The Importance of Keratinized Gingiva Surrounding Dental Implants

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if keratinized gingiva has an effect on the success of implants. Materials and Methods: Sixty-nine implants were used in this study. The amount of keratinized gingiva was measured and divided into two groups; less than 2mm and greater than 2mm. The amount of keratinized gingiva was compared to clinical parameters such as bleeding upon probing, redness, and pocket depths to determine whether implant success was related to the amount of keratinized gingiva. Results: Chi square and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. All implants survived independent of the amount of keratinized gingiva. Patients with less than 2mm of keratinized gingiva displayed increased bleeding upon probing and redness, which was statistically significant (p=0.023), indicating increased inflammation due to lack of keratinized gingiva. Conclusion: Amount of keratinized gingiva did not affect the success rate of implants. However, implants with less than 2mm of keratinized gingiva exhibited increased bleeding upon probing, redness, and inflammation, which may contribute to later failure

Sorting the poor: A study of the management of the homeless in mid-sized Canadian city shelters

The ability to access social services when in need is a fundamental component of the social safety net available to Canadians. When approaching such services, consideration is seldom given to the subtle forms of governance that accompany the administration of aid. This thesis questions: Through what means are shelter seeking persons categorized beyond the division between the \u27deserving\u27 and \u27undeserving\u27 poor and how is their treatment moralized, categorized, and legitimized within the shelter system? This study uncovers the inherent complexities in sorting, categorizing, and assisting the homeless beyond the traditional dichotomy of the deserving and undeserving poor. This thesis argues that moral regulation is occurring within contemporary social services, and homeless shelters provide an ideal site from which to observe moral regulation and its transition into the 21st Century. By studying moral regulation of the homeless, it is evident that previous studies have overlooked the roles of surveillance and external institutions in the regulation process, and their role in measuring resident\u27s progress and the overall (re)construction of residents as liberal subjects. Using a moral regulation approach, the importance of considering social services staff as moralizing agents is uncovered

El Crecimiento de China y su Vinculaciones con la Industria de Soja en la Argentina / Chinese Growth and its Connections with the Argentinian Soy Industry

This paper analyzes the growth of Chinese influence in Argentina over the course of the last fifteen years, particularly as it relates to the soy export market. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses are used to examine the increasingly important bilateral relationship and its effects on Argentine industries, communities, and opportunities for growth and development. The paper finds that Argentina’s bilateral trade deals in the soy industry have created a dangerous dependence on China, characterized by reprimarization on global value chains, the deterioration of legal restrictions on trade, as well as huge environmental and social risks. Although the increased trade has created opportunities for the growth of a new Argentinian bio-technology sector, it also has the potential to cause the disintegration of MERCOSUR and the union’s efforts towards regional integration and industrialization. Este trabajo analiza el crecimiento de la influencia china en la Argentina durante los últimos quince años, específicamente los relaciones con el mercado de exportación de soja. El trabajo usa métodos tanto cuantitativos como cualitativos para examinar la relación bilateral y sus efectos en las industrias argentinas, las comunidades y las oportunidades de crecimiento y desarrollo. El trabajo concluye que los acuerdos comerciales bilaterales de la Argentina en la industria de la soja han creado una peligrosa dependencia de China, que se caracteriza por reprimarización en las cadenas globales de valor, el deterioro de las restricciones legales sobre el comercio, así como los enormes riesgos ambientales y sociales. Aunque el aumento del comercio ha creado oportunidades para el crecimiento de un nuevo sector argentino de biotecnología, también tiene el potencial de causar la desintegración del MERCOSUR y los esfuerzos del unión hacia la integración y la industrialización regional

Screening for sexually transmitted infections at a DeAddictions service in South India

Objectives To estimate the lifetime prevalence of four sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to identify correlates of these infections among patients seeking care for a substance use disorder at a specialized DeAddictions Unit in southern India. Methods Consecutive inpatients (n = 361; 98% male; M age = 36.7 years) admitted to DeAddictions Unit of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Bangalore, India, participated in a structured interview to obtain demographic, psychiatric, sexual behavior, and substance use data; each patient also provided a blood sample for serologic testing for HIV, chlamydia, syphilis, and hepatitis B. Results One-quarter of all patients tested positive for at least one STI. Lifetime seroprevalence rates were 12.9% for syphilis, 10.3% for chlamydia, 3.1% for hepatitis B, and 1.1% for HIV. Analyses did not reveal any consistent pattern of associations between STI status and sociodemographic, psychiatric, and sexual behavioral characteristics. Conclusions All patients should receive a comprehensive sexual assessment during standard care; for those patients who report risky sexual practices, we recommend voluntary counseling and testing for STIs. Although we do not recommend universal testing for STIs at this time, this should be revisited based upon national surveillance data

N-methylisatin-beta-thiosemicarbazone derivative (SCH 16) is an inhibitor of Japanese encephalitis virus infection in vitro and in vivo

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the early and mid part of 20^thcentury, several reports described the therapeutic effects of N-methylisatin-β-Thiosemicarbazone (MIBT) against pox viruses, Maloney leukemia viruses and recently against HIV. However, their ability to inhibit flavivirus replication has not been investigated. Hence the present study was designed to evaluate the antiviral activity of 14 MIBT derivatives against Flaviviruses that are prevalent in India such as Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), Dengue-2 (Den-2) and West Nile viruses (WNV).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Amongst the fourteen Mannich bases of MIBT derivatives tested one compound – SCH 16 was able to completely inhibit <it>in vitro </it>Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) replication. However no antiviral activity of SCH 16 was noted against Den-2 virus replication. This compound was able to inhibit 50% of the plaques (IC₅₀) produced by JEV and WNV at a concentration of 16 μgm/ml (0.000025 μM) and 4 μgm/ml (0.000006 μM) respectively. Furthermore, SCH 16 at a concentration of 500 mg/kg body weight administered by oral route twice daily was able to completely (100%) prevent mortality in mice challenged with 50LD₅₀JEV by the peripheral route. Our experiments to understand the mechanism of action suggest that SCH 16 inhibited JEV replication at the level of early protein translation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Only one of the 14 isatin derivatives -SCH 16 exhibited antiviral action on JEV and WNV virus infection <it>in vitro</it>. SCH 16 was also found to completely inhibit JEV replication <it>in vivo </it>in a mouse model challenged peripherally with 50LD₅₀of the virus. These results warrant further research and development on SCH 16 as a possible therapeutic agent.</p

Transactivation and signaling functions of Tat are not correlated: biological and immunological characterization of HIV-1 subtype-C Tat protein

BACKGROUND: Of the diverse subtypes of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-1 (HIV-1), subtype-C strains cause a large majority of infections worldwide. The reasons for the global dominance of HIV-1 subtype-C infections are not completely understood. Tat, being critical for viral infectivity and pathogenesis, may differentially modulate pathogenic properties of the viral subtypes. Biochemical studies on Tat are hampered by the limitations of the current purification protocols. Tat purified using standard protocols often is competent for transactivation activity but defective for a variety of other biological functions. Keeping this limitation in view, we developed an efficient protein purification strategy for Tat. RESULTS: Tat proteins obtained using the novel strategy described here were free of contaminants and retained biological functions as evaluated in a range of assays including the induction of cytokines, upregulation of chemokine coreceptor, transactivation of the viral promoter and rescue of a Tat-defective virus. Given the highly unstable nature of Tat, we evaluated the effect of the storage conditions on the biological function of Tat following purification. Tat stored in a lyophilized form retained complete biological activity regardless of the storage temperature. To understand if variations in the primary structure of Tat could influence the secondary structure of the protein and consequently its biological functions, we determined the CD spectra of subtype-C and -B Tat proteins. We demonstrate that subtype-C Tat may have a relatively higher ordered structure and be less flexible than subtype-B Tat. We show that subtype-C Tat as a protein, but not as a DNA expression vector, was consistently inferior to subtype-B Tat in a variety of biological assays. Furthermore, using ELISA, we evaluated the anti-Tat antibody titers in a large number of primary clinical samples (n = 200) collected from all four southern Indian states. Our analysis of the Indian populations demonstrated that Tat is non-immunodominant and that a large variation exists in the antigen-specific antibody titers. CONCLUSION: Our report not only describes a simple protein purification strategy for Tat but also demonstrates important structural and functional differences between subtype-B and -C Tat proteins. Furthermore, this is the first report of protein purification and characterization of subtype-C Tat

HLA-B∗57 and Gender Influence the Occurrence of Tuberculosis in HIV Infected People of South India

Background. Substantial evidence exists for HLA and other host genetic factors being determinants of susceptibility or resistance to infectious diseases. However, very little information is available on the role of host genetic factors in HIV-TB coinfection. Hence, a longitudinal study was undertaken to investigate HLA associations in a cohort of HIV seropositive individuals with and without TB in Bangalore, South India. Methods. A cohort of 238 HIV seropositive subjects were typed for HLA-A, B, and DR by PCR-SSP and followed up for 5 years or till manifestation of Tuberculosis. HLA data of 682 HIV Negative healthy renal donors was used as control. Results. The ratio of males and females in HIV cohort was comparable (50.4% and 49.6%). But the incidence of TB was markedly lower in females (12.6%,) than males (25.6%). Further, HLA-B*57 frequency in HIV cohort was significantly higher among females without TB (21.6%, 19/88) than males (1.7%, 1/59); P = 0.0046; OR = 38. CD4 counts also were higher among females in this cohort. Conclusion. This study suggests that HIV positive women with HLA-B*57 have less occurrence of TB as compared to males

Chromosomal Alterations and Gene Expression Changes Associated with the Progression of Leukoplakia to Advanced Gingivobuccal Cancer

We present an integrative genome-wide analysis that can be used to predict the risk of progression from leukoplakia to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) arising in the gingivobuccal complex (GBC). We find that the genomic and transcriptomic profiles of leukoplakia resemble those observed in later stages of OSCC and that several changes are associated with this progression, including amplification of 8q24.3, deletion of 8p23.2, and dysregulation of DERL3, EIF5A2, ECT2, HOXC9, HOXC13, MAL, MFAP5 and NELL2. Comparing copy number profiles of primary tumors with and without lymph-node metastasis, we identify alterations associated with metastasis, including amplifications of 3p26.3, 8q24.21, 11q22.1, 11q22.3 and deletion of 8p23.2. Integrative analysis reveals several biomarkers that have never or rarely been reported in previous OSCC studies, including amplifications of 1p36.33 (attributable to MXRA8), 3q26.31 (EIF5A2), 9p24.1 (CD274), and 12q13.2 (HOXC9 and HOXC13). Additionally, we find that amplifications of 1p36.33 and 11q22.1 are strongly correlated with poor clinical outcome. Overall, our findings delineate genomic changes that can be used in treatment management for patients with potentially malignant leukoplakia and OSCC patients with higher risk of lymph-node metastasis

Prevalence and determinants of hypertension in apparently healthy schoolchildren in India: a multi-center study

Background: Hypertension in children is often under recognized, especially in developing countries. Data from rural areas of developing countries is particularly lacking. Objectives: To study prevalence of hypertension and its determinants in apparently health school children from predominantly rural populations of India. Methods: Apparently healthy schoolchildren (n = 14,957) aged 5–15 years (mean (standard deviation) age 10.8 (2.8) years; 55.5% boys) at four predominantly rural sites in separate states of India were studied. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were recorded by trained staff in addition to age, gender, height, weight, type of school and season. Waist circumference was also recorded in 12,068 children. Geographic location and type of school (government, government-aided or private) were used to determine socio-economic status. Results: Systolic and/or diastolic hypertension was present in 3443 (23%) children. Systolic hypertension was present in 13.6%, diastolic hypertension in 15.3% and both in 5.9%. Isolated systolic hypertension was present in 7.7% while isolated diastolic hypertension was present in 9.4%. On univariate analysis, age, gender, geographical location, socio-economic status, season and anthropometric parameters (z-scores of height, weight and waist circumference, waist/height ratio and body mass index) were all significantly related to risk of hypertension (p &lt; 0.0001 for each). Similar association was observed with weight group (normal, overweight and obese). Multiple regression analysis showed lower age, female gender, richer socio-economic status, certain geographical locations, higher weight and larger waist circumference to be independently associated with a greater risk of hypertension. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypertension in apparently healthy schoolchildren even in predominantly rural areas of India. Screening and management programs targeted to high risk groups identified may prove cost-effective

Chromosomal Alterations and Gene Expression Changes Associated with the Progression of Leukoplakia to Advanced Gingivobuccal Cancer

We present an integrative genome-wide analysis that can be used to predict the risk of progression from leukoplakia to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) arising in the gingivobuccal complex (GBC). We find that the genomic and transcriptomic profiles of leukoplakia resemble those observed in later stages of OSCC and that several changes are associated with this progression, including amplification of 8q24.3, deletion of 8p23.2, and dysregulation of DERL3, EIF5A2, ECT2, HOXC9, HOXC13, MAL, MFAP5 and NELL2. Comparing copy number profiles of primary tumors with and without lymph-node metastasis, we identify alterations associated with metastasis, including amplifications of 3p26.3, 8q24.21, 11q22.1, 11q22.3 and deletion of 8p23.2. Integrative analysis reveals several biomarkers that have never or rarely been reported in previous OSCC studies, including amplifications of 1p36.33 (attributable to MXRA8), 3q26.31 (EIF5A2), 9p24.1 (CD274), and 12q13.2 (HOXC9 and HOXC13). Additionally, we find that amplifications of 1p36.33 and 11q22.1 are strongly correlated with poor clinical outcome. Overall, our findings delineate genomic changes that can be used in treatment management for patients with potentially malignant leukoplakia and OSCC patients with higher risk of lymph-node metastasis