Dental professionals participating in a home visiting programme for first-time parents.

BACKGROUND: A home visiting programme was offered to first-time parents in the south of Sweden to reduce health inequalities among young children and support parents. The programme involved a collaboration between child healthcare nurses and midwives, social workers, and dental hygienists/dental nurses. It is unusual for dental professionals to participate in such programmes. OBJECTIVE: To describe the experiences of collaboration between child healthcare nurses and dental professionals and their views on the programme from a dental perspective. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Qualitative semi-structured interview study with content analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Four child healthcare nurses, three dental hygienists, and two dental nurses. RESULTS: Analysis identified five themes: contribution of knowledge, reinforced oral health advice, family-based oral health advice, financial considerations, and future role of the dental care. CONCLUSIONS: Participants stressed the importance of dental professionals' knowledge, the need for child healthcare nurses and dental professional to conduct home visits together to deliver family-based and reinforced dental advice. They suggested a follow-up visit and the participation of the public dental service before a private dental care provider since most children will visit a public dentist later. The programme was perceived as worth the costs, but for the best utility, the resources should primarily be for non-native parents. Further research should focus on the effect of the home visiting programme on the children's oral health.

Biotransformation and detoxification of selenite by microbial biogenesis of selenium-sulfur nanoparticles.

This study combines the interaction between the toxic oxyanions selenite and selenate and the plant growth promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense with a comprehensive characterization of the formed selenium particles. As selenium is an essential trace element, but also toxic in high concentrations, its state of occurrence in nature is of major concern. Growth of the bacterium was affected by selenite (1-5mM) only, observable as a prolonged growth lag-phase of 3days. Subsequently, selenite reduction occurred under aerobic conditions resulting in extracellularly formed insoluble Se0 particles. Complementary studies by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques revealed the particles to be homogeneous and stable Se8-nSn structured spheres with an average size of 400nm and highly negative surface charge of -18mV in the neutral pH range. As this is the first study showing Azospirillum brasilense being able to biotransform selenite to selenium particles containing a certain amount of sulfur, even if environmental waters supplemented with selenite were used, they may significantly contribute to the biogeochemical cycling of both elements in soil as well as to their soil-plant transfer. Therefore, microbial biotransformation of selenite under certain circumstances may be used for various bio-remediation and bio-technological applications.

Urothelial cells undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition after exposure to muscle invasive bladder cancer exosomes.

Bladder cancer, the fourth most common noncutaneous malignancy in the United States, is characterized by high recurrence rate, with a subset of these cancers progressing to a deadly muscle invasive form of disease. Exosomes are small secreted vesicles that contain proteins, mRNA and miRNA, thus potentially modulating signaling pathways in recipient cells. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process by which epithelial cells lose their cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion and gain migratory and invasive properties to become mesenchymal stem cells. EMT has been implicated in the initiation of metastasis for cancer progression. We investigated the ability of bladder cancer-shed exosomes to induce EMT in urothelial cells. Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation from T24 or UMUC3 invasive bladder cancer cell conditioned media or from patient urine or bladder barbotage samples. Exosomes were then added to the urothelial cells and EMT was assessed. Urothelial cells treated with bladder cancer exosomes showed an increased expression in several mesenchymal markers, including α-smooth muscle actin, S100A4 and snail, as compared with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated cells. Moreover, treatment of urothelial cells with bladder cancer exosomes resulted in decreased expression of epithelial markers E-cadherin and ß-catenin, as compared with the control, PBS-treated cells. Bladder cancer exosomes also increased the migration and invasion of urothelial cells, and this was blocked by heparin pretreatment. We further showed that exosomes isolated from patient urine and bladder barbotage samples were able to induce the expression of several mesenchymal markers in recipient urothelial cells. In conclusion, the research presented here represents both a new insight into the role of exosomes in transition of bladder cancer into invasive disease, as well as an introduction to a new platform for exosome research in urothelial cells.

Spectroscopic evidence for selenium(IV) dimerization in aqueous solution.

The aqueous speciation of selenium(iv) was elucidated by a combined approach applying quantum chemical calculations, infrared (IR), Raman, and (77)Se NMR spectroscopy. The dimerization of hydrogen selenite (HSeO3(-)) was confirmed at concentrations above 10 mmol L(-1) by both IR and NMR spectroscopy. Quantum chemical calculations provided the assignment of vibrational bands observed to specific molecular modes of the (HSeO3)2(2-) ion. The results presented will provide a better understanding of the chemistry of aqueous Se(iv) which is of particular interest for processes occurring at mineral/water interfaces.

Osteopontin mediates an MZF1-TGF-ß1-dependent transformation of mesenchymal stem cells into cancer-associated fibroblasts in breast cancer.

Interactions between tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment significantly influence cancer growth and metastasis. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) is known to be a critical mediator of the CAF phenotype, and osteopontin (OPN) expression in tumors is associated with more aggressive phenotypes and poor patient outcomes. The potential link between these two pathways has not been previously addressed. Utilizing in vitro studies using human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and MDA-MB231 (OPN+) and MCF7 (OPN-) human breast cancer cell lines, we demonstrate that OPN induces integrin-dependent MSC expression of TGF-ß1 to mediate adoption of the CAF phenotype. This OPN-TGF-ß1 pathway requires the transcription factor, myeloid zinc finger 1 (MZF1). In vivo studies with xenotransplant models in NOD-scid mice showed that OPN expression increases cancer growth and metastasis by mediating MSC-to-CAF transformation in a process that is MZF1 and TGF-ß1 dependent. We conclude that tumor-derived OPN engenders MSC-to-CAF transformation in the microenvironment to promote tumor growth and metastasis via the OPN-MZF1-TGF-ß1 pathway.

The undergraduate degree project--preparing dental students for professional work and postgraduate studies?

OBJECTIVES: The undergraduate degree project is a requisite part of higher education in Sweden, designed to prepare students for professional work and postgraduate studies. This article examines the extent to which the degree project in Swedish dental education helps students achieve these purposes. The focus was on the students' choice of topics and research methods as well as their ability to reflect on the implications of their results for dental practice. METHODS: Degree projects from three of the four Swedish dental schools were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: The students' topics concerned clinical dentistry, biomedicine, educational issues and public oral health. Quantitative research methods were used more often than qualitative ones. Some of the degree projects were based on literature reviews. Students demonstrated shortcomings in their reflections on the implications of their results for dental practice. The level of reflection was particularly low in one of the schools; this may be because the students in this school were not expected to reflect on the results. CONCLUSIONS: The degree project gives the students an opportunity to develop their knowledge on a topic relevant to dentistry, to be trained in conducting research and to reflect on scientific knowledge in relation to dentistry. However, this study shows the need of assessment criteria that urge the students to reflect on the link between science and clinical work and motivate them to learn to reflect so they become critical thinkers. It is also suggested that dental students should learn more about qualitative research methods.

Undergraduate degree projects in the Swedish dental schools: a documentary analysis.

BACKGROUND: Undergraduate degree projects have currently been introduced into courses in the four Swedish dental schools. The rationale for research projects is that they enable students to develop research expertise skills and to show their ability to apply and develop knowledge relevant to professional practice. This paper reports a qualitative analysis of the curriculum documents and handbooks including the criteria used to assess the students' research reports. The aim was to investigate commonalities and differences in the design of degree projects between the four Swedish dental schools and to explore any inconsistencies within the documents. METHODS: The documentary analysis was based on the constant comparison method. RESULTS: Four overarching themes emerged from the analysis: (i) developing scientific expertise, (ii) developing professional expertise, (iii) following rules and (iv) fostering creativity. CONCLUSIONS: The documents from the four dental schools revealed similar views on the purposes of the projects and provided similar assessment criteria. The students were requested to formulate an odontological problem, apply a relevant scientific method, analyse texts and empirical data, express critical reflections and write a short thesis. The students were free to choose topics. There were differences between the dental schools on the emphasis placed on practical uses of the projects and theoretical background of the projects. Two of the schools insisted on rigid rules of completing and writing the project yet paradoxically emphasised creativity. There were wide variations in the required length of the project report. The report may prove useful to dental schools in other countries who are about to design undergraduate research projects.

Characterization of human clinical isolates of Dietzia species previously misidentified as Rhodococcus equi.

In this study, 16 human clinical isolates of Dietzia species previously misidentified as Rhodococcus equi were evaluated using phenotypic methods, including traditional and commercial (API Coryne) biochemical tests, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and 16S rRNA gene and gyrB gene sequencing. Positive results for both the hydrolysis of adenine and Christie-Atkins-Munch-Petersen (CAMP) reaction allowed for differentiation between the Dietzia isolates and the type strain of Rhodococcus equi; however, traditional and commercial phenotypic profiles could not be used to reliably identify Dietzia species. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene and gyrB gene sequences could discriminate all Dietzia strains from the type strain of R. equi. Most Dietzia species had distinct 16S rRNA gene and gyrB gene sequences; however, the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the type strains of D. schimae and D. cercidiphylli were identical to D. maris and D. natronolimnaea, respectively. Based on comparative sequence analysis, five clinical isolates clustered with D. maris/D. schimae and nine with D. natronolimnaea/D. cercidiphylli. The two remaining isolates were found to be most closely related to the D. cinnamea/D. papillomatosis clade. Even though molecular analyses were not sufficiently discriminative to accurately identify all Dietzia species, the method was able to reliably identify isolates that were previously misidentified by phenotypic methods to the genus level.

Syphilis in composers and musicians--Mozart, Beethoven, Paganini, Schubert, Schumann, Smetana.

In the pre-antibiotics era, syphilis was an extremely common disease. The first well-recorded European outbreak of what is now known as syphilis occurred in 1494, when it appeared among French troops besieging Naples. Thereafter, the disease spread all over Europe and, in the 18th and 19th centuries, many artists became victims of syphilis, among them poets, painters, philosophers, and musicians and composers. This review presents biographies of several musicians and composers that probably suffered from syphilis.

Conservation laws and unidentifiability of rate expressions in biochemical models.

New experimental techniques in bioscience provide us with high-quality data allowing quantitative mathematical modelling. Parameter estimation is often necessary and, in connection with this, it is important to know whether all parameters can be uniquely estimated from available data, (i.e. whether the model is identifiable). Dealing essentially with models for metabolism, we show how the assumption of an algebraic relation between concentrations may cause parameters to be unidentifiable. If a sufficient data set is available, the problem with unidentifiability arises locally in individual rate expressions. A general method for reparameterisation to identifiable rate expressions is provided, together with a Mathematica code to help with the calculations. The general results are exemplified by four well-cited models for glycolysis.

Fatal pneumonia associated with human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in a patient with myeloid leukemia and adenocarcinoma in the lung.

We describe a clinical case of a 59 old caucasian male who was delivered to the hospital for severe pneumonia associated to human metapneumovirus. The patient suffered from a leukemia and an adenocarcinoma in the lung and died two weeks after submission due to fatal respiratory failure.

Fitness effects and transmission routes of a microsporidian parasite infecting Drosophila and its parasitoids.

A microsporidian infection was discovered in laboratory cultures of Drosophila species. Ultrastructural examination suggested it belonged to the poorly characterized species Tubulinosema kingi, and morphological and sequence data are presented. We explored how T. kingi affected the fitness of Drosophila melanogaster and D. subobscura, as well as the fitness of 2 of their parasitoids, Asobara tabida and Pachycrepoideus vindemiae. In Drosophila, infections caused changes in most of the traits we looked at that were associated with fitness, in particular causing a 34-55% reduction in early-life fecundity. Parasitoid fitness was affected more severely by infection than that of their hosts, with pupal mortality in particular increasing by 75-89%. We investigated the most important routes of transmission for T. kingi in a laboratory setting. Letting Drosophila larvae feed on medium contaminated with spores from infected dead flies resulted in 100% infection. Low levels of transmission (<10%) were found between larvae, and vertically between mothers and their offspring. Parasitoids developing in infected hosts all became infected, but infected adults were neither able to transmit the pathogen to their offspring nor to their offspring's Drosophila host, either directly, or via contamination of the ovipositor or other body parts. A field survey of Drosophila and their parasitoids in southern England revealed no natural infections. We discuss the potential importance of Microsporidia in parasitoid-host interactions, and for those working with Drosophila in the laboratory.

Cell invasion and intracellular fate of Encephalitozoon cuniculi (Microsporidia).

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites that utilize a unique mechanism to infect host cells, which is one of the most sophisticated infection mechanisms in biology. Microsporidian spores contain a long coiled polar tube that extrudes from the spores and penetrates the membranes of new host cells. We have initiated a study to investigate the invasive process and intracellular fate of the microsporidium Encephalitozoon cuniculi. Here we show that relatively few cells were infected through the traditional penetration of the polar tube from outside. Rather, phagocytosis of spores occurred at least 10 times more frequently than injection of sporoplasms. Some spores extruded their polar tube inside the cells following phagocytosis. Membranes of the vacuoles surrounding the internalized spores were positive for late endosomal and lysosomal markers. Spores that remained inside these compartments disappeared within 3 days. Thus, our studies demonstrate that in addition to the unique way in which microsporidia infect host cells, E. cuniculi spores can also gain access to host cells by phagocytosis. The presence of intracellular spores that have extruded their polar tube shows that some spores germinate after phagocytosis, thus escaping from the phagosomes that mature into lysosomes.

Cytokine and nitric oxide responses of monocyte-derived human macrophages to microsporidian spores.

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites that emerged as opportunistic pathogens since the onset of the AIDS pandemic. They are capable of disseminating through the body using macrophages as vehicles. We incubated human macrophages with spores of all three Encephalitozoon spp. as well as with Vittaforma corneae, and the number of intracellular spores per cell was determined by fluorescence microscopy. Cell culture supernatants were collected and the content of TNF-alpha, INF-gamma, IL-10, and of nitric oxide was determined. Microsporidian spores did not induce a nitric oxide response in macrophages and there was a negative correlation between the number of intracellular spores and the amount of nitric oxide. TNF-alpha, INF-gamma, and IL-10 increased after simulation of macrophages with microsporidian spores but for TNF-alpha and INF-gamma no clear correlation of cytokine levels with the number of intracellular spores could be observed. A modulation of the nitric oxide response by intracellular microsporidia may contribute to the survival of microsporidia within the macrophage by a mechanism yet unknown.

Natural mercury enrichment in a minerogenic fen--evaluation of sources and processes.

Mercury (Hg) records in natural archives such as peat bogs are often used to evaluate anthropogenic or climatic influences on atmospheric Hg deposition. In this context, there is an ongoing discussion about natural sources or processes of Hg enrichment in natural archives. In the present study we estimated Hg fluxes from rock weathering, direct atmospheric deposition and from indirect atmospheric deposition in the catchment of a pristine minerogenic fen (GC2) located in the Magellanic Moorlands, southernmost Chile. The Hg record in the bog covers 11 174 cal. (14)C years and shows Hg concentrations of up to 570 [micro sign]g kg(-1) with an average of 268 [micro sign]g kg(-1). Hg was found to be enriched in the peat by a factor of 81 if compared to the mean Hg concentrations in the rocks of the catchment (3.2 [micro sign]g kg(-1)). Hg and also Pb, Fe, and As were found to be enriched predominately in goethite layers indicating high retention of these elements in the bog by iron oxyhydrates. It could also be demonstrated that the high peat decomposition rates in minerogenic bogs can increase the Hg concentrations in the minerogenic peat by a factor of approximately 2 at the same atmospheric Hg deposition rate if compared to ombrotrophic sites. This study has shown that Hg in minerogenic peat can be naturally enriched especially through the retention by autochthonous formed goethite and can be a solely internal process which does not require increased external Hg fluxes.

BEACOPP therapeutic regimen for patients with Hodgkin's disease and HIV infection.

BACKGROUND: Hodgkin's disease (HD) is the most common non-AIDS-defining tumor diagnosed in HIV-infected patients. Antineoplastic treatment is difficult considering the underlying immunodeficiency caused by HIV itself and may increase the risk of opportunistic infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the chemotherapeutic regimen bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine and prednisone (BEACOPP) in HIV-infected patients with HD (HIV-HD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve patients with HIV-HD were scheduled to receive six cycles of BEACOPP. Five patients received concomitant antiretroviral therapy. Two patients received additional radiotherapy. Restaging was carried out after three and six cycles of chemotherapy. CD4 counts and HIV RNA levels were regularly monitored during the course of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Complete remission (CR) was achieved in all patients. Of 12 patients, eight patients received the intended six cycles of BEACOPP. Two patients died of opportunistic infections within the treatment period, one patient died of a relapse after 26 months. The other nine patients remain in CR for their individual follow-up period, median 49 months (range 13-108). The most commonly observed toxicity was bone marrow suppression with National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) grade 3/4 leukopenia in 75% of all cases. The mean decline of CD4+ lymphocytes was 238 +/- 230/ micro l, with a mean recovery of 272 +/- 329/ micro l 6 months after the last cycle. Plasma levels of HIV RNA increased moderately or even declined under chemotherapy if highly active anti-retroviral therapy was given concomitantly with BEACOPP. CONCLUSIONS: The BEACOPP regimen is feasible and highly effective in HIV-HD patients. With respect to its overall moderate toxicity, BEACOPP is a safe regimen even in the immunocompromised patient.