Estimation of Red-complex Bacteria in Diode Laser Treated Chronic Periodontitis Patients: A Clinical and Microbiological Study.

Context: Laser has been widely accepted as a substitute to traditional periodontal treatment. Only a finite number of studies are available based on the use of diode laser as a supplement to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the reduction of red-complex bacteria.

Aim: This split-mouth study was aimed to determine the clinical and microbiological effects of diode laser as a supplement to SRP.

Facile synthesis of N-1,2,4-oxadiazole substituted sulfoximines from N-cyano sulfoximines.

A divergent approach has been successfully developed for the synthesis of N-1,2,4-oxadiazole substituted sulfoximines starting from N-cyano sulfoximines. This method has a wide degree of substrate scope that includes aryl, heteroaryl, alkyl, fluoroalkyl and saturated heterocyclic compounds. Excellent functional group tolerability was also observed.

Symptom-based stratification of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome: multi-dimensional characterisation of international observational cohorts and reanalyses of randomised clinical trials.

Background: Heterogeneity is a major obstacle to developing effective treatments for patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. We aimed to develop a robust method for stratification, exploiting heterogeneity in patient-reported symptoms, and to relate these differences to pathobiology and therapeutic response.

Methods: We did hierarchical cluster analysis using five common symptoms associated with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pain, fatigue, dryness, anxiety, and depression), followed by multinomial logistic regression to identify subgroups in the UK Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Registry (UKPSSR).

Patient-reported involvement of the eighth cranial nerve in giant cell arteritis.

Introduction: The frequency of eighth nerve lesions in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) has rarely been examined. However, sudden onset deafness has been recorded as a presenting feature of GCA on several occasions. This study sought to establish how common this and other symptoms of eighth nerve involvement are in a large retrospective survey.

Socket-Shield Technique of Mandibular Anterior Teeth: A Case Report.

With the aim of achieving an optimal aesthetic result, implant dentistry has become a prosthetically driven procedure. Special care is being taken to focus on the details that would lead to this objective. These details may include imitating the natural teeth by harmonizing the structures around the placed implant.

Antibacterial Efficacy of Sutures Coated With and Ciprofloxacin: A Comparative Evaluation.

Background: Sutures which are used for wound approximation can act as a reservoir of microbes at the surgical site leading to increased chances of surgical site infection (SSI). Sutures used in oral cavity are continuously bathed in saliva which results in wicking. Several studies on sutures treated with nanoparticles, antibacterial agent and various drugs to advance the therapeutical value of surgical sutures are in consideration, drug-eluting sutures has been notable in research to deliver localized effect on the site of incision.

Comparison of ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI in potential optimisation of trial outcomes in primary Sjögren's syndrome: examination of data from the UK Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Registry.

Objectives: To assess the use of the Clinical EULAR Sjögren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ClinESSDAI), a version of the ESSDAI without the biological domain, for assessing potential eligibility and outcomes for clinical trials in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), according to the new ACR-EULAR classification criteria, from the UK Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Registry (UKPSSR).

Methods: A total of 665 patients from the UKPSSR cohort were analysed at their time of inclusion in the registry. ESSDAI and ClinESSDAI were calculated for each patient.

Physical activity but not sedentary activity is reduced in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the levels of physical activity in individuals with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) and its relationship to the clinical features of PSS. To this cross-sectional study, self-reported levels of physical activity from 273 PSS patients were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and were compared with healthy controls matched for age, sex and body mass index. Fatigue and other clinical aspects of PSS including disease status, dryness, daytime sleepiness, dysautonomia, anxiety and depression were assessed using validated tools.

Subjective and Objective Measures of Dryness Symptoms in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: Capturing the Discrepancy.

Objective: To develop a novel method for capturing the discrepancy between objective tests and subjective dryness symptoms (a sensitivity scale) and to explore predictors of dryness sensitivity.

Methods: Archive data from the UK Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Registry (n = 688) were used. Patients were classified on a scale from -5 (stoical) to +5 (sensitive) depending on the degree of discrepancy between their objective and subjective symptoms classes.

Fatigue in primary Sjögren's syndrome is associated with lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines.

Objectives: This article reports relationships between serum cytokine levels and patient-reported levels of fatigue, in the chronic immunological condition primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: Blood levels of 24 cytokines were measured in 159 patients with pSS from the United Kingdom Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Registry and 28 healthy non-fatigued controls. Differences between cytokines in cases and controls were evaluated using Wilcoxon test.

A Transcriptional Signature of Fatigue Derived from Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Background: Fatigue is a debilitating condition with a significant impact on patients' quality of life. Fatigue is frequently reported by patients suffering from primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS), a chronic autoimmune condition characterised by dryness of the eyes and the mouth. However, although fatigue is common in pSS, it does not manifest in all sufferers, providing an excellent model with which to explore the potential underpinning biological mechanisms.

Eligibility for clinical trials in primary Sjögren's syndrome: lessons from the UK Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Registry.

Objective: To identify numbers of participants in the UK Primary Sjögren's Syndrome Registry (UKPSSR) who would fulfil eligibility criteria for previous/current or potential clinical trials in primary SS (pSS) in order to optimize recruitment.

Methods: We did a retrospective analysis of UKPSSR cohort data of 688 participants who had pSS with evaluable data.

Results: In relation to previous/current trials, 75.

Do the EULAR Sjögren's syndrome outcome measures correlate with health status in primary Sjögren's syndrome?

Objective: This study sets out to investigate the relationship between health status [EuroQol five-dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D)] in primary SS and three of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) SS outcome measures-the disease activity index (ESSDAI), the patient reported index (ESSPRI) and the sicca score. In particular, the goal was to establish whether there is a relationship between the EULAR outcome measures and quality of life.

Methods: Health status was evaluated using a standardized measure developed by the EuroQol Group-the EQ5D.

Rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease: associations, prognostic factors and physiological and radiological characteristics--a large multicentre UK study.

Objectives: The prevalence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA is ∼5%. Previous work identified increasing age, active articular disease and articular damage as risk factors for RA-associated ILD (RA-ILD). The roles of high-resolution CT (HRCT) and lung function testing in defining the nature and extent of pulmonary involvement have recently been explored.

Health-related utility values of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and its predictors.

Objectives: EuroQoL-5 dimension (EQ-5D) is a standardised preference-based tool for measurement of health-related quality of life and EQ-5D utility values can be converted to quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) to aid cost-utility analysis. This study aimed to evaluate the EQ-5D utility values of 639 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) in the UK.

Methods: Prospective data collected using a standardised pro forma were compared with UK normative data.

Autonomic symptoms are common and are associated with overall symptom burden and disease activity in primary Sjogren's syndrome.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of autonomic dysfunction (dysautonomia) among patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (PSS) and the relationships between dysautonomia and other clinical features of PSS.

Methods: Multicentre, prospective, cross-sectional study of a UK cohort of 317 patients with clinically well-characterised PSS. Symptoms of autonomic dysfunction were assessed using a validated instrument, the Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale (COMPASS).

Pneumococcal antibody levels after pneumovax in patients with rheumatoid arthritis on methotrexate.

Introduction: Immunisation against pneumococcus has been shown to reduce pneumonia in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There is concern that methotrexate may reduce its efficacy. There are very few objective data on the effect of methotrexate on the efficacy of pneumococcal vaccination with pneumovax, and no objective evidence on whether revaccination is necessary in RA patients on methotrexate.

When should we use parenteral methotrexate?

Oral methotrexate is the benchmark against which other disease-modifying anti rheumatic drugs are measured. The use of parenteral methotrexate for those failing to tolerate or respond to oral therapy is accepted, but indications for its use and its place in the therapeutic ladder have not been fully investigated. We assessed the use of parenteral methotrexate (MTX) in our rheumatoid arthritis (RA) population and compared the characteristics of these patients to a matched group of those on oral therapy.

Upper limb musculoskeletal abnormalities and poor metabolic control in diabetes.

Introduction: An increased prevalence of musculoskeletal disease is recognised in diabetes and is a common source of disability. It is known to predominantly affect the upper limbs especially the hand and shoulder. The relationship with other complications of diabetes and glycaemic control is uncertain.

Treatment strategies for a rheumatoid arthritis patient with interstitial lung disease.

This review article describes our present understanding of interstitial lung disease (ILD) complicating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It discusses its high prevalence and clinical relevance, our recent improvement in understanding both its pathology and physiology, and our expectations of ongoing research into the immunology and genetics of the disease. An important section relates to the effects of drugs routinely used in the treatment of the articular manifestations of RA on the lung, especially in the presence of ILD.

Facile one-pot synthesis of thio and selenourea derivatives: a new class of potent urease inhibitors.

A facile, one-pot synthesis of thio and selenourea derivatives from amines using tetrathiomolybdate 1 and tetraselenotungstate 2 as sulfur and selenium transfer reagents, respectively, is reported. The compounds were tested for their activity as urease inhibitors and some of the compounds showed potent activity in the nanomolar range towards jack bean urease.

Acute lower respiratory tract infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To determine whether drugs used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) contribute to the increased risk of respiratory infection or influence its outcome.

Methods: We identified all episodes of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in our RA population over a 12 month period. A detailed drug history was recorded in each case, together with the clinical outcome.

Interstitial lung disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: comparison with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis over 5 years.

Objective: There is little information on the natural history of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). Cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA) is known to have a poor longterm prognosis, and we compared the 2 conditions through a longitudinal prospective study.

Methods: We previously compared baseline clinical, physiological, and radiological characteristics in 18 RA-ILD patients with 18 case controls with CFA.