Full-mouth profile of active MMP-8 in periodontitis patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: MMP-8 in gingival crevicular fluid is considered as a protease with high destructive potential because of its ability to degrade collagen in periodontitis-affected patients. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was a relationship between clinical diagnostic parameters and the concentration of active MMP-8 (aMMP-8) in gingival crevicular fluid in a site-level full-mouth analysis. Based on these data, the prognostic value of aMMP-8 levels in relation to pocket depth may be evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical measurements of pocket depth, bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PlI) and gingival index (GI), as well as samples of gingival crevicular fluid, were obtained from four sites of each tooth of nine healthy female patients with chronic generalized periodontitis. The aMMP-8 concentration in gingival crevicular fluid was quantified by ELISA using specific monoclonal antibodies. Multiple linear regression models for the single measures of aMMP-8 and pocket depth were calculated with GI and BOP as additional variables. RESULTS: Between 92 and 112 recordings were obtained for each parameter in each patient. Mean values of between 31.5 and 88.8% were calculated for pocket depths of ≥ 4 mm. Mean pocket depths ranged from 3.11 to 4.73 mm, the mean BOP values ranged from 34.0 to 96.7% and the mean full-mouth gingival crevicular fluid aMMP-8 concentration ranged from 3.2 to 23.7 ng/mL. CONCLUSION: In this sample of female periodontitis patients, a broad range of intra-individual and interindividual aMMP-8 values was found. Although the explained variance was rather weak, a statistically significant relationship between aMMP-8 and pocket depth was proven.

[Personality structure and child-rearing behavior of parents of children with psychologically defective development]. / Zur Persönlichkeitsstruktur und dem Erziehungsverhalten der Eltern von Kindern mit psychischen Fehlentwicklungen.

The personality structure and educational methods of parents exert considerable influence on the emergence of psychic defects in children. Tests have been conducted with a group where cerebro-organic damage but no psychic defects occurred, another group of children showing psychic defects and previous cerebro-organic injury, and a third group with psychic defects. In the last two groups there was a marked recurrence of traits from the personality structure of the parents, and a larger number of misguided attitudes and educational activities occurred.

[Morphometric analysis of the inner skull base and the brain stem on median frozen sections of the fetal head, between 14 and 40 weeks of gestational age]. / Beitrag zur morphometrischen Analyse der inneren Schädelbasis und des Hirnstammes an mediannah gefriergeschnittenen Köpfen von Feten im Alter zwischen 14 und 40 Wochen.

1. In median sections through frozen heads of 75 human fetuses, between 14 and 40 weeks of age, a total of 12 finite lines was determined at the inner skull-base, at the brain-stem, and in relation of the brain-stem to the inner skull-base. The fetuses were classified into 5 age groups. The data were obtained by means of variance analysis. 2. So far there has not been any information on human fetuses and measured quantities in the available literature. Comparing the mean values of the finite lines of the above mentioned five age groups explains something about the increase of growth. 3. In evaluating the results obtained and comparing the qualitative data reported in the literature, the importance of the different development of medullary functional units on the one hand and the topographic changes in the sense of additive processes on the other hand is emphasized. 4. The comparatively larger increase in the standard deviations between the 29th and the 40th week of fetal age suggests the tendency towards a plateau that may be due to the full development of microstructural systems in the fields examined.

[Significance of model studies for explanation of the pathogenesis of the mechanically induced birth trauma (author's transl)]. / Zur Bedeutung von Phantomversuchen für die Pathogenese des mechanischen Geburtstraumas

We have studied the propotions of displacements from fetal cerebral parts during simulated intrauterine pressure. Stillborn children from the death to the experiments last only some hours, were put in cephalic position in our birth model. The cavum uteri was simulated by a metal cylinder, in which we gave compressed air for simulating the labor. The pressure was held about 100 mm Hg. A rubber cuff was fixed on the metal cylinder and let an opening of 8 cm, simulating the cervix uteri. The model with the death infant in it was frozen and than the fetal head sectioned in slides of 1,5 cm in the right of the birth pressure axis. We found, that the gyri occipital were widened, opposite the gyri frontal were compressed. Parieto-occipital we found a venous blood congestion. The brain stem was kinked and displaced dorsal. In one case we carried out in the meantime an aniogram. The cerebral vessels became under the pressure elongated. This was reversible by decrease of the pressure. The limitation of such model studies are give in some facts. We do not know, how much the loosening of the skull, following the fetal death, leads to a more than normal shifting. We further do not know, which proportions of the displacements of the cerebral substance during labor from the fetus could be compensated. Our findings suggest, that it is possible, that cerebral blood flow will be altered by displacements of the cerebral masses during intrauterine pressure. But we have not exact informations about it.