The effect of L. reuteri administered in tablets resulted in a reduction in the number of selected periodontal pathogens in the subgingival microbiota, without an associated clinical impact.

Gold nanoparticles are excellent delivery systems, but how can we get them where we want them to go?

A plasmonic bioassay for the specific detection of human influenza virus has been developed based on gold nanoparticles functionalised with a designed and synthesised thiolated trivalent α2,6-thio-linked sialic acid derivative. The glyconanoparticles consist of the thiolated trivalent α2,6-thio-linked sialic acid derivative and a thiolated polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivative self-assembled onto the gold surface. Varying ratios of the trivalent α2,6-thio-linked sialic acid ligand and the PEG ligand were used; a ratio of 25:75 was found to be optimum for the detection of human influenza virus X31 (H3N2). In the presence of the influenza virus a solution of the glyconanoparticles aggregate following the binding of the trivalent α2,6-thio-linked sialic acid ligand to the haemagglutinin on the surface of the virus. The aggregation of the glycoparticles with the influenza virus induces a colour change of the solution within 30 min. Non-purified influenza virus in allantoic fluid was successfully detected using the functionalised glyconanoparticles. A comparison between the trivalent and a monovalent α2,6-thio-linked sialic acid functionalised nanoparticles confirmed that more rapid results, with greater sensitivity, were achieved using the trivalent ligand for the detection of the X31 virus. Importantly, the glyconanoparticles were able to discriminate between human (α2,6 binding) and avian (α2,3 binding) RG14 (H5N1) influenza virus highlighting the binding specificity of the trivalent α2,6-thio-linked sialic acid ligand.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment of cancer by which tumour cells are destroyed using reactive oxygen species produced by photosensitisers following activation with visible or near infrared light. Successful PDT depends on the solubility and the targeting ability of the photosensitisers. In this work, the synthesis of a porphyrin-based water soluble nanoparticle conjugate containing a targeting agent that recognises the erbB2 receptor overexpressed on the surface of particular cancer cells is reported. The nanoparticle conjugates were synthesised following two different protocols, viz. a biphasic and a monophasic method, with the aim to determine which method yielded the optimal nanosystem for potential PDT applications. The nanoparticles were characterised using UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies together with transmission electron microscopy and zeta potential measurements; and their ability to produce singlet oxygen following irradiation was investigated following the decay in absorption of a singlet oxygen probe. The nanoparticles synthesised using the monophasic method were shown to produce the highest amount of singlet oxygen and were further functionalised with anti-erbB2 antibody to target the erbB2 receptors expressed on the surface of SK-BR-3 human breast cancer cells. The water soluble, antibody-porphyrin nanoparticle conjugates were shown to elicit targeted PDT of the breast cancer cells.

The use of probiotic tablets containing L. plantarum, L. brevis and P. acidilactici did not lead to significant changes in mean GI; although a significant reduction occurred in the number of sites with severe inflammation. Furthermore, the adjunctive use of this probiotic promoted a significant microbiological impact.

No abstract

The presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans was demonstrated in vascular, blood, and subgingival samples in one of 36 patients. These results, although with a very low frequency, may support the hypothesis of a translocation of periodontal pathogens from subgingival microbiota to the bloodstream and then to atheromatous plaques in carotid or other peripheral arteries. Nested PCR is not an adequate method for identifying DNA of periodontal pathogens in low quantities because of the high number of false-negative results.

One of the most important recent observations in traumatic brain injury (TBI) relates to the potential role of apoptosis in secondary brain injury. We aimed to analyze the presence of apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in brain samples from patients with TBI. We also tried to find any association between the in situ results and the in vitro observations in a neuronal model of induced-apoptosis. Brain tissue from the pericontusional zone (PCZ) of patients with traumatic contusions and from post-mortem samples was analyzed. Immunohistochemical analyses of apoptosis-related proteins and the terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) method to determine the presence of apoptotic cells were performed. Apoptotic rates on neuronal cells induced by jugular bulb vein sera was determined by flow cytometry. TUNEL-positive cells were detected in all PCZ of traumatic contusions and in most of PCZ in post-mortem specimens (none in control; p = 0.026). In vivo samples showed higher expression of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 (p = 0.027) and Bcl-XL (p = 0.014) than post-mortem samples. In autopsies, the expression of Fas and Bim (p < 0.05) were higher in PCZ than in the zone distal from the contusion. In vitro studies showed that apoptotic rate was an independent factor associated with mortality at 6 months (p = 0.014). In the receiving operator curve (ROC) curve, a cut-off point of 66.5% showed a sensitivity of 89.5% and specificity of 66.7% in the prediction of patients' death. Cerebral apoptosis is a prominent form of cell death in the PCZ of human traumatic cerebral contusions, and high rates of in vitro apoptosis are associated with a poorer prognosis after TBI.