Characterization of Leishmania spp. causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

In the State of Amazonas, American tegumentary leishmaniasis is endemic and presents a wide spectrum of clinical variability due to the large diversity of circulating species in the region. Isolates from patients in Manaus and its metropolitan region were characterized using monoclonal antibodies and isoenzymes belonging to four species of the parasite: Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis, 73% (153/209); Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, 14% (30/209); Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, 8% (17/209); and Leishmania (Viannia) naiffii, 4% (9/209). The most prevalent species was L. (V.) guyanensis. The principal finding of this study was the important quantity of infections involving more than one parasite species, representing 14% (29/209) of the total. The findings obtained in this work regarding the parasite are further highlighted by the fact that these isolates were obtained from clinical samples collected from single lesions

Global estimates of biomass burning emissions based on satellite imagery for the year 2000

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94645/1/jgrd11177.pd

Dental wear caused by association between bruxism and gastroesophageal reflux disease: A rehabilitation report

Bruxism is a pathological activity of the stomatognathic system that involves tooth grinding and clenching during parafunctional jaw movements. Clinical signs of bruxism are mostly related to dental wear and muscular and joint discomforts, but a large number of etiological factors can be listed, as local, systemic, psychological and hereditary factors. The association between bruxism, feeding and smoking habits and digestive disorders may lead to serious consequences to dental and related structures, involving dental alterations (wear, fractures and cracks), periodontal signs (gingival recession and tooth mobility) and muscle-joint sensivity, demanding a multidisciplinary treatment plan. This paper presents a case report in which bruxism associated with acid feeding, smoking habit and episodes of gastric reflow caused severe tooth wear and great muscular discomfort with daily headache episodes. From the diagnosis, a multidisciplinary treatment plan was established. The initial treatment approach consisted of medical follow up with counseling on diet and smoking habits and management of the gastric disorders. This was followed by the installation of an interocclusal acrylic device in centric relation of occlusion (CRO) for reestablishment of the occlusal stability, vertical dimension of occlusion, anterior guides and return to normal muscle activity (90-day use approximately). After remission of initial symptoms, oral rehabilitation was implemented in CRO by means of full resin composite restorations and new interocclusal device for protection of restorations. Satisfactory esthetics, improved function and occlusal stability were obtained after oral rehabilitation. The patient has attended annual follow-ups for the past 2 years. The multidisciplinary treatment seems to be the key for a successful rehabilitation of severe cases of dental wear involving the association of different health disorders.15432733

Radiodensity of enamel and dentin of human, bovine and swine teeth

Several studies have aimed to evaluate the characteristics of hard dental tissues from animal species in order to adequately substitute the usage of human teeth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiodensity of enamel and dentin of human, bovine and swine teeth. Five specimens of 2 mm in thickness were obtained from human, bovine and swine teeth and the radiographic images were taken positioning it on a phosphor plaque digital system, Digora (Soredex, Helsinki, Finland). The radiodensity of each specimen was obtained and data were compared by ANOVA following Tukey test (P < 0.05). The results showed that human and bovine enamel presented similar radiodensity, which was higher than the one from swine enamel; bovine and swine dentin presented similar radiodensity, and only bovine dentin presented greater similarity to human dentin. Bovine teeth seems to be more similar to human teeth in respect to radiodensity. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.491191992