Silver accumulation and processing in mouse peritoneal macrophages was studied in vitro by autometallographic visualization of intracellular silver. During the first 24 h of incubation in a medium ...containing from 5 microM to 20 microM of silver lactate, an inverse relationship between silver concentration in the former and visualizable silver in macrophages was recorded. Later, however, the cells treated with higher silver concentrations accumulated most silver. Cells exposed to silver concentrations above these levels exhibited acute coagulation necrosis and disintegrated within the first 15 min of silver treatment. Macrophages treated with silver lactate concentrations not causing acute cytotoxicity showed no impairment of their phagocytic, migratory or interferon-producing capacities. The significance of autointerference in silver accumulation and processing in macrophages is discussed, and a functional defect in the lysosome/phagosome system is suggested as a basis for the phenomenon.
ABSTRACT Orthodontic treatment need has been assessed on the basis of complete orthodontic records in a random sample of 293 Danish children aged 13–17 years by a group of postgraduate orthodontic ...students and by three orthodontists. The estimates of treatment need ranged from 45 % to 61 %. Interexaminer agreement in pairs was observed in 77 %– 92 % (mean 83 %) of the cases. Uniformity in four individual assessments was reached in 69 % of the cases: 38 % were considered in need of treatment and 31 % were considered not to present such need; conversely, 31 % gave rise to disagreement. It is argued that, at present, the orthodontist's subjective estimate of treatment need probably constitutes a more realistic approach to the problem of assigning treatment priority than the various indices of malocclusion.