IntroductionXbaI single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (A/G rs934099) in estrogen receptor 1 gene (ESR1) was described to be associated with curve severity in Japanese idiopathic scoliosis (IS) patients and in Chinese patients with both curve severity and predisposition to IS. PvuII SNP (C/T rs2234693) of ESR1 was described to be associated with the occurrence of IS in the Chinese population; however, two replication studies did not confirm the findings. The ESR1 SNPs have never been studied in Caucasian IS patients.MethodsCase-control study. 287 females with IS underwent clinical, radiological and genetic examinations. The patients were divided into three groups according to curve progression velocity: non-progressive IS, slowly progressive IS (progression <1° per month), and rapidly progressive IS (progression ≥1° per month). The radiological maximum Cobb angle was measured and surgery rate established. A control group consisted of 182 healthy females.ResultsAll results followed Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In the case-control study, genotype frequency in the patients did not differ for the XbaI (AA = 33.5%, AG = 49.1%, GG = 17.4%), nor for the PvuII (TT = 26.8%, TC = 50.2%, CC = 23.0%) comparing to controls (AA = 33.5%, AG = 50.5%, GG = 15.9%) and (TT = 23.1%, TC = 51.1%, CC = 25.8%), respectively, p = 0.3685, p = 0.6046. The haplotype frequency for the patients (AT = 47.1%, GC = 39.2%, AC = 8.9%, GT = 2.8%) did not differ from the controls (AT = 44.8%, GC = 37.4%, AC = 14.0%, GT = 3.8%), p = 0.0645. No difference was found either in XbaI (p = 0.8671) or PvuII (p = 0.3601) allele distribution between the patients and the controls. In the case study, there was no significant difference in genotype frequency for the non-progressive, slowly progressive, and rapidly progressive scoliosis. No difference was found in genotype or haplotype distribution for the mean maximum Cobb angle or the surgery rate.ConclusionsNo association was found between ESR1 XbaI or ESR1 PvuII SNP and idiopathic scoliosis in Caucasian females. None of the previously reported associations could be confirmed, regarding curve severity, progression or operation rate.

Chlorhexidine (CHX) is considered the gold standard in the antiseptic treatment of the oral cavity, due to its high antibactericidal capability. With the use of CHX mouth-rinse formulations, the bacteriostatic effects are maintained by the adsorption and prolonged release of CHX from oral surfaces. It was believed that antiplaque formation ability and the lack of systemic toxicity of CHX render it an excellent antiseptic in post-surgical dental treatment. However, recent studies have demonstrated that CHX exerts cytotoxic effects on human periodontal tissues, such as gingival fibroblasts and other cells. It also reduces gingival fibroblast adhesion to fibronectin and prevents fibroblast attachment to root surfaces, thus interfering with periodontal regeneration. In this study, using human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs), we investigated effects of CHX on the growth, morphology and proliferation of HGFs. We found that a low concentration (0.002%) of CHX does not interfere with the proliferation and morphology of HGFs. However, a higher concentration (≥0.04%) of CHX inhibits cell proliferation and to a certain extent, affects cell morphology in a time-dependent manner. A decrease in the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase and the accumulation of cells in the S phase following treatment with CHX also occurred in a dose-dependent manner. We thus concluded that CHX only at the concentration of 0.002% does not interfere with HGF growth, that is so critical to wound healing. Thus, the application of CHX in the post-surgical antiseptic treatment of the oral cavity should be limited.

The presence of biochemical signs of apoptosis in ejaculated spermatozoa suggests that apoptosis may be one of the pathways for sperm death. The relationship between the phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization and the presence of the active form of caspase-3 (CP-3) was studied in human spermatozoa after exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). Semen from 27 normozoospermic men was examined, as the neat semen, after swim-up isolation and after H(2)O(2) incubation, for the translocation of PS, activation of caspase-3 and mitochondrial membrane potential. The percentage of vital spermatozoa expressing PS translocation was lower than the percentage of vital spermatozoa with the active form of the caspase-3, either in neat (4.9 +/- 2.3% versus 19.7 +/- 6.2%, P < 0.001) or in swim-up semen (2.2 +/- 2.3% versus 4.8 +/- 2.9%, P < 0.01). After swim-up isolation, the percentage of vital spermatozoa with active caspase-3 decreased (P < 0.01). After H(2)O(2) stimulation of the swim-up semen fraction, a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential was observed (P < 0.001). Only the midpiece revealed PS translocation after H(2)O(2) stimulation, and it was also the only part to reveal the presence of the active form of caspase-3. All spermatozoa expressing the PS translocation revealed the presence of the active form of caspase-3.

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The effect of the well-characterized callus extract of Chaenomeles japonica on viability, morphology, and proliferation of normal human skin fibroblasts was investigated. The phytochemical analysis was performed using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography method. The total phenolic, phenolic acid, and flavonoid contents were determined spectrophotometrically. The antioxidant activity was investigated using the DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Radical Scavenging), FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power), and CUPRAC (CUPric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity) assays. The callus growth index during passages was high as well as the content of pentacyclic triterpenoids. The microscopic observations of the fibroblast viability, morphology and the evaluation of the proliferation ratio (xCELLigence system) proved that the influence of callus extract on the fibroblasts was dose-dependent. The evaluated level of fibroblasts proliferation rate after 72 h of incubation with callus extract at concentration 12.5 µg L−1 was the highest compared to all the analyzed ligands. Moreover, callus extract administrated for 72 h caused a significant increase in the proliferation rate in comparison with the control group (5.7 ± 0.1 vs. 4.4 ± 0.9; p < 0.01). The preliminary studies carried out may suggest that the callus extract rich in triterpenoids may be a potential source of cosmetic ingredients with a beneficial effect on human skin.