Serum antibodies reacting with subgingival species in refractory periodontitis subjects

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the levels of serum IgG antibody to 85 subgingival species in 32 refractory periodontitis, 56 successfully treated, and 33 periodontally healthy subjects. Refractory subjects showed mean full mouth attachment loss and/or >3 sites showing attachment loss >2.5 mm within 1 year after 2 treatment modalities, scaling and root planing and surgery plus systemically administered tetracycline. Successfully-treated subjects showed mean attachment level gain and no sites with attachment loss >2.5 mm, 1 year post-therapy. Periodontally healthy subjects exhibited no pocket or attachment level >3 mm, and no evidence of progressing attachment loss during 1 year of monitoring. Baseline serum was obtained from each subject and tested against 85 subgingival species, including reference strains and strains isolated from refractory subjects, using checkerboard immunoblotting. Significance of differences in levels of serum antibody among groups were sought using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Refractory subjects constituted a heterogeneous group based on their serum antibody response to subgingival species. Some individuals had antibody reactions to many subgingival species, while other subjects showed fewer or low numbers of responses. On average, refractory subjects exhibited higher numbers and levels of serum antibody reactions to a wide range of subgingival species than successfully treated or periodontally healthy subjects. Differences in serum antibody among clinical groups were more striking at higher threshold levels of antibody (>50 microg/ml and > 100 microg/ml). The data showed that a subject was 10.1 x more likely to be refractory if the subject exhibited antibody reactions with >9 subgingival species at >50 microg/ml (p<0.001, after adjusting for multiple comparisons). Serum antibody to a subset of the test species differed among the clinical groups. Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bacteroidesforsythus, and some strains isolated from refractory subjects (a novel Neisseria sp., Enterococcus faecalis, Prevotella loescheii and Prevotella oulora) elicited high serum antibody in the successfully treated and refractory subjects. High levels of serum antibody to a Microbacterium lacticum-like organism, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus constellatus, Actinobacillus actinonmycetemcomitans serotype c and Haemophilus aphrophilus significantly increased the likelihood of a subject being refractory to conventional periodontal therapy.     

IgG receptor polymorphisms: risk factors for disease

Two groups of receptors for immunoglobulin G (FcgammaR) can be distinguished. Endothelial cells and placental syncytiotrophoblasts express an MHC class I-like FcgammaR important for regulation of IgG half-life and IgG transport, respectively. FcgammaR expressed on leukocytes constitute a heterogeneous family of membrane bound and soluble proteins. The various FcgammaR (sub) classes of this family differ in ligand affinity and specificity, which is determined by primary structure, glycosylation, association with signaling subunits, and environmental factors (such as serine proteases). The finding that polymorphisms of FcgammaRIIa, FcgammaRIIIa, and FcgammaRIIIb critically affect interaction with antibodies has prompted analysis in patients which provided tantalizing evidence for the relevance of FcgammaR polymorphisms as risk factors for a number of infectious and autoimmune diseases.     

Subgingival microbiota in healthy, well-maintained elder and periodontitis subjects

This investigation compared the site prevalence of 40 subgingival species in 30 periodontally healthy (mean age 36+/-9 years), 35 elders with a well-maintained periodontium (mean age 77+/-5) and 138 adult periodontitis subjects (mean age 46+/-11). Subgingival plaque samples were taken from the mesial aspect of each tooth (up to 28 samples) in the 203 subjects at baseline. The presence and levels of 40 subgingival taxa were determined in 5003 plaque samples using whole genomic DNA probes and checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. Clinical assessments including dichotomous measures of gingival redness, bleeding on probing, plaque accumulation and suppuration, as well as duplicate measures of pocket depth and attachment level, were made at 6 sites per tooth. The % of sites colonized by each species (prevalence) was computed for each subject. Differences in prevalence and levels among groups were sought using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Commonly detected species, such as Actinomyces naeslundii genospecies 2, Streptococcus sanguis and Streptococcus oralis did not differ significantly among subject groups. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, 4 species were significantly elevated and at greater prevalence in the periodontitis group. Mean % of sites (+/-SEM) colonized by Bacteroides forsythus was 10+/-3, 12+/-2 and 40+/-2 (p<0.001) for healthy, elder and periodontitis groups respectively. The odds ratio was 14.4:1 that a subject had periodontitis when B. forsythus was detected at > or = 5% of sampled sites. Mean prevalence for Porphyromonas gingivalis in healthy, elder and periodontitis subjects was 4+/-2, 5+/-2 and 23+/-2 respectively (p<0.001); for Treponema denticola 12+/-4, 10+/-3 and 30+/-2 (p<0.001) and for Selenomonas noxia 6+/-2, 7+/-2 and 19+/-2 (p<0.01). Similar differences among subject groups were observed when only sites with PD 0-4 mm were analyzed. The data suggest an etiologic role for B. forsythus, P. gingivalis, T. denticola and S. noxia in adult periodontitis.     

Crucial role of FcgammaRIIa (CD32) in assessment of functional anti-Streptococcus pneumoniae antibody activity in human sera

Immunoglobulin G (IgG)-mediated phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) constitutes the main defense against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Two leukocyte IgG receptors, FcgammaRIIa and FcgammaRIIIb, are constitutively expressed on PMNL. Blocking experiments showed FcgammaRIIa is crucial for opsonophagocytosis of serum-opsonized S. pneumoniae. The biallelic, genetically determined FcgammaRIIa polymorphism (FcgammaRIIa-R131 vs. IIa-H131) determines the capacity of IgG2-mediated phagocytosis via this receptor. Comparative studies with PMNL from donors either homozygous for FcgammaRIIa-R131 or IIa-H131 showed the latter had higher phagocytic capacity. These results were confirmed in FcgammaRIIa-R131- and FcgammaRIIa-H131-transfected IIA1.6 cells. The performance of FcgammaRIIa-transfected cells in S. pneumoniae phagocytosis was validated using sera from adults and children. Serum-induced phagocytic activity depended mainly on anti-pneumococcal IgG2 antibodies. Results obtained with PMNL and IIA1.6 cells showed high correlation (r=0.94; P<.001), and support that FcgammaRIIa transfectants are a good alternative to PMNL as effector cells in opsonophagocytosis assays.     

Postmortem stability of total RNA isolated from rabbit ligament, tendon and cartilage

Smoking is a known risk factor for developing periodontal diseases, but the risk appears to be greater for white smokers than black smokers. Furthermore, it has been reported that young white subjects have significantly lower levels of serum IgG2 than their non-smoking counterparts while young black adult subjects are generally not affected by smoking. These relationships prompted the hypothesis that adult white subjects, including periodontitis subjects, who smoked would have more attachment loss than adult black subjects and that smoking would be associated with lower serum IgG2 levels in adult white subjects but not in adult black subjects. Smoking status was established from serum cotinine levels determined by radioimmunoassay. Serum IgG subclass levels were determined using radial immunodiffusion. White adult periodontitis (AP) and non-periodontitis (NP) subjects who smoked had greater mean attachment loss per site than their non-smoking counterparts. Furthermore, smoking white AP subjects and their age-matched NP controls had substantially less IgG2 in their serum. In marked contrast, we were unable to detect any increase in periodontal destruction or a significant decrease in serum IgG2 levels in smoking black AP subjects or their age-matched controls. However, IgG1 and IgG4 levels were reduced in smoking black AP subjects. IgG3 was the only subclass in adults that was unaffected by smoking. IgG2 can be a good opsonin and may help control periodontitis-associated bacteria in adults. Even though a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established, the association between a smoking-related decrease in serum IgG2 and an increase in periodontal destruction in white subjects is striking.     

Identification of the cleavage site involved in production of plasma soluble Fc gamma receptor type III (CD16)

CD16 (FcgammaR type III) is a low-affinity IgG Fc receptor (R) that exists in two isoforms, a transmembrane FcgammaRIIIa expressed by NK cells and monocytes, and a phosphatidylinositol-linked FcgammaRIIIb expressed by neutrophils. A soluble form of CD16 (sCD16) circulates in plasma. The cleavage site and the nature of the enzyme(s) involved in production of sCD16 were investigated. Soluble CD16 was purified to apparent homogeneity from human serum by eight steps, including anion exchange and immunoaffinity chromatography. Serum sCD16 was sequenced at both ends, as well as a recombinant form of sCD16 used as control. N-terminal sequencing demonstrated that serum sCD16 originates from neutrophil FcgammaRIIIb and C-terminal sequencing suggested that the cleavage site is between Val 196 and Ser 197, close to the membrane anchor. Addition of a hydroxamate-based inhibitor of Zn2+ metalloproteinases (RU36156) led to a dramatic decrease of sCD16 production by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-activated neutrophils, whereas inhibitors of serine proteinases had no significant effect, showing the metalloproteinase dependence of this cleavage process.     

Role of intestinal transit in the pathogenesis of gallbladder stones

The aim of the study was to compare the occurrence and levels of A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, and P. intermedia in the subgingival plaque from sites with and without early periodontitis in adolescents using an ELISA. 47, 15- to 16-year-old adolescents (39 Indo-Pakistani, 8 white Caucasian) were examined for clinical attachment level, probing depth, supragingival plaque, subgingival calculus and bleeding on probing on the mesio-buccal and disto-buccal aspects of the 1st molars and the incisors. Based on the clinical data, 2 sites per subject were selected for subgingival plaque sampling 3 weeks later: in 32 subjects with loss of attachment > or = 1 mm, a diseased site (D) and a healthy comparison control site (C) were sampled; in 15 subjects in whom loss of attachment had not yet developed, 1 of the upper molar sites was selected, called the at-risk site (R), together with a C site. The presence and levels of A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, and P. intermedia were determined using an ELISA. The loss of attachment subgroup had significantly more pockets > or = 4 mm, subgingival calculus and bleeding on probing (p < 0.05). Significantly more of the D than C sites had P. gingivalis both at detectable and at measurable levels (p < 0.05). In subjects who had no loss in clinical attachment levels, fewer sampled sites harboured any of the suspected periodontopathogens investigated, and no significant differences were found between the R or C sites (p > 0.05). Although there was a significantly higher prevalence and extent of loss of attachment > or = 1 mm in the Indo-Pakistani subjects compared with the Caucasians (p < 0.05), no differences could be identified in the distribution of the bacteria. It is concluded that monitoring of the subgingival plaque may be useful in studies of early periodontitis in adolescents, and the role of P. gingivalis needs to be elucidated in prospective longitudinal investigations.     

Distribution of a newly described species, Kingella oralis, in the human oral cavity

The oral distribution of Kingella oralis was investigated in 10 periodontally healthy subjects. 11 untreated adult periodontitis patients and 6 untreated localized juvenile periodontitis patients. From each subject, 6-8 each of supra- and subgingival tooth samples, 4 mucosa samples and a saliva sample were examined by culture for the presence of K. oralis. K. oralis was found in at least one oral site in 26 of the 27 study subjects, and in at least one tooth site in each of these 26 positive subjects. Its prevalence in dental plaque ranged from 23% to 59% in different subject groups. The mean percentage of K. oralis in total microbiota in the dental plaque ranged from 0.40% in the periodontally healthy group to 4.60% in localized juvenile periodontitis subjects. The organism was a significant species in a few periodontitis sites, constituting > 5% of the total microbiota.     

Titer and subclass distribution of serum IgG antibody reactive with Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in localized juvenile periodontitis

Most patients with localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) manifest serum IgG antibodies specifically reactive with antigens of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans serotype b (Aa-b). Whether these antibodies are protective, destructive, or irrelevant to the progress of the disease remains unclear. We report results of studies aimed at assessing the subclass IgG responses in 35 LJP patients and 35 periodontally normal control subjects using well-characterized monoclonal antibody subclass reagents in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Our data show that the mean value for total IgG reactive with antigens of Aa-b was more than sevenfold higher for patients than for normal control sera (2349.6 micrograms/ml for patients vs 332.2 micrograms/ml for controls). Individual patients and control subjects were classified as high- or low-titer, using twice the median value for total anti-Aa-b IgG in control sera as the cutoff. Of 35 patients, 26 (74%) were high-titer, and 9 (26%) were low-titer. This compares to 5 normal control subjects (14%) high-titer and 30 (86%) low-titer. IgG2 accounted for the major quantitative response in both patients and control subjects. Indeed, the mean IgG2 values for both concentration and percentage of total specific IgG were greater than the combined values for specific anti-Aa-b IgG1, IgG3, and IgG4. Of the 26 high-titer sera, IgG2 predominated in 24, with IgG1 and IgG3 predominating in 1 each; IgG2 predominated in only 2 of the low-titer sera.     

Gingival state and dental calculus in early-onset periodontitis

This study was undertaken to 1) compare the prevalence of gingival inflammation and dental calculus in adolescents with early-onset periodontitis and their matched controls and 2) assess and compare the relationship between the presence of dental calculus and the extent of gingival bleeding and attachment loss in these subjects. The study group consisted of 1,285 13 to 20 year-old individuals, 651 males and 634 females, selected from a national survey of the oral health of U.S. adolescents in 1986/1987. It included 709 (55.2%) Blacks, 224 (17.4%) Hispanics, and 352 (27.4%) Whites. Eighty-nine subjects had localized or generalized juvenile periodontitis (JP), 218 had incidental attachment loss (IAL), and 978 were without clinical attachment loss (controls). The controls were matched to cases on gender, race, age, and geographic location. The subjects were examined clinically to assess the percentage of sites with gingival bleeding and supragingival calculus only and subgingival calculus with or without supragingival calculus. The IAL and JP groups had significantly more gingival bleeding and subgingival calculus than the controls. Also, the JP group had significantly higher prevalence of both conditions than the IAL group. The percentage of sites with supragingival calculus was not different between the groups, but varied by ethnicity. Hispanics with JP had the highest percentage of sites with gingival bleeding and subgingival calculus, and the lowest percentage of sites with only supragingival calculus. The results demonstrate that gingival inflammation and subgingival calculus are associated with early periodontal breakdown, and contradict earlier reports of early-onset periodontitis not being associated with these factors.     

Elevated levels of lung surfactant protein A in sera from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using monoclonal antibodies to human lung surfactant protein A (SP-A) was applied to sera from patients with lung diseases. We examined whether SP-A appears in the sera of patients with diseases that are known to cause alterations in surfactant composition in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, and we characterized the SP-A that was found. The level of SP-A in sera from 57 healthy volunteers was 45 +/- 3 ng/ml (mean +/- SEM). The levels in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) (205 +/- 23 ng/ml, n = 32) and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) (285 +/- 23 ng/ml, n = 6) were significantly higher than those in healthy control subjects (p < 0.01), whereas those of sarcoidosis (n = 16), pneumonia (n = 14), and tuberculosis (n = 14) were 52 +/- 27 ng/ml, 65 +/- 11 ng/ml, and 49 +/- 23 ng/ml, respectively. Electrophoresis and immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that the fraction isolated from serum of a patient with PAP or IPF by anti-SP-A immunoaffinity column chromatography consisted chiefly of human IgG and IgM, and that it also contained SP-A. Furthermore, IgG was found in preparation of purified human SP-A. SP-A was demonstrated to bind to nonimmune IgG coated onto microtiter wells. Gel filtration analysis revealed that serum SP-A was eluted at fractions of larger molecular size than was the purified SP-A. These findings suggest that SP-A appears in the bloodstream as a complex with immunoglobulin in IPF and in PAP.     

Informatics in the service of health, a look to the future

Recent studies have demonstrated that smoking is associated with periodontal destruction. The majority of these studies have focused on periodontal disease groups with moderate or severe periodontal destruction. Additionally, there have been few reports investigating the relationship between smoking and gingival recession. The goal of this report was to investigate the effect of smoking on periodontal destruction and recession in subjects with minimal or no interproximal attachment loss. This is a cross-sectional study of 142 non-smoking subjects and 51 smoking subjects. Subjects could have no more than one tooth with a site of interproximal attachment loss > or =2 mm. Subjects could, however, have attachment loss associated with recession. For three different methods of summarizing attachment loss measurements at a subject level, including average attachment loss, percentage of teeth with one site of 2 mm of attachment loss, and the percentage of teeth with one site of 5 mm of attachment loss, smoking subjects had approximately twice as much attachment loss than their non-smoking counterparts. Smoking subjects also had significantly greater recession (P < 0.05) [0.056+/-0.017 mm] than non-smoking subjects (0.025+/-0.005 mm). Recession sites occurred primarily on the facial surface of maxillary molars and bicuspids and mandibular central incisors and bicuspids. The results suggest a strong association between smoking and both attachment loss and recession in subjects who have minimal or no periodontal disease.     

Serum globulin levels and activities of daily living in centenarians

Serum globulin levels in 101 centenarians (77 women, 24 men) were analyzed by zonal electrophoresis and immunoglobulin assays. Six subjects showed an M band in electrophoretograms. Five M bands were immunoglobulin G (IgG) type and one was IgA. One subject was suspected to suffer from IgG-type multiple myeloma, and the others were thought to have essential (benign) monoclonal gammopathy. The relationship between serum globulin levels and activities of daily living (ADL) was studied in remaining 95 subjects. There were 21 rank-J (free-living), 25 rank-A (unable to go outside without help), 23 rank-B (bedridden but able to sit on the bed), and 26 rank-C (completely bedridden) centenarians. The mean serum alpha 1-, alpha 2-, and beta-globulin level in the rank-J centenarians was at the upper limit of the normal adult range. The mean alpha 1-globulin levels in rank-B (3.3 +/- 0.4%) and C (3.4 +/- 0.5%) subjects were significantly higher than those in rank-J (2.9 +/- 0.3%) centenarians. The mean serum gamma-globulin level of rank-J centenarians (16.9 +/- 3.7%) was within the normal range. The mean gamma-globulin levels in rank-B (21.0 +/- 2.7%) and C (22.8 +/- 4.9%) subjects were significantly higher than that in rank-J centenarians. The mean immunoglobulin G concentrations in rank-B (1.620 +/- 304 mg/dl) and C (1.720 +/- 392 mg/dl) subjects were significantly higher than those in rank-J centenarians (1.320 +/- 361 mg/dl) and in normal adults (1.150 +/- 235 mg/dl). IgA concentrations in all centenarians were higher than in normal controls. There was no significant difference in IgA or IgM concentration between rank-J subjects and those in other ranks. Serum globulin levels measured with electrophoresis, and the immunoglobulin concentrations, can be valuable indicators of the ability to perform activities of daily living, and may be useful predictors of subclinical diseases or morbidity in centenarians.     

Incidence of Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens in periodontal health and disease

The incidence of black-pigmented rods (BPRs), especially Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens, in periodontal health and disease were examined. Furthermore, the degradative enzyme activities of P. intermedia were compared among the strains from periodontal health and disease. Microbiological specimens were collected from subgingival crevice or periodontal pocket by paper point. The BPRs were found in 71.1% of periodontally healthy subjects (n=45), and in 47.1% of healthy sites (n=34) and 87.8% of active sites (n=41) among periodontally diseased patients. Porphyromonas gingivalis was detected only in active sites of periodontally diseased patients (17.8% of 180 strains). P. intermedia was the predominant BPR in both healthy and active sites (37.3 and 41.7%, respectively) of the patients. However, P. nigrescens was the predominant BPR (70.5% of 173 strains) in periodontally healthy subjects. The enzyme activities of esterase, esterase-lipase, acid-phosphatase and alpha-fucosidase of P. intermedia strains isolated from active sites in patients were significantly higher (P<0.05) than those of healthy subjects. The results suggest that P. intermedia might increase the activity of degradative enzymes under a certain condition and support the progression of periodontitis.     

Bone mineral density in periodontally healthy and edentulous postmenopausal women

(Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic disease among postmenopausal women. Reduced masticatory function caused by tooth loss may be a contributing risk factor of osteoporosis. The present study examined the effect of dentate state on skeletal bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. Fourteen periodontally healthy dentate subjects (group H; mean age: 64.0 + 5.5 years) and 12 edentulous subjects (group E; mean age: 67.1 + 2.9 years) were randomly selected from the clinics of the departments of Periodontology and Gerodontology, respectively. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. BMD of the lumbar spine (L2-L4) was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. In addition, occlusal force was measured in 11 group H subjects and 8 group E subjects by using an occlusal diagnostic system. Risk factors associated with osteoporosis including age, calcium intake, physical activity, and cigarette smoking and causes of tooth loss were assessed by interview and questionnaire sent to all participants. The BMD of group H was 1.07 t 0.21 g/cm2 and that of group E was 0.89 + 0.17 g/cm2, which was significantly different(P< 0.05). The occlusal force of group H and E patients was 312.4 + 148 Nand 56.3 + 36 N, respectively, which was significantly different (P< 0.05). Risk factors such as calcium intake, physical activity, and smoking did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Thus, the periodontally healthy dentate women, who showed about 6 times higher occlusal force than edentulous women, maintained significantly higher BMD of the lumbar spine than edentulous women. Our results suggest that sufficient masticatory function with periodontally healthy dentition may inhibit or delay the progress of osteoporotic change in skeletal bone or that edentulous women may be more susceptible to osteoporosis.     

Studies on the action of interleukin-1 on term human fetal membranes and decidua

The present study describes the development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay capable of quantifying serum antibody of all four canine IgG subclasses. A panel of subclass-restricted and subclass-specific monoclonal antibodies was used to measure IgG subclasses in the serum of healthy dogs, as well as in dogs with a range of clinical diseases. The subclasses have been redefined as IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 based on a comparison with the relative concentration and electrophoretic mobilities of human IgG subclasses. In serum samples from healthy dogs, the concentration of IgG1 (mean, 8.17 +/- 0.95 mg ml-1) and IgG2 (mean, 8.15 +/- 3.16 mg ml-1) were very similar and considerably higher than the levels of IgG3 (mean, 0.36 +/- 0.43 mg ml-1) and IgG4 (mean, 0.95 +/- 0.45 mg ml-1). There was no apparent difference in the level of subclasses between the different breeds comprising this normal population. Sera from dogs with a range of immune-mediated or inflammatory diseases all had markedly elevated levels of IgG2 (more than 13 mg ml-1), but IgG1 decreased (less than 4 mg ml-1) to levels below the normal range.     

Urinary loss of immunoglobulin G anti-F(ab)2 and anti-DNA antibody in systemic lupus erythematosus nephritis

The objective of this study was to determine whether the low levels of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-F(ab)2 seen in some patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were directly related to the deposition of antibody with this specificity in the kidney or alternatively to the urinary loss of IgG anti-F(ab)2. Serum Levels of IgG anti-F(ab)2, anti-tetanus toxoid, and anti-ds DNA antibody were measured in parallel with urinary excretion of these same 3 antibodies in 28 patients with SLE nephritis and in 28 control patients with other forms of chronic kidney disease. Low levels of both serum IgG anti-F(ab)2 or anti-tetanus antibody appeared to correlate with increased levels of urinary loss of these same antibodies in some patients with SLE and in control subjects with kidney disease. However, urinary loss could not account for low serum levels of either IgG antibody in many subjects. Quantitative 24-hour urinary losses of IgG anti-F(ab)2 and anti-DNA were much higher in patients with SLE than in control subjects with kidney disease (P < .05), whereas amounts of IgG urinary loss of anti-tetanus were similar in patients with SLE and in control subjects. In nearly 1 third of SLE nephritis patients, 13% to 53% of total excreted urinary IgG showed anti-DNA enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay reactivity. Urinary IgG in many patients with SLE showed both anti-DNA and anti-F(ab)2 reactivity, but dual anti-DNA/F(ab)2 specificity was more pronounced in affinity-isolated serum IgG anti-DNA or anti-F(ab)2 than in excreted urinary IgG molecules. The affinity of urinary IgG for either DNA or F(ab)2 was much lower than the same antibody activities measured either in serum or in kidney biopsy eluates. When the relative affinity of anti-DNA antibody in serum, urine, and kidney biopsy eluate was measured in parallel, the highest affinity antibody was found in kidney biopsy eluates, followed by serum antibody with urine antibody affinity showing the lowest values. These findings suggest a relative concentration of the highest affinity, doubly reactive IgG anti-DNA/F(ab)2 in SLE kidney tissues during SLE nephritis and implicate this process as an important factor in ongoing tissue damage.     

Nucleotide excision repair proteins may be involved in the fixation of glyoxal-induced mutagenesis in Escherichia coli

Earlier studies in our laboratories demonstrated that particles of a number of snack foods that are retained on the dentition accumulate fermentable sugars and short-chain carboxylic acids (SCCA; acetic, formic, lactic, and propionic) to different degrees. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the accumulated SCCA can induce a gingival inflammatory response. Five periodontally and medically healthy subjects were given portions of plain doughnuts (high SCCA levels) or oatmeal cookie (low SCCA), or had the SCCA applied directly to the gingival margins of designated teeth. Subjects were given wax to chew, or nothing, as controls. Inflammation was assessed by measurements of subgingival temperature, flow rates of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), and neutrophil emigration into GCF. Subgingival temperatures of the maxillary gingiva rose by 1.32 +/- 0.30 degrees C (mean +/- SE) 5 min after the subjects consumed the doughnuts and remained elevated for at least 1 hr. These values were significantly higher than those obtained from subjects after ingestion of oatmeal cookies (0.63 +/- 0.17 degree C; p < 0.01), consistent with the low levels of SCCA in the retained cookie particles. Wax chewing elicited a similar response, indicating a masticatory effect on the gingiva. Gingival temperatures in the unchallenged controls remained unchanged. Neutrophil emigration into the GCF was significantly elevated in subjects after doughnut consumption. Rinses with a solution of SCCA, or application of the SCCA to the gingiva, also brought about significant elevations in subgingival temperature and neutrophil emigration. The findings describe the inflammatory effects of food ingestion on the gingiva of healthy human subjects, and support the hypothesis that SCCA in the particles of retained food are at least partly responsible for the observed responses.     

Neutrophil attractant protein-1 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in human serum. Effects of intravenous lipopolysaccharide on free attractants, specific IgG autoantibodies and immune complexes

We recently found that normal human sera contain IgG antibodies against two chemoattractants, neutrophil attractant protein-1 (NAP-1/IL-8) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), as well as immune complexes of these proteins. Intravenously administered LPS was reported to cause a sharp rise in serum NAP-1 concentration. Our study was designed to determine if LPS also caused an increase in MCP-1 and to measure associated changes in concentrations of antibody and immune complex. LPS caused a rise to peak within 2 to 3 h in serum concentrations of free NAP-1 and MCP-1, followed by an almost equally rapid fall toward base-line levels by about 5 h postinjection. MCP-1 concentration in sera from the 11 subjects rose to a peak of 330 +/- 52 pM. The peak value for NAP-1 was 80 +/- 11 pM. In 10 of the 11 subjects, free IgG autoantibody to MCP-1 decreased from a mean pre-LPS value of 1820 +/- 660 pM to a mean low of 53% of the respective initial values. Corresponding data for IgG anti-NAP-1 were a pre-LPS concentration of 216 +/- 7 pM, which decreased to a mean low of 44% of the respective initial values. The finding in some subjects of a rapid rise in free antibody after the nadir suggests the possibility of acute regulation of autoantibody secretion rates. Although the results suggested that LPS-induced chemoattractant combined with free antibody, serum concentrations of MCP-1-IgG or NAP-1-IgG did not increase, which points to an as yet unknown mechanism for trapping and elimination of the immune complexes.     

Attachment loss and serum antibody levels against autologous and reference strains of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in untreated localized juvenile periodontitis patients

Immunological data have been suggested to be a potential tool in the diagnosis, classification and monitoring of periodontal diseases. However, the role of circulating antibodies in periodontal patients is poorly understood. Patients suffering from localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) are often reported to show high titers of serum IgG antibodies against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), but several affected patients do not. Most studies use well-known reference strains of the bacterium for testing against the patients' sera. The aim of the present investigation was to study the relationship between serum IgG antibody levels to autologous A. actinomycetemcomitans strains and clinical attachment loss (CAL). In addition, we wanted to assess the patients' serum titers against 4 well-known reference strains of the bacterium as well as their general potential immunoglobulin response. Intravenous blood samples were taken from 23 LJP patients and 10 healthy individuals, and autologous A. actinomycetemcomitans strains were cultured from 18 of the LJP patients. CAL was measured at 4 different sites around all present teeth and assessed as a % of teeth with at least 1 site moderately > or = 2 < 5 mm) or severely (> or = 5 mm) involved. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to evaluate the serum titers of IgG antibodies to A. actinomycetemcomitans antigens. No significant correlation was found between serum IgG antibody titers to autologous strains and CAL. However, there was a trend that low responders had more moderately affected teeth than had high responders and patients with undetectable A. actinomycetemcomitans levels, which is in agreement with a hypothetically protective role of the antibodies. The total counts of immunoglobulin assessed in all participants showed that the predominant class was IgG and the reference group displayed significantly less (p < 0.05) IgG and IgG1 counts than the LJP patients. Both the reaction pattern against reference and autologous strains varied widely. We conclude that the specific antibody response against A. actinomycetemcomitans shows a weak correlation to clinical attachment levels in LJP patients.