In the present study total collagen content was investigated in gingival connective tissue of adult periodontitis (AP) as well as early onset periodontitis patients (EOP) and clinically healthy subjects. Furthermore, collagen type I, III, IV, V andVI content was evaluated in gingival biopsies obtained from periodontitis patients. There was a statistically significant difference between AP (25 +/- 8 microg/mg) and EOP (15 +/- 4microg/mg) groups with regard to the total collagen content (P < 05). In the clinically healthy control group the total collagen content was 20 +/- 4microg/mg. Moreover, the distribution of collagen types exhibited variations in pooled homogenates of each periodontitis group. The total collagen loss seemed to be greater in the EOP patients than in the AP patients. When the ratio of fibril forming collagens to nonfibrillar collagens was evaluated, it seems to be decreased in AP patients in comparison to EOP patients. The findings of the present study suggest that different collagen types present in various periodontitis categories may be related with diverse pathogenic mechanisms The collagens represent a large family of molecular proteins which are located in the extracellular matrix. They all share a triple-helical segment of variable length (100-450 nm) but differ considerably in the size and nature of their globular domains. The various collagen types I-XIX known so far in vertebrates are adjusted to different functions including the formation of fibrils, microfibrils and networks. Their biological role is now increasingly studied by Sex- and gonad-affecting scent compounds and 3 male pheromones in the rat.Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. This study was aimed at identifying sex pheromones of the rat (Rattus norvegicus). We characterized the volatiles and semivolatiles of rat preputial gland and voided urine by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and quantified them by their GC areas (abundances) and percentage of GC areas (relative abundances). Although all the compounds other than 4-heptanone and phenol detected were shared by males and females, the quantities for some of these sex-common compounds exhibited sexual dimorphism and decreased with gonadectomy. Thus, these compounds might be sex pheromones. Among them, squalene from preputial glands and 2-heptanone and 4-ethyl phenol from urine were 3 major compounds. They were richer in males and could be suppressed by castration. Adding any of the 3 compounds (at a concentration higher than its physiological level in male urine) to castrated male urine (CMU) increased the attractiveness of CMU to sex-naive females. Adding the 3 together (at the levels in normal male urine) to CMU significantly increased the attractiveness of CMU to females. However, such combination did not fully restore females' preference for urine from intact males, suggesting that some other trace compounds such as 4-heptanone and phenol might also play some roles in sex attractiveness. Thus, squalane , 2-heptanone, and 4-ethyl phenol were indeed male pheromone molecules in rats. the ordinary cleanser indicates that E,E-beta-farnesene and E-alpha-farnesene, both richer in females than males, might be putative female pheromones.Variability in the composition of human skin surface lipids in tropical Skin surface lipid samples were collected by the hexane sponge technique from the foreheads of 180 male and 131 female Saudi subjects living in the Jeddah-Makkah area (summer temperatures up to 47 degrees C). The lipid samples were analyzed by densitometric thin layer chromatography. Seven major lipid classes were determined. The percentages for squalene, cholesterol esters, wax esters, triglycerides, free fatty acids, cholesterol and diglycerides were determined. When these parameters were compared to the corresponding values reported for subjects living in the much cooler climates of Europe and N. America, most of the values for Saudi females were found very similar to the values of these subjects, while for Saudi males squalene and wax esters were 2-5% higher and the triglycerides/free fatty acids were 3-5% lower. The possible reasons for the observed variability between both sexes, their relation to European and N. American subjects, as well as the role of hot climates in inducing these variations are discussed.Anticancer efficacy of squalenoyl gemcitabine nanomedicine on 60 human tumor Gemcitabine (2',2'-difluorodeoxyribofuranosylcytosine) is an anticancer nucleoside analogue active against a wide variety of solid tumors. However, following intravenous administration, this drug is rapidly inactivated by enzymatic deamination and displays a short biological half-life necessitating the administration of high doses leading also to unwanted side effects. To overcome these drawbacks and to improve the therapeutic index of gemcitabine, we have recently developed the concept of squalenoylation which consisted in the bioconjugation of gemcitabine with squalene, a natural lipid.
squalane|the ordinary cleanser