56-month clinical performance of Class I and II resin composite restorations

Objective: This study evaluated the 56-month clinical performance of Class I and II resin composite restorations. Filtek P60 was compared with Filtek Z250, which are both indicated for posterior restorations but differ in terms of handling characteristics. The null hypothesis tested was that there is no difference in the clinical performance of the two resin composites in posterior teeth. Material and Methods: Thirty-three patients were treated by the same operator, who prepared 48 Class I and 42 Class II cavities, which were restored with Single Bond/Filtek Z250 or Single Bond/Filtek P60 restorative systems. Restorations were evaluated by two independent examiners at baseline and after 56 months, using the modified USPHS criteria. Data were analyzed statistically using Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests (alpha=0.05). Results: After 56 months, 25 patients (31 Class I and 36 Class II) were analyzed. A 3% failure rate occurred due to secondary caries and excessive loss of anatomic form for P60. For both restorative systems, there were no significant differences in secondary caries and postoperative sensitivity. However, significant changes were observed with respect to anatomic form, marginal discoloration, and marginal adaptation. Significant decreases in surface texture were observed exclusively for the Z250 restorations. Conclusions: Both restorative systems can be used for posterior restorations and can be expected to perform well in the oral environment.

Enzyme activity in the small intestine of goat kids during the period of passive immunity acquisition

Enzyme activity of protein and carbohydrate degradation in small intestinal mucosa was investigated in goat kids fed with lyophilized bovine and goat colostrum. At 0,7 and 14 h of life 15 male newborns received 5% of body weight of lyophilized bovine colostrum and 14 goat colostrum, both with 55 mg/mL of IgG. Duodenum, jejunum and ileum samples were collected at 18,36 and 96 h of life. Three animals were sampled at birth, without colostrum intake. Activity of aminopeptidase N and A, dipeptidil peptidase IV, lactase, maltase and sucrase was determined as one international unit per gram of tissue. Intracellular enzymatic activity of acid phosphatase was observed by histochemistry in tissue section. Only the activity of aminopeptidase A in the ileum was affected by treatment, with a greater value for LBC than for GC (P < 0.05). The aminopeptidase N activity was the highest at 36 h in the duodenum (P < 0.05) and lowest at 96 h in the jejunum (P < 0.05). Dipeptidil peptidase IV activity was highest at 36 h in the duodenum (P < 0.05), lowest at 96 h in the jejunum (P < 0.05) and higher at 36 h than at 96 h in the ileum (P < 0.05). Aminopeptidase A activity in the ileum was highest at 36 h (P < 0.05), followed by 18 and 96 h of life (P < 0.05). Lactase activity in the duodenum increased from 18 to 36 h and from 36 to 96 h in the jejunum (P < 0.05). Maltase activity increased only in the duodenum from 18 to 96 h (P < 0.05). Sucrase activity in the jejunum decreased from 18 to 36 h and from 36 to 96 h in the ileum (P < 0.05). At birth, activity of most enzymes was similar to that at later times (P < 0.05). Histochemistry analyses showed a higher frequency of lysosomes with acid phosphatase activity in the duodenum, especially at 36 h of life. In the jejunum, the presence of lysosomes with acid phosphatase activity was the highest at 96 h, followed by 36 and 18 h of life. In the ileum, all samples showed low presence of lysosomes with acid phosphatase activity. These results indicate that lyophilized bovine colostrum, as a heterologous source of antibodies or nutrients, is a possible alternative management tool for goats. The present work also suggests that in the first 4 days of life, enzyme activity in the intestinal epithelium of goats is still not fully stimulated, which is an important characteristic for these animals that depend on macromolecule absorption to acquire passive protection after birth. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distribution of major elements in Atlantic surface sediments (36 degrees N-49 degrees S): Imprint of terrigenous input and continental weathering

Numerous studies use major element concentrations measured on continental margin sediments to reconstruct terrestrial climate variations. The choice and interpretation of climate proxies however differ from site to site. Here we map the concentrations of major elements (Ca, Fe, Al, Si, Ti, K) in Atlantic surface sediments (36 degrees N-49 degrees S) to assess the factors influencing the geochemistry of Atlantic hemipelagic sediments and the potential of elemental ratios to reconstruct different terrestrial climate regimes. High concentrations of terrigenous elements and low Ca concentrations along the African and South American margins reflect the dominance of terrigenous input in these regions. Single element concentrations and elemental ratios including Ca (e. g., Fe/Ca) are too sensitive to dilution effects (enhanced biological productivity, carbonate dissolution) to allow reliable reconstructions of terrestrial climate. Other elemental ratios reflect the composition of terrigenous material and mirror the climatic conditions within the continental catchment areas. The Atlantic distribution of Ti/Al supports its use as a proxy for eolian versus fluvial input in regions of dust deposition that are not affected by the input of mafic rock material. The spatial distributions of Al/Si and Fe/K reflect the relative input of intensively weathered material from humid regions versus slightly weathered particles from drier areas. High biogenic opal input however influences the Al/Si ratio. Fe/K is sensitive to the input of mafic material and the topography of Andean river drainage basins. Both ratios are suitable to reconstruct African and South American climatic zones characterized by different intensities of chemical weathering in well-understood environmental settings.

Diagnostic utility of immunohistochemistry in distinguishing trichoepithelioma and basal cell carcinoma: evaluation using tissue microarray samples

Trichoepithelioma is a benign neoplasm that shares both clinical and histological features with basal cell carcinoma. It is important to distinguish these neoplasms because they require different clinical behavior and therapeutic planning. Many studies have addressed the use of immunohistochemistry to improve the differential diagnosis of these tumors. These studies present conflicting results when addressing the same markers, probably owing to the small number of basaloid tumors that comprised their studies, which generally did not exceed 50 cases. We built a tissue microarray with 162 trichoepithelioma and 328 basal cell carcinoma biopsies and tested a panel of immune markers composed of CD34, CD10, epithelial membrane antigen, Bcl-2, cytokeratins 15 and 20 and D2-40. The results were analyzed using multiple linear and logistic regression models. This analysis revealed a model that could differentiate trichoepithelioma from basal cell carcinoma in 36% of the cases. The panel of immunohistochemical markers required to differentiate between these tumors was composed of CD10, cytokeratin 15, cytokeratin 20 and D2-40. The results obtained in this work were generated from a large number of biopsies and resulted in the confirmation of overlapping epithelial and stromal immunohistochemical profiles from these basaloid tumors. The results also corroborate the point of view that trichoepithelioma and basal cell carcinoma tumors represent two different points in the differentiation of a single cell type. Despite the use of panels of immune markers, histopathological criteria associated with clinical data certainly remain the best guideline for the differential diagnosis of trichoepithelioma and basal cell carcinoma. Modern Pathology (2012) 25, 1345-1353; doi: 10.1038/modpathol.2012.96; published online 8 June 2012

Importância dos vírus respiratórios na febre sem sinais localizatórios em crianças menores de 36 meses

INTRODUÇÃO Cerca de 20% das crianças menores de 36 meses trazidas ao setor de emergência por febre apresentam febre sem sinais localizatórios (FSSL). Nos últimos anos, vários estudos estabeleceram critérios para a identificação dos pacientes com risco de infecção bacteriana grave (IBG), além de demonstrarem a aplicabilidade da pesquisa de vírus respiratórios (PVR) na avaliação destes pacientes. Entretanto, não existem estudos abordando a identificação de vírus respiratórios em crianças menores de 36 meses com FSSL no nosso meio. OBJETIVOS Descrever a frequência dos vírus respiratórios na febre sem sinais localizatórios (FSSL) em crianças menores de 36 meses de idade CASUÍSTICA E MÉTODOS Estudo prospectivo e observacional de crianças menores de 36 meses no setor de emergência pediátrico, durante o período de abril de 2011 a abril de 2013, com diagnóstico de FSSL. Foram excluídas crianças portadoras de doenças de base que implicavam em alteração da imunidade e uso de antibiótico até 14 dias antes da consulta. Os pacientes foram avaliados laboratorialmente de acordo com o protocolo institucional para avaliação de FSSL. Além de hemograma completo, análise do sedimento urinário e culturas de sangue e urina, foi coletada amostra de secreção de nasofaringe para pesquisa de vírus respiratórios por imunoflourescência indireta. Resultados Foram estudados 232 crianças menores de 36 meses com diagnóstico de FSSL, sendo 53% do sexo masculino, com idade mediana de 10,7 meses (5,4 - 16,1). Em 57 (24,6%) destes pacientes, foi identificado vírus respiratórios, sendo o adenovírus (33 casos - 57,9%) o agente mais identificado, seguido do parainfluenza 3 (17,5%) e do influenza A (12,3%). CONCLUSÃO Em torno de 25% dos casos de FSSL do nosso meio foram identificados vírus respiratórios, mostrando que a PVR é uma ferramenta útil na avaliação do paciente com FSSL, possibilitando a redução do número de retornos hospitalares e uso de antibioticoterapia empírica.