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Biomedical subjects

J Westergaard

Publications and source records attributed to J Westergaard.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Organic content in occlusal groove-fossa-system in unerupted 3rd mandibular molars: a light and electron microscopic study.

A method is described by means of which organic content in fissure areas of 12 unerupted 3rd mandibular molars can be prepared for studies in the light microscope (LM) and in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Thus, LM and TEM examinations revealed that the organic content throughout the fissure in bone-covered and in mucosa-covered 3rd molars with uncompleted root formation consists of cells belonging to the enamel organ in late or in postmaturative stages. In mucosa-covered teeth with completed root formation it was only possible to identify enamel organ cells at the entrance of the fissure. Deeper parts were occupied by degenerative cells, polymorphonuclear cells and unidentified material. The results indicate that ameloblasts in fissures do not transform to stratified squamous epithelium but gradually degenerate towards terminal stages and remain as such, as the tooth emerges into the oral cavity.

Adolescent

Effect of dental plaque control on gingival lichen planus.

Eleven patients, all women, aged 43 to 76 years, with atrophic or ulcerative lichen planus lesions of gingiva were included in this preliminary study. After initial examination, the patients received an intensive individual hygiene treatment. The patients continued using the most appropriate, atraumatic method resulting in the best possible oral hygiene over a 1 year period during which they were seen for follow-up examinations at 3-month intervals. The mean plaque scores decreased after the initial treatment followed by an increase. The mean scores for severity of subjective symptoms and for type and extension of lesions initially decreased with the plaque scores and remained lower throughout the study. It is concluded that in some cases both subjective and objective improvement of atrophic and ulcerative gingival lichen planus may be obtained by means of intensive oral hygiene procedures although such procedures do not remove the basic cause of lichen planus. However, further studies are needed to examine the role of dental plaque control in patients with oral lichen planus.

Adult

Doxycycline-resistant bacteria in periodontally diseased individuals after systemic doxycycline therapy and in healthy individuals.

The occurrence of doxycycline-resistant bacteria was examined in subgingival plaque and on the tonsils of 12 periodontally healthy and 12 periodontally diseased individuals. The healthy group was examined 6 times at intervals of one month. The diseased group was examined before and 1, 5, 15, 26, 39, and 52 weeks after conventional periodontal therapy supplemented with systemic doxycycline for 3 weeks. The occurrence of doxycycline-resistant bacteria in the healthy group varied on average between 2.0% and 6.6% in subgingival plaque and between 3.0% and 12.4% in the tonsil samples over a 6-month period. In the diseased group the percentage of resistant bacteria increased from 10-20 times for tonsil and subgingival plaque, respectively. About half a year after therapy the values returned to the baselines. For both groups the morphological distributions of resistant bacteria were similar and unaffected by the doxycycline therapy.

Adult

Microbial patterns in pooled subgingival plaque samples from young adults with advanced marginal periodontitis.

Different bacterial profiles of subgingival plaque have been described for different clinical categories of marginal periodontitis. In the present investigation the subgingival microflora was studied in young adults with advanced marginal periodontitis. From 12 patients pooled subgingival plaque samples from 5 advanced stages of diseased sites were examined by direct differential phase-contrast microscopy and by cultivation on enriched and selective media. The proportions of the following genera and species were calculated: black-pigmented Bacteroides sp., B. gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Veillonella sp., Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Capnocytophaga sp., Eikenella corrodens, Campylobacter sp., and Candida sp. Spirochete identification was carried out ultrastructurally. Calculated percent minimum similarity levels between the individuals revealed that each patient harbored its characteristic cultivable subgingival microflora different from the other individuals. The spirochetes seemed to constitute the subgingival bacterial group with the smallest variation as certain morphotypes were dominating in almost all individuals.

Adult

An automatic multi-programmed affinity chromatographic system.

An automatic immunospecific affinity-chromatographic system for continuous operation is described. The system comprises time-controlled sample application, washing and elution steps and automatic dialysis of eluted fractions. The applicability of the system is illustrated by the purification of pregnancy zone protein on immunosorbent gel.

Blood Proteins

Ultrastructure of the subgingival microflora in juvenile periodontitis.

The ultrastructure of the subgingival deposits on the root surfaces of teeth affected by juvenile periodontitis was studied on 12 teeth from nine individuals, 15--30 years of age. The deposits consisted of either microbial masses associated with a pellicle, or of a cuticular material almost free of bacteria. Gram-negative rods and filaments were the predominant microorganisms. "Corncob" configurations consisting of filamentous bacteria surrounded by Gram-positive cocci, and "bristle brush" formations comprising corncobs surrounded by long rods were observed in the superficial layer of the plaque. Spirochetes and flagellated rods constituted a major segment of the microflora. The present data indicated that the deep pockets in juvenile periodontitis harbor a sparse but relatively characteristic microbial population.

Adolescent

Termination of pregnancy in cases of fetal death in utero by intravenous prostaglandin F2alpha.

Delivery was induced by an intravenous infusion of prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) in gradually increasing doses in 30 consecutive cases of fetal death in utero after the 28th week of gestation. Twenty patients delivered during the first day of prostaglandin administration, 9 on the second day, and 1 patient not until the third day of infusion. It is concluded, that intravenous PGF2alpha appears to be superior to oxytocin in termination of pregnancy under these conditions.

Abortion, Induced

Dose and age dependent variations in effect of tetracycline on enamel formation in rat.

Incidence of rats with gross enamel lesions in response to tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) was studied in relationship to age, tooth type, and concentration of antibiotic in the injection fluid. Incidence was defined as percentage of animals with defects in at least one incisor or one molar. Serum levels were measured at various intervals in 4- and 75-day-old rats, which received a single i.p. injection with 130 mg/kg bw in concentrations of either 13 or 25 mg/ml saline. The study confirmed that the effect of TC on enamel varied with age of the animal and that the molar responded more readily than the incisor. Furthermore, the incidence was higher the higher the concentration of antibiotic. This effect appeared tied to a direct relationship between concentration and serum level. Serum levels declined more slowly in the younger than in the older rats, resulting in significantly higher levels 6, 24 and 48 h after dosing, which correlated with a more extensive labeling of the dentin in the young rats. The possible roles of serum levels, capillary supply and cell susceptibility are discussed in relation to differences in response with animal age, between tooth types, tooth surfaces and with age of the secretory cells.

Age Factors