Juvenile paracoccidioidomycosis in urban area: report of two cases

We present two cases of juvenile form of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a systemic mycosis frequently found in rural areas, whose prognosis is poor in children and young adults. They are a 14-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman, both residents in an urban area in São Paulo – Brazil, without any history of travelling to an endemic area. They have been admitted to the hospital due to fever, weight loss and lymphadenopathy. The diagnosis was confirmed by serologic and histopathologic study. Patients have recovered after therapy with oral itraconazole and were discharged from hospital, maintaining outpatient visits. In this article, the authors discuss the unusual presentation of PCM in an urban area.     

Magnetic resonance appearance of posterosuperior labral peel back during humeral abduction and external rotation

Objective  

To describe the magnetic resonance appearance of posterosuperior labral peel back and determine the reliability of MR in the abducted and externally rotated (ABER) position for the prospective diagnosis of arthroscopically proven cases of posterosuperior labral peel back.     

Treatment of mandibular glandular odontogenic cyst with immediate reconstruction: case report and 5-year follow-up

Glandular odontogenic cysts of the jaw are rare with unusual histopathological features, well-defined limits, and a high recurrence rate when treated conservatively. We describe a 37-year-old white man with such a cyst of the right mandible that was resected, and at follow-up 5 years later there were no signs of recurrence.     

Acute and chronic toxicity study of fish oil and garlic combination.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the acute and chronic toxicology of oral intake of fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid) and garlic combination food supplements. These supplements were proven to have beneficial effects on the lipid profile. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the potential long-term effects of fish oil and garlic combination supplements on the biochemistry of organ structure and function. The hypothesis to be tested was that acute and chronic high-dose supplements of fish oil and garlic may not adversely affect organ histology but may influence certain metabolic activities. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was carried out using 28 Sprague Dawley rats separated into a placebo group (16 rats) and a supplement group (12 rats). The supplement group received the ingredients in chow inserts at a dosage that was equivalent to three times the maximum safe daily dosage for fish oil and the usual daily dosage for garlic (the maximum safe daily dosage recommended by the United States Food And Drug Administration for a 70-kg human is a total of 3 g/day intake of EPA and HDA omega-3 fatty acids from conventional and dietary sources. The usual daily garlic usage is garlic powder = 1200 mg). The study was conducted over a period of 12 months with evaluations performed at baseline, 2 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Results confirm the expected acute triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL suppression at these higher dosages in the supplement group. Acutely and chronically, there were no differences in external appearance, level of activity, daily food consumption, blood cell count, kidney function, thyroid function, prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial prothrombin time (PTT), which remained within normal ranges in the supplement group. Organ histology remained unchanged. Although during the chronic toxicity period the triglyceride and LDL suppression persisted, it was noted that total cholesterol and HDL levels increased. The increase in cholesterol and HDL in the supplement group during chronic toxicity periods is simultaneous with loss of suppression of plasma levels of other liver function marker enzymes, ALT and AST, which are not involved in cholesterol synthesis. This possibly suggests that other liver enzymes involved in cholesterol synthesis, such as HMG-co A reductase, follow a similar escape from suppression.     

Rosacea: a cutaneous marker of Helicobacter pylori infection? Results of a pilot study

Given the long purported anecdotal association between rosacea and gastrointestinal disease, the discovery that Helicobacter pylori causes gastritis and duodenal ulcer disease has led to a hypothesized role for this organism in the aetiology of rosacea. We conducted a case-series study of 49 patients to assess the potential association between severity of rosacea and direct and serological evidence of H. pylori infection. Patients were classified by severity into non-inflammatory erythematotelangiectatic or inflammatory/papulopustular rosacea and were tested for current H. pylori infection and evidence of previous exposure. Positive 13C-urea breath test and ELISA tests were more likely to be observed in patients with inflammatory rosacea, although not statistically significantly so (OR = 3.0, p = 0.15 and OR = 2.9, p = 0.16, respectively). However, the proportion of patients who tested positive in both assays (versus negative in at least one) was even higher in the inflammatory rosacea group and neared statistical significance (OR = 4.5, p = 0.06). This pilot study provides sufficient evidence suggestive of a positive association between the severity of rosacea and the presence of H. pylori to warrant further research.     

The gastroprotective effect of tannins extracted from duhat (Syzygium cumini Skeels) bark on HCl/ethanol induced gastric mucosal injury in Sprague-Dawley rats

The gastroprotective effect of quantified tannins (13.4%) from Syzygium cumini was determined. Gastric mucosal damage was induced in sixty eight rats by oral gavage administration of HCl/ethanol solution. For macroscopic and microscopic studies, 30 rats were divided into three groups consisting of a negative control, an Omeprazole group and a Tannins group. There was no significant difference in the number, size and surface area of macroscopic lesions between the three groups. Microscopic examination using Best's Ulcer Staging Index showed that Tannins had a very significant decrease in gastric mucosal damage with p<0.01. Average lymphocyte populations in the three groups showed no significant difference, although both the Tannins and Omeprazole group had fewer lymphocytes. Thirty-eight rats were studied for the amount of free radicals present after induction of gastric damage. A dose which consisted of 20.0 g tannins/kg rat weight showed significantly lower stomach free radical concentrations. These findings suggest that tannins extracted from S. cumini have gastroprotective and anti-ulcerogenic effects.     

Plasma total and free fatty acids composition in human non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the association of steatosis with an inflammatory response, is a novel liver disease of unknown pathogenesis and prognosis. Triacylglycerols and their precursors, the fatty acids, are the likely candidates to accumulate in the hepatocyte. Disturbed fatty acid metabolism can be involved in the pathogenesis of NASH but there is no information concerning its plasma fatty acid profile. The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma total (esterified plus free) and free fatty acids concentrations to assess the association of NASH with plasma fatty acid accumulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Overnight fasting blood samples from 22 biopsy-proven NASH patients and of 6 matched age healthy controls were studied. RESULTS: NASH patients had significantly higher concentration of total and free fatty acids than controls (P<0.05), higher total saturated and monounsaturated levels in both studied lipid fractions (P<0.05), mainly due to the increase of hexadecanoic, hexadecenoic and octadecenoic acids. Absolute polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) concentrations were similar in both groups. The C20:4/C18:2 and the C18:1/C18:0 ratios as well as the peroxidability index were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: In overweight/obese patients NASH is associated with deranged fatty acid metabolism which may be involved in its pathogenesis and/or progression.