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The aim of this study was to determine a possible association of IVS3 poly A and IVS10 CA microsatellites with CF in case–control Tunisian groups and to compare the results with the findings in Italian population. Both microsatellites were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis in 70 normal subjects and 60 Tunisian CF patients. The statistical distribution of IVS3 poly A and IVS10 CA polymorphism shows a significant difference between CF patients and controls group. 12 different alleles were found for IVS3 poly A which only five were identified in CF patients. IVS3 poly (A)19 was the most prevalent allele in CF patients with 75%. Nevertheless, IVS3 poly (A)18 was more common in normal individuals (27.14%). Seven different alleles were found for IVS10 CA. The IVS10 (CA)16 was the most prevalent allele both in normal individuals and CF patients with 30.71 and 52.5% frequencies respectively. Concerning the association of these two markers with F508del mutation, we noted that IVS3 poly (A)19 is the most common in our CF patients but IVS3 poly (A)18 is specific to the CF Italian patients. Furthermore, IVS10 (CA)16 and IVS10 (CA)19 are the most dominant (29.16%) in our samples and IVS10 (CA)23 is specific to the CF Italian subjects (94.4%). Our study allowed us to identify the haplotype distribution of both markers IVS3 poly A and IVS10 CA in CF and control subjects. The results obtained show a strong association between the most frequent F508del mutation and IVS3 poly (A)19, IVS10 (CA)16 and IVS10 (CA)19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the apical seal obtained with various root canal sealing cements using a new method based on the use of a radionuclide and an external detection technique. A total of 150 maxillary incisors and canines, which had been kept in saline solution, were used. The root canals were instrumented with a stepback technique and circumferential filing. Six experimental groups and two control groups were randomly formed. Each experimental group was obturated by a lateral condensation technique with gutta-percha points and a different sealing cement (two based on zinc oxide-eugenol cement, two based on resins and two on calcium hydroxide); the positive control used gutta-percha without sealing cement, while in the negative control the apex was covered with nail varnish, leaving the root canal empty. The apical leakage was measured using an external detection technique after submerging the root apices in a solution containing the radioisotope metastable 99Tc. No leakage was observed in the negative control group. There was a large difference between the leakage observed in the positive control group and the experimental groups. The best seal was obtained using Sealapex cement, which differed significantly from AH26, Tubli-Seal and Diaket; there was no significant difference between the latter. The poorest results were obtained with Endomethasone and CRCS; there was a significant difference between these and the previous three sealing cements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1/CD31) is one of the human minor histocompatibility antigens that are the main targets of alloreactive T-cells after hematopoietic stem cells or solid organs transplantation. In order to investigate its polymorphism in Tunisians, three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs668, rs12953 and rs1131012) were selected to perform an allele and haplotype analysis. Hundred-and-forty-two healthy and unrelated subjects were enrolled in this survey. Genomic DNAs were extracted using salting out method. SNP genotyping assays were performed with home-designed sequence-specific primers polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR). As a result, molecular analysis showed that PECAM-1 is one of the most polymorphic markers in the Tunisian population because minor allele frequency was 0.3, and minimum haplotype frequency was 0.03. A low linkage disequilibrium ( D′ = 0.45) between rs12953 and rs1131012 was noticed, although all other loci were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (minimum Pvalue = 0.07). The frequencies were close to those reported in African-American and Caucasian groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]