Ruth Tramontani Ramos

Isolation of free-living amoebae from bottled mineral water

Foram isoladas amebas dos generos Vahlkampfia, Glaeseria, Acanthamoeba, Filamoeba, Amoeba, Platyamoeba e Hartmanella de dez diferentes marcas de agua mineral engarrafadas, servidas no Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brasil). Somente uma das marcas foi negativa para protozoarios, enquanto que de todas as outras foram isoladas amebas de vida livre. O significado desses resultados e discutido como um indicador de qualidade da agua mineral usada comercialmente, destacando-se o fato de que alguns desses microorganismos sao potencialmente patogenicos.

Regression of major recurrent aphthous ulcerations using a combination of intralesional corticosteroids and levamisole: a case report.

Recurrent aphthous ulcerations (RAU) are common oral lesions that affect approximately 10% to 20% of the population. The disease is characterized by recurrent and painful ulcerations of the oral non-keratinized mucosa, which measure from 3 to 10 mm in diameter and heal without scarring in 7 to 14 days.1 The etiology of RAU remains unknown, but there is increasing evidence that its development has an immunogenic basis. The search for its cause should concentrate on disorders associated with immunoderegulation, decreased mucosal barriers, or conditions that elevate the antigenic stimulus. Major RAU have irregular margins, frequently exceed 10 mm in size, and typically leave scars.2 There have been many attempts over the years to find an effective treatment for RAU. Because the etiology of RAU remains unknown, its treatment consists of therapeutic measures to suppress its symptoms rather than bringing about a definitive cure. The therapeutic choice depends on the severity of the disease, which is measured by the frequency of ulcer recurrence, the number of ulcers, their location and duration, and the level of associated orofacial pain.3,4 Cases of major RAU that are characterized by pain, fever, and dysphagia and that are recurrent usually require systemic therapy. Several systemic drugs have been used to treat major RAU, including systemic corticosteroids, dapsone, colchicine, thalidomide, pentoxifylline, low-dose interferon-α, and levamisole.2,5 The use of systemic corticosteroids and immuno-modulating agents has been the mainstay of treatment for major RAU. Intralesional steroid injections, which contain betamethasone dipropionate and betamethasone disodium phosphate, combined with levamisole therapy may successfully treat the large ulcers associated with major RAU.6 This paper presents a case report of major RAU where we tested the therapeutic efficacy of a treatment combining an intralesional corticosteroid and a drug used to modulate immune responses.