Antibacterial activity of moxifloxacin on bacteria associated with periodontitis within a biofilm

The activity of moxifloxacin was compared with ofloxacin and doxycycline against bacteria associated with periodontitis within a biofilm (single strain and mixed population) in vitro. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of moxifloxacin, ofloxacin and doxycyline were determined against single strains and mixed populations in a planktonic state. Single-species biofilms of two Porphyromonas gingivalis and two Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans strains and a multi-species biofilm consisting of 12 species were formed for 3 days. The minimal biofilm eradication concentrations (MBECs) were determined after exposing the biofilms to the antibacterials (0.002 - 512 µg ml-1) for 18 h, addition of nutrient broth for 3 days and subsequent subcultivation. Photographs were taken by using confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The MICs and MBCs did not differ between ofloxacin and moxifloxacin against A. actinomycetemcomitans, moxifloxacin was more active than the other tested antibacterials against anaerobes and the mixed population. The single-species biofilms were eradicated by moderate concentrations of the antibacterials, the lowest MBECs were always found for moxifloxacin (2-8 µg ml-1). MBECs against the multi-species biofilms were 128 µg ml-1, >512 µg ml-1 and >512 µg ml-1 for moxifloxacin, ofloxacin and doxycycline, respectively. In summary, moxifloxacin in a topical formulation may have potential as an adjunct to mechanical removal of the biofilms.

Cosmos and Colonialism. Alexander von Humboldt in Cultural Criticism

Alexander von Humboldt explored the Spanish Empire on the verge of its collapse (1799–1804). He is the most significant German travel writer and the most important mediator between Europe and the Americas of the nineteenth century. His works integrated knowledge from two dozen domains. Today, he is at the center of debates on imperial discourse, postcolonialism, and globalization. This collection of fifty essays brings together a range of responses, many presented here for the first time in English. Authors from Schiller, Chateaubriand, Sarmiento, and Nietzsche, to Robert Musil, Kurt Tucholsky, Ernst Bloch, and Alejo Carpentier paint the historical background. Essays by contemporary travel writers and recent critics outline the current controversies on Humboldt. The source materials collected here will be indispensable to scholars of German, French, and Latin and North American literature as well as cultural and postcolonial studies, history, art history, and the history of science.

Less than Nihilism

Chapter 2 by Luca Di Blasi (...) gives us an insight into the history of nihilism, specifically by exposing a continuity (or else a cycle or repetition) between the earliest debates on the subject in the turn of the nineteenth century and latest ones in the turn of the twenty-first Di Blasi emphasizes the fact that the struggle between philosophy and religion, reason and faith, was a pertinent motif in Jacobi’s critique of Fichte’s philosophy and in Hegel’s response to this critique. A similar problematic, and similar dynamic, recurs two centuries later, where debates around the concept of nihilism among thinkers like Vattimo, Derrida, Habermas, and Žižek again revolve around the relation between religion, science, secularism, and “post-secularism.” Beginning with Hegel, Di Blasi’s chapter ends with a focus on Žižek as a “neo-Hegelian” showing how, in attacking his contemporaries, Žižek mirrors and revives Hegel’s approach in his critique of Jacobi and Fichte. Suggestively, Žižek informs us that now “the circle is closed” and that “to be a Hegelian today does not mean to assume the superfluous burden of some metaphysical past, but to regain the ability to begin from the beginning...”

A Biofilm Pocket Model to Evaluate Different Non-Surgical Periodontal Treatment Modalities in Terms of Biofilm Removal and Reformation, Surface Alterations and Attachment of Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND AND AIM There is a lack of suitable in vitro models to evaluate various treatment modalities intending to remove subgingival bacterial biofilm. Consequently, the aims of this in vitro-study were: a) to establish a pocket model enabling mechanical removal of biofilm and b) to evaluate repeated non-surgical periodontal treatment with respect to biofilm removal and reformation, surface alterations, tooth hard-substance-loss, and attachment of periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts. MATERIAL AND METHODS Standardized human dentin specimens were colonized by multi-species biofilms for 3.5 days and subsequently placed into artificially created pockets. Non-surgical periodontal treatment was performed as follows: a) hand-instrumentation with curettes (CUR), b) ultrasonication (US), c) subgingival air-polishing using erythritol (EAP) and d) subgingival air-polishing using erythritol combined with chlorhexidine digluconate (EAP-CHX). The reduction and recolonization of bacterial counts, surface roughness (Ra and Rz), the caused tooth substance-loss (thickness) as well as the attachment of PDL fibroblasts were evaluated and statistically analyzed by means of ANOVA with Post-Hoc LSD. RESULTS After 5 treatments, bacterial reduction in biofilms was highest when applying EAP-CHX (4 log10). The lowest reduction was found after CUR (2 log10). Additionally, substance-loss was the highest when using CUR (128±40 µm) in comparison with US (14±12 µm), EAP (6±7 µm) and EAP-CHX (11±10) µm). Surface was roughened when using CUR and US. Surfaces exposed to US and to EAP attracted the highest numbers of PDL fibroblasts. CONCLUSION The established biofilm model simulating a periodontal pocket combined with interchangeable placements of test specimens with multi-species biofilms enables the evaluation of different non-surgical treatment modalities on biofilm removal and surface alterations. Compared to hand instrumentation the application of ultrasonication and of air-polishing with erythritol prevents from substance-loss and results in a smooth surface with nearly no residual biofilm that promotes the reattachment of PDL fibroblasts.

In-vitro activity of taurolidine on single species and a multispecies population associated with periodontitis.

The antimicrobial activity of taurolidine was compared with minocycline against microbial species associated with periodontitis (four single strains and a 12-species mixture). Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), killing as well as activities on established and forming single-species biofilms and a 12-species biofilm were determined. The MICs of taurolidine against single species were always 0.31 mg/ml, the MBCs were 0.64 mg/ml. The used mixed microbiota was less sensitive to taurolidine, MIC and the MBC was 2.5 mg/ml. The strains and the mixture were completely killed by 2.5 mg/ml taurolidine, whereas 256 μg/ml minocycline reduced the bacterial counts of the mixture by 5 log10 colony forming units (cfu). Coating the surface with 10 mg/ml taurolidine or 256 μg/ml minocycline prevented completely biofilm formation of Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277 but not of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Y4 and the mixture. On 4.5 d old biofilms, taurolidine acted concentration dependent with a reduction by 5 log10 cfu (P. gingivalis ATCC 33277) and 7 log10 cfu (A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4) when applying 10 mg/ml. Minocycline decreased the cfu counts by 1-2 log10 cfu independent of the used concentration. The reduction of the cfu counts in the 4.5 d old multi-species biofilms was about 3 log10 cfu after application of any minocycline concentration and after using 10 mg/ml taurolidine. Taurolidine is active against species associated with periodontitis, even within biofilms. Nevertheless a complete elimination of complex biofilms by taurolidine seems to be impossible and underlines the importance of a mechanical removal of biofilms prior to application of taurolidine.

Das Neue Deutschland

Boberach: In 11 Kapiteln sind u.a. behandelt: Die politische Literatur (Das junge Deutschland, die neue Hegel'sche Schule, die Romantiker und die Publizisten, dabei Wienbarg, Gutzkow, Laube, Mundt, Ruge, Herwegh, Feuerbach, Bettina v. Arnim), die "Poesie und die demokratischen Poeten (Hoffmann v. Fallersleben, Dingelstedt, Prutz, Anastasius Grün), Heine und seine neuen Gedichte, "Ein Glaubensbekenntnis" von Freiligrath, die politische Poesie in Österreich (Beck, Lenau, Meißner, Hartmann), die philosophische Poesie (v. Sallet, Schefer), der "sozialistische", der historische und der bürgerliche Roman, die "Aufgabe der Kritik während der Krisis" Deutschlands (Gervinus, Auerbach), die Dramen von Gutzkow und die "dramatische Poesie" in Wien

Die babylonische Sprachen- und Ideen-Verwirrung der modernen Presse, als die hauptsächlichste Quelle der Leiden unserer Zeit : ein freies Trutz- und Schutzwort ; allen politisch-gemäßigten, insonderheit allen constitutionellen Clubs des deutschen Gesammt-Vaterlandes zur augenblicklichen Berücksichtigung empfohlen

Boberach: Die Verderblichkeit französischer Ideen wie der Pressefreiheit ist aus der Staatsverschuldung Frankreichs zu erkennen. Die Kreuzzeitung wird empfohlen, reaktionäre Klubs sind zu bilden und die konstituierenden Versammlungen aufzulösen, in denen viele Abgeordnete sich vom Christentum abgewendet haben. - Wentzke: Empfehlung der Kreuzzeitung. Aufruf zur Gründung reaktionären [sic!] Klubs und zur Auflösung aller konstituierenden Versammlungen. Gegen Hegel und gegen die Stichwörter der Zeit: Gewissensfreiheit, Glaubensfreiheit, Politische Freiheit, Preßfreiheit, Fortschritt

Na 50 Nachlass Arthur Schopenhauer - 'Schopenhauer-Archiv', 38 - Replik auf die gegen ihn erhobene Kritik einer falschen Darstellung der Ethik Schopenhauers

u.a.: Kritik an der "Die beiden Grundprobleme der Ethik: Ueber die Freiheit des menschlichen Willens; Ueber das Fundament der Moral"; Auseinandersetzung mit der Ethik von Jean-Baptiste Antoine Monet de Lamarck; Erfahrungen in England mit Animal-Magnetism und Phrenologie; Corpus Iuris Civilis; Kritik an der Parerga und Paralipomena; Kapitalismuskritik; Auseinandersetzung mit dem Prinzip des Individuums in "Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung"; Grenzen des Egoismus, Kastendenken im Buddhismus; Definition von Erscheinung; Christentum; Auseinandersetzung mit der "Kritik der reinen Vernunft" von Immanuel Kant; Das Ding an Sich; Definition von Naturzusammenhang; Willensphilosophie; Bezug auf die "Deutsche Grammatik" von Jacob Grimm; Vergleich mit Baruch Spinoza; Naturwissenschaft; Rezeption der Philosophie von Angelus Silesius; Vorhaben einer eigenen kritischen Publikation zur Ethik Schopenhauers; Sexualität; Lebensverneinung; Praxis der Hegelianer und Herbatianer; Friedrich Schelling; Platon; Silesius;

Na 50 Nachlass Arthur Schopenhauer - 'Schopenhauer-Archiv', 630 - Übersendung der Biographie

u.a.: Anmerkungen zu Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel;

Na 50 Nachlass Arthur Schopenhauer - 'Schopenhauer-Archiv', 70 - Gegendarstellung auf eine veröffentlichte Kritik am Aufsatz zur Farbenlehre

u.a.: Kritik an die "Newtonianer"; Widerlegung von Thomas Johann Seebeck der Farbenlehre Goethes; Hofrat Karl Förster; Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel;

Na 50 Nachlass Arthur Schopenhauer - 'Schopenhauer-Archiv', 554 - Aufforderung zur Bewerbung als Professor an der Universität Berlin

u.a.: Erfolg von Hegel an der Berliner Universität; geringe Aussichten auf Erträge an der Universität; Kenntnisnahme der Publikation "Über die vierfache Wurzel des Satzes vom zureichenden Grunde"; Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel; Philipp August Boeckh;

Na 50 Nachlass Arthur Schopenhauer - 'Schopenhauer-Archiv', 190 - Bericht zum akademischen Leben in Jena und Berlin

u.a.: Sehenswürdigkeiten von Florenz; Vorlesungsverbot von Jacob Friedrich Fries; Philosophie an der Universität Jena; Bedeutung von Hegel in Berlin; geringe Anerkennung Schopenhauers in Deutschland; schlechter Gesundheitszustand von Johanna Schopenhauer; Italienischer Wein; Friedrich Eduard Benecke; Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel; Emmanuele Fenzi;

Na 50 Nachlass Arthur Schopenhauer - 'Schopenhauer-Archiv', 204 - Antwortschreiben zur Frage der Bedeutung von Immanuel Kant

u.a.: Rücksprache mit Professor Schubert; Nachlass Immanuel Kant; Kritik an Hegel in "Der Wille in der Natur";