Avaliação da neoformação óssea na sutura palatina mediana por meio de radiografia digitalizada após a expansão assistida cirurgicamente Evaluation of new bone formation at the midpalatal suture by digitized radiography after surgically assisted maxillary expansion

OBJETIVOS: avaliar a neoformação óssea na região da sutura palatina mediana em pacientes adultos submetidos à expansão rápida da maxila assistida cirurgicamente. METODOLOGIA: foram utilizadas radiografias oclusais convencionais periódicas obtidas da fase inicial e até 120 dias de contenção, digitalizadas em scanner com leitor de transparências, para a avaliação da densidade óptica. RESULTADOS: a densidade óptica apresentou um aumento na fase final de contenção, porém, os valores de pixels obtidos em 120 dias foram significantemente inferiores aos valores da fase inicial. CONCLUSÕES: 1) os valores de pixels mostraram uma variabilidade individual no processo de remodelação da sutura; 2) não houve equiparação da densidade óptica no período final de contenção aos valores iniciais, demonstrando que o prazo de 120 dias não foi suficiente para a completa neoformação e remodelação óssea da sutura; 3) os resultados obtidos pelo método computadorizado corresponderam às informações obtidas nas radiografias oclusais convencionais, acrescentando a estas a análise quantitativa dos dados obtidos, podendo ser utilizado como método complementar de diagnóstico na prática clínica ortodôntica.<br>OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the new bone formation at the midpalatal suture in adult patients submitted to surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion. METHODS: Regular conventional occlusal radiographs were obtained from the initial stage up to 120 days and digitized with a scanner with transparency adapter for evaluation of optical density. RESULTS: The optical density presented an increase at the final stage of retention, yet the pixel values achieved at 120 days were significantly lower than the values of the initial stage. CONCLUSIONS: 1) the pixel values exhibited an individual variability in the process of suture remodeling; 2) there was no similarity of optical density between the final period of retention and the initial values, demonstrating that the 120-day period was not enough for complete new bone formation and bone remodeling at the suture; 3) the results achieved by the computerized method corresponded to the information achieved on the conventional occlusal radiographs, adding the quantitative analysis of the obtained data, and may be used as a complementary diagnostic method in the orthodontic clinic

Her-2 Immunohistochemical Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas is Associated with Polysomy of Chromosome 17, Not Her-2 Amplification

Based on the prognostic role of Her-2 amplification and protein overexpression in breast cancer, various studies have been performed in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) with inconsistent results. As in invasive breast carcinomas Her-2 overexpression has been related to an increased number of chromosome 17 copies, a common chromosomal alteration in OSCC, we evaluated the association between polysomy 17 and Her-2 protein expression in a series of primary OSCC. Forty-one incisional biopsies of primary OSCC were included in the study. Protein expression was evaluated immunochistochemically with CB11 mouse monoclonal anti-human antibody. The reaction was arbitrarily characterized as absent, faint, moderate, and strong, and staining pattern as cytoplasmic and membranous. Positive cases were analyzed by chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH) to access Her-2 status. The association between polysomy 17 and Her-2 expression was checked by Fisher’s exact test. Four cases were negative and 37 cases were positive for Her-2. Staining was faint in 15 cases and moderate in 22 cases. CISH showed that all cases with faint staining were diploid, while from the cases with moderate staining 10 were diploid and 12 polysomic for chromosome 17. Thirteen cases showed purely cytoplasmic staining, while in 24 there were areas of both cytoplasmic and membranous staining. There was a statistically significant correlation between intensity of the reaction and polysomy 17 (P = 0.0036), in particular for cases with both cytoplasmic and membranous staining (P = 0.0128). In some OSCC Her-2 immunohistochemical expression may be associated with chromosome 17 polysomy and not Her-2 amplification