Stability and efficacy of combined nystatin and chlorhexidine against suspensions and biofilms of Candida albicans

Publication date: Available online 15 February 2018
Source:Archives of Oral Biology
Author(s): Elusa Scheibler, Renata Medina da Silva, Carlos Eduardo Leite, Maria Martha Campos, Maria Antonia Figueiredo, Fernanda Gonçalves Salum, Karen Cherubini
Objective: Nystatin and chlorhexidine are extensively used in oral medicine; however, there is some controversy about the possibility of these drugs showing antagonism. To clarify this issue, this study investigated the efficacy and stability of nystatin and chlorhexidine in combination.DesignAn in vitro study was conducted to analyze the effect of nystatin and chlorhexidine combined on Candida albicans ATCC 18804, using the drugs mixed as a single formulation and as independent formulations used sequentially with different time intervals between them. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and effects on C. albicans suspensions and biofilms were evaluated. Also, the stability of nystatin and chlorhexidine in a mixture was tested by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).ResultsWhen nystatin and chlorhexidine were mixed in a single formulation, there was no significant difference in MIC compared to that of the drugs used alone (as the only treatment). However, when these drugs were used as independent formulations, sequentially with time intervals in between, their MICs were higher than the respective MIC of the drug used alone, except for the MIC of chlorhexidine with a 10-min interval. Nystatin/chlorhexidine combinations showed lower activity against C. albicans biofilms, except for that with a 30-min interval. The drugs when combined showed high percentages of degradation at all the times evaluated.ConclusionsThe combination of nystatin and chlorhexidine seems to interfere with the efficacy of the drugs and to increase their rate of degradation.



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A comprehensive analysis of human dental pulp cell spheroids in a three-dimensional pellet culture system

Publication date: Available online 15 February 2018
Source:Archives of Oral Biology
Author(s): Siyuan Zhang, Patricia Buttler-Buecher, Bernd Denecke, Victor E. Arana-Chavez, Christian Apel
ObjectiveThree-dimensional (3D) cell culture methods are of high importance to studies of biological processes. This is particularly the case with spheroid cultures, which create 3D cell aggregates without the use of exogenous materials. Compared to conventional monolayer cultures, cellular spheroid cultures have been demonstrated to improve multilineage potential and extracellular matrix production. To address this issue in depth, we present a more comprehensive analysis of 3D human dental pulp cell (hDPC) spheroids.DesignhDPC spheroids were fabricated by the pellet culture method and were cultured without adding any reagent to induce differentiation. The gene-expression profiles of the 3D and two-dimensional (2D) cultured hDPCs were compared by complementary DNA microarray analysis. Odontoblastic and osteoblastic differentiation marker gene expression was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were applied to examine the morphology of hDPC spheroids and extracellular matrix components.ResultsCompared with 2D monolayer culture, microarray analysis identified 405 genes and 279 genes with twofold or greater differential expression after 3 days and 28 days of 3D culture, respectively. In 3D hDPC spheroids, gene ontology analysis revealed upregulation of extracellular matrix-related genes and downregulation of cell growth-related genes. RT-qPCR analysis showed higher expression levels of osteocalcin, dentin sialophosphoprotein, and alkaline phosphatase. TEM revealed the morphological characteristics of the fibrillar collagen-rich matrix and cell-cell interactions.ConclusionsThe present findings provide clues to understanding the mechanisms of pellet-cultured hDPCs and contribute to future research in the comparative studies of different 3D culture



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TriCurin, a synergistic formulation of curcumin, resveratrol, and epicatechin gallate, repolarizes tumor-associated macrophages and triggers an immune response to cause suppression of HPV+ tumors

Abstract

Our earlier studies reported a unique potentiated combination (TriCurin) of curcumin (C) with two other polyphenols. The TriCurin-associated C displays an IC50 in the low micromolar range for cultured HPV+ TC-1 cells. In contrast, because of rapid degradation in vivo, the TriCurin-associated C reaches only low nano-molar concentrations in the plasma, which are sub-lethal to tumor cells. Yet, injected TriCurin causes a dramatic suppression of tumors in TC-1 cell-implanted mice (TC-1 mice) and xenografts of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) cells in nude/nude mice. Here, we use the TC-1 mice to test our hypothesis that a major part of the anti-tumor activity of TriCurin is evoked by innate and adaptive immune responses. TriCurin injection repolarized arginase1^high (ARG1^high), IL10^high, inducible nitric oxide synthase^low (iNOS^low), IL12^low M2-type tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) into ARG1^low, IL10^low, iNOS^high, and IL12^high M1-type TAM in HPV+ tumors. The M1 TAM displayed sharply suppressed STAT3 and induced STAT1 and NF-kB(p65). STAT1 and NF-kB(p65) function synergistically to induce iNOS and IL12 transcription. Neutralizing IL12 signaling with an IL12 antibody abrogated TriCurin-induced intra-tumor entry of activated natural killer (NK) cells and Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), thereby confirming that IL12 triggers recruitment of NK cells and CTL. These activated NK cells and CTL join the M1 TAM to elicit apoptosis of the E6+ tumor cells. Corroboratively, neutralizing IL12 signaling partially reversed this TriCurin-mediated apoptosis. Thus, injected TriCurin elicits an M2→M1 switch in TAM, accompanied by IL12-dependent intra-tumor recruitment of NK cells and CTL and elimination of cancer cells.

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Utility of rituximab treatment for exophthalmos, myxedema, and osteoarthropathy syndrome resistant to corticosteroids due to Graves’ disease: a case report

Exophthalmos, myxedema, and osteoarthropathy syndrome is a very rare condition that is associated with Graves' disease. The presence of dermopathy and the involvement of joint/bone tissues indicate that it see...

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Assessing normal values for the FACE-Q Rhinoplasty module: an observational study

Summary

Objectives

The goal of this study was to determine normal values for the FACE-Q Rhinoplasty Module.

Design

A prospective monocentric observational cohort study.

Setting

We tested FACE-Q Satisfaction with Nose and Satisfaction with Nostrils in two groups of patients, seeking or not a rhinoplasty.

Participants

One hundred and four patients were included in the study, fifty-two in each group.

Main outcome measurements

Primary outcome was to identify possible cutting scores to establish normal values for each of the FQRM questionnaires.

Results

Regarding the Satisfaction with Nose scale, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.001). Area under the ROC curve was 0.964 (95%CI= 0.931-0.997). Forty-seven points was the value presenting the best Youden index (Sensitivity = 96.2%, Specificity =86.5%). Regarding the Satisfaction with Nostrils scale, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.001). Area under the ROC curve was 0.820 (95%CI= 0.741-0.899). Sixty-four points was the value presenting the best Youden index (Sensitivity=94.2%, Specificity=53.8%).

Conclusion

This is the first study to generate normative data for the FACE-Q rhinoplasty module. The findings presented here have important implications for future clinical care and research. The definition of a normal score can help practitioners to better analyze their patients and to support a therapeutic indication.

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Disinfection of saline solutions and devices for nasal irrigation – why, when, and how?

Abstract

Nasal irrigation using a saline solution is one of the primary treatments for patients with sinonasal inflammatory diseases and following endonasal surgeries. Irrigation devices and the solutions used often become contaminated, and patients are advised to adopt disinfection techniques (1,2). However, there are currently no guidelines for how patients should perform this task.

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Assessment of narrative writing by Persian-speaking students with hearing impairments

Abstract

Objective

Previous studies have highlighted that narrative skill is critical to the development of the literacy skills by children. Children with cochlear implants (CI) and hearing-aids (HA) may have problems in narrative development compared to peers with healthy hearing (HH). There is no exact data about the narrative writing ability of Persian-speaking students who are hearing-impaired. The current study was undertaken to compare the microstructure and macrostructure scores for narrative writing of Persian-speaking students who are hearing-impaired and peers with HH.

Design

This was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study.

Setting

The subjects were recruited from elementary schools in the city of Tehran.

Participants

A total of 144 elementary school students were participated.

Outcome measures

The written narratives were elicited using a wordless pictorial storybook story. Three-way ANOVA with post hoc adjusted Bonferroni test were applied to determine the main effects and interactions of grounded variables on the microstructure and macrostructure components of narrative writing.

Results

No significant differences were observed in the macrostructure components of narrative writing between hearing-impaired and HH students. Factors analysis showed that the 4^th grade HH students had significantly the highest scores, and the 3^rd grade HA students had significantly the lowest scores in microstructure components of narrative writing.

Conclusion

The findings revealed that hearing-impaired students similarly to their HH peers can transmit the main idea (macrostructure) of narrative writing, but show critical difficulties when using complete grammatical elements (microstructures) to form sentences in order to convey the idea in the narrative.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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