Is there a risk of human poisoning by azaspiracids from shellfish harvested at the Portuguese coast?

Azaspiracid poisoning (AZP), the most recently discovered human gastrointestinal illness resulting from consumption of contaminated shellfish, so far has been found in coastal areas of northern Europe. This is the first report of a survey carried out for contamination of shellfish harvested in costal areas of Portugal for the presence of azaspiracids. The study design covered the commercial species usually more contaminated by toxins from dinoflagellates (blue mussel, common cockle, donax clam) in coastal areas representative of the NW, SW and south coasts. A method based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry was setup for the first time for this purpose. No azaspiracids were found on 300 samples tested between 2002 and 2003. On at least three samples a peak with a retention time matching that of AZA2 was found, never surpassing one tenth of the current EU limit. Unambiguous identification of any known AZA did not occur yet. The risk for human outbreaks of AZP seems to be very low, comparatively with amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), where levels close to the allowance level are found sparsely, or to diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), where high levels and registered human outbreaks have been found in recent years.     

Effects of latex membrane on guided regeneration of long bones

Abstract

Natural latex extracted from Hevea brasiliensis is one of the materials pointed out as potential tissue regenerators. The use of latex-based membranes in bone regeneration might be an alternative to stimulate bone formation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of latex membranes in guided bone regeneration of defects produced in long bones of rats. Sixty rats were equally divided into latex and control groups, and each group was subdivided into two subgroups according to treatment duration of 1 and 4 weeks. Bone defects with 2.5?mm in diameter were surgically made in the left tibia. In the animals of the latex group, a latex membrane was placed over the bone defect. The samples underwent quantitative histological analysis of bone formation and collagen matrix, immunohistochemical analysis of osteogenic protein markers, assessment of bone mechanical properties and bone densitometry, and radiological assessment. The osteocalcin immunostaining data were submitted to the generalized linear model test with two independent factors. For the other data, the multivariate ANOVA with two independent factors was performed. The use of the latex membrane significantly improved (p?<?0.005) the volume of newly formed bone, collagen type I matrix, expression of osteopontin, and bone stiffness, both in the early and late stages of regeneration. In conclusion, the latex membrane was able to promote bone regeneration in long bones.     

SIMULTANEOUS OCCURRENCE OF ADVANCED NEUROBLASTOMA AND ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA

The authors report the case of a 4-year-old boy with a diagnosis of stage IV neuroblastoma (NB), who had been treated with 6 cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, cisplatin, and etoposide for 12 months. The patient reached partial remission and presented a diagnosis of acute myelomonocytic leukemia (M4 AML), confirmed by immunophenotyping. After 2 months of therapy for leukemia, the child died with both malignancies in activity. A necropsy histologically confirmed the simultaneity of the two diseases. The authors review the possibilities of this association. The review leads to the conclusion that AML can occur as a secondary malignancy after the onset of the neuroblastoma, or be suggested by a misdiagnosis. The simultaneous occurrence of both as described here is not, however, found in the literature, to the best of the authors' knowledge.     

Urticaria and dermographism in patients with adult-onset Still’s disease

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) patients typically present with arthralgia, fever, lymphadenopathy and a transient salmon maculopapular rash. Only approximately 25 cases of AOSD with urticaria were described in the literature. In this article, the authors report three additional cases of AOSD with urticarial and dermographic lesions who had a good clinical response to glucocorticoid and antihistamines. A review of the literature concerning this issue is also herein written.     

Acquisition and analysis of 3D mandibular movement using a device based on electromagnetic sensors and a neural network

In dental medicine, the study of mandibular movement has an important role in oral rehabilitation as it allows diagnosis of pathologies in the temporomandibular joint and the definition of adequate treatment plans. In this paper, a new device specially developed for the acquisition and analysis of 3D mandibular movement is presented. A facial arc is adopted as its main support structure and electromagnetic sensors are employed to acquire the mandibular movement. A neural network is used to transform the electrical signals output by the sensors into 3D Cartesian coordinates. A custom-made computer application is developed to display and analyse the movement acquired. The device is shown to be easy to use, comfortable for patients and capable of being produced at an affordable price.