45 research outputs found
Direct fluorescent antibody assay and polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis
OBJECTIVES: To identify Chlamydia trachomatis via polymerase chain reaction and a direct fluorescent antibodyassay in patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis while comparing the efficacies of both tests for detectingChlamydia trachomatis in these conditions. METHODS: Conjunctival scraping samples were obtained from 177 patients who were divided into two groups: avernal keratoconjunctivitis group (group A) and a control group (group B). The polymerase chain reaction and adirect fluorescent antibody assay were performed. Sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic curves,and areas under the curve were calculated for both tests in groups A and B. Receiver operating characteristic curveswere plotted using a categorical variable with only two possible outcomes (positive and negative). RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between vernal keratoconjunctivitis and Chlamydia trachomatis infection detected by a direct fluorescent antibody assay with high sensitivity and specificity. Allpatients in group A with positive polymerase chain reactions also presented with positive direct fluorescentantibody assays. CONCLUSION: The association between vernal keratoconjunctivitis and Chlamydia trachomatis infection wasconfirmed by positive direct fluorescent antibody assays in 49.4% of vernal keratoconjunctivitis patients and bypositive polymerase chain reactions in 20% of these patients. The direct fluorescent antibody assay detectedChlamydia trachomatis in a higher number of patients than did the polymerase chain reaction. Although thediagnosis of trachoma is essentially clinical, the disease may not be detected in vernal keratoconjunctivitis patients.Due to the high frequency of chlamydial infection detected in patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis, we suggestconsidering routine laboratory tests to detect Chlamydia trachomatis in patients with severe and refractory allergicdisease
Dez anos de acompanhamento de uma sĂ©rie de casos de neoplasias epiteliais primárias da glândula lacrimal: caracterĂsticas clĂnicas, tratamento cirĂşrgico e achados histopatolĂłgicos
PURPOSE: To describe and analyze the features of a cases series of patients with primary epithelial neoplasms of the lacrimal gland, its surgical treatment, and histopathological findings. METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of files from patients with primary epithelial neoplasms of the lacrimal gland in the period from 1997 to 2007. All patients with primary epithelial tumors of the lacrimal gland were included in this study. Data on gender, age, clinical features, surgical treatment, histopathological findings and follow-up were collected. The slides with histological sections of the tumors were reviewed by the same pathologist. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 12 patients, 5 (41.7%) with benign tumors, all pleomorphic adenomas (benign mixed tumor) and 7 (58.3%) with malignant neoplasms, thus distributed: four cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma, two of mucoepidermoid carcinoma and one carcinoma expleomorphic adenoma. Globally, patients mean age was 54.1 years-old (ranging from 14 to 70 years-old), with mean age of 52.4 years-old (ranging from 14 to 65 years-old) for benign neoplasms, and 55.3years-old for malignant neoplasms (ranging from 26 to 70 years-old). Clinical follow-up information, ranging from 2 to 10 years-old, was available for all patients. Three patients developed distant metastasis and died of disease. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent primary epithelial neoplasms of the lacrimal gland were pleomorphic adenoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma during the study period. Malignant tumors were more frequent than benign tumors. The histopathological diagnosis and the disease initial stage can play a significant role in patient's survival.OBJETIVO: Descrever e analisar as caracterĂsticas de uma sĂ©rie de casos de portadores de neoplasias epiteliais primárias da glândula lacrimal, o tratamento cirĂşrgico, assim como os achados histopatolĂłgicos. MÉTODOS: Avaliação retrospectiva dos arquivos de pacientes com neoplasias epiteliais primárias da glândula lacrimal, no perĂodo de 1997 atĂ© 2007. Todos os pacientes com tumores epiteliais primários da glândula lacrimal foram incluĂdos neste estudo. Foram analisados os dados sobre sexo, idade, caracterĂsticas clĂnicas, tratamento cirĂşrgico, achados histopatolĂłgicos e seguimento dos pacientes. As lâminas com secções histolĂłgicas dos tumores foram revisadas pelo mesmo patologista. RESULTADOS: No perĂodo do estudo, foram encontrados 12 pacientes, sendo 5 (41,7%) portadores de tumores benignos, todos adenomas pleomĂłrficos (tumor benigno misto), e 7 (58,3%) com neoplasias malignas, assim distribuĂdos: quatro casos de carcinoma adenĂłide cĂstico, dois de carcinoma mucoepidermĂłide e um de carcinoma ex-adenoma pleomĂłrfico. Analisando-se de modo global, a idade mĂ©dia dos portadores foi de 54,1 anos (variando de 14 a 70 anos); com mĂ©dia de idade de 52,4 anos (variando de 14 a 65 anos) para neoplasias benignas, e 55,3 para neoplasias malignas (variando de 26 a 70 anos). Informações do seguimento, variando de 2 a 10 anos, estavam disponĂveis para todos os pacientes. TrĂŞs pacientes desenvolveram metástases distantes e morreram devido Ă doença. CONCLUSĂ•ES: A maioria das neoplasias epiteliais primárias da glândula lacrimal foi o adenoma pleomĂłrfico e o carcinoma adenĂłide cĂstico no perĂodo de estudo. Os tumores malignos foram mais frequentes que os benignos. O diagnĂłstico histopatolĂłgico e o estadiamento inicial da doença podem desempenhar uma papel significante na sobrevida do paciente.Santa Casa de MisericĂłrdia SĂŁo Paulo Department of Ophthalmology Corneal and External Disease ServiceUniversidade Federal de SĂŁo Paulo (UNIFESP) Department of OphthalmologySanta Casa de MisericĂłrdia SĂŁo Paulo Department of Pathology Ophthalmic Pathology ServiceSanta Casa de MisericĂłrdia SĂŁo Paulo Department of Ophthalmology Oculoplastics ServiceSanta Casa de MisericĂłrdia SĂŁo Paulo Department of OphthalmologyUNIFESP, Department of OphthalmologySciEL
Injeção subconjuntival de soro autógeno no tratamento de queimadura ocular por álcali em coelhos
Ten-year follow-up of a case series of primary epithelial neoplasms of the lacrimal gland: clinical features, surgical treatment and histopathological findings
Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research
Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4
While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge
of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In
the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of
Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus
crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced
environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian
Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by
2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status,
much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio