The antimicrobial photodynamic therapy in the treatment of peri-implantitis

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of addition of the antimicrobial photodynamic therapy to the conventional approach in the treatment of peri-implantitis. Materials and Methods. Forty patients were randomly assigned to test or control groups. Patients were assessed at baseline and at six (T1), twelve (T2), and twenty-four (T3) weeks recording plaque index (PlI), probing pocket depth (PPD), and bleeding on probing (BOP); control group received conventional periodontal therapy, while test group received photodynamic therapy in addition to it. Result. Test group showed a 70% reduction in the plaque index values and a 60% reduction in PD values compared to the baseline. BOP and suppuration were not detectable. Control group showed a significative reduction in plaque index and PD. Discussion. Laser therapy has some advantages in comparison to traditional therapy, with faster and greater healing of the wound. Conclusion. Test group showed after 24 weeks a better value in terms of PPD, BOP, and PlI, with an average pocket depth value of 2 mm, if compared with control group (3 mm).Our results suggest that antimicrobial photodynamic therapy with diode laser and phenothiazine chloride represents a reliable adjunctive treatment to conventional therapy. Photodynamic therapy should, however, be considered a coadjuvant in the treatment of peri-implantitis associated with mechanical (scaling) and surgical (grafts) treatments

A case of infant botulism in a 4-month-old baby

This case-report highlights: i) the difficulty of IB diagnosis as it is a rare syndrome with subclinical onset, ii) the need for an accurate training for physicians involved in IB management, iii) the efficacy and safety of TEqA in IB treatment, iv) homemade honey is not the only cause of IB

GT75 aptamer against eukaryotic elongation factor 1A as potential anticancer drug for castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

Prostate cancer diagnosis is increasing, being the second most frequently cancer in men worldwide. The treatment of castrate-resistant prostate cancer is often unsuccessfully and new therapeutic interventions are searching for. Nucleic acid aptamers targeting eEF1A proteins are emerging molecular tools for the control of cancer growth. We found that an aptamer named GT75 was able to bind to eEF1A proteins of human prostate cancer cell lines and to significantly and specifically reduce their growth with respect to the control oligomer CT75. The highest anti-proliferation effect was found in the androgen-independent PC-3 cells. Interestingly, GT75 was able to specifically inhibit the migration of PC-3 cells but not that of the nontumorigenic PZHPV-7 cells. The overall results suggest that the GT75 aptamer targeting eEF1A proteins is a promising molecular drug to develop for the control of the castrate-resistant prostate cance

A complete season with attendance restrictions confirms the relevant contribution of spectators to home advantage and referee bias in association football

Due to the unfortunate pandemic situation, the phenomena of home advantage and referee bias in sports have recently received a particular research attention, especially in association football. In this regard, several studies were conducted on the last portion of the 2019-20 season: the majority of them suggests a reduction-but not the elimination-of the two phenomena, with some exceptions in which no reduction was found or, at the other extreme, the phenomena were not observed at all

Ca2+-activated K+ channels modulate microglia affecting motor neuron survivalin hSOD1G93A mice

Recent studies described a critical role for microglia in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where these CNS-resident immune cells participate in the establishment of an inflammatory microenvironment that contributes to motor neuron degeneration. Understanding the mechanisms leading to microglia activation in ALS could help to identify specific molecular pathways which could be targeted to reduce or delay motor neuron degeneration and muscle paralysis in patients. The intermediate-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel KCa3.1 has been reported to modulate the "pro-inflammatory" phenotype of microglia in different pathological conditions. We here investigated the effects of blocking KCa3.1 activity in the hSOD1G93AALS mouse model, which recapitulates many features of the human disease. We report that treatment of hSOD1G93A mice with a selective KCa3.1 inhibitor, 1-[(2-chlorophenyl)diphenylmethyl]-1H-pyrazole (TRAM-34), attenuates the "pro-inflammatory" phenotype of microglia in the spinal cord, reduces motor neuron death, delays onset of muscle weakness, and increases survival. Specifically, inhibition of KCa3.1 channels slowed muscle denervation, decreased the expression of the fetal acetylcholine receptor γ subunit and reduced neuromuscular junction damage. Taken together, these results demonstrate a key role for KCa3.1 in driving a pro-inflammatory microglia phenotype in ALS

Dissecting the role of the elongation factor 1A isoforms in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by liposome-mediated delivery of siRNAs

Eukaryotic elongation factor 1A (eEF1A), a protein involved in protein synthesis, has two major isoforms, eEF1A1 and eEF1A2. Despite the evidences of their involvement in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the quantitative contribution of each of the two isoforms to the disease is unknown. We depleted the two isoforms by means of siRNAs and studied the effects in three different HCC cell lines. Particular care was dedicated to select siRNAs able to target each of the two isoform without affecting the other one. This is not a trivial aspect due to the high sequence homology between eEF1A1 and eEF1A2. The selected siRNAs can specifically deplete either eEF1A1 or eEF1A2. This, in turn, results in an impairment of cell vitality, growth and arrest in the G1/G0 phase of the cell cycle. Notably, these effects are quantitatively superior following eEF1A1 than eEF1A2 depletion. Moreover, functional tests revealed that the G1/G0 block induced by eEF1A1 depletion depends on the down-regulation of the transcription factor E2F1, a known player in HCC. In conclusion, our data indicate that the independent targeting of the two eEF1A isoforms is effective in reducing HCC cell growth and that eEF1A1 depletion may result in a more evident effect

Phototherapy and tailored brushing method. Personalized oral care in patients with facial and dental trauma. A report of a case

Abstract: (1) Background: Traumatic dental injuries are frequent in children and young adults. The facial structures involved in dental trauma may include soft tissues of the face and mouth, bone and dental structures. Dental trauma often results in augmented dental anxiety. Phototherapy can improve stress and pain control thereby improving compliance in young patients with the necessary dental treatments, after dental trauma has occurred. (2) Methods: Phototherapy was performed to enable soft tissue healing. The Tailored Brushing Method (TBM), a personalized approach for at-home oral hygiene procedures, was also utilized, with the aim of improving biofilm control in traumatized patients. (3) Results: The approach hereafter presented made it possible to obtain subjective control of anxiety and pain documented on a visual analog scale (VAS) due to the innovative use of photobiomodulation. In addition, for the first time, the TBM was adapted to the needs of a patient with facial trauma and illustrated. (4) Conclusions: Phototherapy and TBM were found to be effective in the combined treatment of soft tissue wounds and in the oral care of the traumatized patien

Molecular modeling of antibodies for the treatment of TNFα-related immunological diseases

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have high efficacy in treating TNF α-related immunological diseases. Other than neutralizing TNF α, these IgG1 antibodies exert Fc receptor-mediated effector functions such as the complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC). The crystallizable fragment (Fc) of these IgG1 contains a single glycosylation site at Asn 297/300 that is essential for the CDC and ADCC. Glycosylated antibodies lacking core fucosylation showed an improved ADCC. However, no structural data are available concerning the ligand-binding interaction of these mAbs used in TNF α-related diseases and the role of the fucosylation. We therefore used comparative modeling for generating complete 3D mAb models that include the antigen-binding fragment (Fab) portions of infliximab, complexed with TNF α (4G3Y.pdb), the Fc region of the human IGHG1 fucosylated (3SGJ) and afucosylated (3SGK) complexed with the Fc receptor subtype Fcγ RIIIA, and the Fc region of a murine immunoglobulin (1IGT). After few thousand steps of energy minimization on the resulting 3D mAb models, minimized final models were used to quantify interactions occurring between Fcγ RIIIA and the fucosylated/afucosylated Fc fragments. While fucosylation does not affect Fab-TNF α interactions, we found that in the absence of fucosylation the Fc-mAb domain and Fcγ RIIIA are closer and new strong interactions are established between G129 of the receptor and S301 of the Chimera 2 Fc mAb; new polar interactions are also established between the Chimera 2 Fc residues Y299, N300, and S301 and the Fcγ RIIIA residues K128, G129, R130, and R155. These data help to explain the reduced ADCC observed in the fucosylated mAbs suggesting the specific AA residues involved in binding interactions

Risk Factors for Lung Cancer in the Province of Lecce: Results from the PROTOS Case–Control Study in Salento (Southern Italy)

In the province of Lecce (southern Italy), a higher incidence of lung cancer (LC) among men compared to regional and national data was reported. In a sub-area in the center of the province (cluster area), the incidence and mortality for LC was even higher. PROTOS is a case-control study aimed at investigating possible risk factors for LC in the province area. A total of 442 patients with LC and 1326 controls matched by sex and age living in the province of Lecce for at least 10 years were enrolled and georeferenced; they filled in a questionnaire with their personal information and exposures. For each risk factor, an Odds Ratio adjusted for all the other variables was calculated. The risk of LC increased with excessive use of alcohol in women, for those subjects with a family cancer history, for each increase in pack/year of cigarettes, for men more exposed considering the industrial district in the cluster area, and for those using pesticides in agriculture without wearing personal protective equipment. The higher incidence of adenocarcinoma in both sexes suggests that, in addition to cigarette smoking, concurrent exposures to other environmental, occupational, and life-style factors may play a role in increased cancer risk and should be more deeply explored

Potential applications of nanocellulose-containing materials in the biomedical field

Because of its high biocompatibility, bio-degradability, low-cost and easy availability, cellulose finds application in disparate areas of research. Here we focus our attention on the most recent and attractive potential applications of cellulose in the biomedical field. We first describe the chemical/structural composition of cellulose fibers, the cellulose sources/features and cellulose chemical modifications employed to improve its properties. We then move to the description of cellulose potential applications in biomedicine. In this field, cellulose is most considered in recent research in the form of nano-sized particle, i.e., nanofiber cellulose (NFC) or cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). NFC is obtained from cellulose via chemical and mechanical methods. CNC can be obtained from macroscopic or microscopic forms of cellulose following strong acid hydrolysis. NFC and CNC are used for several reasons including the mechanical properties, the extended surface area and the low toxicity. Here we present some potential applications of nano-sized cellulose in the fields of wound healing, bone-cartilage regeneration, dental application and different human diseases including cancer. To witness the close proximity of nano-sized cellulose to the practical biomedical use, examples of recent clinical trials are also reported. Altogether, the described examples strongly support the enormous application potential of nano-sized cellulose in the biomedical field