Management of a dentigerous cyst in a medically compromised geriatric patient: a case report

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00576.x Management of a dentigerous cyst in a medically compromised geriatric patient: a case report Background: Because of the increasing number of older persons seeking dental care, the growing trend towards a longer dental appointment and increased administration of drugs in dentistry, the possibility of occurrence of medical emergencies in dental offices has shown an upward trend. Objective: This case report discusses enucleation of a central dentigerous cyst in a 72‐year old male on long‐term low dose aspirin therapy. Material and methods: Surgical removal of impacted tooth with total enucleation of cystic lesion was performed in the dental chair under 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline, 3 days after aspirin cessation. After complete debridement of the surgical site, the wound was sutured and a gauge saturated with 10% tranexamic acid was placed on surgical site for 30 minutes. Result: No post‐operative complications or bleeding was seen on subsequent appointment and healing was normal. Conclusion: A geriatric and medically compromised patient demands special care and attention; and the decision to cease aspirin before surgery or not is of critical importance.     

Streptomyces antibioticalis, a Novel Species from a Sanitary Landfill Soil

A novel isolate belonging to the genus Streptomyces, strain SL-4^T, was isolated from soil sample collected from a sanitary landfill, New Delhi, India. The taxonomic status of this isolate was studied by polyphasic approach including morphological, physiological and chemo-taxonomic characterization. Spore chains of SL-4^T were open loops, hooks or extended spirals of wide diameter (retinaculiperti). The cell wall peptidoglycan of the isolate SL-4^T contained L,L-diaminopimelic acid, suggesting that the strain has a cell wall of chemotype-I. The polar lipid profile of the isolate was of Type II, with phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylinositol mannosides. The 16SrRNA gene sequence similarity between SL-4^T and its phylogenetic relatives Streptomyces atrovirens NRRLB 16357^T ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"DQ026672","term_id":"68137786","term_text":"DQ026672"}}DQ026672), S. albogriseolus NRRLB 1305^T ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"AJ494865","term_id":"21742835","term_text":"AJ494865"}}AJ494865), S viridodiastaticus NBRC 13106^T ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"AB184317","term_id":"90960133","term_text":"AB184317"}}AB184317), S. caelestis NRRL 2418^T ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"X80824","term_id":"587528","term_text":"X80824"}}X80824), S. flavoviridis NBRC 12772^T ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"AB184842","term_id":"90960663","term_text":"AB184842"}}AB184842), S. pilosus NBRC 12807^T ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"AB184161","term_id":"90959977","term_text":"AB184161"}}AB184161) and S. longispororuber NBRC 13488^T ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"AB184440","term_id":"90960256","term_text":"AB184440"}}AB184440) was 99.65, 99.65, 99.64, 99.23, 99.15, 99.14 and 99.13 % respectively. Subsequent DNA–DNA hybridization experiments with the test strain and its clade members showed 55.27, 44.27, 36.86, and 15.65 % relatedness between SL-4^T and its relatives S. atrovirens,S. albogriseolus, S. viridodiastaticus and S. longispororuber respectively. The genotypic and phenotypic data was analyzed to verify possibility of the isolate SL-4^T representing novel member of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name S. antibioticalis is being proposed. The type strain is SL-4^T (=CCM 7434^T=MTCC 8588^T).     

CXCR4 as a prognostic biomarker in gastrointestinal cancer: a meta-analysis

Background: CXCR4 is a member of the C-X-C chemokine receptor family, which is associated with multiple types of cancer. Although it has been widely reported, the prognostic value of CXCR4 expression in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer remains controversial.

Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between CXCR4 and prognosis of patients with GI cancer. Subgroup analysis was also performed according to tumour subtypes and heterogeneity test.

Results: A total of 24 studies including 3637 cases suggested that overexpression of CXCR4 is significantly associated with overall survival (OS) for patients with GI cancer (HR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.45–2.03, p?=?0.000). Subgroup analysis also indicated that high CXCR4 expression in oesophagus, gastric and colorectal cancer all predicted a worse prognosis (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.26–1.84, p?=?0.001 for oesophagus cancer; HR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.10–2.30, p?=?0.015 for gastric cancer; HR = 2.21, 95% CI = 1.56–3.14, p?=?0.000 for colorectal cancer).

Conclusions: CXCR4 may serve as a prognostic indicator in GI cancer patients.     

Unusual death due to a bleeding from a varicose vein: a case report

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Varicose veins are a common entity presenting a worldwide distribution. Although they are usually benign, sometimes are proved to be a threatening condition. Massive hemorrhage is an unusual complication of this common venous pathology that demands immediate medical intervention. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 66-year-old woman found dead in her house surrounded by a large quantity of blood. Autopsy revealed a 7 mm ulcer on the internal surface of the left lower leg communicating with a varicose vein, signs of exsanguinations and liver cirrhosis. Toxicological analysis was negative. CONCLUSION: Massive hemorrhage from a ruptured varicosity is a severe medical emergency. Awareness of the risk of massive hemorrhage may provoke preventive treatment to be undertaken so as terminal loss of consciousness and a subsequent unattended death to be averted.     

Disruption of a Silencer Domain by a Retrotransposon

A galactose-inducible Ty element carrying the HIS3 gene has been used as an insertional mutagen to generate alpha-factor resistant mutants. This collection of Ty-induced mutations includes insertions into the gene for the alpha-factor receptor (STE2), several nonspecific STE genes, and mutations that lead to the expression of the normally silent HML alpha locus. The hml alpha "on" mutations fall into two classes, those that disrupt trans-acting regulators involved in silencing HML alpha and a novel class of mutations that activate HML alpha by insertion at that locus. The hml alpha::Ty "on" mutations illustrate the unusual ability of these retrotransposons to activate genes by overcoming gene silencing mechanisms. The hml alpha::Ty "on" mutations include examples of multimeric Ty arrays. Single Ty and solo delta insertion derivatives of these Ty multimers restore the ability of the silencing mechanism to repress HML alpha.     

The pigment stoichiometry in a chlorophyll a/c type photosynthetic antenna

The trimeric fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a/c protein (FCP) was purified from a Japanese brown alga, Cladosiphon okamuranus TOKIDA. Its pigment stoichiometry was determined to be chlorophyll (Chl) a:Chl c (1):Chl c (2):fucoxanthin?=?4.6:1.1:1.0:5.5 by a combination of binary HPLC and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. No violaxanthin found bound to the FCP. The ratio of Chl c/Chl a in this FCP is amongst the highest so far reported.     

Characterization of GmCaMK1, a member of a soybean calmodulin-binding receptor-like kinase family

Calmodulin(CaM)-regulated protein phosphorylation forms an important component of Ca²⁺ signaling in animals but is less understood in plants. We have identified a CaM-binding receptor-like kinase from soybean nodules, GmCaMK1, a homolog of Arabidopsis CRLK1. We delineated the CaM-binding domain (CaMBD) of GmCaMK1 to a 24-residue region near the C-terminus, which overlaps with the kinase domain. We have demonstrated that GmCaMK1 binds CaM with high affinity in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner. We showed that GmCaMK1 is expressed broadly across tissues and is enriched in roots and developing nodules. Finally, we examined the CaMBDs of the five-member GmCaMK family in soybean, and orthologs present across taxa.

Structured summary

MINT-8051564: AtCRLK2 (uniprotkb:Q9LFV3) binds (MI:0407) to CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) by filter binding (MI:0049)MINT-8051416: GmCaMK3 (uniprotkb:C6ZRS6) binds (MI:0407) to CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) by filter binding (MI:0049)MINT-8051258: CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) and GmCaMK1 (genbank_protein_gi:223452504) bind (MI:0407) by isothermal titration calorimetry (MI:0065)MINT-8051400: GmCaMK2 (uniprotkb: C6ZRY5) binds (MI:0407) to CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) by filter binding (MI:0049)MINT-8051242, MINT-8051295, MINT-8051313, MINT-8051327, MINT-8051341, MINT-8051355: GmCaMK1 (genbank_protein_gi:223452504) binds (MI:0407) to CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) by filter binding (MI:0049)MINT-8051467: GmCaMK4 (uniprotkb: C6TIQ0) binds (MI:0407) to CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) by filter binding (MI:0049)MINT-8051276: CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) and GmCaMK1 (genbank_protein_gi:223452504) bind (MI:0407) by comigration in non denaturing gel electrophoresis (MI:0404)MINT-8051374: CaM (uniprotkb:P62199) and GmCaMK1 (genbank_protein_gi:223452504) bind (MI:0407) by mass spectrometry studies of complexes (MI:0069)     

Circulating adiponectin as a biomarker in renal cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Context: Metabolic imbalance in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can lead to abnormal adiponectin levels.

Objective: To evaluate circulating adiponectin as a detection or predictive marker for RCC.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search and meta-analysis was performed on studies reporting circulating adiponectin levels and RCC. The meta-analysis was performed using RevMan.

Results: Seven studies compared the circulating adiponection levels between RCC cases and controls. Adiponectin level was significantly lower in RCC cases compared to controls at pre-diagnosis and pre-operative time-points. RCC stage, grade and subtype did not affect adiponectin levels.

Conclusion: Low circulating adiponectin could be a predictive or risk factor for RCC.     

Positional recognition of a tRNA determinant dependent on a peptide insertion

The crystal structure of a catalytic fragment of Aquifex aeolicus AlaRS and additional data suggest how the critical G3:U70 identity element of its cognate tRNA acceptor stem is recognized. Though this identity element is conserved from bacteria to the cytoplasm of eukaryotes, Drosophila melanogaster mitochondrial (Dm mt) tRNA(Ala) contains a G:U base pair that has been translocated to the adjacent 2:71 position. This G2:U71 is the major determinant for identity of Dm mt tRNA(Ala). Sequence alignments showed that Dm mt AlaRS is differentiated from G3:U70-recognizing AlaRSs by an insertion of 27 amino acids in the region of the protein that contacts the acceptor stem. Precise deletion of this insertion from Dm mt AlaRS gave preferential recognition to a G3:U70-containing substrate. Larger or smaller deletions were ineffective. The crystal structure of the orthologous A. aeolicus protein places this insertion on the surface, where it can act as a hinge that provides positional switching of G:U recognition.     

OBIYagns: a grid-based biochemical simulator with a parameter estimator

SUMMARY: OBIYagns (yet another gene network simulator) is a biochemical system simulator that comprises a multiple-user Web-based graphical interface, an ordinary differential equation solver and a parameter estimators distributed over an open bioinformatics grid (OBIGrid). This grid-based biochemical simulation system can achieve high performance and provide a secure simulation environment for estimating kinetic parameters in an acceptable time period. OBIYagns can be applied to larger system biology-oriented simulation projects. AVAILABILITY: OBIYagns example models, methods and user guide are available at https://access.obigrid.org/yagns/ SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Please refer to Bioinformatics online.     

Potential of lysophosphatidylinositol as a prognostic indicator of cardiac arrest using a rat model

Aims: The potential of a lysophosphatidylinositol species, LPI(18:0), as a biomarker of ischaemia was tested using a rat model of cardiac arrest (CA).

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to asphyxia-induced CA or CA followed by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) resuscitation. The brain, heart, kidney and liver tissues were harvested from rats after 0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 60?min CA and 30?min CA followed by 60?min CPB resuscitation. Blood samples were collected from inferior vena cava and hepatic veins following 30?min CA. Phospholipids were extracted from the four tissues and blood and analysed by HPLC-MS.

Results: The relative content of LPI(18:0) compared to a phosphatidylinositol species, PI(18:0,22:4), was significantly increased in the brain, heart, liver and kidney following 30?min CA and decreased following CPB resuscitation. In addition, the increase of the LPI(18:0)/PI(18:0,22:4) ratio in the four tissues was proportional to the duration of ischaemia for CA lasting up to 60?min. The ratio was also found to be increased in plasma from the hepatic vein following 30?min CA.

Conclusion: LPI(18:0) is a good indicator of CA downtime and has a potential to be used for early prognostication of outcome in CA.     

Exopolysaccharide production by a unicellular cyanobacterium isolated from a hypersaline habitat

The unicellular cyanobacterial strain 16Som2, isolated from a Somaliland saltpan and identified asCyanothece sp., is characterized by cells surrounded by a thick polysaccharidic capsule, the external part of which dissolves into the medium during growth, causing a progressive increase in culture viscosity. In spite of this, the thickness of the capsule remained almost constant under all the culture conditions tested, demonstrating that the processes of its synthesis and solubilization occurred at a similar rate. The synthesis of carbohydrates was neither enhanced by increasing salinity (sea-water enriched with NaCl in the range 0 to 2.0 M) nor by Mg²⁺, K⁺ or Ca²⁺ deficiencies. In contrast, N-limitation and, to a lesser extent, P-limitation induced a significant enhancement of carbohydrate synthesis; in particular, N-deficiency stimulated the synthesis of all the carbohydrate fractions (intracellular, capsular and soluble). The soluble polysaccharide, separated from the culture medium and hydrolyzed with 2N trifluoroacetic acid, showed a sugar composition consisting of glucuronic acid: galacturonic acid: galactose: glucose: mannose: xylose: fucose in a molar ratio of 1: 2: 2.4: 6.8: 4.8: 2.9: 1.6.Cyanothece sp. culture subjected to nitrogen starvation synthesized polysaccharide with a mean productivity of 115 mg (EPS) l^–1d^–1, for the polymer solubilized into the medium, and of 15 mg (CPS) l^–1d^–1 for the capsular polysaccharide.     

When is a transcription factor a NAP?

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Serum ferritin as a candidate diagnostic biomarker of polycystic ovarian syndrome: a meta-analysis

Objective: In this study, we investigated about the potential of serum ferritin as a complementary diagnostic biomarker of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) by performing a meta-analysis of existing literature.

Materials and methods: Eleven studies written in English were retrieved up to 30 June 2018. Data were extracted from the selected studies by two of the authors and was subjected to statistical analysis. Levels of serum ferritin were compared between women with PCOS and controls using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Subgroup analysis was also performed and stratified by ethnicity (Asians versus Caucasians).

Results: Overall post-outlier outcomes indicated that elevated serum ferritin is strongly associated with PCOS (SMD: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.40–0.64; P^A?=?10^?5). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed no significant difference between Asian and Caucasian population. Post-outlier receiving operations characteristics curve were plotted and showed that values for serum ferritin showed good potential in discriminating patients with and without PCOS (AUC?=?0.827, p?=?0.006).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that high serum ferritin level is significantly associated with PCOS and its potential as a biomarker is evident in its high diagnostic accuracy. However, additional studies are needed to confirm our claims.     

Interactions of a Bacterial RND Transporter with a Transmembrane Small Protein in a Lipid Environment

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Selecton: a server for detecting evolutionary forces at a single amino-acid site

SUMMARY: We present an algorithmic tool for the identification of biologically significant amino acids in proteins of known three dimensional structure. We estimate the degree of purifying selection and positive Darwinian selection at each site and project these estimates onto the molecular surface of the protein. Thus, patches of functional residues (undergoing either positive or purifying selection), which may be discontinuous in the linear sequence, are revealed. We test for the statistical significance of the site-specific scores in order to obtain reliable and valid estimates. AVAILABILITY: The Selecton web server is available at: http://selecton.bioinfo.tau.ac.il SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: More information is available at http://selecton.bioinfo.tau.ac.il/overview.html. A set of examples is available at http://selecton.bioinfo.tau.ac.il/gallery.html.     

Performance of a pilot-scale packed bed reactor for perchlorate reduction using a sulfur oxidizing bacterial consortium

A novel sulfur‐utilizing perchlorate reducing bacterial consortium successfully treated perchlorate (ClO) in prior batch and bench‐scale packed bed reactor (PBR) studies. This study examined the scale up of this process for treatment of water from a ClO and RDX contaminated aquifer in Cape Cod Massachusetts. A pilot‐scale upflow PBR (～250‐L) was constructed with elemental sulfur and crushed oyster shell packing media. The reactor was inoculated with sulfur oxidizing ClO reducing cultures enriched from a wastewater seed. Sodium sulfite provided a good method of dissolved oxygen removal in batch cultures, but was found to promote the growth of bacteria that carry out sulfur disproportionation and sulfate reduction, which inhibited ClO reduction in the pilot system. After terminating sulfite addition, the PBR successfully removed 96% of the influent ClO in the groundwater at an empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 12 h (effluent ClO of 4.2 µg L^?1). Simultaneous ClO and NO reduction was observed in the lower half of the reactor before reactions shifted to sulfur disproportionation and sulfate reduction. Analyses of water quality profiles were supported by molecular analysis, which showed distinct groupings of ClO and NO degrading organisms at the inlet of the PBR, while sulfur disproportionation was the primary biological process occurring in the top potion of the reactor. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109:637–646. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Early warning biomarkers in major depressive disorder: a strategic approach to a testing question

Purpose: Identification of biomarkers in major depressive disorder (MDD) has proceeded in an extemporised manner. No single biomarker has been identified with utility in screening, diagnosis, prognosis, or monitoring, and screening tests have different characteristics than the other functions. Using chaos, bifurcation, and perturbation (CBP) theories, the aim is to identify biomarkers to aid clinicians in screening for MDD.

Materials and methods: MDD is a complex disorder; consequently, a reductionist approach to characterize the complex system changes found in MDD will be inchoate and unreliable. A holistic approach is used to identify biomarkers reflecting the tipping points seen before the catastrophic bifurcation that results in MDD.

Results: Applying CBP theories revealed skew, resistance to change, flickering, increased variance and autocorrelation as patterns of biomarkers. Integrals and differentials of extracellular and intracellular biomarkers were identified, specifically focussed on hypothalamo-pituitary axis (HPA) dysfunction, metabolic dysfunction, inflammation and mitochondrial oxidative stress, and tryptophan metabolism.

Conclusions: Applying CBP theories to the dysfunctional complex biological systems in MDD led to development of integrals and differentials of biomarkers that can be used in screening for MDD and planning future biomarker research, targeting intracellular and extracellular inflammation, HPA axis dysfunction, and tryptophan metabolism.     

Collaboration of a dentist and speech-language pathologist in the rehabilitation of a stroke patient with dysarthria: a case study

Objective: To elucidate the effectiveness of the collaboration of a dentist and speech‐language pathologist (SLP) in the rehabilitation of a stroke patient with dysarthria. Design: A clinical case report treated in the rehabilitation hospital and dental surgery. Subject: A 71‐year‐old Japanese man who was admitted to the rehabilitation hospital for speech rehabilitation 2 years and 5 months after a stroke. Methods: Provision of prosthesis (palatal lift prosthesis + palatal augmentation prosthesis) for improving velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) and articulation by dentist, and speech behavioural management by SLP including self‐monitoring and bio‐feedback training using the See‐Scape. Results: Speech behavioural management proved useful for promoting improvement in speech intelligibility to a functionally sufficient level after improving VPI by prosthesis. Conclusion: The collaborative efforts of the dentist and SLP in the rehabilitation of post‐stroke patients with velopharyngeal incompetence should be encouraged.