Temporal Dynamics of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia in Spinocerebellar Ataxias.

Background: The Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) is the reference clinical scale to assess the severity of cerebellar ataxia. In the context of upcoming therapeutic trials, a reliable clinical outcome is needed to assess the efficiency of treatments.

Objective: The aim is to precisely assess and compare temporal dynamics of SARA and a new f-SARA.

Fusobacterium nucleatum in periodontal health and disease.

The pathogenesis of periodontitis involves the interplay of microbiota present in the subgingival plaque and the host responses. Inflammation and destruction of periodontal tissues are considered to result from the response of a susceptible host to a microbial biofilm containing gram-negative pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides are important contributors to maintaining the balance between health and disease in this complex environment.

Simultaneous determination of metronidazole and spiramycin I in human plasma, saliva and gingival crevicular fluid by LC-MS/MS.

An analytical validation of a new liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of metronidazole and spiramycin I concentrations in human plasma, saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) is presented. Ornidazole was used as an internal standard, and sample pre-treatment consisted of a liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a 5 microm Kromasil C18 column (150 mm x 4.