In vivo biofilm formation on a soft denture liner in elderly patients with controlled diabetes.

Objectives: This in vivo study evaluated the influence of controlled diabetes on biofilm formation on a soft denture liner in elderly patients.

Background: Soft denture lining materials are more susceptible to microbial colonisation than denture base acrylic resins. Especially in the elderly, several predisposing factors may accumulate leading to an increased probability of biofilm development that may result in candidiasis, a significant clinical oral disease.

Maladaptive plasticity of serotonin axon terminals in levodopa-induced dyskinesia.

Objective: Striatal serotonin projections have been implicated in levodopa-induced dyskinesia by providing an unregulated source of dopamine release. We set out to determine whether these projections are affected by levodopa treatment in a way that would favor the occurrence of dyskinesia.

Methods: As an index of terminal serotonin innervation density, we measured radioligand binding to the plasma membrane serotonin transporter (SERT) in levodopa-treated dyskinetic and nondyskinetic subjects, using brain tissue from both rat and monkey models of Parkinson disease as well as parkinsonian patients.

Fixed partial dentures in an up to 8-year follow-up.

Unlabelled: Information on the longevity of fiber-reinforced composite fixed partial dentures (inlay FPDs) should be considered in the selection of materials, operative techniques and patient instructions related to prognosis and long-term cost-effectiveness.

Objective: This study evaluated the long-term survival of fiber-reinforced, adhesively-bonded composite prostheses placed in posterior teeth.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-one patients that received adhesively bonded polyethylene inlay FPDs in posterior teeth were selected from a private practice dental office and invited to evaluation.

Maladaptive striatal plasticity in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia.

Dopamine (DA) replacement therapy with l-DOPA remains the most effective treatment for Parkinson's disease, but causes dyskinesia (abnormal involuntary movements) in the vast majority of the patients. The basic mechanisms of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) have become the object of intense research focusing on neurochemical and molecular adaptations in the striatum. Here we review this vast literature and highlight trends that converge into a unifying pathophysiological interpretation.

Deuterium substitutions in the L-DOPA molecule improve its anti-akinetic potency without increasing dyskinesias.

Treatment of Parkinson's disease is complicated by a high incidence of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesias (LID). Strategies to prevent the development of LID aim at providing more stable dopaminergic stimulation. We have previously shown that deuterium substitutions in the L-DOPA molecule (D3-L-DOPA) yield dopamine that appears more resistant to enzymatic breakdown.

Temporal changes of denture plaque microbiologic composition evaluated in situ.

This study assessed how biofilm composition is affected by both time and denture material in complete denture wearers. Biofilm was formed during two phases of 14 days on acrylic resin and denture liner specimens mounted on the buccal surface of the mandibular dentures of 21 patients. Specimens were removed randomly on days 2, 7, and 14.

Calcium-permeable AMPA receptors are involved in the induction and expression of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease.

Overactivity of striatal alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) glutamate receptors is implicated in the pathophysiology of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we evaluated the behavioural and molecular effects of acute and chronic blockade of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptors in animal models of PD and LID. The acute effects of the Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptor antagonist 1-trimethylammonio-5-(1-adamantane-methylammoniopentane) dibromide hydrobromide (IEM 1460) on abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat and LID in the MPTP-lesioned non-human primate were assessed.

A mGluR5 antagonist under clinical development improves L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in parkinsonian rats and monkeys.

L-DOPA remains the gold-standard treatment for Parkinson's disease but causes motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. Metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) has been proposed as a target for antidyskinetic therapies. Here, we evaluate the effects of fenobam, a noncompetitive mGluR5 antagonist already tested in humans, using rodent and nonhuman primate models of Parkinson's disease.

Effect of a calcium glycerophosphate fluoride dentifrice formulation on enamel demineralization in situ.

Purpose: To evaluate in situ the effect and mechanisms involved in the anticariogenic effect of a calcium glycerophosphate fluoride dentifrice.

Methods: In a double-blind, crossover design, a non-F dentifrice (negative control), a F dentifrice and a F dentifrice containing 0.13% CaGP were compared regarding the inhibition of enamel demineralization.

Sugar consumption and dental health: Is there a correlation?

This study investigated the correlation between sugar consumption and dental caries in a random sample of 184 schoolchildren (all 12 years of age) from public and private schools in Piracicaba, Brazil. A seven-day diet record was administered in a cross-sectional survey. Diet records were used to determine the frequency of sugar consumption both during and between meals.

Rodent models of treatment-induced motor complications in Parkinson's disease.

Treatment-induced motor complications represent a major clinical problem in Parkinson's disease (PD). Pharmacological dopamine (DA) replacement with l-dopa causes motor fluctuations and abnormal involuntary movements (dyskinesia) in the vast majority of the patients. Intrastriatal grafts of embryonic dopaminergic neurons can cause dyskinesia too, as shown by clinical trials of neural transplantation in PD.

Plastic effects of L-DOPA treatment in the basal ganglia and their relevance to the development of dyskinesia.

The development of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is attributed to plastic responses triggered by dopamine (DA) receptor stimulation in the parkinsonian brain. This article reviews studies that have uncovered different levels of maladaptive plasticity in animal models of LID. Rats developing dyskinesia on chronic L-DOPA treatment show abnormal patterns of signaling pathway activation and synaptic plasticity in striatal neurons.

L-DOPA-induced dopamine efflux in the striatum and the substantia nigra in a rat model of Parkinson's disease: temporal and quantitative relationship to the expression of dyskinesia.

L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease is associated with large increases in brain dopamine (DA) levels following drug dosing, but the precise significance of this phenomenon is not understood. Here we compare DA efflux and metabolism in the striatum and the substantia nigra in dyskinetic and non-dyskinetic animals following a standard dose of L-DOPA. Rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions were treated chronically with L-DOPA, monitored on the abnormal involuntary movements scale, and then subjected to intracerebral microdialysis under freely-moving conditions.

Effects of metallic or translucent matrices for Class II composite restorations: 4-year clinical follow-up findings.

This study evaluated the performance of composite restorations placed with two matrix and wedge systems 4 years after placement. In a split-mouth design, 23 patients were selected and received at least two class II restorations, one with metallic matrix and wooden wedge and the other with polyester matrix and reflective wedge. One dentist placed the 109 restorations, and all cavities were restored using Single Bond and P-60 (3M ESPE) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Differential involvement of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in L-DOPA-induced angiogenic activity in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Angiogenesis occurs in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients, but the effects of dopamine replacement therapy on this process have not been examined. Using rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions, we have compared angiogenic responses induced in the basal ganglia by chronic treatment with either L-DOPA, or bromocriptine, or a selective D1 receptor agonist (SKF38393). Moreover, we have asked whether L-DOPA-induced angiogenesis can be blocked by co-treatment with either a D1- or a D2 receptor antagonist (SCH23390 and eticlopride, respectively), or by an inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) (SL327).

Antibacterial agents in composite restorations for the prevention of dental caries.

Background: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease in which the fermentation of food sugars by bacteria from the biofilm (dental plaque) leads to localised demineralisation of tooth surfaces, which may ultimately result in cavity formation. Resin composites are widely used in dentistry to restore teeth. These restorations can fail for a number of reasons, such as secondary caries, excessive wear, marginal degradation, tooth sensitivity, pulpal death, and restorative material fracture.

Priming for L-DOPA-induced abnormal involuntary movements increases the severity of amphetamine-induced dyskinesia in grafted rats.

In some patients, graft-induced dyskinesia develops following intrastriatal transplantation of embryonic neural tissue for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms underlying these involuntary movements need to be clarified before this approach to clinical cell therapy can be developed further. We previously found that rats with 6-OHDA lesions, primed with L-DOPA treatment and that have subsequently undergone intrastriatal graft surgery exhibit involuntary movements when subjected to amphetamine.

Effects of 5 years of growth hormone (GH) replacement therapy on cardiac parameters and physical performance in adults with GH deficiency.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 5 years of GH substitution on cardiac structure and function, physical work capacity and blood pressure levels in adults with GH deficiency (GHD). Fourteen patients were clinically assessed every 3 months for 5 years. Transthoracic echocardiography and exercise test were performed at baseline, 24, 48 and 60 months.

Amphetamine-induced abnormal movements occur independently of both transplant- and host-derived serotonin innervation following neural grafting in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Serotonin has been postulated to play a role in the transplant-induced involuntary movements that occur following intrastriatal grafts of ventral mesencephalic tissue in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Serotonin innervation of the striatum may be derived from either the donor graft tissue or the normal host projections from the midbrain. In two sets of experiments we study the impact of graft- versus host-derived serotonin innervation.

Pharmacological modulation of glutamate transmission in a rat model of L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia: effects on motor behavior and striatal nuclear signaling.

L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson's disease has been linked to altered dopamine and glutamate transmission within the basal ganglia. In the present study, we compared compounds targeting specific subtypes of glutamate receptors or calcium channels for their ability to attenuate LID and the associated activation of striatal nuclear signaling and gene expression in the rat. Rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions were treated acutely or chronically with L-DOPA in combination with the following selective compounds: antagonists of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR), (2-methyl-1,3-thiazol-4-yl) ethynylpyridine (MTEP) for mGluR5 and (3-ethyl-2-methyl-quinolin-6-yl)-(4-methoxy-cyclohexyl)-methanone methane sulfonate (EMQMCM) for mGluR1; an agonist of group II mGluR, 1R,4R,5S,6R-2-oxa-4-aminobicyclo[3.

Enamel demineralization with two forms of archwire ligation investigated using an in situ caries model--a pilot study.

A modified in situ model to assess enamel demineralization around orthodontic devices was developed and a pilot study was conducted to evaluate two types of archwire ligation. Enamel blocks were placed in palatal removable appliances where orthodontic brackets were bonded. The brackets on one side of the appliance were ligated with elastomeric rings and those on the other side with stainless steel wires.

Relationship between gap size and dentine secondary caries formation assessed in a microcosm biofilm model.

Secondary caries can develop at the tooth-restoration interface, depending on the presence of a gap and its size, but this process could be inhibited by fluoride. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between gap size and dentine secondary caries adjacent to composite resin (CR) or glass ionomer (GI) restorations, using a microcosm biofilm model in a constant depth film fermentor (CDFF). Dentine discs restored with CR (Z250) or GI (Vitremer) with gap sizes of 0, 50, 100, 180 or 250 microm were mounted on the CDFF.

Chronic intermittent L-DOPA treatment induces changes in dopamine release.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl-l-alanine (l-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia often develops as a side effect of chronic l-DOPA therapy. This study was undertaken to investigate dopamine (DA) release upon l-DOPA treatment. Chronoamperometric measurements were performed in unilaterally DA-depleted rats, chronically treated with l-DOPA, resulting in dyskinetic and non-dyskinetic animals.