Red cell antioxidant enzymes and prognostic indexes in patients with burns

Red cell superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) were measured in 66 burned patients (57 men, 9 women, age 16–78 years). BSAB varied from 15 to 93% and ABSI from 3 to 14 points. In the first week after injury the activity of SOD was significantly decreased as compared with the activity of the enzymes in the control group and was also below the reference values. Later the activity of SOD increased up to the normal range. The activity of CAT followed a similar pattern but the differences were not significant. No significant changes in red cell GPX were found during the monitored period. We did not find any significant association between the antioxidant enzyme activities and the markers of burns severity. On the other side there was a significant indirect association between the change of SOD activity (calculated as a difference between the first week values after the injury and the activities measured later) and BSAB.     

DNA Flow Cytometry in Surgically Treated Lung Cancer: Prognostic Significance

Although DNA aneuploidy and high proliferative activity (S-phase fraction, SPF) of tumour cells, measured by flow cytometry, have proved to be indicators of poor prognosis in most solid tumours, there have been conflicting results in lung cancer studies. During a four-year period we studied the prognostic significance of DNA ploidy and SPF in 99 surgically treated lung cancer patients. Flow cytometric analysis was done from archival, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumour specimens. DNA index and SPF were determined, using MultiCycle software with sliced nuclear correction to compensate for debris. There were 61 DNA diploid and 38 DNA aneuploid tumours. The median SPF was 10.2%. Neither ploidy nor SPF was associated with previously known prognostic factors. Survival was poorer in patients with aneuploid tumours than in the other patients, but the difference was not statistically significant. DNA ploidy and SPF thus do not seem to be useful prognostic indicators in surgically treated lung cancer.     

Is self interdental cleaning associated with dental plaque levels,dental calculus,gingivitis and periodontal disease?

Crocombe LA, Brennan DS, Slade GD, Loc DO. Is self interdental cleaning associated with dental plaque levels, dental calculus, gingivitis and periodontal disease? J Periodont Res 2012; 47: 188–197. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S Background and Objective: To ascertain whether interdental cleaning behaviours of Australian adults were associated with lower levels of plaque, gingivitis and periodontal disease. Material and Methods: Data were obtained from the National Survey of Adult Oral Health 2004–06. Outcome variables were three indicators of oral hygiene outcomes (the presence or not of dental plaque, dental calculus and gingivitis) and two of periodontal disease (the presence or not of at least one tooth with a periodontal pocket or clinical attachment loss of ≥ 4 mm). The independent variable was classified into the following three groups: regularly clean interproximally ‘at least daily’ (daily+); ‘less than daily’ (< daily); and ‘do not regularly clean interproximally’ (reference group). Poisson regression with robust variance estimation was used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) relative to the reference group, adjusted for covariates. Results: Regular self interdental cleaning was associated with less dental plaque (< daily, PR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.84, 0.95; and daily+, PR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.82, 0.96), less dental calculus (< daily, PR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.80, 0.97; and daily+, PR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.70, 0.89) and lower levels of moderate/severe gingivitis (daily+, PR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.77, 0.94). Periodontal pocketing was less likely for the < daily group (PR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.46, 0.82), but was not associated with daily+ cleaning (PR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.663, 1.49). There was not a significant association between interdental cleaning and clinical attachment loss (< daily, PR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.77, 1.05; and daily+, PR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.95, 1.44). Conclusion: Regular interdental cleaning was associated with better oral hygiene outcomes, such as dental plaque and gingivitis, although there was no significant association between regular interdental cleaning and clinical attachment loss.     

Undiagnosed and comorbid disorders in patients with presumed chronic fatigue syndrome

Objective

To assess undiagnosed and comorbid disorders in patients referred to a tertiary care center with a presumed diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Methods

Patients referred for chronic unexplained fatigue entered an integrated diagnostic pathway, including internal medicine assessment, psychodiagnostic screening, physiotherapeutic assessment and polysomnography + multiple sleep latency testing. Final diagnosis resulted from a multidisciplinary team discussion. Fukuda criteria were used for the diagnosis of CFS, DSM-IV-TR criteria for psychiatric disorders, ICSD-2 criteria for sleep disorders.

Results

Out of 377 patients referred, 279 (74.0%) were included in the study [84.9% female; mean age 38.8 years (SD 10.3)].A diagnosis of unequivocal CFS was made in 23.3%. In 21.1%, CFS was associated with a sleep disorder and/or psychiatric disorder, not invalidating the diagnosis of CFS. A predominant sleep disorder was found in 9.7%, 19.0% had a psychiatric disorder and 20.8% a combination of both. Only 2.2% was diagnosed with a classical internal disease.In the total sample, a sleep disorder was found in 49.8%, especially obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, followed by psychophysiologic insomnia and periodic limb movement disorder. A psychiatric disorder was diagnosed in 45.2%; mostly mood and anxiety disorder.

Conclusions

A multidisciplinary approach to presumed CFS yields unequivocal CFS in only a minority of patients, and reveals a broad spectrum of exclusionary or comorbid conditions within the domains of sleep medicine and psychiatry. These findings favor a systematic diagnostic approach to CFS, suitable to identify a wide range of diagnostic categories that may be subject to dedicated care.     

Influence of gender and age on the Dysphonia Severity Index: A normative study in a Shanghainese population

Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) is an objective multi-parametric measurement of voice quality, which has been widely used in different countries. Studies indicate that DSI may be influenced by vocal pathology, age and geographical factors, whereas gender does not significantly affect DSI. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of gender and age on the DSI and related parameters in a Shanghainese population. The present study measured the DSI and the parameters maximum phonation time (MPT), highest fundamental frequency (HF0), lowest intensity (LI) and Jitter in 187 Shanghainese subjects, including 106 young adults aged 18–23 years (52 males and 54 females) and 81 children aged 7–9 years (44 boys and 37 girls). Two-way analysis of variance indicated that HF0 was significantly higher in female subjects than in male subjects, in both young adults and children. Gender was not significantly associated with MPT, LI, jitter or DSI. With regard to age, MPT and DSI were significantly higher in young adults than in children, and HF0 and LI were significantly lower. No significant associations between age and jitter were detected. In terms of clinic significance, the results of this study may contribute to the establishment of a normal reference range for Shanghainese DSI values, and the influence of gender and age on DSI and its separate components.     

Incidence of central giant cell granuloma of the jaws with clinical and histological confirmation: an archival study in Northern India

To record the demographics, and correlate histological findings in central giant cell granulomas (CGCGs) of the jaws with their clinical behaviour, 30 paraffin-embedded samples of CGCG were retrieved from the archives of the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Subharti Dental College, Meerut, India. The diagnosis in each case was made on the basis of clinical, radiographic, and histological findings. Data about age, sex, anatomical site, presentation, radiological features, and laboratory investigations were analysed. Histomorphometric analyses were made in each case with respect to the number of giant cells, mean number of nuclei and giant cells, fractional surface area occupied by giant cells, index of relative size, and mitotic activity. The peak incidence of CGCG was during the second decade of life with a slight female predilection, and the mandible was the most common site. Of the 30 samples considered, 20 tumours were classified clinically as non-aggressive, and 10 as aggressive, based on their clinical behaviour. Histomorphometric analysis showed significant changes between the two groups with respect to the number of giant cells, the fractional surface area, and the mitotic activity. The data obtained showed clinical and histomorphometric features that may be reliable indicators for the differentiation between aggressive and non-aggressive CGCG. These data should be taken into consideration to improve planning of individual treatment and follow-up.