Self-reported oral health, oral hygiene, and oral HPV infection in at-risk women in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the relationships among self-reported oral health, oral hygiene practices, and oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in women at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

STUDY DESIGN

Convenience and referral sampling methods were used in a clinic-based setting to recruit 126 women aged 18-45 years between August and October 2013. Behavioral factors were self-reported. Oral-rinse samples were tested for HPV DNA of 2 low-risk and 13 high-risk genotypes.

RESULTS

A higher unadjusted prevalence of oral HPV infection was associated with poorer self-rated overall oral health (P = .001), reported oral lesions or problems in the past year (P = .001), and reported a tooth loss not because of injury (P = .001). Higher unadjusted prevalence of oral HPV infection was also associated with two measures of oral hygiene: lower frequencies of toothbrushing per day (P = .047) and gargling without toothbrushing (P = .037). After adjusting for other factors in multivariable logistic regression models, poorer self-rated overall oral health remained statistically associated with oral HPV infection (P = .042); yet the frequency of tooth-brushing per day did not (P = .704).

CONCLUSION

Results corroborate the association between self-reported poor oral health and oral HPV infection. The effect of oral hygiene on oral HPV infection remains inconclusive.

Regio-selectively reduced streptogramin A analogue, 5,6-dihydrovirginiamycin M1 exhibits improved potency against MRSA

A newly reduced macrocyclic lactone antibiotic streptogramin A, 5,6-dihydrovirginiamycin M1 was created by feeding virginiamycin M1 into a culture of recombinant Streptomyces venezuelae. Its chemical structure was spectroscopically elucidated, and this streptogramin A analogue showed twofold higher antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) compared with its parent molecule virginiamycin M1. Docking studies using the model of streptogramin A acetyltransferase (VatA) suggested that the newly generated analogue binds tighter with overall lower free energy compared with the parent molecule virginiamycin M1. This hypothesis was validated experimentally through the improvement of efficacy of the new analogue against MRSA strains. The biotransformation approach presented herein could have a broad application in the production of reduced macrocyclic molecules.

Rubella epidemic in Vietnam: characteristic of rubella virus genes from pregnant women and their fetuses/newborns with congenital rubella syndrome

BACKGROUND

Rubella remains poorly controlled in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to characterize rubella virus spread in Vietnam during 2011-2012.

STUDY DESIGN

Amniotic fluid, throat swab and placenta samples were collected from 130 patients (110 cases from pregnant women with suspected rubella and 20 cases from fetuses/newborns). Viral RNA was obtained directly from clinical specimens, amplified by PCR, and then the E1 gene containing 739 nucleotides recommended by the WHO to identify the viral genotypes was sequenced.

RESULTS

By screening with real-time PCR, viral RNA was detectable in amniotic fluids from 103 out of 110 (93.6%) pregnant women with suspected rubella and in the throat swabs from all of 20 (100%) fetuses/newborns. In addition, viral RNA was also detected in the placenta from all cases of fetuses/newborns. All of 20 fetuses/newborns presented with congenital cataract. Twenty-four strains with the E1 gene were obtained by PCR. Using phylogenetic analysis with rubella reference sequences, all of the strains were found to be genotype 2B. Interestingly, 94% (30/32) of Vietnamese strains, including 9 strains from the database, formed an independent cluster within the genotype 2B suggesting that indigenous viruses are prevalent in this region.

CONCLUSIONS

Rubella virus identified in Vietnam belonged to the genotype 2B. Importantly, the infection rate of rubella virus in fetuses/newborns was 100% and all of them had congenital cataract. Our results indicate an establishment of rubella prevention in this area is an urgent task in order to improve maternal and child health.

Changes in body composition as determinants of longitudinal changes in bone mineral measures in 8 to 26-year-old female twins

Between 1990 and 1998, we conducted a longitudinal study of 286 female twins aged 8 to 25 years at baseline (60 monozygotic (MZ) pairs, 44 dizygotic (DZ) pairs and 78 unpaired twins), measured on average 2.4 times (range 2-6) with an average of 1.8 years between measurements (range 0.7-6.7 years). Areal bone mineral density (ABMD) at the lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck, total body bone mineral content (BMC), total body soft tissue composition (lean mass and fat mass) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and height and menarchial status were also recorded. Median annual changes in height were negligible at 4 years post-menarche. During the 'linear growth' period up to 4 years post-menarche, ABMD at the lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck increased with annual change in lean mass by 1.7 (S.E.0.1), 1.4 (0.1) and 1.0 (0.1) percent per kilogram per year, respectively (all p<0.001), independently of changes in fat mass or height. During the 'post-linear growth' period, ABMD at the total hip and femoral neck increased with annual change in fat mass by 0.3 (0.1) and 0.5 (0.1) percent per kilogram per year (all p < 0.01), independent of change in lean mass. Annual changes in total body BMC were associated with annual changes in lean mass (1.9 (0.2) percent per kilogram), in fat mass (1.3 (0.2) percent per kilogram) and in height (0.7) (0.2) percent per centimeter) during linear growth, and in fat mass (1.0 (0.1)) and lean mass (0.6 (0.1)) percent per kilogram post-linear growth (all p < 0.001). We conclude that changes in bone mineral measures are strongly associated with changes in lean mass during linear growth, while post-linear growth, changes in fat mass are the predominant, although weaker, predictor. These findings suggest that the strong cross-sectional association between bone mineral measures and lean mass is established during growth and development, and that fat mass emerges as a more powerful determinant of bone change in healthy adult females.

Analysis of longitudinal data from twins

Longitudinal data from twin pairs may be used to determine how the genetic effects influencing a quantitative trait change with age. Here a model for mixed longitudinal data of Huggins and Loesch [1998] on unrelated individuals is extended to twin studies. The model is fitted using robust statistical methods and a bootstrap procedure is proposed to estimate the percentiles. The method is applied to longitudinal twin data on body mass index in male and female twin pairs aged 5-18 years.

Genetic correlates of menarcheal age: a multivariate twin study

Multivariate genetic models were fitted to data from 44 pairs of MZ and 42 pairs of DZ twin girls on weight, height, and skeletal maturation at the age of menarche, in order to obtain information on genetic relationships of those measures with the age of menarche. The relationships of all three physical measures with this age were largely genetically controlled, but a genetic system controlling skeletal maturity was identified as the only genetic determinant of menarcheal age, independent of those systems of the two remaining physical measures. Heritabilities of all individual traits considered in the study were uniformly high. Possible links of genetic information with hormonal functions determining menarche are discussed.

Growth in stature in fragile X families: a mixed longitudinal study

The effect of fragile X on growth in stature was estimated in individuals aged 5-20 years from 50 fragile X families. The multivariate normal model for pedigree analysis was applied to the mixed longitudinal data, which varied with regard to intervals between the measurements and their number in individual subjects, totalling 349 measurement data points from fragile X families, and 292 data points from unrelated normal subjects. The results of genetic and regression analysis showed that, in fragile X boys and girls, total pubertal height gain is impaired, whereas the rate of growth during the preadolescent period is increased, compared with the growth rate of nonfragile X subjects. Moreover, the growth parameters in fragile X males were found to be correlated with the size of CGG trinucleotide expansion. The hypothesis of premature activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis is postulated as the cause of growth impairment in fragile X boys and girls, which should be verified by data on the timing of pubertal stages, hormone levels, and bone maturation.

[Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1--a new thrombosis risk marker]

The plasma activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) was measured in 278 clinically healthy subjects (98 men, 180 women; mean age 26 [18-50] years). In 198 of them there were factors increasing the risk of thrombosis, such as smoking, over-weight and/or oral contraceptives. PAI-1 activity was within normal range (less than 4 U/ml) in male nonsmokers of normal weight and in female nonsmokers not taking oral contraceptives. In male smokers (5.76 +/- 1.93 U/ml) and in overweight subjects of both sexes (7.49 +/- 1.87 U/ml) PAI-1 was increased up to 10.6 U/ml as an indication of decreased fibrinolysis capacity. Nonsmoking females on oral contraceptives had lower PAI-1 levels (2.72 +/- 0.86 U/ml) than nonsmokers without hormonal intake (3.21 +/- 1.03 U/ml; P less than 0.001). Apparently the increased risk of thrombosis that occurs on oral contraceptives is not due to increased PAI-1 activity.