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Biomedical subjects

J Mooney

Publications and source records attributed to J Mooney.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Crevicular fluid and serum IgG subclasses and corresponding mRNA expressing plasma cells in periodontitis lesions.

Recent reports suggest that specific serum IgG subclasses are a feature of several forms of periodontitis. GCF antibodies are both serum-derived and locally produced by the abundant plasma cells of the diseased periodontal tissue. Previous work has shown that crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of IgG may be reduced in active and deep periodontal pockets when compared to other sites in chronic periodontitis patients (7). These findings, and more recent findings for IgA levels in GCF (5), suggest that GCF immunoglobulins may indicate "high risk" sites for periodontitis. In these studies, the relative distribution of IgG isotypes was not investigated, nor was the relative contribution of local and serum antibodies to the GCF immunoglobulin profile. Therefore, more precise investigation of the tissue distribution of local gingival IgG subclass producing plasma cells and their protein levels in the GCF from the same sites and in serum, was undertaken.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Effects of treatment on gingival crevicular collagenase, stromelysin and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases and their ability to predict response to treatment.

Fibroblast collagenase (FIB-CL) and stromelysin (SL) are members of a family of enzymes which are capable of degrading most of the extracellular matrix macromolecules. Extracellular control of these enzymes is performed by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP). During healing, inflammation and normal tissue turnover, levels of MMPs and TIMP will change. The effect of treatment on the levels of FIB-CL, SL and TIMP as well as their ability, at baseline, to predict the outcome of therapy was investigated. 21 patients each provided 8 gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples from sites with probing depths > or = 4 mm. Clinical recordings and GCF sampling were performed at 3 time points. Assays for SL, FIB-CL and TIMP were performed by a sandwich ELISA. Attachment level changes were detected by the "tolerance method". The ability of the GCF constituents to predict the response to treatment was assessed by comparing pre-treatment levels between sites which did or did not show attachment gain after therapy. Although no GCF constituents could reliably predict the response to treatment, SL reduced significantly (p = 0.029) after the hygiene phase of therapy. In addition, both SL and TIMP levels showed a highly significant reduction at follow-up visit (p = 0.003 and p = 0.005 respectively). Thus, SL and TIMP levels are reduced by treatment, but these GCF proteins do not appear to have an ability to predict treatment outcome from baseline.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Detection of stable and active periodontitis sites by clinical assessment and gingival crevicular acute-phase protein levels.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether incipient periodontal disease breakdown could be associated with changes in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) acute-phase protein levels. In addition, the potential of clinical indices to act as predictors of significant attachment level (AL) change was investigated. AL measurements were taken at baseline and 3 months using the Florida Probe stent handpiece from a total of 384 sites in 38 patients. The average standard deviation of duplicate AL measurements was 0.423. When the tolerance method was used to detect significant AL change, 3.9% of the sites lost attachment. When a less stringent criterion of AL change of > or = 1 mm was used 9.9% of the sites lost attachment during the 3-month period. With the exception of probing depth, baseline clinical parameters failed to predict AL change. Fourteen active periodontitis sites that demonstrated significant attachment loss were paired to stable periodontitis sites within the same patient. The levels of four acute-phase proteins, namely alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-M), alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT), transferrin (TF) and lactoferrin (LF), and also albumin (Alb) were assessed in the same gingival crevicular fluid sample using sandwich ELISAs. Results were expressed either as ng/30 s and ng/microgram Alb. Acute-phase protein levels in GCF failed to differentiate between active and stable periodontitis sites at baseline. In conclusion, the degree of gingival inflammation of the tissues adjacent to the crevice/pocket seems to influence the levels of protease inhibitors and iron-binding proteins in GCF to a greater extent than probing attachment loss.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1996

Putative periodontal pathogens, antibody titres and avidities to them in a longitudinal study of patients with resistant periodontitis.

OBJECTIVE: To study changes in antibody titres and antibody avidities to putative periodontal pathogens in patients with resistant periodontitis and to compare these findings with the result of culture of these pathogens. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients meeting strict clinical criteria in whom periodontal therapy had failed to prevent disease progression were studied microbiologically and immunologically over a 75-week period. Particular reference was made to the isolation of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) together with changes in antibody titres and avidities to these organisms between baseline examination and week 75. RESULTS: Pg was eliminated following antibiotic treatment but metronidazole and amoxycillin therapy failed to remove Aa in all cases. Antibody avidities to these pathogens were higher in patients than in matched controls but no change in avidity was noted during the course of treatment. Most antibody titres were not significantly higher in patients than in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Continued disease progression characterised these patients who, nevertheless, mounted an immune response to the periodontal pathogens but this appeared to be inadequate to stop the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The effect of subgingival antimicrobial therapy on the levels of stromelysin and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases in gingival crevicular fluid.

Recent investigations imply that a key mechanism in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease may be the ability of oral microorganisms to induce production and/or activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the host tissues. It has been suggested that the pharmacologic inhibition of MMP activity could play an important role in achieving a desirable outcome in periodontal therapy. The efficacy of locally delivered antibiotics on the level of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) stromelysin (SL) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP) on sites with a history of a poor response to mechanical treatment was studied. Fifty-two patients with 4 periodontal pockets > or = 5 mm and bleeding on probing were randomized into four groups of 13 patients. One group received scaling and root planing alone and the other three groups received scaling and root planing plus a locally delivered antimicrobial system. These included 25% tetracycline fiber, 2% minocycline gel, and 25% metronidazole gel. The GCF samples taken at baseline and 6 weeks after treatments were analyzed using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). GCF SL levels significantly decreased after adjunctive tetracycline fiber (paired t-test, P = 0.020) and minocycline gel (paired t-test, P = 0.023) treatments whereas it remained almost unchanged in the other two groups. While the GCF TIMP level did not change significantly in the scaling and root planing alone group, it significantly increased for all three adjunctive antimicrobial treatments (for tetracycline fiber P < 0.001, minocycline gel P = 0.005, metronidazole gel P < 0.001). The use of adjunctive locally delivered antimicrobial systems, particularly the tetracycline family, may offer an advantage in changing the metalloproteinase profile of the GCF to one more compatible with periodontal health.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1995

Sequence of the gene encoding the 16S rRNA of the beer spoilage organism Megasphaera cerevisiae.

The 16S ribosomal RNA gene from the beer-spoilage organism, Megasphaera cerevisiae was polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified and sequenced. Analysis confirmed the phylogenetic position of M. cerevisiae as a sister taxon of Megasphaera elsdenii, within the obligately anaerobic, Gram-negative cocci. The sequence obtained should facilitate the development of DNA probes for early detection of this spoilage organism.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Acute-phase proteins and immunoglobulin G against Porphyromonas gingivalis in peri-implant crevicular fluid: a comparison with gingival crevicular fluid.

This investigation had 2 aims: 1) to determine the levels of acute-phase proteins and immunoglobulin G (IgG) against Porphyromonas gingivalis in peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) and their association with the clinical condition of the peri-implant mucosa; and 2) to compare the inflammatory and immunological responses at implants and teeth as reflected by the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and PICF levels of acute-phase proteins and immunoglobulins. Thirty-one partially edentulous subjects were recruited for this study. PICF was sampled from 1 healthy and 1 inflamed site from each patient; GCF was sampled from an additional 21 healthy and 27 inflamed tooth sites of the same patients. GCF and PICF were collected with paper strips (for 30 s) and analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for alpha 2-macroglobulin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, transferrin, lactoferrin and IgG against P. gingivalis. This investigation demonstrated that the absolute amounts of the acute-phase proteins and IgG against P. gingivalis are higher in GCF and PICF from inflamed than healthy sites. No significant differences were observed between PICF and GCF components at either healthy or inflamed sites, suggesting that inflammatory and immune events are similar in the peri-implant mucosa and gingiva in humans and that PICF and GCF production is governed by similar mechanisms.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1995

Gingival crevicular stromelysin, collagenase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases levels in healthy and diseased sites.

The ability of stromelysin (SL), fibroblast-type collagenase (FIB-CL) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP), to differentiate between healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis sites was investigated. SL and FIB-CL are members of a family of enzymes which are capable of degrading most of the extracellular matrix macromolecules. Extracellular control of these enzymes is performed by TIMP. 40 patients each provided 3 GCF samples from healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis sites. GCF samples were collected by means of sterile paper strips. GCF samples were eluted into 500 microliters of assay buffer and assays for SL, FIB-CL and TIMP were performed by a sandwich ELISA. The mean amounts of SL and TIMP in diseased sites (gingivitis and periodontitis) were significantly higher than the mean amount of these GCF components in healthy sites (MANOVA p values were: 0.006 for SL and 0.001 for TIMP). GCF SL and TIMP differentiated healthy from diseased sites. Both SL and TIMP showed moderate correlation with clinical indices. FIB-CL was detectable in only 20.8% of all sites and did not correlate with disease status.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The relationship between elastase and lactoferrin in healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis sites.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the relative amounts of elastase (primary polymorphonuclear leucocyte granule constituent) and lactoferrin (secondary PMN granule constituent) in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis sites. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study looked at the two GCF constituents in three categories of disease status within the same subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with chronic adult periodontitis were screened and those exhibiting all three types of sites ie periodontally healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis sites were recruited (n=10) and had GCF collected from the three sites. Lactoferrin and elastase were measured in eluates of GCF by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The absolute amount of lactoferrin measured in ng per 30 s samples was significantly lower in healthy and gingivitis sites as compared to periodontitis sites; however this difference failed to reach significance when the concentration of lactoferrin in GCF was used as the analytical unit. No significant differences were found for elastase levels at any sites when expressed as either absolute amounts or concentrations. Secondary granule release, as evidenced by lactoferrin levels, occurs during cell migration and the process is independent of primary granule release, which is thought to correlate with PMN activation. The relationship between granule constituents in the samples showed significant differences, the highest lactoferrin/elastase ratio being at periodontitis sites (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply a change in the relative amounts of elastase and lactoferrin released at different disease level sites, wth an almost 10-fold increase in the proportion of lactoferrin to elastase in periodontitis sites over healthy and gingivitis sites. This variation in the release by PMNs of primary and secondary granule constituents may indicate alterations in PMN function in different disease environments.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Initial serum antibody titer to Porphyromonas gingivalis influences development of antibody avidity and success of therapy for chronic periodontitis.

This study assessed the effect of periodontal therapy on specific serum antibody concentration, expressed as titer, and antibody binding strength, expressed as relative avidity. The immune responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans were investigated. Antibody titer was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and relative avidity was measured by thiocyanate elution in 17 adult periodontitis patients before and after therapy. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidities (expressed as thiocyanate molarity) to P. gingivalis increased from 1.01 to 1.38 M (P = 0.05) and IgA titers (expressed as ELISA units [EU]) increased from 89 to 237 EU (P = 0.012). There were no significant changes in avidity to A. actinomycetemcomitans, but the titer of all three immunoglobulin classes increased significantly (P < 0.03). More specifically, when patients were divided into subgroups which had originally been either IgG seropositive (i.e., having an IgG titer to this organism > 2 times the control median) or seronegative for P. gingivalis, only patients who were initially seropositive showed a significant increase in antibody avidity (P = 0.026; mean difference, 0.69 M). Patients who were originally seropositive in terms of IgG and IgA titer to P. gingivalis had demonstrably better treatment outcomes in terms of a reduced number of deep pockets and sites which bled on probing (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that periodontal therapy affects the magnitude and quality of the humoral immune response to suspected periodontopathogens, that this effect is dependent on initial serostatus, and that initial serostatus may have a bearing on treatment outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Humoral immune responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in adult periodontitis and rapidly progressive periodontitis.

The relationships between various forms of periodontal disease and the avidities of serum antibodies of all 3 immunoglobulin (Ig) classes (IgG, IgM and IgA) to Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans were investigated. Twenty-four patients with untreated adult periodontitis and twelve untreated patients diagnosed as suffering from the early-onset form of periodontitis, rapidly progressive periodontitis, were studied. The latter group were matched for age and sex to healthy controls. Antibody titres were measured and avidity (expressed as molarity) was further assayed using the thiocyanate elution method. Avidity has previously been shown to relate to the biological function of antibody. IgM avidities to P. gingivalis were lower in the rapidly progressive periodontitis group than in the adult periodontitis group (0.54 M vs 0.74 M). IgG avidities tended to be lower in the former than in the latter group (0.58 M vs 0.92 M). In accordance with other workers, seropositivity was defined as an immunoglobulin titre more than twice the median level of control sera. Only 2 of the rapidly progressive periodontitis group were seropositive. Interestingly, the seronegative rapidly progressive periodontitis patients were significantly different (0.53 M vs 0.92 M). The data that patients with various forms of periodontal disease appear to produce antibodies of differing avidity to P. gingivalis suggest that the quality of the humoral immune response to suspected periodontopathogens may have a bearing on the aetiology of periodontal disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Acute-phase proteins in gingival crevicular fluid during experimentally induced gingivitis.

The dynamics of four acute-phase proteins were investigated in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) during the course of a 21 day experimental gingivitis study. These acute-phase proteins were the protease inhibitors alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-M) and alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT) and the iron-binding proteins transferrin (TF) and lactoferrin (LF). 6 healthy volunteers ceased all oral hygiene procedures for 3 weeks. GCF was sampled at seven day intervals from two sites per subject by paper strips for 30 s during the experimental gingivitis period and for two additional weeks after the reinstitution of oral hygiene. The mainly serum derived alpha 2-M, alpha 1-AT and TF exhibited very similar dynamics which reflects their common origin in GCF. Their levels increased significantly from baseline and remained high for at least one week after the reinstitution of oral hygiene measures (repeated measures MANOVA; alpha 2-M: p = 0.015; alpha 1-AT: p = 0.012; TF: p = 0.02). This probably reflects increased vascular permeability in the gingivae and, to a lesser degree, local production by gingival inflammatory cells. In contrast to the serum derived acute-phase proteins, the neutrophil derived LF rose significantly from baseline (repeated measures MANOVA; p = 0.001) but dropped rapidly after the reinstitution of oral hygiene measures. This could be because dental plaque was removed and thus neutrophil chemotactic agents in the crevice were decreased.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1994

Detection of Aeromonas salmonicida, causal agent of furunculosis in salmonid fish, from the tank effluent of hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon smolts.

The fish pathogen, Aeromonas salmonicida, could be detected only by bacteriological culture from the kidney of dead or moribund fish in one tank in a hatchery rearing Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) smolts. However, by using a DNA probe specific for this species, allied to a PCR assay, the pathogen could be detected in water, feces and effluent samples taken from this fish tank. Also, the presence of the pathogen was found in effluent samples from two fish tanks containing apparently healthy fish. Subsequently, the presence of pathogen in these tanks was confirmed by an increase in the daily mortality rate and by a plate culture from moribund fish.

Aeromonas↗
PubMed1993

Local and systemic antibody response to putative periodontopathogens in patients with chronic periodontitis: correlation with clinical indices.

Specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA and IgM antibody titres to Porphyromonas gingivalis and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum and gingival crevicular fluid at 5 sites in each of 20 chronic periodontitis patients. Specific serum antibody titres correlated with mean gingival crevicular fluid titres. The 3 immunoglobulin subclass responses (IgA, IgG and IgM) to P. gingivalis correlated. A comparison of sites with probing depth < 4 mm and > or = 4 mm showed that the latter group had significantly lower gingival crevicular fluid IgG titres to P. gingivalis. Sites with a gingival index of 3 had significantly lower gingival crevicular fluid IgG titres to this organism than those with a gingival index of less than 3. These findings support the concept that the humoral immune response is protective, as chronic periodontitis patients with greater pocket depths and more gingival inflammation had paradoxically lower antibody titres to suspected periodontopathogens.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Biography as therapy.

The feeling that life has had no meaning is an impediment to a peaceful death. Life review enables a person to identify events that have been of worth and so enhances self-esteem. This approach has been extended and formalized by establishing a biographer service to compile oral and written biographies of patients who may be expected to benefit from such a re-examination of their lives. The service is now also being offered to patients whose disability precludes most other forms of activity. The value of biography as therapy is considered and it is concluded that it has much to offer in the circumstances described.

Aged↗