The degree of defective neutrophil Chemotaxis in patients with Down's syndrome (DS) and its relationship to the severity of periodontal disease were studied. Fourteen patients with DS and 14 healthy controls were examined. Oral hygiene, gingival inflammation, and pocket depths were measured in clinical surveys. Bone loss was evaluated on the oral radiographs. Neutrophil Chemotaxis was measured by the agarose plate method and the Boyden chamber method. The chemotactic index of the agarose plate method and the mean numbers of migrated cells of the Boyden chamber method were correlated with statistical significance (rs = 0.066, P < 0.01). DS patients showed significantly lower Chemotaxis than healthy volunteers with both methods. No difference was shown between the two groups in the random migration of the neutrophils. From the oral radiographie analysis, the DS patients exhibited various prevalence of bone loss which was inversely proportional to the chemotactic index and a significant correlation between them was shown (rs = ‐0.612 P < 0.05). A significant correlation was also found between the age of the patient and the prevalence of bone loss (rs = 0.591 P < 0.05). These results indicate that defective neutrophil Chemotaxis influences the progression of periodontal disease in DS patients.
BackgroundCandida albicans is a dimorphic fungus that is part of the commensal microbial flora of the oral cavity. When the host immune defenses are impaired or when the normal microbial flora is disturbed, C. albicans triggers recurrent infections of the oral mucosa and tongue. Recently, we produced NOD/SCID.e2f1-/- mice that show hyposalivation, decrease of salivary protein flow, lack IgA and IgG in saliva, and have decreased NK cells. Our objective was to characterize C. albicans infection and biofilm formation in mice.MethodsNOD/SCID.e2f1-/- mice were used as an animal model for C. albicans infection. C. albicans yeast and hyphal forms solutions were introduced in the oral cavity after disinfection by Chlorhexidine.ResultsThe numbers of C. albicans colonized and decreased in a time-dependent manner in NOD/SCID.e2f1+/+ after inoculation. However, the colonization levels were higher in NOD/SCID.e2f1+/+ than NOD/SCID.e2f1-/- mice. In the mice fed 1% sucrose water before inoculation, C. albicans sample was highly contaminated by indigenous microorganisms in the oral cavity; and was not in the mice fed no sucrose water. The colonization of C. albicans was not influenced by the contamination of indigenous microorganisms. The hyphal form of C. albicans restricted the restoration of indigenous microorganisms. The decreased saliva in NOD/SCID.e2f1-/- did not increase the colonization of C. albicans in comparison to NOD/SCID.e2f1+/+ mice. We suggest that the receptor in saliva to C. albicans may not be sufficiently provided in the oral cavity of NOD/SCID.e2f1-/- mice.ConclusionThe saliva protein flow may be very important for C. albicans initial colonization, where the indigenous microorganisms do not affect colonization in the oral cavity.
Streptococcus mutans releases membrane vesicles (MVs) and induces MV-dependent biofilm formation. Glucosyltransferases (Gtfs) are bound to MVs and contribute to the adhesion and glucans-dependent biofilm formation of early adherent bacteria on the tooth surface. The biofilm formation of S. mutans may be controlled depending on whether the initial pH tends to be acidic or alkaline. In this study, the characteristics and effects of MVs extracted from various conditions {(initial pH 6.0 and 8.0 media prepared with lactic acid (LA) and acetic acid (AA), and with NaOH (NO), respectively)} on the biofilm formation of S. mutans and early adherent bacteria were investigated. The quantitative changes in glucans between primary pH 6.0 and 8.0 conditions were observed, associated with different activities affecting MV-dependent biofilm formation. The decreased amount of Gtfs on MVs under the initial pH 6.0 conditions strongly guided low levels of MV-dependent biofilm formation. However, in the initial pH 6.0 and 8.0 solutions prepared with AA and NO, the MVs in the biofilm appeared to be formed by the expression of glucans and/or extracellular DNA. These results suggest that the environmental pH conditions established by acid and alkaline factors determine the differences in the local pathogenic activities of biofilm development in the oral cavity.
Dandy-Walker syndrome (DWS) is congenital disease characterized by hypoplasia of the cerebellum, the formation of cysts that communicate with the fourth ventricle of the posterior cranial fossa, and hydrocephalus. In addition to various other complications, cleft lip/palate, facial retrognathia, a high-arched palate, and maldentition occur at an increased frequency in patients with DWS. However, few studies have reported the dental manifestations of DWS. Herein, we report the clinical manifestations, oral findings, and dental management of a DWS patient who was treated under general anesthesia. Poor oral hygiene, gingivitis, and several congenital dental abnormalities (e.g., generalized microdontia, conical tooth, transposition, and congenitally missing teeth) were observed. This report is the first to describe the oral findings and dental treatment of DWS. Our findings emphasize the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis and treatment of DWS.
The fungal pathogen Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes oral and vaginal mucosal infections as well as systemic disease. The ability of C. albicans to adhere to host surfaces is positively correlated with its pathogenicity. We prepared a polyclonal anti-Candida albicans antibody in chicken egg yolk (anti-C. albicans IgY) and investigated its in vitro effectiveness in preventing C. albicans adherence and biofilm formation. Anti-C. albicans IgY significantly reduced the adherence of C. albicans SC5314 to human oral epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. The same effect was also observed in other Candida spp. including C. albicans serotype A and B. Further, the IgY inhibited biofilm formation of C. albicans in medium without serum, but the inhibition was slightly restored in medium conditioned with 10% serum. The data indicate that anti-C. albicans IgY cross-reacted with various Candida spp. and may have a protective effect against oral candidiasis and reduce the dissemination of Candida spp. This effect may be due to the blocking of the binding of Candida spp. to the host cells. However, the blocking did not play a role when Candida formed a germ tube in the presence of serum. Therefore, anti-C. albicans IgY may be considered as a prophylactic immunotherapy or possibly an adjunctive antifungal therapy under limited conditions.
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