Knowledge of and attitudes about blood-borne viruses and infection control in Brazilian dental practice

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there were any recent changes in hepatitis B immunisation of dental staff, infection control or understanding of viral infections in Brazilian dentists.
DESIGN: A randomised survey was conducted on 740 dentists attending the National Dental Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1994.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The 740 dentists were questioned as to the presence of various viruses in saliva, the perceived risks of dental staff and long-term sequelae, the availability and uptake of vaccines, willingness to treat virus-infected persons, and means of infection control. Nearly 69% of respondents were female dentists, of mean age 30 years. Results were compared with a similar survey from 1990.
RESULTS: Most respondents knew that HIV and hepatitis viruses could appear in saliva and almost all knew of infective risks from hepatitis B (HBV), and the availability of the vaccine. Less than half knew of the association of HBV with liver cancer. There was a four-fold increase in those vaccinated against HBV since the low figure of 9% in 1990. Nearly two-thirds of respondents perceived an occupational risk to dental staff from HIV, and a similar proportion were also unwilling to treat virus-infected persons. A similar proportion also used chemical disinfection for some dental instruments.
CONCLUSIONS: The results show little improvement over a 4-year period except a much greater proportion of dentists were immunised against HBV. However, still only one third of dentists had been vaccinated, in a country with a high prevalence of infection in the general population.     

External fixation reconstruction of the residual problems of benign bone tumours

The mechanical features of and biologic response to using distraction osteogenesis with the circular external fixator are the unique aspects of Ilizarov’s contribution that allows deformity correction and reconstruction of bone defects. We present a retrospective study of 20 patients who suffered from a variety of benign tumours for which external fixators (EF) were used to treat deformity, bone loss, and limb-length discrepancy. A total of 26 bony segments in twenty patients (10 males, 10 females; mean age 17 years; range 7–58 years) were treated with EF for residual problems from the tumour itself (primary treatment) in 8 patients and for complications related to the primary surgery (secondary treatment) in 12 patients. Histological diagnoses were Ollier’s disease (n = 4), Fibrous Dysplasia (n = 5), Congenital multiple exostosis (n = 5), giant cell tumour (n = 2) and one case for chondromyxoid fibroma, desmoid fibroma, chondroma and unicameral bone cyst. Various types of external fixators used to treat these problems. These were Ilizarov, unilateral fixator, multiaxial correction frame (Biomet, Parsippany, NJ), Taylor spatial frame (Memphis, TN) and smart correction multiaxial frame. The mean follow-up time was 69.5 months (range 35–108 months). The mean external fixation time was 159.5 days (range 27–300 days). The mean external fixation index was 67.4 days/cm (12–610) in 26 limbs who underwent distraction osteogenesis. The mean length of distraction was 4.9 cm (range 0.2–14 cm). At final follow-up, all patients had returned to normal activities. Complications were in the form of knee arthrodesis in one patient, pin tract infection in six and residual shortening in eight patients. The use of EF and the principles of distraction osteogenesis, in the management of problems associated with benign bone tumours and related surgery yields successful results especially in young patients. With this approach, the risk for recurrence of shortening and deformity may be minimized with overcorrection or over-lengthening as dictated by preoperative planning.     

P-Wave Dispersion in Children With Acute Rheumatic Fever

As a new and simple electrocardiographic marker, P-wave dispersion is reported to be associated with inhomogeneous and discontinuous propagation of sinus impulses. The current study aimed to investigate P-wave dispersion in children with acute rheumatic fever. The study population consisted of 47 children with acute rheumatic fever (29 patients with carditis and 18 patients without carditis) and 31 healthy control subjects. Maximum and minimum P-wave durations were measured from the 12-lead surface electrocardiogram. The P-wave dispersion was calculated as the difference between maximum and minimum P-wave durations. The maximum P-wave duration and the P-wave dispersion of the patients with and without carditis were significantly greater than those of the control subjects. The P-wave dispersion of the patients with carditis was significantly greater than that of the patients without carditis. In conclusion, the P-wave dispersion was higher in the children with acute rheumatic fever than in the healthy control subjects.     

Distal tibial reconstruction with use of a circular external fixator and an intramedullary nail. The combined technique

BACKGROUND: Distal tibial reconstruction with use of an external fixator when there is bone loss, limb-length discrepancy, and/or ankle instability is associated with many problems. The technique of limb-lengthening, ankle arthrodesis, and segmental transfer over an intramedullary nail has been introduced to overcome these problems. The present study investigates this combined technique. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2005, six patients, who ranged from seventeen to seventy years old, underwent distal tibial reconstruction and ankle arthrodesis with use of a circular external fixator and an intramedullary nail to treat a distal tibial defect following resection for chronic osteomyelitis or tumor or to treat a limb-length discrepancy combined with ankle instability. Functional and radiographic results were evaluated, with use of the criteria described by Paley et al., at an average follow-up of thirty-four months. RESULTS: The mean size of the bone defects in three patients was 5.3 cm (2, 7, and 7 cm), and the mean amount of the limb-shortening in four patients was 5.25 cm (range, 4 to 6 cm). The mean external fixation time was 3.5 months, and the mean external fixator index was 0.57 mo/cm. There was no recurrence of infection in the two patients with osteomyelitis. All six patients had excellent bone results, and the functional results were excellent for two patients and good for four patients. There were four complications, three of which were categorized, according to Paley, as a problem (a difficulty that occurs during lengthening and is resolved without operative intervention) and one that was categorized as an obstacle (a difficulty that occurs during lengthening and needs operative treatment). CONCLUSIONS: The combined technique is an improvement over the classic external fixation techniques of distal tibial reconstruction with ankle arthrodesis. It reduces the duration of external fixation, thus increasing patient acceptance, and it is associated with a low complication rate facilitating more rapid rehabilitation.     

THYROID HORMONES IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES BEFORE AND AFTER THERAPY

Twenty patients of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (15 males and 5 females) who developed secondary failure to oral hypoglycaemic drugs, were evaluated for thyroid hormone abnormalities before and after control of diabetic state with insulin. Blood glucose (mean ± SEM mg/dL) fasting and post prandial levels were 260±16 and 370±20 respectively before therapy. After 15 days of intensive insulin therapy these levels fell to 110±14 and 130±12 respectively (p < 0.005). Glycosylated haemoglobin percent (GHb%) (mean ± SEM) was 10±0.4 before therapy and after therapy it fell to 9.2±0.3 (p < 0.05). Serum tri-iodothyronine levels (mean ± SEM ng/mL) were 0.55±0.03 which was significantly lower (p < 0.05) as compared controls. After therapy it significantly (p < 0.05) rose to 1.22±0.08). Serum thyroxine (T4) (mean ± SEM mcg/dL) was 8.5±0.6 before therapy and it did not change significantly after therapy. Serum reverse tri-iodothyronine (rT3) values of (mean ± SEM ng/dl) 0.24±0.05 were higher before therapy and decreased to 0.20±0.82 after therapy. However thyrotropin (TSH) values before and after therapy remained same. There was no significant change in TSH response to thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) before and after control of diabetic state.It was concluded that peripheral changes in T3, T4 and rT3 (low T3, high rT3 and low or normal T4) occurred in uncontrolled diabetic state. However, pituitary thyrotroph function in NIDDM with ideal body weight was not significantly affected.KEY WORDS: Thyroid hormones, Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus     

孕早期绒毛高雪氏病产前诊断法

目的采用荧光酶学手段,建立一种测定绒毛p-葡萄糖苷酶活性的方法.方法分析β-葡萄糖苷酶的酶动力学特性,并检测36例正常胎盘绒毛组织及高雪氏病胎儿绒毛酶活性.结果正常胎盘绒毛组织酶活性均数为776.3,标准差为190.5;高雪氏病胎儿绒毛酶活性为0.结论该法可成为孕早期高雪氏病产前诊断的简单、快速的方法.     

Lack of evidence for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helicobacter pylori</Emphasis> to prevent children growth efficiently

We have read with great interest an article by Kocaoglu et al published in May issue of the World Journal of Pediatrics.[1] A total of 243 children aged between 8-18 years were examined based on growth determinants and existence of Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) colonization in Turkey.The conclusion of this research is that H.pylori colonization affected children growth;and the longer duration of infection,the worse effect on growth.     

Enhanced Mg2+-ATPase activity in ghosts from HS erythrocytes and in normal ghosts stripped of membrane skeletal proteins may reflect enhanced aminophospholipid translocase activity

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a congenital haemolytic anaemia which is characterized by a great variety of structural defects in the red cell's membrane skeleton and/or deficiencies in particular membrane (skeletal) proteins. Enhanced (Mg²⁺)-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (Mg²⁺-ATPase) activities, varying from 115% to 160%, were invariably found in erythrocyte ghosts derived from 13 HS patients. Similarly, an enhancement of Mg²⁺-ATPase activity by 30% is observed in normal red cell ghosts that have been stripped of the greater part of their membrane skeletal proteins by treatment with a low ionic strength buffer. Reassociation of those stripped ghosts with spectrin reduces the enhanced Mg²⁺-ATPase activity to its original level. Since in both cases, HS ghosts and stripped normal ghosts, the stabilizing effects that the membrane skeleton exerts on the maintenance of an endofacial localization of the aminophospholipids are impaired, the enhanced Mg²⁺-ATPase activity is interpreted to reflect an increased activity of the aminophospholipid translocase. The present observations therefore support a role of the membrane skeleton in the stabilization of phospholipid asymmetry in the red cell membrane and consequently in reducing the energy consumption of the translocase.