Prevalence of numeric anomalies in the permanent dentition of patients with Down syndrome

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of numeric anomalies in the permanent dentition of patients with Down syndrome by means of panoramic radiographs. The sample consisted of panoramic radiographs from 70 subjects. We examiend the radiographs to detect hypodontia as well as supernumerary teeth. Our results confirm the high prevalence of hypodontia among patients with Down syndrome (60%), mostly with mild expression. The teeth most often missing were the upper lateral incisors, usually bilaterally, followed by the lower second premolars and upper second premolars. Supernumerary teeth were seen in 6% of the subjects, and the concomitant occurrence of hypodontia and supernumerary teeth occurred in one patient.     

Rhipicephalus microplus infected by Metarhizium: unveiling hemocyte quantification,GFP-fungi virulence,and ovary infection

Parasitology Research - Hemocytes, cells present in the hemocoel, are involved in the immune response of arthropods challenged with entomopathogens. The present study established the best...     

MIA-QSTR study of different organic compounds to Pimephales promelas

A quantitative structure–toxicity relationship (QSTR) model based on multivariate image analysis was built to predict the toxicity of 30 organic compounds against fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), a fish species of wide occurrence. The derived multivariate image analysis (MIA) applied to QSTR (MIA-QSTR) model provided good correlation between chemical structure and toxicity, i.e., r ² of 0.96, q ² of 0.59, and q ² _20% q^{ 2}_{ 20\% } of 0.61 – the squared correlation coefficients of the linear regression of experimental versus predicted 50% lethal concentration (LC₅₀) plots for the calibration, leave-one-out,and leave-20%-out cross-validation, respectively. The method demonstrated the potential to be used as a tool for prediction of toxicity data in vertebrate animals.     

A series of melanomas smaller than 4 mm and implications for the ABCDE rule

BACKGROUND: Although multiple studies have reported that a significant number of melanomas have diameters of less than or equal to 6 mm at the time of diagnosis, there has been only one series evaluating the proportion of melanomas less than 4 mm in diameter. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of melanomas, in a single-practitioner, general dermatology practice, with clinical diameters less than 4 mm. METHODS: Information regarding each new diagnosis of melanoma had been recorded during the study period of 2000-2004. Patient records and pathology reports were examined from these patients. RESULTS: Thirteen (13.7%) of the 95 melanomas had diameters less than 4 mm at the time of presentation, including five invasive and eight in situ melanomas. The defining clinical characteristic of these lesions was intensity of pigment. Three of these 13 melanomas, including one invasive and two in situ lesions, showed features of regression. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study support those authors who have suggested elimination of the 6-mm diameter criterion in the ABCDE rule. In addition, this study provides further evidence that dark colour as a diagnostic criterion for melanoma should be given more emphasis. The substitution of 'D' to represent dark instead of diameter is worthy of consideration to enhance the value of the ABCDE mnemonic.     

Cellular prion protein modulates defensive attention and innate fear-induced behaviour evoked in transgenic mice submitted to an agonistic encounter with the tropical coral snake Oxyrhopus guibei

The cellular prion protein (PrP^C) is a neuronal anchored glycoprotein that has been associated with distinct functions in the CNS, such as cellular adhesion and differentiation, synaptic plasticity and cognition. Here we investigated the putative involvement of the PrP^C in the innate fear-induced behavioural reactions in wild-type (WT), PrP^C knockout (Prnp^0/0) and the PrP^C overexpressing Tg-20 mice evoked in a prey versus predator paradigm. The behavioural performance of these mouse strains in olfactory discrimination tasks was also investigated. When confronted with coral snakes, mice from both Prnp^0/0 and Tg-20 strains presented a significant decrease in frequency and duration of defensive attention and risk assessment, compared to WT mice. Tg-20 mice presented decreased frequency of escape responses, increased exploratory behaviour, and enhancement of interaction with the snake, suggesting a robust fearlessness caused by PrP^C overexpression. Interestingly, there was also a discrete decrease in the attentional defensive response (decreased frequency of defensive alertness) in Prnp^0/0 mice in the presence of coral snakes. Moreover, Tg-20 mice presented an increased exploration of novel environment and odors. The present findings indicate that the PrP^C overexpression causes hyperactivity, fearlessness, and increased preference for visual, tactile and olfactory stimuli-associated novelty, and that the PrP^c deficiency might lead to attention deficits. These results suggest that PrP^c exerts an important role in the modulation of innate fear and novelty-induced exploration.     

Reliability of the information on the recent use of medication in a hospital based case-control study]

Accuracy of the information is essential to produce unbiased estimates of the association between exposure and outcome. We are carrying out a case-control study which aim is to investigate the association between the use of medication and falling injuries leading to hospitalisation in the elderly. As there is no gold-standard available, we estimated the reliability of the information on the use of these drugs within the 24 hours and two weeks before the fall using a test-retest strategy. Sixty-one individuals aged 60 years or more were re-interviewed within an interval of 5-7 days after the first interview. Kappa coefficients were high, showing a good consistency of collected data on medication recently used. Among the variables investigated, only gender showed an association with reliability of the information, which was more consistent among women compared to men.     

Oral niacin can increase intraocular pressure

The intraocular pressure of a 73-year-old man with a history of primary open-angle glaucoma had been approximately 21 and 17 mm Hg in the right and left eyes, respectively, while taking latanoprost 0.005% and dorzolamide hydrochloride 2%. When taking 500 mg of oral niacin (also known as vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid), his intraocular pressure increased to 37 and 27 mm Hg in the right and left eyes, respectively, on one occasion. On reexamination, the intraocular pressure had increased to 28 and 23 mm Hg in the right and left eyes, respectively. Each time the niacin was stopped, the intraocular pressure decreased to the original levels.