Efficacy ozone therapy in reducing oral infection of periodontal disease: a randomized clinical trial.

Periodontal diseases are among the most common infectious diseases in the world, caused by pathogenic bacteria that trigger innate, inflammatory, and adaptive immune responses, leading to the destruction of supporting periodontal tissues and, if untreated, tooth loss. The objective of this study was to explore the efficacy of medical device that produced ozonized water (Medica S.r.l. Bologna, Italy) in the treatment of chronic periodontitis of adult patients. A randomized controlled split-mouth study was carried out in ten patients (5 men and 5 women age 42-73 mean 55 ± 7) with a diagnosis of chronic periodontitis. None of these patients received any surgical or non-surgical periodontal therapy and demonstrated radiographic evidence of moderate bone loss. The mouth has been divided into upper right and left quadrants. The upper and lower right quadrants were treated with ultrasonic scaler, the left quadrants with ultrasonic scaler with ozonated water. Ten microbiological samples were collected from upper left quadrants and 10 from upper right quadrants from each patient. Microbiological samples were collected from the sites of the patients at baseline and at the 7th day. Twenty localized chronic periodontitis sites were selected (10 in left quadrants and 10 in right quadrants). After the treatment with ozonized water, a remarkable decrease in bacteria amount, both for some species and for the total count was observed in the left quadrants respect to right ones. Our study demonstrated the efficacy of the ozonized water in the management of moderate to severe chronic periodontitis.

The use of ozone therapy for treatment of periodontal disease: a split-mouth, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

Periodontal treatment has the aim to reduce oral infection and prevent the progression of the disease. The potential benefits of new therapy with Ozonline® for periodontal treatment, include improved patient compliance and an easier access to periodontal pocket. The objective of this study was to explore the efficacy of Ozonline® in the treatment of chronic periodontitis in adult patients. A randomized controlled split-mouth study was carried out in ten patients (5 men and 5 women age 42-73 mean 55 ±7) with a diagnosis of chronic periodontitis. None of these patients received any surgical or non-surgical periodontal therapy and demonstrated radiographic evidence of moderate bone loss. The mouth has been divided into upper right and left quadrants. The upper and lower right quadrants were treated with ultrasonic scaler, the left quadrants with ultrasonic scaler with ozonated water (Ozonline®). 10 microbiological samples were collected from upper left quadrants and 10 from upper right quadrants from each patient. Microbiological samples were collected from the sites of the patients at baseline and at the 7th day. 20 localized chronic periodontitis sites were selected (10 in left quadrants and 10 in right quadrants). After the treatment with Ozonline®, a remarkable decrease in bacteria amount, both for some species and for the total count was observed in the left quadrants respect to right ones. Specifically, T. forsythia and T. denticola were eradicated whereas Total Bacteria Loading and Fusobacterium nucleatum showed a reduction of 38% and 55%, respect to right quadrants. Our study demonstrated the efficacy of the Ozonline® in the management of moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. .

Mesenchimal stem cells in oral medicine: an overview.

This review aims to address the procedures and indications, required for the application of the mesenchymal stem cells treatment strategy of regenerative dentistry. Mesenchymal stem cells have rarely been used in this field; conversely, experience from other clinical fields and basic research seems to recommend the suitability of this scope of application. We reviewed 31 out of 206 articles on Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, etc. The main purpose of this paper is a short review of the literature evaluating the application of stem cells in regenerative dentistry, their ability to get a multilineage differentiation and to introduce a safe and useful alternative way of harvesting and selection. The most common derivation of stem cells used for regenerative dentistry is from the adipose tissue. There are conditions in which the levy adipose cannot be easily achieved, or where large amounts of injectables are not needed. For this purpose, the possibility of selecting stromal stem cells directly from the lax subcutaneous connective tissue preferably of the head region would allow a technical simplification and a greater homology in tissues. .

Visual evoked potentials in NIDDM: a longitudinal study.

In order to assess the possible progression of neurological abnormalities over time and the value of visual evoked potential alterations in predicting stability and severity of diabetes-related optic pathway disease, a longitudinal study in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients was performed. Neurological examination, visual evoked potentials with pattern reversal, motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities and metabolic control were studied in 18 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients and in 35 normal control subjects at baseline and again after 4.6 +/- 0.8 years (range 4-6). At the first recording the peak P100 wave latencies were significantly delayed in the diabetic patients compared with the control subjects; signs of peripheral neuropathy were detected in five patients, clinical in three and in two there was only neurophysiological alteration without clinical signs. The second recording revealed no significant alterations of P100 latencies in patients compared with baseline, but the number with clinical signs and/or neurophysiological alterations with no clinical signs of peripheral neurological disease was increased to seven. In conclusion, we observed that visual evoked potential alterations were stable over time whereas peripheral neurological disease progressed and correlated positively with metabolic control.

Pidotimod in the treatment of patients affected by bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.

A multicentre double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted in order to assess the effects of pidotimod ((R)-3-[(S)-(5-oxo-2-pyrrolidinyl) carbonyl]-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid, PGT/1A, CAS 121808-62-6), a new synthetic biological response modifier, on the clinical picture of bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Seven centres of respiratory diseases participated in the trial. A total of 137 patients, 103 males and 34 females (mean age: 65.0 years) were admitted to the study. The trial was subdivided into 3 phases. During the first 8-day phase (D0-D8), 68 patients received 800 mg pidotimod orally (one sachet) twice daily and an antibiotic treatment (amoxycillin plus clavulanic acid: 1 g twice daily), while 69 patients received placebo (one sachet) and antibiotic according to the same dosage schedule. In the second 7-day phase (D8-D15), while the double-blind therapy proceeded, the antibiotic treatment was stopped. The third phase (D15-D45) consisted of a 30-day follow-up period. Five clinical observations, at D0, D4, D8, D15 and D45, were scheduled. The Skin test, to evaluate immunocompetence, was carried out at D0, D15 and D45. The faster improvement of symptomatology (dyspnoea, cough, sputum, hyperpyrexia) in the patients in the pidotimod group compared with the placebo group was reflected in recovery time: mean 8.9 days in the pidotimod group versus 10.7 days in the placebo group (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

High heparin released platelet factor 4 in uncomplicated type 1 diabetes mellitus.

The role of platelet activation in diabetic microangiopathy is still controversial. We evaluated the degree of platelet activation in relation to vessel wall damage in three selected, well matched groups of subjects (10 healthy controls; 20 insulin dependent diabetic patients, 10 without microangiopathy and 10 with microangiopathy). We measured beta TG and PF4 plasma levels before and 5, 15 and 90 min after a heparin bolus i.v. (5000 U). beta TG basal levels were increased only in diabetic patients with microangiopathy. Diabetic patients without microangiopathy showed significantly higher levels of heparin released-PF4 (HR-PF4) in comparison with healthy controls. High levels of HR-PF4 seem to be an early marker of in vivo increased platelet activation in uncomplicated diabetes mellitus.

Study of visual evoked potentials in diabetics without retinopathy: correlations with clinical findings and polyneuropathy.

To evaluate central optic pathways' involvement in diabetics, visual evoked potentials (VEP), in particular the latency of positive peak (LP100), were studied in 35 patients without retinopathy (4 insulin-dependent, 31 non-insulin-dependent) and 35 normal controls using reversal pattern stimulation. LP100 was significantly delayed in diabetics at both binocular and monocular stimulation. Furthermore, the delay in LP100 was significantly longer in the diabetics with polyneuropathy than in those without, particularly after binocular stimulation. A positive correlation was found between latencies of VEP and HbA1, duration of disease, and neurologic score. VEP measurement seems a simple and sensitive method for detecting early alterations in central optic pathways in diabetics.

Alpha-2 antiplasmin in acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia.

The levels of alpha-2-antiplasmin (alpha 2-AP), antithrombin III (At III) and plasminogen were studied in 21 patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL) before and after induction chemotherapy and during bone marrow cellularity recovery after the postchemotherapy aplastic phase. In the patients with M2, M3 or M4 leukemia who had clinical and laboratory evidence of DIC, the alpha 2-AP levels were very low in the initial phase of the disease but improved significantly during recovery of marrow cellularity. At III and plasminogen values were in the normal range at disease onset and showed no significant modification during the course of leukemia. Proteolytic cleavage of alpha 2-AP by granulocyte proteases, rather than hyperfibrinolysis, may be responsible for the low levels of the inhibitor in the proliferative phase of ANLL. This alpha 2-AP deficiency may well contribute to hemorrhagic diathesis in ANLL independently of the presence or absence of hyperfibrinolysis or DIC. Moreover, the lower alpha 2-AP levels observed during the proliferative phase of ANLL may relate to disease activity.

RV11 (propionyl erythromycin mercaptosuccinate) pharmacokinetics in bronchial secretions.

The kinetics of RV11 (propionyl erythromycin mercaptosuccinate) in serum and bronchial secretions was investigated in heterogeneous bronchopneumopathic patients requiring diagnostic bronchoscopy. A single oral dose, equivalent to 500 mg of erythromycin base, was administered to all patients and the bronchial secretion and plasma concentrations were determined after 2, 3 and 4 hr. The bronchial secretion and plasma levels consistently exceeded those reported previously for erythromycin per os, suggesting that RV11 may have an unusually high affinity for bronchial secretions in humans. The results of this study also suggested that RV11 might have different kinetics in bronchial secretions and serum, though further studies are required to provide definitive evidence.

Pharmacokinetics of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in healthy volunteers.

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) kinetics was studied in 6 male subjects given 100 and 500 mg i.v. Drug concentrations in plasma and urine were assayed using a radioenzymatic method. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated according to an open two-compartment model. The apparent volumes of distribution after the 100 and 500 mg doses were 407 +/- 27 and 443 +/- 36 ml/kg (mean +/- SEM), terminal half-lives 81 +/- 8 and 101 +/- 7 min and body clearances 3.7 +/- 0.5 and 3.1 +/- 0.2 ml/min per kg. Urinary excretion was 34 +/- 3 and 40 +/- 2% of the administered dose. The results demonstrate that drug disposition occurs more via metabolism than via renal excretion, and it is not dependent on the administered dose. Binding of AdoMet to serum proteins is negligible.

Transcoronary platelet thromboxane A2 formation without platelet trapping in patients with coronary stenosis-effect of sulphinpyrazone treatment.

Platelet count, and plasma thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and circulating platelet aggregates (CPA) were determined in the coronary sinus (CS), aortic bulb (AO) and cubital vein (V) in 21 patients with stable angina and in 6 control subjects before and after atrial pacing (AP). TXB2 measurements were repeated before and after AP in 6 of the 21 angina patients after 15 days' sulphinpyrazone treatment. Platelet count and CPA ratio were similar in angina patients and controls at all three sampling sites and were unchanged at AP peak. In the controls, basal TXB2 values in CS, AO and V were not significantly different and were unchanged at AP peak. In the angina patients compared with the controls, basal TXB2 values in the AO, CS and V were not significantly different whereas the CS/AO TBX2 ratio was significantly higher; at AP-induced ischaemia, CS TXB2 was significantly increased and the CS/AO TXB2 ratio was increased. A weak but significant direct correlation was found between CS/AO TXB2 ratio and coronary score. Sulphinpyrazone treatment reduced CS TXB2 levels at rest and after AP, but not the ischaemic threshold at AP.