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Background Caries is a public health problem, given that it prevails in 60 to 90% of the school-age global population. Multiple factors interact in its etiology, among them dental plaque is necessary to have lactic acid producing microorganisms like Streptococcus from he Mutans group. Existing prevention and treatment measures are not totally effective and generate adverse effects, which is why it is necessary to search for complementary strategies for their management. Aim The study sought to evaluate the eradication capacity of Streptococcus mutans biofilms and the toxicity on eukaryotic cells of Lippia alba and Cymbopogon citratus essential oils. Methodology Essential oils were extracted from plant material through steam distillation and then its chemical composition was determined. The MBEC-high-throughput (MBEC-HTP) (Innovotech, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) assay used to determine the eradication concentration of S. mutans ATCC 35668 strain biofilms. Cytotoxicity was evaluated on CHO cells through the MTT cell proliferation assay. Results The major components in both oils were Geraniol and Citral; in L. alba 18.9% and 15.9%, respectively, and in C. citratus 31.3% and 26.7%. The L. alba essential oils presented eradication activity against S. mutans biofilms of 95.8% in 0.01 mg/dL concentration and C. citratus essential oils showed said eradication activity of 95.4% at 0.1, 0.01 mg/dL concentrations and of 93.1% in the 0.001 mg/dL concentration; none of the concentrations of both essential oils showed toxicity on CHO cells during 24 h. Conclusion The L. alba and C. citratus essential oils showed eradication activity against S. mutans biofilms and null cytotoxicity, evidencing the need to conduct further studies that can identify their active components and in order to guide a safe use in treating and preventing dental caries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this study was to estimate the budget impact of collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) vs. fasciectomy (FSC) surgery for the treatment of Dupuytren''s disease (DD) in Spain. A cost minimization analysis was adopted (effectiveness was assumed to be equivalent for both techniques). DD related costs were considered. CCH costs (including drug, administration and visits) were obtained from clinical trials and a real-life study. FSC costs (including type of admission, visits, operating room, re-admissions, tests, drugs and rehabilitation costs) were collected through a retrospective, observational, local study. Unit costs were obtained from local database systems (e-SALUD and BOT). Results were presented from the NHS perspective for the next 3years. We assumed that there were 5100 fasciectomies per year (with a 5% annual increase) and that 20%, 30% and 40% of them will annually utilize CCH. In addition, a 10%, 15% and 20% of untreated diagnosed patients were expected to receive CCH. All the data were validated through an expert panel. A sensitivity analysis was performed with the main variables. The average FSC cost was €2250 (72% inpatients), €1703 for outpatients and €2467 for inpatients. The average CCH cost was €1220 (1.5 vial/injection and four visits) and could drop to €898 (1.1 vial/injections and three visits). The accumulated 3years budget impact analysis (BIA) was 45,971€ (K€−2993 1 [1] Negative numbers refer to savings. ; 3870). According to this study, the inclusion of the CCH should produce a 3-year cumulative budgetary impact of €45,971 (K€−2993; 3870) for the NHS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Estrogens, and to a lesser extent progesterones, influence the proliferation, differentiation and physiology of breast tissue as well as the development and progression of breast cancer. Genetic variants in the steroid hormone receptor genes ESR1 and PGR (belonging to the nuclear receptor superfamily) could therefore modify sporadic breast cancer susceptibility. Two studies have shown a protective effect associated with variants in ESR1 in 2 distinct populations. We studied 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ESR1 and 4 in PGR in 550 consecutive and unrelated sporadic Spanish breast cancer patients and 564 healthy Spanish controls. We observed a dominant protective effect for the S10S variant in ESR1, with an estimated odds ratio (OR) of 0.75 (95% CI = 0.58-0.97; p = 0.03) although functional studies did not show changes in the RNA stability. A small subset of individuals carried a haplotype combination that corroborates this protection. No other SNP considered in either gene was found to be associated with sporadic breast cancer. Our results obtained in a European population confirm the protective role of the S10S variant in ESR1, previously reported in an Asian and a European-American population. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este trabajo expone en primer lugar una contextualización de la plataforma Edmodo para pasar a las conclusiones extraídas a partir de un estudio empírico realizado durante seis meses con un grupo de nueve estudiantes estadounidenses, dentro del programa de prácticas del centro CINECU. Los resultados muestran una propuesta de aplicación de esta plataforma como herramienta para la enseñanza de español como lengua extranjera y una reflexión sobre sus ventajas e inconvenientes en la clase de español.

Abstract Background Conventional Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) has been widely used for detecting copy number alterations in cancer and for identifying regions containing candidate tumor responsible genes. Recently, several studies have shown the utility of cDNA microarray CGH for studing gene copy changes in various types of tumors. However, no such studies on T-cell lymphomas have been performed. To date T-cell lymphomas analyzed by the use of chromosome CGH have revealed only slight copy number alterations and not gene amplifications. Results In the present study, we describe the characterization of three amplicons of the T-cell line huT78 located at 2q34-q37, 8q23-q24 and 20p, where new amplified and overexpressed genes are found. The use of a cDNA microarray containing 7.657 transcripts allowed the identification of certain genes, such as BCLX, PCNA, FKBP1A, IGFBP2 and cMYC, that are amplified, highly expressed, and also contained in the amplicons on 20p and 2q. The expresion of these genes was analyzed in 39 T-cell lymphomas and 3 other T-cell lines. Conclusion By the use of conventional CGH and CGH and expression cDNA microarrays we defined three amplicons in the T-cell line huT78 and identified several novel gene amplifications (BCLX, PCNA, FKBP1A, IGFBP2 and cMYC). We showed that overexpression of the amplified genes could be attributable to gene dosage. We speculate that deregulation of those genes could be important in the development of T-cell lymphomas and/or in the maintenance of T-cell lines.