One-stage multiple root canal treatment of adjacent teeth combined with surgical apicectomies may be preferred in patients with severe anxiety under local anaesthesia: a case report

A female patient referred to the clinic for assessment of a unilateral painful swelling formation on the left anterior maxilla. Anxiety is a psychological condition commonly seen in dental practice. When this psychological alteration affects the patient severely, any dental operation may be found difficult under local anaesthesia. We report a case of one-stage management in a patient with periapical lesion and anxiety

Expression and Mutational Analysis of c-kit in Ovarian Surface Epithelial Tumors

Coexpression of Kit ligand and c-kit has been reported in some gynecologic tumors. To determine whether imatinib mesylate is useful in ovarian epithelial tumors, we performed immunohistochemical and mutational analysis. The cases consisted of 33 cases, which included 13 serous cystadenocarcinomas, 1 borderline serous tumor, 8 mucinous cystadenocarcinomas, 6 borderline mucinous tumors and 5 clear cell carcinomas. Five cases of serous cystadenoma and 5 cases of mucinous cystadenoma were also included. In the immunohistochemical study, 3 cases (3/6, 50%) of borderline mucinous cystic tumor and two cases (2/8, 25%) of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma show positive staining for KIT protein. Only one case (1/13, 7.7%) of serous cystadenocarcinoma had positive staining. On mutational analysis, no mutation was identified at exon 11. However, two cases of borderline mucinous tumors and one case of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma had mutations at exon 17. In these cases, the immunohistochemistry also shows focal positive staining at epithelial component. Although, KIT protein expression showed higher incidence in mucinous tumors than serous tumors, they lack KIT-activating mutations in exon 11. Thus, ovarian surface epithelial tumors are unlikely to respond to imatinib mesylate

BRCA1 expression modulates chemosensitivity of BRCA1-defective HCC1937 human breast cancer cells

Germline mutations of the tumour suppressor gene BRCA1 are involved in the predisposition and development of breast cancer and account for 20–45% of all hereditary cases. There is an increasing evidence that these tumours are characterised by a specific phenotype and pattern of gene expression. We have hypothesised that differences in chemosensitivity might parallel molecular heterogeneity of hereditary and sporadic breast tumours. To this end, we have investigated the chemosensitivity of the BRCA1-defective HCC1937 breast cancer cell line, and the BRCA1-competent MCF-7 (hormone-sensitive) and MDA-MB231 (hormone-insensitive) breast cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for the individual compounds were derived by interpolate plot analysis of the logarithmic scalar concentration curve after a 48 h exposure. HCC1937 cells were significantly (P<0.005) more sensitive to cisplatin (CDDP) (IC50 : 30–40 μM) compared with MCF-7 (IC50 : 60–70 μM) and MDA-MB231 (IC50 : 90–100 μM) cells. On the other hand, BRCA1-defective breast cancer cells were significantly less sensitive to doxorubicin (Dox) (IC50 : 45–50 μM) compared with MCF-7 (IC50 : 1–5 μM) and MDA-MB231 (IC50 : 5–10 μM) (P<0.02), as well as to paclitaxel (Tax) (IC50 : >2 μM for HCC1937, 0.1–0.2 μM for MCF-7 and 0.01–0.02 μM for MDA-MB231) (P<0.001). Full-length BRCA1 cDNA transfection of BRCA1-defective HCC1937 cells led to the reconstituted expression of BRCA1 protein in HCC1937/WTBRCA1-derived cell clone, but did not reduce tumour cell growth in soft agar. BRCA1 reconstitution reverted the hypersensitivity to CDDP (P<0.02), and restored the sensitivity to Dox (P<0.05) and Tax (P<0.001), compared with parental HCC1937 cells. Taken together, our findings suggest a specific chemosensitivity profile of BRCA1-defective cells in vitro, which is dependent on BRCA1 protein expression, and suggest prospective preclinical and clinical investigation for the development of tailored therapeutical approaches in this setting

Knowledge of Oral Cancer and Screening Practices of Primary Care Providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers

Objectives: Primary care providers (PCPs) who worked in Federally-Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in Michigan were surveyed to assess their knowledge level and practices related to screening and preventing oral cancer. Methods: A questionnaire was developed with the assistance of dental and medical experts, and revised through focus groups. The questionnaire included one case scenario describing a suspicious oral lesion in a 55-year old female patient, followed by questions assessing PCPs' knowledge level, attitude, opinion, and screening practices for oral cancer. This mail survey was conducted in 2003. Results: Survey response rate was 56.4%. Over 70% of the respondents reported that they screen patients for oral cancer during a routine physical examination. Forty-four percent of PCPs had high knowledge level, based on the scenario questions. Those who had high knowledge level were more likely to be physicians, males, and more likely to perform screening for oral cancer than those with low knowledge level. There was no difference in age and race/ethnicity between high and low knowledge groups. Perceived barriers included (1) lack of education; (2) lack of specialists to refer patients; and (3) lack of reimbursement. Conclusions: The majority of PCPs in this survey had positive attitudes about performing screening for oral cancer. To involve PCPs in screening for oral cancer, oral health programs should focus on providing up-to-date education, setting up a referral system, and providing proper reimbursement.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65814/1/j.1752-7325.2005.tb02806.x.pd

Global gene expression profiling of oral cavity cancers suggests molecular heterogeneity within anatomic subsites

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a frequent neoplasm, which is usually aggressive and has unpredictable biological behavior and unfavorable prognosis. The comprehension of the molecular basis of this variability should lead to the development of targeted therapies as well as to improvements in specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Samples of primary OSCCs and their corresponding surgical margins were obtained from male patients during surgery and their gene expression profiles were screened using whole-genome microarray technology. Hierarchical clustering and Principal Components Analysis were used for data visualization and One-way Analysis of Variance was used to identify differentially expressed genes. Samples clustered mostly according to disease subsite, suggesting molecular heterogeneity within tumor stages. In order to corroborate our results, two publicly available datasets of microarray experiments were assessed. We found significant molecular differences between OSCC anatomic subsites concerning groups of genes presently or potentially important for drug development, including mRNA processing, cytoskeleton organization and biogenesis, metabolic process, cell cycle and apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results corroborate literature data on molecular heterogeneity of OSCCs. Differences between disease subsites and among samples belonging to the same TNM class highlight the importance of gene expression-based classification and challenge the development of targeted therapies.</p

Testing foundations of quantum mechanics with photons

The foundational ideas of quantum mechanics continue to give rise to counterintuitive theories and physical effects that are in conflict with a classical description of Nature. Experiments with light at the single photon level have historically been at the forefront of tests of fundamental quantum theory and new developments in photonics engineering continue to enable new experiments. Here we review recent photonic experiments to test two foundational themes in quantum mechanics: wave-particle duality, central to recent complementarity and delayed-choice experiments; and Bell nonlocality where recent theoretical and technological advances have allowed all controversial loopholes to be separately addressed in different photonics experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, published as a Nature Physics Insight review articl

Salivary flow rate, pH, and concentrations of calcium, phosphate, and sIgA in Brazilian pregnant and non-pregnant women

BACKGROUND: Studies on salivary variables and pregnancy in Latin America are scarce. This study aimed to compare salivary flow rate, pH, and concentrations of calcium, phosphate, and sIgA of unstimulated whole saliva in pregnant and non-pregnant Brazilians. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Sample was composed by 22 pregnant and 22 non-pregnant women attending the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics, São Lucas Hospital, in Porto Alegre city, South region of Brazil. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected to determine salivary flow rate, pH, and biochemical composition. Data were analyzed by Student t test and ANCOVA (two-tailed α = 0.05). RESULTS: No difference was found for salivary flow rates and concentrations of total calcium and phosphate between pregnant and non-pregnant women (p > 0.05). Pregnant women had lower pH (6.7) than non-pregnant women (7.5) (p < 0.001), but higher sIgA level (118.9 mg/L) than the latter (90.1 mg/L) (p = 0.026). CONCLUSION: Some of the tested variables of unstimulated whole saliva were different between pregnant and non-pregnant Brazilians in this sample. Overall, the values of the tested salivary parameters were within the range of international references of normality

Attitudes on the donation of human embryos for stem cell research among Chinese IVF patients and students

Bioethical debates on the use of human embryos and oocytes for stem cell research have often been criticized for the lack of empirical insights into the perceptions and experiences of the women and couples who are asked to donate these tissues in the IVF clinic. Empirical studies that have investigated the attitudes of IVF patients and citizens on the (potential) donation of their embryos and oocytes have been scarce and have focused predominantly on the situation in Europe and Australia. This article examines the viewpoints on the donation of embryos for stem cell research among IVF patients and students in China. Research into the perceptions of patients is based on in-depth interviews with IVF patients and IVF clinicians. Research into the attitudes of students is based on a quantitative survey study (n=427). The empirical findings in this paper indicate that perceptions of the donation of human embryos for stem cell research in China are far more diverse and complex than has commonly been suggested. Claims that ethical concerns regarding the donation and use of embryos and oocytes for stem cell research are typical for Western societies but absent in China cannot be upheld. The article shows that research into the situated perceptions and cultural specificities of human tissue donation can play a crucial role in the deconstruction of politicized bioethical argumentation and the (often ill-informed) assumptions about “others” that underlie socio-ethical debates on the moral dilemmas of technology developments in the life sciences

Glial Hsp70 Protects K+ Homeostasis in the Drosophila Brain during Repetitive Anoxic Depolarization

Neural tissue is particularly vulnerable to metabolic stress and loss of ion homeostasis. Repetitive stress generally leads to more permanent dysfunction but the mechanisms underlying this progression are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of energetic compromise in Drosophila by targeting the Na+/K+-ATPase. Acute ouabain treatment of intact flies resulted in subsequent repetitive comas that led to death and were associated with transient loss of K+ homeostasis in the brain. Heat shock pre-conditioned flies were resistant to ouabain treatment. To control the timing of repeated loss of ion homeostasis we subjected flies to repetitive anoxia while recording extracellular [K+] in the brain. We show that targeted expression of the chaperone protein Hsp70 in glial cells delays a permanent loss of ion homeostasis associated with repetitive anoxic stress and suggest that this is a useful model for investigating molecular mechanisms of neuroprotection