Bacteremia after Orthodontic Miniscrew Insertion.

Objectives: Use of miniscrews has become very common in orthodontic treatment of patients. Following tissue manipulation during miniscrew placement, bacteremia may occur, which is important in patients susceptible to infective endocarditis. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of bacteremia following orthodontic miniscrew placement. Materials and Methods: The present quasi-experimental study was conducted on 30 orthodontic patients, including 11 males (36.7%) and 19 females (63.3%) with a mean age of 23.67±4.87 years, who required miniscrew placement in their treatment plan. Two blood samples were taken from the patients for aerobic and anaerobic cultures right before and 30-60 seconds after miniscrew placement. To investigate the presence of bacteremia, the blood samples were incubated in an automated blood culture machine for five days. The standard biological methods were used for the positive sample(s) to identify the type of bacteria. Data analysis was performed using the McNemar test. Results: The blood samples of 29 patients were negative for the bacteria before and after miniscrew placement. Blood sample of one patient was positive for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria after miniscrew placement. However, bacteremia was negative in the initial (preplacement) blood samples for both aerobes and anaerobes. Conclusion: Miniscrew placement in orthodontic patients was not associated with bacteremia.

Implementing Parent-Teen Motivational Interviewing + Behavior Therapy for ADHD in Community Mental Health.

Despite the promise of psychosocial interventions for adolescent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), there are no studies that examine their implementation in community mental health contexts. In this study, we evaluate the implementation of community-based Supporting Teens' Autonomy Daily (STAND), a parent-teen Motivational Interviewing + Behavior Therapy intervention for adolescents with ADHD. Adolescents with ADHD (N = 225), who were clients at four community mental health agencies, received treatment from 82 therapists. There was double randomization of adolescents and therapists to STAND or Usual Care (UC). Nearly all therapists randomized to STAND completed the training and regularly attended supervision, rating STAND as acceptable and lower burden than UC practices. In the STAND group, MI competence and implementation were lower than in university trials (benchmark range, 19.5% for reflection to question ratio to 83.1% for technical globals). MI integrity in the STAND group was significantly higher than UC across most MITI indices. Content fidelity was adequate in STAND's engagement and skills phases (76.4-85.0%), but not its planning phase (24.4%). Therapists commonly neglected weekly review of goals and home practice and deviated from manualized pace and sequencing of therapy tasks. Learning MI was more challenging for bilingual therapists and therapists with more years of experience. STAND was delivered with higher integrity in earlier sessions and office-based sessions. Discussion identifies future directions for exporting adolescent ADHD interventions to community settings. Patient outcome data for this trial is presented elsewhere. Trial Registration: NCT02694939 www.clinicaltrials.gov .

The Effects of Psychotherapy for Major Depressive Disorder on Daily Mood and Functioning: A Longitudinal Experience Sampling Study.

Experience sampling methodology (ESM) was used in a randomized controlled trial of short-term therapy to examine changes in daily affect and reactivity to daily event appraisals among depressed patients. Fifty-five depressed adults (mean age 37 years, 80% female) were randomly assigned to one of two therapy conditions. Using an interactive voice response system, participants rated activities and emotional functioning eight times per day for seven days. Thirty-one participants completed treatment and repeated ESM post-treatment. Broad improvements in mood, cognition, and physical functioning were similar across treatment conditions, with the largest improvements for markers of positive affect. Participants demonstrated increased resilience, i.e., diminished reactivity to stressors at post-treatment. Changes in reactivity to positive daily situations were minimal. Findings underscore the utility of ESM in psychotherapy research and the importance of including measures of both positive and negative affect and experiences.

Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff attenuates thromboembolic brain injury, possibly due to its Z-ligustilide content.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Essential oil (EO) of Kelussia odoratissima Mozaff, whose main composition is Z-ligustilide, has been shown to have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and potent neuroprotective properties. RESEARCH DESIGN: This study examined whether or not the EO could ameliorate brain damage and behavioural dysfunction in a thromboembolic model of stroke in rats and compare its effects to that of the purified Z-ligustilide. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Stroke was induced in rats by middle cerebral artery occlusion using an autologous pre-formed clot. EO (10 mg kg(-1) and 45 mg kg(-1)) and Z-ligustilide (20 mg kg(-1)) were injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to embolization. Behavioural scores, infarct size and brain oedema, as well as the level of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), malondialdehyde, glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity were determined in the ipsilateral cortex 24 hours following stroke induction. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: EO (45 mg kg(-1)), statistically similar to Z-ligustilide (20 mg kg(-1)), curtailed brain infarction and oedema, improved behavioural scores and prevented enhanced oxidative stress and TNF-α level in the ischaemic brain tissues. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide the first evidence of effectiveness of the extract in a thromboembolic model of stroke, whose action can be mediated, at least in part, by the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

Comparison of molecular techniques with other methods for identification and enumeration of probiotics in fermented milk products.

Nowadays, an increasing attention is being given to fermented milk products including yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, and acidophilus milk. Fermented milks, especially the ones containing probiotics, are claimed to be useful for health of host (such as intestinal- and immune-associated diseases). Their healthful effects could be significantly enhanced by incorporating probiotic microorganisms; those have healthful advantages for host when consumed in an appropriate viable number in food products. Probiotic dairy products have stepped to the market and are being commercially produced under various brand names. In addition, these products are legislatively obliged to be labeled for the microorganisms contained. Therefore, identification and enumeration of their microorganisms are a cause of concern. Several culture-dependent methods have been introduced and used to identify the microorganisms, in which the researchers have experienced multiple difficulties. Thereby, molecular approaches were present as an alternative, offering advantages such as accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and speed. This article reviews the molecular approaches employed for identification and enumeration of probiotics in fermented milk products.

The neuroprotective effect of tropisetron on vincristine-induced neurotoxicity.

Vincristine (VCR) peripheral neuropathy is a dose-limiting side effect. Several studies have shown that tropisetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, exerts anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Current study was designed to investigate a suppressive effect of tropisetron on VCR-induced neuropathy and whether this effect exerts through the 5-HT3 receptor or not. Neuropathy was induced in rats by administration of vincristine (0.5mg/kg, 3 intraperitoneal injections on alternate days) and in treatment group, tropisetron (3mg/kg); m-chlorophenylbiguanide (mCPBG), a selective 5-HT3 receptor agonist (15mg/kg); tropisetron (3mg/kg) plus mCPBG (15mg/kg); granisetron, another selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (3mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally 1h prior to vincristine injection. Hot plate, open field tests (total distance moved, mean velocity and percentage of total duration of the movement) and motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) were performed to evaluate the sensory and motor neuropathy. Further, plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) and the level of TNF-α in sciatic nerve were assessed as well as histological examination. In only VCR-treated rats hot plate latencies were significantly increased, total distance moved, mean velocity, total duration of the movement and sciatic MNCV significantly decreased compared with control. In tropisetron and tropisetron plus mCPBG groups, one injection of tropisetron prior to each VCR injection robustly diminished TNF-α and IL-2 levels, and also prevented mixed sensory-motor neuropathy, as indicated by less mortality rate, better general conditions, behavioral and electrophysiological studies. Moreover, pathological evidence confirmed the results obtained from other findings. But granisetron and mCPBG had no significant effect on the mentioned parameters. In conclusion, these studies demonstrate that tropisetron significantly suppressed VCR-induced neuropathy and could be a neuroprotective agent for prevention of VCR-induced neuropathy via a receptor-independent pathway.