Detrimental Effect of Cannabidiol on the Early Onset of Diabetic Nephropathy in Male Mice

Anti-inflammatory and antidiabetogenic properties have been ascribed to cannabidiol (CBD). CBD-based medicinal drugs have been approved for over a lustrum, and a boom in the commercialization of CBD products started in parallel. Herein, we explored the efficacy of CBD in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice to prevent diabetic nephropathy at onset. Eight-to-ten-week-old C57BL6J male mice were treated daily intraperitoneally with 10 mg/kg of CBD or vehicle for 14 days. After 8 days of treatment, mice were challenged with STZ or vehicle (healthy-control). At the end of the study, non-fasting blood glucose (FBG) level was 276 ± 42 mg/dL in vehicle-STZ-treated compared to 147 ± 9 mg/dL (p ≤ 0.01) in healthy-control mice. FBG was 114 ± 8 mg/dL in vehicle-STZ-treated compared to 89 ± 4 mg/dL in healthy-control mice (p ≤ 0.05). CBD treatment did not prevent STZ-induced hyperglycemia, and non-FBG and FBG levels were 341 ± 40 and 133 ± 26 mg/dL, respectively. Additionally, treatment with CBD did not avert STZ-induced glucose intolerance or pancreatic beta cell mass loss compared to vehicle-STZ-treated mice. Anatomopathological examination showed that kidneys from vehicle-STZ-treated mice had a 35% increase of glomerular size compared to healthy-control mice (p ≤ 0.001) and presented lesions with a 43% increase in fibrosis and T cell infiltration (p ≤ 0.001). Although treatment with CBD prevented glomerular hypertrophy and reduced T cell infiltration, it significantly worsened overall renal damage (p ≤ 0.05 compared to vehicle-STZ mice), leading to a more severe renal dysfunction than STZ alone. In conclusion, we showed that CBD could be detrimental for patients with type 1 diabetes, particularly those undergoing complications such as diabetic nephropathy

Use of salivary biomarkers for diagnosis of periodontal disease activity: a literature review

Periodontal disease is an infectious disease characterized by the connective tissue destruction and consequent alveolar bone loss in response to plaque accumulation on the tooth surface. The clinical diagnosis of periodontal disease is based both on clinical examination involving the evaluation of probing depth and radiographic examination of alveolar bone loss but these examinations are not enough to determine the activity of the disease process. For that reason, it has been proposed to seek predictive disease markers in an attempt to assess the disease activity and so, evaluate the efficacy of the periodontal disease treatment. The aim of this review is to present recent advances in the development of proteomic, genomics and microbial biomarkers and potential clinical applications. It was concluded that periodontal treatment based on assessing the levels of salivary biomarkers emerges as a promising method in near future and will become an integral part of the evaluation of periodontal health

Osteoblast differentiation is enhanced by a nano-to-micro hybrid titanium surface created by Yb:YAG laser irradiation

The aim of this study was to analyze the capacity of a new modified laser surface to stimulate calvarial osteoblasts isolated from neonatal mouse bones to differentiate and form mineralized nodules. Titanium discs were subjectezd or not to laser irradiation according to specific parameters and characterized. Osteoblasts isolated from neonatal mouse calvaria were cultured over the discs, and the capacity of these cells to proliferate (MTT assay), form mineralized nodules (Alizarin red assay), and enhance alkaline phosphatase activity (ALPase activity) was analyzed. Real-time PCR was used for quantification of gene expression. Laser-irradiated titanium discs (L) presented a rough nano-to-micrometric oxidized surface contrasting with the smooth pattern on polished discs (P). The Ra on the micrometric level increased from 0.32 ± 0.01 μm on P surfaces to 10.57 ± 0.39 μm on L surfaces. When compared with P, L promoted changes in osteoblast morphology, increased mineralized nodule formation in osteoblasts cultured on the surfaces for 14 days, and enhanced ALPase activity at days 7 and 14. Transcription factors triggering osteoblast differentiation (Runx2 and Sp7) and genes encoding the bone extracellular matrix proteins collagen type-1 (Col1a1), osteopontin (Spp1), and osteocalcin (Bglap) were upregulated in cells on L surfaces compared with those on P surfaces at days 1-14. Laser treatment of titanium surfaces created a rough surface that stimulated osteoblast differentiation. Laser treatment of titanium generates a reproducible and efficient surface triggering osteoblast differentiation that can be of importance for osteointegration.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

Pictavia Aurea

Este volumen, titulado Pictavia aurea, reúne 131 estudios que constituyen una granada muestra de los debates y las presentaciones en torno a la cultura hispánica del Siglo de Oro que entre los días 11 y 15 de julio de 2011 se dieron en la ciudad de Poitiers (Francia) en el marco del IX congreso de la Asociación Internacional “Siglo de Oro”. Auspiciada por la Universidad de Poitiers, a través del Centro de Estudios de la Literatura española de Entre Siglos (siglos xvii-xviii) (CELES XVII-XVIII) y el laboratorio «Formes et Représentations en Linguistique et Littérature» (FoReLL), la convocatoria reunió en la ciudad francesa a 276 participantes y a un centenar de asistentes en la novena edición del Congreso de la Asociación, que celebró entonces la efeméride del 450o aniversario del nacimiento de Luis de Góngora.A Isaías Lerner, maestro de la filología hispánic

Pneumonia treated in the internal medicine department: Focus on healthcare-associated pneumonia

Patients with pneumonia treated in the internal medicine department (IMD) are often at risk of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). The importance of HCAP is controversial. We invited physicians from 72 IMDs to report on all patients with pneumonia hospitalized in their department during 2weeks (one each in January and June 2010) to compare HCAP with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). We analysed 1002 episodes of pneumonia: 58.9% were CAP, 30.6% were HCAP and 10.4% were HAP. A comparison between CAP, HCAP and HAP showed that HCAP patients were older (77, 83 and 80.5years; p<0.001), had poorer functional status (Barthel 100, 30 and 65; p<0.001) and had more risk factors for aspiration pneumonia (18, 50 and 34%; p<0.001). The frequency of testing to establish an aetiological diagnosis was lower among HCAP patients (87, 72 and 79; p<0.001), as was adherence to the therapeutic recommendations of guidelines (70, 23 and 56%; p<0.001). In-hospital mortality increased progressively between CAP, HCAP and HAP (8, 19 and 27%; p<0.001). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the main pathogen in CAP and HCAP. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) caused 17 and 12.3% of HCAP. In patients with a confirmed aetiological diagnosis, the independent risk factors for pneumonia due do difficult-to-treat microorganisms (Enterobacteriaceae, P. aeruginosa or MRSA) were HCAP, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and higher Port Severity Index. Our data confirm the importance of maintaining high awareness of HCAP among patients treated in IMDs, because of the different aetiologies, therapy requirements and prognosis of this population. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases