Oral Prosthetic Rehabilitation with and without Implants after Radiation Therapy and Ablative Surgery

To understand the impact of oral rehabilitation of patients treated for head and neck cancer, it would be beneficial to describe the patient-reported problems related to fixed and removable prostheses with and without implants and which impairments are improved by the treatment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of oral rehabilitation with fixed versus removable prostheses with and without implants on Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) measured with OHIP-49 for patients treated with radiation therapy and/or ablative surgery. The study cohort included 51 patients (35 males, 16 females) with a mean age of 66 years. A significant improvement in OHRQoL was demonstrated after oral rehabilitation with fixed and removable dental prosthesis for patients after radiation and/or ablative jaw surgery. Thirty-nine of the 43 patients improved oral health related quality of life after prosthetic rehabilitation. Twenty-four patients improved with more than 20 points. The oral rehabilitation resulted in better appearance and chewing function. No significant effect between fixed versus removable prostheses and no significant effect of implant on the OHIP-score. This may be explained by a limited sample size, a great variation between the included patients and the validity of the OHIP-49 questionnaire measure to demonstrate patient-reported improvements or deterioration of a prosthetic treatment in this group of very functional compromised patients

Characterization of the Interaction and Cross-Regulation of Three Mycobacterium tuberculosis RelBE Modules

RelBE represents a typical bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TA) system. Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, the pathogen responsible for human tuberculosis, contains three RelBE-like modules, RelBE, RelFG, and RelJK, which are at least partly expressed in human macrophages during infection. RelBE modules appear to be autoregulated in an atypical manner compared to other TA systems; however, the molecular mechanisms and potential interactions between different RelBE modules remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we characterized the interaction and cross-regulation of these Rel toxin-antitoxin modules from this unique pathogen. The physical interactions between the three pairs of RelBE proteins were confirmed and the DNA-binding domain recognized by three RelBE-like pairs and domain structure characteristics were described. The three RelE-like proteins physically interacted with the same RelB-like protein, and could conditionally regulate its binding with promoter DNA. The RelBE-like modules exerted complex cross-regulation effects on mycobacterial growth. The relB antitoxin gene could replace relF in cross-neutralizing the relG toxin gene. Conversely, relF enhanced the toxicity of the relE toxin gene, while relB increased the toxicity of relK. This is the first report of interactions between different pairs of RelBE modules of M. tuberculosis

Smoking cessation and lung cancer risk in an Asian population: Findings from the Singapore Chinese Health Study

10.1038/sj.bjc.6605782British Journal of Cancer10371093-1096BJCA

A Differential Effect of E. coli Toxin-Antitoxin Systems on Cell Death in Liquid Media and Biofilm Formation

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are gene pairs specifying for a toxin and its antitoxin and are found on the chromosomes of many bacteria including pathogens. Here we report how each of five such TA systems in E. coli affect bacterial cell death differently in liquid media and during biofilm formation. Of all these systems, only the TA system mazEF mediated cell death both in liquid media and during biofilm formation. At the other extreme, as our results have revealed here, the TA system dinJ-YafQ is unique in that it is involved only in the death process during biofilm formation. Cell death governed by mazEF and dinJ-YafQ seems to participate in biofilm formation through a novel mechanism

Low Circulating IGF-I Bioactivity in Elderly Men is associated with Increased Mortality

Context: Low IGF-I signaling activity prolongs lifespan in certain animal models, but the precise role of IGF-I in human survival remains controversial. The IGF-I kinase receptor activation assay (IGF-I KIRA) is a novel method for measuring IGF-I bioactivity in human serum. We speculated that determination of circulating IGF-I bioactivity is more informative than levels of immunoreactive IGFI. Objective: To study IGF-I bioactivity in relation to human survival. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: A clinical research center at a university hospital. Study participants: 376 healthy elderly men (aged 73 to 94 years). Main outcome Measures: IGF-I bioactivity was determined by the IGF-I KIRA. Total and free IGF-I were determined by IGF-I immunoassays. Mortality was registered during follow-up (mean 82 months). Results: During the follow-up period of 8.6 years 170 men (45%) died. Survival of subjects in the highest quartile of IGF-I bioactivity was significantly better than in the lowest quartile, both in the total study group (HR = 1.8, (95% CI: 1.2 − 2.8, p = 0.01) as well as in subgroups having a medical history of cardiovascular disease (HR = 2.4 (95% CI: 1.3 − 4.3, p = 0.003) or a high inflammatory risk profile (HR = 2.3 (95% CI: 1.2 − 4.5, p = 0.01). Significant relationships were not observed for total or free IGF-I. Conclusion: Our study suggests that a relatively high circulating IGF-I bioactivity in elderly men is associated with extended survival and with reduced cardiovascular risk