Helicobacter pylori on oral mucosa - topographic distribution

Svrha rada bila je ispitati topografsku distribuciju bakterije Helicobacter pylori na oralnoj sluznici u upalnim, ulceroznim i keratotičnim lezijama, kandidijazi i sindromu pečenja usta i usporediti s nalazom na zdravoj sluznici. Primijenili smo nested PCR na citološkim uzorcima uzetim s 9 topografski različitih mjesta oralne sluznice i s različitih oralnih lezija. Od ukupno 426 ispitanika njih 66 (15,49 %) imalo je pozitivan nalaz H. pylori na oralnoj sluznici, bez predilekcije po spolu, ali s većom čestoćom nalaza u starijih ispitanika u usporedbi s mlađima te gotovo jednakom distribucijom na svim ispitanim topografskim stranama oralne sluznice. H. pylori otkriven je u svim ispitanim lezijama i sindromu pečenja usta osim u kandidijazi s većom prevalencijom na sluznici dorzuma jezika i u ulceroznim lezijama, premda bez statistički znatne razlike između lezija i zdrave sluznice (p = 0,059). H. pylori nije patogen za oralnu sluznicu jer kolonizira gotovo s istom čestoćom zdravu i oboljelu oralnu sluznicu. Također ne postoje preferirana mjesta na oralnoj sluznici za naseljavanje H. pylori.The purpose of this study was to examine the topographic distribution of Helicobacter pylori on oral mucosa in various oral lesions such as inflammation, oral ulceration, keratosis, candidiasis and burning mouth syndrome in comparison with healthy oral mucosa. We applied nested PCR on cytologic specimens collected from 9 topographic sites of the healthy oral mucosa and from various oral lesions. Of a total 426 patients 66 (15.49 %) were positive for H. pylori,with no predilection for sex but with higher frequency in older patients, and with almost equal distribution on all examined topographic sites of the oral mucosa. H. pylori was detected in all examined diseases, except in candidiasis, with prevalence on tongue mucosa and in ulcerous lesions although without significant differences between lesions and healthy oral mucosa (p = 0.059). H.pylori is non-pathogenic for oral mucosa since it colonizes almost with the same frequency healthy and diseased oral mucosa. There is no preferential oral site or lesion for colonization of H. pylori

The Sedimentological Significance and Stratigraphic Position of Coarse-Grained Red Beds (?Oligocene) of the Northwestern Margin of Mt. Pozeska Gora (North Croatia)

Coarse-grained clastic sediments of rhyolitic-granitic composition which are associated with the magmatic complex of Mt. Pozeska Gora were previously designated as granites. They are deposited in a continental environment or, more precisely, in an alluvial fan or proximal parts of a braided river system, or in rapid mountain streams during a strong rainfalls. According to their spatial relationship with respect to surrounding Upper Cretaceous granites and rhyolites and Ottnangian sediments; and considering the facies characteristics, we assume that these sediments belong to the Oligocene

Glaciation of the Northern Velebit

Prvi put su utvrđeni tragovi pleistocenske oledbe područja Sjevernog Velebita. Oni se odnose i na egzaracijske morfološke oblike i na odgovarajuće korelativne sedimente i morenske oblike.The mapping of the North Velebit region provided for the first time the evidence of glaciation traces. Three glaciation types have been determined: cirque, valley and plateau glaciation. The glaciation affected the top part of the mountain, above 1400 meters height. Therefore, the glaciation had regional properties. The following morphological forms have been positively found out and mapped: exara-tion forms (glacier valleys, cirques, aretes, striae and polished surfaces) and accumulation glacial morphological forms. Moraine forms (frontal, terminal, slope and end moraines) undoubtedly point out that the North Velebit glaciation occured two stages. There were three glaciation centres: in the Zavižan basin, Lubeno-vačko polje and on the Jezero plateau. From the basin »Lubenovačko polje« ice was flowing versus the Alan pass and in three parts versus the Bakovac valley and the »Veliki kotao« basin. A whole range of stadial, frontal and terminal moraines has been discovered. The longest one was the so called glacier of »Lomska duliba« over 10 km) which originated in the Zavižan basin. The terminal moraine was formed in Studena draga. A plateau-like glacier glided with one arm towards the Krasno polje basin and with another one through the Apatišanska duliba. For both arms, the corresponding frontal and terminal moraines have been discovered

Paleogeographic evolution of the Southern Pannonian Basin: 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on the Miocene continental series of notthern Croatia

The Pannonian Basin, originating during the Early Miocene, is a large extensional basin incorporated between Alpine, Carpathian and Dinaride fold-thrust belts. Back-arc extensional tectonics triggered deposition of up to 500-m-thick continental fluvio-lacustrine deposits distributed in numerous sub-basins of the Southern Pannonian Basin. Extensive andesitic and dacitic volcanism accompanied the syn-rift deposition and caused a number of pyroclastic intercalations. Here, we analyze two volcanic ash layers located at the base and top of the continental series. The lowermost ash from Mt. Kalnik yielded an 40Ar/39Ar age of 18.07 ± 0.07 Ma. This indicates that the marine-continental transition in the Slovenia-Zagorje Basin, coinciding with the onset of rifting tectonics in the Southern Pannonian Basin, occurs roughly at the Eggenburgian/ Ottnangian boundary of the regional Paratethys time scale. This age proves the synchronicity of initial rifting in the Southern Pannonian Basin with the beginning of sedimentation in the Dinaride Lake System. Beside geodynamic evolution, the two regions also share a biotic evolutionary history: both belong to the same ecoregion, which we designate here as the Illyrian Bioprovince. The youngest volcanic ash level is sampled at the Glina and Karlovac sub-depressions, and both sites yield the same 40Ar/39Ar age of 15.91 ± 0.06 and 16.03 ± 0.06 Ma, respectively. This indicates that lacustrine sedimentation in the Southern Pannonian Basin continued at least until the earliest Badenian. The present results provide not only important bench marks on duration of initial synrift in the Pannonian Basin System, but also deliver substantial backbone data for paleogeographic reconstructions in Central and Southeastern Europe around the Early–Middle Miocene transition

New tumour entities in the 4th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Head and Neck tumours: odontogenic and maxillofacial bone tumours.

The latest (4th) edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Head and Neck tumours has recently been published with a number of significant changes across all tumour sites. In particular, there has been a major attempt to simplify classifications and to use defining criteria which can be used globally in all situations, avoiding wherever possible the use of complex molecular techniques which may not be affordable or widely available. This review summarises the changes in Chapter 8: Odontogenic and maxillofacial bone lesions. The most significant change is the re-introduction of the classification of the odontogenic cysts, restoring this books status as the only text which classifies and defines the full range of lesions of the odontogenic tissues. The consensus group considered carefully the terminology of lesions and were concerned to ensure that the names used properly reflected the best evidence regarding the true nature of specific entities. For this reason, this new edition restores the odontogenic keratocyst and calcifying odontogenic cyst to the classification of odontogenic cysts and rejects the previous terminology (keratocystic odontogenic tumour and calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour) which were intended to suggest that they are true neoplasms. New entities which have been introduced include the sclerosing odontogenic carcinoma and primordial odontogenic tumour. In addition, some previously poorly defined lesions have been removed, including the ameloblastic fibrodentinoma, ameloblastic fibro-odontoma, which are probably developing odontomas, and the odontoameloblastoma, which is not regarded as an entity. Finally, the terminology "cemento" has been restored to cemento-ossifying fibroma and cemento-osseous dysplasias, to properly reflect that they are of odontogenic origin and are found in the tooth-bearing areas of the jaws

Environmental Geotechnics: Challenges and Opportunities in the Post COVID-19 World

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic not only created a health crisis across the world but is expected to negatively impact the global economy and societies at a scale that maybe larger than the 2008 financial crisis. Simultaneously, it has inevitably exerted many negative consequences on the geoenvironment upon which human beings depend. The current article articulates the role of environmental geotechnics to elucidate and mitigate the effects of the current pandemic. It is the belief of all authors that the COVID-19 pandemic presents significant challenges, but also opportunities for the development of our field. Our discipline should make full use of our professional skills and expertise to look for development opportunities from this crisis, to highlight our discipline’s irreplaceable position in the global fight against pandemics, and to contribute to the health and prosperity of our communities, so as to better serve humankind. In order to reach this goal, while taking into account the specificity of the SARS-CoV-2 and the uncertainty of its environmental effects, it is believed that more emphasis should be placed on the following research directions: pathogen-soil interactions, isolation and remediation technologies for pathogen-contaminated sites, new materials for pathogen-contaminated soil, recycling and safe disposal of medical wastes, quantification of uncertainty in geoenvironmental and epidemiological problems, emerging technologies and adaptation strategies in civil, geotechnical, and geoenvironmental infrastructure, pandemic-induced environmental risk management, and model pathogen transport and fate in geoenvironment, among others. Moreover, COVID-19 has made it clear to the environmental geotechnics community the importance of urgent international cooperation and of multidisciplinary research actions that must extend to a broad range of scientific fields, including medical and public health disciplines, in order to meet the complexities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic

Integrating precision cancer medicine into healthcare—policy, practice, and research challenges

Abstract Precision medicine (PM) can be defined as a predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory healthcare service delivery model. Recent developments in molecular biology and information technology make PM a reality today through the use of massive amounts of genetic, ‘omics’, clinical, environmental, and lifestyle data. With cancer being one of the most prominent public health threats in developed countries, both the research community and governments have been investing significant time, money, and efforts in precision cancer medicine (PCM). Although PCM research is extremely promising, a number of hurdles still remain on the road to an optimal integration of standardized and evidence-based use of PCM in healthcare systems. Indeed, PCM raises a number of technical, organizational, ethical, legal, social, and economic challenges that have to be taken into account in the development of an appropriate health policy framework. Here, we highlight some of the more salient issues regarding the standards needed for integration of PCM into healthcare systems, and we identify fields where more research is needed before policy can be implemented. Key challenges include, but are not limited to, the creation of new standards for the collection, analysis, and sharing of samples and data from cancer patients, and the creation of new clinical trial designs with renewed endpoints. We believe that these issues need to be addressed as a matter of priority by public health policymakers in the coming years for a better integration of PCM into healthcare

The Sedimentological Significance and Stratigraphic Position of Coarse-Grained Red Beds (?Oligocene) of the Northwestern Margin of Mt. Pozeska Gora (North Croatia)

Coarse-grained clastic sediments of rhyolitic-granitic composition which are associated with the magmatic complex of Mt. Pozeska Gora were previously designated as granites. They are deposited in a continental environment or, more precisely, in an alluvial fan or proximal parts of a braided river system, or in rapid mountain streams during a strong rainfalls. According to their spatial relationship with respect to surrounding Upper Cretaceous granites and rhyolites and Ottnangian sediments; and considering the facies characteristics, we assume that these sediments belong to the Oligocene