Effect of dexamethasone on fetal hepatic glutamine-glutamate exchange.

Intravenous infusion of dexamethasone (Dex) in the fetal lamb causes a two- to threefold increase in plasma glutamine and other glucogenic amino acids and a decrease of plasma glutamate to approximately one-third of normal. To explore the underlying mechanisms, hepatic amino acid uptake and conversion of L-[1-(13)C]glutamine to L-[1-(13)C]glutamate and (13)CO(2) were measured in six sheep fetuses before and in the last 2 h of a 26-h Dex infusion. Dex decreased hepatic glutamine and alanine uptakes (P < 0.

Stain, plaque and gingivitis reduction by combining chlorhexidine and peroxyborate.

Background: Previous studies have shown that using an oxidising agent in addition to chlorhexidine reduces staining.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether, compared to chlorhexidine alone, the use of an oxidising mouthrinse as an adjunct to chlorhexidine is efficacious in reducing stain, plaque and gingivitis.

Method: This study had a single-blind, 2-group parallel design, including a 14-day experimental non-brushing period during which 1 group (n= 14) used chlorhexidine alone (CHX) (chlorhexidine mouthrinse, 0.

Variations in activin receptor, inhibin/activin subunit and follistatin mRNAs in human prostate tumour tissues.

The possible role of activin in the regulation of malignant prostatic growth was studied using RNAase protection assays of activin receptors, inhibin/activin subunits and follistatin mRNAs in the human prostatic carcinoma cell lines LNCaP-FGC, -R and -LNO, in human prostatic carcinoma xenografts and in human prostatic tissue. Activin receptor types IA (ActRIA), IB (ActRIB), IIA (ActRIIA) and IIB (ActRIIB) mRNAs were generally expressed in prostate epithelial cells, with significantly lower levels of ActRIB mRNA in prostate tumour material when compared to non-malignant tissue (P < 0.05; Mann-Whitney U-test).

Recovery versus retest effects in attention after closed head injury.

Recovery in 60 patients with a closed-head injury (CHI) in the first year posttrauma was assessed repeatedly with a series of attention tests. A matched group of healthy subjects was tested at the same intervals to allow us to control for practice effects. The results of a multilevel analysis for longitudinal data show retest effects in all but one of the tests.

Ferric reduction is a potential iron acquisition mechanism for Histoplasma capsulatum.

For the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, and for other microbial pathogens, iron is an essential nutrient. Iron sequestration in response to infection is a demonstrated host defense mechanism; thus, iron acquisition may be considered an important pathogenic determinant. H.

A comparison of electric toothbrushes in their potential to cause gingival abrasion of oral soft tissues.

Purpose: It has previously been established that gingival abrasion associated with the Braun Oral-B Ultra Plaque Remover (D9) is minimal and comparable to that observed with a manual toothbrush. The purpose of this single-use study was to compare gingival abrasion with the D9 and a novel electric toothbrush, the Braun Oral-B 3D Plaque Remover (3D).

Materials And Methods: 49 subjects (non-dental students) with at least 24 natural teeth and an absence of periodontal probing depths of 5 mm or greater were included in this study.

A comparison of the efficacy of a novel electric toothbrush and a manual toothbrush in the treatment of gingivitis.

Purpose: To compare the efficiency of a new electric toothbrush featuring a novel three-dimensional brush head action, with a manual toothbrush, in resolving gingivitis which had been allowed to develop in a group of subjects prior to the treatment phase of the study.

Materials And Methods: This was a randomized split-mouth study. A total of 35 healthy non-dental students refrained from any oral hygiene on the lower jaw for a period of 21 days in order to develop gingivitis.

Clinical and microbiological effects of initial periodontal therapy in conjunction with amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in patients with adult periodontitis. A randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical and microbiological effects of initial periodontal therapy in conjunction with systemic amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid in adult periodontitis patients using a double-blind, parallel-group, and placebo-controlled protocol. 21 patients with a clinical diagnosis of generalised adult periodontitis were recruited. Clinical measurements and microbiological assessments were carried out at baseline, 3, and 12 months post-treatment.

A 15-month evaluation of the effects of repeated subgingival minocycline in chronic adult periodontitis.

Background: A double-blind, randomized, parallel, comparative study was designed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of subgingivally administered minocycline ointment versus a vehicle control.

Methods: One hundred four patients (104) with moderate to severe adult periodontitis (34 to 64 years of age; mean 46 years) were enrolled in the study. Following scaling and root planing, patients were randomized to receive either 2% minocycline ointment or a matched vehicle control.

Prevalence and serotyping of Porphyromonas gingivalis in an Indonesian population.

In this study, the prevalence and serotype distribution of Porphyromonas gingivalis in an Indonesian population (n=158) is described. The relationship between subgingival P. gingivalis and periodontal attachment loss was investigated.

Slow information processing after very severe closed head injury: impaired access to declarative knowledge and intact application and acquisition of procedural knowledge.

As an explanation of the pattern of slow information processing after closed head injury (CHI), hypotheses of impaired access to declarative memory and intact application and acquisition of procedural memory after CHI are presented. These two hypotheses were tested by means of four cognitive reaction-time tasks, a semantic memory task, a memory comparison task, a mental rotation task and a mirror reading task. These tasks were administered on two different days to 12 survivors of a CHI tested more than 5 years after injury and a healthy control group of comparable age and education.

The inhibitory effect of combining chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide on 3-day plaque accumulation.

In a blind, randomised, 4-cell, cross-over study, the effect of rinsing with a perborate solution (1.9 g sodium perborate-monohydrate dissolved in 30 ml water/Bocasan, Oral-B) on the in vivo plaque-inhibiting effect of 0.12% chlorhexidine (Oral-B) was examined.

Relationship of fetal alanine uptake and placental alanine metabolism to maternal plasma alanine concentration.

Uterine and umbilical uptakes of alanine (Ala) were measured in 10 ewes before (control) and during intravenous infusion of Ala, which increased maternal arterial Ala concentration from 115 +/- 14 to 629 +/- 78 microM (P < 0.001). In 8 of these ewes, placental Ala fluxes were traced by constant intravenous infusion of L-[3,3,3-2H3]Ala in the mother and L-[1-13C]Ala in the fetus.

Uptake and transport by the ovine placenta of neutral nonmetabolizable amino acids with different transport system affinities.

Placental uptake and transport of three nonmetabolizable amino acids with different reactivities for transport systems were studied in sheep under normal physiologic conditions. Methylaminoisobutyric acid (MeAIB), which has specific affinity for the sodium-dependent A system transporters, demonstrated placental concentrative uptake from the uterine and the umbilical circulations, but virtually no transport from mother to fetus. By contrast, aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) and aminocyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid (ACP), which have affinity for both sodium-dependent and sodium-independent transporters, demonstrated both concentrative uptake and transport from mother to fetus.

Alcohol use and behaviors in women long-distance race participants reporting a history of bulimia and/or anorexia nervosa.

Objective: To describe the relationship between a reported a history of an eating disorder, a history of problem alcohol behavior and current alcohol consumption in women long-distance runners.

Design: Survey.

Setting: General community.

Evaluation of the incidence of gingival abrasion as a result of toothbrushing.

The aims of the present study were: (1) to establish the incidence of gingival abrasion as a result of toothbrushing, using a manual and electric toothbrush; (2) to establish the influence of filament end-rounding on the incidence of gingival abrasion and the efficacy of toothbrushing; (3) to assess whether the speed of the electric brush has a feedback-effect on the brushing force used and to correlate the incidence of gingival abrasion with force. 2 experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, 50 subjects brushed for 3 weeks every other day with either a manual (Butler 411) or an electric toothbrush (Braun/Oral-B Ultra Plaque Remover-D9).

Evaluation of 2 methods to assess gingival bleeding in smokers and non-smokers in natural and experimental gingivitis.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the bleeding tendency as elicited by probing the marginal gingiva (BOMP) and probing to the bottom of the pocket (BOPP) in smokers and non-smokers in natural gingivitis and during experimental gingivitis. 11 smokers (sm) and 14 non-smokers (nsm) were recruited. When they had less than 20% approximal bleeding sites, they entered a 14-day trial period of 'experimental gingivitis'.

Oral microbiota in smokers and non-smokers in natural and experimentally-induced gingivitis.

The present study primarily aimed at investigating the oral microbiota in smokers and non-smokers with established gingivitis and monitoring its composition during experimental gingivitis. Secondly, it aimed at examining whether the composition of the microbiota is associated with different levels of gingival inflammation during this experimental gingivitis trial. For this purpose, 25 non-dental university students with gingivitis were recruited.

A possible association of alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency with the periodontal condition in adults.

Alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1AT) is a serum inhibitor of several neutrophil-derived proteolytic enzymes, the serine proteinases. In certain individuals, a deficiency of this enzyme inhibitor is present, whereby only 10 to 20% of the normal concentration is present in the circulation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of this alpha1AT deficiency on the periodontal condition in a case control study.

Comparison of different approaches of interdental oral hygiene: interdental brushes versus dental floss.

The purpose of the present study was to compare in untreated patients suffering from moderate to severe periodontitis the efficacy of dental floss (DF) and interdental brushes (IDB) in the reduction of plaque, gingival inflammation, and probing depth in a 6-week period prior to subgingival debridement. Twenty-six patients (12 female, 14 male; mean age 37.4 years; range 27 to 72 years) were instructed to use DF for one side of the dentition and IDB for the other side as an adjunct to the daily toothbrushing for 6 weeks.

Probe penetration in relation to the connective tissue attachment level: influence of tine shape and probing force.

Previous research has shown that probing force and probe tine shape influence the clinically assessed probing depth. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of tine shape and probing force on probe penetration, in relation to the microscopically assessed attachment level in untreated periodontal disease. In 22 patients, scheduled for partial or full mouth tooth extraction and no history of periodontal treatment, 135 teeth were selected.

Relationship between the plaque removal efficacy of a manual toothbrush and brushing force.

This survey investigated the association between the efficacy of plaque removal and toothbrushing forces during a normal brushing regime. The 94 subjects participating in this study were requested not to brush 24 h prior to the experiment. Panelists brushed for 1 min with a manual toothbrush.

The effect of herbal extracts in an experimental mouthrinse on established plaque and gingivitis.

The purpose of the present study was to establish in vitro the inhibiting effect of a herbal extract mixture on a selected number of micro-organisms and to test in vivo the effect of a mouthwash containing 6.3 mg/ml herbal extract mixture on plaque and gingivitis as compared to a minus active control mouthrinse. The herbal extract was a mixture of: Juniperus communis (juniper), Urtica dioca (nettle), Achillaea millefolium (yarrow); 1:1:1.

Untreated periodontal disease in Indonesian adolescents. Clinical and microbiological baseline data.

At present, several risk factors for the initiation and progression of periodontitis have been identified. In order to investigate the rôle of various potential clinical and microbiological risk factors and indicators, a longitudinal study was initiated in a young population deprived from regular dental care. The present communication describes the baseline cross-sectional data obtained in 1987 in terms of the clinical periodontal condition and prevalence of periodontal bacteria in the oral cavity.

Production and utilization of amino acids by ovine placenta in vivo.

Uterine and umbilical uptakes of plasma amino acids were measured simultaneously in eighteen singleton pregnant ewes at 130 +/- 1 days gestation for the purpose of establishing which amino acids are produced or used by the uteroplacenta under normal physiological conditions and at what rates. The branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) had uterine uptakes significantly greater than umbilical uptakes. Net uteroplacental BCAA utilization was 8.