[MAXILLOFACIAL TRAFFIC INJURIES RELATED TO MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS IN JERUSALEM 2000-2013: CHARACTERISTICS AND ETHNIC COMPARISONS].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to review motor-vehicle accident-related maxillofacial injuries (MVA-MFI) trauma cases and to investigate whether the growing population and traffic congestion, as well as differences in driving practice, vehicle safely devices and infrastructure facilities might differentially affect the pattern of MVA-MFI among Jewish and Arab populations. METHODS: This retrospective study reviews maxillofacial injuries (MFI) identified among all trauma patients who were admitted to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital, Jerusalem, between the years 2000 to 2013. RESULTS: Out of 29,997 trauma patients, 1,720 presented with MFI, with motor-vehicle accident (MVA) being the major cause of injury (705 patients, 41%). Their mean age was 29.9±21.0 years with a prominent male and Jewish predominance (4.3:1 and 1.8:1, respectively). Most MVA-MFI casualties were car drivers (41%), followed by pedestrians (30%). Pedestrians with MVA-MFI were mainly children and aged persons, whereas drivers were mainly adults. Males and Arabs were more likely to present with higher injury severity score (ISS). Safety belts were not used in the majority of car MVA-MFI patients (54%). Yet, the ISS score did not correlate with the use of safety devices. Mandibular fractures were the most common (21%), followed by nasal bones (20%), zygoma (17%), orbit (16%), maxilla (15%) and teeth (11%). Age was significantly associated with increased maxillary and nasal fractures and with decreased incidence of mandibular and teeth fractures. DISCUSSION: Based on our review, young males and specifically Arab patients suffered from MFI and high ISS scores as a result of MVA. The findings and their interpretations are discussed.

Combined antioxidant effects of Neem extract, bacteria, red blood cells and Lysozyme: possible relation to periodontal disease.

BACKGROUND: The common usage of chewing sticks prepared from Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) in India suggests its potential efficacy in periodontal diseases. The objective of this study is to explore the antibacterial effects of Neem leaf extract on the periodontophatic bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, and its antioxidant capacities alone and in combination with bacteria and polycationic peptides that may be at the site of inflammation. METHODS: Neem leaf extract was prepared by ethanol extraction. The growth kinetics of P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum under anaerobic conditions in the presence of Neem leaf extract were measured. Broth microdilution test was used to determine the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of Neem leaf extract against each bacterial strain. The effect of Neem leaf extract on the coaggregation of the bacteria was assessed by a visual semi-quantitative assay. The antioxidant capacities of Neem leaf extract alone and in combination with bacteria, with the addition of red blood cells or the polycationic peptides chlorhexidine and lisozyme, were determined using a chemiluminescence assay. RESULTS: Neem leaf extract showed prominent dose-dependent antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis, however, had no effect on the growth of F. nucleatum nor on the coaggregation of the two bacteria. Yet, it showed intense antioxidant activity, which was amplified following adherence to bacteria and with the addition of red blood cells or the polycationic peptides. CONCLUSIONS: Neem leaf extract, containing polyphenols that adhere to oral surfaces, have the potential to provide long-lasting antibacterial as well as synergic antioxidant activities when in complex with bacteria, red blood cells and lisozyme. Thus, it might be especially effective in periodontal diseases.

Opposing effects of HNP1 (α-defensin-1) on plasma cholesterol and atherogenesis.

Atherosclerosis, the predominant cause of death in well-resourced countries, may develop in the presence of plasma lipid levels within the normal range. Inflammation may contribute to lesion development in these individuals, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Transgenic mice expressing α-def-1 released from activated neutrophils develop larger lipid and macrophage-rich lesions in the proximal aortae notwithstanding hypocholesterolemia caused by accelerated clearance of α-def-1/low-density lipoprotein (LDL) complexes from the plasma. The phenotype does not develop when the release of α-def-1 is prevented with colchicine. However, ApoE-/- mice crossed with α-def-1 mice or given exogenous α-def-1 develop smaller aortic lesions associated with reduced plasma cholesterol, suggesting a protective effect of accelerated LDL clearance. Experiments were performed to address this seeming paradox and to determine if α-def-1 might provide a means to lower cholesterol and thereby attenuate atherogenesis. We confirmed that exposing ApoE-/- mice to α-def-1 lowers total plasma cholesterol and decreases lesion size. However, lesion size was larger than in mice with total plasma cholesterol lowered to the same extent by inhibiting its adsorption or by ingesting a low-fat diet. Furthermore, α-def-1 levels correlated independently with lesion size in ApoE-/- mice. These studies show that α-def-1 has competing effects on atherogenesis. Although α-def-1 accelerates LDL clearance from plasma, it also stimulates deposition and retention of LDL in the vasculature, which may contribute to development of atherosclerosis in individuals with normal or even low plasma levels of cholesterol. Inhibiting α-def-1 may attenuate the impact of chronic inflammation on atherosclerotic vascular disease.