Gamma interferon induces different keratinocyte cellular patterns of expression of HLA-DR and DQ and intercellular adhesion molecule-I (ICAM-I) antigens

With indirect immunofluorescence techniques we demonstrated that recombinant gamma-interferon induced the expression of the class II antigens HLA-DR and HLA-DQ as well as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on normal, cultured human keratinocytes grown in low-calcium, serum-free medium. Each antigen displayed a distinctive cellular staining pattern. HLA-DR was strongly localized to perinuclear zones with intense cell surface expression; HLA-DQ displayed a perinuclear accentuation, but with minimal cell surface staining, and ICAM-1 was strongly expressed in a diffuse cytoplasmic pattern with intense cell surface expression. Keratinocytes grown in medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum underwent differentiation, with a diminished expression of all three antigens as compared to those grown in low-calcium, serum-free medium. These results confirm that gamma interferon can differentially regulate HLA-DR nd HLA-DQ expression; that there are probably different biochemical metabolic pathways by which these three molecules are expressed on keratinocytes, and that the expression is also a function of the degree of keratinocyte differentiation. The strong cell surface expression of ICAM-1 is suggested to be of major importance as the recognition molecule, by which T cells bind to gamma interferon exposed keratinocytes, and suggests and integral role for this molecule in epidermal lymphocyte trafficking.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74686/1/j.1365-2133.1989.tb07759.x.pd

Phenotypic differences between dermal fibroblasts from different body sites determine their responses to tension and TGFβ1

BACKGROUND: Wounds in the nonglabrous skin of keloid-prone individuals tend to cause large disordered accumulations of collagen which extend beyond the original margins of the wound. In addition to abnormalities in keloid fibroblasts, comparison of dermal fibroblasts derived from nonwounded glabrous or nonglabrous skin revealed differences that may account for the observed location of keloids. METHODS: Fibroblast apoptosis and the cellular content of α-smooth-muscle actin, TGFβ1 receptorII and ED-A fibronectin were estimated by FACS analysis. The effects of TGFβ1 and serum were examined. RESULTS: In monolayer cultures non-glabrous fibroblasts were slower growing, had higher granularity and accumulated more α-smooth-muscle actin than fibroblasts from glabrous tissues. Keloid fibroblasts had the highest level of α-smooth-muscle actin in parallel with their expression level of ED-A fibronectin. TGFβ1 positively regulated α-smooth-muscle actin expression in all fibroblast cultures, although its effects on apoptosis in fibroblasts from glabrous and non-glabrous tissues were found to differ. The presence of collagen I in the ECM resulted in reduction of α-smooth-muscle actin. A considerable percentage of the apoptotic fibroblasts in attached gels were α-smooth-muscle actin positive. The extent of apoptosis correlated positively with increased cell and matrix relaxation. TGFβ1 was unable to overcome this apoptotic effect of matrix relaxation. CONCLUSION: The presence of myofibroblasts and the apoptosis level can be regulated by both TGFβ1 and by the extracellular matrix. However, reduction of tension in the matrix is the critical determinant. This predicts that the tension in the wound bed determines the type of scar at different body sites

Oral Health Literacy, Preventive Behavior Measures, and Chronic Medical Conditions

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between oral health literacy, preventive orientation and behaviors, and chronic medical conditions-specifically, hypertension and diabetes. A cross-sectional study was conducted with dental school patients attending the dental clinics in Los Angeles, California, and Baltimore, Maryland. Their health literacy levels were measured using the short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (Short-TOFHLA) and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALM-D). The medical history and existing medical conditions-specifically, hypertension and diabetes status-were extracted from patient health history and electronic records. Ten items were asked about preventive behaviors (e.g., brushing teeth in evening, smoking, exercise, drinking soda) and 3 preventive health services (dental checkup, flu shot, medical checkup). Six locus of control items were asked (e.g., good health is a matter of good fortune, what happens to my health is God's will). Out of 793 subjects, 221 had a documented history of hypertension, 88 with diabetes. There was an association between Short-TOFHLA scores and both diabetes and hypertension, but after controlling for sociodemographic and preventive variables, the association was no longer significant. In multivariate analysis, women, people with at least some college, Asians or non-Hispanic Whites, younger people, those who spoke English as a child, those who sought health information from the Internet or health care professionals, and those who smoked reported lower utilization of preventive health services, and those who had less locus of control reported higher Short-TOFHLA scores. There were no significant differences in mean REALM-D scores between patients who had hypertension or diabetes versus not having the condition. Multivariate models showed that people with higher REALM-D scores had at least some college, were other race/ethnicity or non-Hispanic White, spoke English as a child, and sought health information via the Internet. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study show that dental school patients exhibit a range of health literacy abilities and preventive behaviors, and health literacy measures positively correlated with some preventive behaviors but not others. Dental schools receive a significant number of patients with chronic diseases, and students should be educated to use effective patient communication skills to reinforce positive health behaviors among these patients

Oral Health Literacy, Preventive Behavior Measures, and Chronic Medical Conditions

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between oral health literacy, preventive orientation and behaviors, and chronic medical conditions-specifically, hypertension and diabetes. A cross-sectional study was conducted with dental school patients attending the dental clinics in Los Angeles, California, and Baltimore, Maryland. Their health literacy levels were measured using the short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (Short-TOFHLA) and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALM-D). The medical history and existing medical conditions-specifically, hypertension and diabetes status-were extracted from patient health history and electronic records. Ten items were asked about preventive behaviors (e.g., brushing teeth in evening, smoking, exercise, drinking soda) and 3 preventive health services (dental checkup, flu shot, medical checkup). Six locus of control items were asked (e.g., good health is a matter of good fortune, what happens to my health is God's will). Out of 793 subjects, 221 had a documented history of hypertension, 88 with diabetes. There was an association between Short-TOFHLA scores and both diabetes and hypertension, but after controlling for sociodemographic and preventive variables, the association was no longer significant. In multivariate analysis, women, people with at least some college, Asians or non-Hispanic Whites, younger people, those who spoke English as a child, those who sought health information from the Internet or health care professionals, and those who smoked reported lower utilization of preventive health services, and those who had less locus of control reported higher Short-TOFHLA scores. There were no significant differences in mean REALM-D scores between patients who had hypertension or diabetes versus not having the condition. Multivariate models showed that people with higher REALM-D scores had at least some college, were other race/ethnicity or non-Hispanic White, spoke English as a child, and sought health information via the Internet. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results of this study show that dental school patients exhibit a range of health literacy abilities and preventive behaviors, and health literacy measures positively correlated with some preventive behaviors but not others. Dental schools receive a significant number of patients with chronic diseases, and students should be educated to use effective patient communication skills to reinforce positive health behaviors among these patients

The need to educate future dental professionals on E-cigarette effects.

OBJECTIVE:To compare knowledge and attitude of dental students in two countries towards E-cigarettes and their long-term effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS:An anonymous cross-sectional survey, using self-administered questionnaires, was conducted amongst dental students from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry (UCLA) and Universidad Europea of Madrid (UE). RESULTS:There were significant differences in knowledge and perception of E-cigarettes between dental students from both countries. Three (3%) of the participants from UE sample smoked E-cigarettes every day, compared to none of the students from UCLA. Almost 54 (80%) students from UCLA claimed that they had never experimented with an E-cigarette, whereas 61 (65%) of UE sample reported not having experimented with E-cigarettes in the past. More than 15% of students in both populations were unsure of the potentially harmful effects of E-cigarette usage. A significantly higher proportion of the Spanish sample used conventional cigarettes compared to the US sample 53 (56%) compared to 36 (24%), P < 0.001). In addition, when compared to the UE sample, UCLA students rated E-cigarettes as being less harmful overall than tobacco P < 0.001. Furthermore, more than 86% of both populations indicated interest in learning more about the potential risks associated with E-cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS:This survey indicated that students from one dental school in the United States of America (USA) and one in Spain lacked the knowledge to address the rising E-cigarette population usage and provide information regarding them to patients. Specific educational programmes on E-cigarette hazards and long-term effects on oral and systemic health should be implemented in dental curricula in both of these schools in order to stay receptive to the changing field of tobacco education