Gingival neurofibroma in a neurofibromatosis type 1 patient

Neurofibroma is a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumour. It is one of the most frequent tumours of neural origin and its presence is one of the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF-I). Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease due to an alteration in the long arm of chromosome 17. About 50% of NF-I patients have no family history of the disease. NF-I patients have skin lesions (cafe au lait spots and neurofibromas) as well as bone malformations and central nervous system tumours. Diagnosis is based on a series of clinical criteria. Gingival neurofibroma in NF-I is uncommon. Treatment of neurofibromas is surgical resection. The aim of this paper is to report a case of NF-I with gingival involvement and to review the literature.     

Diagnosing COVID-19 in human serum using Raman spectroscopy

Lasers in Medical Science - This study proposed the diagnosis of COVID-19 by means of Raman spectroscopy. Samples of blood serum from 10 patients positive and 10 patients negative for...     

Robotic-assisted versus open pancreaticoduodenectomy: the results of a case-matched comparison

Robotic-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) is progressively gaining momentum. It seems to provide some potential advantages over open approach. Unfortu     

Effectiveness of the endotracheal tube cuff on the trachea: physical and mechanical aspects

Introduction

The inflation pressure of the endotracheal tube cuff can cause ischemia of the tracheal mucosa at high pressures; thus, it can cause important tracheal morbidity and tracheal microaspiration of the oropharyngeal secretion, or it can even cause pneumonia associated with mechanical ventilation if the pressure of the cuff is insufficient.

Objective

In order to investigate the effectiveness of the RUSCH® 7.5 mm endotracheal tube cuff, this study was designed to investigate the physical and mechanical aspects of the cuff in contact with the trachea.

Methods

For this end, we developed an in vitro experimental model to assess the flow of dye (methylene blue) by the inflated cuff on the wall of the artificial material. We also designed an in vivo study with 12 Large White pigs under endotracheal intubation. We instilled the same dye in the oral cavity of the animals, and we analyzed the presence or not of leakage in the trachea after the region of the cuff after their deaths (animal sacrifice). All cuffs were inflated at the pressure of 30 cmH₂O.

Results

We observed the passage of fluids through the cuff in all in vitro and in vivo experimental models.

Conclusion

We conclude that, as well as several other cuff models in the literature, the RUSCH® 7.5 mm tube cuffs are also not able to completely seal the trachea and thus prevent aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions. Other prevention measures should be taken.     

Evaluation of corticosterone and IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α expression after 670-nm laser photobiomodulation in rats

The literature has shown that low-level laser therapy accelerates the repair of cutaneous wounds. However, there is a scarcity of scientific studies that characterise the possible systemic interference of laser photobiomodulation. The aim of this research was to quantitatively evaluate blood corticosterone levels and tissue cytokine expression in cutaneous wounds of rats treated with low-level laser therapy (semiconductor diode AsGaAl, continuous emission, 9 mW, 670 nm, 0.031 W/cm², beam with an output area of 0.28 cm²) and normal controls. A total of 36 male Wistar rats were used and randomly divided into two groups of 18 rats each. A standardised circular 6-mm-diameter wound was made in the dorsal skin region of each rat, and they were euthanised at 1, 6 and 12 h after cutaneous surgery. The blood was collected, and portions of cutaneous tissue and subcutaneous muscle were removed and cryopreserved. Corticosterone levels in the blood were measured by a radioimmunoassay technique; histological sections were submitted to the ELISA technique for analysis of tissue cytokine expression levels. At 6 h after surgery, a significant increase in corticosterone and a significant reduction in the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 in tissues of irradiated wounds were observed when compared to controls (p?<?0.05). The levels of TNF-α and IL-10 expression were not significantly different between the groups at different time intervals. Thus, this study strongly suggests a systemic and local biomodulation of low-level laser therapy as indicated by the blood levels of corticosterone and the tissue expression of IL-1β and IL-6, respectively.     

Species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lasiodiplodia</Emphasis> associated with papaya stem-end rot in Brazil

The last decade has revealed an unexpected fungal diversity associated with natural rocks, often collected in environments influenced by harsh climatic conditions. Yet the phylogenetic affiliations and the taxonomy of many of these extreme fungi, mainly within Dothideomycetes, the largest class of Ascomycota, have only partially been described. In the present study we confirm that most rock inhabiting-fungi (RIF) are highly polyphyletic among Dothideomycetidae, mainly within the order Capnodiales, an order otherwise incorporating several families of major plant pathological importance. Novel taxa were identified within the two major and distinct clades of Teratosphaeriaceae, both comprising meristematic black fungi. Thirty one novel species and 13 new genera are proposed, based on ITS and partial nucLSU, RPB2 and BT2 sequences.