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BACKGROUND: Scarce information exists regarding the preventive effect of periodontal treatment in the recurrence of cardiovascular events. Prevention may be achieved by targeting risk factors for recurrent coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with previous history of cardiovascular events. The aim of this trial is to compare the effect of two periodontal treatment approaches on levels of C-reactive protein, lipids, flow-mediated dilation and serum concentrations of proinflammatory and endothelial markers in stable CAD patients with periodontitis over a period of 12 months. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a randomized, parallel design, examiner blinded, controlled clinical trial. Individuals from both genders, 35 years of age and older, with concomitant diagnosis of CAD and periodontitis will be included. CAD will be defined as the occurrence of at least one of the following events 6 months prior to entering the trial: documented history of myocardial infarction; surgical or percutaneous myocardial revascularization and lesion >50% in at least one coronary artery assessed by angiography; presence of angina and positive noninvasive testing of ischemia. Diagnosis of periodontitis will be defined using the CDC-AAP case definition (>/=2 interproximal sites with clinical attachment loss >/=6 mm and >/=1 interproximal site with probing depth >/=5 mm). Individuals will have to present at least ten teeth present to be included. One hundred individuals will be allocated to test (intensive periodontal treatment comprised by scaling and root planing) or control (community periodontal treatment consisting of one session of supragingival plaque removal only) treatment groups. Full-mouth six sites per tooth periodontal examinations and subgingival biofilm samples will be conducted at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment. The primary outcome of this study will be C-reactive protein changes over time. Secondary outcomes include levels of total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides, IL-1beta, IL-6, TNFalpha, fibrinogen, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin. These outcomes will be assessed at all time points over 12 months. Flow-mediated dilation will be assessed at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months after periodontal therapy. DISCUSSION: This trial will provide new evidence regarding the effect of periodontal treatment on risk markers for recurrence of cardiovascular events in stable coronary artery disease patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier, NCT01609725.

O externalismo semântico (a tese segundo a qual valores semânticos são, ao menos parcialmente, constituídos pelas relações não-representacionais dos usuários da linguagem com seu ambiente natural e social) é apresentado aqui em perspectiva histórica. Na reconstrução proposta, a genealogia da tese exposta e defendida por Hilary Putnam no clássico 'The meaning of "meaning"' (1975) remonta à filosofia da linguagem de Bertrand Russell nos anos 1903-1914 (em particular, à concepção russelliana da semântica dos termos singulares). A tese foi então gradualmente articulada na crítica à compreensão dita 'descritivista' da referência que emergiu da obra pioneira de Ruth Barcan Marcus em lógica modal quantificada e foi sistematizada por filósofos como Keith Donnellan, David Kaplan e, sobretudo, Saul A. Kripke. A este último, em particular, deve-se a introdução da noção de designação rígida que, estendida aos designadores de espécies naturais, abriria o caminho, finalmente, para a formulação madura do externalismo semântico no 'locus classicus' de Putnam.

PURPOSE: To compare the 12-month radiographic outcomes following the use of azithromycin or placebo as adjuncts to non-surgical periodontal treatment of AgP. METHODS: 17 aggressive periodontitis (AgP) subjects 13-26 years old were randomly assigned to receive scaling and root planing (SRP) with systemic azithromycin or placebo. Standardized radiographs were taken at baseline and 12 months postoperatively. Recall visits consisting of oral prophylaxis and oral hygiene instructions were performed during the 12 months. Digital image subtraction analysis and linear bone measurements were conducted by a blinded and calibrated examiner. Student t-tests were used for within and between-groups comparisons. ANCOVA was applied for between-group comparisons of changes in linear bone level adjusting for baseline values. RESULTS: There were significant gains in linear bone levels in the azithromycin (0.55 +/- 0.10 mm) and placebo (0.42 +/- 0.07 mm) groups between the baseline and 12-month postoperative visits. There were also significant gains in bone density in the two treatment groups. No significant differences were observed between the two treatments in the amount of linear bone gain or bone density during the follow-up period. The use of azithromycin as an adjunct to SRP in the treatment of AgP did not result in significant radiographic bone level changes compared to placebo.