Desquamative Gingivitis: Early Presenting Symptom of Mucocutaneous Disease

Desquamation of the gingiva is a sign that may be encountered in clinical practice. Various diseases can affect the gingival tissues. Mild desquamation that is localized may be associated with mechanical irritation or induced by trauma. Moderate to severe generalized desquamation associated with ulceration and erythema may be indicative of a more serious systemic condition. Although often overlooked, mucocutaneous diseases frequently present with gingival desquamation as an early presenting symptom. The most common mucocutaneous diseases that affect the oral cavity are lichen planus, pemphigus, and mucous membrane pemphigoid. This article reviews the etiology, signs and symptoms, and therapies for these disorders. Increased knowledge of mucocutaneous diseases can help the clinician recognize these disorders and enable the patient to receive appropriate therapy

Sedative and analgesic effects of intravenous xylazine and tramadol on horses

This study was performed to evaluate the sedative and analgesic effects of xylazine (X) and tramadol (T) intravenously (IV) administered to horses. Six thoroughbred saddle horses each received X (1.0 mg/kg), T (2.0 mg/kg), and a combination of XT (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg, respectively) IV. Heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), indirect arterial pressure (IAP), capillary refill time (CRT), sedation, and analgesia (using electrical stimulation and pinprick) were measured before and after drug administration. HR and RR significantly decreased from basal values with X and XT treatments, and significantly increased with T treatment (p < 0.05). RT and IAP also significantly increased with T treatment (p < 0.05). CRT did not change significantly with any treatments. The onset of sedation and analgesia were approximately 5 min after both X and XT treatments; however, the XT combination produced a longer duration of sedation and analgesia than X alone. Two horses in the XT treatment group displayed excited transient behavior within 5 min of drug administration. The results suggest that the XT combination is useful for sedation and analgesia in horses. However, careful monitoring for excited behavior shortly after administration is recommended

Pentobra: A Potent Antibiotic with Multiple Layers of Selective Antimicrobial Mechanisms against Propionibacterium Acnes

Although antibiotics are a common treatment for acne, the difficulties inherent to effective antimicrobial penetration in sebum and selective antimicrobial action in skin are compounded by increasing resistance of Propionibacterium acnes clinical isolates. To address these problems, we engineered Pentobra, a peptide-aminoglycoside molecule which has multiple mechanisms of antibacterial action, and investigated whether it can be a potential candidate for the treatment of acne. Pentobra combines the potent ribosomal activity of aminoglycosides with the bacteria-selective membrane-permeabilizing abilities of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Pentobra demonstrated potent and selective killing of P. acnes, but not against human skin cells in vitro. In direct comparison, Pentobra demonstrated bactericidal activity and drastically outperformed free tobramycin (by 5–7 logs) against multiple P. acnes clinical strains. Moreover, EM studies showed that Pentobra had robust membrane activity, as treatment with Pentobra killed P. acnes cells and caused leakage of intracellular contents. Pentobra may also have potential anti-inflammatory effects as demonstrated by suppression of some P. acnes-induced chemokines. Importantly, the killing activity was maintained in sebaceous environments as Pentobra was bactericidal against clinical isolates in comedones extracts isolated from human donors. Our work demonstrates that equipping aminoglycosides with selective membrane activity is a viable approach for developing antibiotics against P. acnes that are effective in cutaneous environments