Impact of genetic polymorphisms on the smoking-related risk of periodontal disease: the population-based study SHIP.

Periodontitis is a bacterial inflammatory disease leading to attachment loss with the consequence of tooth loss. There exists a multifactorial risk pattern including bacterial challenge, smoking, age, sex, diabetes, socio-economic and genetic factors. Smoking has the highest impact on the course of the disease modulated by all the other factors. Here, we report the relationship between smoking and the polymorphisms of genetic polymorphisms inflicted in the pathogenesis.In a randomly selected population-based study, 1083 subjects were typed for the polymorphisms of the IL-1 genotype, Fcgamma RIIIb receptor gene, myeloperoxidase and N-acetyltransferase (NAT2) and related to their periodontal state. Smoking behavior was assessed including present and past quality and quantity of smoking.There is a significant dose-effect relationship between the exposure to tobacco smoke and the extent of periodontal disease assessed as attachment loss and tooth loss. Moreover, there are gene-environmental interactions as subjects bearing variant genotypes show an enhanced smoking-associated risk of the disease modulated by these genotypes. In non-smokers, the impact of these genetic polymorphisms is mostly negligible.This study provides support for the hypothesis that subjects bearing genetic variants of polymorphically expressed phenotypes are at an increased risk of periodontitis when smoking. Mostly, this may be accomplished via the influence of smoking-related impairment on defense mechanisms rather than on the pathogenic pathways.

Isolation of a new insertion element of Yersinia intermedia closely related to remnants of mobile genetic elements present on Yersinia plasmids harboring the Yop virulon.

A new insertion element present in two alleles, designated IS1635.1 and IS1635.2, was identified on a plasmid of a Yersinia intermedia strain by hybridization with the Yersinia enterocolitica pYV virulence plasmid. IS1635.1 and IS1635.2 are 861 bp long, carry imperfect inverted terminal repeats and possess a single open reading frame encoding a putative transposase of the IS6 family. A truncated IS1635 element is present immediately downstream of element IS1635.2. The capacity of the IS1635 elements to mediate transposition in Yersinia was demonstrated with a R6K-derived suicide vector, where a kanamycin resistance gene had been inserted between IS1635.1 and IS1635.2. Hybridization and sequence alignments showed that remnants of IS1635-like insertion elements harboring large deletions and point mutations are present on the Yop virulon harboring plasmids of pathogenic Yersinia strains. In a few cases, the IS1635 element has also been found on plasmids of apathogenic Yersinia strains.

A notable Aspergillus from a mortal aspergilloma of the lung. New aspects of the epidemiology, serodiagnosis and taxonomy of Aspergillus fumigatus.

Different basic mycological observations were made in relation to a fatal case of aspergilloma of the lung in a 45-year-old male. Cultural examination of the sputum and autopsy material from the lung revealed the predominant presence of a white fungus along with a scarce growth of the typical Aspergillus fumigatus. The white isolate produced conidial heads almost similar to that of A. fumigatus but with apparent septation in the phialides. With the help of the immunodiffusion test and use of the antigens from the typical A. fumigatus strain and from the white isolate, antibodies could be detected in the serum of this patient and an antigenetic relationship between these fungi could be observed. It is assumed that this white isolate is a variant of A. fumigatus and its presence in the lung is an indication of chronic or progressed aspergillosis caused by A. fumigatus. Cultural characteristics and developmental morphology of this fungus and the serodiagnostic value of the antigen derived from it will be described in detail in separate communications.

Lymphocyte stimulation and plasma inhibition in patients with malignant neoplasms. A comparative study with three mitogens.

The blastogenic response of lymphocytes from patients with malignant neoplasms was evaluated by stimulation with three phytomitogens (PHA, PWM, and Con A). The response of patient lymphocytes to all three mitogens was significantly lower than that of control lymphocytes, and most patients with abnormal PHA responses also responded abnormally to PWM and Con A. However, a few patients with normal PHA responses were abnormal to Con A, suggesting the suppression of a Con A-sensitive population. The observation that PWM responses were abnormal in patients with lowered PHA lymphocyte stimulation indicates that both T and B lymphocyte mitogen responses were suppressed in these patients. Plasma from patients was capable of either inhibiting or enhancing lymphocyte mitogen stimulation. However, inhibitory plasmas were generally from patients with abnormal mitogen responses.