Background/Aims: Depression represents the most frequent psychiatric disorder in nephrology. Cytokines, and especially IL-6, were found to be elevated in depressed patients with normal renal function. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the relationship between depression and cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Methods: We studied 44 stable patients with ESKD for 71 ± 66 months (32 males; 64 ± 13 years; 27 on hemodialysis and 17 on peritoneal dialysis). The control group included 20 healthy age- and gender-matched individuals (12 males; 60 ± 12 years). Depression was assessed by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZS). Nephelometry for high-sensitivity CRP and ELISA kits for IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α were used. Results: Compared to controls, patients with ESKD had higher ZS scores (56.8 ± 16.8 vs. 44 ± 12.7, p < 0.01), WBC (7,987 ± 2,347 vs. 6,413 ± 870/mm³, p < 0.01), ESR (36.3 ± 15.8 vs. 9.4 ± 3.3 mm, p < 0.001), TNF-α (52 ± 18.4 vs. 10.7 ± 2.8 pg/ml, p < 0.001) and IL-6 (6.3 ± 4 vs. 1.8 ± 0.4 pg/ml, p < 0.001). No differences in high-sensitivity CRP and IL-10 were noted between the ESKD and control groups. Serum IL-6 levels were the only parameter positively correlated with the values of the ZS score in ESKD patients (r = 0.34, p < 0.02). Conclusions: IL-6 may play a role in the pathogenesis of depression in patients with ESKD.

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Unsuccessfully sealed screw access channels of prosthetic implant abutments may lead to malodor or peri-implant diseases in gingival tissues adjacent to implant-supported restorations. Therefore, 72 sets of screw channel analogs with six different materials incorporated (Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), wax, gutta-percha, cavit, endofrost-pellets and cotton pellets) were exposed (2.5 h, 37°C) to Streptococcus mutans, oralis and Candida albicans suspensions. Bacterial adherence was quantified by using the fluorescence dye, Alamar Blue/resazurin, and an automated multifunctional reader. For quantification of fungal adherence the ATP-based bioluminescence approach was used. High relative fluorescence and luminescence intensities (>10,000), indicating high adhesion of streptococci and fungi were found for cotton and endofrost-pellets and low intensities (<5,000) for wax, gutta-percha, cavit and PTFE. The quantity of bacterial and fungal adhesion differed significantly between the assessed various sealing materials. In conclusion and within the limitations of this study, wax, gutta-percha, cavit and PTFE should be preferred as sealing materials.

Based on the prognostic role of Her-2 amplification and protein overexpression in breast cancer, various studies have been performed in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) with inconsistent results. As in invasive breast carcinomas Her-2 overexpression has been related to an increased number of chromosome 17 copies, a common chromosomal alteration in OSCC, we evaluated the association between polysomy 17 and Her-2 protein expression in a series of primary OSCC. Forty-one incisional biopsies of primary OSCC were included in the study. Protein expression was evaluated immunochistochemically with CB11 mouse monoclonal anti-human antibody. The reaction was arbitrarily characterized as absent, faint, moderate, and strong, and staining pattern as cytoplasmic and membranous. Positive cases were analyzed by chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH) to access Her-2 status. The association between polysomy 17 and Her-2 expression was checked by Fisher's exact test. Four cases were negative and 37 cases were positive for Her-2. Staining was faint in 15 cases and moderate in 22 cases. CISH showed that all cases with faint staining were diploid, while from the cases with moderate staining 10 were diploid and 12 polysomic for chromosome 17. Thirteen cases showed purely cytoplasmic staining, while in 24 there were areas of both cytoplasmic and membranous staining. There was a statistically significant correlation between intensity of the reaction and polysomy 17 (P = 0.0036), in particular for cases with both cytoplasmic and membranous staining (P = 0.0128). In some OSCC Her-2 immunohistochemical expression may be associated with chromosome 17 polysomy and not Her-2 amplification.