultured. RESULTS: Our results showed that treatment with EDTA caused a significant delay in the time of onset and a significant reduction in severity of the EAE. Histological analysis indicated that there was not any plaque in the group of EDTA-treated mice whereas 5 +/- 1 plaques were detected in controls. The density of mononuclear infiltration in the CNS of EDTA-treated mice was lower than controls. In the group of EDTA-treated mice, using the FRAP test, total serum antioxidant power was high and significant in comparison to the controls. Moreover, the serum level of nitric oxide in the treatment group was significantly less than the control group, and, also, the levels of IFN-gamma in the cell culture supernatant of treated mice splenocytes was lower than control group. These data indicate that EDTA therapy can effectively attenuate EAE progression.

Therapeutic approach by Aloe vera in experimental model of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that leads to an inflammatory demyelination, axonal damage, and progressive neurologic disability that affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide. The aim of the present research was to test the therapeutic effect of Aloe vera in experimental model of MS. All experiments were conducted on C57BL/6 male mice aged 6-8 weeks. To induce the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), 250 microg of the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 peptide emulsified in complete freund's adjuvant was injected subcutaneously on day 0 over two flank areas. In addition, 200 ng of pertussis toxin in 100 microL phosphate buffered saline was injected intraperitoneally on days 0 and 2. The therapeutic protocol was carried out intragastrically using 120 mg/kg/day Aloe vera from 7 days before to 21 days after EAE induction. The mice were killed 21 days after EAE induction. The brains of mice were removed for histological analysis and their isolated splenocytes were cultured. The results indicated that treatment with Aloe vera caused a significant reduction in severity of the disease in experimental model of MS. Histological analysis showed 3 +/- 2 plaques in Aloe vera-treated mice compared with 5 +/- 1 plaques in control group. The density of mononuclear infiltration in the CNS of Aloe vera-treated mice (500 +/- 200) was significantly less in comparison to 700 +/- 185 cells in control group. Moreover, the serum level of nitric oxide in treatment group was significantly less than control animals. The level of interferon-gamma in cell culture supernatant of treated mice splenocytes was lower than control group, whereas decrease in serum level of interleukin-10 in treatment group was not significant in comparison with control mice. These data indicate that Aloe vera therapy can attenuate the disease progression in experimental model of MS.

Novel therapeutic approach by culture filtrate of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii (CneF) in experimental immune complex glomerulonephritis.

The present study was undertaken to determine the therapeutic effect of the culture filtrate of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii (CneF) in experimental immune complex glomerulonephritis. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) nephritis was induced in rats by a subcutaneous immunization and daily intravenous administration of BSA. CneF solution at three different doses (36, 54, and 90 mg/kg based on carbohydrate concentration) was administered intraperitoneally at regular 72-h intervals for 4 weeks. Onset of treatment was day 65, and urinary protein was measured at different intervals. Animals were euthanized on day 107. Serum and urine determinants were measured at the time of sacrifice and kidney specimens were examined. Results of this experiment showed that CneF therapy could significantly reduce the urinary protein excretion, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), plasma concentration of triglyceride, and increase the serum HDL cholesterol in treated rats vs. nontreated controls. Moreover, there was significant difference in glomerular changes between treated and nontreated groups. These observations show that the beneficial effect of CneF may be related to decreased number of glomerular leukocytes. Our findings suggest that treatment with CneF as a new antiinflammatory compound can reduce proteinuria, suppress the development of glomerular lesions, and exert lipid-lowering property in a rat model of immune complex glomerulonephritis.

Predicting tumor metastasis in patients with oral cancer by means of the proliferation marker Ki67.

Recent developments of a Ki67 antibody to recombinant parts of the Ki67 nuclear antigen have provided a marker for tumor proliferation. In the present study, biopsy specimens were obtained from 20 patents with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity at various sites, who also received a regional neck dissection. The patients' mean age was 61 years. Normal mucosa obtained from the surgical materials of 10 patients with a non-tumor condition was also examined as a control. The expression of Ki67 was examined immunohistochemically and the labeling index (LI) assessed in the biopsy specimens. The patients were divided into two groups; patient who already had a regional lymph node metastasis at the time of tumor resection and patient without any metastasis. All of the oral carcinoma and normal mucosa specimens were positive for Ki67, while the magnitude of staining showed a wide variation. The median LI of the patients with metastasis and without metastasis was 37.63 +/- 8.30 and 20.40 +/- 4.22 respectively, while the normal mucosa control was 7.62 +/- 1.70. The results of this study suggest that an immunohistochemical examination of the biopsy materials for the Ki67 antigen and assessed LI index should prove useful for the prediction of lymph node metastasis.