Salivary and serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as biomarkers of periodontitis in United States veterans with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis

Serum procalcitonin (ProCT) is elevated in response to bacterial infections, whereas high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a nonspecific inflammatory marker that is increased by excess adipose tissue. We examined the efficacy of ProCT and hsCRP as biomarkers of periodontitis in the saliva and serum of patients with arthritis, which is characterized by variable levels of systemic inflammation that potentially can confound the interpretation of inflammatory biomarkers. Blood and unstimulated whole saliva were collected from 33 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 50 with osteoarthritis (OA). Periodontal status was assessed by full mouth examination and patients were categorized as having no/mild, moderate or severe periodontitis by standard parameters. Salivary and serum ProCT and hsCRP concentrations were compared. BMI, diabetes, anti-inflammatory medications and smoking status were ascertained from the patient records. Differences between OA and RA in proportionate numbers of patients were compared for race, gender, diabetes, adiposity and smoking status. Serum ProCT was significantly higher in arthritis patients with moderate to severe and severe periodontitis compared with no/mild periodontitis patients. There were no significant differences in salivary ProCT or salivary or serum hsCRP in RA patients related to periodontitis category. Most of the OA and RA patients were middle aged or older, 28.9% were diabetic, 78.3% were overweight or obese, and slightly more than half were either current or past smokers. The OA and RA groups differed by race, but not gender; blacks and males were predominant in both groups. The OA and RA groups did not differ in terms of controlled or uncontrolled diabetes, smoking status or BMI. The RA patients had been prescribed more anti-inflammatory medication than the OA patients. Our results demonstrate that circulating ProCT is a more discriminative biomarker for periodontitis than serum hsCRP in patients with underlying arthritis. Any elevation in salivary and serum hsCRP due to periodontitis apparently was overshadowed by differences among these patients in factors that influence CRP, such as the extent of inflammation between RA and OA, the extent of adipose tissue, the use of anti- inflammatory medications and smoking status. Although our study showed no differences in salivary ProCT related to severity of periodontitis, this biomarker also may be useful with further refinement.     

Cyclo(l-Pro-d-Arg): a new antibacterial and antitumour diketopiperazine from Bacillus cereus associated with a rhabditid entomopathogenic

In continuation of our search for new antimicrobial secondary metabolites from Bacillus cereus associated with rhabditid entomopathogenic nematode, a new microbial diketopiperazine, cyclo(l-Pro-d-Arg), was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of fermented modified nutrient broth. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were identified based on their 1D, 2D NMR and high-resolution electrospray ionisation–mass spectroscopy data. Antibacterial activity of the compound was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration and disc diffusion method against medically important bacteria, and the compound was recorded to have significant antibacterial activity against test bacteria. The highest activity was recorded against Klebsiella pneumoniae (1 μg/mL). Cyclo(l-Pro-d-Arg) was recorded to have significant antitumor activity against HeLa cells (IC₅₀ value 50 μg/mL), and this compound was recorded to have no cytotoxicity against normal monkey kidney cells (VERO) up to 100 μg/mL). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that cyclo(l-Pro-d-Arg) has been isolated from a microbial natural source.     

Ecological Risk Assessment for Terrestrial Ecosystems: The Summary of Discussions and Recommendations from the Adelaide Workshop (April 2004)

The Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) workshop focused on the anthropogenic contaminants in the terrestrial environment, addressing various components of the ERA process. These included sources, exposure pathways, bioavailability, and toxicity to receptor organisms as well as risk communication. It was concluded that although the overseas experience on ERA for terrestrial ecosystems (e.g., International Standards or guidelines from the European Union and the United States) is very useful, it is not directly applicable to Australia due to the differences in receptor organisms, contaminants, soil, and environmental conditions. Workshop discussions stressed on the need for making ERA locally relevant (in terms of choice of receptor organisms, sampling strategy, and bioavailability considerations). The workshop discussions highlighted the need of better appreciation of both the similarities and the clear differences between aquatic and terrestrial ERAs. The availability of reliable data, problems with databases, estimation of bioavailability, and extrapolations from laboratory to field were noted among the key limitations. ERA—being inherently complex and involving a range of environmental compartments, target receptor, and exposure pathways—at a minimum requires a multidisciplinary approach to address the complexities. Bringing a multidisciplinary team together often proves a major challenge in ERA. The delegates called for continued efforts in this area and formation of a network or working group in Australia.     

Genetic elements associated with antimicrobial resistance in enteropathogenic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> (EPEC) from Brazil

Background  

We recently observed an association of resistance with a certain enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) serotypes and identified a conjugative plasmid, similar to plasmid pED208, that was conserved among archival O111:H2/NM and O119:H2 strains of diverse geographical origin. In this study, we sought to determine the prevalence and distribution of this plasmid among a collection of EPEC isolates from Brazil, as well as to study the susceptibilities of these isolates to antimicrobial agents.     

Tissue distribution of a plasmid DNA encoding Hsp65 gene is dependent on the dose administered through intramuscular delivery

In order to assess a new strategy of DNA vaccine for a more complete understanding of its action in immune response, it is important to determine the in vivo biodistribution fate and antigen expression. In previous studies, our group focused on the prophylactic and therapeutic use of a plasmid DNA encoding the Mycobacterium leprae 65-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp65) and achieved an efficient immune response induction as well as protection against virulent M. tuberculosis challenge. In the present study, we examined in vivo tissue distribution of naked DNA-Hsp65 vaccine, the Hsp65 message, genome integration and methylation status of plasmid DNA. The DNA-Hsp65 was detectable in several tissue types, indicating that DNA-Hsp65 disseminates widely throughout the body. The biodistribution was dose-dependent. In contrast, RT-PCR detected the Hsp65 message for at least 15 days in muscle or liver tissue from immunized mice. We also analyzed the methylation status and integration of the injected plasmid DNA into the host cellular genome. The bacterial methylation pattern persisted for at least 6 months, indicating that the plasmid DNA-Hsp65 does not replicate in mammalian tissue, and Southern blot analysis showed that plasmid DNA was not integrated. These results have important implications for the use of DNA-Hsp65 vaccine in a clinical setting and open new perspectives for DNA vaccines and new considerations about the inoculation site and delivery system.     

Mitochondrial DNA variation and genetic structure in populations of Drosophila melanogaster

The understanding of the genetic structure of a species can be improved by considering together data from different types of genetic markers. In the past, a number of worldwide populations of Drosophila melanogaster have been extensively studied for several such markers, including allozymes, chromosomal inversions, and quantitative characters. Here we present results from a study of restriction- fragment-length polymorphisms of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in 92 isofemale lines from many of the same geographic populations of D. melanogaster. Eleven restriction enzymes were used, of which four revealed restriction-site polymorphism. A total of 24 different haplotypes were observed, of which 18 were unique to single populations. In many populations, the unique haplotypes have reached high frequency without being observed in neighboring populations. A Wagner parsimony tree reveals that mutationally close variants show geographical clumping, suggesting local differentiation of mtDNA in populations. The Old-World and the New-World populations are differentiated, with the predominant Old-World haplotype being virtually absent from the New World. These results contrast with those for the nuclear genes, in which many loci show parallel clines in different continents, and suggest a common origin of D. melanogaster populations in North America.      

中国高山ping亚属（Subgerus Alticola）的系统类与分布

高山ｐｉｎｇ亚属广布于中亚山地，即从喜马拉雅山、兴都库库会经帕米尔、天山、西茂而至图瓦、抗爱山和贝加尔湖一带。中国过去仅记录２种：银色高山ｐｉｎｇ（Ａｌｔｉｃｏｌａ ａｒｇｅｎｔａｔｃｓ Ｓｅｖｅｒｔｓｏｖ；有时定作劳氏高山ｐｉｎｇＡ．ｒｏｙｌｅｉ的一亚种）和斯氏高山ｐｉｎｇ。本文依据形态学资料和采用判别函数分析的方法，对该亚属进行了研究。我们认为中国高山ｐｉｎｇ至少有３个以上的物种存在，现概述于