Efectos clínicos y microbiológicos del uso adicional de probióticos en el tratamiento de la gingivitis: un ensayo clínico aleatorizado controlado

Objetivo: Evaluar la eficacia de un producto probiótico en la reducción de la gingivitis y su impacto sobre la microbiota subgingival. Material y métodos: Se realizó un ensayo clínico aleatorizado controlado en 56 sujetos durante 6 semanas. Los sujetos se asignaron aleatoriamente a un grupo test, tratado con comprimidos que contenían las cepas probióticas Lactobacillus plantarum CECT 7481 (AB15), Lactobacillus brevis CECT 7480 (AB38) y Pediococcus acidilactici CECT 8633 (AB30), y a un grupo control, tratado con placebo. La variable respuesta primaria fue la variación del índice gingival (GI). Las muestras subgingivales se analizaron para cinco patógenos periodontales, mediante la Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa cuantitativa (qPCR). Se realizaron comparaciones intra- e intergrupo entre las variables clínicas y microbiológicas y se efectuó un análisis de regresión múltiple. Resultados: En ambos grupos se observó una mejoría clínica significativa, sin embargo, no se detectaron diferencias intergrupo en cuanto a valores promedios de GI, índice de placa (PlI) o índice de sangrado angulado (AngBS). El grupo test experimentó una reducción significativamente más alta de las localizaciones asociadas a GI=3 en el día 0. Las muestras subgingivales revelaron una reducción significativa de Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans en los dos grupos, mientras que sólo en el grupo test se observó una reducción significativa de Tannerella forsythia. Conclusiones: Los comprimidos con L. plantarum CECT7481, L. brevis CECT7480 y P. acidilactici CECT8633 redujeron el número de localizaciones con inflamación severa en pacientes con gingivitis, tras una profilaxis profesional. Además, el uso adicional de los probióticos reveló un impacto microbiológico significativo, reduciendo los recuentos de T. forsythia

NIOBIUM EFFECT ON BASE METAL AND HEAT AFFECTED ZONE MICROSTRUCTURE OF GIRTH WELDED JOINTS

The development of steels for line pipes during the last decades has been driven by the need to obtain improved combinations of high strength, toughness, weldability on industrial scale at affordable prices. The effect of niobium content on the heat affected zone (HAZ) microstructure is reported in this paper. Niobium, for its specific thermodynamic and kinetic attitude to form carbide and nitride precipitates, played a key role in the development of modern HSLA steels Results show that niobium addition is able to refine both the bainitic packet and cells size in the heat affected zone during welding. This implies that niobium addition leads to an improvement of both toughness and hardness of welded joints manufactured by Nb micro-alloyed steels. </p

Insights into the Differential Preservation of Bone Proteomes in Inhumed and Entombed Cadavers from Italian Forensic Caseworks

Bone is a hard biological tissue and a precious reservoir of information in forensic investigations as it retains key biomolecules commonly used for identification purposes. Bone proteins have recently attracted significant interest for their potential in estimating post-mortem interval (PMI) and age at death (AAD). However, the preservation of such proteins is highly dependent on intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can hinder the potential application of molecular techniques to forensic sciences. The present study aims at investigating the effects that two commonly used types of burial practices (entombment and inhumation) have on bone protein survival. The sample consists of 14 exhumed individuals from cemeteries in Southern Italy with different AADs (29–85 years) and PMIs (1–37 years). LC-MS/MS analyses show that 16 proteins are better preserved under the entombed conditions and 4 proteins are better preserved under the inhumed conditions, whereas no clear differences are detected for post-translational protein modifications. Furthermore, several potential “stable” protein markers (i.e., proteins not affected by the burial environment) are identified for PMI and AAD estimation. Overall, these results show that the two burial environments play a role in the differential preservation of noncollagenous proteins, confirming the potential of LC-MS/MS-based proteomics in forensic sciences

METALLURGICAL ASPECTS RELATED TO CONTACT FATIGUE PHENOMENA IN STEELS FOR BACK-UP ROLLS

The need of even longer rolling sessions is driving the improvement of back up rolls in terms of wear resistance. This is also aimed to reduce costs. In this paper the effect of steel chemical composition on contact fatigue phenomena, bringing to the macroscopic damage named spalling is reported. Results show that the removal by grinding operations of damaged portion of rolls surface should be not sufficient to restore the initial performances of material. Experimental tests showed that a portion of material below the damaged one keeps memory of the last fatigue cycle, and has to be removed.</p

Outdoor Comfort: The ENVI-BUG tool to Evaluate PMV Values Output Comfort Point by Point

Abstract Studies on Outdoor Comfort in urban open spaces adopt several tools and software to simulate microclimate models, energy performances and the fluid-dynamics of winds. Air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity are the typical input data used by the software to evaluate comfort indexes such as the Predicted Mean Vote [PMV], the Physiological Effective Temperature [PET] or the Universal Thermal Climate Index [UTCI]. Among the available software, Envi-met provides accurate outputs as well as the PMV index space distribution starting from a three-dimensional microclimate model. However it is affected by some limitations for what concerns a user centered approach including the changes in human metabolic activity (met) or clothes (clo). This paper offers a synthesis of a study performed on ENVI-BUG, an Envi-met algorithmic app, to obtain a fast calculation and distribution of local PMV point-by-point displayed with mannequin representation

Vascular Causes of Dysphonia: A Case Series with Different Etiologies

Pierino Spadafora,1 Andrea Esposito,2 Caterina Giannitto,3 Letizia Di Meglio,1 Nunzio Paolo Nuzzi,3 Gianpaolo Carrafiello2 1Postgraduate School of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Milan, Milan, 20122, Italy; 2Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Maggiore Policlinico Hospital, Radiology Department, Milan, Italy; 3Humanitas Research Hospital, Radiology Department, Milan, 20013, ItalyCorrespondence: Pierino SpadaforaPostgraduate School of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, Milan, 20122, ItalyEmail [email protected] EspositoFoundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Maggiore Policlinico Hospital, Radiology Department, Via F. Sforza 35, Milan, 20122, ItalyEmail [email protected]: Dysphonia is a frequent and often disabling condition that can be caused by a multitude of circumstances. Differential diagnosis of dysphonia comprehends many different etiologies and many causative agents (neoplasms, inflammations, traumatic injuries) that can occur in a large anatomical space (from the encephalic trunk to the upper mediastinum). It is fundamental to remember that vascular etiologies are responsible for some rare cases of dysphonia. In the radiological database of two urban academic hospitals, from 2012 to 2020, we sought patients who underwent CT or MRI for dysphonia, selecting only the ones with an underlying clinically confirmed vascular etiology. We present three emblematic cases with different vascular etiologies: a ductus arteriosus aneurysm, a left internal carotid artery dilatation, a laryngeal arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Vascular causes of dysphonia are rare, but especially in these cases an accurate and prompt diagnosis is fundamental, in particular considering that the underlying cardiovascular anomaly can often pose a higher risk for the patient than the hoarseness itself. Diagnostic imaging plays a fundamental role in detecting the most common causes of dysphonia but it is very important that radiologists take the vascular causes into account so as not to miss them and to obtain a correct diagnosis.Keywords: dysphonia, thoracic aorta, arteriovenous malformation, carotid artery, patent ductus arteriosu

Antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effect of in vitro digested cookies baked using different types of flours and fermentation methods

There is an increased amount of evidence showing that consumption of whole grains and whole-grain-based products is associated with a reduction of the risk of developing many diseases, due mainly to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of their components.In this study, cookies, baked using different types of flours and fermentation methods, were digested in vitro and supplemented to cultured liver cells. Three different flours (ancient KAMUT® khorasan wheat grown in North America, ancient khorasan wheat grown in Italy, and modern durum wheat) and two different types of fermentation (standard and lactic fermentation) were used. This experimental design allowed us to supplement cells with a real food part of the human diet, and to consider possible differences related to the food matrix (types of flour) and processing (methods of fermentation). Cells were supplemented with the bioaccessible fractions derived from cookies in vitro digestion. Although results herein reported highlight the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of all the supplementations, cookies made with khorasan flours appeared the most effective, particularly when the ancient grain was grown in North America under the KAMUT® brand. In light of the attempts to produce healthier food, this study underlines the importance of the type of grain to obtain baked products with an increased nutritional and functional value

Olive oil industry by-products. Effects of a polyphenol-rich extract on the metabolome and response to inflammation in cultured intestinal cell

Over the past years, researchers and food manufacturers have become increasingly interested in olive polyphenols due to the recognition of their biological properties and probable role in the prevention of various diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. Olive pomace, one of the main by-products of olive oil production, is a potential low-cost, phenol-rich ingredient for the formulation of functional food. In this study, the aqueous extract of olive pomace was characterized and used to supplement human intestinal cell in culture (Caco-2). The effect on the cell metabolome and the anti-inflammatory potential were then evaluated. Modification in the metabolome induced by supplementation clearly evidenced a metabolic shift toward a “glucose saving/accumulation” strategy that could have a role in maintaining anorexigenic hormone secretion and could explain the reported appetite-suppressing effect of the administration of polyphenol-rich food. In both basal and inflamed condition, supplementation significantly reduced the secretion of the main pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-8. Thus, our data confirm the therapeutic potential of polyphenols, and specifically of olive pomace in intestinal bowel diseases. Although intervention studies are needed to confirm the clinical significance of our findings, the herein reported results pave the road for exploitation of olive pomace in the formulation of new, value-added foods. In addition, the application of a foodomics approach allowed observing a not hypothesized modulation of glucose metabolism

Urothelial bladder carcinoma metastasizing to the eye: a systematic review and case report

The eye is a rare site for disseminated malignancies; nevertheless, several tumors may metastasize to ocular structures. Few cases of urothelial and bladder cancer with eye involvement have been described in the literature thus far. The rarity of metastatic ocular localization implies an accurate differential diagnosis among the possible primary tumor sites. However, a specific diagnostic algorithm is not currently available, nor a defined therapeutic approach. Eye metastases are associated with advanced disease and poor prognosis. Physicians should be made aware of the possibility of eye involvement in patients with a past medical history of urothelial bladder cancer associated with ocular symptoms. The present case reports discusses the first documented case, to the best of our knowledge, of an urothelial bladder cancer metastasizing to the retro bulbar region that infiltrates the lacrimal gland. Furthermore, the report provides a systematic qualitative review of the current literature on eye metastases from urothelial bladder cancer using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses

Lymphogranuloma venereum proctitis mimicking inflammatory bowel diseases in 11 patients: a 4-year single-center experience

ABSTRACT Lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) serovars L1–L3. Our study wants to underline the similarities between rectal LGV and idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which can share clinical, endoscopic and histopathological findings