Paper Title, Authors, Abstract (Issue 1, Volume 4, 2010)

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Pattern of Gastritis as Manipulated by Current State of Helicobacter Pylori Infection
Mohamed M. Elseweidy, Mona M. Taha, Nahla N. Younis, Khadiga S. Ibrahim, Hamdi A. Hamouda, Mohamed A. Eldosouky, Hala Soliman, Samir Ghate

Abstract: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection prevails from 60-80% in patients with gastric ulcer and 90-100% in those having duodenal ulcer. Patients with such type of chronic infection are at increased risk to develop peptic ulcers or gastric adenocarcinomas. The present work aims mainly to identify the pattern of chronic gastritis and potential effect of H. pylori infection using certain biomarkers, histological and immunochemical tests.
Fifty eight individuals, clinically diagnosed as having chronic gastritis, were participated in the present study. They were categorized into 2 groups, the first one (31%) demonstrated positive reaction to IgM antibodies of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) (>40u/ml) and the second group (69%) demonstrated negative reaction. Blood and antral biopsy samples were collected, directed to determination of serum gastrin, pepsinogen I (PgI), pepsinogen II (PgII), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and interlukin-6 (IL-6). Immunohistochemistry technique was also done in antral biopsy to demonstrate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitrotyrosine, DNA fragmentation, myeloperoxidase and histopathological examination.
Serum gastrin, PgI, PgII, PGE2, IL-6 demonstrated significant increase in gastritis patients as compared to normal group. PgI, PgII showed significant increase joined with slight increase of IL-6 in IgM positive group as compared to negative one. Immunostaining testes in antral biopsy showed strong positive reactions for the above mentioned markers as compared to IgM negative group (mild positive reaction).
In conclusion, gastritis patients who express IgM antibodies for H. pylori infection showed higher gastrinaemia and more pronounced atrophic, inflammatory and apoptotic damage than those not expressing IgM antibodies.
 

The Infectious Etiology of Second Trimester Spontaneous Abortion Reflected in the Peripheral Blood
Carmen A. Bulucea, Nikos E. Mastorakis, Mariana F. Paun, Alina D. Neatu

Abstract: The infection’s role in causing or facilitating preterm labor and abortion in the second trimester is nowadays increasingly described. The goal of this study was to quantitatively measure the serum CRP by immunoturbidimetric technique to establish the serum CRP concentration in the second trimester of uncomplicated pregnancy and the sensibility of this parameter in complicated advanced pregnancies. This prospective and controlled study was conducted on 75 pregnant, non smoking women with a gestational age between 13 and 27 weeks, checked in the sections of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Craiova, whose serum CRP was dosed in parallel with leukocytes counting. The patients were split in several study groups including a control group. The data analysis indicates the lack of a positive correlation between serum CRP concentration and gestational age in the second trimester of normal pregnancy after 20 weeks. The results indicate a significant increase of the serum CRP concentration (but not leukocytes number) at 24 hours postabortum followed by a progressive decrease of at least 18% at 48 hours after second trimester uncomplicated abortion. Only the pregnancy complicated by urogenital bacterial infections is accompanied by pathological values of serum CRP significantly elevated with respect to those in a normal pregnancy or one complicated with threatened abortion of unknown cause and non-evolutive, or prior recurrent abortions. 72% of pregnancies complicated with urogenital bacterial infections are accompanied by pathological values of serum CRP (but not of the leukogram), while 100% of pregnant women with serum CRP concentrations 2 mg/dl were diagnosed with chorioamnionitis or acute pyelonephritis. The obtained results suggest that a repeated measurement of the serum CRP concentration could be a valuable predictive marker for intrauterine infection.
 

Therapeutic Abortion in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy
Carmen A. Bulucea, Nikos E. Mastorakis, Mariana F. Paun, Alina D. Neatu

Abstract: Late therapeutic abortion represents termination of pregnancy in the second trimester, before the moment of reaching fetal viability, with the purpose of protecting the mother’s health. The techniques for terminating a pregnancy in the second trimester can be classified as surgical ones (cervical dilation followed by uterine evacuation and laparotomy with hysterotomy or hysterectomy) and medical ones (intravenous oxytocin solution, intraamniotic hyperosmotic solution, prostaglandins and intraamniotic, extraovular, parenteral, oral and vaginal analogues of prostaglandins, just as sensitizers of the myometrium before applying prostaglandins and various combinations of the above mentioned). Prostaglandins are preferentially used nowadays to terminate second trimester pregnancy because of the drawbacks presented by the other surgical and medical methods (used in this purpose), such as limited efficiency and/or their severe complications. This study is intended to extend the existent experience regarding the intravaginal misoprostol for second trimester therapeutic abortion induction. This prospective clinic study selected 20 pregnant women, with a gestational age of 15 to 27 weeks who have been checked in the Clinic of Obstetrics-Gynecology of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, for therapeutic abortion induction. The 20 pregnant women received in PVF a 200μg misoprostol tablet each 12 hours, respecting strictly the protocol developed by the authors. Our results demonstrate clearly that in the conditions of therapeutic correction/counteraction of the complications associated to pregnancies that must be terminated in the second trimester, the rate of abortion in the first 24 hours from the intravaginal misoprostol application (following the protocol developed by the authors) can become 100%, while the average duration of the abortion induced in the same manner drops to under 12 hours. Our observations indicate a rate of complete abortion of 60%, which reduced significantly the rate of postabortum curettage, in the same time opening new perspectives to fetal transplantation and noninvasive investigation of the amniotic fluid.
 

    Paper Title, Authors, Abstract (Issue 2, Volume 4, 2010)

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Laser Thrombolysis and In Vitro Study of tPA Release Encapsulated by Chitosan Coated PLGA Nanoparticles for AMI
Mahboobeh Mahmoodi, Mohammad E. Khosroshahi, Fatemeh Atyabi

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to prepare cationic nanoparticles (NPs) by coating chitosan (CS) on the surface of PLGA NPs and evaluated laser thrombolysis capabilities and photomechanical drug delivery in a blood clot. The tPA encapsulated PLGA and PLGA/ CS nanoparticles were fabricated via the W/O/W double emulsion solvent evaporation surface coating method. The characteristics of NPs are determined by laser light scattering and zeta potential measurement. The CS coating was confirmed by zeta potential and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The surface morphology of NPs was also studied by transmition scanning microscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry was used for thermal analysis. In vitro drug release experiments of tPA encapsulated PLGA and PLGA/CS are determined by HPLC and showed a sustained release profile for three days with little initial burst release for PLGA/CS NPs. The mean particle size and encapsulation efficiency of tPA NPs were in the range of 280-360 nm and 46.7%±1.56, 50.8%±1.09, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency and the particles size were increased as a result of coating with CS. The release kinetics was evaluated by fitting the experimental data to standard release equations (Higuchie equation). This model was used to find the best fit for NPs. The results showed that the NPs for the highest weight percentages of digested clot is PLGA/CS NPs. Compared with tPA, the NPs significantly increased the weight of digested clots in the following order, PLGA/CS NPs (21.6%) > PLGA NPs (15.54%) > tPA (8.05%). Also, the thrombolysis process can be enhanced by delivering tPA into clot during laser ablation based on the photomechanical effect due to optical cavitation bubbles. Photomechanical drug delivery and the NPs used in this experiment showed that they can significantly thrombolysis in vitro in this model, and may be useful for acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
 

Positive Correlation of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Plasma Level and T Helper Activity in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients
S. A. Iacob, D. Banica, E. Panaitescu, M. Cojocaru, D. Iacob

Abstract: The immune modulating role of vitamin D has been extensively studied but less documented in chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of our study was to assess the vitamin D status and adaptative immunity in HCV chronic infected patients. 46 patients were selected, 25 diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C infection and 21 healthy controls. HCV patients were classified according to the degree of hepatic necroinflammatory activity recorded using Actitest. A2-A3 scores were considered relevant for active HCV hepatitis, while A0-A1 indicated inactive HCV hepatitis. We measured: a) vitamin D status using 25-hydroxyvitam D plasma level (Elisa method) and the calcium-phosphorus equilibrium, b) the immune status according to the CD4+ T helper cells and CD8+ T helper cells detected by flow cytometry, and c) the extent of liver cytolysis disclosed by alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. All HCV patients, as well as healthy controls displayed a vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D plasma level 29.571 nmol/l, and 29.271 nmol/l , respectively ). A strong positive correlation between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and CD4+ T helper cells (R= 0.703 Pearson correlation) was found in active HCV patients. Correlations between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the ALT and AST levels were weak and divergent: positive in patients with active HCV hepatitis and negative in patients with inactive HCV hepatitis. Serum CD4+ T helper count in active HCV patients correlated positively with serum total calcium (R=0.841 Pearson correlation) and ionized calcium (R=0.652). In conclusion, positive correlations were recorded in active HCV hepatitis between the immune response (CD4+ T helper cells count), the plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D, total serum calcium, and ionized calcium.
 

    Paper Title, Authors, Abstract (Issue 3, Volume 4, 2010)

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Anti-Cancer, Anti-Necrotic and Imaging Tumor Marker Role of a Novel Form of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase and its Leader Peptide
Pica A., Di Santi A., Basile F., Iacobellis F., Borrelli A., Schiattarella A., Mancini R., Mancini A.

Abstract: The manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) isolated from a human liposarcoma cell line (LSA) was able to kill cancer cells expressing oestrogen receptors, while it did not have cytotoxic effects on normal cells. The oncotoxic activity of the recombinant MnSOD (rMnSOD) was due, likely, to an increase in the level of oxidants in the tumor cells, which have low levels of catalase and, consequently, reach the threshold of toxicity before normal cells. The effectiveness of the rMnSOD in repairing the damage caused by radical excess was further shown by its topical application on necrotic skin. Together with its oncotoxic activity, the rMnSOD exerts a radioprotective effect on normal cells irradiated with X rays. The rMnSOD is characterized by the presence of a leader peptide, which allows the protein to enter cells: this unique property can be used in the radiodiagnosis of cancer or chemotherapy, conjugating radioactive substances or chemotherapic drugs to the leader peptide of the MnSOD. Compared to traditional chemotherapic agents, the drugs conjugated with the leader peptide of MnSOD can selectively reach and enter only the cancer cells, thus reducing the side effects of the traditional treatments.
 

Oxidative Stress, Uric Acid, Vascular Inflammation in Non-Smoking Metabolic Syndrome Patients
Corina Grigore, Irina Stoian, Ovidiu Grigore, Luminita Dawkins, Dan Isacoff, Ion Bruckner

Abstract: Substantial evidence states that serum uric acid is an important, independent risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease especially in patients with hypertension, heart failure, or diabetes, relative to the oxidative stress that alters the plasma lipoprotein profile, the coagulative parameters, the endothelium and the cell membranes, but this is not supported by large scale clinical studies. There is increasing evidence that inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are the most important pathogenic pathways explaining the propensity to atherosclerosis and its complications in metabolic syndrome. Most adipocytokines and proinflammatory biomarkers (adiponectin, cell adhesion molecules, TNF-α, IL, CRP) are elevated in the serum and vessel walls of patients with metabolic syndrome, being positive predictors for cardiovascular events. Aims: To investigate uric acid, oxidative stress, hs C-reactive protein and classical cardiovascular risk factors, in a never treated, non-smoking hypertensive adult patients group (age: 56,9±6,62, sex: m/f=14/22, waist: 93,2±20,3 Kg, ABP: 154.5±14/91.5±8.26 mmHg) with/without MetS vs age-, sex- matched control group. Methods: The concentration of serum and erythrocyte superoxiddismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and malonaldialdehyde (MDA) were analysed by spectrofotometry. All the other risk factors (uric acid, fasting glucose, lipid profile) were assessed by validated standard procedures. High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs CRP) has been performed by a sandwich ELISA method. Results: Plasma levels of oxidative stress parameters determined and hsCRP are significantly higher than the control group (p<0.0001). Oxidative stress markers in non-smoking hypertensive group are strongly correlated (r>0.7) with ABP values, the number of criteria for MetS, waist, BMI and hsCRP, they have an average correlation with age, weight, SCORE algorithm and are not correlated with fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, HDL-C. The coefficient of determination is significantly increased between the number of criteria for the MetS and oxidative stress parameters. Uric acid levels are correleted on average with weight, waist, BMI, average BP, diastolic BP and have a weak correlation with hs-PCR and oxidative stress parameters. Level of hsCRP activity is strongly correlated with waist, the number of criteria for MetS, oxidative stress markers, SCORE algorithm and has an average correlation with BMI, TG, HDL-C. Conclusions: Increase oxidative stress activity and CRP levels are associated with MetS. When applying multiple linear regression, adjusted for sex, age, classical cardiovascular risk factors, arterial blood pressure becomes a powerful and independent determinant factor of oxidative stress parameters; weight and waist are a powerful and independent determinant factors of hs-CRP values.
 

Clinical and Mechanical Caracteristics for Orthodontic Nitinol Wires
Camelia Szuhanek, T. Fleser

Abstract: The materials such as the shape memory alloys in the medical field ensures the possibility of designing and practical achievement of certain cosmetic dentistry works with special advantages regarding the enhanced biocompatibility, superelasticity. The Ni-Ti alloys, have the characteristic of superelasticity which is around 20 times higher than that of stainless steel.The experimental program included the mechanical caracyeristics four NiTi orthodontic wires: traction test, determining the elasticity, alternating bending test, determining the hardness.
 

    Paper Title, Authors, Abstract (Issue 4, Volume 4, 2010)

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The Influence of Doppler Ultrasound Signal Processing Techniques on Fetal Heart Rate Variability Measurements
Janusz Wrobel, Janusz Jezewski, Dawid Roj, Tomasz Przybyla, Robert Czabanski, Adam Matonia

Abstract: Estimation of the instantaneous variability of the fetal heart rate (FHR) is affected by the autocorrelation techniques commonly used in the Doppler ultrasound channel of today’s fetal monitors. Considerably decrease of short-term variability have been noted, which is quite surprising since as it has been shown earlier, the fetal monitors determine FHR signal with quite satisfying accuracy in relation to the reference direct fetal electrocardiography. The aim of this work was to recognize a source of errors caused by the commonly used approach. The results made possible to develop the method for correction of the indices quantitatively describing the FHR variability for a given type of fetal monitor. The proposed correction relies upon cancellation of the constant error component, which has been assigned to an averaging nature of the autocorrelation function. Although the random error component remaining after correction is still not too satisfactory considering the instantaneous values, a significant improvement of reliability of the fetal heart rate variability measurement was confirmed in case of a global one-hour trace assessment.
 

Optical Coherence Tomography and Micro Computer Tomography Investigations on Pressed Ceramic Veneers
C. Sinescu, Meda Negrutiu, C. Ionita, R. Negru, L. Marsavina, F. Topala, Roxana Rominu, Emanuela Petrescu, A. Ogodescu, M. Fabricky, A. Bradu, G. Dobre, M. Rominu, A. Gh. Podoleanu

Abstract: The ceramic veneers are often use in order to increase the esthetic aspect of the frontal teeth when discolorations or old fillings are involved. But some of those ceramic veneers are fractured in a short period of time after they were bonded into the oral cavity. The aim of this study was to analyze the integrity of the ceramic veneers using a noninvasive method like the optical coherence tomography working in Time Domain. The obtained results were validated by Micro Computer Tomography. The conclusions point out the importance of investigation the integrity of every veneer before bonding in into the oral cavity.
 

Digital Tools in the Interdisciplinary Orthodontic Treatment of Adult Patients
Alexandru S. Ogodescu, Cosmin Sinescu, Emilia A. Ogodescu, Meda Negrutiu, Elisabeta Bratu

Abstract: Orthodontic treatment of adult patients with complex dental problems is done in interdisciplinary teams where different specialist of dental medicine have to manage a vast quantity of data. In such complicated cases good diagnostic tools and easy communication are essential. Computer science has an increasing impact in almost every aspect of the orthodontic practice, research and education. The paper will present, discuss and evaluate the applications of computer technology in interdisciplinary orthodontics like digital photographs, virtual study models, cone beam computed tomography, three-dimensional craniofacial imaging, communication, virtual reality, software for prediction and treatment planning, video imaging, manufacture of orthodontic appliance, web-based digital orthodontic records and network-attached storage device. In conclusion all this digital tools and the new digital paradigm will change the way of imaging, diagnosing, documenting and will propel well the interdisciplinary orthodontic treatment of adult patients in the future.