ABSTRACT
After a review about the gingival surface damages by amalgam alloy overhang, the Authors report a series of cases, which have been resolved either with a new amalgam or reducing the overhang.
Subject(s)
Dental Amalgam , Gingiva/injuries , Adult , Dental Restoration, Permanent/methods , Female , Humans , Male , Surface PropertiesABSTRACT
The Authors want to repropose a technique which is one of the earliest used in conservative dentistry: the fused-gold reconstruction. A method of easy application is explained by the Authors and will undoubtedly stimulate the dentists' interest towards this kind of reconstruction which still today represents one of the most efficient solutions, in conservative dentistry, of the first and second class cavities.
Subject(s)
Gold Alloys , Inlays , Dental Casting Technique , Dental Cavity Preparation , Humans , MolarABSTRACT
HIV infection may display neurological symptoms at any stage; the virus can be isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and of two third of patients with AIDS. This study sought to determine the sensitivity of HIV1-Ag in the CSF of an HIV-Ab positive population to evaluate its diagnostic and/or prognostic significance. CSF HIV1-Ag was dosed in 48 patients: 9 patients belonged to the III CDC group, 2 to group IVA, 1 to IVB and 36 to IVC1. In the last group, 14 patients had not opportunistic infections of the CNS. The tests proved positive in: 1 IVB patient and 16 IVC patients with focal lesions of the CNS or cerebral atrophy; HIV1-Ag was present in the CSF of 63% of patients displaying neurologic symptoms and it reached 84% in patients with diffuse CNS pathology.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/cerebrospinal fluid , HIV Antigens/cerebrospinal fluid , HIV-1/immunology , Nervous System Diseases/etiology , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/complications , Humans , Nervous System Diseases/cerebrospinal fluidABSTRACT
Peripheral blood lymphocytes from a total of 111 patients and 40 healthy individuals were studied for gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) expression on their surfaces by indirect immunofluorescence assay and flow cytometry, with a new anti-IFN-gamma monoclonal antibody (IGMB-14) as a specific reagent. Of 64 patients with proven acute viral infections, 59 had a significantly higher percentage of lymphocytes expressing IFN-gamma on their membranes than healthy individuals did. On the other hand, only 3 (8.9%) of 34 patients with proven bacterial infections had an increased percentage of IFN-gamma-expressing lymphocytes. None of the eight patients with other infections and none of the five with systemic lupus erythematosus showed an increased percentage of IFN-gamma-positive lymphocytes. The percentage of IFN-gamma-expressing lymphocytes during a viral infection was found to be related to different stages of the disease. Finally, some applications of this rapid IFN-gamma assay method in viral diseases are discussed.
Subject(s)
Interferon-gamma/biosynthesis , Lymphocytes/immunology , Virus Diseases/blood , Adolescent , Adult , Bacterial Infections/blood , Bacterial Infections/immunology , Child , Female , Flow Cytometry , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Humans , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/blood , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Mycoses/blood , Mycoses/immunology , Rickettsiaceae Infections/blood , Rickettsiaceae Infections/immunology , Virus Diseases/immunologyABSTRACT
The ability of papaverine to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in H9 cell line and in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture was examined. HIV-infected H9 cells were exposed to different concentrations of papaverine for 20 days. Reverse transcriptase (RT) activity and the presence of p24 in the supernatant were determined to assess the level of viral replication in treated and control cultures. The most effective concentration of papaverine in the culture medium was 10 micrograms/ml, a dose that did not significantly affect cell proliferation. At this drug concentration the treatment resulted in no RT activity or p24 expression in the supernatant and no virus antigen detection at the cellular level as demonstrated by Western blot (WB) analysis. The activity of the drug occurred in a short period of time (60 hours) as shown by radioimmunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and affected the synthesis of the env precursor protein gp160. The drug was also effective in inhibiting HIV replication in PBMC cultures and influenced specific viral markers, namely, RT and p24. Evidence of the efficacy of papaverine treatment was enforced by the finding in the treated PBMC cultures, compared with the untreated ones, of a reduced percentage of cells forming syncitia and of the inhibition of the virus-induced decrease in the number of cells. When an equal number of virus-infected H9 cells exposed or unexposed to papaverine was analyzed for HIV-specific proteins, a marked decrease in the expression of the viral proteins was observed in the treated cultures. At the same time, one cellular protein of molecular weight 69,000 was not inhibited by papaverine. This may indicate that, at least for one protein, synthesis may not be affected by the drug. Our data suggest that papaverine merits attention as a possible nontoxic candidate for the treatment of HIV infection.
Subject(s)
HIV/drug effects , Papaverine/pharmacology , Virus Replication/drug effects , Blotting, Western , Cell Division/drug effects , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/drug effects , Papaverine/therapeutic use , Precipitin Tests , Radioimmunoassay , Viral Proteins/biosynthesisSubject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/blood , Multiple Sclerosis/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Female , HIV Antibodies , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Productive infection of permissive cell cultures by HIV has been detected by different assays of which the measurement of reverse transcriptase (RT) activity has been considered highly specific and sensitive. Here we describe the production and characterization of a mouse hybridoma cell line, MB12, secreting monoclonal antibodies to HIV p24, the major core protein, and the use of this monoclonal antibody to develop a type specific indirect liquid competitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) capable of providing earlier detection of the replicating virus than the RT assay. This assay also provides a quantitative analysis of HIV p24, which can be used to study the viral replication in permissive cell cultures. The ease of methodology and the adaptability of the competitive RIA to various assay conditions make this immunoassay suitable for the study of HIV expression in infected cell cultures.
Subject(s)
HIV/analysis , RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase/analysis , Radioimmunoassay/methods , Viral Core Proteins/analysis , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , HIV/isolation & purification , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Octoxynol , Polyethylene Glycols/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Clinical librarian services provide highly specific, case-related medical literature searches in a manner that permits the information obtained to influence ongoing case management. We have measured the impact of such services on actual case management and on diagnostic thinking in a random sample of 50 searches over five months provided to house officers on medical and pediatric services of a university hospital. Patient management was affected in 20% of cases, and diagnostic thinking was influenced in an even higher percentage of instances. In comparison with information generated by other ancillary services such as clinical laboratories, clinical librarian services appear to be highly effective at an acceptable cost. Since the information generated by such searches may often result in further cost savings to patients, the potential overall efficiency of such services may be great.
