Forensic dental and medical response to the Bali bombing. A personal perspective.

After the Bali bombing on 12 October 2002, once the survivors had been treated or evacuated, many dead, severely burned and fragmented bodies were left. Formal identification was required before any remains could be released to grieving families. Australia sent a team to assist the Indonesians in this daunting and disturbing task.

Displacement of a mandibular third molar root fragment into the pterygomandibular space.

Displacement of root fragments into adjacent anatomical areas is an uncommon complication of the removal of teeth. This paper describes the management of a mandibular third molar root fragment that was forced into the antero-inferior aspect of the pterygomandibular space. The importance of tomographical radiographs in the visualization of the displaced root is also discussed.

Subgingival debridement of root surfaces with a micro-brush: macroscopic and ultrastructural assessment.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the use of a micro-brush to remove plaque deposits from subgingival, periodontally involved root surfaces in vivo.

Methods: 30 periodontally involved teeth requiring extraction for periodontal or prosthetic reasons in 26 adult patients were utilised. For inclusion, teeth had to display at least 30% bone loss radiographically.

Development of a technique for multiple site-directed mutagenesis of the ftf gene of Streptococcus salivarius containing palindromic sequences.

Attempts at site-directed mutagenesis of the fructosyltransferase (ftf) gene of Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975 using standard protocols were unsuccessful and resulted in a series of deletions. These deletions appeared to commence at points within the ftf gene where there were palindromic sequences which were capable of forming closed loop structures that acted as terminators under the conditions of mutagenesis. To overcome this problem, two modified mutagenic techniques were developed.

Riga-Fedes syndrome: natal or neonatal teeth associated with tongue ulceration. Case report.

A case of natal teeth associated with traumatic ulceration to the ventral surface of the tongue (Riga-Fedes syndrome) in a four week old boy is presented. On radiographic examination, two teeth, present at birth, were found to be early erupted deciduous lower central incisors. A family history of natal teeth, all involving both lower deciduous central incisors associated with trauma to the tongue during suckling, was elicited.

Lancefield group C Streptococcus milleri group strains aggregate human platelets.

Lancefield group C Streptococcus milleri group (SMG) strains are the only SMG types that are able to aggregate human platelets. Complete aggregation occurred within 10 min of mixing bacterial cells and platelets together in the ratio 8:1. Substances which (i) chelated cations; (ii) inhibited the cycloxygenase pathway in platelets; (iii) reduced the availability of ADP and disrupted platelet membrane stability; (iv) reduced bacterial aggregation of platelets.

Molecular characterization of a cluster of at least two glucosyltransferase genes in Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975.

The oral micro-organism Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975 synthesizes extracellular glucosyltransferases (GTFs) which polymerize the glucose moiety of sucrose into glucan polymers. Two separate genes encoding the activities of a GTF-I (a GTF that synthesizes an insoluble product) and a GTF-S (a GTF that synthesizes soluble product) were cloned into bacteriophage lambda L47.1.

Suppression of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by alpha 2-macroglobulin.

Lewis rats sensitized with guinea-pig spinal cord in Freund's complete adjuvant developed an acute-phase protein response. This was characterized by a marked increase in plasma alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2 M) levels which, however, declined towards normal values before the onset of clinical signs of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). In contrast, levels of two other acute-phase proteins, fibrinogen and caeruloplasmin, remained variably elevated over the entire study period.

Maxillary nerve block anaesthesia via the greater palatine canal: a modified technique and case reports.

A modification of the technique of maxillary nerve block (via the greater palatine canal) is discussed. This technique has been employed in the Exodontia and Oral Surgery Clinics of the United Dental Hospital of Sydney for more than 40 years. Clinical experience in that time has shown that once the greater palatine canal has been negotiated successfully, the palatal canal approach to the maxillary nerve is safe and reliable.

Use of the acid-etch technique to maintain antimicrobial-containing acrylic resin strips in situ.

A technique that utilizes acid-etched composite resin to maintain antimicrobial-containing acrylic resin strips in situ is described. The advantage of this technique is that placement of a periodontal pack is unnecessary, so control of supragingival plaque is not hindered at the site of the local antimicrobial delivery. The technique described may improve the effectiveness and the clinical acceptability of local antimicrobials in the treatment of periodontal disease.

Secretion of fructosyltransferase by Streptococcus salivarius involves the sucrose-dependent release of the cell-bound form.

Three strains of Streptococcus salivarius including a recent clinical isolate were found to possess Ca2(+)-dependent fructosyltransferase (FTF) activity. The extracellular FTF activity of cells grown on sucrose increased as much as 9-fold compared with cells grown on either glucose, fructose or galactose. This increase in activity was due not to induction of FTF by sucrose, but to the release of the cell-bound form of the enzyme.

Dissimilar effects of Na+ and K+ on the promotion of glucosyltransferase secretion in Streptococcus salivarius.

A defined growth medium (designated AP11), in which the concentrations of Na+ and K+ could be altered independently of one another, was developed for Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975. The addition of 100 mM-Na+ to AP11-medium containing 25 mM-K+ initially reduced the rate of expression of extracellular glucosyltransferase (GTFe). However, once S.

A monokine which binds to class II histocompatibility proteins.

There is a marked decrease in the viability, in vitro, of dense, immature rat thymocytes over a 4 h incubation period. The addition of a monokine of relative molecular weight 36,000 derived from cultured rat peritoneal macrophages which had been previously stimulated with lipopolysaccharide prevented these cells from dying. The early release of this factor, together with preliminary results of its physical and functional properties suggest that it is distinct from the well characterized monokines.

The influence of incorporation of octadecenoic acid on the cell-associated fructosyltransferase and the extracellular glucosyltransferase activities of Streptococcus salivarius.

The rate of expression of the cell-associated fructosyltransferase (FTFm) activity of Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975 grown in continuous culture was linearly related to the rate of octadecenoic acid (C18:1) incorporation into the membrane lipids irrespective of the presence or absence of Tween 80 in the growth medium. This observation was confirmed with data obtained from cells grown in the presence of a series of n-alkanols. The results suggested that cosynthesis of lipids containing C18:1 residues was necessary for FTFm expression and accounted for the slight stimulation of enzyme expression by Tween 80 at all growth rates.