Double Lip Surgical Correction in Ascher’s Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment of a Rare Condition

Ascher’s syndrome is a rare disease first described in 1920 by Ascher, an ophthalmologist from Prague. The disease is characterized by a double upper lip, blepharochalasis, and nontoxic thyroid enlargement, though the thyroid enlargement may be evident in only 10% to 50% of patients. These deformities, though not posing functional problems, may cause severe psychological distress to the affected person because of the disfiguring effect on smiling. Prompt recognition of this syndrome can prevent unnecessary tests and diagnostic delays, and allow for quicker scheduling of appropriate surgical treatment

Botryoid odontogenic cyst: a clinicopathologic study of 10 cases

Botryoid odontogenic cyst is a rare multilocular variant of lateral periodontal cysts. In this study, a series of 10 cases of botryoid odontogenic cysts retrieved from the archives of the Postgraduation Program in Oral Pathology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), were reviewed for epidemiologic data, clinical presentation, radiographic and histopathologic characteristics, treatment, and recurrence

Mast cells and matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression in actinic cheilitis and lip squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate mast cell (MC) density and migration and their association with matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 expression in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and actinic cheilitis (AC). Study design Tryptase, c-Kit, and MMP-9 expression was evaluated in 20 cases of SCC, 20 cases of AC, and 7 cases of normal lip (control samples) by immunohistochemistry techniques. Results Tryptase+ and c-Kit+ MC densities were significantly higher in SCCs than in ACs and control samples (P < .001). However, no significant difference was found when comparing tryptase+ and c-Kit+ MC densities between ACs and control samples (P values .185 and .516, respectively). MMP-9 was strongly expressed in SCCs and moderately expressed in ACs and control samples. A highly significant association was found between tryptase+ MC density and the expression of MMP-9 (P < .001). Conclusions The increase in MC density associated with the strong expression of MMP-9 may favor SCC progression

Clinicopathologic analysis of 7 cases of oral schwannoma and review of the literature?

Schwannomas, also known as neurilemmomas, are uncommon neoplasms apparently derived from Schwann cells. The growth of these tumors causes displacement and compression of the nerve of origin. Schwannomas are usually solitary lesions but can be multiple when associated with neurofibromatosis. Anti-S100 protein is the most widely used antibody for the identification of this neoplasm. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice for schwannomas, with few and controversial reports of recurrence or malignant transformation. The present article reports 7 additional cases of oral schwannoma, and the literature is reviewed regarding clinicopathologic features, immunohistochemical findings, differential diagnosis, and therapeutic management of this benign neural tumor

Myofibroblasts and increased angiogenesis contribute to periapical cystic injury containment and repair

Myofibroblasts (MF) and angiogenesis are important factors in the development and expansion of cystic lesions, where these cells secrete growth factors and proteases, stimulating angiogenesis, matrix deposition and cell migration, affecting the growth of these periapicopathies. The present study aimed to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of CD34 and ?-SMA in radicular cysts (RC) and residual radicular cysts (RRC), with the purpose of contributing to a better understanding of the expansion and progression of these periapical lesions. The present study os a descriptive, quantitative and comparative analysis of positive CD34 and ?-SMA immunohistochemical expressions in 30 RC and 30 RRC specimens. ?-SMA expression was evaluated in the fibrous capsule of the lesions, at 100x magnification below the epithelial lining. A total of 10 higher immunostaining fields were selected and subsequently, positive cells were quantified at 400x magnification, averaged per field. Regarding the angiogenic index, immuno-labeled microvessel counts for the anti-CD34 antibody were performed in 10 fields at 200x magnification. Statistically significant differences regarding ?-SMA immunostaining were observed (p = 0.035), as well as a correlation between ?-SMA versus CD34 (p = 0.004) in RRC. However, the angiogenic index obtained by immunostaining for CD34 indicated no statistical difference between lesions. Intense inflammatory infiltrates were predominant in RC, while mild and moderate degrees were more commonly observed in RRC (p <0.001). Intense inflammatory infiltrates were also more often noted in larger RRC (p = 0.041). Inflammatory infiltrates showed no significant correlation with ?-SMA and CD34 immunostaining. The results indicate that the significant correlation found between the presence of MF and the angiogenic index are related to the repair process in RRC

Clinicopathological analysis of odontogenic tumors over 22 years period : experience of a single center in northeastern Brazil

Odontogenic tumors (OTs) are uncommon neoplastic lesions of the maxilla and mandible, which present difficult diagnosis and therapeutics. This paper aims to determine the frequency and distribution of OTs, over a period of 22 years, at a public university in Northeastern Brazil. We reviewed all cases of OTs from oral pathology laboratory of Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), from 1996 to 2017. The tumors were classified according to the latest (2017) World Health Organization Classification of Tumors. Data on age, gender, anatomic site, symptomatology, radiographic findings and tumor size were analyzed. In the analyzed period, 247 cases of OTs were diagnosed. Epithelial tumors were more common with 127 cases (51.8%). The most common tumors were ameloblastoma (n = 112 / 45.4%), odontoma (n = 89 / 36.1%) and odontogenic myxoma (n = 17 / 6.9%). Malignant odontogenic tumors were extremely rare in the studied population with only 2 cases (0.8%) of diagnosed carcinomas. These tumors were diagnosed in a wide age range, from 5 to 81 years, being more common in the second and third decades of life. In general, the mandible was the most affected anatomic site (n = 162/66%) and the mandible:maxilla ratio was of 2:1. Ameloblastoma was the tumor with the highest number of symptomatic cases (n = 26) and with the highest mean size (cm) with 4.5cm. Odontogenic tumors were rare in the sample studied (2.2%), with ameloblastoma and odontoma being the most common tumors. Continuous studies that show the characteristics of these lesions are fundamental, especially after modifications in the international classification

A retrospective 11-year study on lip lesions attended at an oral diagnostic service

The objective of this study was to describe the upper and lower lip lesion occurrence in an oral diagnostic service. Retrospective descriptive sectional study was performed. Clinical records were obtained from the archives of an Oral Diagnostic Service referral center between 2006 and 2016. Data such as gender, age, anatomical location, and diagnosis were collected and categorized. The collected data were submitted to a descriptive analysis and Pearson's chi-square test (p ? 0.05). A total of 587 patient records of lip lesions were analyzed. Most lesions were diagnosed in female (52.1%) and adults (56.9%) patients in the lower lip (76.2%). Among all lip lesions, the reactive/inflammatory lesions (n = 238; 40.5%) and oral potentially malignant disorders (n = 164; 28%) were the most frequent group lesions. Mucocele (n = 147; 25%), actinic cheilitis (n = 136; 23.1%) and vascular lesions (n = 51; 8.7%) were the most frequent lesion in the sample. Actinic cheilitis was significant in relation to gender (p < 0.001), all three most frequent lesions were significant in concerning to age group and anatomical site. Mucocele was the most common lower lip lesion in all age groups, followed by actinic cheilitis and vascular lesions, which mainly affected adults and the elderly

Ocorrência de meristema de espessamento primário no caule de Cyperus prolixus H.B.K. (Cyperaceae) / The occurrence of primary thickening meristem on the stem of Cyperus prolixus H.B.K. (Cyperaceae)

O meristema de espessamento primário (MEP) contribui para o desenvolvimento, em diâmetro dos caules das monocotiledôneas. O presente estudo objetivou descrever, anatomicamente, a presença e atividade do MEP no desenvolvimento do rizoma e cormo de Cyperus prolixus H.B.K. Os espécimes foram coletados no município do Acará (Pará ‒ Brasil) e processados pelos métodos usuais de anatomia. Nessa espécie, o MEP produz parênquima e raízes para fora e feixes vasculares para dentro, delimitando uma região medular e outra cortical. A atuação do MEP é mais frequente para a região cortical e não produz raízes na porção caulinar correspondente ao rizoma, apenas na do cormo. Posteriormente, tornando-se evidente como periciclo e endoderme. No cormo, distante do ápice caulinar, o periciclo continua ativo mesmo distanciando da região apical, gerando tecido vascular contínuo (não mais feixes) e raízes adventícias. Os feixes vasculares são anfivasais que, além do MEP, podem ser provenientes do procâmbio. No cormo, ele pode produzir elementos de vaso tortuosos e com prolongamento de parede

Towards a Taxonomy for the Development of Older Adults Healthcare Applications

The world population is aging and this motivates the development of diferent software solutions focused on the older adults\u27 health. In the literature, however, there is a lack of a organization of the information used by these software. To address this gap, we present in this paper a taxonomy to support the development of software applications dealing with the older adults\u27 health. This taxonomy is composed by 87 characteristics and 21 categories that organize the information that should be handled by this kind of application. The assessment of our taxonomy was performed with a group of five TIC experts with experience in digital healthcare and two healthcare professionals that work with older adutls. From this evaluation, we improve the taxonomy according to the inter-rater agreement among the experts. As a result, our taxonomy may be used to guide the development of healthcare applications for older adults