Nucleolar Organizer Region (NORs) in pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia and squamous cell carcinoma of the oral mucosa

Counts of nucleolar regions (NORs) demonstrated by a silver staining technique in paraffin sections, have been used to distinguish benign from malignant lesions. AgNORs were studied in 24 biopsies from oral cavity (5 cases of normal oral mucosa, 5 of pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia and 14 of squamous cell carcinoma, subdivided according to degree of differentiation: 5 grade 1, 5 grade 2 and 4 grade 3) to find whether they were helpful in distinguishing pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia due to chronic parasitic infections from squamous cell carcinoma. Two methods of counting AgNORs were used: (A) a simpler one which counts nucleolar clusters (AgNU) and satellite AgNORs and the other (B) counting all individual AgNORs, including those within AgNUs. In both methods the lowest mean values were observed for grade 3 carcinoma, while the highest belonged to grade 2 carcinoma. The simpler method (A) was the most useful because AgNU counts showed significant difference when pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia was compared with grade 1 and 2 carcinomas, which are the most difficult to discriminate from it. However the overlapping of values render the technique of limited use in individual cases.INTRODUÇÃO E OBJETIVOS: Regiões organizadoras do nucléolo podem ser detectadas através do nitrato de prata em secções de parafina. A contagem de AgNORs tem sido utilizada para distinguir entre lesões benignas e malignas. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: AgNORs foram contados em 24 biopsias da cavidade oral (5 casos de mucosa oral normal, 5 de hiperplasia pseudocarcinomatosa e 14 de carcinoma epidermóide, subdivididos segundo o grau de diferenciação: 5 grau 1; 5 grau 2 e 4 grau 3) para verificar sua utilidade no diagnóstico diferencial entre hiperplasia pseudocarcinomatosa, secundária a infecções parasitárias crônicas, e carcinoma epidermóide. Foram usados dois métodos de contagem de AgNORs: um mais simples(A), que conta os agregados nucleolares (AgNU) e AgNOR satélites e o outro (B) que conta todos os AgNORs, inclusive aqueles dentro do AgNUs. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÃO: Em ambos os métodos as médias mais baixas foram do carcinoma grau 3 e as mais altas do carcinoma grau 2. O método mais simples (A) foi o mais útil, pois a contagem de AgNU mostrou valores significantemente diferentes quando comparou-se hiperplasia pseudocarcinomatosa e carcinomas graus 1 e 2, que são os mais difíceis de distinguir da hiperplasia. Entretanto, devido à sobreposição de valores a técnica foi de utilidade limitada em casos individuais.69369

Occlusion therapy in amblyopia: factors that influence the outcome

Purpose: Amblyopia is the most common form of visual problem in children and for more than 250 years occlusion therapy is the standard treatment. Thus our purpose is to identify the factors that influence the outcome of amblyopia treatment with occlusion therapy. Methods: We reviewed 169 amblyopic children seen in the outpatient clinic of amblyopia of the Campinas State University, between January 1996 and May 1998. Patients were analyzed regar-ding sex, age at start of treatment (3 groups), affected eye, type of amblyopia (strabismic, anisometropic, visual depri-vation, associated), follow-up, initial visual acuity (light, moderate, severe), compliance with treatment (good, poor) and outcome (fully treated, partially treated, not treated). Results: Compliance was not seen to be significantly related to age at start of treatment (p=0.68) or initial visual acuity (p=0.82). 52.67% of the patients were fully treated while 19.52% were partially treated and 27.81% were not treated. Children recorded as showing good compliance had a significantly better outcome than those with poor complian-ce (p=0.0009). Neither the age at start of treatment (p=0.39) nor the initial visual acuity (p=0.30) were significantly corre-lated with the final outcome. Conclusions: We concluded that the main factor affecting the final outcome of amblyopia treatment is compliance.Objetivos: Ambliopia é o defeito visual mais comum em crianças e por mais de 250 anos a terapia oclusiva vem sendo o melhor tratamento. Sendo assim, propusemo-nos a determinar os fatores que influenciam no sucesso do tratamento da ambliopia por terapia oclusiva em nosso meio. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo com 169 crianças amblíopes atendidas no Ambulatório de Ambliopia do Hospital de Clínicas da UNICAMP, Campinas (SP), entre janeiro de 1996 e maio de 1998. A população atendida foi classificada quanto ao sexo, idade de início do tratamento por faixa etária (3 grupos), olho afetado, tipo de ambliopia (estrabísmica, anisometrópica, por deprivação, associação de dois tipos), tempo de seguimento, gravidade da ambliopia (leve, moderada, grave), adesão ao tratamento (regular, irregular) e resposta obtida (cura, melhora, sem cura). Resultados: A adesão ao tratamento não diferiu entre as faixas etárias (p=0,68) e não foi influenciada pela gravidade da ambliopia (p=0,82). Dos pacientes estudados 52,67% curaram-se, 19,52% melhoraram e 27,81% não obtiveram cura. Os pacientes com adesão regular tiveram índice de cura significativamente maior do que os pacientes com adesão irregular (p=0,0009). O resultado do tratamento não dependeu da idade de início do mesmo (p=0,39) e da gravidade da ambliopia (p=0,30). Conclusão: Concluímos, assim, que, no nosso grupo de estudo, a adesão é o principal fator prognóstico no sucesso da terapia oclusiva.12312

Mucopolysaccharidosis I, II, and VI: Brief review and guidelines for treatment

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are rare genetic diseases caused by the deficiency of one of the lysosomal enzymes involved in the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) breakdown pathway. This metabolic block leads to the accumulation of GAG in various organs and tissues of the affected patients, resulting in a multisystemic clinical picture, sometimes including cognitive impairment. Until the beginning of the XXI century, treatment was mainly supportive. Bone marrow transplantation improved the natural course of the disease in some types of MPS, but the morbidity and mortality restricted its use to selected cases. The identification of the genes involved, the new molecular biology tools and the availability of animal models made it possible to develop specific enzyme replacement therapies (ERT) for these diseases. At present, a great number of Brazilian medical centers from all regions of the country have experience with ERT for MPS I, II, and VI, acquired not only through patient treatment but also in clinical trials. Taking the three types of MPS together, over 200 patients have been treated with ERT in our country. This document summarizes the experience of the professionals involved, along with the data available in the international literature, bringing together and harmonizing the information available on the management of these severe and progressive diseases, thus disclosing new prospects for Brazilian patients affected by these conditions

A anidrase carbonica eritrocitaria na sindrome de Down

Orientador : Luis Alberto MagnaTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciencias MedicasResumo: O presente trabalho consiste na avaliação dos niveis eritrocitarios das isozimas da anidrase carbonica assim como da atividade total desse enzima...Observação: O resumo, na integra, podera ser visualizado no texto completo da tese digitalAbstract: The complete abstract is available with the full electronic digital thesis or dissertationsDoutoradoDoutor em Medicin

Cephalometric Evaluation In Children Presenting Adapted Swallowing During Mixed Dentition.

The tongue trust and anterior projection through the dental arcades during swallowing is known as Adapted Swallowing (AS) and is a common finding during mixed dentition. The authors studied the morphologic dentofacial characteristics through cephalometric measures in 38 girls and 35 boys, aged seven to nine years, presenting AS, as determined by the speech therapist evaluation. Cephalometric evaluation was obtained by Radiocef 2.0 software. The measurements studied were the mandibular and maxillary relations to the cranial base, the nasolabial angle, and the upper airway patency, as proposed by McNamara Jr (1984), and the convexity and facial axis angles and maxillary height from Ricketts (1960; 1981). Results, analyzed in relation to sex and racial group, showed an association of Class II facial convexity with the African Brazilian children with dark black skin. This classification does not reflect an abnormality as all African Brazilians studied were classified as class II, due to the fact that the standard measurements are based in the white American population. These findings point to the need of specific racial normative standard for evaluating orofacial and dental structures.2929-4

Molecular Findings In Brazilian Patients With Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder of increased bone fragility and low bone mass. Severity varies widely, ranging from intrauterine fractures and perinatal lethality to very mild forms without fractures. Most patients with a clinical diagnosis of OI have a mutation in the COL1A1 or COL1A2 genes that encode the a chains of type I procollagen, the major protein in bones. Hence, the aim of the present study was to identify mutations in the COL1A1 gene in 13 unrelated Brazilian OI patients. This is the first molecular study of OI in Brazil. We found 6 mutations, 4 of them novel (c.1885delG, p.P239A, p.G592S, p.G649D) and 2 previously described (p.R237X and p.G382S). Thus, the findings show that there are no prevalent mutations in our sample, and that their distribution is similar to that reported by other authors, with preponderance of substitutions for glycine in the triple helix domain, causing OI types II, III and IV.46105-

Nucleolar Organizer Region (NORs) in pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia and squamous cell carcinoma of the oral mucosa

Counts of nucleolar regions (NORs) demonstrated by a silver staining technique in paraffin sections, have been used to distinguish benign from malignant lesions. AgNORs were studied in 24 biopsies from oral cavity (5 cases of normal oral mucosa, 5 of pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia and 14 of squamous cell carcinoma, subdivided according to degree of differentiation: 5 grade 1, 5 grade 2 and 4 grade 3) to find whether they were helpful in distinguishing pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia due to chronic parasitic infections from squamous cell carcinoma. Two methods of counting AgNORs were used: (A) a simpler one which counts nucleolar clusters (AgNU) and satellite AgNORs and the other (B) counting all individual AgNORs, including those within AgNUs. In both methods the lowest mean values were observed for grade 3 carcinoma, while the highest belonged to grade 2 carcinoma. The simpler method (A) was the most useful because AgNU counts showed significant difference when pseudocarcinomatous hyperplasia was compared with grade 1 and 2 carcinomas, which are the most difficult to discriminate from it. However the overlapping of values render the technique of limited use in individual cases