Regina Célia Poli-Frederico

Comparative genomic hybridization analysis detects frequent over-representation of DNA sequences at 3q, 7p, and 8q in head and neck carcinomas

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to identify chromosomal imbalances in 19 samples of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC). The chromosome arms most often over-represented were 3q (48%), 8q (42%), and 7p (32%); in many cases, these changes were observed at high copy number. Other commonly over-represented sites were 1q, 2q, 6p, 6q, and 18q. The most frequently under-represented segments were 3p and 22q. Loss of heterozygosity of two polymorphic microsatellite loci from chromosome 22 was observed in two tongue tumors, in agreement with the CGH analysis. Gains of 1q and 2q material were detected in patients exhibiting a clinical history of recurrence and/or metastasis followed by terminal disease. This association suggests that gain of 1q and 2q may be a new marker of head and neck tumors with a refractory clinical response.

Factors related to oral health-related quality of life of independent brazilian elderly.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the factors associated with the impact of oral health on the quality of life in a sample of 504 Brazilian independent elderly. Data collection included oral examinations and structured interviews. The simplified form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) was used to measure OHRQoL. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, use of dental services, and subjective measures of health was collected. Poisson regression within a hierarchical model was used to data analyses. The following variables were associated with a negative impact on OHRQoL: female gender (PR = 1.40; CI 95%: 1.11–1.77); lower class (PR = 1.58; CI 95%: 1.13–2.20); up to 3 occluding pairs of posterior teeth (PR = 1.88; CI 95%: 1.13–3.14); at least one untreated caries (PR = 1.28; CI 95%: 1.06–1.54); curative reasons for the last dental appointment (PR = 1.52; CI 95%: 1.15–2.00); poor self-perception of oral health (PR = 2.49; CI 95%: 1.92–3.24); and poor perception of dental care provided (PR = 1.34; CI 95%: 1.12–1.59). The younger elderly also noticed this negative impact. These findings showed that the clinical, sociodemographic, and subjective factors evaluated exerted a negative impact on OHRQoL in elderly people. Health authorities must address all these factors when planning interventions on oral health for this population.

Genotypic Diversity of Streptococcus mutans in Caries-Free and Caries-Active Preschool Children

Aim. The aim of the present paper was to evaluate the genotypic diversity of S. mutans in caries-free and caries-active preschool children in Brazil. Design. Twenty-eight preschool children were examined regarding caries experience by the dmft index. DNA from 280 isolates of S. mutans was extracted. S. mutans evaluated using to the PCR method, with primers for the glucosyltransferase gene. The genetic diversity of S. mutans isolates was analyzed by arbitrary primed-PCR (AP-PCR) reactions. The differences between the diversity genotypic and dmft/caries experience were evaluated by χ2 test and Spearmans correlation. Results. The Spearman correlation test showed a strong association between genotypic diversity and caries experience (r = 0.72; P < .001). There were more S. mutans genotypes in the group of preschool children with dental caries, compared with the caries-free group. Among the children with more than 1 genotype, 13 had dental caries (2 to 5 genotypes) and 4 were caries-free (only 2 genotypes). Conclusion. Our results support the previous findings of genetic diversity of S. mutans in preschool children being associated with dental caries. The investigation of such populations may be important for directing the development of programs for caries prevention worldwide.

Chromosome 22q a frequent site of allele loss in head and neck carcinoma.

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) correlates with inactivated tumor suppressor genes. LOH at chromosome arm 22q has been found in a variety of human neoplasms, suggesting that this region contains a tumor suppressor gene(s) other than NF2 important to tumorigenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of LOH on chromosome 22q11.2‐13 and determine whether there was a relationship between loss in this genomic region and tumor histologic parameters, anatomic site, and survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC).

Association of interleukin-6 gene polymorphism (rs1800796) with severity and functional status of osteoarthritis in elderly individuals

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent disease of the musculoskeletal system and it has an important genetic component. Despite several reports have shown the involvement of pro-inflammatory cytokine such as interleukin-1β and TNF-α, the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in osteoarthritis is still unclear. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between the single nucleotide polymorphism in the portion -572 of the promoter region of the IL6 gene (SNP -572G/C) with hip and knee OA in the elderly. In this case-control study, 257 physically independent elderly were recruited (case group: 92 individuals with osteoarthritis and control group: 165 individuals with no osteoarthritis). Blood samples were collected from patients for the DNA fragments extraction and amplification by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by TaqMan system for subsequent genotyping of IL6 gene. The degree of joint damage was assessed by radiographic classification based on the criteria of Kellgren and Lawrence. The functional status was evaluated by Lequesne and WOMAC questionnaires. It was observed that individuals carrying the C allele have lower susceptibility to osteoarthritis (OR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.32-0.80, p=0.004) and less radiological impairment for both hip (Fisher-Freeman-Halton test=4.2 and p=0.04) and knee joints (Fisher-Freeman-Halton test=4.7 and p=0.03). Regarding functional status, individuals carrying the C allele has a lower degree of functional impairment assessed by WOMAC (Mann-Whitney test, p=0.04), although no difference was observed in the Lequesne questionnaire (p>0.05). Additionally, it was observed a marked reduction in IL-6 serum levels in individuals with GC and CC genotypes when compared to individuals harboring GG genotype. In conclusion, the polymorphism -572G/C IL6 is a protective factor for the presence and severity of hip and knee osteoarthritis in the elderly. Further prospective studies with large sample size and methods (e.g. effect of this polymorphism on gene expression, haplotype analysis for IL-6 promoter polymorphism) are needed to validate this study findings.

Atividade do Óleo Essencial de Tomilho (Thymus vulgaris L.) Contra Fungos Fitopatogênicos

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar as caracteristicas fisico-quimicas, lactofermentacao, tempo de redutase, sedimentacao e Ring test de 20 amostras de leite cru informais visando o levantamento de dados sobre a qualidade do leite cru informal comercializado na regiao norte do Parana, o que possibilitara alertar a populacao consumidora deste produto. Estava fora dos padroes 40% das amostras no alizarol, 55% para acidez Dornic, 30% na densidade, 45% no IC, 95% na sedimentacao, 55% com tempo de redutase igual/ inferior ao leite cru tipo C; 65% na lactofermentacao e 5% no Ring Test. Resultados indicaram problemas higienico-sanitarios de obtencao, transporte e conservacao e um risco a saude do consumidor.Hanseniase e uma doenca cronica, proveniente da infeccao causada pelo Mycobacterium leprae que acomete nervos perifericos e possui grande poder incapacitante. Para se alcancar a meta estabelecida pela Organizacao Mundial da Saude de menos de 1:10.000 habitantes ha necessidade de que todos os estados e municipios conhecam a sua situacao epidemiologica. Portanto este estudo epidemiologico auxiliara na visualizacao da situacao da hanseniase no municipio de Londrina-PR. O objetivo deste estudo e analisar o perfil epidemiologico dos pacientes com hanseniase no municipio de Londrina-PR. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo retrospectivo, cujos dados foram coletados atraves de um instrumento semi-estruturado composto de 32 questoes, no ambulatorio de hanseniase do Centro Integrado de Doencas Infecciosas (CIDI) Londrina-PR no periodo de agosto e setembro de 2004. Para tanto se realizou um banco de dados, onde as informacoes obtidas foram transportadas para o programa estatistico SPSS 8.0 para Windows. Dos 251 sujeitos que frequentaram CIDI no periodo de 2000 a 2003 observou-se o predominio do sexo masculino 131 (52,2 da porcentagem) para 120 (47,8 da porcentagem) feminino, a faixa etaria 105 (41,8 da porcentagem), encontra-se entre 41 a 60 anos. Entre os anos de 2000 a 2001 obteve-se um predominio da forma Tuberculoide, ja nos anos subsequentes 119 (47,3 da porcentagem) dos casos apresentaram a forma Virchowiana. Quanto ao grau de incapacidade, houve um predominio das formas Dimorfa e Virchowiana, 73 (61,8 da porcentagem) com grau I no inicio do tratamento e 138 (54,9 da porcentagem) na alta. Conclui-se que o diagnostico tem sido feito tardiamente, fazendo-se necessario um maior empenho, dos profissionais de saude, em programas e acoes estrategicas no controle da hanseniase.Objetivou-se avaliar cefalometricamente as alteracoes ocorridas apos o tratamento ortodontico com extracoes dos quatro primeiros pre-molares, em jovens com ma oclusao de Classe I e II de Angle. A amostra constituiu-se 54 telerradiografias de 27 jovens, sendo 16 jovens do genero feminino e 11 jovens do masculino, com idade media inicial de 13a 4m. Foram avaliadas grandezas cefalometricas dentoesqueleticas antes e apos o tratamento ortodontico, que durou em media 3 anos 1 mes. Os resultados demonstraram uma diminuicao estatisticamente significante para a medida SNA, sendo que o mesmo nao foi observado em relacao a mandibula, que nao apresentou alteracoes estatisticamente significantes. No entanto, a relacao maxilomandibular apresentou melhora significante. As grandezas cefalometricas SNGoGn, BaNaPtgn, AFP/AFA nao sofreram alteracao significante. Em contrapartida, as grandezas referentes as dimensoes verticais como AFAI, AFA (N-Me) e AFP (S-Go) apresentaram aumento estatisticamente significante. Em relacao aos dentes, observou-se extrusao e mesializacao dos molares superiores e inferiores, assim como os incisivos superiores e inferiores apresentaram movimento para lingual. Foi possivel concluir que o tratamento ortodontico realizado com extracao de pre-molares contribuiu para um aumento da dimensao vertical, fato esse que nao justifica a adocao de tal procedimento com objetivo de controlar ou diminuir a altura facial dos pacientes.

An evaluation of the expression profiles of salivary proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme and their association with caries experience and activity

Purpose: Saliva contains both specific and non-specific protective factors of the immune system, such as antimicrobial proteins, which can inhibit the adhesion and viability of cariogenic microorganisms. The association between caries experience/activity and the electrophoretic profiles of salivary proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme was evaluated. Methods: Eighty 12-year-old students from public schools in Londrina, PR, Brazil, were selected and divided into two groups: Group A – with decayed teeth and Group B – with caries-free teeth. The parent/guardian of each child signed a consent form and filled out a questionnaire regarding the oral and systemic health of his/her child. A clinical examination to diagnose the presence or absence of dental caries, by means of the DMFT index, was conducted. A total of 1 mL of saliva was collected for protein analysis using a polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Results: A total of 58.8% of the children were caries-inactive; in contrast, 63.3% showed caries experience. There was a slight association between lysozyme concentrations and DMFT. Lactoferrin was positively correlated with both DMFT and restored teeth. Conclusion: The quantification of lactoferrin and lysozyme enabled an assessment of possible associations with caries status, thus improving the understanding of the biological and etiological aspects of caries.

Análise da influência da farmacoterapia sobre a qualidade de vida em idosos com osteoartrite

AIMS This study aimed to assess the influence of pharmacotherapy on health-related quality of life of elderly with ostheoartritis. METHODS Longitudinal study involving 91 older adults from both genders (Age: 70.36±5.57 years) from EELO project with self-reported knee or hip ostheoartritis, confirmed by radiographic analysis. Data regarding pharmacotherapy was assessed by a structured questionnaire and the quality of life was analyzed by SF-36 questionnaire at the initial moment and two years thereafter. All domains from quality of life were grouped in physical and mental components for further data analysis. RESULTS A statistically significant decline in health-related quality of life was observed (Wilcoxon test, p<0.05). However, it was observed a slighted decline in physical components in group treated with chondroitin/glucosamine when compared to other groups, according to Kruskal-Wallis test (p=0.007). On the other hand, it was not observed any influence of pharmacological treatment on mental components of health-related quality of life (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Treatment with condroitin/glucosamin contributes to a lower decline in physical component while it had no influence on mental component of health-related quality of life in older adults with ostheoartritis.

Interleukin‑1β gene polymorphism and hearing loss related to the history of occupational noise exposure in Brazilian elderly

Hearing loss is the most common sensory impairment in older people, and may have social and psychological consequences, such as social isolation, frustration and depression. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is an interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Some studies have led to the identification of possible NIHL susceptibility genes. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the polymorphism of the interleukin (IL)-1β gene at position + 3954 was associated with complaints of hearing loss due to occupational exposure. The sample was composed of elderly people with hearing loss (age ≥ 60 years) divided into two groups: 99 with occupational exposure to noise and 193 without exposure. Information on occupational exposure to noise was obtained through interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Hearing acuity was measured from 500 to 6000 Hz and the IL-1β genotype was obtained by the polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Differences in allelic and genotypic frequencies, and the association between genotypic frequencies and complaints of hearing loss due to occupational exposure, were analyzed by the Chi-square test at the 5% significance level. Fifty-one percent of the elderly were homozygous for the ancestral allele (C), 17.2% were homozygous for the polymorphic allele (T) and 31.8% were heterozygous. The frequency was found to be 67-33% C to allele T. There was no significant association between polymorphism in gene IL-1β and hearing loss associated with occupational exposure (χ2 = 0.538; P = 0.676). No association was found with the polymorphism of the IL-1β +3954 C/T gene and hearing loss associated with the occupational noise exposure history.

Association between oral health status and central obesity among Brazilian independent-living elderly.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between oral health status and central obesity (CO) in Brazilian independent-living elderly. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 489 elderly, who were participants of the Study on Aging and Longevity, in Londrina, state of Parana. The number of natural teeth and use of prostheses were evaluated according to the World Health Organization criteria. The presence of CO was assessed using measures of waist circumference (WC) and waist-hip ratio (WHR). Information concerning sociodemographic profile and some systemic conditions was also collected. Data were analyzed using stepwise logistic regression, α=5%. According to WC and WHR measures, the prevalence of central obesity was 79.3% and 76.1%, respectively. CO according to WC was not associated with oral status. Considering the WHR measure, the following oral conditions were associated to CO: having fewer natural teeth (OR = 2.61; 95%CI = 1.17-5.80), being edentulous and wearing both upper and lower complete dentures (OR = 2.34; 95%CI = 1.11-4.93), and being edentulous wearing only the upper complete denture (OR = 2.64; 95%CI = 1.01-6.95). Traditional risk factors for CO such as gender, dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes were associated with both measures. A poor oral health due to extensive tooth loss, whether partial or complete, even if rehabilitated by removable prostheses, may be considered a good predictor of CO in Brazilian independent-living elderly.