Granulation Tissue Enhanced with Aspirin and Omega-3 PUFAs as a Local Adjunct to the Surgical Treatment of Periodontitis

The topical application of aspirin and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may trigger the resolution of inflammation by inducing the biosynthesis of pro-resolvers such as lipoxins and resolvins while also avoiding the side effects of systemic aspirin intake. This study assessed the effect of enhanced granulation tissue (EGT) on periodontal tissue regeneration through the local application of aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs directly to granulation tissue (GT) during periodontal surgery. This randomized controlled experiment assesses 38 pockets in 19 patients. In every patient, two similar intrabony periodontal defects are treated with an open flap debridement, one with EGT (GT extracted, enhanced with aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs, and replaced) and the other with standard GT removal. Clinical attachment level (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD) are assessed at baseline and 2 and 6 months after surgery. The experimental protocol (EGT) results in a greater CAL gain as compared to that in the controls at 6 months (p < 0.05), while PPD reduction is not affected. The retained GT does not compromise healing. EGT is proposed as a promising, inexpensive, and simple method that may improve the outcome of periodontal regenerative treatment. However, the described protocol requires optimization and further assessment. Practical Applications : The biosynthesis of mediators including resolvins and lipoxins triggered by aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs promote the resolution of inflammation, eventually leading to faster regeneration of inflamed tissues. While granulation tissue is a necessary component in wound healing, enhancing granulation tissue with aspirin and omega-3 PUFAs results in CAL gain in the surgical treatment of periodontal defects. Retained granulation tissue does not compromise periodontal healing. The EGT strategy is an inexpensive and simple method that may improve the clinical outcomes of regenerative periodontal procedures.     

Sensory profiles and preference analysis in ornamental horticulture: The case of the rosebush

The context of ornamental horticulture is considered in order to extend the techniques of sensory and preference evaluation by taking the rosebush as a plant model. In a preliminary study (Boumaza, Demotes-Mainard, Huché-Thélier, & Guérin, 2009), a sensory evaluation was conducted in order to set up a list of attributes. Subsequently, this list was adapted to assess 10 rosebushes. After the control of the panel performance using a multivariate strategy of analysis, the average scores were used in product mapping. The evaluation of the preferences with regard to these rosebushes was undertaken: 253 subjects were asked to rank the products by decreasing order of liking. Thereafter, the preference data were subjected to an internal preference mapping and a cluster analysis. Six homogeneous segments of consumers were eventually retained. By way of performing an external preference mapping, the average ranks were regressed upon the sensory attributes using principal component regression: the preferences of 67% of the consumers were satisfactorily explained by the attributes.     

New applications of pHluorin—measuring intracellular pH of prototrophic yeasts and determining changes in the buffering capacity of strains with affected potassium homeostasis

pHluorin is a pH‐sensitive variant of green fluorescent protein for measuring intracellular pH (pH_in) in living cells. We constructed a new pHluorin plasmid with the dominant selection marker KanMX. This plasmid allows pH measurements in cells without auxotrophic mutations and/or grown in chemically indefinite media. We observed differing values of pH_in for three prototrophic wild‐types. The new construct was also used to determine the pH_in in strains differing in the activity of the plasma membrane Pma1 H⁺‐ATPase and the influence of glucose on pH_in. We describe in detail pHluorin measurements performed in a microplate reader, which require much less hands‐on time and much lower cell culture volumes compared to standard cuvettes measurements. We also utilized pHluorin in a new method of measuring the buffering capacity of yeast cell cytosol in vivo, shown to be ca. 52 mM /pH for wild‐type yeast and moderately decreased in mutants with affected potassium transport. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lead isotopic composition of fly ash and flue gas residues from municipal solid waste combustors in France: implications for atmospheric lead source tracing

Fly ash and flue gas residues from eight municipal solid waste combustors (MSWC) in France (1992--93 and 1998/ 2002) were analyzed for their Pb isotopic composition. Fly ashes are more representative of solid residual particles, whereas flue gas residues reflect mostly the composition of gas phases. Both sample types contain hundreds to thousands of micrograms of metals per gram. Leaching experiments showed that metals are present in condensed phases, probably as sulfates and chlorides, and suggest that Cd, Pb, and Zn are highly fractionated from one another during volatilization/condensation processes occurring during combustion. Although all the samples analyzed define a fairly restricted range in Pb isotopic compositions (206Pb/207Pb = 1.148-1.158 and 208Pb/206Pb = 2.101-2.114) compared to other environmental samples, some MSWC produce materials having distinct isotopic compositions, whereas others display very similar ones. Isotopic heterogeneity is also measured between samples from a single MSWC. This is interpreted as resulting from the heterogeneity of the waste source materials. The range of Pb isotopic composition of incinerator materials form a well-defined linear array in the 208Pb/206Pb versus 206Pb/207Pb diagram. This array is compatible with the previously reported European standard pollution (ESP) line and most probably represent the average lead isotopic composition of industrial atmospheric emissions in France, with the following ratios: 206Pb/207Pb = 1.154+/-0.003 and 208Pb/206Pb = 2.107+/-0.003 (1sigma).