MyMedR

Pathogenic microbes of the oral environment

Park AW, Yaacob HB

J Nihon Univ Sch Dent, 1994 Mar;36(1):1-33.

PMID: 8207501

A synopsis of the origins and function of dental plaque and pellicle

Park AW, Yaacob HB

J Nihon Univ Sch Dent, 1994 Sep;36(3):157-74.

PMID: 7989958

The ancient origins of oral pathology

Park AW, Yaacob HB

J Nihon Univ Sch Dent, 1991 Dec;33(4):211-43.

PMID: 1787417

Belief in a golden age has provided mankind with solace in times of despair and with élan during the expansive periods of history. Dreamers imagine the golden age in the remote past, in paradise lost, free from toil and grief. Optimists put their faith in the future and believe that mankind, Prometheus-like, will master the arts of life through power and knowledge. Thus, the golden age means different things to different men, but the very belief in its existence implies the conviction that perfect health and happiness are birthrights of men. Yet, in reality, complete freedom from disease and from struggle is almost incompatible with the process of living.

Dental abrasion pattern in a selected group of Malaysians

Yaacob HB, Park AW

J Nihon Univ Sch Dent, 1990 Sep;32(3):175-80.

PMID: 2230960

Among 350 inhabitants of two villages, 31 (8.9%) cleaned their teeth using table salt and charcoal applied to their forefinger or a Melastoma brush. As a result, all had distinct forms of abrasion cavity on the labial surfaces of their teeth. All of the above three agents are highly abrasive and injurious to both the hard and soft oral tissues. This dying practice is only popular among a very small number of persons in the older age group, and should be discouraged.

Production of a monoclonal antibody against a mannose-binding protein of Acanthamoeba culbertsoni and its localization

Kang AY, Park AY, Shin HJ, Khan NA, Maciver SK, Jung SY

Exp Parasitol, 2018 Sep;192:19-24.

PMID: 30031120 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2018.07.009

Amoebae from the genus Acanthamoeba are facultative pathogens of humans and other animals. In humans they most frequently infect the eye causing a sight threatening infection known as Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), and also cause an often fatal encephalitis (GAE). A mannose-binding protein (MBP) has been identified as being important for Acanthamoeba infection especially in AK. This lectin has previously been characterized from Acanthamoeba castellanii as consisting of multiple 130 kDa subunits. MBP expression correlates with pathogenic potential and is expressed in a number of Acanthamoeba species. Here we report the purification of a similar lectin from Acanthamoeba culbertsoni and the production of a monoclonal antibody to it. The A. culbertsoni MBP was isolated by affinity chromatography using α-D-mannose agarose and has an apparent molecular weight of 83 kDa. The monoclonal antibody is an IgM that is useful in both western blots and immunofluorescence. We expect that this antibody will be useful in the study of the pathology of A. culbertsoni and in its identification in clinical samples.

Fulltext Experimental Infection of Syrian Hamsters With Aerosolized Nipah Virus

Escaffre O, Hill T, Ikegami T, Juelich TL, Smith JK, Zhang L, et al.

J Infect Dis, 2018 10 05;218(10):1602-1610.

PMID: 29912426 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy357

Background: Nipah virus (NiV) is a paramyxovirus (genus Henipavirus) that can cause severe respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans. Transmission occurs through consumption of NiV-contaminated foods, and contact with NiV-infected animals or human body fluids. However, it is unclear whether aerosols derived from aforesaid sources or others also contribute to transmission, and current knowledge on NiV-induced pathogenicity after small-particle aerosol exposure is still limited.

Methods: Infectivity, pathogenicity, and real-time dissemination of aerosolized NiV in Syrian hamsters was evaluated using NiV-Malaysia (NiV-M) and/or its recombinant expressing firefly luciferase (rNiV-FlucNP).

Results: Both viruses had an equivalent pathogenicity in hamsters, which developed respiratory and neurological symptoms of disease, similar to using intranasal route, with no direct correlations to the dose. We showed that virus replication was predominantly initiated in the lower respiratory tract and, although delayed, also intensely in the oronasal cavity and possibly the brain, with gradual increase of signal in these regions until at least day 5-6 postinfection.

Conclusion: Hamsters infected with small-particle aerosolized NiV undergo similar clinical manifestations of the disease as previously described using liquid inoculum, and exhibit histopathological lesions consistent with NiV patient reports. NiV droplets could therefore play a role in transmission by close contact.

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