The Effect of Treatment of Denture-related Stomatitis on Peripheral T Cells and Monocytes.

PURPOSE: Systemic immune activation has been recently linked to chronic inflammatory disorders of the oral cavity, particularly to periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment of a fungus-induced oral inflammation, namely denture-related stomatitis (DRS), can affect the activation of the systemic immune response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood from patients with denture-related stomatitis caused by Candida albicans infection (n = 15) was collected at three time points: before treatment with nystatin, at the end of therapy and 2 months after finishing therapy. Activation of T cells and monocytes was assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The percentages of peripheral lymphocytes, T cells and their subpopulations, as well as monocytes were similar before, immediately following and two months after nystatin treatment. Cells expressing early activation marker CD69 and RANTES C-C chemokine receptor type 5 significantly increased immediately after treatment and returned to baseline levels after two months. Th17 cells, which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of DRS, remained unchanged. Central memory CD4+ subset and intermediate subset of monocytes were lower after therapy and this effect was sustained for two months. CONCLUSION: Treatment of denture-related stomatitis does not seem to affect the general state of the cellular components of the immune system. The results suggest a potential proinflammatory effect of the antifungal agent, nystatin. Although transient and not intense, this effect might be of particular clinical importance, because of relationships between inflammation and certain diseases. Further studies are required to clarify this aspect.

Treatment of denture-related stomatitis improves endothelial function assessed by flow-mediated vascular dilation.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of oral inflammation has recently been linked with the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. While numerous studies have described links between periodontitis and endothelial dysfunction, little is known about the influence of denture-related stomatitis (DRS) on cardiovascular risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether the treatment of DRS can lead to improvement of the clinical measures of vascular dysfunction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The DRS patients were treated with a local oral antifungal agent for 3 weeks. Blood pressure, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and nitroglycerine-mediated vascular dilatation (NMD) were measured during three study visits: before treatment, one day and two months after conclusion of antifungal therapy. RESULTS: Flow-mediated dilatation measurements showed significant improvement of endothelial function 2 months after treatment (FMD median 5%, 95 CI: 3-8.3 vs. 11%, 95% CI: 8.8-14.4; p < 0.01), while there was no difference in control, endothelium-independent vasorelaxations (NMD; median = 15.3%, 95% CI: 10.8-19.3 vs. 12.7%, 95% CI: 10.6-15; p = 0.3). Other cardiovascular parameters such as systolic (median = 125 mm Hg; 95% CI: 116-129 vs. 120 mm Hg, 95% CI: 116-126; p = 0.1) as well as diastolic blood pressure and heart rate (median = 65.5 bpm, 95% CI: 56.7-77.7 vs. 71 bpm, 95% CI: 66.7-75; p = 0.5) did not change during or after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of DRS is associated with improvement of endothelial function. Since endothelial dysfunction is known to precede the development of severe cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis and hypertension, patients should be more carefully screened for DRS in general dental practice, and immediate DRS treatment should be advised.

[Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from surgical site infections of patients in southern Poland].

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was a molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from surgical site infections (SSIs) from patients in southern Poland, undergoing different surgical procedures, together with evaluation of the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and the presence of virulence factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this laboratory-based, multicenter study, non-repetitive 162 samples from SSI were collected from hospitalized patients (12 hospitals, n=139) or outpatients (n=23) in southern Poland between January 1 and December 31, 2013. In all S. aureus isolates, we investigated antimicrobial susceptibility, the presence of selected virulence genes (lukE, pvl, tsst-l and eta), and also conducted spa typing. RESULTS: Patients with SSI had a median age of 61 years; 54.9% were male. Prevalence of MRSA (29 strains, 17.9%) SSI per surgery type was 8.7% in orthopaedic, 17.7% in general and 42.9% in vascular surgery. Over 20% of strains were resistant for erythromycin (27.2%), clindamycin (23.5%). No resistance was found for linezolid, glycopeptides or tigecycline. Gene of Leukocidin (lukE) was the most frequently found gene. Spa typing identified 10 spa types; the two dominant types were t003 (41.4%) and t138(17.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that after vascular surgery, there was an unexpectedly high prevalence of MRSA in SSIs in southern Poland. Conversely, the prevalence of MRSA was unexpectedly low following orthopaedics procedures. The surprisingly observation was the low virulence of the S. aureus strains among older patients.

Systemic T Cells and Monocyte Characteristics in Patients with Denture Stomatitis.

PURPOSE: Chronic inflammatory disorders of the oral cavity, such as periodontitis, were recently linked to systemic immune activation. Since fungal oral infections have not yet been studied in this respect, the aim of our study is to determine whether the local inflammation caused by oral fungal infection of the palatal tissue (denture stomatitis-DS) is associated with the systemic inflammatory response. This question is becoming essential as the population ages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood of DS patients (n = 20) and control patients (n = 24) was assessed with flow cytometry to determine lymphocyte and monocyte profiles. Intracellular cytometric analysis was carried out to establish cytokine production by T cells. DS was diagnosed based on clinical symptoms of DS such as swelling and redness of oral mucosa, confirmed by microbiological swabs for fungal colonization with Candida species. The control group was recruited from denture users without clinical and microbiological signs of oral infections. RESULTS: Percentages of peripheral lymphocytes, T cells, monocytes, and their subpopulations were similar in both studied groups. The exception was median percentages of CD25+ T cell subsets, which were significantly lower in DS patients than in control subjects. This reduction was observed in both CD4 T cell subset (16.7% and 28.1%; p = 0.0006) and CD8 T cell subset (4.6% and 7.0%; p = 0.007) CONCLUSIONS: While DS and associated local fungal infection do not overtly affect activation of monocytes or lymphocytes, the number of CD 25+ T cells is significantly lower in the DS patients, possibly indicating limited potential for the infection clearance in denture-using aging patients.

Th17 responses are not altered by natural exposure to seasonal allergens in pollen-sensitive patients.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis affects 10-30 % of the global population and this number is likely to increase in the forthcoming years. Moreover, it commonly co-exists with allergic asthma as a chronic allergic respiratory syndrome. While the involvement of Th2 cells in allergy is well understood, alterations of pro-inflammatory Th17 responses remain poorly characterized. The aim of our study was to determine whether natural seasonal allergen exposure causes changes in T cell subset characteristics in patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma. METHODS: Sixteen patients with allergic rhinitis/atopic asthma (9M, 7F; age 31.8 ± 12.1) and 16 healthy controls were recruited into the study (9M, 7F; age 31.2 ± 5.3). Blood samples were collected from the patients 1-3 months before pollen season (visit 1), within 7 days of the appearance of pollen/initiation of allergic symptoms (visit 2) and 2 weeks after visit 2 following the introduction of symptomatic treatment with antihistamines (visit 3). Flow cytometry was used to assess major T cell subsets (naïve, central memory, effector memory and CD45RA+ effector) and key T cell cytokine production (IFNγ, IL-17A, TNF and IL-4) using intracellular staining. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and paired t test. RESULTS: As expected, an increase in the percentage of IL-4+ CD4+ cells was observed during natural pollen exposure in patients with allergic respiratory syndrome. No significant changes were observed in the production of other cytokines, including Th17 cells, which tended to be lower than in the control population but unchanged during pollen exposure. Introduction of antihistamine treatment led to only moderate changes in cytokine production from CD4 and CD8 T cells. Selective changes in CD8+ T cells were observed during natural pollen exposure including a decrease in transient cells (with features of CD45RA+ and CD45RO+ cells) and a decrease in the percentage of central memory cells in the peripheral circulation. Within the CD4 cell group the total percentage of CD45RA positive CD4 cells was increased during pollen exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Th1 and Th17 responses are not altered during pollen season but allergen exposure affects T cell activation and memory cell status in patients with allergic respiratory syndrome.

Molecular characterization of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infections in Southern Poland.

Due to the clinical threat posed by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and importance of virulence factors produced in infection, 21 carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa were analyzed. 42.8% metallo-beta-lactamases-positive strains were identified. 85.7% of strains were meropenem resistant. 14.2% of strains were MDR; 38%, extensively drug-resistant (XDR). ExoY was present in all strains; exoT, in 95.2%; exoS, in 90.5%; exoU, in 47.6%. Eight XDR strains were typed using multilocus sequence typing: 4 as ST235, 2 as ST260, 2 as ST654 and ST234. MDR P. aeruginosa were isolated from hospitalized patients and among those from the community. Our study demonstrates the serious clinical issues posed by MDR P. aeruginosa and underscores the need for new treatment.

Denture-related stomatitis is associated with endothelial dysfunction.

UNLABELLED: Oral inflammation, such as periodontitis, can lead to endothelial dysfunction, accelerated atherosclerosis, and vascular dysfunction. The relationship between vascular dysfunction and other common forms of oral infections such as denture-related stomatitis (DRS) is unknown. Similar risk factors predispose to both conditions including smoking, diabetes, age, and obesity. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate endothelial function and major vascular disease risk factors in 44 consecutive patients with dentures with clinical and microbiological features of DRS (n = 20) and without DRS (n = 24). While there was a tendency for higher occurrence of diabetes and smoking, groups did not differ significantly in respect to major vascular disease risk factors. Groups did not differ in main ambulatory blood pressure, total cholesterol, or even CRP. Importantly, flow mediated dilatation (FMD) was significantly lower in DRS than in non-DRS subjects, while nitroglycerin induced vasorelaxation (NMD) or intima-media thickness (IMT) was similar. Interestingly, while triglyceride levels were normal in both groups, they were higher in DRS subjects, although they did not correlate with either FMD or NMD. CONCLUSIONS: Denture related stomatitis is associated with endothelial dysfunction in elderly patients with dentures. This is in part related to the fact that diabetes and smoking increase risk of both DRS and cardiovascular disease.

Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infections in Southern Poland.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the resistance and virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains causing urinary tract infections in in- and outpatients in Southern Poland. METHODS: The study included 83 inpatients and 66 outpatients; 36.9% were female. RESULTS: Monomicrobial infections accounted for 74.5%; polymicrobial infections occurred more frequently among inpatients (odds ratio, OR = 4.32, p = 0.0008). exoS and lasB were detected in 90 and 74% of isolates, respectively. aprA was present in 66%, pilB in 5% and pilA in 23% of isolates. Isolates from adults were more frequently resistant to fluoroquinolones (OR = 0.37, p = 0.029). Twenty-nine isolates were classified as multidrug resistant and 12 as extremely drug resistant, which occurred less frequently in patients <17 years (OR = 0.18, p = 0.024). Nine metallo-ß-lactamase-positive isolates were identified. blaSHV was present in 10, blaTEM in 6, blaOXA-10 in 3 and blaVIM-2 in 3 isolates. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic selection should be based on the knowledge of local antimicrobial susceptibilities to maximize the benefit for patients and minimize the risk of drug resistance.

[Endothelial dysfunction related to oxidative stress and inflammation in perivascular adipose tissue]. / Zaburzenia funkcji sródblonka naczyn wywolane stresem oksydacyjnym i stanem zapalnym w okolonaczyniowej tkance tluszczowej.

Endothelial dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many common diseases, like atherosclerosis and hypertension. The key role of the interaction between oxidative stress and inflammation in causal mechanisms of these diseases is widely accepted. Until recently, perivascular adipose tissue was not taken into account while looking at mechanisms of these disorders. However, it has recently been demonstrated that most processes involved in endothelial dysfunction development are taking place in this tissue. Adipocytes are an important source of free radicals and pro-inflammatory cytokines. These molecules lead to further enhancement of oxidative stress, through uncoupling of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and production of peroxynitrite radical instead of nitric oxide which further disrupts eNOS function. In addition, macrophages and T lymphocytes infiltrate adipose tissue as a result of chemotactic proteins release, upon oxidative stress activation, which further enhances inflammation. Thus, the chronic inflammation, which develops in this compartment of adipose tissue in patients with obesity, is the first step in the development of atherosclerotic plaque or hypertension. That is why comprehensive understanding of ongoing processes within perivascular adipocytes is so important.