Dental Findings in Primary Dentition of Very Preterm Children: A Retrospective Case-Control Study from Finland

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of dental deviations in primary dentition in very preterm and full-term children.Material and methods: The subjects consisted of 205 very preterm and 205 full-term children. Data were combined from two sources: (1) the register from the Turku University Hospital of children born before the 32nd week of pregnancy or with a birth weight of less than 1,500 g, and (2) public health centre dental registers. All included very preterm (case) children were born in the Turku University Hospital during 2001-2006, and the full-term control children were matched according to age and gender.Results: The prevalence of enamel defects of the all primary teeth was 2.10% in case children and 0.42% in control children (RR= 5.07, 95% CI 1.96-13.13, p=0.001). The prevalences of having at least one enamel defect were 10.73% in case children and 4.39% in control children (RR=2.44, 95% CI 1.22-4.91, p=0.012). The prevalences of missing teeth, supernumerary teeth and teeth with shape anomalies were low in both groups.Conclusions: The results confirm earlier findings that preterm children have a higher incidence of enamel defects in primary dentition compared to full-term children. More studies are needed to elucidate the effect of preterm birth on the number and shape of developing teeth.</p

Malocclusions in primary and early mixed dentition in very preterm children

Objective: To compare the prevalence of malocclusions in the primary and early mixed dentition of very preterm and full-term children. Material and methods: Study subjects consisted of 205 very preterm (90 girls and 115 boys), and 205 age- and gender-matched full-term children. Data were collected from the register of Turku University Hospital (children born before the 37th week of pregnancy with a birth weight of less than 1500 g, and all infants born before the 32nd week of pregnancy) and from public health centre dental registers. Results: In primary dentition, case children had a higher odds of dental crowding (OR = 2.94, 95% CI 1.17-7.35, p = .021), a tendency toward increased overbite (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 0.93-2.59, p = .096), and a lower odds of increased overjet (OR = 0.19, 95% CI 0.07-0.57, p = .003) compared to control children. In early mixed dentition, there were no statistically significant differences in occlusal traits; however, case children were significantly more likely to have received orthodontic treatment (OR = 2.80, 95% CI 1.50-5.23, p = .001) compared to controls. Conclusions: The results indicate that in primary dentition, the prevalence of malocclusion varies between very preterm and full-term children. In early mixed dentition, the distribution of occlusal traits is more similar.</p

Vitamin D Induction of the Human Antimicrobial Peptide Cathelicidin in the Urinary Bladder

The urinary tract is frequently being exposed to potential pathogens and rapid defence mechanisms are therefore needed. Cathelicidin, a human antimicrobial peptide is expressed and secreted by bladder epithelial cells and protects the urinary tract from infection. Here we show that vitamin D can induce cathelicidin in the urinary bladder. We analyzed bladder tissue from postmenopausal women for expression of cathelicidin, before and after a three-month period of supplementation with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25D3). Cell culture experiments were performed to elucidate the mechanisms for cathelicidin induction. We observed that, vitamin D per se did not up-regulate cathelicidin in serum or in bladder tissue of the women in this study. However, when the bladder biopsies were infected with uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), a significant increase in cathelicidin expression was observed after 25D3 supplementation. This observation was confirmed in human bladder cell lines, even though here, cathelicidin induction occurred irrespectively of infection. Vitamin D treated bladder cells exerted an increased antibacterial effect against UPEC and colocalization to cathelicidin indicated the relevance of this peptide. In the light of the rapidly growing problem of resistance to common urinary tract antibiotics, we suggest that vitamin D may be a potential complement in the prevention of UTI

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Modulates Immune Responses and Its Curli Fimbriae Interact with the Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37

Bacterial growth in multicellular communities, or biofilms, offers many potential advantages over single-cell growth, including resistance to antimicrobial factors. Here we describe the interaction between the biofilm-promoting components curli fimbriae and cellulose of uropathogenic E. coli and the endogenous antimicrobial defense in the urinary tract. We also demonstrate the impact of this interplay on the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections. Our results suggest that curli and cellulose exhibit differential and complementary functions. Both of these biofilm components were expressed by a high proportion of clinical E. coli isolates. Curli promoted adherence to epithelial cells and resistance against the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37, but also increased the induction of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-8. Cellulose production, on the other hand, reduced immune induction and hence delayed bacterial elimination from the kidneys. Interestingly, LL-37 inhibited curli formation by preventing the polymerization of the major curli subunit, CsgA. Thus, even relatively low concentrations of LL-37 inhibited curli-mediated biofilm formation in vitro. Taken together, our data demonstrate that biofilm components are involved in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections by E. coli and can be a target of local immune defense mechanisms

Novel Strategies in the Prevention and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections, especially in women and children, frequently treated with antibiotics. The alarming increase in antibiotic resistance is a global threat to future treatment of infections. Therefore, alternative strategies are urgently needed. The innate immune system plays a fundamental role in protecting the urinary tract from infections. Antimicrobial peptides form an important part of the innate immunity. They are produced by epithelial cells and neutrophils and defend the urinary tract against invading bacteria. Since efficient resistance mechanisms have not evolved among bacterial pathogens, much effort has been put into exploring the role of antimicrobial peptides and possibilities to utilize them in clinical practice. Here, we describe the impact of antimicrobial peptides in the urinary tract and ways to enhance the production by hormones like vitamin D and estrogen. We also discuss the potential of medicinal herbs to be used in the prophylaxis and the treatment of urinary tract infections

Novel Strategies in the Prevention and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections, especially in women and children, frequently treated with antibiotics. The alarming increase in antibiotic resistance is a global threat to future treatment of infections. Therefore, alternative strategies are urgently needed. The innate immune system plays a fundamental role in protecting the urinary tract from infections. Antimicrobial peptides form an important part of the innate immunity. They are produced by epithelial cells and neutrophils and defend the urinary tract against invading bacteria. Since efficient resistance mechanisms have not evolved among bacterial pathogens, much effort has been put into exploring the role of antimicrobial peptides and possibilities to utilize them in clinical practice. Here, we describe the impact of antimicrobial peptides in the urinary tract and ways to enhance the production by hormones like vitamin D and estrogen. We also discuss the potential of medicinal herbs to be used in the prophylaxis and the treatment of urinary tract infections

Don’t See the Dwellings for the Trees: Quantifying the Effect of Tree Growth on Multi-temporal Dwelling Extraction in a Refugee Camp. GI_Forum|GI_Forum 2015 – Geospatial Minds for Society|

Automated and visual approaches for the monitoring of refugee or IDP camps based on satellite data are very important as independent information sources, especially for insecure and remote areas. Nevertheless, monitoring based on satellite data always has a certain degree of uncertainty, e.g. due to data quality, complexity of the area of investigation, seasonal pheonological problems, or algorithmic limitations. Within this paper, we aim to quantify one of these limiting aspects: the factor of vegetation (i.e. tree) growth and its effect on multi-temporal dwelling monitoring, hampering the identification of dwellings on the ground. For the refugee camp Djabal, Chad, we found that 2506 dwellings (25 %) of 2010 are at least partly affected by tree growth three years later (2013), which is influencing automated extraction methods, as well as visual interpretations. 395 of these dwellings were completely covered by vegetation and vegetation shadow, and were therefore not detectable anymore. Taking this factor into account, the decrease of dwellings between 2010 and 2013 is potentially lowered from 10 % to 5 %

Object-based Image Analysis Using VHR Satellite Imagery for Monitoring the Dismantling of a Refugee Camp after a Crisis: The Case of Lukole, Tanzania. GI_Forum 2014 – Geospatial Innovation for Society|

The use of HR and VHR (high/very high spatial resolution) imagery and OBIA (objectbased image analysis) offers new possibilities for monitoring activities in and around refugee camps to manage, understand, and assess developments and impacts of the camp on its environment (see for example TIEDE et al. 2013, HAGENLOCHER et al. 2012). Here we demonstrate how VHR imagery in combination with OBIA can be used to retrieve and create valuable information about a remote refugee camp and its surroundings before, during, and after the dismantling and the repatriation process. Feature extraction approaches for single dwellings and further information retrieval, as well as land cover classification for the refugee camp Lukole in Tanzania were combined for an integrated monitoring approach