ORAL MANIFESTATIONS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR LEUKEMIA

Cross-sectional study of 36 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Intraoral examination and oral hygiene assessment were performed in all patients. Information was also obtained from interviews of patients’ mothers and a review of medical records. Results: The sample was largely composed of boys (58.3%), ages 5–9 years. The most commonly used chemotherapy regimen was the BFM-95 protocol. Most children (83.3%) had a record of some oral manifestation during treatment. On intraoral examination, 17 children (50%) were found to have at least one oral manifestation. The most frequent manifestation was also mucositis (26.5%), followed by gingival bleeding (23.4%). Lower maternal educational level was associated with increased frequency of mucositis, as were induction chemotherapy and maintenance chemotherapy after relapse. Conclusions: Oral abnormalities were common in children receiving chemotherapy and mucositis was the most prevalent manifestation. Oral lesions were associated with the induction phase of chemotherapy. Mucositis was not associated with oral health status

Relationship between anemia and oral cancer : a case-control study

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, type and severity of anemia at the time of diagnosis of oral cancer, and its potential association with the degree of tumor cell differentiation. This case-control study used 366 medical records of patients treated at two referral centers for oral cancer diagnosis, specifically: cases (n=70) with a histopathological diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the oral cavity, and controls (n=296) with benign oral lesions. Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical variables of both groups, as well as complete blood count values, were analyzed by descriptive statistics and crude/adjusted logistic regression. Anemia was detected in 15.7% of the cases and 11.8% of the controls. The presence of anemia had an OR=1.64 (odds ratio) (95%CI 0.54–5.00) for OSCC, with no significantly statistical association. Normocytic anemia was the most prevalent form of anemia when oral cancer was diagnosed (91.4% of the controls and 72.7% of the cases), and moderate to severely low hemoglobin levels were associated with OSCC diagnosis (OR 6.49; 95%CI 1.18–35.24), albeit data on hematological examinations were missing

Evaluation of Aquaporins 1 and 5 Expression in Rat Parotid Glands After Volumetric Modulated Arc Radiotherapy and Use of Low-Level Laser Therapy at Different Times

Introduction: This experimental study investigated the mRNA expression of aquaporins (AQPs) 1 and 5 in the parotid glands of rats irradiated with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and subjected to low-level laser therapy (LLLT) at different time points.Methods: The sample consisted of 30 Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) divided into the following groups: control, LLLT alone (LG), radiotherapy alone (RG), and experimental groups that received LLLT at 24 hours (early experimental group [EEG], n=12) and 120 hours (late experimental group [LEG], n=12) after radiotherapy. VMAT was delivered at a single dose (12 Gy) and LLLT was performed with an aluminium-gallium-arsenide diode laser (660 nm, 100 mW), spot area of 0.0028 cm2, energy of 2 J/cm2 applied to 3 spots in the region corresponding to the right parotid gland, for 10 consecutive days. The right parotid gland was resected and prepared for RNA extraction. The gene expression of AQPs was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using specific TaqMan probes, with the HPRT gene as an internal control.Results: The lowest AQP1 gene expression was 0.83 (0.27) with the use of LLLT 24 hours after radiotherapy (EEG), and the highest was 1.56 (0.80) with the use of LLLT alone (LG). Likewise, the lowest AQP5 gene expression was found in the EEG (mean = 0.88; SD = 0.49) and the highest in the LG (mean = 1.29; SD = 0.33).Conclusion: The use of LLLT after radiotherapy may contribute to the maintenance and an increase of these proteins, even when used at a later time point after radiotherapy

Effect of Radiotherapy and Low-Level Laser Therapy on Circulating Blood Cells of Rats: LLLT and Radiotherapy on Circulating Blood Cells

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the blood cell count when applied to parotid glands of rats irradiated by volumetric modular arc therapy (VMAT).Methods: Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were used in this study. Samples were randomly assigned to three groups: control group (CG, n = 8), immediate laser group (24 hours) (ILG, n=12), and late laser group (120 hours) (LLG, n=12). The two laser groups were previously subjected to VMAT radiotherapy in a single dose of 12 Gy. LLLT with an AsGaAl laser (660 nm, 100 mW) was applied at three points in the region of the parotid glands, right side, with the energy of 2 J per point (20s, 70 J/cm2) and a spot size of 0.0028 cm2 for 10 consecutive days. In euthanasia, blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture. The samples from each group were processed by an automatic method and analyzed for erythrogram, leukogram, and platelet count values. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and each LLLT time point was analyzed in relation to the control group,with a significance level less than 0.05.Results: Groups using LLLT had higher red blood cell counts, being higher in the LLG (p = 0.000). The hematimetric indices MCV (P=0.002) and MCH (P=0.009) were lower than the control group, especially when compared to the group using LLLT 120h after radiotherapy (LLG). White blood cell counts were lower in the groups with radiotherapy and immediate use of LLLT (ILG) (P=0.011), mainly at the expense of lymphocytes (P=0.002).Conclusion: The results suggest a potential systemic effect of LLLT, especially on circulating red blood cell counts, regardless of their time of immediate or late use of radiotherapy. ِDOI: 10.34172/jlms.2021.4