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Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) can be passively transferred in Dark Agouti (DA) rats by spleen and lymph node cells after culture with Concanavalin A (Con A). A model not requiring in vitro Con A expansion and activation would be important in investigations of anti-rheumatic drugs in AIA. A new model using irradiated recipients fills this need. Donor DA rats treated with 0.1 ml complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) containing 7.5 mg M. butyricum/ml were sacrificed 11 days after CFA injection, donor spleen cells harvested, and donor spleen cells injected intravenously into recipient DA rats previously irradiated with 5 Gy. Recipient rats developed arthritis 4-14 days after spleen cell transfer. This model can now be used to further define the effects of anti-rheumatic drugs in the passive transfer of AIA by eliminating the need for the in vitro Con A-induced expansion and/or activation of donor cells.

The effect of flurbiprofen on the passive transfer of adjuvant-induced arthritis was studied to determine if flurbiprofen acted in the donor and/or recipient arms of this model. Groups of donor and recipient rats were treated with either placebo or flurbiprofen 4 mg/kg. Joint scores were markedly decreased in recipient rats treated with flurbiprofen irrespective of the whether donor animals were treated with placebo or flurbiprofen (p less than 0.01). There was also a moderate decrease in the ability of donor cells from rats treated with flurbiprofen to suppress the severity of arthritis (p less than 0.01); however, this effect was less marked than that seen in recipient animals. These data imply that flurbiprofen may act at multiple sites in adjuvant-induced arthritis, but the major site of action of flurbiprofen in this model is in the recipient animals.

Skin testing and RAST have verified the existence of tobacco-specific IgE. However, published studies report conflicting results concerning the clinical significance of tobacco IgE. Previous studies have not focused on the role of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) as it relates to tobacco hypersensitivity (TH) in nonsmoking children.We used nonsmoking pediatric patients to investigate the relationship between ETS and TH.Children, ages 4 to 10 years, were prospectively enrolled. ETS exposure and smoke-triggered symptoms were recorded by questionnaire and physician history. Patients were given a skin test (ST) with a panel of aeroallergens plus tobacco extract. A ST reaction to at least one aeroallergen classified a patient as atopic; a ST reaction to tobacco classified a patient as TH.We enrolled 170 patients, mean age 7.2 years. We found 58 (34%) patients reported routine exposure to ETS and 78 (46%) patients reported ETS-induced symptoms. We found 121 (71%) atopic patients and 61 (36%) TH patients. TH was more common in atopic patients (P.0001) and those routinely exposed to ETS (P.05). However, TH failed to predict ETS-induced symptoms in either atopic or non-atopic patients (PPV = 0.40, NPV = 0.69).We evaluated the clinical significance of TH in a nonsmoking patient population related to ETS exposure. We concluded that although TH is statistically related to atopy and ETS exposure, the low predictive values of skin testing for TH limit its clinical usefulness.

The efficacy of combined use of toothpaste and oral rinse containing sanguinaria extract and zinc chloride was compared to placebo products in a 6-month clinical trial. Sixty subjects with moderate levels of plaque and gingivitis were randomly assigned to active and placebo groups. Noninvasive measures of plaque and gingivitis were assessed at baseline and at 2, 6, 8, 14, 20, and 28 weeks. Bleeding on probing was measured at baseline and 6, 14, and 28 weeks. Active group scores were significantly lower (P less than .0001) than placebo scores at each post-baseline time point for all indices, with the exception of plaque at 2 weeks. The 28 week active group scores were 21% lower than the placebo group for plaque, 25% lower for gingivitis, and 43% lower for bleeding on probing. No dental staining or taste alteration was reported in the active group. Three of 30 active group subjects exhibited minor soft tissue irritations that resolved spontaneously without discontinuation of product use. Results indicate that the test products showed good levels of safety and efficacy when administered in a combined use regimen for 6 months.

Previous reports have described a method by which multiple constituents can be analyzed from a sample of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) collected with a precut filter paper strip. In this study the relationship of changes in GCF levels of the vertebrate (lysosomal) enzymes beta-glucuronidase (BG) and arylsulfatase (AS) and the cytoplasmic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was evaluated longitudinally in reference to loss of clinical attachment in patients with existing chronic adult periodontitis. Thirty-six patients were followed for six months. Clinical attachment loss was recorded as the change between the baseline and three month examinations, and the three- and six-month examinations. GCF analysis was performed at baseline and three months. Three groups of patients were identified based on disease progression. Group I patients (N = 5) displayed a generalized form of disease activity. In these patients we observed clinical attachment loss of at least 2.0 mm at a minimum of three unrelated sites. Group II patients (N = 4) displayed a localized form of disease activity. In these patients clinical attachment loss of at least 2.5 mm occurred at one site, or two anatomically related sites. Group III patients (N = 27) did not display clinical attachment loss as defined here. Enzyme analysis was evaluated as a whole mouth score (the per cent of samples from a patient in which enzyme activity was at least twice the population mean) and at individual samples. Group I patients could be identified by elevated whole mouth scores for BG, while Group II patients could not be identified by whole mouth scores for any of the enzymes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

It is generally accepted that normal prepubertal children do not develop periodontitis, and that the severity of gingivitis in prepubertal children is usually less than that observed in children after puberty. One possible explanation is that the bacteria associated with periodontal diseases cannot become established in great numbers prior to puberty. Studies by Kornman and Loesche and others suggest that levels of black pigmented Bacteroides, especially B. intermedius, increase with increased levels of gonadotrophic hormones in pregnant women. Delaney and Kornman have found that there is a similar increase in levels of black pigmented Bacteroides with puberty. The present study involved cultural and microscopic characterization of the subgingival plaque flora of prepubertal, circumpubertal and postpubertal children with similar Silness and Löe plaque index scores. Puberty was confirmed through examination of wrist radiographs. Populations of black pigmented Bacteroides were very low in prepubescent children and were much higher in circumpubertal and postpubertal children. However, B. intermedius predominated only in circumpubertal plaques. Levels of total motile bacteria increased at each age level, but levels of spirochetes above 2% were observed only in the postpubertal group. These results support those of previous investigators who postulated a relationship between hormone levels and black pigmented Bacteroides levels in subgingival plaque and suggest that differences in the subgingival environment profoundly influence the proportions of suspected periodontopathic species in plaque.

The biochemical analysis of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) may offer a sensitive means of determining periodontal disease activity, including the transition of gingivitis to periodontitis. To continue our evaluation of the relationship between clinical and GCF parameters, 552 sites with shallow to intermediate (2.0-5.0 mm) probing depths (PD) were examined. The data were collected at baseline from 33 periodontitis patients participating in a longitudinal trial examining the relationship of changes in GCF biochemistry to attachment loss. Mesiobuccal sites were scored for dichotomous measures of bleeding on probing, gingival redness, suppuration, and plaque accumulation. In addition, GCF was collected using filter paper strips inserted into the sulcus for 30 seconds, eluted in buffer and assayed for activity of the enzymes beta-glucuronidase (BG), arylsulfatase (AS), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), markers for ground substance-degradation and cellular necrosis, respectively. Clinical and GCF parameters were evaluated by increasing PD. Plaque accumulation and bleeding on probing increased with increasing PD, although there was considerable overlap across groups. Suppuration was present in only a very small number of sites and the proportion of sites displaying gingival redness was not related to PD. GCF volume was grouped in 0.25-microliter increments, revealing a progressive shift with increasing PD toward a normal distribution around the median range of 0.51 to 0.75 microliter at 5.0 mm. Mean enzyme activities of BG, and to a lesser extent AS and LDH increased sharply from 2.0 to 3.0 mm, were relatively stable from 3.5 to 4.5 mm, and were significantly higher in 5.0 mm than 4.5 mm sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Examining the relationships among indicators of the acute inflammatory response in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and specific bacterial species in subgingival plaque may provide indications of which bacterial species or groups of species may be associated with potentially destructive host-derived processes. Here we report on the relationship of the subgingival plaque flora to the activity of mammalian forms of the enzymes beta-glucuronidase (beta G), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and arylsulfatase (AS) in GCF from a total of 54 4-6 mm periodontal sites from 13 periodontitis patients. Sites were scored for probing depth (PD) and bleeding on probing, and GCF was collected using filter paper strips inserted into the sulcus for 30 s, eluted in buffer and assayed for enzyme activity. 1 week later, the patients were again evaluated for PD and bleeding, and subgingival plaque was removed with a curette oriented toward the pocket epithelium. Plaque samples were examined by darkfield microscopy and cultured anaerobically on selective and non-selective media. Various groups of bacteria, including species of black pigmenting Bacteroides (BPB), Fusobacterium sp., Capnocytophaga sp, Streptococcus sanguis, and total facultative organisms were enumerated. Relationships among the enzymes and bacterial groups expressed as colony-forming unit (CFU) counts or as a % of the total cultivable flora were assessed by Spearman correlation analysis. beta G levels were significantly correlated with populations of spirochetes, B. intermedius, B. gingivalis, and total lactose negative BPB's. Correlation between beta G and F. nucleatum sp. or Capnocytophaga sp. approached but did not reach statistically significant levels. In contrast, LDH activity showed a significant positive correlation with levels of B. gingivalis and total lactose negative BPB's. AS levels were significantly correlated only with B. gingivalis. beta G and LDH showed a significant negative correlation with levels of coccoid forms. Thus, beta G, an acid hydrolase which can serve as a marker for primary granule release from polymorphonuclear leukocytes, was most closely correlated with the micro-organisms found in other studies to be associated with chronic adult periodontitis.