Clinical signs of excessive brushing were lacking, whereas signs of occlusal disturbance were very consistent with the presence of abfractions.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria have recently been associated with periodontitis and proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of this chronic inflammatory process. Eight isolates of sulfate-reducing bacteria belonging to the genus Desulfovibrio were obtained from the periodontal pockets of five out of seven patients presenting with active periodontitis. A multiplex PCR was devised for their identification at the species level. All isolates were identified as Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis, a recently proposed new species. This finding reinforces the suggestion that Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis is a human bacterium that may present a pathogenic potential.

Desulfovibrio are sulfate-reducing anaerobic gram-negative rods that have been proposed as potential periodontopathogens. We investigated the capacity of Desulfovibrio to invade epithelial cells and induce cytokine secretion from these cells. Desulfovibrio strains were co-cultured with KB cells and counts of intracellular bacteria evaluated up to 3 days after infection. Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis were able to survive within epithelial cells. Intracytoplasmic location of both bacterial species was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Invasion was sensitive to nocodazole, an inhibitor of microtubule polymerization, but not to cytochalasin D, a microfilament inhibitor, suggesting that microtubule rearrangements were involved in the internalization of Desulfovibrio strains by KB cells. Infection by Desulfovibrio resulted in increased production of IL-6 and IL-8 by KB cells. The ability of D. desulfuricans and D. fairfieldensis to survive within oral epithelial cells and to modulate the epithelial immune response may contribute to the initiation and progression of periodontal diseases.

Amoxicillin (AMOX), a penicillin A, belongs to the beta-lactam family It is usually the drug of choice within the class because it is better absorbed, following oral administration, than other beta-lactam antibiotics. Its beta-lactamase degradation might be prevented by using a molecular [AMOX:beta-CD] complex. The aim of this work was to prepare complexes using two methods and then characterize interactions between AMOX and the native beta-CD. The extent of complexation in solution has been evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and 2D rotating-frame Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (2D ROESY). Mass changes (TG), calorimetric effects (DSC), and mass spectrometry (MS) were determined on the same sample under identical conditions using the Skimmer coupling system. Skimmer and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to characterize the solid state of the binary system. Complexation of AMOX with beta-CD was proven by FT-IR, NMR, DSC, and HPLC. The 2D ROESY spectra did not show any dipolar proton interaction of the AMOX with cyclodextrin. The 1:1 stoichiometry of the complex was obtained by HPLC. The stability constant for AMOX with beta-CD was determined to be 1,878 M(-1). In the [AMOX:beta-CD] complex, the phenyl group is included inside the beta-CD, and the ionized carboxyl group on the penam ring forms hydrogen bonds with the secondary hydroxyl groups of another beta-CD to keep the complex stable. Preparation methods allowed exactly the same complex.

This study shows that clinically healthy sites of periodontal patients already present signs of immunological activation characterised by a down modulation of HLA-DR expression on EC and an upregulation of these 2 molecules in PMN.