A case report: metastatic choriocarcinoma to the gum

Choriocarcinoma is a rare neoplasia with a tendency of distant metastasis although highly sensitive to chemotherapy renders a good prognosis and outcome. Lungs, liver and cerebral metastasis are commonly implicated with maxillofacial region rarely involved. We illustrate a case of overwhelming metastatic choriocarcinoma to lungs, liver, brain and to the extreme of gum metastasis. Decompressive craniectomy for intracranial bleeding, multiple transfusions to correct anaemia and coagulopathy were done before high-risk-regime chemotherapy. Despite this, due to fulminant multi-organs involvement she finally succumbed to death. In conclusion, gum bleeding in choriocarcinoma may suggest metastasis and poor prognosis.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health promoting factors among caretakers of children attending day-care centers in Kubang Kerian, Malaysia: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The role of caretakers at day-care centers has become more imperative in promoting oral health care in children since many new mothers opt to work outside their homes, leaving their children at day-care centers. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health promoting factors among secondary caretakers of children attending day-care centers.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional exploratory study conducted among secondary caretakers in Kubang Kerian, Malaysia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-four caretakers fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria participated in the study. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire addressing various aspects of knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health in children. Analysis was done using SPSS version 12.0.

RESULTS

The knowledge of factors causing dental caries was found to be good among majority of the caretakers, but the concepts of transmissibility of caries and effect of hidden sugars were not evident. Seventy one percent did not know that frequent bottle feeding could cause tooth decay. Attitudes seemed to be governed by the cultural practices of the region rather than the knowledge obtained. The knowledge was not translated to practice adequately. Giving sweetened liquid in bottles was practiced by 53% of the caretakers.

CONCLUSION

Implementation of nursery-based oral health promotion programs for secondary caretakers is needed to counteract early childhood caries.

Kinetics of the substitution of dehydroacetic acid in tris (dehydroacetato) Fe(III) complex by 8-hydroxyquinoline, di- and tetra-hydroxyquinone

The ligand substitution reactions of dehydroacetic acid (Hdha) in [Fe(dha)(3)] with second ligand such as 8-hydroxyquinoline (Hquin), 1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone (H(2)dhaq) and 1,4,5,8-tetra-hydroxyanthraquinone (H(4)thaq) were investigated spectrophotometrically by in low polarity solvents like benzene, chloroform and dichloromethane. It is deduced that the substitution reaction takes place through one successive step. The reaction was performed at four different temperatures (5-25) degrees C, and it exhibits a first order dependence on the concentration of the starting complex. The observed rate constant depends on the concentration of both leaving and entering ligands. The evaluation of the kinetic data gives activation parameters which support an associative mechanism in the transition states and the higher rate of substitution of the dha in Fe(dha)(3) complex is due to entropy effect. The solid complexes were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV-vis spectral techniques.

Effect of various foods on Biomphalaria alexandrina and Bulinus truncatus and their susceptibility to schistosome miracidia

The tested foods are tropical fish food (tetramine), rat food, blue green algae, dried lettuce leaves and a mixture of all these foods. The results indicated that feeding of B. alexandrina on a mixture of foods increased their growth and survival rates and their susceptibility to S. mansoni. Tetramine elevated the egg-laying capacity of snails compared to other tested foods. The hatchability of eggs of B. alexandrina fed on algae for a period of 16 weeks showed the highest rate followed by snails fed on a mixture of foods and then tetramine. B. truncatus maintained on a mixture of foods for 16 weeks, exhibited an increase in their growth, egg-laying, survival rates and recorded the highest infection rate with S. haematobium than other foods. Among the used foods, the hatchability of eggs of B. truncatus fed on tetramine for 16 weeks was the highest one.

Serum bone specific alkaline phosphatase and urinary deoxypyridinoline in postmenopausal osteoporosis

The objectives of this study were to: (i) evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the biochemical bone markers: serum total alkaline phosphatase (TALP), bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BSALP) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr) in postmenopausal osteoporosis, (ii) compare the bone turnover of postmenopausal osteoporotic patients without and with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) against controls and (iii) identify the correlation between these bone markers and bone mineral density (BMD). We examined 42 postmenopausal women with BMD proven osteoporosis and 35 control subjects. Serum TALP, BSALP and urinary Dpyr were measured. All three biochemical bone markers showed comparable moderate diagnostic sensitivity but Dpyr had the highest diagnostic specificity. There were significantly higher serum TALP, BSALP and urinary Dpyr levels in non-HRT treated patients compared to controls (p<0.005, <0.0001 and <0.005 respectively). There were no significant differences in the levels of all three bone markers between HRT treated patients and control subjects. There was no significant correlation between TALP, BSALP or Dpyr and BMD in both controls and patients. In conclusion, the biochemical bone markers are not useful in diagnosis of postmenopausal osteoporosis but may have a role in monitoring progress and response to treatment. HRT treatment reduces bone turnover of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Vitamin E and factors affecting atherosclerosis in rabbits fed a cholesterol-rich diet

The present study aims to examine the effects of a palm-oil-derived vitamin E mixture containing tocotrienol (approximately 70%) and tocopherol (approximately 30%) on plasma lipids and on the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in rabbits given a 2% cholesterol diet. Eighteen New Zealand White rabbits (2.2-2.8 kg) were divided into three groups; group 1 (control) was fed a normal diet, group 2 (AT) was fed a 2% cholesterol diet and group 3 (PV) was fed a 2% cholesterol diet with oral palm vitamin E (60 mg/kg body weight) given daily for 10 weeks. There were no differences in the total cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels between the AT and PV groups. The PV group had a significantly higher concentrations of HDL-c and a lower TC/HDL-c ratio compared to the AT group (P < 0.003). The aortic tissue content of cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesions were comparable in both the AT and PV groups. However, the PV group had a lower content of plasma and aortic tissue malondialdehyde (P < 0.005). Our findings suggest that despite a highly atherogenic diet, palm vitamin E improved some important plasma lipid parameters, reduced lipid peroxidation but did not have an effect on the atherosclerotic plaque formation.

The subcellular localisation and the time course of bismuth in the gastric mucosa of rats after short-term administration of colloidal bismuth subcitrate

The aim of this study was to investigate if colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS) can penetrate the gastric mucus barrier to reach the different sites of the antral mucosa and to estimate the time course for CBS to reach and remain in the mucosa. A single dose of CBS was administered orally to rats that were sacrificed at different time intervals post treatment. The control group received gum acacia without CBS. Colloidal bismuth subcitrate, visualised as electron dense precipitate (EDP), was seen in the gastric mucus layer, intercellular spaces and intracellularly after 30 minutes and disappeared after 6 hours. Scant amounts of EDP were observed in the gastric crypts, confined only to the upper parts of these structures. We concluded that CBS can penetrate the mucus and has a wide but uneven distribution in the gastric mucosa. Colloidal bismuth subcitrate, in the concentration given only penetrated the upper two-thirds of gastric pits and not the lower one-third. We also concluded that CBS has to be given 6 hourly to ensure its continuous presence in the gastric mucosa.

Effects of nicardipine on lipid peroxidation in rabbits given 2% cholesterol diet

Nicardipine has been shown to have an anti-atherogenic effect in rabbits given a 2% cholesterol diet. Current evidence suggests that lipid peroxidation plays an important role in atherogenesis. This study examines the effect of nicardipine on lipid peroxidation in rabbits given a 2% cholesterol diet, 8 of these rabbits given nicardipine 0.5 mg/kg twice daily intramuscularly for ten weeks while the remaining untreated 6 were controls. After ten weeks, serum malondialdehyde in the control group was significantly higher compared to their baseline levels (P < 0.05). However, there was no increase in serum malondialdehyde in the nicardipine group after 10 weeks. The area of Sudan IV positive intimal lesions (atherosclerotic plaques) were significantly decreased (P < 0.01) in the treated group compared to the control group. The aortic tissue content of cholesterol and diene conjugates were also decreased in the nicardipine group (P < 0.01). These findings suggest a possible link between nicardipine and lipid peroxidation in mediating its antiatherogenic effects.

Immunogenicity of infectious bursal disease viruses in chickens

Cross-protective properties of infectious bursal disease viruses (IBDVs) were studied. Viruses represented different subtypes of serotype 1, including recently isolated viruses (variants), and a serotype 2 virus. Chickens were vaccinated at 3 weeks of age with inactivated vaccines containing 10(5), 10(6), 10(7), or 10(8) mean tissue-culture infectious dose of a given virus and challenged 2 weeks later using either 10(2) or 10(3.5) mean embryo infectious dose (EID50) of either a standard virus or a variant serotype 1 virus. Protection was evaluated at 5 and 10 days post-challenge, based on gross and microscopic lesions, body weight, and bursa/body-weight ratios. The serotype 2 virus did not confer protection on birds challenged with the serotype 1 viruses. Vaccines made of variant viruses at the low doses protected chickens challenged with the high or low doses of either the standard or the variant viruses. Vaccines made of the standard or variant strains at low doses protected against high or low challenge doses of the standard strain. Vaccines made of the high dose of any of the standard strains protected chickens against the variant virus when the low challenge dose (10(2) EID50) was used, but not when the high challenge dose (10(3.5) EID50) was used. The lowest dose of the standard viruses vaccines required to confer protection against the variant virus varied depending on the strain. Results indicated that protection depended on the strain and dose of both the vaccine and challenge viruses and that the variant strains and standard strains share a common protective antigen(s).

Differentiation between antibodies to serotypes 1 and 2 infectious bursal disease viruses in chicken sera

The usefulness of the virus neutralization (VN) test, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the agar gel precipitin (AGP) test in differentiating antibodies to infectious bursal disease virus serotypes 1 and 2 was investigated. Sera examined were from chickens that were challenged with live virus or inoculated with inactivated oil-emulsion IBDV vaccines or were both challenged and inoculated. Antibodies to serotypes 1 and 2 were differentiated by the VN test but not by the ELISA, and the AGP test was less than satisfactory.

Infectious bursal disease virus variant from commercial Leghorn pullets

An infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) was isolated from 39-to-43-day-old commercial leghorn pullets suspected of having infectious bursal disease (IBD). These chickens had been vaccinated with a commercial live IBDV vaccine at 28 and 35 days of age. An isolate designated IN was recovered using specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and the BGM-70 established cell line. Experimental studies using SPF chickens vaccinated with either inactivated vaccines made from the vaccine strain used in the problem flock or a standard-type vaccine indicated no protection against the IN isolate. However, two variants and another standard-type vaccine induced protection against the IN isolate. Cross-neutralization tests indicated that the IN isolate differed antigenically from commercial vaccine strains and was related to the variant IBDV strains recently isolated from broilers. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a variant IBDV recovered from commercial layer chickens in the United States.

Lack of pathogenicity of five serotype 2 infectious bursal disease viruses in chickens

The pathogenic potential of five strains of serotype 2 infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) for specific-pathogen-free chickens was examined. There were no gross or microscopic lesions in the inoculated chickens. Bursa-to-body-weight ratios of IBDV-infected chickens were not significantly different from those of uninfected controls. Virus-neutralizing antibodies to IBDV of serotype 2, but not serotype 1, were detected in infected chickens. This study indicated that the serotype 2 viruses examined were infectious but not pathogenic in chickens.

Effect of bursal cell number on the pathogenesis of infectious bursal disease in chickens

The pathogenesis of infectious bursal disease (IBD) in chickens neonatally chemically bursectomized (CB) by cyclophosphamide and subsequently inoculated with various numbers of bursal cells was examined. CB chickens inoculated with at least 62.5 X 10(6) bursal cells were as susceptible to IBD clinical manifestations (as determined by gross and microscopic evaluation of bursal tissues, virus recovery from spleen, and antibody titer) as intact chickens following inoculation with virus at 5 weeks of age. In contrast, CB chickens inoculated with 2.5 X 10(6) or fewer bursal cells were refractory to the IBD clinical manifestations compared with intact chickens or CB chickens inoculated with 62.5 X 10(6) or more bursal cells. Results from this study suggest that the availability of a large number of bursal cells is an essential factor in the development of IBD.