Increasing the Astrophysical Reach of the Advanced Virgo Detector via the Application of Squeezed Vacuum States of Light.

Current interferometric gravitational-wave detectors are limited by quantum noise over a wide range of their measurement bandwidth. One method to overcome the quantum limit is the injection of squeezed vacuum states of light into the interferometer's dark port. Here, we report on the successful application of this quantum technology to improve the shot noise limited sensitivity of the Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detector. A sensitivity enhancement of up to 3.2±0.1 dB beyond the shot noise limit is achieved. This nonclassical improvement corresponds to a 5%-8% increase of the binary neutron star horizon. The squeezing injection was fully automated and over the first 5 months of the third joint LIGO-Virgo observation run O3 squeezing was applied for more than 99% of the science time. During this period several gravitational-wave candidates have been recorded.

Are the dietary habits of treated individuals with celiac disease adherent to a Mediterranean diet?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The only treatment for celiac disease (CD) is strict, lifelong adherence to a gluten-free (GF) diet. To date, there are contrasting data concerning the nutritional adequacy of GF products and diet. There have been no studies that have assessed the adherence of individuals with CD to a Mediterranean diet (MD), a protective dietary regimen against major non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Therefore, we examined the adherence to an MD of a group of Italian individuals with CD and compared it with that of a healthy control group. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a cross-sectional study, a sample of individuals with CD and a group of healthy subjects were included. The dietary habits of all participants were recorded using a validated food frequency questionnaire, and the adherence to an MD was determined using the Italian Mediterranean Index. Typical Mediterranean food consumption was not significantly different between individuals with CD and the healthy participants, except for fruits (P = 0.017). However, individuals with CD consumed significantly higher amounts of potatoes (P = 0.003) and red and processed meat (P = 0.005) than healthy participants. The resulting mean Italian Mediterranean Index was significantly higher in healthy participants than in individuals with CD (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results raise questions concerning the food choices of individuals with CD, suggesting the need of encouraging them to make better food choices more in line with an MD, which would improve their nutritional status and better protect them from NCDs at long term. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (ID NCT01975155) on November 4 2013.

Dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, and cancer risk: results from the EPIC-Italy study.

Factors linked to glucose metabolism are involved in the etiology of several cancers. High glycemic index (GI) or high glycemic load (GL) diets, which chronically raise postprandial blood glucose, may increase cancer risk by affecting insulin-like growth factor. We prospectively investigated cancer risk and dietary GI/GL in the EPIC-Italy cohort. After a median 14.9 years, 5112 incident cancers and 2460 deaths were identified among 45,148 recruited adults. High GI was associated with increased risk of colon and bladder cancer. High GL was associated with: increased risk of colon cancer; increased risk of diabetes-related cancers; and decreased risk of rectal cancer. High intake of carbohydrate from high GI foods was significantly associated with increased risk of colon and diabetes-related cancers, but decreased risk of stomach cancer; whereas high intake of carbohydrates from low GI foods was associated with reduced colon cancer risk. In a Mediterranean population with high and varied carbohydrate intake, carbohydrates that strongly raise postprandial blood glucose may increase colon and bladder cancer risk, while the quantity of carbohydrate consumed may be involved in diabetes-related cancers. Further studies are needed to confirm the opposing effects of high dietary GL on risks of colon and rectal cancers.

The use of new technologies for nutritional education in primary schools: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was evaluating if the presence of a humanoid robot could improve the efficacy of a game-based, nutritional education intervention. STUDY DESIGN: This was a controlled, school-based pilot intervention carried out on fourth-grade school children (8-10 years old). A total of 112 children underwent a game-based nutritional educational lesson on the importance of carbohydrates. For one group (n = 58), the lesson was carried out by a nutritional educator, the Master of Taste (MT), whereas for another group, (n = 54) the Master of Taste was supported by a humanoid robot (MT + NAO). A third group of children (n = 33) served as control not receiving any lesson. METHODS: The intervention efficacy was evaluated by questionnaires administered at the beginning and at the end of each intervention. The nutritional knowledge level was evaluated by the cultural-nutritional awareness factor (AF) score. RESULTS: A total of 290 questionnaires were analyzed. Both MT and MT + NAO interventions significantly increased nutritional knowledge. At the end of the study, children in the MT and MT + NAO group showed similar AF scores, and the AF scores of both intervention groups were significantly higher than the AF score of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a significant increase in the nutritional knowledge of children involved in a game-based, single-lesson, educational intervention performed by a figure that has a background in food science. However, the presence of a humanoid robot to support this figure's teaching activity did not result in any significant learning improvement.

The ß-cell burden index of food: A proposal.

The quantity and quality of dietary fat and/or carbohydrate may alter one or more of the basic components of the insulin-glucose system, which in turn affect the pathways leading to alterations in glucose homeostasis and, possibly, to cardiovascular disease. This viewpoint article, reviewing some of the currently available tools aiming at quantifying the impact of dietary carbohydrates on the glucose-insulin homeostatic loop, highlights the unmet need of a more thorough assessment of the complex interaction between dietary factors and the glucose-insulin system. A novel index, the "ß-cell burden index", may turn out to be a valuable tool to quantify the role played by the diet in shaping the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other metabolic and degenerative disorders, ideally orienting their prevention with strategies based on dietary modifications.

Glycemic index and glycemic load of commercial Italian foods.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) are useful parameters in the nutritional classification of carbohydrate foods. Diets characterized by a low GI and/or a low GL have been repeatedly and independently associated with decreased risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases. The aim of this study is to report the GI and GL value of carbohydrate-rich foods available on the Italian market and mostly consumed in Italy. METHODS AND RESULTS: GI values were determined according to FAO/WHO (1997) and ISO (2010). Overall, the 141 commercial foods that were analyzed represent food categories that are the source of >80% carbohydrate intake in Italy. The food items chosen were based mainly on the market share of the brand within each food category and grouped into 13 food categories: 1) beverages: fermented milk drink, juice, smoothie, soft drink; 2) biscuits; 3) breads; 4) bread substitutes; 5) breakfast cereals; 6) cakes and snacks; 7) candy and confectionery; 8) cereals; 9) desserts and ice-creams; 10) marmalade and jam; 11) pasta; 12) pizza; 13) sugar and sweetener. CONCLUSION: This database of commercial Italian foods partly overcomes the lack of information on GI and GL of local foods, contributing to a better understanding of the association between GI/GL and health and providing a more informed choice to Italian consumers and health practitioners.

Glycemic index, glycemic load and glycemic response: An International Scientific Consensus Summit from the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The positive and negative health effects of dietary carbohydrates are of interest to both researchers and consumers. METHODS: International experts on carbohydrate research held a scientific summit in Stresa, Italy, in June 2013 to discuss controversies surrounding the utility of the glycemic index (GI), glycemic load (GL) and glycemic response (GR). RESULTS: The outcome was a scientific consensus statement which recognized the importance of postprandial glycemia in overall health, and the GI as a valid and reproducible method of classifying carbohydrate foods for this purpose. There was consensus that diets low in GI and GL were relevant to the prevention and management of diabetes and coronary heart disease, and probably obesity. Moderate to weak associations were observed for selected cancers. The group affirmed that diets low in GI and GL should always be considered in the context of diets otherwise understood as healthy, complementing additional ways of characterizing carbohydrate foods, such as fiber and whole grain content. Diets of low GI and GL were considered particularly important in individuals with insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes worldwide and the consistency of the scientific evidence reviewed, the expert panel confirmed an urgent need to communicate information on GI and GL to the general public and health professionals, through channels such as national dietary guidelines, food composition tables and food labels.

Dietary glycemic index and glycemic load and risk of colorectal cancer: results from the EPIC-Italy study.

A carbohydrate-rich diet, resulting in high blood glucose and insulin, has been hypothesized as involved in colorectal cancer etiology. We investigated dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL), in relation to colorectal cancer, in the prospectively recruited EPIC-Italy cohort. After a median 11.7 years, 421 colorectal cancers were diagnosed among 47,749 recruited adults. GI and GL were estimated from validated food frequency questionnaires. Multivariable Cox modeling estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for associations between colorectal cancer and intakes of total, high GI and low GI carbohydrate and GI and GL. The adjusted HR of colorectal cancer for highest versus lowest GI quartile was 1.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.78; p trend 0.031. Increasing high GI carbohydrate intake was also significantly associated with increasing colorectal cancer risk (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.04-2.03; p trend 0.034), whereas increasing low GI carbohydrate was associated with reducing risk (HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.54-0.98; p trend 0.033). High dietary GI and high GI carbohydrate were associated with increased risks of cancer at all colon sites (HR 1.37; 95% CI 1.00-1.88, HR 1.80; 95% CI 1.22-2.65, respectively), whereas high GI carbohydrate and high GL were associated with increased risk of proximal colon cancer (HR 1.94; 95% CI 1.18-3.16, HR 2.01; 95% CI 1.08-3.74, respectively). After stratification for waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), cancer was significantly associated with GI, and high GI carbohydrate, in those with high WHR. These findings suggest that high dietary GI and high carbohydrate intake from high GI foods are associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer.

Systematic screening of plant extracts from the Brazilian Pantanal with antimicrobial activity against bacteria with cariogenic relevance.

This study proposes a bioprospection methodology regarding the antimicrobial potential of plant extracts against bacteria with cariogenic relevance. Sixty extracts were obtained from ten plants--(1) Jatropha weddelliana, (2) Attalea phalerata, (3) Buchenavia tomentosa, (4) Croton doctoris, (5) Mouriri elliptica, (6) Mascagnia benthamiana, (7) Senna aculeata, (8) Unonopsis guatterioides, (9) Allagoptera leucocalyx and (10) Bactris glaucescens--using different extraction methods - (A) 70° ethanol 72 h/25°C, (B) water 5 min/100°C, (C) water 1 h/55°C, (D) water 72 h/25°C, (E) hexane 72 h/25°C and (F) 90° ethanol 72 h/25°C. The plants were screened for antibacterial activity at 50 mg/ml using the agar well diffusion test against Actinomyces naeslundii ATCC 19039, Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356, Streptococcus gordonii ATCC 10558, Streptococcus mutans ATCC 35688, Streptococcus sanguinis ATCC 10556, Streptococcus sobrinus ATCC 33478 and Streptococcus mitis ATCC 9811. The active extracts were tested to determine their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), cytotoxicity and chemical characterization. Forty-seven extracts (78%) were active against at least one microorganism. Extract 4A demonstrated the lowest MIC and MBC for all microorganisms except S. gordonii and the extract at MIC concentration was non-cytotoxic. The concentrated extracts were slightly cytotoxic. Electrospray ionization with tandem mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that the extract constituents coincided with the mass of the terpenoids and phenolics. Overall, the best results were obtained for extraction methods A, B and C. The present work proved the antimicrobial activity of several plants. Particularly, extracts from C. doctoris were the most active against bacteria involved in dental caries disease.

Bioaccumulation of resveratrol metabolites in myocardial tissue is dose-time dependent and related to cardiac hemodynamics in diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Trans-resveratrol (RSV) is a natural compound occurring in different foods and plants, which in vivo is rapidly conjugated with glucuronic acid and sulfate. Despite its demonstrated cardioprotective activity, the bioaccumulation of RSV or its metabolites in cardiac tissue is still unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Diabetic rats were randomized to 1, 3 or 6 weeks of RSV treatment at two different doses (1 or 5 mg/kg/day). A dose and time-dependent accumulation was observed, with no detectable levels of RSV metabolites found in heart tissues after 1 week and significant concentrations of RSV-3-sulfate and RSV-3-glucuronide after 6 weeks of treatment (0.05 nmol/g of tissue and 0.01 nmol/g of tissue, respectively). Tissue accumulation of RSV metabolites was accompanied by an improvement of cardiac function in long-term diabetes, when myocardial morpho-functional damage is more evident, with an almost complete recovery of all hemodynamic parameters, at the highest RSV dose. CONCLUSION: Even if a higher concentration of RSV in tissues cannot be ruled out after constant oral administration, an accumulation coherent with what is usually evaluated in cell based mechanistic studies is largely unattainable and the RSV unconjugated form would not be present in this paradigm. The current investigation provides data on myocardial tissue concentrations of RSV metabolites, after short/medium term RSV treatment. This knowledge constitutes a basic requirement for future studies aimed at reliably defining the molecular pathways underlying RSV-mediated cardioprotective effects and opens up new perspectives for research focused on testing phenolic compounds as adjuvants in degenerative heart diseases.

Anti-estrogenic activity of a human resveratrol metabolite.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Resveratrol, the most investigated dietary compound in studies aimed at linking wine consumption to human health, is an extremely minor component of this beverage and it is generally studied in vitro as the unconjugated aglycone at concentrations largely exceeding those found in the human circulatory system after dietary intake. Moreover, following intestinal absorption, trans-resveratrol and its glucoside, which are naturally present in wine and other food sources, are converted to sulphate and glucuronide metabolites. An estrogenic activity has previously been documented for resveratrol, yet nothing is known about the activity of its blood-circulating metabolic derivatives. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a yeast two-hybrid detection system relying on the interaction between the ligand-binding domain of the human oestrogen receptors α and ß and the human coactivator Tif2, we have systematically examined the oestrogen agonist and antagonist activities of the two main resveratrol forms present in planta (trans-resveratrol and trans-resveratrol-3-O-glucoside) and of the three main metabolites found in human plasma (trans-resveratrol-3-O-sulphate, trans-resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide and trans-resveratrol-4'-O-glucuronide). Only resveratrol-3-O-sulphate was found to display a fairly strong and oestrogen receptor α-preferential antagonistic activity, which was confirmed in a human breast adenocarcinoma cell line containing a luciferase reporter gene under the control of an oestrogen-responsive promoter. CONCLUSIONS: We show, for the first time, that resveratrol-3-O-sulphate, but neither of its metabolites, is endowed with anti-estrogenic activity and how human metabolism of phenolic substances plays a pivotal role in modulating their biological effect.

High glycemic diet and breast cancer occurrence in the Italian EPIC cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There are theoretical reasons for suspecting that a high glycemic index (GI) or glycemic load (GL) diet may increase breast cancer risk, perhaps via an effect on the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis. However observational studies have produced inconsistent findings and it is controversial whether breast cancer risk is influenced by the carbohydrate characteristics of the diet. We prospectively investigated the association between dietary GI and GL and breast cancer in the Italian section of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). METHODS AND RESULTS: Women were recruited from 1993 to 1998 at five centers: Varese and Turin (north Italy), Florence (central Italy), and Ragusa and Naples (south Italy). Participants completed validated food frequency questionnaires from which GI and GL were estimated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression models quantified the association between breast cancer risk and total carbohydrate intake, GI, and GL. During 11 years of follow-up, 879 breast cancer (797 invasive and 82 in situ) cases were indentified. High dietary GL was associated with increased breast cancer risk (RR 1.45, 95% CI = 1.06-1.99; highest vs. lowest quintile; p-trend 0.029), whereas dietary GI and total carbohydrate had no influence. The association was not modified by menopausal status or body mass index. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that, in a Mediterranean population characterized by traditionally high and varied carbohydrate intake, a diet high in GL plays a role in the development of breast cancer.

Macrophage polarization: the answer to the diet/inflammation conundrum?

Macrophages, a heterogeneous and ubiquitous cell population representing up to 15% of the cellular content of different types of tissue, are the principal cell mediators in response to pathogens, inflammation process, tissue homeostasis and repair and play a pivotal role in atherosclerosis and insulin resistance because of their capacity to be the major source of inflammatory cytokines, which can function through paracrine and endocrine mechanisms. Recently, differently activated macrophage populations have been described, depending on a large variety of microenvironmental signals, and it is now recognized that their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. There is good evidence of the ability of conjugated linoleic acids and polyphenolic compounds to modulate inflammation in experimental models involving macrophages. This observation leaves room to the intriguing hypothesis that macrophage polarization could represent one of the unifying mechanisms through which specific food components can exert anti-inflammatory effects in humans, contributing to the prevention of chronic diseases strongly linked to inflammation, such as atherosclerosis. Future studies should be addressed to substantiate this hypothesis, investigating whether or not physiological concentrations of food-derived metabolites can perturb macrophage activation in vitro. On the in vivo side, the evaluation of macrophage populations in tissues, however complex, should be included among the analyses performed in observational and intervention studies, in order to understand if macrophage activation is involved in the anti-inflammatory activity of a specific dietary regimen.

Oral microbial colonization in patients with systemic lupus erythematous: correlation with treatment and disease activity.

Treating patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with steroids and immunosuppressive drugs may interfere in the presence of potentially opportunistic microorganisms in the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Candida spp., Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacteria and Pseudomonas spp. in the oral cavity of SLE patients, compared with healthy controls. A group of 40 patients who had received therapy for at least 60 days was selected (19-53 years). For the control group, 40 healthy individuals matched for age, gender and use of partial prosthesis were selected. Oral rinse samples were collected and plated on specific culture media. After incubation, the number of colony forming units (CFU) was obtained and the isolates were identified at species level. Microbial counts were compared between SLE and control by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Mann-Whitney (p < 0.05 significant). Microorganism counts in patients with and without immunosuppressive drugs, as well with active and inactive disease (according to SLEDAI score) were also compared. No significant differences in CFU/mL between SLE and control patients were observed (yeasts, p = 0.55; Staphylococci, p = 0.24; Enterobacteria/Pseudomonas spp., p = 0.26). No differences in microbial counts were observed regarding clinical parameters tested. The most frequent species isolated in the SLE group were Candida albicans, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Klebsiella oxytoca. In conclusion, no differences in frequency and microorganism levels were found between SLE patients and healthy individuals.

Glycaemic index and body fat distribution in children: the results of the ARCA project.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Various dietary factors may play a critical role in body weight regulation. Among them, the role of glycaemic index (GI) remains a subject of debate. The present study aimed at evaluating the association between dietary GI, body mass index (BMI) and body fat distribution in school children. METHODS AND RESULTS: 3734 Italian children (M/F = 1883/1851; age range 6-11 years) were cross-sectionally screened for anthropometry (BMI, waist circumference), lifestyle and clinical history (questionnaire) and dietary habits (1-year food frequency questionnaire). Energy and macronutrients intake, dietary GI and glycaemic load (GL) were calculated. GI was directly associated with age, waist and BMI z-scores, energy, fibre and carbohydrate intake (r: from 0.080 to 0.238, P < 0.001), and negatively with fat intake (r: -0.060, P < 0.0001). BMI, waist circumference, energy intake, carbohydrate, protein and fibre intake and GL significantly increased, whilst fat intake decreased, going up across quartiles of residuals of dietary GI. At linear regression analysis, GI was associated with BMI and waist z-scores independently of age, sex, parental overweight/obesity, parental education, and energy intake, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fibre and GL residuals. In particular, GI was the sole nutritional factor among those under investigation, significantly associated with waist circumference. Controlling for covariates, the risk of overweight/obesity or of central fat distribution was almost two-folds higher in the upper quartile in comparison to the lowest quartile of dietary GI. CONCLUSION: Dietary GI is an independent determinant of body fat distribution in children as well as of total adiposity.

Food selection based on high total antioxidant capacity improves endothelial function in a low cardiovascular risk population.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Oxidative stress has been advocated as a major cause for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and low plasma antioxidant concentrations are associated with endothelial dysfunction, the first step towards atherosclerosis. However, although the antioxidant content in fruits and vegetables may explain at least in part their protective effect against CVD, supplementation with antioxidant vitamins fails to improve endothelial function and reduce CVD risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a diet rich in antioxidants on endothelial function measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in volunteers at low cardiovascular risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a crossover trial, 24 subjects (13 women, mean age 61 ± 3 years), received, in a randomised order, a 14-day high (HT) and a 14-day low (LT) antioxidant diets, with a 2-week wash-out (WO) in between. Both diets were comparable in daily portions of fruits and vegetables, and in alcohol, fibre and macronutrient intake, but differed in their total antioxidant capacity. Before and after each diet, anthropometrics, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, circulating antioxidant concentrations, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and FMD were assessed. FMD increased significantly during the HT diet compared to the LT (p < 0.000). FMD values were 2.3% higher after HT compared with LT (p < 0.001) after adjustment for age, gender and diet order. α-tocopherol increased significantly (p < 0.05) and hs-CRP and of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase decreased significantly (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) during the HT diet, compared with the LT diet. CONCLUSIONS: A short-term HT diet improves endothelial function in volunteers at low cardiovascular risk, which may further reduce their risk of CVD.

The effect of breakfasts varying in glycemic index and glycemic load on dietary induced thermogenesis and respiratory quotient.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Glycemic index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) are parameters of carbohydrate bioavailability able to influence risk of chronic diseases. GL can be lowered either by reducing carbohydrate intake or by reducing the GI of the carbohydrate moiety of a mixed meal. These two approaches might have a different impact on Dietary-Induced Thermogenesis (DIT) and preferential substrate oxidation in the postprandial period, which are variables known to be involved in the regulation of body weight and body composition. This dietary, crossover intervention trial was designed to evaluate the effect on DIT and Respiratory Quotient (RQ) of three isocaloric breakfasts different in GI and/or GL (high GI and high GL [HGI-HGL] vs. low GI and low GL [LGI-LGL]; vs. high GI and low GL [HGI-LGL]) followed by a standard meal. METHODS AND RESULTS: RQ and DIT were measured in 16 lean young males by indirect calorimetry for 8h. DIT resulted significantly higher after the LGI-LGL compared to the HGI-HGL breakfast (p<0.05). Postprandial changes in RQ differed among all breakfasts (p<0.001). RQ increased from baseline after the two breakfasts with highest carbohydrate content and significantly more after the HGI-HGL than after the LGI-LGL (p<0.02), whereas it decreased after the HGI-LGL breakfast, which contained a higher amount of fat. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing the GL of a meal by reducing GI seems an effective strategy to increase energy expenditure while maintaining a good rate of lipid oxidation. This might be related to different profiles of postprandial hormones affecting substrate oxidation.

Prevalence and antifungal resistance profile of Candida spp. oral isolates from patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to measure the prevalence of Candida spp. in the oral cavity of patients with diabetes types 1 and 2 when compared to healthy individuals and to study antifungal resistance profile of the isolates. DESIGN: There were 162 subjects in the study: diabetes type 1 (n=39); control group 1 (n=50): healthy individuals matched in gender, age, and oral conditions to diabetes type 1 patients; diabetes type 2 (n=37); control group 2 (n=36) who were matched to each patient of the diabetes type 2 group. Stimulated saliva was collected and isolates were identified with phenotypic tests. The presence of C. dubliniensis was determined by multiplex PCR. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in Candida spp. frequency between the diabetes 1 group and its control (p=0.443) nor between the diabetes 2 group and its control (p=0.429). C. albicans was the most frequently isolated yeast in all groups. In the diabetes groups, C. stellatoidea, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, C. lipolytica, C. glabrata, and C. krusei were also identified. Additionally, in control groups, C. kefyr was also detected. None of the isolates were resistant to amphotericin B and flucytosine. A low percentage of the isolates were resistant to ketoconazole. CONCLUSIONS: No differences were detected in colonization of Candida spp. oral isolates from type 1 and type 2 diabetes when compared to matched controls. The antifungal resistance of Candida spp. isolates for ketoconazole from type 1 diabetes patients was significantly higher than that of its matched control.

Effect of rinsing with water immediately after neutral gel and foam fluoride topical application on enamel remineralization: An in situ study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate, in situ, the effect of rinsing with water immediately after neutral fluoride foam application (Foam) or fluoride gel application (Gel). DESIGN: Ten volunteers wore acrylic palatal appliances containing 4 enamel blocks selected by surface hardness with artificial caries. Five experimental regimes of 3 days each were set according to treatment: placebo; Gel and Foam followed by no rinsing or consuming of liquids or solids for the next 30min; Gel and Foam followed by immediately washing with water jet. After each phase, surface hardness was again measured for analysis of mineral gain, evaluated through percentage of surface hardness recovery (%SHR) and integrated loss of subsurface hardness (ΔKHN). The concentration of loosely bound fluoride (CaF2) and firmly bound fluoride (FA-like) formed and retained were also determined. RESULTS: Fluoride treatments produced greater remineralization (%SHR and ΔKHN) compared to placebo group (p<0.05). There was no difference in the ability to promote remineralization and in the concentration of fluoride formed and retained, in each analysis, between Gel and Foam (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The data suggest that rinsing with water immediately after topical application does not seem to have an influence on the ability of fluoride to promote remineralization.