Short-term dentoalveolar effects of aesthetic lip bumper appliance: A longitudinal cases-series and pilot study.

Background: To investigate the short-term dentoalveolar effects on the mandibular arch of a modified, aesthetic lip bumper (ALBAa). The study sample comprised 23 patients (13 boys and 10 girls, with a mean age of 9.5 ± 1.8 years) in mixed dentition, with no previous orthodontic treatment. For each patient, a scan of the mandibular arch was digitally acquired pre-treatment (T0), and at 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2) and 9 months (T3) post-treatment. Linear intra-arch measurements, Little's irregularity index of the amount of mandibular anterior crowding, and the crown tipping values on all mandibular teeth were measured and compared statistically between time points. ANOVA and subsequent post-hoc tests were performed, considering a p-value of < 0.05 as significant. Results: Linear intra-arch distances and crown tipping values on the mandibular teeth increased between the following time points: T0vsT1, T1vsT2, T0vsT2 and T0vsT3 (p < 0.05), although in the last three months of observation (T2vsT3) they only reached statistical significance at the lower incisors and lower left premolar concerning crown tipping values. There was a statistically significant decrease in anterior crowding throughout the observational period (p < 0.05), and this effect was equally distributed across the different time points investigated. Conclusions: ALBAa therapy led to an increase in both linear intra-arch distances and crown tipping values, with a reduction in Little's index. The distribution of the effects reported across the observational period depended on the mechanism of action (mechanical vs. functional).

Itraconazole vs amphotericin B: in vitro comparative evaluation of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against clinically isolated yeasts.

Itraconazole is a triazole compound which, following several clinical trials, has begun to be used for therapy of mycotic infections. This new drug, with a broad-spectrum antifungal activity, can be orally administered. The Authors studied the in vitro susceptibility to amphotericin B and itraconazole of the following clinical isolates of pathogenic yeasts: 100 Candida albicans, 20 C. tropicalis, 20 C. parapsilosis, 8 C. guilliermondii, 6 C. pseudotropicalis, 24 Torulopsis glabrata and 16 Cryptococcus neoformans. Serial two-fold dilution, from 100 micrograms/ml to 0.04 micrograms/ml, of each drug were prepared in Yeast Nitrogen Base + Glucose 5%, after dissolving the itraconazole in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and amphotericin B in 5% glucose solution. Amphotericin B (MIC90: 3.12 micrograms/ml) was found to have an average in vitro MIC six-fold lower than itraconazole (MIC90: 25 micrograms/ml). Thus, even though itraconazole is active, amphotericin B remains one of the most effective of the antifungal drugs.

Three-year experience with human cytomegalovirus infections in heart transplant recipients.

One hundred twenty-four patients underwent heart transplantation over a 3-year period. All patients were monitored for human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection if at risk for primary CMV infection or in the presence of CMV-related symptoms. Rapid diagnosis of CMV infection relied on virus isolation and identification or viral antigen detection by using monoclonal antibodies to CMV immediate early or early antigens. In addition, "in situ" hybridization was used to detect viral DNA in tissue samples. Specimens examined included peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells for CMV viremia and antigenemia determination, together with the most appropriate clinical samples when organ involvement was suspected. There was a 100% (6/6 patients) incidence of primary CMV infection in seronegative recipients of hearts from seropositive donors, whereas no CMV infection occurred in the three seronegative recipients receiving a transplant heart from CMV-negative donors. CMV hyperimmunoglobulin prophylaxis did not prevent primary CMV infection. Five of the six patients with primary CMV infection were symptomatic. In addition, 15 patients (13%) had symptomatic recurrent CMV infection. The most frequent symptoms associated with CMV infection (either primary or recurrent) were fever (19 patients) and pneumonia (eight patients). CMV viremia was detected in 17 patients either before or concomitantly with the appearance of fever. CMV was isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage in all cases with pneumonia; however, another pathogen was associated with CMV and appeared to be the major cause of pneumonia in 75% of these patients (6/8). Twelve patients (five with primary and seven with recurrent CMV infections) were treated with ganciclovir.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effects of thyroid hormone modulation on rat liver injury associated with ischemia-reperfusion and cold storage.

UNLABELLED: We investigated the effects of thyroid hormone modulation on liver injury associated with ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) and cold storage in rats. First, euthyroid and thyroxine (T4)-pretreated rats were exposed in vivo to 20-min global liver ischemia, then 30-min reperfusion. Liver injury was assessed by measuring serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Liver concentrations of adenine nucleotides, reduced glutathione (GSH), and oxidized glutathione were evaluated. Second, rats were given the antithyroid drug propylthiouracil (PTU). Livers stored at 0-1 degrees C in Euro-Collins' solution for 20 h were reperfused at 37 degrees C for 15 min. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the effluent perfusate and bile flow were evaluated during reperfusion. Serum ALT levels increased after ischemia and I-R. ALT increased significantly more in T4-pretreated than in euthyroid rats after ischemia and I-R. Preischemic levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were significantly lower in livers from T4-pretreated than in euthyroid rats (6.22 +/- 0.7 and 11 +/- 0.9 nmol/mg protein, respectively; P < 0.05). After ischemia, liver ATP was similarly reduced in T4-pretreated and euthyroid rats. After reperfusion, ATP partially recovered in euthyroid rats but remained low in T4-pretreated rats (6.7 +/- 1.0 and 1.91 +/- 0.7 nmol/mg protein, respectively; P < 0.05). Preischemic levels of liver GSH decreased to 44% in T4-pretreated rats. After ischemia, GSH decreased similarly in euthyroid and T4-pretreated rats. GSH recovered promptly after reperfusion in euthyroid rats but remained low in T4-pretreated rats (13.9 +/- 3.3 and 3.9 +/- 0.9 nmol/mg protein, respectively; P < 0.02). During reperfusion after cold storage, LDH in effluent perfusate was significantly lower and bile flow higher in livers from PTU-pretreated rats than from euthyroid rats. The histopathological changes observed after I-R and cold storage confirmed the biochemical findings. Our results suggest that T4 administration exacerbates pretransplant liver damage by increasing liver susceptibility to I-R, whereas PTU administration reduces the liver injury associated with cold storage. IMPLICATIONS: We studied the effects of thyroid hormone modulation on liver injury associated with ischemia-reperfusion and cold storage in rats. Thyroxine administration increased susceptibility to ischemia-reperfusion injury, whereas the antithyroid agent propylthiouracil reduced the deleterious effects associated with cold storage.