Contribution of growth phases to adult size

Based on the data of the First Zurich Longitudinal Growth Study we investigate how interindividual differences in adult size arise in the variables leg height, sitting height and standing height, arm length, biiliac width and bihumeral width. Specifically, we are also interested in the question of whether across sexes and variables the same growth phases and the same parameters are predictive for achieving a certain adult size. A rather complex pattern emerges, demonstrating that regulation of growth is not the same for boys and girls and moreover is not the same for the six anthropometric variables studied. Prepubertal growth is characterized by its intensity (average velocity) and by its duration. Whereas duration has by itself no appreciable influence on adult size, prepubertal intensity determines adult size to a high degree across all variables and both sexes. The intensity of prepubertal growth determines adult size to a larger degree for boys than for girls. For a given size at the end of the prepubertal period, a small duration enhances the chance of obtaining a large adult size. Compared with prepubertal growth, the amount of variance of adult size explained is small for pubertal parameters, and - with respect to linear measures - significant for girls only. A small duration of prepubertal growth is in the following mainly compensated by a stronger pubertal spurt (PS), to a varying degree across variables. The overall picture which emerges indicates that sitting height - and to a lesser extent bihumeral width - develop in a more irregular fashion than the variables biiliac width and leg height.     

Inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus associated with erosive monoarthritis

Inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus and linear psoriasis are different entities with clinical and histopathologic similarities. Isolated reports of inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus with concomitant psoriasis or a positive family history of psoriasis have been described, and the possibility that inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus may be a mosaic form of cutaneous psoriasis has been postulated. We report a 17‐year‐old boy with a congenital, linear, erythematous, keratotic plaque on the dorsum of the fifth finger of the left hand with ipsilateral nail dystrophy. Histopathologic examination showed epidermal hyperplasia with alternating orthokeratosis and parakeratosis. During follow‐up, he developed erosive monoarthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint. This case seems to confirm the association between inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus and arthritis and supports a possible relationship between inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus and psoriasis.     

High prevalence of suicide risk in people living with HIV: who is at higher risk?

A cross-sectional study was developed to evaluate suicide risk and associated factors in HIV/AIDS patients at a regional reference center for the treatment of HIV/AIDS in southern Brazil. We assessed 211 patients in regard to suicide risk, clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, drug use, depression, and anxiety. Suicide risk was assessed with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Module C. Multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression. Of the total sample, 34.1% were at risk of suicide. In the multivariate analysis, the following variables were independently associated with suicide risk: female gender; age up to 47 years; unemployment; indicative of anxiety; indicative of depression; and abuse or addiction on psychoactive substances. Suicide risk is high in this population. Psychosocial factors should be included in the physical and clinical evaluation, given their strong association with suicide risk.     

Effects of progesterone on the neonatal brain following hypoxia-ischemia

Progesterone displays a strong potential for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy since it has been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of the central nervous system injuries in adult animals. Here, we evaluated the effects of the administration of progesterone (10 mg/kg) in seven-days-old male Wistar rats submitted to neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI). Progesterone was administered immediately before ischemia and/or 6 and 24 h after the onset of hypoxia. The body weight of the animals, the volume of brain lesion and the expression of p-Akt and procaspase-3 in the hippocampus were evaluated. All animals submitted to HI showed a reduction in the body weight. However, this reduction was more remarkable in those animals which received progesterone before surgery. Administration of progesterone was unable to reduce the volume of brain damage caused by HI. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in the expression of p-Akt and procaspase-3 in animals submitted to HI and treated with either progesterone or vehicle. In summary, progesterone did not show a neuroprotective effect on the volume of brain lesion in neonatal rats submitted to hypoxia-ischemia. Furthermore, progesterone was unable to modulate p-Akt and procaspase-3 signaling pathways, which may explain the absence of neuroprotection. On the other hand, it seems that administration of progesterone before ischemia exerts some systemic effect, leading to a remarkable reduction in the body weight.     

The Complete Nucleotide Sequence of the Carbapenem Resistance-Conferring Conjugative Plasmid pLD209 from a Pseudomonas putida Clinical Strain Reveals a Chimeric Design Formed by Modules Derived from Both Environmental and Clinical Bacteria

The complete sequence of the carbapenem-resistance-conferring conjugative plasmid pLD209 from a Pseudomonas putida clinical strain is presented. pLD209 is formed by 3 well-defined regions: an adaptability module encompassing a Tn402-like class 1 integron of clinical origin containing bla_VIM-2 and aacA4 gene cassettes, partitioning and transfer modules, and a replication module derived from plasmids of environmental bacteria. pLD209 is thus a mosaic of modules originating in both the clinical and environmental (nonclinical) microbiota.     

Nuclear fractal dimension in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a novel method for the evaluation of grading,staging, and survival

Fractal dimension (FD) in tissue specimens from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was evaluated. FD values in different stages of OSCC, and the correlations with clinicopathological variables and patient survival were investigated. Histological sections from OSCC and control non‐neoplastic mucosa specimens were stained with hematoxylin–eosin for pathological analysis and with Feulgen for nuclear evaluation. FD in OSCC groups vs. controls revealed statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). In addition, a progressive increase of FD from stage I and II lesions and stage III and IV lesions was observed, with statistically significant differences (P = 0.003). Moreover, different degrees of tumor differentiation showed a significant difference in the average nuclear FD values (P = 0.001). A relationship between FD and patients' survival was also detected with lower FD values associated to longer survival time and higher FD values with shorter survival time (P = 0.034). These data showed that FD significantly increased during OSCC progression. Thus, FD could represent a novel prognostic tool for OSCC, as FD values significantly correlated with patient survival. Fractal geometry could give insights into tumor morphology and could become an useful tool for analyzing irregular tumor growth patterns.