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Background: Periodontal disease is an inflammatory, chronic, and multifactorial disease. The objective of this study is to analyze the association between periodontal disease and some disorders such as papillomas (benign lesions), lichen planus (a chronic immune-mediated disorder), leukoplakia (potentially malignant lesions), and oral cancer (malignant lesions). Methods: For this study, 42 patients were recruited whose supragingival and subgingival plaque was qualitatively analyzed using a phase-contrast microscope, which allowed for the detection of compatible bacterial flora (immobile and composed mainly of cocci) indicative of periodontal health and incompatible bacterial flora (mobile and composed mainly of spirochetes) indicative of periodontal pathology. Patients with incompatible bacterial flora were then subjected to a laser-assisted periodontal treatment with irrigation with hydrogen peroxide within the periodontal pockets (a non-surgical laser-assisted periodontal protocol which is referred to as dye-free photodynamic therapy). Results: Based on the 42 patients recruited, there was no association between oral cavity lesions and periodontal pathogenic bacteria. Four of them were found to have incompatible bacterial flora. Indeed, it was found that almost all the patients had been previously instructed in the proper techniques of home oral hygiene, and more than half of them reported that they carried out periodic check-ups by a dental hygienist. Of the four patients with signs and symptoms of periodontitis, two stated a willingness to undergo the non-surgical laser-assisted periodontal protocol and showed improvements in periodontal indices such as CAL, PPD, and BoP. Conclusions: hygienists and dentists are determining factors in the prevention of periodontal disease and for the maintenance of good oral health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alzheimer's disease is a slowly progressing neurodegenerative illness and the most common form of dementia. This pathology leads to an increase in cognitive decline and is responsible, in patients, for several difficulties in performing various activities of daily living, such as oral hygiene. Several experimental studies have shown that oral health in patients with Alzheimer's disease worsens in direct proportion to the progression of the disease due to the appearance of gingivitis and periodontitis. Methods: This clinical literature review aims to evaluate a possible correlation between periodontal disease and Alzheimer's disease, trying to understand if the periopathogens can contribute to the onset or the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study was conducted on the database PubMed (MEDLINE) of full-text systematic reviews in English on humans and animals that were published in the last five years, from 2018 to 2023. This returned 50 publications, which, once the eligibility criteria were applied, resulted in the 10 publications examined in this review. The selected articles were organized through the construction of tables, analyzed, and compared through Judith Garrard's Matrix method to arrive at the review results. Results: Infection by periopathogens can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, but also the onset of the latter can make it more difficult to maintain proper oral hygiene, favoring the onset of periodontal disease: it is possible to affirm the existence of a correlation between periodontitis and AD. It was found that patients exposed to chronic periodontitis have a greater risk of developing a cognitive decline or AD and that oral pathogens can be responsible for neuropathologies and increasing systemic inflammation. Conclusions: Periodontitis and periodontal pathogens represent a real risk factor for the onset or worsening of AD; however, the pathogenetic mechanism is still not completely clear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoptive transfer of tumor-specific T cells, expanded from tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes or from peripheral blood, is a promising immunotherapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer. Here, we studied whether the tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) of patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced cervical cancer can be used as a source for ACT. The objectives were to isolate lymph node mononuclear cells (LNMC) from TDLN and optimally expand HPV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells under clinical grade conditions. TDLN were isolated from 11 patients with early-stage cervical cancer during radical surgery. Isolated lymphocytes were expanded in the presence of HPV16 E6 and E7 clinical grade synthetic long peptides and IL-2 for 22 days and then analyzed for HPV16 specificity by proliferation assay, multiparameter flow cytometry and cytokine analysis as well as for CD25 and FoxP3 expression. Stimulation of LNMC resulted in expansion of polyclonal HPV-specific T cells in all patients. On average a 36-fold expansion of a CD4+ and/or CD8+ HPV16-specific T cell population was observed, which maintained its capacity for secondary expansion. The T helper type 1 cytokine IFNγ was produced in all cell cultures and in some cases also the Th2 cytokines IL-10 and IL-5. The procedure was highly reproducible, as evidenced by complete repeats of the stimulation procedures under research and under full good manufacturing practice conditions. In conclusion, TDLN represent a rich source of polyclonal HPV16 E6- and E7-specific T cells, which can be expanded under clinical grade conditions for adoptive immunotherapy in patients with cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnusiomyces capitatus may cause uncommon yet severe infections, especially in patients with haematologic disorders. Diagnosis may be difficult and time-consuming and newer approaches are required including the MALDI-TOF technique implemented with the detection of fungal antigens in the body fluids. The recommended treatment includes amphotericin B alone or in combination with flucytosine. We describe a case of a non-neutropenic patient with M. capitatus pleural infection, as identified by MALDI-TOF, positivity for galactomannan antigen in the BAL fluid, and successfully treated with oral posaconazole in single therapy.

Renal biopsy was performed for the first time more than one century ago, but its clinical use was routinely introduced in the 1950s. It is still an essential tool for diagnosis and choice of treatment of several primary or secondary kidney diseases. Moreover, it may help to know the expected time of end stage renal disease. The indications are represented by nephritic and/or nephrotic syndrome and rapidly progressive acute renal failure of unknown origin. Nowadays, it is performed mainly by nephrologists and radiologists using a 14-18 gauges needle with automated spring-loaded biopsy device, under real-time ultrasound guidance. Bleeding is the major primary complication that in rare cases may lead to retroperitoneal haemorrhage and need for surgical intervention and/or death. For this reason, careful evaluation of risks and benefits must be taken into account, and all procedures to minimize the risk of complications must be observed. After biopsy, an observation time of 12-24 h is necessary, whilst a prolonged observation may be needed rarely. In some cases it could be safer to use different techniques to reduce the risk of complications, such as laparoscopic or transjugular renal biopsy in patients with coagulopathy or alternative approaches in obese patients. Despite progress in medicine over the years with the introduction of more advanced molecular biology techniques, renal biopsy is still an irreplaceable tool for nephrologists.