Oral findings in secondary syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum. However, there are of hematogenic and vertical transmission. All health care professionals must be aware of the manifestations of this condition, such as oral lesions. This study to analyze and compare four clinical cases of syphilis that were diagnosed based on lesions in the oral cavity with published literature. Four patients with a confirmed sorologic and clinical diagnosis of syphilis were examined, confirmated from manifestation of oral lesions together with analysis of serological laboratory tests and histopathological analyses. Lesions were found in classic sites such as lips, tongue and skin. However, there were also lesions on the hard palate, and labial commissure, which correspond to less than 5% of the syphilis oral manifestations. The practice of unprotected oral sex may result in infection and development of syphilis. The acknowledgment of the oral manifestations of syphilis in all its period of training for health professionals is of basic importance, the association of clinical features, histopathological findings and serological tests are required to complete the diagnosis and correct treatment

Crescimento inicial de mandioca submetida à aplicação de herbicidas em pós-emergência

The aim of this study was to evaluate the initial growth of cassava plants after post-emergence application of herbicides. The experiment was carried out in greenhouse, with randomized block design and four replications. Treatments consisted in the application of herbicides 25 days after crop emergence. The herbicides applied were bentazon, clomazone, fomesafen, fluazifop-p-buthyl, glyphosate, nicosulfuron, chlorimuron-ehtyl, sulfentrazone and the fluazifop-p-buthyl + fomesafen, and a treatment without herbicide application. The visual intoxication of cassava plants was evaluated at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after herbicide application. Thirty-five days after application, we determined the height, stem diameter and dry matter of plants. Sulfentrazone and glyphosate caused the death of cassava. All herbicides caused reduction in stem dry matter, with the exception of fluazifop-p-buthyl. Chlorimuron-ethyl and nicosulfuron caused greater reduction of dry matter accumulation and crop leaf area. The application of herbicides bentazon, nicosulfuron and chlorimuron-ethyl reduced the stem diameter. It is possible to conclude that the herbicide application affected cassava growth, except for fluazifop-p-buthyl application.Objetivou-se com esse trabalho avaliar o crescimento inicial de plantas de mandioca após aplicação de herbicidas em pós-emergência da cultura. O experimento foi realizado em ambiente protegido, no delineamento de blocos casualizados, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos pela aplicação, aos 25 dias após a emergência a cultura, dos herbicidas bentazon, clomazone, fomesafen, fluazifop-p-buthyl, glyphosate, nicosulfuron, chlorimuron-ehtyl, a mistura fluazifop-p-buthyl + fomesafen e sulfentrazone, além de uma testemunha sem aplicação. A intoxicação visual das plantas de mandioca foi avaliada aos 7, 14, 21 e 28 dias após a aplicação dos herbicidas. Aos 35 dias após a aplicação determinou-se a estatura, diâmetro do caule e a matéria seca das plantas. O sulfentrazone e o glyphosate causaram a morte da mandioca. Todos herbicidas causaram redução da matéria seca do caule, com exceção do fluazifop-p-buthyl. O chlorimuron-ethyl e o nicosulfuron foram os herbicidas que causaram maior redução do acúmulo de matéria seca e da área foliar da cultura. O diâmetro do caule foi reduzido pelos herbicidas bentazon, nicosulfuron e chlorimuron-ethyl. Conclui-se que o crescimento da mandioca foi alterado pela aplicação dos herbicidas, com exceção do fluazifop-p-buthyl

Performance of recombinant chimeric proteins in the serological diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in dogs.

Background: Dogs are considered sentinels in areas of Trypanosoma cruzi transmission risk to humans. ELISA is generally the method of choice for diagnosing T. cruzi exposure in dogs, but its performance substantially depends on the antigenic matrix employed. In previous studies, our group has developed four chimeric antigens (IBMP-8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4) and evaluated their potential for diagnosing T. cruzi exposure in humans. For human sera, these chimeric antigens presented superior diagnostic performances as compared to commercial tests available in Brazil, Spain, and Argentina. Therefore, in this study we have evaluated the potential of these antigenic proteins for detection of anti-T. cruzi IgG antibodies in dog sera. Methodology/Principal findings: The IBMP-ELISA assays were optimized by checkerboard titration. Subsequently, the diagnostic potential was validated through analysis of ROC curves and the performance of the tests was determined using double entry tables. Cross-reactivity was also evaluated for babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, dirofilariosis, anaplasmosis, and visceral leishmaniasis. Best performance was shown by IBMP-8.3 and IBMP-8.4, although all four antigens demonstrated a high diagnostic performance with 46 positive and 149 negative samples tested. IBMP-8.3 demonstrated 100% sensitivity, followed by IBMP-8.4 (96.7?100%), IBMP-8.2 (73.3?87.5%), and IBMP-8.1 (50?100%). The highest specificities were achieved with IBMP-8.2 (100%) and IBMP-8.4 (100%), followed by IBMP-8.3 (96.7?97.5%) and IBMP 8.1 (89.1?100%). Conclusions/Significance: The use of chimeric antigenic matrices in immunoassays for anti-T. cruzi IgG antibody detection in sera of infected dogs was shown to be a promising tool for veterinary diagnosis and epidemiological studies. The chimeric antigens used in this work allowed also to overcome the common hurdles related to serodiagnosis of T. cruzi infection, especially regarding variation of efficiency parameters according to different strains and cross-reactivity with other infectious diseases

Agreement between RAPD, API20C AUX, CHROMagar Candida and microculture on oral Candida identification

Abstract Aim: To measure the agreement of methods for identification of Candida species in oral cavity samples, comparing the CHROMagar Candida, microculture, API 20C AUX and RAPD techniques. Methods: Ninety-one colonies of Candida were isolated and presumptively identified in CHROMagar Candida, submitted to microculture, API 20C AUX and RAPD techniques. After this, agreement among methods using Kappa test was performed. Results: Agreement rates between RAPD and CHROMagar Candida, showed significant accuracy for C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. dubliniensis and C. krusei (Kappa: 0.760, 0.640, 0.416 and 0.360, respectively, p<0.05). Comparing RAPD results with microculture, the highest agreement was for C. albicans (Kappa: 0.851 -p<0.05) but no significant agreement for C. lusitaniae, C. krusei and C. guilliermondii was obtained (p>0.05). The agreement was significant for all identified species when RAPD (OPE-18) and API 20C AUX (p<0.05) were used. Critical levels of agreement between RAPD and microculture were observed when C. lusitaniae, C. krusei and C. guilliermondii were identified. Conclusions: API 20C AUX presented the best agreement with molecular random identification and CHROMagar showed good agreement for C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. dubliniensis and C. krusei identification

Agreement between RAPD, API20C AUX, CHROMagar Candida and microculture on oral Candida identification

measure the agreement of methods for identification of Candida species in oral cavity samples, comparing the CHROMagar Candida, microculture, API 20C AUX and RAPD techniques. Methods: Ninety-one colonies of Candida were isolated and presumptively identified in CHROMagar Candida, submitted to microculture, API 20C AUX and RAPD techniques. After this, agreement among methods using Kappa test was performed. Results: Agreement rates between RAPD and CHROMagar Candida, showed significant accuracy for C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. dubliniensis and C. krusei (Kappa: 0.760, 0.640, 0.416 and 0.360, respectively, p0.05). The agreement was significant for all identified species when RAPD (OPE-18) and API 20C AUX (p<0.05). Comparing RAPD results with microculture, the highest agreement was for C. albicans (Kappa: 0.851 p<0.05) but no significant agreement for C. lusitaniae, C. krusei and C. guilliermondii was obtained (p<0.05). The agreement was significant for all identified species when RAPD (OPE-18) and API 20C AUX (p<0.05) were used. Critical levels of agreement between RAPD and microculture were observed when C. lusitaniae, C. krusei and C. guilliermondii were identified. Conclusions: API 20C AUX presented the best agreement with molecular random identification and CHROMagar showed good agreement for C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. dubliniensis and C. krusei identification

Stationary and non‐stationary detection of extreme precipitation events and trends of average precipitation from 1980 to 2010 in the Paraná River basin, Brazil

The main objective of this study was to investigate the trends on average and extreme events in time series of daily precipitation from 1980 to 2010 in the Paraná River basin, Brazil. The nonparametric Mann–Kendall test was applied to detect monotonic trend in the precipitation series. The occurrence of extreme values was analysed based on three generalized extreme values (GEV) models: Model 1 (stationary), Model 2 (non-stationary for location parameter), and Model 3 (non-stationary for location and scale parameters). The GEV parameters were estimated by the Generalized Maximum Likelihood method (GMLE) and for the non-stationary models, the parameters were estimated as linear functions of time. To choose the most suitable model, the maximum likelihood ratio test (D) was used. From the results observed at the monthly scale, it was possible to infer that the months with the highest probability of an extreme weather event occurrence are February (climates Aw and Cfa), July (Cfa and Cfb), and October (Aw, Cfa, and Cfb). Approximately 90% of the 1,112 stations presented no trend regarding the GEV parameters. The non-stationarity showed by other stations (Models 2 and 3) might be associated with several factors, such as the alteration of land use due to the north expansion of the agricultural border of the Paraná River basin

Stationary and non-stationary detection of extreme precipitation events and trends of average precipitation from 1980 to 2010 in the Paraná River basin, Brazil

The main objective of this study was to investigate the trends on average and extreme events in time series of daily precipitation from 1980 to 2010 in the Paraná River basin, Brazil. The nonparametric Mann–Kendall test was applied to detect monotonic trend in the precipitation series. The occurrence of extreme values was analysed based on three generalized extreme values (GEV) models: Model 1 (stationary), Model 2 (non-stationary for location parameter), and Model 3 (non-stationary for location and scale parameters). The GEV parameters were estimated by the Generalized Maximum Likelihood method (GMLE) and for the non-stationary models, the parameters were estimated as linear functions of time. To choose the most suitable model, the maximum likelihood ratio test (D) was used. From the results observed at the monthly scale, it was possible to infer that the months with the highest probability of an extreme weather event occurrence are February (climates Aw and Cfa), July (Cfa and Cfb), and October (Aw, Cfa, and Cfb). Approximately 90% of the 1,112 stations presented no trend regarding the GEV parameters. The non-stationarity showed by other stations (Models 2 and 3) might be associated with several factors, such as the alteration of land use due to the north expansion of the agricultural border of the Paraná River basin

Qualidade de vida de pacientes com carcinoma em cabeça e pescoço Quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer

Pacientes com câncer em cabeça e pescoço têm de lidar com o impacto de seu tratamento sobre aspectos funcionais e estéticos e seu autorrelato permite aprimorar medidas de suporte clínico e social. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes em tratamento de carcinoma de células escamosas em cabeça e pescoço. MÉTODO: Estudo analítico prospectivo. Vinte e nove pacientes com idade média de 57 anos responderam em três momentos: início, metade e final do tratamento, aos questionários: Quality of Life Core Questionnaire - Cancer 30 e ao Quality of Life Questionnaire - Head and Neck, European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer. Foi realizado teste de Friedman, significância: 0,05. RESULTADO: Houve altas médias para as funções física, cognitiva, social; melhora no estado de saúde geral e declínio da função social ao longo do tratamento e diferença significativa para gosto e cheiro (p = 0,020), deglutição (p = 0,040), tosse (p = 0,013), e perda de peso (p = 0,011). CONCLUSÃO: Houve redução significativa da qualidade de vida em relação a alguns sintomas comuns decorrentes do tratamento do câncer, que não ocorreu na avaliação das dimensões relacionadas às funções física, cognitiva, social e ao estado geral de saúde.Patients with head and neck cancer have to deal with the impact of treatment on its functional and aesthetic aspects, and its self-report enables improvements in clinical and social support. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life of patients dealing with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. METHOD: A prospective analytical study. Twenty nine patients with mean age of 57 years answered at three stages: onset, middle and end of treatment, the questionnaires: Quality of Life Core Questionnaire - Cancer 30 and the Quality of Life Questionnaire - Head and Neck, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. We used the Friedman test at: 0.05. RESULTS: There were high mean values concerning physical, cognitive, social functions; improvements in general health and social function decline during treatment; and a significant difference in taste and smell (p = 0.020), swallowing (p = 0.040), cough (p = 0.013) and weight loss (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: There was a significant reduction in the quality of life for some common symptoms resulting from cancer treatment, which was not seen in the evaluation of the aspects related to physical, cognitive and social functions, and general health

Clinical relevance of breast and gastric cancer-associated polymorphisms as potential susceptibility markers for oral clefts in the Brazilian population

Abstract Background Epidemiological studies have indicated a higher incidence of breast and gastric cancer in patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL ± P) and their relatives, which can be based on similar genetic triggers segregated within family with NSCL ± P. Methods This multicenter study evaluated the association of 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in AXIN2 and CDH1, representing genes consistently altered in breast and gastric tumors, with NSCL ± P in 223 trios (father, mother and patient with NSCL ± P) by transmission disequilibrium test (TDT). Results Our results showed that the minor A allele of rs7210356 (p = 0.01) and the T-G-G-A-G haplotype formed by rs7591, rs7210356, rs4791171, rs11079571 and rs3923087 SNPs (p = 0.03) in AXIN2 were significantly under-transmitted to patients with NSCL ± P. In CDH1 gene, the C-G-A-A and A-G-A-G haplotypes composed by rs16260, rs9929218, rs7186053 and rs4783573 polymorphisms were respectively over-transmitted (p = 0.01) and under-transmitted (p = 0.008) from parents to the children with NSCL ± P. Conclusions The results suggest that polymorphic variants in AXIN2 and CDH1 may be associated with NSCL ± P susceptibility, and reinforce the putative link between cancer and oral clefts