plaque

Atherosclerosis and periodontitis are chronic inflammatory diseases characterized by inflammation and tissue destruction. Porphyromonas gingivalis , a key pathogen in periodontal disease, is implicated in initiating inflammation and tissue damage.

Given the potential link between periodontitis and the development of atherosclerotic plaques, this study aimed to investigate the presence of P. gingivalis DNA in subgingival and atherosclerotic plaques obtained from cadavers at the Tehran Forensic Medicine Center.

In this cross-sectional study, cadavers with a postmortem interval of 6 hours and atherosclerotic plaques in their coronary arteries, along with subgingival plaques exhibiting pocket depths exceeding 5 mm, were examined. Subgingival plaque samples were collected from the deepest sites, while atherosclerotic plaque samples were harvested. Real-time PCR was employed to detect the presence of P. gingivalis in all samples, and the McNemar test was used for data analysis.

A total of 25 cadavers were included in the analysis, and both subgingival and atherosclerotic plaque samples were assessed. P. gingivalis DNA was identified in 40% of subgingival plaque samples and 16% of atherosclerotic plaque samples. Moreover, all positive atherosclerotic plaque samples also tested positive for P. gingivalis in the subgingival plaque. McNemar's analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between the subgingival and atherosclerotic samples (P-value = 0.03). Additionally, a correlation coefficient of 0.53 was obtained.

While the study has certain limitations, the findings indicate a significant association between the presence of P. gingivalis in subgingival and coronary atherosclerotic plaques. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the precise role of this periopathogen in atherosclerotic plaque formation.

Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide accumulation in the brain is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD). Because of the relationship between the Aβ plaque formation and AD progression, targeting Aβ has been advocated as a treatment strategy for this disease. Several studies have focused on immunotherapy methods, such as different vaccination approaches.

In this systematic review, we explored the main features of the vaccines used to date, including their efficiency in inducing anti-Aβ antibodies and removing Aβ plaques. We also summarized the reported clinical outcomes and mortality rates. A total of 29 articles written in English that describe human clinical trials using three different vaccines (AN1792, CAD106 and AADVac) were reviewed. 

Based on these studies, most of the patients who received one of these vaccines showed a significant anti-Aβ antibody response at some point during the trial. Several studies reported a decline in Aβ plaque load and an increase in Aβ phagocytosis in different brain regions. The time intervals between the initial vaccination and the booster doses vary among studies, but a 30-day interval has been suggested as the most appropriate by most studies. Meningoencephalitis, microhemorrhages, amyloid encephalopathy, allergic dermatitis and atrial fibrillation have been reported as the most common adverse effects in vaccinated patients. 

Clinical investigations have shown improved functional and cognitive outcomes, such as the mini-mental state examination score (MMSE), for vaccinated patients compared to the control groups. However, more human clinical studies are needed for a more conclusive evaluation of the properties of different vaccines.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) cause progressive neuronal loss, resulting in morbidity and mortality. Research is continued on treatment strategies that can tackle the disease's pathophysiology and cease its progression. Considering the anti-apoptotic and neuroprotective properties of apelin, we hypothesized that apelin-13 could be a therapeutic solution for Alzheimer's disease and similar NDDs. Therefore, we evaluated its effect on scopolamine-treated rats.

Male rats (n=40) were assigned to 5 groups of 8. No intervention was considered for the control group. The scopolamine group received stereotaxic surgery and was treated with 3 mg/kg scopolamine intraperitoneally. The treatment groups were treated with scopolamine plus intraventricular injection of apelin-13 (1.25, 2.5, and 5 µg) into the right lateral ventricles for 7 days. For evaluating the memory impairment, the passive avoidance reactions of the animals, except the control group, were assessed 24 hours following the last injection. Regarding histological analysis, Congo red staining of the hippocampal sections was done, and immunoblotting was used to determine apoptotic biochemical markers, including caspase 3, cytochrome C, and congophilic amyloid-beta plaques.

Apelin–13 alleviated scopolamine-related passive avoidance memory impairment and reduced the number of congophilic amyloid-beta plaques in the hippocampus (all P<0.001). It attenuated the decrease in the mean levels of hippocampal apoptotic proteins (caspase 3, cytochrome C) in animals treated with scopolamine (all P<0.05).

The neuroprotective effects of apelin-13 suggest its therapeutic effect on neurodegenerative disorders.

It is noteworthy that vast data links NETs to human arterial thrombosis. In the current study, extracellular neutrophil networks and macrophage polarization were assessed in the area outside and inside the Carotid artery stenosis.

The sample of Carotid plaque of the patient was divided into two halves with a transverse incision; the terms inner part and outer part were used for the plaque's inner part and the adjacent area. Samples were sorted in 10% formalin for CD163, CD11c, MPO, and histone H3 immunohistochemistry assessment, while part of the sample was stored at -80°C for western blotting assay with PDA4 marker.

Results of this study showed that the extracellular neutrophil in the inner part of the Carotid plaque was significantly increased (P<0.0001), while the number of M1 and M2 macrophages was higher in the inner part compared with the outer part of the Carotid plaque (P<0.0001).

Cardiovascular diseases are the most critical causes of mortality in the modern world. Additionally, most acute coronary events result from sudden thrombosis leading to atherosclerotic plaque rupture. Computerized tomography (CT) angiography can identify the characteristics and quantity of plaques. This study investigated the relationship between plaque and moderate coronary stenosis.

This study was a retrospective diagnostic study comprising 91 patients who had been referred to CT angiography at Afshar Hospital in Yazd City, Iran, from 2017 to 2018 and undergone coronary angiography CT while bearing moderate coronary artery stenosis. Using the CT report, location, plaque density, the extent of stenosis, and vein involved were all extracted and recorded. The patients were followed up for one year from the time of the CT scan using the MACE questionnaire. Ultimately, data was analyzed using SPSS software version 22 through Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and t-test.

The results revealed the mean age of the patients to be 62.76±1.08 years; 39 (42.9%) women and 52 (57.1%) men. Based on the obtained results, the most common involved vessel, location of stenosis in CT angiography, and plate density included the left anterior descending artery with 75.8%, the middle part of the left anterior descending artery with 29.7%, mixed density with 54.9% and one segment with 62.6% frequency. Also, according to the significant adverse cardiac event (MACE) questionnaire results, the frequency distribution of cardiovascular events in the studied patients did not exhibit any evidence of cardiovascular events in the patients' one-year follow-up.

There was no evidence of cardiovascular events in the patients with moderate coronary artery stenosis during a 1-year follow-up.

Lesion description has a key role in correct diagnosis and timely treatment. The aim of this study was to review of morphological descriptive terms, which are used in oral lesion description.

An electronic search of the literature was conducted in various database including: Google Scholar, PubMed, PubMed Central, Science Direct, and Scopus databases, for relevant articles using the following keywords: “oral lesion”, “terminology”, “semiology”, ”glossary”, ”morphology”, “primary lesion”, “basic lesion”, “dermatology” ,“oral medicine”, and “stomatology”. About 60 articles were found; out of which, 45 were relevant to our topic of interest. Finally, we included 22 articles that were closely related to the topic of interest. In addition, 4 text books were also used in this study.

After data collection, the following 20 descriptive morphological terms were found. These terms divided into two groups as primary and secondary lesions: (1) Primary lesion: macule, patch, papule, plaque, nodule, tumor, weal (or hive), vesicle, bullae, pustule, abscess, cyst, purpura (petechia & ecchymosis), and hematoma. (2) Secondary lesion: erosion, ulcer, sinus, fistula, and scar.

The correct and updated descriptive terminology should be considered by dentists in oral examination.

Health education for the school age child is a specialized field within the broad discipline of education. Oral health education program are educational aspects of any curative, preventive and promotional health activity.

The study has been undertaken to evaluate the impact of oral health education on the status of plaque, gingival health and dental caries among 12 and 15 years old children attending government school in Shimla city.

Two hundred and seventy six school children participated in the study. The study was conducted over a period of 4 months from May 2010 to August 2010 in Government Senior Secondary School, Sanjauli. Plaque, gingival and caries status was assessed by using Silness and Loe plaque index, Loe and Silness gingival index and WHO modified DMFT index, respectively. Data was analyzed using the software SPSS version 15. Paired t‑test and Wilcoxon signed rank sum test were used appropriately for statistical comparisons. P value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Overall mean plaque score and gingival score decreased significantly after oral health education irrespective of gender. However, decrease in plaque score among 15 years old female children and gingival scores among 12 and 15 years old female subjects was not significant. Difference in mean caries status was statistically insignificant among all the subjects.

Short term oral health education program may be useful in improving oral hygiene and gingival health. Coordinating efforts should be enhanced between school personnel, parents and health professionals to ensure long‑term benefits of such program.