Clinical and histopathological analysis of oral squamous cell carcinoma of young patients in Mashhad, Iran : a retrospective study and review of literatures

Objectives: Oral Squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is primarily a disease that mainly occurs in males in their sixth and seventh decades of life and is rare in young adults. Study Design: In this retrospective study, records of patients under the age of 40, with the diagnosis of OSCC in the Oral Medicine Department of Mashhad Dental Faculty during the past 13 years were analyzed. Their socioeconomic data, demographic, clinical and histopathological characteristics, risk factors, familial history were assessed and applicable studies and case reports in the literatures were reviewed. PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) analysis was also done for detection of human papilloma virus (HPV). Results: From 158 cases of OSCC diagnosed in our centre, 21 patients were younger than 40 years. Most of them were young men (12 cases). There was no significant risk factor in this group. The most common site of involvement was the tongue. The most common clinical presentation was exophytic lesion with ulcer. No HPV DNA was detected in these patients. Conclusion: Characteristics of OSCC in young patients are different from older age group. Major risk factors (smoking and alcohol consumption and HPV) were not etiologic factors for OSCC in young patients in our province. © Medicina Oral S. L

Assessment of respiratory involvement in children with mucoplysaccharidosis using pulmonary function tests

Background: Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) are classified into seven clinical types based on eleven known lysosomal enzyme deficiencies of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) metabolism. Respiratory involvement seen in most MPS types includes recurrent respiratory infections, upper and lower airway obstruction, tracheomalacia, restrictive lung disease, and sleep disturbances.Aim of the study: To delineate the pattern of respiratory compromise and pulmonary function abnormalities in MPS patients.Methods: This is a cross section observational study conducted on 30 patients recruited from the Neurometabolic Clinic, Children’s Hospital, Cairo University over a period of 18 months. All patients were screened first by the quantitative determination of GAGs in urine, and diagnosis was confirmed by unidimensional electrophoresis for GAGs in urine and/or specific enzymatic assay in blood leucocytes. Infant pulmonary functions (IPFT) were done in twenty-two patients (<3 years of age), while 8 cases performed impulse oscillometry (IOS) test (3–6 years of age).Results: Ages at diagnosis ranged from 1 to 9 years with a median of 2.3 years. Male to female ratio was 4:1. Consanguinity was observed in 53.3% whereas similar family condition was present in 40% of cases. Lumbar kyphosis was detected in 60% of cases, while scoliosis was detected in 46.7%. Results of pulmonary functions were mainly obstructive in 20 (66.6%) cases; however, combined obstructive and restrictive were detected in only 6 (20%) of cases. Data showed no association between the presence of scoliosis or the presence of organomegaly and the pattern of pulmonary function abnormalities.Conclusions: Evaluation and follow up of patients with MPS using pulmonary function tests are essential to detect early involvement of respiratory system and hence start treatment for respiratory complications early in the course of the disease

Cystic Fibrosis in Egyptian Children: Achievements and Future Directions

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common potentially lethal and life-shortening genetic disease caused by mutations of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Clinical consequences of the CFTR defect are site-specific and range from severe (lungs, pancreas, male reproductive tract) to mild (intestine) to asymptomatic (sweat glands). In many developing countries CF has remained largely unrecognized, and inadequately managed, resulting in avoidable death or suffering in infancy, childhood, and adulthood. Delivering adequate CF services is met by substantial difficulties as the spectrum and distribution of CF in Egypt are still not well known. Against this background, the aim of this work is to emphasize the challenges facing initiation of a CF center in low privileged settings with the objectives of improving diagnosis, survival, and to eventually provide optimum management. Strategies for the implementation and development of CF services, as well as proper collection and documentation of patient data are therefore of vital importance. The characterization of the prevalence and molecular genetics of CF in Egypt is of utmost importance so that appropriate genetic counseling to CF patients and their families can be achieved and to pave the way for new treatment modalities

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Case Studies in Neuroscience: The central and somatosensory contributions to finger inter-dependence and coordination: Lessons from a study of a "deafferented person"

International audienc

Unintentional drifts during quiet stance and voluntary body sway

We explored unintentional drifts in voluntary whole-body sway tasks following the removal of visual feedback. The main hypothesis was that the unintentional drifts were produced by drifts of referent coordinates for salient performance variables. Young healthy subjects stood quietly on a force platform and also performed voluntary body sway at 0.5 Hz both in the anterio-posterior and medio-lateral directions. Visual feedback on the center of pressure (COP) coordinate was provided and then turned off. During quiet stance trials, the subjects matched the initial COP coordinate with a target shifted by 3 cm anterior, posterior, left, or right from the coordinate during natural standing and activated the right tibialis anterior to 30% of its maximal voluntary contraction. During cyclical voluntary sway task, the nominal sway amplitude was always 4 cm while the midpoint was at one of the four mentioned locations. Removing visual feedback caused COP drifts during quiet stance trials that were consistent across trials performed by a subject but could be in opposite directions across subjects; there was a consistent drop in the activation level of tibialis anterior. During voluntary body sway, removing visual feedback caused a consistent increase in the voluntary sway amplitude and a drift of the midpoint that was consistent within but not across subjects. Motor equivalent and non-motor equivalent inter-cycle motion components were quantified within the space of muscle groups (muscle modes) under visual feedback and at the end of the period without visual feedback. Throughout the trial, there were large motor equivalent motion components, and they increased over the period without visual feedback. The results corroborate the idea that referent coordinate drifts at different levels of the control hierarchy can lead to unintentional drifts in performance. It suggests that directions of COP drifts are defined by two main factors, drift of the body referent coordinate toward the actual coordinate (that can lead to fall) and an opposite drift to ensure body motion to a safer location. Analysis of motor equivalence suggests that postural stability is not compromised during unintentional drifts in performance in contrast to earlier studies of multi-finger tasks. This may be due to the vital importance of postural stability for everyday actions

Assessment of respiratory involvement in children with mucoplysaccharidosis using pulmonary function tests

Background: Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) are classified into seven clinical types based on eleven known lysosomal enzyme deficiencies of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) metabolism. Respiratory involvement seen in most MPS types includes recurrent respiratory infections, upper and lower airway obstruction, tracheomalacia, restrictive lung disease, and sleep disturbances. Aim of the study: To delineate the pattern of respiratory compromise and pulmonary function abnormalities in MPS patients. Methods: This is a cross section observational study conducted on 30 patients recruited from the Neurometabolic Clinic, Children’s Hospital, Cairo University over a period of 18 months. All patients were screened first by the quantitative determination of GAGs in urine, and diagnosis was confirmed by unidimensional electrophoresis for GAGs in urine and/or specific enzymatic assay in blood leucocytes. Infant pulmonary functions (IPFT) were done in twenty-two patients (<3 years of age), while 8 cases performed impulse oscillometry (IOS) test (3–6 years of age). Results: Ages at diagnosis ranged from 1 to 9 years with a median of 2.3 years. Male to female ratio was 4:1. Consanguinity was observed in 53.3% whereas similar family condition was present in 40% of cases. Lumbar kyphosis was detected in 60% of cases, while scoliosis was detected in 46.7%. Results of pulmonary functions were mainly obstructive in 20 (66.6%) cases; however, combined obstructive and restrictive were detected in only 6 (20%) of cases. Data showed no association between the presence of scoliosis or the presence of organomegaly and the pattern of pulmonary function abnormalities. Conclusions: Evaluation and follow up of patients with MPS using pulmonary function tests are essential to detect early involvement of respiratory system and hence start treatment for respiratory complications early in the course of the disease

Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) assessment of neighborhoods: A case study in Tehran Municipality

Urbanization is growing rapidly in recent centuries. This phenomenon can cause many changes in various aspects of human life including the economy, education and public health This study was conducted to assess the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) problems in Tehran neighborhoods. A new instrument was developed based on the results of a literature review and formulated during a pilot study. Through cluster sampling, 10 neighborhoods were selected based from 374 neighborhoods of Tehran. Six observers completed observational items during the field studies. Secondary data were used to obtain non-observation characteristics. Standard descriptive statistics were used to compare the HSE characteristics in sampled neighborhoods. Furthermore, control chart was used to as a decision rule to identify specific variation among sampled neighborhoods. Niavaran neighborhood had the best HSE status (52.80%±25.03) whereas Khak Sefid neighborhood had the worst one (20.09%±27.51). Standard deviations of HSE characteristics were high in different parts of a neighborhood. Statistical analysis indicated that significant differences in HSE characteristics exist among sampled neighborhoods. HSE status was in warning situation in both rich and poor neighborhoods. Community-based interventions were suggested as health promotion programs to involve and empower people in neighborhoods