Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of combined oral and topical photoprotection with a standardized extract of Polypodium leucotomos (Fernblock®) in a Moroccan population with xeroderma pigmentosum.

BACKGROUND: Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal-recessive genodermatosis resulting from a DNA-repair defect syndrome. The purpose was to evaluate the prevention on new malignant lesions in patients taking a supplement with Fernblock® (Polypodium leucotomos extract [PLE]) and secondarily correlation with the photoprotective behavior. METHODS: A prospective, single-center and open cohort study was conducted over a 12-month period. The study was performed in Morocco. Optimal photoprotection behavior was recommended. Patients were instructed to take one capsule containing 480 mg of Fernblock® and 5 mcg vitamin D and to apply sunscreen with a SPF50+ and Fernblock® every 2 h during sun exposure. The demographic, clinical, and dermatoscopic patient data were collected at baseline (T0) and following visits at 3 months (T3), 6 months (T6), and 12 months (T12) when it was assessed: Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), Patient/Guardian Global Assessment (PGA), Patient/Guardian Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Photographic and Adverse Events Registration. Pertinent statistical study was performed. RESULTS: Eighteen patients completed the study. Eleven patients (61%) finished the study without new lesions. Seven patients developed new lesions by the end of the study. Among them, only 30% showed an ideal photoprotective behavior. The lack of an optimal photoprotective behavior increased the probability of developing lesions by 2.5 times with 95% confidence interval. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, more than 60% of patients taking a supplement with Fernblock® did not develop new lesions, and furthermore, we detected that patients following almost ideal photoprotection were 2.5 times less likely to develop NMSC lesions.

Unsedated transnasal percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy placement in selected patients.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the procedure of choice for the long-term management of dysphagic patients with neurological disease or with trauma or tumors of the head and neck. It is not always possible to perform conventional upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in such patients due to stenosis and/or occlusion of the mouth or pharynx and/or partial or complete trismus. The aim of this study was to show whether transnasal esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) offers a feasible and effective alternative method for PEG placement in these selected patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PEG placement was required for 155 patients at our institution during a 27-month period. In 12 patients oral access of an endoscope into the esophagus was not possible. Unsedated transnasal EGD (T-EGD) was then performed using an ultrathin video gastroscope, which had a distal-end diameter of 5.9 mm. A 16-Fr polyurethane PEG tube with a conical, flexible, soft distal end and a collapsible bumper was used in all cases. The Gauderer-Ponsky pull technique was used for PEG placement. RESULTS: T-EGD and perendoscopic transnasal placement of a PEG tube was successfully performed in all 12 patients. No patient required sedation during the procedure. No immediate or late-onset procedure-related complications occurred in any of the 12 patients. CONCLUSIONS: In some dysphagic patients in whom the oral route is not accessible with a standard endoscope, a transnasal endoscopic approach allows the placement of a PEG tube. In these selected patients this technique has been shown to be safe and effective and does not require the use of sedation.

Effects of thyroid-stimulating hormone on the replicative cycle of vesicular stomatitis virus in primary cultured sheep thyroid cells.

Sheep thyroid cells in primary culture are highly sensitive to thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). We infected thyroid cells with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in the course of studies on cell polarity, and we found that TSH augmented the speed of the replicative cycle of VSV but did not affect the final yield of the virus. Three hours post-infection, at a multiplicity of infection of 10, the virus was detected in the cell layer of the cultures incubated with TSH but not in those without TSH. Five hours post-infection, there was a 100-fold increase in the medium in the yield of VSV and a 60-fold increase in the cell-associated virus in the TSH-treated cells compared with the cells without TSH. We found that the early stages of infection were accelerated by TSH. This effect appears to be due, at least in part, to increased processing in the lysosomes, thus allowing deposition of the transcriptionally-active nucleocapsid into the cytoplasm. These studies show that TSH is critically involved in the infectivity of VSV and that by manipulating cell culture conditions, an increased rate of virus production can be achieved.

Hydroperoxide metabolism of amphibia: tissue catalases of leopard frogs.

Catalase activities were measured and compared in liver, kidney, heart, and lung of American Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens complex). The order of activities was found to be liver greater than kidney greater than heart approximately lung. The liver enzyme was found to be inhibited by aminotriazole, cyanide, and azide and appears to peroxidatively oxidize ethanol.

Dental students' input into the accreditation process.

With the recent adoption of a student section in the Procedures for Evaluation Requirements and Guidelines for Dental Education Programs, the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation sought to increase the role of students in the accreditation process. Dental students at Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Dentistry conducted an independent self-study, paralleling that of the school's Accreditation Steering Committee. This self-study enabled students to work with faculty and administrators in implementing improvements in the educational system and to focus attention on student needs and concerns. Six topics (educational costs, dental school student government, relationships with state and national organizations, curriculum, operations, and the Office of Student Affairs) formed the basis of the student self-study.